Til You're Blue In The Face

Here at SingulariTee, we are always excited to see artists we appreciate print. Almost as excited as we are when we refer to ourselves in plural. So it is with belated excitement that I present "You Don't Have to Know Beforehand," by ginetteginette, last seen written up a couple Contest Watches ago. As I said then, Ginette is a designer I appreciate for her continual envelope pushing... even when I don't love her work, I love the balls it takes to create it. That said, this is by far one of her tamest, and not overly representative, but it still captures that flame. There may not be diamond cats or anthropomorphic naughty bits, but each face captures the most charming and whimsical bits of her style. There may not be the same flashes of bold and bright colors, but there is the penchant for simulated process.

But it's not just the designer that makes this worth the money. The sole color at play brightens the overall piece while being subtle enough to feel natural. The combo of the cartoony with the real has long captured the imagination, even before Mary Poppins. There's a retro, kitsch feel to old yearbooks that goes great with the nostalgic trends of our current culture. It's a design that, by concept alone, is allowed to be "boxy." As to that concept, even if it's tame by one standard, it's definitely unique and multi-layered. It could be as deep as stating that a photo can hide the reality. It could be as simple as doodling over a yearbook... vandalizing your nostalgia if you will. It could emphasize the innocense of youth by pairing the seriousness of class picture day with clearly unserious, child-like doodles. The designer implies a bit of a magic camera feel... it's hard to say if the intention is a camera that exposes the truth, or one that obfuscates with a magical candy reality. It doesn't really matter the full truth of the meaning... it's a piece that could mean many things to many people, or just be appreciated as is, and that should find it a very appreciative audience. As for me, I'm just a little scared as to where she got the picture of me (bottom row, third). At least, I think it's me... that IS a guy with a horrible part, right?