Thumbnails for the deck of cards (based on prior research). This is the result of three hours of research on the American Kennel Club website (organization of breeds).

Here are the beginnings of the 4 designs (soon 2 per item) for the Levitt Shell competition. Additional logos, ads, and altering of text and images will occur soon after.

Levitt Shell

Here is a summary of my findings:

• The Levitt Shell was made in 1936
• Note: The Levitt Shell was not named "Levitt" until the Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation, in conjunction with the city,  renovated the shell and began to house 50 free concerts every year¹
• Very inspired by sense of community and heritage, for sure.
• During the next 30 or so years, the shell had concerts from all sorts of famous and up-and-coming artists. (Slim Whitman, known for his country tunes as well as Elvis Presley).¹
• Note: Elvis had his first performance here.
• In the 1960s, the city of Memphis was unable to properly keep up the shell, and so they gave it to the Memphis Arts Center Inc. It was scheduled to be turned into a $2 million dollar theatre2
• Noel Gilbert, conductor of the Memphis City Orchestra at the time, gathered 6,000 signatures to petition to save the shell2
• Possible influence/result of his help: "Gilbert was also the associate concertmaster of the Memphis Sinfonietta, which eventually became the Memphis Symphony Orchestra in 1960. From 1961 through 1985 he was an active player, contractor, and coordinator for recording sessions held at the local Sun, Stax, American Sound, Hi, and Tanner studios. He can be heard on recordings by Elvis Presley, Isaac Hayes, Al Green, Dionne Warwick, Neil Diamond, and others."³
• 1972, the Shell was almost demolished, again, to make room for a parking garage²
• 1982: The National Conference of Christians and Jews (NCCJ) proposed raising funds for renovation of the Shell¹
• Never quite made the funds 
• 1984: John Hanrahan tried to single-handily keep the Shell from being demolished. He died in 1986, unfortunately.2
• After that, the Shell remained dormant until Save our Shell organization was founded
• 2005: The Shell was renamed Levitt Shell, in honor of the Mortimer and Mimi Levitt Foundation working in conjunction with the city of Memphis to renovate and remodel the historical, musical theatre.2

What I considered fairly important in the history of the Levitt Shell:

The chronological series of events shows how dedicated the people of Memphis were to preserving a piece of important history. It was interesting to see the contrast between the City and the few individuals who were concerned with the welfare of the Levitt Shell; one side wanted improvements for Memphis as a functioning whole, while the individuals wanted to keep a sense of culture and community.

The Levitt Shell is a piece of musical history that was fought for by a variety of individuals and groups, and it is now, gladly and happily still a part of the city of Memphis, TN.

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Sources

1. "History of the Shell." Levitt Shell History of the Shell Comments. http://levittshell.org/history (accessed February 6, 2014).
2. "Scotty Moore - Overton Park Shell." Scotty Moore - Overton Park Shell.http://scottymoore.net/overton.html (accessed February 9, 2014).                                                                                           

 3. "Noel Alexander Gilbert." Noel Gilbert. http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=543 (accessed February 

 Thumbnails for poster/t-shirt designs.

Below is a bunch of stuff that may or may not make any sense, but hey-!

Kai Myers

Illustration 4

Deck of Cards Proposal

1-18-14

Sir Barksalot

The inspiration for this particular assignment comes from my love of two things: dogs and the middle ages. According to historians, the medieval era was a [ruff] time. Furthermore, these two subjects -canines and the middle ages- have similar chronological elements. However, more importantly, animals, specifically canines, played a crucial role in the well-being and development of medieval people. Dogs were used for companionship, hunting, and were sometimes seen as important symbols of social standing. This deck of cards takes that knowledge and twists it into a comedic representation of role-switching. What if the roles of dogs and humans were reversed? Rather, what if the dogs were the humans but still dogs at the same time? The concept is simply this: Imagine a dog, perhaps a beagle, dressed as a knight, prepared for battle. Then, remove any humanoid conception of a dog dressed that way. The way the dog acts and is represents no more than a dog being hilariously, adorably, and almost painfully dressed up for the amusement of the player(s). The playing cards are arranged according to breed of dog. For example, the king(s) are represented by pug(s), and the queen(s) are represented by pomeranian(s). The reasoning behind these two choices resulted from the similarities between the stereotypical notion that toy breeds (which pugs and pomeranins are a part of) and human royalty are pampered and spoiled. Additionally, the back of the cards all have the same design which will be, in part, inspired by medieval tapestry. The box that houses the cards compliments the theme, with text in sprawling letters that read: “YE OLDE TAILS”. Underneath, bottom right corner, in clean font reiterates: “Ye Olde Tails, 52 cards. Suitable for all ages.”

 

 Annnnd this is a quick sketch to sort of get an idea of what I'm going for.

This is a pretty close sketch to the final. I neglected to scan the rest of the left ear, but it will be there when the final logo is being edited and colored.

Illustration 4: 1st Assignment (Logo)

Outline 

Name of company: "Phunky Rat", a rat fashion company.

What do they sell: They sell adorable rat-related clothing, something you'd see on Animal Planet or some other odd television program.

People who would buy: Old ladies, lonely rat owners, possibly college students with too much money.

 

                     

We were assigned fifteen sketches, and I started with the idea of a grooming rat. That soon evolved into rats wearing cute things (because why not); I found the open-mouthed version the most appealing, so I altered it into many open-mouth designs until I decided on the final.