"Restore" Milk Project - Nicole Ehlert

When I first think of milk, I think of something that is so basic that it hardly gets thought about at all. Perhaps this is why when I first received this assignment I drew a blank for the longest time. Having had no training in marketing or design previous to this class, I didn’t know how to begin to create a campaign for milk for a specific target market. However, after my mind had some time to process the task, I began to be inspired.

In my mind, or at least in my family, men and women over 45 tend to have a feeling of nostalgia for the ways of life when they were younger as well as either a slower pace of life or a desire for a slower pace of life. In addition, they are very conscious of their health as well as the environment. Finally, they tend to have a higher disposable income to spend on more quality versions of things they enjoy on a regular basis, such as milk. From these thoughts I envisioned a product label inspired by the very simple and natural origins of milk: a pasture. I found a picture that used the soothing colors of blue and green to show a farm scene with cows grazing happily in nature. I then carried out the color scheme by incorporating a blue background. Overall, I tried to keep the design simple and natural because this is a message that I want my customers to see. I included a table of nutrition facts to inform the customer of the numerous health benefits of the milk.

My brand name for this new Moo-Moo Milk Makers drink is “Restore”. I wanted to choose something that would appeal to the target market of individuals over 45 in many ways, so that they can interpret it how they will. In essence, the concept of restoration can be applied to their health, their energy, their nostalgia for old memories, or their desire for a more natural product. To convey this message even more strongly to my audience, I included a short message of situations that they might be able to relate to in which they could reach for a bottle of “Restore” to help them relax and regain control of their lives, finishing with the sentence “You’ve been restored”. Also on the front of the label with the brand name I included a slogan: “Organic… like it should be.” My customers will understand that this high-quality milk is all-natural and healthful, like they remember it being in their childhood. I also included the “USDA certified organic” stamp as well as the universal recycling sign to show that the brand is environment-conscious as well.

The packaging of my product is a sleek, standard, 20 ounce glass bottle which sends a message to my target market that this milk is of high quality and can be comparable to the milk that they used to love that the milkman delivered in their childhood. This isn’t just any kind of milk, it’s something that you can count on to restore you because of its high quality.

Art Show - Nicole Ehlert

I have to say that, going into the art show, I was not expecting to enjoy the art as much as I did. Perhaps I underestimated the level of talent that Butler students have, or perhaps I was just stressed – but either way, I truly enjoyed looking at the different works that people created. I was very impressed with the creativity that the students demonstrated and was amazed that some of the works were even being sold. I loved looking at the different ways that students in the same class conceptualized the same assignment yet their work turned out looking so different. My favorite piece of artwork was a photograph by Maria Porter of a girl with aboriginal paintings on her face. The girl’s eyes showed a great deal of emotion and the angle at which the photo was taken revealed just part of her face, leaving some to the imagination. I thought the piece was very imaginative. I would be willing to pay $10 for that piece, as well as for some of the faded photographs that were along the back windows of a girl in a dress posing among nature and old buildings – they were beautiful as well. When I got through the aisles to the board that had my own work displayed on it, I was slightly surprised. Mine seemed to fit in well with the rest of the show, and I don’t typically consider myself to be an overtly artistic person. I felt proud of my work and began to look at it from an outsider’s perspective and enjoy it in a new way. I also enjoyed seeing it posted up next to the work of others in our class because it was easy to see how each piece was the same yet different from each other piece. Viewing the art show made me realize just how valuable the student art show is to Butler. Without it I would never have known how talented some other Butler students are in their various artistic endeavors, and I think it is always important to share with each other those things which we are passionate about. I also thought it was valuable to have my own work displayed there because it shows me that art is not something that only “certain people” can create. The show opened up discussion among the viewers and caused me to think about things in new ways, which I believe is a critical part of a liberal arts education that Butler offers us. Overall, I really enjoyed the show and I was glad that I was able to attend it.

Sculpture - Nicole Ehlert

The spatial property that inspired my sculpture was “rocking”. In my mind, “rocking” leads me to think about things that are round. Therefore, I decided to do a set of progressively smaller circles and fastened them together using strips of cardboard to form a bowl. The end result is a dish that can hold my keys, clutch, and phone on my desk and can help control clutter and help me to know exactly where to find these items when I need them. Since beginning this project I have begun to pay more attention to other things that “rock”. Of course the most obvious of these are rocking chairs, which come in many forms. I’ve also thought of rocking horses, swings, and other objects constructed artfully that rock back and forth. Rocking objects are somewhat scarce due to their nature because they inherently prohibit things from staying stable and stationary. Therefore, most rocking objects are made that way intentionally to serve a purpose. For some objects, that purpose is to provide an artistic version of other everyday objects – such as my key/phone holder for my desk.

Comic Strip Story - An Awkward Encounter

Gathering his confidence, John approached Lily to ask her to the Homecoming dance. On the way he accidentally stepped in dog poop. Offended by the smell, Lily felt awkward and made an excuse that she already had a date to the dance. Tough luck John.

Silhouette Portrait - Nicole Ehlert

The silhouette/self-portrait that I created artfully represents an overall picture of the emotions I experience on a daily basis. Using a spectrum of red-purple-blue to fill the figure of my face represents the notion that my emotional experiences change very often throughout the day depending on what I am engaging in. The purple represents me at my baseline, depicting my deep, empathetic, and somewhat mysterious nature as well as my love for beauty and vibrancy. It is a midpoint between my extreme states of stress (red) and calmness/carefree attitude (blue). I chose saturated, darker versions of these three colors to represent the fact that I tend to feel emotions very strongly but also that I tend to obscure them from the outside world. These three colors were interlinked using small pieces of amorphous magazine scraps. Using amorphous shapes in my figure is significant in that this spectrum of emotion that I feel each day changes and morphs very quickly, seamlessly, and unpredictably. Therefore, I wanted these colors to intermix haphazardly. In contrast, the ground of my silhouette is constructed of geometric, straight lines of varying thickness. These lines represent my interpretation of the outside world as being more straightforward and mapped out than my internal, emotional world. The lines represent the passing of time, with the different colors of yellow, orange, and red representing the exciting opportunities that the outside world presents me with (yellow/orange) as well as the challenges that I face (red). I wanted to use red in both the figure and ground so as to show the fluid impact of the outside world on me internally.

The abstract elements of color and shape are utilized within this collage to represent a portrait of me as a person. During this process I learned a lot about how I view the blurred lines between myself internally and the outside world. I thought a lot about how my range of emotions are impacted by the outside world as well as what my characteristic emotions (empathy, deepness of thought) are. I was not surprised by any of this, but did find myself paying more attention to these emotional processes during day-to-day life. It is very interesting how color and shape can influence the ways in which you feel and experience things.

Fashion Reflection - Nicole Ehlert

In our small group discussions about our fashion sense, I learned a lot about the ways in which other people conceptualize fashion. Some members of the class had very basic designs and colors, such as button-up shirts in blue, white, and beige, while other members of the class thought more about trendy clothing designs in brighter colors. My group members, William and Carly, agreed with me that our fashion sense depends greatly on the activities that we will be engaging in on a given day. Being an athlete, Carly’s fashion tends to be active clothing with some flowy and comfortable clothes. Focusing on his career, William’s fashion sense consisted of quality pieces such as button-up shirts that could be worn in many settings. This theme fits well with my own fashion sense, because I choose clothing for the different areas of my life: professional, casual/hanging out with friends, comfortable, etc. Compared to my groupmates my style tended to be more colorful and more variable, but the idea behind it was similar to theirs.

The picture posted is of a business dress that I love and wear for professional events such as banquets or interviews. It isn’t by any means something I would wear every day, but I love to find occasions to wear it because I love the way that it is designed. It fits well with the clothing line that I developed for Mr. Laurent. My line would be named “Twenty-something” because the clothing would represent the variety of styles that young, professional, active women in their 20’s would enjoy wearing. The clothing would be fashionable, incorporate trends along with classic pieces, and would be affordable. The key colors of my line would be black, blue, gray, pink, and cream, because they are versatile and can make a statement. Hopefully, young women in their 20’s who are starting out their careers would buy the line. The dress that is pictured above would definitely be in the line, as it incorporates two of my key colors and fits the style that my line is going for: professional and classy yet fun and showing personality.

Years from now when I have established my career and am working as a marriage and family therapist, my typical work outfit will consist of a quality suit, with either a blazer and skirt or a blazer and trousers and a nice, colorful top, with business-appropriate heels and some jewelry. I will buy quality clothing that will last a long time, yet still look nice, and will get it tailored. The suits will most likely be black, gray, and tan. For play, I will probably be wearing a nice, quality brand of jeans (which I would consider too expensive right now) with cute detailed shoes and something like a button-up shirt with a cardigan or a blazer/jacket over it. My clothes for play will be more trendy and more colorful than my clothes for work, yet they will still be quality pieces.

Public Art Pitch Reflection

Of the 6 presentations we watched in class, I would have to say that I’m most drawn to the piece entitled “Blue’s Buried Treasure”. If I were a Butler alum looking to invest in art for the campus, I would be looking for something that represented Butler while remaining creative and functional at the same time. I love the idea of intriguing people to walk through Butler’s campus on a sort of scavenger hunt for the next buried item that represents our university, and it is a perfect pun since our mascot is a dog. In addition, this group’s presentation itself was very detailed and fun to listen to as they incorporated poetry in it to make it even more fun. I would very much enjoy seeing these art pieces around campus and I know that other students would as well. The pieces are interactive and invite many opportunities to take photographs, meet up to talk with friends, or to show off our campus.

Of all of the projects listed, the “Jungle Jim” project would most likely require the most funding. Although the project was very innovative and sounds like a lot of fun, it involves a very large piece of artwork as well as a multitude of technical intricacies that must be built in order for a treadmill of that size to function on a day to day basis. In addition, this treadmill must be protected from the elements of the outdoors as well as from the use of a great number of college students, so it will require a fair amount of upkeep. I think that Jungle Jim is a great idea, however because it involves so much technical work it may be prohibitively expensive.

If I were given the opportunity to revise our pitch and present it once more to the class, I would of course take that opportunity to make the pitch better, as any presentation has the ability to be improved. I believe that Lori and I did an excellent job at explaining our proposal including the criteria we used to choose our project, what the project would look like, and why we thought our project would be a great addition to Butler’s campus. We were passionate about our proposal and we were able to speak very well in front of the class. One change I would make would be to disperse our pictures of the proposed statues more evenly throughout the presentation instead of showing them all at the end. In addition, I would try to include a more creative element to the project such as the video or the poems that other groups used, as these provided a more exciting element to the presentations themselves. Overall though, I felt that our group’s presentation went very well and that our project would make a great addition to Butler’s campus.

Public Art Project - Nicole, Lori, Marissa

Picnic on the Mall

As a group, we believe that Butler University would greatly benefit from a work of public art that truly represents the everyday lives of the people who Butler exists to serve: its students. This belief served as the starting point of the public art project that we would like to propose to the Butler Community: Picnic on the Mall. This piece will include 20 individual statues, placed strategically among those areas of campus which students frequent most and representing the activities that a Butler student may engage in as he or she goes about a typical day on campus. Although the statues will be dispersed, a portion of them will be centralized on Butler University’s Mall to represent a common meeting place for students. The picturesque statues will be life-sized and molded to symbolize a variety of student demographic qualities to represent Butler’s emphasis on diversity. A list of the statues to be created, as well as their proposed locations, is attached for your review.

In addition to serving as an aesthetically pleasing and welcoming token on Butler’s campus, these statues will serve a dual function as an advertising tool for student activities. Each statue will be coated with a pewter-toned chalkboard paint so as to invite interaction between Butler University students and the statues. It is our hope that students will utilize the provided buckets of chalk, located at the foot of specific statues, to write information regarding upcoming events on the corresponding statue for students to view as they walk by on their way to class, lunch, or a sporting event. For example, if a meeting of the Ultimate Frisbee Club is occurring soon, a member of that club could advertise this event’s time and location on the statue of a Frisbee player, located on the Butler Mall. Students interested in Frisbee would know that any available information could be found on the statue, and would therefore be able to connect with students already involved with the Frisbee Club. In this way our statues serve an important facilitative function along with their aesthetic value. As a safety note, lights will be installed at the foot of each statue and will be illuminated on a timer when night falls so that students feel safe on campus and do not mistake a statue for a person wandering campus at night, as well as so they do not run into a statue in the dark.

When considering a public art project, we as a collective group believe that a piece of public art on Butler’s campus must meet four criteria. First, it must be interactive for the students who will be experiencing the artwork on a daily basis. We believe that our piece, “Picnic on the Mall” will invite Butler students to interact with the statues by using them for advertising as well as by causing students to want to take photographs with the statues, perhaps using them in scavenger hunts or other activities. Second, we believe a public art piece must be representative of Butler University. “Picnic on the Mall” is designed specifically to represent the different types of students and different student activities that occur at Butler University, and the image of the statues will be noticeable on campus without feeling out of place among our architecture. Third, we believe that a piece of public artwork should be aesthetically pleasing and visually interesting. Due to the intricate detail that will be shown on our statues, they will fulfill this criteria quite nicely. Lastly, we believe that Butler’s next piece of public art should be interesting to students in that students will be inspired and will enjoy the artwork. We believe that students will enjoy discovering new statues across campus and will especially enjoy identifying with those statues that depict activities that each individual student is him or herself interested in. The dark, neutral pewter color of the statues is purposeful in that it helps to represent ambiguity and the fact that the statues can represent a number of Butler students at once.

As we have demonstrated, we believe that “Picnic on the Mall” will make a welcome and coveted addition to Butler’s campus. In addition to pleasing current students, we believe that the statues will intrigue potential future students of Butler University to picture themselves around our campus participating in the various activities depicted by the statues. Similarly, we envision Butler alumni desiring to come back to campus to view these statues and to reminisce about the experiences that they cherished when engaging in these activities during their time as Butler students. In this way, we believe that our piece of public artwork is very site-specific and will add a certain element of appreciation to Butler University’s campus as a whole. Works similar to this have been done in other places, such as the city of Carmel, IN, and have added a great deal to the landscape of those locations. We encourage you to consider our proposal to make “Picnic on the Mall” the next big addition to our beloved Butler University.

Statues on Butler’s campus:

Statue Activity
Location

Basketball player
Hinkle walkway/entrance

Runner
Canal

Football player
Near Butler Bowl (bleachers)

Carrying Starbucks
By bushes by Starbucks

Two friends talking
On Holcomb steps

Carrying food
By Atherton

Walking backwards (giving tour)
By Robertson

Playing the guitar and singing
By Clowes

Dancing
By Lilly

Frisbee player – throwing Frisbee
On the Mall

Student traveler w/ Globe
By Holcomb Observatory

Student carrying backpack
Outside Jordan Hall

Reading on a bench
Outside Irwin

Laying in the sun
On the Mall

Rollerblading/longboarding
On a sidewalk by the Mall

Campus golf
On the mall – further down

Girl with bucket of chalk
Starbucks patio by C-club

Jumping in Star Fountain
Star Fountain

Couple holding hands
By belltower balcony

Yoga
Holcomb Gardens