“Your Best Work”—Graphic Design Award Winners 2011

Jon Wong, Hillsborough, CA; http://www.behance.net/jonwong

Jon Wong is a San Francisco based designer and illustrator. Currently attending the graduate graphic design program at the Academy of Art University, he has worked for Dwell Magazine and ISO50 where he helped manage the studio and contributed to the blog. He currently works at Office: Jason Schulte Design and is passionate about book design, motion graphics, and interactive media.

ENTRY TITLE: Hoyle Rebranding (student project)

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
This project was a theoretical rebranding of the card manufacturer Hoyle. Edmond Hoyle (1672–1769) was a writer, tutor and lawyer by trade. In his day, card games were activities enjoyed by the wealthy, and he gained notoriety by teaching aristocrats the rules and strategies. This rebranding brings Hoyle back to its upscale roots and refocuses the brand on educating the leisure activities of the upper class. The blind debossed pages represent a “clean slate” for Hoyle while at the same time exhibiting the attention to detail the brand now brings to all its services: travel, shopping, dining and more.

ENTRY TITLE: Beast in a Neon Cage (student project)

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Beast in a Neon Cage is the name of a film festival project for legendary cult director Seijun Suzuki. The name for the festival is a metaphor for the characters that appear in Suzuki’s films: gangsters and crooks who on the surface appear civilized, but underneath are wild beasts that are stuck in the “neon cage” of the Tokyo nightlife. Building on that idea and the psychedelic imagery of his films, the festival’s visuals burst with color. The sharp angles reflect the on-screen chaos and the cartoon imagery hints at the dark humor that frequents Suzuki’s work.

ENTRY TITLE: Monomyth (student project)

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Monomyth is a look at the parallel, overlapping narratives found in science fiction movies. This book is the result of combining the plot lines of some of my favorite films. Accordingly, the images weave together multiple shapes and colors. Since the movies I chose to watch were typically sci-fi films from the 70s and 80s, I wanted to use a color-palette that reminded me of the artwork I used to see as a kid. Nowadays, science fiction imagery tends to stick to cooler palettes of blacks and blues, but growing up I remember oranges, reds and even purples.

ENTRY TITLE: Go To Space (student project)

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
A motion graphic animation created to encourage individuals to apply to NASA’s Astronaut Corp. of 2013.

ENTRY TITLE: Exploradonia (student project)

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Exploradonia is the name of a fictitious country that was kept off the map as a result of the Cold War. However, the island has since been made public and is looking to boost it’s tourism economy. The book was modeled after a travel guide, and the country was used as a vehicle to discuss the merits of exploring in all its forms: through education, exploring in nature and by using technology. At the time I had just gotten Ammo’s book on Charley Harper and was obsessed with his work. The illustrations are a result of that obsession.