Jonathan Kruschack

This is a piece I did for the art auction the graduating Graphic...

Sun, 06 May 2012 19:15:27 -0400

This is a piece I did for the art auction the graduating Graphic Design class of Sault College does every year in December (the show this was sold at was in 2011). I sold this as a print for 40 or 45 dollars. Based off of a joke I came up with while listening to Pearl Jam the previous summer.

After a few rough sketches and a lot of time searching for photo-reference, this was finished in Adobe Illustrator. The font used is Bauhaus.

Business card designed for photographer Brad Jones Worked back...

Sun, 06 May 2012 18:22:00 -0400

front

back

Business card designed for photographer Brad Jones

Worked back and forth with client to create a business card. Done within around one week. Brad loved the view finder I’d created as a design for the back of the card, he then wanted to carry it forward to the other side. After that it became an exercise in playing with typography. He wanted to use a serif font but I included a sans serif to differentiate between information. He loved the look and went forward and had them printed.

Easily one of the best design jobs in terms of dealing with a client. Very fun.

First year Illustration project, first attempt at using a brush...

Sun, 06 May 2012 18:11:00 -0400

First year Illustration project, first attempt at using a brush with ink.
Used a pen for the outline but the entire inside is done with a brush.
For the assignment I had to choose a letter and a corresponding animal.

Scanned typography assignment I’d done in my first year of...

Sun, 06 May 2012 18:09:00 -0400

Scanned typography assignment I’d done in my first year of graphic design school. I had to use found typography and create a ransom note of my own writing. So I made a joke about the newspaper comics, which I respect and love but are often bland & uninteresting. Had to use magazines for the actual type because the glue made the newsprint difficult to read.

This is a branding exercise I did myself. I created profiles of...

Sun, 06 May 2012 18:03:00 -0400

This is a branding exercise I did myself. I created profiles of two bands for clients, then created logos and merchandise for these imaginary bands.
Here are the profiles.

DEATHRAY JONES are a loud, high-energy rock band with a punk vibe (think Dillinger Four, Off With Their Heads or The Slow Death). They have a good sense of humor in their sound that’s referenced by the nonsensical band name.

DRJ wouldn’t mince words, neither should their logo.
The logo is fairly straight-forward and literal, just like DRJ would be.
It mixes fonts (Baskerville to Bauhaus) to show their uncaring attitude to consistency.

THE GODDAMN EXPRESS is instrumental band (probably made up of 6 or 7 people) in the vein of Neurosis, Explosions in the Sky or Deathmole though more aggressive. The Goddamn Express are less atmospheric than the aforementioned instrumental bands they’re based on. Their sound doesn’t always slowly creep up on you with a gradual build. I imagine them to hit hard and fast over a long period of time so their logo needs to reflect that, hence the train reference.

TGDE’s logo shows a cow-catcher, with the logotype forming the rest of the “train”. Played with the spacing in the words “GODDAMN” and “EXPRESS” to help them match up and look more solid. I figured the logo should look like its about to hit you if you didn’t get off the tracks as that’s what I imagine the band would sound like.

Redesigned my old business card. Completely changed the old...

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 00:01:00 -0400

front

back

Redesigned my old business card. Completely changed the old logo, which used to incorporate all three of my initials (J, B & K) and went with a different font, which I then modified. The K is actually made up of different parts of other letterforms in the font.
I used a speech bubble to reference my love of cartooning, which led to me becoming interested in art and eventually led to me becoming a graphic designer.

My final semester long project in its printed form. 100% Black...

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 13:45:00 -0400

cover of the book (screen cap)

My final semester long project in its printed form. 100% Black and white, saddle stitch. This project was challenging to say the least.
It made me to track my time, realize what I can and can’t do and really deal with the printing of a product. It was so hard to constantly have to draw and write new content.
I always understood cartooning to be difficult but hearing about it and doing
it are two different things. It was also a test of acceptance, because I had to realize that if I spent the time to make the art as good as I possibly could I would miss my deadline. I had to accept that I’m still learning to use a tablet and that this project is more of a technical exercise than a creative one. I still ended up putting a lot of time into the art just for fun, paying homage to artists like KC Green and Ryan Pequin. But in the end it was the jokes I had to focus on.

Above are picture of the book when it was printed (actually taken by me the day it was printed and bound). Also a screen cap of the cover and a few comics from Rough Start for better viewing.

Older Illustration class assignments.

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 17:05:00 -0500

illustration for article on cloning

quick tablet sketch

another quick sketch

fruit made with the mesh tool

Older Illustration class assignments.

My second design job. Two options for a crest design based off a...

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 19:35:00 -0500

My second design job. Two options for a crest design based off a sketch my client gave me that he had done himself. He wanted to go with the red option, though I suggested the black and white one (which I said would still work in colour) as it had better contrast.
He liked my suggestion but still wanted to stay with his original vision.

The top three A’s stand for a Latin phrase.

This is a logo I designed for Jeff Fera, who helps run a...

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 21:30:00 -0500

This is a logo I designed for Jeff Fera, who helps run a therapeutic ride program. TRA is a program that uses horses to help disabled people.
After being given multiple ideas from my client he’d had a person in his company draw up, I looked through and found one that showed the most promise. It was still very convoluted and needed editing. Originally included a map of the great lakes among other poor design choices. They needed something simple that could work on anything from uniforms to business cards to signage so their branding needed something that could work large and small.

Here’s a jpg of a design I whipped up for as a favour. It...

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 22:44:00 -0500

Here’s a jpg of a design I whipped up for as a favour. It was needed for a project the person was presenting very soon. They needed something that could be used in a letterhead/logo fashion for a fictional travel photography company.

This was a final assignment created for my Production For Design...

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 18:53:00 -0500

This was a final assignment created for my Production For Design 3 class. The rules were as follow: Create a 3 PMS design for a “designer snowboard”.

My idea changed a lot, originally it involved poking fun at memes like pirate vs ninja and then the Slender Man. But I thought that idea was played out so I went for a design based off a painting I had sold previously called “On The Rocks” which featured two stylized skulls substituting for ice-cubes in a glass of liquor. After creating the original vector I was stuck on where to place it until I was given the brilliant suggestion to layer it on top of one another by my instructor. I did that multiple times until I ended up with this final configuration.

Past photography pieces for school, had to take photographs of...

Mon, 23 May 2011 15:37:00 -0400

Turned black & white, played w/ shading

shading and highlights

Shading

Created dramtic lighting.

Added better highlights to the face.

Highlights added to hair.

Changed the jacket's colour & shading

Past photography pieces for school, had to take photographs of people with correct lighting and then edit them, playing with lighting and colour. Also was our first real assignment with Photoshop. Did most of this without a good understanding of how to use the program. Done in late 2010/early 2011.

Some photos I took just to practice my photography skills....

Sun, 22 May 2011 16:17:00 -0400

Some photos I took just to practice my photography skills. Minimal editing in Photoshop.

Self portrait. Done for Illustration class in Photoshop. Total...

Sat, 30 Apr 2011 23:49:00 -0400

Self portrait. Done for Illustration class in Photoshop. Total time estimated: 5 hours.
My first attempt at using a tablet.

Editorial Illustration class project. I chose the BP oil spill...

Sun, 17 Apr 2011 18:14:00 -0400

Editorial Illustration class project. I chose the BP oil spill clean up for a topic.

Multiple past photography pieces done for school. Where I had to...

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 00:01:00 -0400

Multiple past photography pieces done for school. Where I had to take photographs of people with correct lighting and then edit them. Mostly just playing with the photo’s lighting and colour. This was our first real assignment with Photoshop. I did most of this without a good understanding of how to use the program. More to follow.

A few pictures of the first package design I did for school,...

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 23:53:00 -0400

A few pictures of the first package design I did for school, where I also had to physically put it together. A package design for a fictional brand of bocconotti, which would be made based on my aunts recipe. It was difficult to put together but ultimately turned out well.