Just the Facts, Ma'am
Fun Facts about Brenda
Let's have a little fun, shall we? You've seen my work and my bio, but what does Brenda run on...besides caffeine? However, this is still a portfolio site, so, let's learn not only what my favorite things are, but how I, as a designer, approached the composition of each card below.
Just the Facts, Ma'am...
Many people associate this phrase with jack webb as Sgt. Joe Friday, from the popular 1950's television show "Dragnet." However, Jack Webb's Character never said these exact words (See Link). OK, yes, Joe Friday did say "Just the facts, ma'am,"...just not by Jack Webb's...and not in the 1950's, as many are led to believe.
Summary:
"If your an Elvis fan, no explanation is necessary. If you're not, no explanation is possible." -An Elvis fan's motto. It's hard to convey how deep our love for Elvis is, but if you know, you know! Whether you've just met, or have know each other a long time, when we share a love of Elvis, we are family...always!
Mindset:
It's one of the first things people learn about me, so it's only appropriate it be first on this list. However, knowing how protected Elvis' image is...and rightly so...I wasn't sure if I could use "the obvious," but I also needed a universally understood symbol, but I didn't want to go too general either. After a lot of brainstorming and painful step out of the fan role for a quick second, I had it! The TCB lightning bolt! But what about a background? Eureka!...a note from Elvis, regarding his TCB Karate patch! Everyone will understand the TCB logo. Fans will recognize the note...a perfect match!
Dean Martin
Summary:
Like Elvis, I can tell you exactly where I was, the day I became a fan. His cool, smooth style in...everything...defines "crooner." His comedic ability and timing could rival the greatest comic. The passion that he put into everything he did and his down-to-earth nature, is what made him so incredible!
Mindset:
Dean was, quite literally, an entertainer-of-all-trades. How do you sum up an immensely diversified, 49-year career? I concluded that a few things define Dean, universally. A tux with a red pocket square, a cigarette in his hand (to detract from an old boxing injury), a stage, and a microphone. But, these symbols could describe anyone. So...an Image Trace, several vectors and a lot of Illustrator magic later, I had the first ever, Dean Martin vector! I then finished it off with his signature and created a custom pattern swatch of some some retro/sparkling stage lights.
Summary:
I love everything about the 1950s! - the cars, the music, the colors, the overall aesthetics...just ...everything. So, what came first, the chicken or the egg? Elvis or the 50's? Surprisingly, I was a fan of the 1950s, first.
Mindset:
This one came easy. The 1950s were an iconic era, with equally iconic symbols. Pictures from that era, TV shows, movies, 1950s themed decorations, all have a few things in common...poodle skirts, jukeboxes and drive-in diners.
Summary:
I grew up watching reruns of Bonanza (still a favorite), The Rifleman, Big Valley...I loved those shows and that era! It was a time before technology, skyscrapers and overcrowded cities. It was a time of connecting with nature, at it's best! The beautiful red rock scenery, pollution-free sunsets and night skies with billions of stars. It was a time of appreciating what you have and working for it! Yet, it was also a very pivitol era, as it was the start of exploration, west of the Mississippi. It ties as my #1 favorite era!...Someone...please invent a time-traveling DeLorean!!!
Mindset:
This one was challenging, partly because it was so similar to the horses card, partly because I wanted to convey old west not country western. My first thought was to not have a person at all, but I couldn't escape "Texas Honky-Tonk" vibes. So, I made a list of things common in all westerns, and settled on cowboys and desert landscapes. However, to stay with the theme, I wanted the cowboy to reflect a 1950s style of illustration. Once again, I took several vectors into Illustrator, composited and manipulated them into a single vector that matched the image in my head, drew on a saddle horn (a key identifier of western saddles) and Hi Yo Silver!
Hi Yo?...
Contrary to popular belief, The Lone Ranger did...NOT...say "Hi-Ho Silver!" No, it's not a mandela effect. It's merely a case of misunderstanding...or should I say...a case of Buck Jones (See Link). The original (Golden Era) Lone Ranger himself, Clayton Moore, tells us it's “Hi Yo, Silver” and not “Hi Ho, Silver.”...and Who are we to argue with a texas ranger and his native american sidekick! There was even a 1938 episode titled "Hi Yo Silver."
Summary:
Music has been my heart and soul for as long as I can remember. As a little kid, I would sing....well, we won't go there...but music has always been my entertainment, my stress reliever, my therapist, my motivator, my sidekick...and so much more!
Mindset:
I had to think of a way to make an auditory medium, visual, but I also wanted it to reflect my favorite span of music - 1930s through the 1960s. A jukebox and music notes were already taken with another card, so I took to Google for inspiration...and I found it! Up until 1960, the only form of music you could buy, was vinyl. Record players were made to play regular LPs, but 1949 saw a new form, a 45 RPM, with a much larger hole. To play this, you needed an adapter, called a "spider." Then, I thought, why not use music notes and a jukebox, but in a different form, I created another custom patterned background featuring jukeboxes, music notes, transistor radios, retro microphones, records and retro shapes.
Summary:
I can remember my first concert like it was yesterday. The energy, the production, the realness of the people on stage...nothing compares.
Mindset:
I had to think of a way to make an auditory medium, visual, but I also wanted it to reflect my favorite span of music - 1930s through the 1960s. A jukebox and music notes were already taken with another card, so I took to Google for inspiration...and I found it! Up until 1960, the only form of music you could buy, was vinyl. Record players were made to play regular LPs, but 1949 saw a new form, a 45 RPM, with a much larger hole. To play this, you needed an adapter, called a "spider." Then, I thought, why not use music notes and a jukebox, but in a different form, I created another custom patterned background featuring jukeboxes, music notes, transistor radios, retro microphones, records and retro shapes.
Summary:
My exposure to horseback riding (western pleasure) was as a kid, every summer, on a white pony, named Rosey-Rosey. As I got older, my affinity only grew stronger for the majestic animals. They are beautiful, gentle, yet powerful creatures, and sitting atop one forces you to be present and enjoy nature.
Mindset:
The initial idea was obvious...but it needed more. Someone riding with a helmet? No, that conveyed the English discipline and I ride Western Pleasure. Then I saw a picture of a cowgirl...perfect...but I wanted her to reflect me! I found a horse vector I liked, but it carried a man. So, several additional vectors later, more good 'ol Illustrator magic, and I had a vector of...myself! The background (also needing "magic") is a barn...because, well, where else do you find horses?
Summary:
I don't remember a time when there hasn't been an animal of some sort, in my life. As a matter of fact, I loved animals so much, that my first-ever career choice, was to be a veterinarian. What changed? I worked at one. I loved it...but...let's just say, there were a few deal-breakers.
Mindset:
I found challenge in finding a cohesive pairing. I tried a "stack" of animals, like many vets offices have. I tried a collage, both with animal silhouettes and footprints, but in such a small space, it was too busy, or important detail was lost. After many variations and much trial and error, I found a Westie vector that looked exactly like my dog, now...No, not all Westie's look alike and many dog owners will tell you the same...I simplified the vector and made a few minor changes to better match my dogs features. Next was the background. After more trial and error, inspiration finally clicked with a single pair of hearts! I then simplified the Dean Martin background pattern, creating a new swatch, to finished this off.
