Gary L. Schwartz

Poster design for an Illinois Wesleyan University School of Theatre Arts production. This is actually how I feel most days at around 4:00pm waiting for the day to end.

This play is from an era when it was a scandal for students to plot to ruin their teacher's lives. Now I think it is just called Twitter.

The IWU production wanted to highlight the darker side of this musical, so if the wolf looks menacing, I did my job. I wanted to keep an old storybook style for the frame work of the poster. Little Red Riding Hood looks like a symbol marking a bathroom for fairytale characters.

This production took the show out of medival times and put it in a 1950s MGM musical location with tuxedos instead of tunics and shields. So I tried to give it a look of a retro movie poster of something starring Gene Kelly.

The director of the show felt that this classic illustration of a Victorian woman by Alphonse Mucha was an image that reflected the style of the production. My goal was to create a framework worthy of the lovely Victorian figure and match the style so it all worked as one.

I used a vapor trail effect and added some color since they had "magic to do." Placing the eyes above created the feeling of someone disappearing as the smoke cleared. A community theatre group in New York saw this poster online and contacted me to use it for their production. So it was actually used for two different productions.

There is a whole lot of Photoshop in this little guy. The two main characters escape from prison and are then mistaken as members of high society. So it was a challenge to combine all the elements to show both sides of their world. I also liked the idea of a musical number with a ball and chain shackled to your ankle.

This musical is based on the movie of the same name. It takes place in Wisconsin and the owner of the local cafe comes up with an idea to sell her business in a raffle. Anyone can enter for a hundred dollars and an essay about why they might want the Grill. Since it had that mail theme, I decided to make it look a bit like a truck stop postcard. The other storyline is about a Vietnam veteran who deserted and lives in the dense forest to separate himself from his family and the town. The original Broadway production had the misfortune to open the week after the 9-11 attacks and had a very short run.

This play takes place in the near future where the virtual world reigns supreme. Everyone blogs rather than talk, children attend virtual classrooms, and people must live in contained bio-domes since we destroyed the natural environment. I guess the author meant the very near future, like last week.
 

This figure is a Photoshop collage that I went to when a photo of the actor in costume could not be taken. I added the hair, collar and the cuffs to try and match the sketch from the costume designer. He is a lecherous character and I thought the eye peering around the edge of the poster added a dishonest quality. As I like to say about the clergy, "the bigger the cross, the more they have to hide."

This was an updated version of the Greek play where women of a war-torn society withhold sex from the men to stop the fighting. This production includes many uses of phallic symbols, so I had to add my graphic designer version to the poster. That included an extensive search for just the right font.
 

This show is a British farce that originally opened in 1969. The play has many secrets and I wanted to show some of those hidden layers. I decided to work with this as an outdoor sign where pieces peel off to reveal what is underneath. This won a Pride of CASE V Gold Award for Excellence in Graphic / Illustration.

Yes, this is written by the former star of 30 Something. It is a play about a young college student transitioning from female to male. Without notice, the parents show up on Family Weekend to talk her out of it. I am presuming this takes place in a co-ed dorm.

This musical follows several women who are connected by shared relationships. A cab driver becomes a common thread to these characters and his commentary gives the audience some insight to their crazy relationships. So an ad on the cab door turned out to be a graphic solution to the show's unique title. The set also uses some bright color and city building perspectives to frame the stage. My first attempt at this poster did not work, but much like cabs, another idea will come by if you are patient.

In 1662, Charles II decreed that only women should play women, so the first actresses of the British theatre were given freedoms and opportunities on stage that were not available in their real lives. So the idea of a caged bird seemed to illustrate a beautiful creature kept captive for the amusement of others.

This unique theatrical production is based in a graphic novel world within the dark confines of Stab City. At first I thought that was a nickname for Detroit, but it is a fictional location and the hero navigates the dark underworld. It tried to give the images that outlined look of a graphic novel, or as they were once known, comic books.

This play makes it clear the sex scandals are nothing new to Washington, D.C. and follows the affair that lead up to the downfall of the first Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton.

This play takes place as three sisters gather at the home of their recently dead mother and revisit the past. They find that even though they experienced the same childhood, they remember events much differently. In my world, I call that selective memory.

I love to design for anything from the Jazz Era of the 1920s and 30s. This is pretty much a depiction of the idle rich and their world of leisure. And of course everyone smokes, so they had to break out the e-cigarettes for this production. When they say a smoke-free campus, there are no exceptions. Not even for Noel Coward.

Yet another art deco show in the 2013-14 season, so I was ultra happy to work on the poster. It did reflect the three major intrests of 1920's society…booze, flying and records.

This play is about four British female soccer fans obsessed with their team. This is not a musical and no, it is not about The Spice Girls.

This is a dark comedy about what happens when a man's simple attempt to vote is met with many crazy and threatening obstacles. This sort of makes the GOP demands for government-issued photo ID cards seem kind of tame? 

This play follows seven women who arrange a road trip from their Indian reserve to Toronto to participate in “THE BIGGEST BINGO IN THE WORLD”, with each woman dreaming of winning the bingo jackpot and what life changing fortunes it will bring them. This bingo card looks so big, I imagine they had to use Frisbees to mark the card.

The theme of the concert featured dance segments based on the seven deadly sins. This featured a pair of dancers from the production in a dramatic pose. I suggested that they add the eighth deadly sin— watching "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo."

This play is about two sisters separated by WWII. One grew up in America with her father, the other ended up in a concentration camp. Their mother died in the camp, but the sister makes it to America after the war to be with her father and sister. But they find they have little to bond them together. And you thought your family had some issues.

This was a small twist on making the arched doorway into a bottle, but it ties the theme of the show into the artwork. I also designed the set for this show presented by the IWU Opera Theatre. The look of the set reflects the images on the poster. The picture of the set is in the 3D design gallery.

The IWU Provost is a musical composer and he had a concert to play some of his new works. He has these round glasses and I couldn’t resist using a type font to focus on them. The meaning of logogenesis is hard to explain. They did not hire me for my intellect.

This was a musical from the late 1930's and we took a retro perspective and reflected the fun and farce of the production. The theatre staff took some photos of the actors for the poster. This is what we larger people fondly remember from our youth…the piggy back ride. These days it would be more like deadly assault.

Working for the theatre department is never dull. This play takes place in Germany on a school playground built on top of a mass grave for Jews during WWII. The spirit of a young girl interacts with the young girls of the present day and plots her revenge. Sleep tight kids, this is not exactly a nice bedtime story.

This is a new play that contrasts two sets of sisters, one during the Victorian era and one present day. Thinking about design elements that have been timeless, I used a series of circles. Some simple and modern, some more ornate and detailed. As in our current culture, the smart phone is a way to contrast the two silhouettes that represent the women in the play.

The photo for this poster was taken along the auditorium wall of McPherson Theatre (now Jerome Mirza Theatre). Some of you might recognize the textured concrete if you have been to IWU shows or are an alumni. It was a nice way to reflect the urban solitude that lead's the main character to assume the more interesting life of a recently deceased stranger.

After setting the location of his production on the IWU campus, the director suggested having a rhino busting through an iconic Wesleyan Window. With the joy of a homeowner who gets to take a sledgehammer to his home on a DIY show, I went to work doing a digital demo of a Stevenson Hall window. Like no other jobs I have done, the theatre posters are like recess on the first warm day of Spring. Or getting out you 64 box of crayons instead of the basic 8.

This was my entry into a contest held by the Chicago Cubs for a logo to mark the 100th anniversary of Wrigley Field. No, I did not win, just like the Cubs. I still like it. It makes me think of the old-time baseball. All I need is a voice over from James Earl Jones.

My passion for art deco made this a fun project and I enjoyed drawing this design out from a sketch to vector image in CS Illustrator.

This was designed for a logo competition for The Cervantes Society. It was selected and is used on their publications and award certificates. I thought about using the "chasing at windmills" concept for the Wrigley Field logo, but it worked better for this project.

This was a fun design to reflect the many facets of scrapbooking. These shows were organized by a long-time friend, Kathy Parrish.

Darcy Greder created a tradition of bringing some nationally-known folk singers to IWU for live shows. I got the chance to design this logo and posters for several years until Darcy retired as producer.

This is a logo for a film series that offers a question and answer with the film's director and a viewing of the movie. The conversation is to discuss the real life issues and how the films work to reflect those subjects. It is hard to actually use a  movie reel as a graphic element since films are now part of the digital landscape, but I wanted to connect to the play on words. And it is much cooler looking than a DVD.

This logo was created for the IWU Counseling Center and won the Pride of CASE V Gold Award for Best Graphic Identity/Logo.

Some designs that you think are great, die a quick death at the hands of a planning committee. Celebrating 40 years of the IWU radio station WESN was the center of the Homecoming theme (or so I thought). Many of the activities surrounding it never materialized and this strong radio focus did not work for the event. But I would not be denied and turned it into a spot graphic used in the event booklet. So some of that design time was not in vain. I have many sad stories of "artwork of lost potential" that would make you cry. I did anyway.

This logo is used on materials for New Student Orientation at IWU. This uses the new "less angry" Tommy. His angry twin is used for athletics.

This logo is for a program where incoming students spend a day doing community service during New Student Orientation prior to the fall sememster.

My brother coached a high school girls rugby team in Colorado and needed a logo. My niece also played on the team, so that is the tough side of the family.

Tom Streeter just retired after 40 years at the School of Music. He has built the Jazz program from the ground up. One of the great events is a high school jazz festival with nationally known guest musicians. This logo marked 30 years and it continues on today.

This is what we call repurposed art. I had done this illustration of the Hansen Center facade for a possible university identity update. The artwork was never used, but it was a nice fit for this program that awards the class that has the largest donor participation. This annual award comes with a banner displayed in the Hansen Center.

This is a logo used in promotion of a new student apartment complex built on campus in 2013. They were under construction at the time, so I added a paint roller background for this version.

This program invites alumni to reconnect and create a group to raise money for scholarships and the general fund at IWU. I had always wanted to use the overlapping I and W since seeing it recessed in the stone facade of the old Memorial Gym (now the Hansen Center).

You can't beat a musical about a plant from outer space that eats humans for breakfast. This was for Community Players, Bloomington, IL.

Logo for a play about the rowdy Chicago Cubs fans during a game. This was for Community Players, Bloomington, IL.

This was part of a series or logos to designate giving club levels for the Office of Development. Each depicts a piece of the IWU campus.

This was part of a series or logos to designate giving club levels for the Office of Development. Each depicts a piece of the IWU campus.

This was a recent creation for my niece Kyle and her book reading club. OK, they drink a little too, but it is all about the books. As long as the wine holds out.

This was one of the first logos I designed at IWU. The Shirk Center opened the year after I started here in 1992.

This logo appeared on a series of large posters that featured different sections of the University Mission Statement. These appeared in first-year resident halls on campus at the beginning of the fall semester.

The Hart Career Center takes students to a large city during Spring Break and introduces them the the real world and the alumni who work there. I think this should be called "wake up kids, time to pay for this education.”

At IWU, volunteering is a large part of the university mission. Students, faculty and staff are asked to donate a day to improve the community and make it a better place and make each of us better in the process. I wanted it to have a “building plan” look, but still be bright and bold. The arches to the left are the logo for the Action Research Center. They do great work and provide internships for IWU students in the community.

This is an entry for the Hallmark Keepsake Ornament Collector's Club national contest to win a local ornament signing event by a Hallmark Keepsake artist. It is a Christmas tree book that becomes a 3-D stand up display detailing our club participation at the 2013 Relay for Life. Based on this entry, our Central Illinois Collectors club was awarded a signing event in August of 2014.

Poster of renderings of set for Sweeney Todd at Community Players in Bloomington, IL

Center section of set for Sweeney Todd at Community Players in Bloomington, IL The unique feature is that the orchestra sat inside the set and outside the windows along the back. So they were fully integrated into the show.

Another view of the completed set for Community Players, Bloomington, IL.

A rendering of the set design for Stalag 17 at Community Players Theatre, Bloomington, IL

Image of the finished set for Stalag 17 at Community Players, Bloomington, IL.
 

Finished set for The Elixer of Love for the Illinois Wesleyan University Opera Theatre, Bloomington, IL. The poster I designed for this production is in the theatre poster gallery.

Rendering of set design for The Pirates of Penzance for Praire Fire Theatre, Bloomington, IL.

Renderings of the set for Urinetown, the musical at Community Players, Bloomington, IL.

Photo of the set for Urinetown, the musical at Community Players, Bloomington, IL. Hanging the lighted sign took many people, three ladders and all of us ignoring the danger of being crushed by a giant lighted toilet seat.

Another picture of the set for Urinetown, the musical at Community Players, Bloomington, IL.

Signage designs for Urinetown, the musical set, Community Players, Bloomington, IL.

This is the set I designed for the Community Players production of Bus Stop. It was more of an old country diner than a chrome and formica diner. But we did get down on our hands and knees to paint in a checkered floor pattern. Well, my friend Bruce did most of the painting. I just cheered him on and helped him stand up at the end of the day.

This display sits inside the glass table cases at The Ames Library. It is hard to see, but there is a small mirror in the center above the "Students Like You" headline.

This cover represents the opening of State Farm Hall and all the technical advancements that had been added to the classroom. This was a case where the headline came first and then I built around it. I put the digits in digital.

Just a week before we were to go to press, the IWU women's basketball team won the NCAA Div. III National Championship. We scrapped our original cover and I had to go full throttle on Photoshop to get this ready to go.

Ken Burns came to campus and so I thought that this story should have a treatment that made it look like a PBS documentary. These folks go to a lot of trouble to be authentic, so I thought it would be nice to show as many members of the band as possible. I loved how the white sleeve gave a natural place to overlap the image and a place for the headline.

This concept came from magazine editor Tim Obermiller. It was kind of like playing Scrabble and Word Search all at the same time.

This was the first illustration I did for the magazine way back in 1994. It was an election year and we had some fun with a primer on how to run for office. I still have the original art hanging on my office wall.

This story had many ideas and directions, so it was hard to decide how to represent it on a cover. As I stared at the ceiling, it came to me to show a student pondering over the origin of the universe the way I look when trying to decide what to have on a pizza.

When a faculty member goes into uncharted rainforests in South America and discovers a new species of frog, it is big news. But how do you turn a frog into a cover girl. Well I can tell you mascara does not help. And it is very hard to apply. So, I just went with it's natural bright coloring to create this rainforest green cover.

A history professor at IWU teaches a course on the Beatles and it is very popular. He also gets a lot of calls from the media when a story surrounding the Beatles is in the news. The picture is of a statue of John Lennon located in Liverpool. I designed a graphic to give the cover a more colorful look that we associate with the 1960s. But hey, I could say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one.

This is the opening spread of a story on the new additions to the School of Art at IWU.

This is the opening spread of a story on the continuing tradition of the Apollo Quartet at IWU. I love any reason to use an old retro microphone in a layout. You can almost smell the Brylcreem looking at these guys.

A couple of alumni have become successful restauranteurs and now have several unique locations in Chicago. I have driven by the one location on the Chicago River several times.
 

The School of Nursing celebrated 50 years and we did a story on several current nursing students. The whole layout is eight pages and was a challenge to match the complexity of these first two pages.

This was a story about the many extracurricular activities available to IWU students. I used to be able to do that one-handed dance move, but now I just stick to the slow dances.

This story explained the origins of many unique and odd objects that are part of the IWU campus. In terms of odd objects, I was featured on the next page.

This was a story about art students who went to Barcelona on a travel course. When I saw the picture of Salvador, I had to ask myself, "how much is that Dali in the window?" It made a great visual focus point for this layout.

Story from Spring 2009 issue on an alumni conservationist.

Commencement is always best on a sunny day on the quad. This shot is taken from the top of State Farm Hall and the plaza in front is the stage for the ceremony.

Internationally known classical pianist, Awadagin Pratt, grew up here in Bloomington and he returns to host a fundraiser to support his foundation that provides musical scholarships to young students. This picture of him was taken while playing in the East Room of the White House.

This poster was for a guest speaker whose poetry is sensual and that is a challenge to develop something that won't be confiscated and end up in the trash can.

The IWU campus had a memorial on the 10th anniversary of the 9-11 attacks. I thought this a successful solution to reflect the feelings of that time. Candles were a part of many vigils here on campus after those events. I entered this in a few contests and it did not win anything. I did however add it to the 9-11 Memorial website art gallery, so it lives on.

This was a unique election year event that combined a concert and real-time political polling of the audience with the results displayed using a multi-media presentation.

I always wanted to use a French Horn as a planter, so that worked for this Spring Concert. I played tympani in high school, so that might have influenced my choice. Those would make awesome planters as well.

Long-time friend and on-stage wife, Char Peine-Fesler needed a poster for a local concert celebrating Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's 250th birthday. Referring to him as "Wolfie" set the tone of the poster.

The Bluemoon Coffeehouse had a great run as a premiere venue to hear nationally-known folk singers and acoustic music. Prior to each semester, we would put out a poster that had a schedule of performers. I love any reason to put people in a porthole.

One of a set of six social norms alcohol awareness posters for the IWU Counseling Center. I tried to get permission from PBR to use their cans. They said no, so I just changed the color. They may still track me down someday. I just needed that well-known label to send some messages about drinking responsibly.

One of a set of six social norms alcohol awareness posters for the IWU Counseling Center. This was probably my favorite of the set. This was one of the few times where a good idea came out of a committee.

One of a set of six social norms alcohol awareness posters for the IWU Counseling Center. The big challenge here was to come up with enough ideas to fill all the bottles. Hence, the classic, "What about those Cubs" as a way to change the subject. Usually the Cubs are a reason to drink.

One of a set of six social norms alcohol awareness posters for the IWU Counseling Center. This uses a stock art woman who seems the very definition of hangover. Flavored alcohol is a real problem with binge drinking and this poster was a reminder that there is a real basis for the term "ugly drunk."

One of a set of six social norms alcohol awareness posters for the IWU Counseling Center. I had a good time creating the Unicorn Beer label based on the Rolling Rock brand. This was a good example of finding a way to get a message out that can make someone smile and think at the same time.

Schedule poster for IWU women's basketball for 2012-13 season.

Tony was one of the first people I remember meeting at Community Players when I auditioned for him in 1977 (pictured center). He was a unique character and when those people pass away, you appreciate what they meant and how much they are missed. This was a tribute poster that was displayed in the lobby during the production of the war-time drama, Mr. Roberts. Tony was a WWII vet and he would have been a great asset to the cast and staff. This poster was a small effort to remember his service to the country and Community Players.
 

I love any reason to turn something into a snow globe. This is Presser Hall, one of the oldest buildings on campus.

This was my attempt to turn The President's House into a Norman Rockwell winter wonderland. With Photoshop, all things are possible. I wish it was as easy to put up real light strings as it was to create the fake version. And the fake bulbs never burn out.

I tried to design an art deco background that would enhance the logo, but not compete with it. It was also a challenge to include the image of State Farm Hall that was dedicated at Homecoming. And everything looks more elegant with a string of pearls.

This was a CD cover for an IWU faculty member's collection of nocturnal piano concertos. I saw this moon reflection becoming a keyboard right out of the box. I wish they all came that easy.

Student apartment living comes to IWU residence halls. These two new buildings were not built, but students needed to be signed up a year in advance. That meant we needed a brochure to build some interest with floor plans and costs.

This is a card I designed to send to my good friend Marsha as she completed her conversion and was officially a Catholic. I guess it is a little bit irreverent, but so is Marsha. She has a great laugh and I hope she chuckled when she opened the card. And then burned it before a nun walked by.

The new entry to the School of Art featured a spiral sculpture, so I decided to hang it from a tree like an ornament. This is a view of the front and back and it folded in the middle.

This is a spread from a booklet that promoted the Illinois Sustainable Living and Wellness Expo. This is a great event the takes place at the Shirk Center in April each year.

Trying to capture the cultural influence of our study abroad program was a Photoshop challenge. I think there are about 25 layers in this file. It makes me want to get a passport.

When admission counselors go out to college fairs, they take these retractable banners that reduce down into a carrying case. They are around seven feet tall and work like a big window shade.

It is hard to combine the accomplishments of 10 years into one image, but with the help of Photoshop you can try. This framed poster was presented to President Wilson and his wife, Pat, at the Fall 2014 Faculty/Staff breakfast. Dick is a very active University President and he had a lot of images to build this collage.

I was asked to update the entry way to our business office which had pictures of campus buildings from 20 years ago. Rather than just have pictures of buildings, I would create some collages that featured some of the floorplans and interior images. Three of the images were posters and the other two were pictures of smaller projects from recent years. I guess those years of picture framing during college were not wasted. I think I have a MFA in Wallology.

Illustrations for an IWU Magazine story about alumni memories of campus. This was for a story about an art major who took classes in a house located on campus.

Illustrations for an IWU Magazine story about alumni memories of campus. This was about a member of the cafeteria staff who wrote encouraging messages on the students lunch bags.

Illustrations for an IWU Magazine story about alumni memories of campus. This was about a faculty member who fell asleep during class and the students just quietly left.

The folks at IWU got tired of just seeing the head of Tommy Titan, so I gave him a body. I matched the costume worn by the team mascot. I just wish the mascot's head matched my drawing.

When an student is accepted to IWU, they receive this card with notes written inside from current students and admissions personnel. The University is home to so many facets of the liberal arts, it seemed that a graphic illustration would be the best way to create the excitement of the college experience. A simple and bold way to say "welcome."