ART DIRECTOR.DESIGNER.PHOTOGRAPHER
This annual Core Group Christmas contest promotion was sent out to clients and potential clients. The contest changed every year but was always a fun and playful holiday theme. The object of the contest was for the participants to guess which celebrity was retouched into the image and if they guessed correctly they would receive a prize. The contest was a collaborative effort of the Core Group team, art directors, management, retouchers, and illustrators. The contest was sent out as an email blast close to the holidays, it consisted of multiple parts; a teaser, the contest challenge, a reminder, clues, details, rules, the contest webpage, the contest answers, the winners notification, and a holiday card with the prizes. This promotion gained notoriety over the years with clients and always had a great response from participants. Three of the five contests are shown below.
great employers art
This illustration was created for the Great Employers Business Awards. The art was used as large backdrop mural for the awards event, promotional material, and website banner. Responsible for managing and art directing the project, concept collaboration, researching inspiration and styles, and creating the layout comps.
COLLABORATION:
Chris Grant and Garth Glazier
- THE PROCESS -
Stage #1 - Inspiration for Style & Color
Stage #2 - Rough Digital Concept Sketch by Natalie Jean
The client wanted the art to have to focus on workers behind the scenes while presenting a gear theme. They also wanted subtle pandemic references within the piece. This concept sketch was compiled together with various stock and source imagery and uniformly put together in Photoshop.
Stage #3 - Layout & Color Comp by Natalie Jean
This is the color comp after receiving feedback from Chris Grant to make the entire background platform more obviously gear oriented. This layout was then presented to the client for approval.
Stage #4 - Digital Sketch Revisions Comp by Natalie Jean
The client requested that the composition be reworked to centralize focus on "gears working together".
Stage #5 - Client Approved Comp Created by Natalie Jean
This comp was created in Photoshop as springboard for the artist. After we received approval from the client our illustrator used this comp as the base sketch for their illustration render.
Stage #6 - First Look at the In Progress Render by Garth Glazier
Chris suggested pushing the background back slightly.
Stage #7 - Art Direction Mark Up by Natalie Jean
After receiving the final render for approval from Garth my art direction comments included:
1. Man on left appears to appears to be floating, should add a seat underneath him
2. Man should also have more facial definition, like other central figures
3. Central female should have more hand detail like some of the other larger hands
4. Simplify man's hand on computer slightly, his hand is very different than all others
5. Add hand lines to match others that are coming into the composition holding gears
6. Woman should be wearing a mask if the man next to her is wearing one
Color adjustments: Suggested an alternate color palette that helped to simplify the design and pushing the city background back further to help the illustration look less busy. Color adjustment comp below
Stage #8 - Color Adjustment Comp by Natalie Jean
Above is the color palette adjustments I suggested to help simplify the illustration. Chris suggested keeping some high key colors and to meet in the middle between this color comp and Garth's file.
Stage #9 - Final Render by Garth Glazier