Jessica Paoli

Lifeline Exercise

Brief. Illustrate the power and movement of words through actual movement in typography for at least thirty seconds.

Solution. My kinetic type piece takes a scene from Richard Kelly's cult classic film 2001 Donnie Darko. The voices of Patrick Swayze, Beth Grant, and Jake Gyllenhaal deliver a memorable conversation about "fear and love", life, and education. I used actual visual cues from the movie to recreate the setting and atmosphere of the scene, providing literal context for the dialogue.

Web design & development

Online projects I have designed and/or developed. Let me know if you’d like additional details or live examples.

My First Kiss at the Public Execution

Mini-poster series using lyrics by The Blood Brothers. Three 7x7” digital prints as a housewarming gift.

High-Fructose Corn Syrup

Brief. Design and produce nine identical 3x3” cubes and a container fitting all nine cubes.

Solution. HFCS (High-fructose corn syrup) has received loads of attention from parties on both sides of the argument over the past few years. I decided to acutely raise environmental awareness and health consciousness for this abominable substance by turning the common Kellogg’s box of standard “Corn Flakes” into a poignantly grim and easily marketed box full of “HFCS”. The cube design, likened to actual cereal inside its container, displays facts and statistics about HFCS and its unnaturally harmful effects on the American agriculture industry and the human body.

Drag the Lake mini-magazine

Brief. Compose a sixteen-page magazine, from conception to production. Develop the theme, title, colour palette, type studies, and article layouts. Gather or take your own photographs; gather or write your own copy. Use InDesign to design the spreads and impose the pages for print.

Solution. “Drag the Lake” is a monthly publication, focusing on the local music / d.i.y. scene of the Midwestern and East Coast states. Less “alt” than its competition, DTL features no foreboding black, bloody red, or heavy grunge effects. More sophisticated than a typical zine, using white space, a focused grid, and limited handdrawn/distressed elements.

T-shirt designs

Apparel designs for clients and personal projects throughout the years. Mmmmm, cotton.

Kathleen Turner Overdrive Presents…

Brief. Design a digipak and CD for a music compilation. Capture the essence of the disc and represent the mix in a dynamic, engaging and ultimately well-conceived way. “What we have here is an eclectic mix for the people who hate the word ‘eclectic’. This isn’t for the voyeuristic townie finding their way into a hidden record shop; it’s for the owner of that shop.”

Solution. “Kathleen Turner Overdrive” is an obscure reference to the 2000 film “High Fidelity.” I chose to exploit High Fidelity references throughout the design to tie the CD to its name, solidifying the idea of “record shop owner’s record” while maintaining an air of distance from the expected. The type treatment and colour palette aid the playful illustrations in maintaining a vintage/retro theme, giving a nod to the great music and culture of decades past.

Posters, flyers, and postcards

A multitude of printed material to make walls prettier by communicating a message.

Alphabet Fiend

Brief. Create a simple 4-panel booklet describing “you, the designer.” Use a great image as the cover a three-column layout for the content.

Solution. A colourful background starring whimsical shapes and natural textures is a foundation for structured and handdrawn type as the booklet’s cover. The inside spread shows additional handdrawn lettering and pictorial illustrations describing what shapes me as a designer. My interest in typography fuels the title, “Alphabet Fiend”, and the layout of the content inside.

Missing Angel Juan

Brief. Design for a pre-existing book, for the better. Measure out the dust jacket of a book and use those dimensions for your layout. Use a limited colour and type palette. Reuse the available copy that exists on the book you have read.

Solution. Francesca Lia Block’s Missing Angel Juan took a long journey away from its busy, folksy, Native American inspired original cover. Its new look is minimal and modern, leaving a fresh taste in the mouths of young adult readers. The script “l”, dot elements, and purple highlights provide an air of whimsy in heavy, dark imagery and dirty textures. These facets combine to provide an illustrative, updated version of the beautiful, mysterious, and emotional story.

Skullface in Wonderland

Brief. Take provided stock photograph of an open book and transform it into a story come to life, with objects “walking” off the page.

Solution. Turn myself into Alice!

Skegit!

Type treatment for now-defunct street-&-skate-&-surf-wear Australian brand, Skegits. Final design printed on the brim of a snapback cap.

The Bane

Prompt. In sixteen pages show progression of time through photos.

Solution. An apocalyptic zombie outbreak is chronicled through the fictitious records of a lab researcher and amateur photographer. Dark, dirty, and foreboding photographs are offset against clean type on a stark grid, accented with stylish elements to give in air of technicality without going science-overboard.

Type studies

Various experiments in lettering and typography, exploring different ways the alphabet can be illustrated.

Acrylic & oil paintings

Oil and plastic and water based paintings on canvas and wood and paper.

Graphite & charcoal drawings

Drawings from life made with graphite or charcoal on paper, for personal or academic reasons.