Andy Lien

I’ ve joined side effects of metformin hcl 500mg a choir again.  Oh, to be home in a choir.  It is where I feel comfort and joy.

What’s more, it’s back at my alma mater, Macalester College.I was at my first rehearsal last night, smiling over all of the memories I had of four years in that rehearsal hall.

Then, I remembered the years after graduation…when I sang with the chorale of alumni, students, faculty, and community members.  Oh, yeah.  Those.

Then, I remembered the years after graduation…when I didn’t sing, but I designed the publicity for the choral concerts.  Wow.

I’d completely forgotten about those posters, programs, and postcards.

I was so young…and so new to design.  My abilities and my eye hadn’t yet started their training.  Now, I’d say they’re still on the Bunny Hill.  Heath and I had a company, elemeno pea, inc., and Macalester was one of our clients.  We didn’t get much art direction…it was a wildly carte blanche situation.  Our constraints were size and number of inks.  Each job was to be a two-color process.  I loved using silver, gold, and bronze as ink colors.

Some turned out beautifully, some…I’m thankful I can’t find.  I see them in my nightmares.

I took a moment and dug out some of the beautiful ones today.  Running my fingers over them, I’m really proud of myself.  I actually really like these pieces.  I know it sounds trite, but no designer really likes everything in the portfolio…especially pieces that were done when young and inexperienced.  I didn’t know what color separations were…I didn’t know about varnish…I had to quickly teach myself about royalties and font licenses.  Offset printing versus what?  Baptism by fire.

Here they are, the Lost Choir Pieces.

Oh, this light metformin weight loss children green and black piece…how I loved the retro font.  I was big on juxtaposing images; in this case, a sanctuary for the Requiem component and an old microphone and stand for the Radio Show.  A wily use of new Photoshop skills back when Photoshop was installed from 3.5″ floppy disks.

War & Peace.  This black and bronze baby was one of the hardest concepts to come up with…and, though I still love every inch of it, I’m not entirely sure that the darkness-into-pastoral-bliss imagery isn’t a cliché.

Playing with positive/negative.  And, pollen.

When I showed these pieces to my last employer, he asked why I chose that font.

I blinked at him.

“Um…because…it…looks…like…pollen?”

Sheesh.  Did I have to explain blatant symbolism to an architect?

I guess I did.

Majesty.  I think of majesty when I look at these…the abstract horns, the cursive display font, the chiseled body font.

The gold ink.  Majesty.

Mayhem.  The carte blanche was exactly that: A blank card.  We got to do whatever we wanted to do.

Which usually turned out okay.

Not always.

I’m sure it’s no coincidence that I just can’t seem to find some of them that didn’t quite work.