Logo Build

Joes Kansas City!



logo-build-loop (Converted from Michael on Vimeo.

Logo Build

I plan to add a little more life to the nose before moving above the logo type. I also want to add shapes that will enter the nose, also changing colors. The shapes will be organic reminiscent to smelling a scent. I also plan to work on loop transition.  

The Union

unionstation final from Chris Meier on Vimeo.

progress

Three main screens

Research Backed up

Research Backed up

10 Pieces of INFORMATION

1. Mayor Jim Pendergast was a large part of the 30’s and the city of Kansas City. He originally work at an iron foundry for five years and then later came into a large sum of money by winning a large bet at the horse races. He then opened a saloon and restaurant. Throughout his time there he became friendly and approachable to his customers and served the public by giving people food, clothes, money, etc. Finally his friend ran for government and with Pendergast backing him he helped his friend win the election. Later he ran for office himself and won. After that he worked his way to the top and became mayor. With his generous nature and determination he helped Kansas City stay a float during a time of corruption and confusion. His Little brother Tom then took over and CONTINUED Jim’s way of government and Kansas City became known as “Tom’s Town.”

2. The Kansas City Massacre is one of the most notable events in Kansas City during the 30’s. While transporting a mobster from Union Station to another city there was a delay. The authorities planned to transport Frank Nash by car instead of TRAIN due to the delay. As this happened, Nash’s fellow gangsters showed up and a shootout ensued. 

3.  In 1931 a huge shipment of 240 million bushels of wheat was harvested and sent off by railway. This large harvest was important to the early 30’s due to the nation coming out of a depression and other cities needed supplies. Even though Kansas City was profiting, other cities needed to get this shipment and it was depending on the railways.

4. Tom Pendergast, little brother of Jim Pendergast, still allowed alcohol to be sold and purchased. This could be a large reason why the mafia was so interested in Kansas City, as well as it between about halfway between Las Vegas and Chicago, a stopping point for many mafia members

5. During the 1930’s jazz was on the come up. 18th and Vine was largely popular with young aspiring jazz artist from all over the world. 18th and vine was an area black artist could have a stage to perform. Kansas City was labeled as notable and innovative for jazz. It is said jazz was born in New Orleans but really grew and flourished in Kansas City. 

6. During the Depression, while most other cities were suffering, “Tom’s Town” expanded. Mayor Tom Pendergast’s 10 Year Plan funded some significant construction projects that kept the City’s economy afloat, including a number of great examples of Art Deco design: the 29 story City Hall, the former Jackson County Courthouse, Fidelity Bank and Trust and Municipal Auditorium.  Taxes were half the amount of comparable cities, and the City Manager at the time admitted to a sleight of hand when handling the bills related to these projects. Corruption was widespread and Kansas City was noted for its vices under Mayor Pendergast’s term.

7. Kansas City was considered a crossroads during the 1930’s for the USA. Large cross country trips were made by TRAIN, so no matter who you were and where you going, there was most likely a stop in Kansas City, this gave Union City a lot of traffic from all across the country, resulting in a mix of cultures and personalities. Jazz, sports, crime, business, industry, and everything else seemed to touch on Union Station at one point.

8. In 1937 the Kansas City Monarchs rejoin the Negro American League as a key member. The Monarchs brought home the pennant in 1939 and 1940. Won their first league title in 1937. Negro National League (1920–31) Independent (1932–36) Negro American League (1937–61)

9. By the 1930s, Americans were eating their meals in dining cars and not at "Harvey Houses." The Company modified its business practices to reflect this change. Nearly two-thirds of the Harvey Houses were closed, and the Harvey Company moved right into the dining CAR SERVICE. A short-lived resurgence of "Harvey Houses" occurred during World War II in order to feed American troops heading to the Pacific Theater

10 .Kansas City Union Station was also home to the headquarters of the Fred Harvey Company between its opening and 1938. Harvey was the initiator of the first national chain of hotels and restaurants—as well as the idea of shops for travelers in the Union Station. Harvey sold his idea of excellent restaurants for travelers to the Atcheson, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway, which then let Harvey operate restaurants and build hotels along its routes—many of which became the social centers of their towns. Mary Jane Colter became the company’s architect and INTERIOR DESIGNER IN the early 1900s and worked out of a studio in Kansas City Union Station. She went on to design buildings such as the Posada Hotel in Winslow, Ariz., and Hopi House in Grand Canyon National Park, among many notable structures.

Citation

 

1.“All That Jazz,” Google Policies & Principles, July 26, 2011 5:00 AM, ACCESSED January 3, 2013, http://www.google.com/policies/privacy/.

2. A Day At Union Station, last modified July 27, 2012, accessed October 15th, 2014, http://www.missourilife.com/travel/a-day-at-union-station/

3. Kansas City Massacre—Charles Arthur “Pretty Boy” Floyd, accessed October 13th, 2014, http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/history/famous-cases/kansas-city-massacre-pretty-boy-floyd

4. A Rich History and Culture, ACCESSED October 14th, 2014, http://www.historickansascity.org/?pages=kansas-city
5. The Political Machine Of Tom Pendergast of Kansas City, Missouri, accessed October 13th, 2014, http://www.applet-magic.com/pendergast.htm

6. Kansas in the 1930’s, Spring 1970 (Vol. 36, No. 1), pages 1 to 12 ,accessed October 15th, 2014, http://www.kshs.org/p/kansas-historical-quarterly-kansas-in-the-1930s/13202

7. The Five Iron Men of Kansas City, accessed October 15th, 2014, http://americanmafia.com/Allan_May_3-27-00.html

8. Kansas City Monarchs, accessed October 15th, 2014, s http://www.negroleaguebaseball.com/teams/Kansas_City_Monarchs.html

Statement

We want our project to reflect the atmosphere and social aspect of Union Station. In the 30’s people from all parts of the country were coming together in Kansas City and it all started at Union Station. We plan to have a screen or projection on the wall at the back of the hall way. It will be open, spacious, and social because of its size and multiple uses. We would like our interaction to interact with the travelers and not just have the travelers interact towards it.

Digital Interactions

http://cyclemon.com/

http://velvethammer.net/

http://niceandserious.com/work

http://www.esri.com/data/esri_data/ziptapestry

http://www.barcinski-jeanjean.com/entries/line3d/index.html

Analogue Interactions
We were not entirely sure if this is what you meant by analogue design interactions. But all of these involve some sort of analogue interaction and have been changed/modified since its creation to increase productivity, compatibility, or design

A key board, a controller, a cellphone?

Toms Town Keynote

The 30's

30'sIm interested in the 30's era of Union Station. The thing that stands out about this year is Kansas City Massacre Charles Arthur "Pretty Boy" Floyd. On the morning of June 17, 1933, a mass murder committed in front of Union Railway Station in Kansas City, Missouri shocked the American public into a new consciousness of the serious crime problems in the nation. The killings that took the lives of four peace officers and their prisoner are now known as the “Kansas City Massacre.”The Kansas City Massacre involved the attempt by Charles Arthur “Pretty Boy” Floyd, Vernon Miller and Adam Richetti to free their friend, Frank Nash, a federal prisoner. At the time, Nash was in the custody of several law enforcement officers who were returning him to the U.S. Penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas, from which he had escaped on October 19, 1930.



 

Activities 
The Guthries CONTINUE to enjoy visits to restored Union Station for myriad activities suited to adventurers of all ages. A day at Union Station might start with a stop at the information booth, where history brochures and maps are available, and breakfast at the Harvey House Diner to take time to plan the visit. The diner has reopened in its original location in the southeast corner.

Breakfast clientele on a Sunday morning might include informally dressed tourists and locals in their Sunday-best dining after early services. Harvey House Diner is one of three restaurants in the Grand Hall. Varying in operation times and prices, you’ll enjoy the fare at Pierpont’s and The Bistro at Union Station. The latter provides the best place for people-watching as seating juts over the Grand Hall.

People-watching at Union Station comes highly recommended by Tammy Gay, a Washington, D.C. federal employee who attends events at the station three or four times a year. Favorably comparing D.C.’s Union Station to ours, Tammy notes how much she enjoys the juxtaposition of history and vitality. “When you walk in, you realize just how much there is to see,” Tammy says.

Another frequent visitor, Lorrie Gordon, banker and lifelong Kansas City resident, says that “seeing the grandeur and history is worth a visit, even to the bathrooms” at the end of Sprint Festival Plaza. Lorrie also recommends visiting at Christmas when local service organizations donate and decorate trees, which are auctioned for charity, and seeing the traveling exhibits, which are exceptional.

The Post Office at Union Station is a Gordon-family favorite “because you can purchase unusual stamps as gifts for the kids in the family, unlike at the branch facilities.” A blue cow resting on her pedestal beside the Post Office entrance greets you as you enter.

Music

On September 23, 1923, the Bennie Moten Orchestra made its first recording consisting of eight songs. By strict musical standards, the songs themselves were unrefined and not much removed from existing blues music. But the Bennie Moten Orchestra would soon 

build upon its earliest recordings to develop a distinct Kansas City style of jazz that later dominated the jazz scene in the late 1930s and 1940s.

From the mid-1920s through the DEPRESSION years of the 1930s, Kansas City's nightlife thrived under the protection of political boss Tom Pendergast and gangster Johnny Lazia. They ensured that the police would ignore the illegal alcohol, gambling, and prostitution that permeated the night scene. Kansas City's golden age of jazz thrived in this environment. By the 1940s, the Kansas City style of jazz had spread throughout America, playing in important role in shaping modern music.

Sadly, Bennie Moten did not live to see his broader impact on jazz. Instead, he died at Wheatley-Provident Hospital during what should have been a routine surgery to remove his tonsils in 1935. Most of the musicians in the Bennie Moten Orchestra followed a talented pianist named William "Count" Basie, who himself had been a part of Moten's band. Count Basie and his bands went on to eclipse Bennie Moten's fame. In 1937, Basie moved to Chicago and then New York, bringing Kansas City jazz to national prominence in the process.

sources:

http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/history/famous-cases/kansas-city-massacre-pretty-boy-floyd

http://www.missourilife.com/travel/a-day-at-union-station/

http://www.kclibrary.org/blog/week-kansas-city-history/all-jazz

 

Possible Locations:

   

Other Imagery: 

self critique

I’m satisfied with what I got done in the time frame overall but there is a lot of work that needed to be done. The first piece I was able to get the type to react how I intended. Although I wish the background clarity could be a bit cleaner and clearer. The sound was okay but was missing a filler tone to smooth out those silent moments. For the second piece I was able to get the background how I wanted but not the type. I wanted to integrate the type more in the background to make it feel more organic.

My thought process behind the sound may sound random but it is not. I looked for sounds that replicated the motion of the background but contrasted it visually. A method Stein used to create the stanzas in her work. Taking similar sounding words with contrasting meanings and putting them together. I think I was able to visually show Steins work with out being as literal. 
The Materials I used to create the sound was a lighter dropping. A zipper being zipped. Water drops hitting a puddle of water. The first video I used the footage from the water drops to create the background. For the second piece the imagery is sawdust bouncing on a plate. 

With these designs I used the same concept as my book using sounds that sound similar that can show repetition. While Subtracting it from its original context.

Sound test:

motest

Working with type tracking. Also using masking to create the transition with the imagery.
poem:

A PETTICOAT.

A light white, a disgrace, an ink spot, a rosy charm.

storyboards

Motion test

Gertrude Stein

• A BLUE COAT

A blue coat is guided guided away, guided and guided away, that is the particular color that is used for that length and not any width not even more than a shadow.

• POTATOES

In the preparation of cheese, in the preparation of crackers, in the preparation of butter, in it.

• A SOUND

Elephant beaten with candy and little pops and chews all bolts and reckless reckless rats, this is this.

MK12

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