Department of Design

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Everyone has a bad day once in a while, but design professor David Habben’s newest children's book “Mr. Sherman's Cloud” takes a look at how those bad days can be turned around. Habben, who goes by the pen name HABBENINK, hopes the book will help people walk away with a new perspective on how to handle difficulties in life and open up discussions about mental health. “I wanted to put an emphasis on the need for us to control our responses to challenges in life,” said Habben. “Even if we have a time in our life where we feel like there’s a storm cloud above us, in the end it can work out. It will be okay.” He continued, “We talk about mental health issues and how we need to be more vocal about them and avoid creating a stigma around having a dark time in life. I wanted this story to speak to the idea that we’re not alone in our journey and we can be honest about the fact that we’re having a rough day and allow other people into our lives to help us resolve that in whatever way it needs to be resolved.” The original inspiration for the book was one of Habben’s sketches that features a man huddled under a rain cloud. The idea to turn the sketch into a book was born when a publisher approached Habben after seeing his work online. “It’s the phone call every artist hopes to get as often as they can,” said Habben of the experience. “It feels great.” Although Habben has illustrated various children’s books, “Mr. Sherman’s Cloud” is the first book he has both authored and wrote. “There’s something nice about being able to craft a story that says what you want it to say and matching your story with the illustration style that you like to do,” said Habben. “A lot of times for illustrators, there’s another party involved, like an art director, that’s putting everything together. It’s nice to tell your own story in your own way.” While characteristic of Habben’s trademark fantastical style, the book also introduces some new stylistic elements that came about during Habben’s latest stylistic shift. His current style focuses on finding a balance between reality and the abstract. “I think every artist should try to speak their own truth,” said Habben. “For me, the way I look at the world, there’s a lot of ambiguity and ridiculous things that go on. I try to approach some of that in the way I make art. If I draw something too exact, it feels less accurate in a way; it doesn’t express the true nature of something. The more I allow my interpretation to come through, the more I’m being truthful about my own perspective.” For Habben, his colorful approach to art is a way of putting a positive spin on the difficult aspects of life — something he hopes comes through in the book. “You can’t take everything so seriously to the point that it becomes a negative part of your life,” said Habben. “I hope people get the sense that they can overcome a bad day and get a better perspective. I want it to help people. I want them to connect with the book in a way that helps them feel positive and make progress in their own lives.” Habben will be holding a book signing at The King’s English in Salt Lake City on May 18 at 11 a.m. For more information about Habben’s other upcoming events and new work, follow him on social media @HABBENINK.

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Many BYU professors aren’t just professors; they’re also successful professionals in their respective fields. However, few double as government contractors — but illustration professor Justin Kunz has devoted much of his time to designing America’s coins and medals for more than a decade. Kunz is a member of an elite group of artists that comprise the U.S. Mint’s Artistic Infusion Program (AIP). Kunz has designed various coins and medals for the U.S. Mint, with one of his recent designs winning the Coin of the Year in the category of Best Gold Coin Award at the 2019 World Money Fair in Berlin. “I was thrilled to see this important coin recognized on an international stage, and thankful all over again to have been part of the process of creating it,” said Kunz. Kunz’s involvement with the U.S. Mint began in 2004. After seeing an advertisement on local TV calling for artists, Kunz sent in a portfolio and a sample coin design. Before long he was in Philadelphia learning the ins and outs of coin, or numismatic, design. Kunz was one of just 18 professionals selected for the program along with six student artists. Kunz said when he was selected for the program he felt like Charlie from “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory”; his acceptance into the program felt like a “golden ticket.” Other than a hiatus while he was working on an MFA in painting, Kunz has worked with the U.S. Mint ever since his first trip to Philadelphia in 2004. “I have a good working relationship with the Mint,” said Kunz. “They are smart, hard-working people who really care about our country and the artistic quality of our coins and medals. They have always treated me fairly and have helped me grow and improve as an artist.” Kunz’s love for drawing and design is at the core of why he continues to collaborate with the Mint over the years. For him it is a way to apply his skills and interests into a project of national importance. “As part of the process for developing visual ideas, I get to study the events and symbols that are important to the history of our country and compete with other talented designers to help tell those stories,” said Kunz. “It’s really satisfying to hold the finished coin or medal in my hands, rotate it under the light and feel the texture of the relief work on it.” From collaborating with fellow artists to interacting with coin collectors, Kunz has had a lot of special moments during his decade and a half working with the Mint, but he says one of his favorites was the unveiling of the 2017 American Liberty 225th Anniversary Gold Coin. For a few days, the story became a trending topic in all the major media. “I was in Washington D.C. while that was unfolding, just hiding out in my favorite place in the city,” said Kunz. “It was pretty surreal to think a little gold coin could attract so much national attention. It’s been really rewarding to know my work is out there connecting with people.” Kunz’s road to international success has been rooted in the way he approaches his work and life in general. He advises aspiring artists to “Become better than you currently are — but please take it one day at a time. Try to see every situation and assignment as an opportunity to learn and prepare. Not just for a rewarding career, which you can have, but also for a deeply fulfilling life.” For more information about Kunz’s work, visit his page on the U.S. Mint website.

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Each year, world-renowned publishing company Graphis Inc. recognizes the work of up-and-coming design students during their New Talent Annual. This year, they received 1160 submissions from around the world and chose to recognize 22 of the 25 projects sent in by BYU. Design major Todd McAllister was the only student from BYU — and one of just 21 students total — to walk away with the annual’s highest honor: the Platinum Award. “I was pretty surprised when I found out that I had won the award,” said McAllister. “It’s nice to get some validation after working hard on a project like that. There are a lot of great designers that submit to Graphis each year, so it was a significant personal achievement to win an award against such tough competition.” The designs that won McAllister the award were for Dwell Magazine. McAllister was tasked with re-designing the magazine’s current cover in a way that was aesthetically pleasing but still on-brand. McAllister’s approach to the project was centered on his love for clean, uncluttered design. “I seem to be drawn to simple, minimalistic design because it leaves me with a sense of awe or piques my interest somehow,” said McAllister. “The design direction was inspired by wanting to achieve that same feeling in a magazine cover.” McAllister said he isn’t sure exactly what set his designs apart from the rest of the competition, though his guess is that it was how well the designs paired photos and text. “In my opinion, a lot of beautiful cover photographs are ruined with really busy headlines and other text elements,” said McAllister. “I think that trying to reduce that as much as possible so the photos can speak for themselves might have set my designs apart from the rest.” While McAllister’s designs may have been simple, the creative process that led to the finished pieces was not. He repeatedly designed covers and critiqued them until he settled on three final designs. McAllister said his favorite part of working on the project was figuring out the title part of the design. “I had been through tons of iterations that didn’t seem to feel right, but something about the lowercase masthead placed vertically along the side of the cover seemed to click, and then things sort of fell into place from there,” said McAllister. His experience working on the designs and winning the award impacted McAllister in a lasting way. “I definitely think this experience will have a positive impact on my future career,” he said. “If nothing else, it has helped me feel a bit more confident in my abilities, which is pretty vital to creativity.” After graduation, McAllister doesn’t imagine his future as a concrete, five-year-plan type of journey. “My future career goals basically involve waking up everyday excited to work on whatever project I have,” said McAllister. “I guess I don’t really have a specific position or place I want to be in, I just want to be excited about the work that I’m doing while pushing the boundaries of what I’m able to do.” For now, McAllister and the other students who were honored by Graphis Inc. are waiting for their work to be published in the hardcover version of the New Talent Annual, which comes out May 1, 2019.

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