Below are the student-created covers selected to represent the graphic design class sketchbook project:
Cover Design: Patrick Iadanza
Artist’s Statement:
The visual language of graphic design can successfully be categorized and expressed with color, in company with the arrangement and relationship of recognizable images of our everyday lives. I have used relatively simple color and shapes to create energy, shape and motion to illustrate one of the most recognizable icons of Ohio University and my everyday life. College Green is passed thru daily, utilized in the University’s logo, and always a familiar representation of our university’s rich past and future expectation. Importantly including vivid green tints and tones, I have created my abstract interpretation of this icon using symbolic and favored colors. From the branching brick walkway, to the display of native Ohio trees planted throughout, this design was created with imagination and personal significance of Ohio University and the our iconic College Green.
Cover Design: Presley Lammers
Artist’s Statement:
The cover design of this journal was inspired by the graphic quilt patterns that can be found on barns
throughout Southern Ohio. There are over 20 historic quilt barns tucked away in the rolling hills of Athens County alone. One fall afternoon, I decided to explore the winding roads of Athens County to visit these historic barns and was immediately inspired. I decided to recreate a particularly memorable scene from my adventure using a matrix of four specific quilt designs in repetition .The color pallet was chosen from my documentation of the trip and is used literally. The patterns created are symbolic of the complex beauty of natural elements interacting in a landscape. By embarking on this adventure, I was rewarded with spectacular views of the Appalachian countryside, and also the exhilarating feeling that the next dirt road would take me to a new, unfamiliar setting. The boundless winding roads of rural Athens County call me to explore and are a true wonder of my world.
Cover Design: Matthew Parris
Artist’s Statement:
When faced with the challenge of deigning a book cover that reflects not only my view of the university but also the students, I asked myself what plays a role in my everyday life as a student. The first thing that came to my mind was a place that I pass through on an almost everyday basis, as do many other students. The location that I am referring to is the intersection of Court and Union Street. I view that intersection as a uniting location of both the university and town. When it came to representing my idea of this intersection being a hub of everyday student life I wanted to represent each side of the street equally. Instead of just taking a normal picture going straight down court I decided to use a fish eye lenses to give the image an increased sense of depth and add a little bit of character. I then translated the image into a serious of lines that represented the recognizable characteristics of this corner. I choose bright colors to represent the constant motion of this corner.
Cover Design: John Risko
Artist’s Statement:
This design started out with only two visual elements: a crumpled paper background and a brightly colored spectrum of color that was moving down from the top of the page. I was hoping to merge the tactile and the digital, creating a simple narrative for the Graphic Design community within the realm of this academic institution.
Cover Design: Jacob Szypka
Artist’s Statement:
The inspiration for this design came mostly from the presence of the squirrels on campus and throughout Southeastern Ohio. One of the most noticible characteristics of these abundant squirrels are the sounds they make.
The squirrels are unique to the area; they were brought from Harvard University in the early 1800’s.
The Board of Trustees felt the Ohio University would benefit from a picturesque wildlife and I certainly feel that this sentiment is particularly definitive of the atmosphere on campus.
The color pallette was chosen to express the alarming nature of the noise that the Eastern Grey Squirrel produces. The sound waves create movement and energy in this design and also serve to represent an expanding university.
Cover Design: Jenna Verhoff
Artist’s Statement:
We are the students, the students of “OU”. Each student comes together to form this group. Each student comes here bringing change. Each student makes their own mark. Each student leaves, but their mark remains. Our marks influence this university and each student participates in its change.
This “marking” by the students influenced the design for this cover. Every “OU” was placed separately. As they overlap, they change colors and influence each other’s outcome, much like former and current students at this university. Everyone’s mark changes the university and everyone’s mark is influenced by other marks. This is what makes our university what it is, so go ahead and make your mark.
Sketchbooks are $9 each and limited in supply. Please contact Betsy Combs at ec198206@ohio.edu or Matt Parris at mp368606@ohio.edu to purchase books.