A Needed
Pick-me-up

A demoralizing economy, intensely felt throughout the world, also affected the creative community acutely. Injecting some positivity into that general malaise wasn't an easy task. A damn-the-torpedoes approach of celebration and revelry seemed counter-intuitive. Despite some reservations, Agent Sociale, a collection of creative artist representatives, bet their luck that such a gathering would resonate.

My job was to infuse the invitation with the appropriate gravitas it deserved. Obviously, comical. Needs bright color. Requires a certain je ne sais quoi. The event was to be held at a trailer-trash-themed bar named, Butter, no less. Hmmm. What's my motivation? What does this look like? I had a mission. Off I went.

I often delve into my extensive curated image catalog and concoct something unusual from a collection of different "parts." It just so happened that I had an image of the Butterfinger candy bar logo, which came in handy. Butterfinger became Buttermingler. I also had a vintage image featuring a jovial-looking bartender that would make a fine main subject. I roughly assembled these and other components together. The addition of rich visual details to embellish the narrative was the cherry on top, making the work just so: flies and grit.

The final invitation, a kind-of Gesamtkunstwerk, or total work of art, came together to embody something greater than the sum of its parts. (Anyway, that's the way I think of it.) At the end of the night, it was clear from those who attended that the whole affair was a rousing success. I like to think my quirky invitation played an important role in the triumph.