Outside Reading: Joe Ledbetter

Bio
Joe Ledbetter is an artist(painter) from L.A. He is inspired by classic animation, graphic design and everyday life. His art combines cute and cuddly characters with humorous situations. The situations often take on common events and question whether we take these situations too seriously or not.

In 2001 Joe got his start as an apparel artist and started to make his way into the L.A. Art scene. After doing many group shows, the began to hone his style and make a name for himself. His style is defined by his very detailed line work and vibrant colors. The art really has a refined systematic quality to it.

In addition to his paintings, he also has built a cult following in the Designer Vinyl Toy industry. His characters create a perfect platform for Vinyl toys. He has over 100 different vinyl toy concepts out in the world. Each of these toys have a certain amount made off of that 1 concept...making them highly collectible.


Paintings
I love his paintings. I think the main reason, is the simple communication of the idea. It's straight forward and right there for you to enjoy. What reinforces this, is the simplicity of his style and how he crafts them. I love the clean lines and the subtle shift in colors to create the hilights, shadows and different color planes on the figure. Also, the backgrounds are often simple and have a nice subtle texture to them. I especially like it when he creates them on would or paneling and you can see the wood grains through the paint.

Toys
Below are a few samples of his diverse range of toys. He collaborates with many different toy companies in the industry, companies such as The Loyal Subjects, Kidrobot, Wheaty Wheat, Munkey King and many more.

My JLed Collection
I started collecting JLed in 2003. I initially didn't get the designer toy collecting thing and laughed at my friend for collecting "dollies". Little did I know how addicting it would actually be. I bought one and got hooked. I now have over 80 pieces in my collection.
In addition to JLed creating manufactured vinyl toy, he also does custom hand painted creations. These are normally one offs and have a hefty price tag associated with them. These are wonderful because it's taking his painting and bringing them to life in 3D form.

Observations: Layers

David Carson-Don't mistake legibility for communication. In this example, David Carson is using typography as layers. The build up and layering of the repeated typographic message builds a distressed looking field of black color in which the word legibility lives.

Ray Gun-This is a spread taken from Ray Gun magazine. Layering is a staple within the design style of this magazine. Emotion created from text and image are the driving force...with legibility taking a back seat. This being the priority, there are many overlapping layers..either blocking portions of text or blocking image. Also, they use lower contrast text color against background color...this reduces the legibility even more and is completely opposite of traditional marketing strategies.They make you work a little more when reading the articles...which I think engages the viewer more and makes the interaction a more intimate experience.

Observations: Scale

West Elm Catalog-In the first layout, the designers are using scale to add contrast to the featured content. On the right, they have a close up cropped shot of rugs. The left page has a nicely framed still shot of a bureau. The left is very recognizable right off the bat...the right, you need to do a little more work to decipher the featured products. It all adds visual interest to the page and keeps me there looking.
The second layout has a bit more contrast in scale. The right page has a full bleed nicely cropped shot of the bed. The left page has four insets that have the products framed up nicely with room to breathe. Like the first layout, the contrast creates a nice visually interesting spread.

Skateboarding Magazine Pro Spotlight-This is a quite simple layout that utilizes scale of image. On the right, a large subtly cropped full bleed image of Stefan. Contrasting this page, an action shot of him pushing down the street. The red holds everything together and leads your eye through the layout...it commands your attention because of the bold contrast of it against the subtle blues/greys of the background.

Observations: Image

Mercedes-Benz AD-This Ad really caught my attention. I was held more by the image than the communication. But, after figuring out the image I finally made my way to the text. I think it works because it's a print Ad and you can spend some time with the layout. It's a really interesting image and fun to try and figure out.

Olly Moss-These Posters are so simple and beautiful. Even though they start with a simple silhouette, the imagery inside tells and epic story of the 3 different movies. The colors are also very intense and help support the imagery and the mood. The placement of design elements is wonderful in this series as well. For example, the two moons in the first version that make C3PO's eyes. In the second, cloud city making the iconic detail of BobaFett's helmet. And the third, the branches making up the shape of Darth Vaders eys.

Draplin Design Co.-Iowa all the way poster. Draplin is from the midwest and his design is greatly influenced by that. He also has done many political influenced pieces. This piece is a celebration of the state and all that it has to offer. His color choice was influenced by cornfields, sunsets, harvest and autumn in Iowa. The images are representations of content that was born or created in Iowa. I really love his art and his use of flat color....that detail is consistent and a red thread through all his work.

Observations: Voice

 

Ghostland-I've been collecting designer vinyl toys for about 10 years now. This is a series from brian Flynn, who is the owner of Super 7 Toy company and Hybrid design firm in San Francisco. He created this sub brand series under Super 7 and It has a really beautiful voice to it. When you see the packaging/logo in real life, it is beautifully printed and has a really strong identity that completely fits with the toy. It speaks to the goofiness of the characters and the mood of the spooky genera.

Olly Moss-Evil Dead Poster. Not much text but the visual voice speaks volumes. All the design elements are really working together here to convey the message. The warm fiery tones inside the silo of the hand really create a mood of destruction and fear. The silo of the hand is really nice because of the state in which it is in...it's grasping for help and reaching for hope of being saved. Adding to this feeling is the hand breaking through the ground and the earth being tossed about. Like someone is digging their way out of a grave. The composition is also working nicely by being at a 30 degree angle...it gives it a dynamic feel.

Frank Kozik-Kozik is another artist who has entered the vinyl toy industry. He's well know for his hard core posters he's done through the years. He has a really specific, screw authority and government kind of vibe. A lot of his work has an anarchist feel to it. He's not my favorite artist but I definately respect the identity he has created with his work. This poster has a definite voice to it...the distressed typeface along with the miss matched type creates a screw the traditional headline feel to it...hence, screw authority...we're doing it our way. The colors he uses also creates a harsh, raw vibe. The red and blacks that are often used for angst or anger...not to mention the shapes those colors live in are by no means perfect...they are unrefined, raw and o'natural. It's like a collage made of things just lying around.

Observations: Hierarchy

John Mees Ad-I love the hierarchy in this Ad...it's so clean and straight forward. The type size and color really make this read easy.

 Nike Ad-Very straight forward and traditional hierarchy. It just feels like every design element has a nice cozy home within the composition.

Blaine Fontana-Overlook Village Celebration poster. A good example of some more extreme scale changes with copy. The supporting design elements do a good job directing the eye as well.

Project: Hierarchy

Describe, in detail, the difference in communication of the same content across the three final pieces.
1. For the first piece, I wanted a nice clean communication of the content. The essence of the content is freedom and I wanted a wide open space of color to reflect that...hence the wide open blue. I also feel that the Amendment's and what they stand for reflect strength. This is the reason I decided to have Amendment in the white carrying the weight of the blue and the space developed to hold Freedom of Speech. It reminds me of great pillars holding up a monumental structure. For the main body of text describing the amendment, I used yellow on the white...I wanted this quiet and subdued but available if the viewer really wanted to read it. It also adds a decorative element commonly found in our currency.
2. For the second piece, I wanted the main text to mimic chatter or conversation. I closed up the leading to create some texture and a faster read to the copy. I used an italic here as well to give it some movement. I then made "of speech" in the same text treatment to connect it with chatter. As I mentioned above, the essence of the amendment is freedom...so I thought making Amendment and Freedom in the same type color would make a connection. Also, if the viewer just read that, I would be OK with it...they would walk away with the essence of the communication. To reinforce this connection...I made Amendment and Freedom in the same type size. Also, the chatter above and "of speech" are the same type size. It's a subtle connection and hard to notice...because of the subtle scale change...but non the less, it's there.
3. For the third version, I let the image do the talking. It's very powerful and the copy definately takes a back seat. This one has a lot more character than the other ones and I think it's the strongest. That being said, I don't think my color concept is as evident in this one though...it's definately stronger in the first example.

Which of the three is the most successful? Why?
I suppose it depends on the objective of each piece. The more I think about it though...I think the first one is strongest. Reason being, every design element has a really strong purpose. I'm not sure that the third one does...because the image was supposed to be the supreme ruler in the third piece, I'm not sure I put enough TLC into the copy. I certainly spent time on it....and was very deliberate with my placement...but thought it was very secondary to the art. Yeah, I definately think the first one takes the cake for me anyway. I think if people spent time with it they would appreciate it...even though three is a bit more visually compelling. Wow, I'm feeling super BiPolar in this post.

Explain your choice of color, type and imagery as it relates to the concept of you content's hierarchy.
Color-I chose blue,yellow and white because of the presidential seal. Even without the ideal of the seal these colors resinate with me as being governmental and presidential. I'm not sure if it's the blue suits all the politicians where or what...even though they are more Navy blue than the value I chose. I also think the tonal values are a nice match...they are not viciously contrasty and play well together.
Type-I used Century, this type is used for a lot of text books and has a nice historic feel to it. It feels old, but in an elegant, sophisticated, strong kind of way. It also had a lot of different weights to explore with.
Imagery-I wanted to use a strong image of someone screaming or just being very vocal. Expressing their freedom of speech and embracing it. I used the image very large and cropped off the page...I wanted it to take up a descent amount of the composition, so it would be very dynamic and very present.

Project: Voice

Where? A corner in the LEGO creative department leading to the color printer. This is a high traffic area.
Audience- Any of the designers, project managers and Prepress folk who want to see what Meat(Mike Sion) is up to.
Why? Through the years Mike has acquired an almost cult following of fans anticipating his next unusual action or event. This text is to remind everyone to go check out what he's up to after or before you get your print. Some of his events/actions; Ate thawed out 3 day old Boca burgers from desk drawer, eats cucumbers straight up without peeling, eats corn/tuna fish straight out of the can, carries sandwiches from home in a huge plastic bag...so they no longer are intact sandwiches when they get to work, removed front passenger seat from car to make easier access to child seats in rear, paved his front yard, hates to get gas and will drive his car until he runs out, listens to astronomy and physics books while working.

How does your design provoke action/reaction from the viewer? I think it gives them a sense of curiosity and wonderment of what he is up to. It also provokes his personality and free spiritness. Meat sits right past the color printer...so it's not a far jaunt to quickly see what he's up to. It's a nice 5 minute break from the craziness of the day...a little entertainment to make the day more fun. I also think the type provokes some softness to the hard realities of the everyday work. The deadlines, clients and chaos of the day takes a toll sometimes. I wanted this to feel like a breath of fresh air.

Describe your reasoning and inspiration behind the final typographic treatment/style- My design incorporates a little bit of Meats personality and a little bit of a carnival vibe. The typeface I used for Meat's name has a hippie feel to it. He is very O'natural and really basic...also, I'm pretty sure he's done a lot of drugs as a young chap. It also has an organic natural and earthy feel to it. For the Print Emporiam typeface, it has a nice carnival/circus feel to it. The reason I chose this was because of his crazy/unusual events and actions he produces...it reminds me of a carnival/circus/freakshow.