Graphic Flux

Audee over at Graphic Identity has begun her collective graphic design project titled Graphic Flux. As she says, "It all started from a small discussion with graphic design friends who are also bloggers and developed into a communal design project; an event that I hope will continue every month. The main objective is to showcase everyone skills and talent in graphic design."

This idea was conceived by her blogger friend at Psiplex.com and the group's first challenge is to design a CD cover for an Indie music group called XERCES whose mission is to educate the world on the plight of the rain forest through their music. I want to offer my thanks both to Psiplex and Audee for creating this amazing concept and offering us designers a chance not only to flex our creative muscles but also get some exposure in the process.

When coming up with my design (you can view the original here) I adhered to the same formula I always use; keep the design simple yet still convey the theme and have enough of an impact to grab people's attention. With this design I immediately saw the letters of the band's name split between trees. I started out with black letters on a white background, but then in the middle of working on it (as always seems to be the case with these things) I had the sudden inspiration to invert the two and that's when the whole design "popped" right out at me. I knew I had a winner so I left it alone.

This is a rare occurrence. I'm not often blessed with an immediate insight into a design, and of course if this was for a real world client they could very well decide they don't like it and I'd be right back at square one. However, since this is for a challenge I've decided to stop and leave well enough alone.

Your comments and/or critiques are welcome.