TEDx Omaha

Currents & Collisions

Journey of a Script

Highlights from the Experience

Credits

The people and organizations who all helped make this talk possible: Jason Hardy, Jane Kleeb, Adam Casey, Megan Rollins, Adam Morfeld, DeRay Mckesson, Cassie Ippaso, Brigitte McQueen, Nic Swiercek, Weston Thomson, Bold Nebraska, Obama for America, Civic Nebraska, Campaign Zero, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, The City of Omaha, The Union for Contemporary Art, The Nebraska Democratic Party, and Nebraska Appleseed.

Special Thanks

• TEDx Omaha Coaches: Strawberry Olive, Terry Lee, David Gillis, and Jan Bretz.

• The 2022 TEDx Omaha Speakers: Justin Romano, David Michael Galant, Ralph Kellogg, Dana Murray, Ruth Murray, Lee Running, Michael Ackerbauer, and Dr. Pat Friman.

• Dog & Pony Productions, Guy White for editing.

• Jake, Adam, and Anna for always bringing it.

• Tim Guthrie for the nomination.

• Katie Kemerling for the neverending support.

Design Notes

This is, basically, the third version of the talk. The first idea took more of an unveiling approach. The second, more combative, where the core idea was of images fighting back. The final version I presented, in my mind, is a very middle-of-the-road approach. The showing of my graphic design work while I, the maker, tell you, the viewer, the basic brief behind the images and the context they exist within. These images don’t simply emerge out of thin air. There’s a reason for everything — what I’m trying to say, why I’m saying it, and to whom I’m saying it to, as well as, where the image is meant to end up and the action I want a particular audience to take.

Aside from the images themselves, this is a talk about current events. We’re surrounded by the issues of the day as much as we are by images. Images created for commercial purposes in our consumer economy aren’t included because we’re most familiar with those. And as a story arch, they’re less interesting to me. It’s less interesting to think about which pair of shoes to buy when compared to which gets more funding, a jail or a school.

These images deal with the big, complicated politics of this place we call America — the economy, immigration, gun violence, the environment, democracy. They were all made for organizations in some capacity, at some point in the last 12 years, with some slight editing done so they neatly fit within a design presentation. From a liberal perspective, with a belief in liberty and justice for all.

As they standalone within a 16x9 screen, part of a video file, they all have to do certain things. They need to read fairly quickly at first, then unfold more as I talk about the design elements and political issues for each. As a set, different aesthetic styles as well as mediums need to be present. Yes to posters and GIFs, no to logos and websites. Various kinds of illustration, type, color, shapes, hierarchy, and depth. And they need to hold a middle space in your mind, as you, the viewer, allows the medium and the message to unfold. There should be enough clarity, but not too much. A hint at a resolution, but not the resolution itself.

These images aren’t where we’ve been or where we’re going, but where we’re at right now, with many decisions still to be made. The delivery of the talk is the tone I want to put out there at this particular time — measured and matter of fact with just the right amount of contemplation, wit, sarcasm, sincerity, anger, fear, and hope. And after it’s watched, what I want most for you, the viewer, is to be a little bit more alert and discerning when any one of those 10,000 images you encounter on any given day hits you right in the face.

2022: Presentation, Collaboration, Graphic Design

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