PROJECTS BY THE MVA

Cut It Out exhibition

2009-07-08T12:58:00.000-07:00

_

Submissions for Cut it Out, an exhibition of collage art curated by Mike Perry.
_

CamoFlesh #001
_

Lance
_

PRE-RODER: New Skateboard Graphics re-stock package

2009-05-21T14:24:00.001-07:00

_

_

We are now taking pre-orders for our re-stock package. For $27.95 (cover price) + shipping, you get a signed copy of New Skateboard Graphics plus a limited-edition double-sided 18x24 screenprinted poster (see below). We're only making these for the pre-order and friends of The MVA.

The package will probably take about 3 weeks to put together between getting a new shipment of books and printing the posters. We'll be ordering paper today and will be keeping the process updated via Twitter and Facebook.

If you've been waiting on getting a copy of the book, now's the time to get on it.

New Skateboard Graphics pre-order package
_

A-Side: Two-color screenprint with spot varnish (skateboard) on black paper.

B-Side: Two-color screenprint on black paper.
_

_

_

New Skateboard Graphics book

2009-03-05T10:03:00.000-08:00

_

The book “New Skateboard Graphics” celebrates contemporary visuals for skateboarding by showcasing over 400 illustrations and 20 interviews with skate artists and designers. The book was authored by The MVA and published by Mark Batty Publisher.
_

scope: book proposal / project management / editorial developement / writing + interviews / publication design + art direction / production
_

duration: 4/2007–8/2007 / time: 260 hours
_

materials: Casebound book / 144 pages / 4-color process with spot UV-varnish on cover
_

The end-papers catalog every single board featured in the order they appear, thus acting as a visual index of the entire work.

5Boro section opener. Photograph ©5Boro.

5Boro spread.

Chocolate section opener. Art by Evan Hecox.

Chocolate spread 1.

Zoo York spread.

Appendix opener. Photograph ©Hessenmob.

Appendix A. Instead of bios, “New Skateboard Graphics” features interviews with 24 contemporary skateboard designers.

Ghost Call 12"

2009-03-05T09:17:00.000-08:00

_

In 2003, our Hardisty-Disk record label released the 12" ep “Ghost Call" by LA noise artist John Wiese in a simple fold-over cover with four-color screenprinting. For the 2008 re-launch, we remixed the packaging, simplifying it to 2 colors and adding more layers to the packaging including a full-interior print of an image from Kim's "MonoWood" series.
_

materials: Two-color screenprint / printer: Landland
_

Available for purchase here: www.hd017.com
_

Analog t-shirts

2009-03-02T08:15:00.000-08:00

_

Analog Clothing is a Southern California surf/skate/snow apparel company owned by Burton Snowboards. For the last 2 years, The MVA has been invited to contribute t-shirt designs for their seasonal collections. Please note not all of these t-shirts have been published, we just really like them.
_

Creative Director: Kelly D. Williams/Analog
_

Astronaut Photography: NASA archives

Tools of the Trade

Oops 3 (The MVA after Natas Kaupas after Roy Lichentstein) Illustration: J. Namdev Hardisty

Analog Hochschüle fur Gestaltung With respect to Wim Crowel

Analog Institute for a Future Architecture Art Direction: The MVA / Design: Mike Burrill

Analog Institute for a Future Architecture Art Direction: The MVA / Design: Esther Park

Corleone Advertising

2009-02-28T14:37:00.000-08:00

The Midwest Visual Agency acts as some-time design director for independent record label and good friend, Corleone Records, producing much of the label’s advertising and promotions.

Winter '08 Catalog Art Direction: The MVA / Design: Mike Burrill & Esther Park / Photography: Kimberlee Whaley

Fall '08 Releases ad All type hand-set by The MVA

Fall ‘06 releases ad

Spring ‘06 releases ad
All type hand-set with Letraset

Summer ‘07 release ad

Corleone “Ten Years” DVD ad

Fang Island “Sky Gardens” ad
Art Direction: The MVA / Design & Illustration: Molly Butterfoss

Cages "1" & "2/3" CD packaging

2009-02-27T12:14:00.000-08:00

Packaging for series of releases by experimental musician Cages.
_

scope: packaging design + typography / production / printing
_

duration: 2/2008 / time: 7.5 hours
_

“1”: black-bottom CDR, 2-color screenprinted sleeve.
“2/3”: 2 business card CDRs; 2-color screenprinted sleeve with 1-color insert.
_

All Hardisty-Disk releases are available for purchase here.

Hardisty-Disk release posters

2009-02-20T14:43:00.001-08:00

Hardisty-Disk releases batches of limited-edition cd's, vinyl records and t-shirts on a quarterly basis. These posters are mailed out to friends of the label to announce the next editions.

materials: 11"x17" 1-color offset print
printer: Fast-Print, Minneapolis

Supreme Mathematics Series

2009-02-20T14:39:00.001-08:00

Series of four typographic posters exploring the forced overlap of many passions: ideological Swiss typography, contemporary mixtape rap and inspirational messages. Like Müller-Brockmann, Slim Thug and Benjamin Franklin met up for a beer.

The project was executed as 22.5x35" art prints, 7.5x10" “cubicle” set as well as a set of promotional buttons and postcards. Each item uses a different spot color for the slogans.

Art print and cubicle print: 2-color screenprint
Printer: Landland, Minneapolis

Art and cubicle prints are available for purchase here.

Photography Work

2009-02-20T14:36:00.001-08:00

We’ve created a separate site for Kimberlee Whaley’s photography. Organized around the idea of a “selection”, the first portfolio is now live with a mixture of landscapes, food and studio work, portraiture and more.

To view, kimberleewhaley.com

Selection One

To see more photography work, please visit our Flickr pages or Kim’s blog, Artificial Horizons.

Paper Tiger

2009-02-20T14:33:00.001-08:00

The MVA created publicity materials for our good friend John Vogt’s first solo exhibition “Paper Tiger” at Soo VAC (Soo Visual Arts Center) in Minneapolis. John’s beautiful graphic images gave us a great opportunity to create a simple framework that would give the exhibition brochure its own identity.
_

scope: design + typography
_

duration: 8/2008 / time: 5.75 hours
_

postcard: 1-color offset / printer: merit printing, minneapolis
exhibition brochure: 4-color digital / printer: flair, minneapolis

Postcard Front: Image ©John Vogt, 2008

Postcard Back: Typography by The MVA

Exhibition Brochure: Cover

Exhibition Brochure: Interior spread

Exhibition Brochure: Interior Detail

Exhibition Brochure: Back

Best of Both Hoods

2009-02-19T14:41:00.000-08:00

Collaboration with Michael Perry/Midwestisbest

A 16-page collage of drawings, photos, found images, illustrations and typography. Printed in an edition of 500.

Materials: 2-color offset print
Printer: Rapit Printing, Minneapolis

Available for purchase in our online store.

Principal: J. Namdev Hardisty

2009-02-19T14:00:00.000-08:00

_

Namdev has been practicing graphic design in some form since the age of 15, when he was making punk zines by hand or on borrowed computer time.

In the 16 years following, he received a BFA in Graphic Design from the Minneapolis College of Art & Design, where his work was awarded with two merit scholarships and recognized by the AIGA, and gained experience working in a variety of settings: chief designer at Intermedia Arts, a non-profit art center in Minneapolis; in-house designer on Target’s brand team; and working with ad agencies.

In addition, he continues to produce art works and products that use the language and methodology of graphic design as their means.

He recently began teaching in the Continuing Studies department at MCAD and hopes to continue to teach and conduct workshops.
_

Press/Publications:
Namdev’s hand-made typography and patterns have been featured in the books “Hand Job: A Catalog of Type”, which he also contributed an essay to, and “Over and Over: A Catalog of Hand-drawn Patterns”, both from our friends Mike Perry and Princeton Architectural Press.

Principal: Kimberlee Whaley

2009-02-19T11:11:00.000-08:00

_

Kimberlee received her BFA in Photography from MCAD in 2003 and has since followed a path that encompasses fine art, commercial photography and more. She was awarded a Jerome Travel Grant to travel to her hometown of New Bedford, Massachusetts and continue her final year project, “Fragments” and this year Kim received a State Arts Board grant to work on her winter landscape project “Plateau”.

Images from “Plateau”, as well as her projects “MonoWood” and “Drift” were exhibited in a number of group shows this year.

In addition to her work at The MVA, Kim works with food photography and shoots lifestyle and wedding photography when the opportunities are interesting.
_

Press/Publications:
Kimberlee contributed photographs to Mike Perry’s book “Hand Job: A Catalog of Type”.

Under the art direction of Deb Littlejohn (Design Institute and TWO), Kim created a photographic taxonomy of mapping techniques and strategies for the book “If/Then: Mapping”, edited by Janet Abrams and Peter Hall, and published by the now defunct University of Minnesota Design Institute.

Interns

2009-02-18T13:06:00.000-08:00

_

Mike Burrill, Fall 2008

After meeting Mike in the Spring on J. Zachary Keenan’s recommendation, we had him on speed-dial for the Fall. Mike’s been working heavily on our 2nd book, “DIY Album Packaging” setting tons of type with a typewriter and letraset, then cutting it all out and scanning it in. I'm sure its a blast.

Check his hand-drawn type action and obsession with hip-hop quotables on his Flickr page or at Ultraluminous.

_

Esther Park, Fall 2008

We met Esther through the Design Certificate Program at MCAD that Mike is enrolled in and where Namdev is currently teaching. Her type-heavy, print-oriented work seemed like a great fit for The MVA. She just started today and things are off to a great start with a willingness to do the not-so-fun stuff (clipping paths...) and a great attitude.

_

Molly Butterfoss, Summer 2008

When we realized we were producing (writing, editing, designing) 2 books this summer (possibly a 3rd) and that the 1st one was due July 15th, we freaked out, then posted an announcement on MCAD’s job board. After meeting with 2 promising applicants, Molly was the 3rd and final person we interviewed. Her portfolio was killer, a combination of illustration major with design skills. We were also impressed that someone who had literally just finished up their degree would be interested in working for free all summer so that they could work on a book. Frankly, we didn’t expect her to show up come May 15th. But, she did and she killed it on the NSG book plus random stuff for Corleone and internal MVA projects.

Peep her work as Nylon mag's Artist-in-Residence. To see more visit her portfolio site.

Contact

2009-02-18T10:46:00.000-08:00

We welcome your inquiries about our work, art or otherwise. Feel free to call or email.
_

email:
jnh //at// the-mva.com

phone:
612-308-2279 (J. Namdev Hardisty) or 612-308-2010 (Kimberlee Whaley)

studio:
2205 California St NE, Suite 207B, Minneapolis MN 55418

Capabilities

2009-02-17T14:29:00.000-08:00

Our unique practice is focused in three areas:

Client-commissioned work:
we have handled
• t-shirt graphics for Analog Clothing
• portraiture, advertising and packaging for Corleone Records
• promotions, web design and exhibition graphics for Intermedia Arts
• catalog design for MCAD Gallery
• identity design for Northern Lights
• catalog art direction, retail and educational signage, product development and design, apparel design and promotions for Target
• illustrations and bespoke typography for XLR8R Magazine

Independent curatorial and publishing projects:
• “New Skateboard Graphics”
A 144 page collection of contemporary skateboard graphics from around the world. written, designed and edited by the mva, with contributions from over 30 major skateboard companies and dozens of artists, in a span of 5 months from proposal to final print-ready book. in addition to the editorial and art direction, the mva handled all of the administrative work from making contact with brands to collecting artwork and releases.
Published by Mark Batty Publisher, November 2008.

• “DIY Album Packaging: Paper Bags and Office Supplies”
our 2nd collaboration with Mark Batty Publisher documents the output of the 90’s punk and hardcore scene in the form of vinyl record packaging. utilizing everyday materials that could be stolen or acquired on the cheap, teenagers across the country were releasing a new kind of underground music that with intensely hand-made packaging. this 144 page is designed entirely by hand (no digital type-setting anywhere in inside) and the 300 some odd color illustrations were all photgraphed by the mva.

another project concieved and executed on an extreme timeline, we began writing, compiling and designing in august 2008 with the final book being delivered in March 2009 for a late-June 2009 publication.

3) Entrepreneurial activities:
• Hardisty-Disk
An experiment in curation. our independent record label that releases small runs of vinyl and CDr's from a variety of experimental musicians and artists.

• MVA t-shirts and product
We regularly put our own ideas into production and sell small runs of t-shirts and other objects.

We find that this focus on a wide-range of activities allows us to keep our work dynamic and changing and each bears out certain lessons: the freedom of our own projects expands our visual language and becomes a playground for experimentation; the parameters and unique needs of clients challenge us to develop new strategies; and our work in publishing marries our interest in curating and writing with the need to be aware of audiences and markets.

Study of the Ordinary postcard

2008-05-21T13:52:00.000-07:00

_

Announcement for a photography exhibition by Kimberlee Whaley.
_

materials: laser print
printer: kinko's
_

MCAD/Jerome Foundation exhibition catalog

2008-05-21T13:45:00.000-07:00

_

Catalog for recipients of the MCAD/Jerome Foundation Emerging Artists Fellowship program. To shed more light on the program, we had each artist create a timeline of what they did during the year-long fellowship program.
_

materials: 4-color offset
printer: shapco, minneapolis
_

Argyle t-shirt

2008-03-16T14:38:00.000-07:00

_

Hand-drawn argyle t-shirt.
Interior lettering by Mike Burrill.
_

scope: illustration / production
_

duration: 9/2008 / time: 19.5 hours
_

materials: Two-color screenprinted t-shirt
printer: Jak Prints, Ohio
_

Men's colorway

Detail

Women's colorway

Interior print

Available for purchase in our store.