EXPERIENCE CFAC 2021 WINNERS – MADISON BAKER
#EXPERIENCECFAC
MADISON BAKER
Department of Design
“I am grateful to have been recognized by the College because this has been my home since 2016, and it feels good to be considered a contributing member of the community.”
ILLUSTRATED REBRAND FOR HRUSKA’S KOLACHES
COVID-19 has meant a lot of isolation – but for many illustrators, an isolated space is the norm. We work at our individual little desks making neat things and sending emails to clients and growing our online presences. The pandemic exacerbated the loneliness of it all, but this didn’t seem to float my boat. As a socially energetic person, it seemed like there should be an exciting world of collaboration and community out there for artists somewhere, and I intended to find it.
At the same time, food illustration seemed like a compelling niche so I set out to find someone who might need such a thing to give me some practice. Luckily, Provo is full of young businesses who could use a makeover. I quickly settled on Hruska’s Kolaches, a bakery with mouthwatering pastries and a dismal visual brand. For a directed studies course, I worked individually with Professor David Habben and the owner of Hrushka’s Kolaches to cook up some artwork to make their business shine. I imagined a stunning rebrand with murals and animations, a beautifully designed website and a drool worthy Instagram campaign – a restaurant so beautiful that every BYU student would make it a go to spot for first dates. I might have dreamt in excess, but it was certainly an exciting prospect.
Well, I researched and interviewed, emailed and photographed, painted and animated discussed. It was my first chance to work with a real business and to navigate real world challenges like differing perspectives and the most confusing color schemes I’ve ever beheld. Ultimately, the project didn’t turn out at all like I imagined or wanted. I overestimated, under delivered and did not make much of a difference for Hruska’s in the end. I’ve probably given them more business by introducing my roommates than by any effort I made for this project, but there were several important takeaways for me.
First of all, this experience required a series of new skills, including product photography, typography, stop-motion animation, interviewing, and communicating design concepts to people outside of the creative field. As it turns out, it is better not to promise too much for skills that are untested and relatively new, especially in a project that is almost entirely self-driven. With any self-initiated project, when motivation and time run out, the project also suffers. To navigate that in future, concrete goals, deadlines and deliverables are the best solution. That’s a lesson I would much rather learn now than when a paid job is on the line later on. I may have fed Hruska’s for a day with a few new art assets, but they’ve fed me for a lifetime in bits of wisdom and education.
