This project was inspired by Society6's yearly artist calendar. I used this project as an exercise to explore new styles and color pallets. Each month has a new theme, feeling and tone. I chose to make the calendar for the year 2023 to allow myself have time to be influenced by my surroundings and take inspiration into my work.
JANUARY
January in Western Cultures represents the start of the new year and new beginnings. I wanted the first page of the calendar to be powerful and bold, something that really sets the tone. Much like a snake shedding its skin we often see this month as a time to shed bad habits and negative relationships from the previous year.
February
The month of love, once February rolls around it feels like every store is plastered with hearts filled with chocolate, teddy bears, and overpriced roses. For this month I wanted to create a nostalgia feeling from an 80's and 90's with modern sayings like "bae" , "swipe right" and "TBH". I took inspiration from the new vintage trend becoming popular with Gen Z.
MARCH
For this month I took inspiration from the Bauhaus era as well as giving a nod to abstract design. I wanted to create a piece that was sharper and more ridged then the months that surrounded it. I used yellow to draw the viewer in and add a pop of color to the black and white adjacent design. The deconstruction of the letters gives a nod to the Gotham's typography design process.
APRIL
For this month I created a design that portrays the warmth that April brings. To achieve this I combined the bright colors and organic shapes to sweep the viewer into a swell of spring.
MAY
This artwork was modeled after boho home décor. I was heavily influenced by this genres wall art style which often includes color blocked arches and natural colors. The layout was inspired by macrame which is a common item found in home with this design aesthetic.
June
June is the magical month where the air seems to be the perfect temperature, often recognized as the first month of summer. The inspiration for this month came from one of my dearest friends telling me they were pregnant. I wanted to create a pastel almost cartoon style world that takes inspiration from the night sky and baby mobiles.
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JULY
This month is the epitome of summer, everyone is outside, its hot and sunny. The perfect month for a cooling ice cream treat to melt all over your hand before you finish eating it. This artwork was inspired by the aged colors and design style of vintage dinner posters.
AUGUST
This artwork was inspired by the local music scene in the cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul. Many great artists have started in this Metropolis and I wanted to pay homage to the old and new. This artwork includes vinyl records, cassette tapes and sound mixing scales. The main goal of this project was to get myself out of comfort zone when designing, hence the orange and green color combination.
SEPTEMBER
September is an ode to 1950's design, I took inspiration from the show "WandaVision". A show based in a 1950s sitcom in which one of the main characters is an artificial intelligence robot. I wanted to explore the retro shapes and colors of a time that was hyper focused on the future.
October
The month of October is most notably known for the holiday of Halloween. This holiday often comes with horror imagery, blood, gore and everything in between. For this portion I wanted to focus on the magic and creativity that comes with the holiday. I wanted to create a feeling of being transported into a mystical space and floating in air.
November
The inspiration from this month came from my love from the TV show "The Walking Dead". The idea of a dystopian world being rebuilt from nothing, whether that be on earth or on a different planet has always interested me. The focus and challenge of this month was to use a color pallet that I'm not used to working with.
December
This calendar was very explorative project for me, I wanted to challenge myself because I felt like I was in a creative rut. I did many of the months out of order but saved December for last. This month represents the weightlessness you feel when finally finishing a project and how its all worth it in the end.
