Day 1 into my faux design firm with three other Visual Communication classmates, together we are 735 Design. Once you see the address of our firm, you’ll understand our title choice. Over the weekend I designed a few business cards for the firm as well as created an identity. As a group, we carefully narrowed it down to one. Today our clients were handed the cards as we sat down with them to discuss the 3 month journey that is ahead of us. The clients, Community Heights Neighborhood Organization, a not-for-profit organization on the eastside of Indianapolis that aims to build the neighborhood of Community Heights through local involvement and strength. The organizations lacks identity and acknowledgment. That is where 735 Design steps in, making sure by May they have a solid platform to grow and excel on.

As for my business card, you might have noticed my new identity. The identity is here to stay for the remainder of my college career. BQ business cards follow the black and purple color palette as seen in the identity (coincidence that 735 is such a similar palette!). I hope to work out the last design steps and send them off to the printers by next week!

Today’s musical shout out goes to the lovely Lily Allen. Without her my life would have far less color and joy. BQ

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It has been a little over a week since I began my internship at Indianapolis Monthly, already I’m beginning to learn a designer’s responsibility and skill when creating a monthly magazine issue. The experience already has been amazing! Above are two advertisements that could possibly be used within the upcoming issues of the magazine to advertise its online services. March is my first credited issue and I’m currently assigned on two sections of the magazines as well as advertisements.

January marked the launch of the magazine’s redesign as well as its use of a new abbreviation, IM. I must say the redesign is looking beautiful! The February issue hits stands soon looking the most modern and clean yet.

Now for my current music inspiration. I require my music to have levels of energy when I design and always push my creative juices and give me some Photoshop muscle. Milosh is the best at filling these needs.

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This past week I took some time to answer a few questions Kenny Greene had provided me. Kenny is a sophomore Visual Communications major at Herron School of Art & Design interested in learning about his near future as a design student. I was glad to give him a dose of inspiration. Enjoy!

1. How has your impression of the VC program changed since your first started in VC?

I stepped into the program knowing that I wanted to learn the skill it takes to be a professional designer. I knew that VC wasn’t going to teach me everything there is to know about graphic design and how to market my work, but all I hoped for was for the professors to share their intelligent skill.

Today, there is extreme comfort in the program. My class acts as a family who works together and helps each other out. We all want to be great designers who rule this world and some of us know we are stronger in some areas than others. Their are no surprises in personality. The excitement has only built up throughout this program and yes, stress has always existed as well but I believe without some of the stress I would lose the some of the strength in my work. It keeps me grounded.

Professor Helen Sanematsu has shown me that my design style is not only strong but I can definitely carry it with me throughout my life as a designer, but to just make sure I’m always designing with an open mind. I thank her for her amazing words of wisdom and the confidence she provides me professionally. She is one of the greatest professors I’ve had here at Herron and I hope several others gain from her as much as I have.

2. Did you experience any surprises/obstacles when you began the program?

I remember the first semester into the program I had Professor Lee VanderKooi and he was very intimidating! He would walk into class every morning with such strong expectations for us and to this day I still believe he has had the most influence on me as a designer. I applaud him in my career.

In his VC course I started designing with some hesitation and worked too much in Illustrator, which seems funny to say today since Photoshop is now my greatest friend in the digital world. Once Lee worked with me, I started delivering strong projects.

In Jason Murdock’s Typography course I started weak since I had no prior knowledge in Typography. After Jason shared his great Type skill, second semester I was creating some of my strongest projects to date in his course. It was an amazing accomplishment.

3. What have you experienced communicatively in class with classmates and your professors?

In first semester it was hard to speak to other students while in the design process and even harder to stand up for critique. This of course changed as I progressed but I made sure I grabbed on to a few of my classmates first semester that I knew I could trust, that I saw an interesting spark in their work. This way I knew I could learn most from them as well as get a boost when I needed one. Once group work started I began to work with everyone and realized that we all have our strengths and it just takes a while to find them and build on them.

I was professor shy my first semester of classes. It honestly wasn’t until second semester that I began using my professors as a major tool. They are such an amazing tool that cannot be wasted.

4. What kind of emotions have you experienced most often with VC? (good or bad)

Honestly, I have seen people angry, crying, and laughing. If there was a bipolar art degree, this would be it. I am one of the odd characters in VC. I refuse to find myself camping for the night in the studio. It could possibly be that I’m a bit O.C.D. or just that this program is what I love. Strain and pain isn’t a requirement in this program if you work out a system that fits you. But of course I have gotten angry before, it’s to be expected. You work hard and get sent back to the drawing table, patience can easily get lost.

5. What do you feel when you are in the process of designing?

Excitement. Everything about design is fun in its own little way. I’m not strong on every step of the design process, but as a Junior I have worked hard to make sure every step is effective no matter what. Mapping and organizing thoughts, working on your 100 MPH thinking and sketching are all things that are required to get the best results in your work. I hated the thought when I was first introduced to them all, but now working with them you begin to understand their importance.

6. What experience helped you most in your development as an artist/designer?

Keeping my eyes open as a designer and walking through critiques. I research design everyday and my major influence is Swiss and Dutch design. I know my style today and am very happy with it. It’s great having companies contact me interested in my work. Makes me confident that professionals are beginning to watch me. As for critiques, being a designer we get so drawn into our work when creating that we begin to lose focus on it from other perspectives. Having feedback throughout the process is a high requirement. I might not agree with every suggestion I receive but I do put everything to mind.

Random tune that brings a smile.

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It was just a few weeks ago that the popular American I.D. design magazine announced that February would be their last issue. They have been around for several decades but as the economy and switch to digital reading increases, publications are faced to change their traditional format. It’s a hard thing to watch seeing magazines drop left and right, but yet as a 2011 graduate I’m very excited to step into an evolving industry. Check out the video below to see what is in store for the future.

January of 2009 I was starting my second semester of my Sophomore year. I cannot believe it has been a full year already. I have learned a lot and witnessed amazing growth in myself as a designer in that short amount of time. My portfolio has never been so full with work I am quite pleased with. My first large project I was working on a year ago was this following video for my History of Design course over the design career of Alexey Brodovitch.

If you have yet had the pleasure of seeing Alexey’s work, you must Google him. He was the Art Director of successful magazine Bazaar back in 1938 for 20 years. He is best known for his introduction to modern editorial design and was a huge influence on future artists of his kind as well as one of my biggest heroes.

Watching this video today makes me aware of how far I’ve come. Enjoy!

The year of 2009 has brought a lot of knowledge and amazing art to show for my hard work. I completed a summer research project at IUPUI designing a website that was implemented into the IUPUI.edu framework, completed 7 freelance jobs, and filled up my portfolio that landed me my first internship which I will begin Monday, January 11th of this year.

There’s no doubt that 2009 was a huge stepping stone in the formation of my career, but I must say I’m more excited to see where 2010 will take me. In a little over a year I will be graduating from the Herron School of Art & Design with a bachelors in Visual Communications and a minor in Art History. I have no idea just yet where my career will take me, but this blog will become my diary that will visually track my progress along the way. I’m excited to share my hard work with the public and involve everyone as much as possible.

My best pieces from 2009 have been posted here. Make sure to check them out. Hope everyone had an amazing introduction into 2010! Here is an epic song to bring in the new year. BQ

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1. Visual Communication?
I think this question needs more clarification than the others. I get several people who go blank when I tell them my major. It is just how it sounds, I am learning to communicate to the world with visuals. It not only teaches me graphic design but how to work in a demanding society where we are bombarded with messages. How does mine communicate? How does it stand out?

2. Designer to be or designer I am?
Designer I am. I spend a lot of my spare time designing and researching other artists. I find my inspiration in several Swiss and Dutch designers. My favorite task is putting together editorial pages and designing swiss inspired posters.

3. Print design or the world of design?
I enjoy the arts. I’ve been in the arts since 2005 from studying Film to Photography and now Visual Communications. I practice my talents with mainly print design but I want to learn motion graphics. I also have a strong love for modern interior design as well.

4. Major hobbies?
Spending time with positive people who help build my inspiration and energy, listening to music that inspires me to take another step, exploring foods, and enjoying cocktails with beautiful people. I also have strong interests in urban development and spend a lot of my time researching the topic.

5. Music for your soul?
If you love music, you already have caught my interests as I strongly enjoy discovering new artists. I am a huge pop/electronic fan but listen to a very broad range of tunes. I like energy in my music but usually in the late evening when I’m at home I will put on an indie/alternative artist and at times I’ll listen to something more classical.

6. Sweet or bitter?
Right down the middle. My personality is as sweet as could be if you are the right person and as bitter as you deserve. I typically am full of sarcasm.

7. Gay/Bi/Straight?
I’m Brandon Dean Quigley, that is the only category I belong in. I hate stereotypes and being placed into categories, but I will say that I love my girlfriends but I love to dress them, not undress them.

8. Style or a robot?
I can be a robot when I’m at my weakest, sometimes being placed on pilot is just the way to go. On my usual day I’m a modern geek who enjoys fashion, music, design, and culture. I have lived in the Midwest my whole life and although I respect its rustic value, I demand strong culture to surround me. I dress in simple colors and patterns according to mood. My music and design work influences my personality. I ignore the conservative and acknowledge the unique.

9. Unique?
I love how I can sound vain and know that what I’m saying is true. I am very unique and was born unique. I was born with one of the rarest conditions today, Brachial Plexus/Erb’s Palsy (nerve damage) on my right arm. This was just the start. Since I was born with such a condition, I’ve learned to live life my way, not like you or the guy across country. It’s my life. I was gay from the start as I was in dance classes (dressed in a ladybug outfit being the only male dancer in the group) at age 6. Throughout high school I struggled to find my true self and once I entered college I developed an independence from the world and started to brand myself separate from others. I’m creative, bold, and headstrong. I know who I am, love me or hate me.

10. Bumpy or smooth path?
I like to consider my path rather glossy and smooth with a Martini placed on every bump I might have. I am currently preparing myself for a spring internship with a local magazine. I’ll spend a few months working with the art director and building up my knowledge out of the classroom. Senior year I will begin searching for possible job outlets in some of my most desirable cities. I see myself running my own design studio towards the end of my career but working as an art director for most of my life.

A song that always has always lifted my spirits, even on the hardest of days. BQ

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