CREATIVE LIFE: WINNER LAUREN ART DIRECTS WITH FOTOCRUSH

In conjunction with The Swelle Life, Foto Crush recently ran its “Be An Art Director” contest, where the winner gets to co-create a photo stationery collection with a Foto Crush Art Director - a very cool prize. The lucky December winner was Lauren and we're about to look at how their collaboration produced concepts that were developed to create beautiful artwork that means something. I had the opportunity to do one myself, and we're working on it right now. I'm so intrigued and impressed with the Foto Crush team's creative process, it's so well considered and collaborative, and it allows for a choice of three wonderful options in different directions, capturing various significant elements of the subject's personality and loves. I would have been thrilled to develop any of my three and it was very tough to choose, but I made my decision and am very excited for the next step. (It's like they really know you!)

 

Creative Life is a series of blog posts by Foto Crush that follows each winner’s journey, illustrating their creative progress, and ultimately seeing how each person’s artistry shines. Taken as exerpts from the Creative Life series, here is Lauren's 'Creative Life' from the beginning to the final artwork.

LAUREN’S JOURNEY, PART 1

 

"Right away, we could tell that Lauren was a whimsical, curious mix of wonderfulness. She teaches at an alternative high school, and is an amazing artist in her own right. The first step in the process was for Lauren to take our creativity personality quiz. The goal: To understand what inspires her, then use that to inform the 3 creative concepts for her to choose from. What we discovered was a woman of great faith, who adores her husband, with unforgettable memories of their perfect honeymoon in Italy. She has an eclectic range of music, a few of her favorite songs being Awolnation’s Sail, Toccata & Fugue in D’Minor, and Hysteria by Muse. And she has a real playful side, even back from when she was a little girl who loved her cat, peanut butter and naps most of all! So it was no surprise that Lauren added her own personal touch to our quiz (see colorful border), which gave us more insights into her bright & sassy personality."

 

LAUREN'S JOURNEY, PART 2: THREE CONCEPTS

 

"It’s great to think of these concepts as creative mash-ups of Lauren’s personality. Prior to creating a card design, we first put together a “mood board” of sorts. These boards communicate a certain feeling in color, font and mood -- with some hint towards the design aesthetic. We also aspire to provide variety between the three design directions. Lauren inspired the following 3 concepts: Love’s Kooky Light, Ever Present Love & Faith, and Most Beloved."

 

 

 

 

If you were Lauren, which concept would you have chosen? Take the poll here!

LAUREN'S CREATIVE LIFE: THE WINNING CONCEPT

 

"Given the holidays, and our "love" theme, Lauren selected.... Concept 2!  Ever Present Love & Faith.

"Now that we had the concept, our next step in the creative process is design. Lauren collaborated with our FC Art Director, Melissa, to interpret the concept into several design options. 

Together, they created these 3 designs. Design 1 and Design 2 (a variation of 1) are inspired by the idea of, if you could travel back and sit amongst the wisemen (Lauren's answer to the time machine survey question), what would you wear? Yes, a whimsical thought (hey, it's fashion!), but it was challenging too, being a mix of humbleness, gratefulness, and regal bearing. The 3rd Design is based on the more traditional idea of that very holy night. Here, to balance the awe-inspiring art, we added an element of delight with the little lambs -- integrating Lauren's own artwork.

 

 

 

"Ahhh, the happy ending to Lauren's creative adventure! After mulling over her choices, Lauren chose the kingly BLING to represent her Collection, Ever Present Love & Faith -- a gorgeous blend of etherial whites, pinks, bronzes & glistening stars -- and a very spiritual and romantic representation of love. And since her little lambs were too cute to deny, we also created a photo card from the 3rd option, called The Wisemen. (Did Lauren pick your favorite?)"

A collection based on Lauren's beautiful artwork was created by Foto Crush for the holidays and has been adapted for Valentine's Day, which is perfect for its romantic and dreamy feel. You can purchase it from their two shops: Foto Crush Etsy or Big Cartel.

 

Would you like to be Foto Crush's next Art Director? To participate in their next contest, email yum@fotocrush.com  with “I want to be an Art Director” in the subject line. The next drawing is this month. Good luck!