iron cross fold

I realize this is a super-dorky link, however, I think you should check it out. Especially if you're one of my designer friends: Break out of your folding rut!

The iron cross fold reminds me of the first piece I specifically remember looking at and thinking ... someone designed this. It was a promotional piece from Nordstrom, designed by Jennifer Morla. I'm at work right now, but if I were at home I'd totally dig out that one box full of old design samples that I soaked up in high school/early college as I was beginning to discover the fact that individuals were responsible for good-looking clothing tags, labels, packaging, magazine ads, and well, magazines.

The piece was an iron cross folded piece, with big blocks of color. I don't even remember any more what it was. Maybe it was a gift card or a credit card, there was some sort of piece in the middle. And once you folded all the arms out, each one had a piece of information, a message, and it all culminated in the center, where the card was placed. and behind the classy envelope, the colorful arms/pages, and past that flashy plastic card, was some tiny little text that noted "deisgned by Jennifer Morla"... and as a high schooler I recall noting that someone specifically put this together.

This was way cooler than the lame logos I was sketching in my independent study in graphic arts, and much more interesting than the pagemaker layouts we were completing in yearbook class. It was beyond anything I could begin to concept at that stage.

I subscribed to InStyle for a few years in high school, later selling a year's worth for something like $5 at a garage sale. I cut up many of them for collages, wrote letters to friends on solid-colored blank-background ad pages, and was overall rather impressed with the enormity of the entire publication. So many ads, so many articles... often at least a .25" thick. It's in part what led me to major in magazines in college. I know the bold feature text and large images must have certainly caught my eye as well. Seriously, who doesn't love hot type on magazine features?

I wasn't particularly obsessed with celebrities, or fashion at all. It most certainly wasn't (and isn't) obvious if you look at me, then or now. I did appreciate InStyle's focus on real people, their lives and homes, and fashion choices rather than slamming the latest faux pas or criticising celebrity relationships. I later learned, in college, that the then editor in chief was a fellow Drake grad. She spoke to our magazine publishing class my senior year, dressed well, but appropriately for a college campus in Des Moines. As a fancy new york editor, she could have showed up in flashy attire, but instead I was impressed with her nice jeans, simple shirt, vneck sweater, and simiple jewelry. Her stories of past years attending the annual Drake Relays (a big deal, this year's the 100th anniversary. I'm rather bummed I'm not going) and spending a healthy amount of time at local campus bars. Showing us that she was a real person, like the celebrities her publication showcased. And showed me that a position like hers isn't ridiculously unattainable with a Drake education, some experience, and a lot of hard work.

speaking of, better get back to it. I'm considering a bit of a redesign to this year's catalog. not too much in the look of it, but rather in the organization of how we present information... should be good.

On with 2010!