#jacob nolan

[wrestlingisbest]

Pic Ed Sanchez

[whatsnextmovies]

I Am Mother

June 7, 2019

[applejuice-and-cartoons-blog]

Hey, anyone here look at Jacob Nolan’s case? I’m honestly curious what others think about his case, message me what y'all think!

[lettersociety-general]

Project 31: Advice to my art-school self

This post has been published both here and at the new Characters by Letter Society page on Medium and now onto the advice.

Being two years out of school, it’s only appropriate to think of ways I could share my sage wisdom with a younger me. Throughout college, life was changing quickly, drastically, and it seemed like I was doing everything I could to stay on top of it. Given the chance to go back and do it again, dominating it doesn’t describe how well I think I’d do. Listen up college Jake, these points have applications to both your personal life and your success as a budding designer because they’re intertwined at every turn.

Get off your ass. One. It’s easy to put things off with Netflix calling your name but try a little less time in front of the TV and more in the studio. Some say that great work comes out of desperation and while that can be true, it doesn’t apply when in the early years of honing your skills. Great work comes out of trial and error which simply cannot happen when starting a project two nights before the due date. Accept the failure along the way because it’s not the worst thing by a long shot. (Spilt wine is way worse.)

Two. Actually get off your ass. Ride the bike more. Go for a run. Be proud of yourself for going to the gym instead intimidated. A lot of creative blocks have been overcome around mile 3.

Stay focused on who you are. One. We’ve fought hard to get where we are. The first few years of college were not easy but you staked your claim so never lose sight of it. It formed the foundation of a person I couldn’t be happier to identify as. I’d describe us in three ways: curious, loyal, and refusing to accept things easily. Ask questions and if you ever worry about being a nuisance, just think “stay informed to stay on top.” It holds true and shows no sign of failing.

Two. While it’s nice to emulate another designer’s styles and be envious of the people on Behance, embrace your own quirks. Make things that you like because everything we do has a level of taste involved. The taste will never go away so work towards creating things that live up to expectations you set

Explore One. Explore the world. Explore your likes and dislikes. Immerse yourself in uncomfortable situations so you have no choice but to grow. Will it be scary, yes. Will you end up still disliking things, more than you’d think. Are surprises in store, without a doubt. Remember skydiving? Case in point.

Two. Use the Letter Society as one of your greatest resources. In retrospect, it has led to exponential growth even if the project quality doesn’t show it all the time. At times it might seem like you’re competing with the other members but we aren’t. Everyone wants to grow so let them help you explore what it means to be a creative person and in turn, you’ll help them explore their limits as well.

The future is bright and I’d hate to spoil what it has in store. Know that it’s exciting and that everything will change when you least expect it.

Smooches, Jake

Off-topic points: I haven’t learned to like sushi yet. Ramen is great, seaweed not so much. You’re incredibly white. Like super white.

[lettersociety-general]

Project 19: Free For All - Pokémon TCG

For this project I decided to tackle a game as old as time itself, Pokémon. The cards themselves have undergone slight variations since I was a kid so I thought it'd be fun to give them a makeover. I was hoping for a radically new design but once I dove into the analysis of the cards' elements, I realized that the layout was quite functional and only need minor retooling.

You'll notice that I simplified the colors and finishes being used so that the artwork of the Pokémon is more of a driving force. I learned that some special editions do use a full card illustration so it was nice to see that I was contributing in a manner that isn't all together foreign to the community.

When it came to choosing artwork, I did some hunting and found a variety of illustrations on both Tumblr and other photo networks. I wanted to use fan generated illustrations because I see so many that blow me away and show my appreciation of their work. Rapidash was illustrated by Rock-Bomber and Kyogre was done by scottsakae. Both illustrations are gorgeous! If you look carefully, they are also credited on the cards about half-way down on the right, in the manner of the current cards.

After doing the character cards, I thought it was only right that I pay the Energy cards and the front of the card a visit. My goal, again, was to simplify and remove clutter so I updated the iconography and aimed to keep the colors relative and vibrant.

This project was a blast to do and I hope you enjoy!

-Jake

[lettersociety-general]

Project 18: Letter Society Rebrand

When it came to rebranding the Letter Society, I knew I wanted to preserve the "LSo." lockup that had been established from the beginning. I went through different combinations of existing typefaces, tried my hand at creating a hand-lettered version (which yielded subpar results), then in the end chose to render my own letters digitally.

It's hard to believe what's come from this blog. A number of us, myself included, owe our current jobs to the exposure that we've gained from our submissions. Thank you to my fellow Society members for making this one hell of a year! 

-Jake

[lettersociety-general]

Project 16: Material Design - This American Life

Most people who know me also know that I have a thing for NPR, especially This American Life. It's my love for Ira Glass that motivated me to take a stab at applying Google's Material Design language to their content. From using the app on iOS and Android, I knew that I wanted to work on making the experience more functional. I found the Material Design mindset to be very functional and utilitarian all around but what gives it some warmth are the animations and transitions. I plan on further experimenting with this app in order to flesh out the kinks my design could produce. I am especially eager to hash out the in-app player and how it will behave.

Jake

[lettersociety-general]

Project 11: Off the Computer: Print Therapy

During my last year of college, I took a silkscreen printmaking course and I found that I was most relaxed while creating a print with my hands. With that in mind and brainstorming away in my sketchbook, I found myself doodling the to-be-carved pattern all over my pages. I have been filling up notebook margins with it for years as it is has turned into a therapeutic habit.

With both things being a sort of mental therapy for me during times of stress or consternation, I created my Print Therapy Series. I began with four solid color prints and then experimented with gradients. This was my first time using the lino block to print and it was extremely fun! I stabbed myself a few times but what is art without some blood, sweat, and tears mixed in?

Jake