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Academic Level at Time of Creation
Senior
Date of Creation
Spring 4-12-2024
Artist Statement
Utilizing digital media, I design work that embraces the humor and playfulness found even in the darkest of situations and environments. The humor expresses liveliness and absurdity — reminiscent of my childhood — but is reinforced by a mature perspective. It is through designing art that I can explore my witty and sensitive side. My artistic purpose is to put a smile on people’s faces.
This exhibition introduces the fictional town of Springlot, USA, The town acts as a central melting pot for many different tourist traps. The exhibition is inspired by a trip to South Dakota I took with friends back in 2020, particularly the iconic Wall Drug billboards along I-90. My friends and I saw so many that we just had to see what all the hype was about. We were definitely tourist trapped looking back on it.
I believe that tourism branding is fundamentally different than commercial branding because tourist traps break all the rules of design so long as it gets people to the door. These brochure layouts adhere to the principles of design while also representing these traps in a amusing light. Each brochure on the rack was approached stylistically different. It is my hope that Springlot, USA cracks a smile on viewers faces and maybe the road will lead them there someday.
My inspirations are David Hockney’s bold use of color and shapes to design multilayered layouts. Illustrator Kazuma Kaneko’s application of rhythm, sharp outlines, and grim aesthetics developed during his time in the video game industry made me consider narrative importance in my work. After reflecting upon this, I treat all of my design work like a pop-up storybook, telling stories with a dimensional and comical perspective.
While my design work is primarily digital, I find that skills I have learned outside the computer have helped my graphic design work. Taking painting classes helped me better understand texture and color theory. Taking marketing courses helped me understand designing for an audience and brand consistency. These skills allow me to visualize work with more depth while also balancing the characteristics that make my work my own.
The nature of my work is taking the ordinary — such as an informative brochure design — and making it extraordinary by playfully altering the layout and typography. When starting my work, I’ll look at the references I work from and take small details such as people and places and develop a comical narrative around them. Thinking of underlying narratives sometimes helps me when developing concepts for a piece. These narratives helped to lay the foundation for Springlot, USA.
Advisor/Mentor
Jim Bryant; Gregory Scott Cook; Woody Leslie; Timothy Michael Martin
Description
Springlot, USA transports viewers to the fictional town of the same name. Through graphic design, layout, branding, and motion graphics, the exhibit showcases brochures, pamphlets, posters, and promotional videos advertising fictional tourist traps meant to attract travelers to the rural town. The audience can read brochures and pamphlets advertising popular places to check out when visiting Springlot, USA. With a humorous yet mature perspective, Springlot, USA encourages viewers to go down the beaten path.
Photo Credit
Benson Greenwell
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Greenwell, Benson, "Springlot, USA" (2024). B.F.A. Practicum Exhibition (ART 498). 126.
https://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/art498/126