A poster design competition during 2012. Describe censorship.

"Censorship"

         The first year I attended South Universities' Graphic Design degree program, SUGD. The school had signs in the halls and in the Mac lab for a poster design contest. I got excited because this gave me a perfect chance to see what kind of work I could produce before getting too deep into the degree's curriculum. 

         I would say the first thought I had was everyone else thought would be...I "Google" censorship. I don't go THAT route. I used a stock download website that SU had an account for. The "Silver Surfer" image you see above caught my attention right away. I love the clean lines and modern look of the faceless silver man. The hands covering this eyes, mouth, and ears mimic the same skin tone make up. The perfect backdrop for my composition. I did not have to think very hard on what kinds of images I wanted. It was just which one of the hundreds I looked through. Narrowed my search down to the for you see in the upper and middle quadrants of the piece itself.

         Each of the images involved in the upper two I selected the desired portion of the overall picture and made sure to refine the edges for a seamless effect. The Capital building dome, of course, represents our government. The placement of it was deliberate. Other than the background it was the first piece of my composition. Western society reads from left to right therefore it is natural to look at the upper left hand corner of pages. The first arm takes you the viewer downward to the bright purple arrow which quickly catches your eyes and tells you to look further downward. Next is the hands bound by chains which represents the controlling what we are a nation cannot show and can show in a public/private settings. Again a bright purple arrow catches your eyes and onward you move to the right where your eyes fall upon a naked women with censorship markers covering private parts so that you may not HAVE to view them. But once again, Another arrow pushes your eyes upward to the last image...Bubble Boy Hitler. Good O'l Adolf  was the "God Father of Censorship" of which he silver toungued his way to the people's hearts. There is a double arrow between the Capital dome and Hitler. They are saying that if the government pushes censorship they are in a sense acting as Adolf Hitler did with the Nazi's. Now, the second hand, covering the left ear of the faceless man, draws your eyes to the man's head covered in hands that represent the hear, speak, and see no evil, as the ultimate censorship of how you as an American can live.

         Since you're done exploring the upper two thirds of this design mind as well look as see what other information you can find on the bottom third. A vectorized government warning labels with the words "Government Censorship Protecting You From Reality" are placed in mid chest with the opacity level set on 30% in order to give the piece a look of being tattooed onto his chest. The message of the entire piece sums up the entire composition with a simple statement. " 'crapping' on the first amendment". Hitler's people had no freedom of speech and our government is starting to do the exact same things...Be afraid...be alert...be vigalent.

Design Statement

          I have a passion for creativity and problem solving. I have an inquisitive imagination that has been fostered my entire life through a supportive family and friends that recognized my potential and encouraging me to pursue my interests. The idea of taking a blank field and composing a design, of which can go in any creative direction, is not only a challenge, but a wonderful opportunity to express my creative ambitions. I see graphic design as a way for the professional adult to “let their hair down” and become part of the design while still achieving the project’s objectives. I have always felt that I was artistic in whatever I do as a profession causing me to become a good problem solver with excellent skill at improving organizational workflows. Taking complex or congested areas and streamlining them so everything in that specific area flows smoother or enhances the effectiveness, has always come naturally to me.

            In the world you find design in every medium. The principles of design are able to stretch over almost every facet of society. As a designer I am able to draw inspiration from a 200 year-old tree to the subtle curves of the modern office buildings. Flowers can evoke emotion while a simple type form can show the same emotion just through how it is placed in a composition.  All in all, as a graphic “engineer” it is my responsibility to take the ideas and information that a client wants and create a product that will capture the viewer’s attention. At the same time informing said viewer of the true intent of the artistic piece.

Benjamin K. Hreha

Personal Branded Logo

     As a Designer I feel that it is very important to have your own logo that represents you as an individual artist. In order to create what will visually represent myself, I did not have to think long. To be honest, my good friend Gary Robinson, was at my house looking at the drawings that I have done. Gary made the comment that it would make a great logo...and the rest is "history." The image above is a drawing of I discovered and added a single object into the image that I feel has improved the over all look. As you no doubt have gathered from the logo I am a Christian. I feel it is very important to be upfront about who you truly are with anyone you meet. Any way, I digress. The significance of the three drops of blood are two fold. First and foremost they represent the shed blood. The second less noticeable meaning is the three nails used to hang Him. What drew me to this particular imagery was the abstract look. Some people who see this logo can't see the overall image because they are not taking in account the negative space around each object on the composition. For those who have not seen the total image yet I will describe each section. The top are thorns made into a crown. The three smoothly flowing downward objects represent Jesus' hair. To the left of where the first blood drop and the left hair piece is, His eyebrow with an eye and the second eye directly to the left.