deconstructive
For the Worst Job project, I submitted my deconstructive work and my geometric work about my job at a printing shop in Minneapolis. Both of these works were created in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign. In the deconstructive iteration, the main subject is the text "Do you know how to work a stapler?" I felt that this question appropriately conveyed the mundane nature of tasks I had to carry out at the job and the extreme condescension with which some of my coworkers treated me (seriously, who doesn't know how to work a stapler?). I also intended for the ink splotches in the back to play an important role in the subject matter, as they contrast with the neatness and precision expected from a print shop in its final products. For the geometric version, the main subject is the text "Punch me, please," creating a pun about three-hole punching. I also wanted to use the three black circles as part of the subject to imitate the physical act of three-hole punching. In the deconstructive work, I think that my composition is strong in that it unites several layers and differing text sizes and styles into a cohesive piece. The different layers and distortion make the piece deconstructive and chaotic. The geometric piece, on the other hand, is strong in its organization. There is a strong text hierarchy, and the rest of the piece is very simple, which draws attention to the text.
These particular works apply to me because I was the person filling that position at the print shop the summer after I graduated high school. Going into the job, I was told by the owner that it was an internship where I would have the opportunity to learn about the Adobe Creative Suites and graphic design for the real world. In reality, I spent 95% of my time in the bindery, which is the part of the print shop where everything is assembled--stapling, folding, spray mounting, hole-punching, gluing--and the one opportunity I had to learn about Adobe was me being told to browse the Adobe trial videos website on one of the computers in the design section of the office. Not only was I disappointed by the fact that the job failed to align with my expectations, but I also found the bindery to be an overall terrible place where time seemed to pass twice as slowly as it did in any other part of the office. From hours of stapling to paper cutting myself to getting sick off of the fumes from the glue in the ancient book-binding contraption, the job amounted to the worst employment experience I've ever had. Because of all of this, I had very strong negative feelings, imagery, and memories to bring to the pieces. I think that my deconstructive piece could be in dialogue with the futurist manifesto, or at least the feelings it produces. I also see some overlap between my deconstructive piece and other monochromatic deconstructive pieces in the class. I had hoped not to make it too derivative of any other artists' work, but I did appropriate the ink spill from a piece I previously created. My approach was shaped by the frustration I felt in working at that job and having had better jobs since then. For my deconstructive, I wanted to create something chaotic that still maintained some kind of harmony. For the geometric, on the other hand, I came up with the "punch me" pun and I developed something simple around that idea.
My purpose was to develop pieces that show a range of different styles but still communicate a similar message: my job at the print shop sucked. I wanted my audience to be entertained or interested despite my horrible experience working there. I think these pieces effectively capture either the frustration and unhappiness (deconstructive) and the mind-numbing repetition (geometric) of the job, but both presented in an aesthetic way. Especially in the geometric piece, I had hoped to use humor to expand the audience beyond just that of my classmates. Overall, I think the project is successful in its ability to communicate different aspects of my job at the printing shop. I think the strengths of the deconstructive project are its use of layering and the distortion of the text. That having been said, I think I could have pushed the distortion even more and potentially incorporated some hand-drawn elements. The strengths of my geometric project are its use of humor paired with its simple composition. Its weaknesses are that it is potentially too simple and that the composition is too organized. I could have played around with the layout more for a more dynamic piece. Overall, I think my works are successful in communicating my feelings toward my job at the print shop, and I'm happy with the outcome.
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