Brianna McDonald
Design practice of the past meets contemporary expression.
About
Hello! I'm Brianna McDonald and during my final year, I gravitated toward, what most people would call, 'retro' or 'vintage' design. While I was utilizing the aesthetics of previous design out of my own interest, my main goal was to research, value and understand design practices of different eras' and their importance. The outcomes of my work utilize my found understanding and implements the design styles and practices in a contemporary way.
The three briefs I undertook include: the Hatch 2023 live brief, another for the International Society of Typographic Designers (ISTD), and a personal project.
The Hatch live brief includes creating a forward-looking spirit brand deeply connected to the place it comes from. My final outcome for this brief was Accession Gin, a gin that is inspired by the spirit history of Chicago prior to Prohibition.
For my second project, I referenced the 2022 ISTD Shaping the World brief. I chose to investigate The Great Gatsby with a collection of articles celebrating the subsequent influence it had on shaping the world. These articles were made into a publication inspired by Jazz Age magazines.
For my personal brief, I chose to research into the design aesthetic of Blue Note jazz covers of the 1950s. I utilized the practice and visual aesthetic of Blue Note to create a collection of festival posters and other promotional material.
Blue Note Jazz Festival Posters
In this personal project, I chose to research into the design aesthetic of Blue Note jazz covers during the 1950s. Blue Note covers are known to have a distinct visual style consisting of monochrome photographs, bold and condensed sans-serif typography, and non-symmetric composition. A collection of Jazz festival posters were created to take on the branding of Blue Note in a modern way and to celebrate its' importance in design history. Other promotional material were created including tickets and wristbands to further expand the branding.
The Greatness of Gatsby
For my second project, I referenced the 2022 ISTD Shaping the World brief. This brief includes investigating the significance of a book at the time of its' publication and the subsequent influence it had on shaping the world. I chose to create a publication about The Great Gatsby with a collection of articles celebrating it's popularity and achievements in the 21st century. The layout and design of the publication referenced the research of Jazz Age magazines and heavily influenced its' visual style. Adverts and illustrations found in magazines of the 1920's were used to represent the historical context of Gatsby's era to further connect to the layout.
Accession Gin
The Hatch competition brief includes creating a forward-looking spirit brand deeply connected to the place it comes from. My final outcome for this brief was Accession Gin, a gin that is inspired by the spirit history of Chicago prior to Prohibition. The Blue Violet Gin and Elder-Plum Gin is a re-imagination of H.H Shufeldt & Co’s Imperial Gin, a distillery and product that was thriving Pre-Prohibition era. The name Accession Gin pays homage to the royal inspired product while harking a new meaning and spirit for H.H Shufeldt & Co. This new gin is coming into ‘accession’ and bringing a new power to the city, as it’s predecessor did long before. Not only is Accession Gin offering new flavours for consumers, but it’s bringing an authentic taste of Chicago to the world. Consumers can immerse themselves in the cities interesting distillery history and be apart of it by enjoying the new era of Accession Gin. The two gin product's locally source botanicals native to Illinois as well as the gin base being made from Midwestern wheat. The visual inspiration for the brand references Victorian art and handbills to celebrate Chicago’s past while giving a twist in a modern way.