Leslie Renken
Journal Star reporter
Posted Aug.14, 2015 at 12:37 PM
Updated Aug 14, 2015 at 1:28 PM
PEORIA — A graphic designer for more than 25 years, Gary Will has never had as much fun with a project as he’s had designing playbills for Bradley University Theater productions.
“These are a breath of fresh air,” said Will, the graphic design professor at Bradley University. One of the realities of being a graphic designer is that you often don’t have a lot of creative freedom — you must please a client. And while Will does have a client for the playbills — Scott Kanoff, chairperson of the BU Theater Department — the pair share a creative synergy. “We hit it off from day one,” said Will. “The freedom I’ve had creating these playbills has been so much fun.”
Twelve posters from the last two years of productions will be exhibited at Hartmann Center Gallery Aug. 24 through Sept. 24. A reception will be held 5 to 6:30 p.m. Aug. 28.
Will often begins his creative process by reading the script and talking to Kanoff, who explains what direction he is going with the play. Often Kanoff has a unique take on scripts which Will incorporates into his designs. “Last April we did “As You Like It,” a Shakespeare play, but they wanted to set it in California in the 1940s,” said Will. At one point during the process, Will sent a prototype to Kanoff who replied: “The artwork is perfect... but can I see a sheep or two next to the kissing lovers?”
“That was in the script,” Will explained. Some playbills require a humorous treatment and some are more serious. For “The Mountain Top,” a fictionalized depiction of Martin Luther King’s last night before his assassination, Will used an iconic image of King. Additional transparent images veil King’s face, teasing the viewer with other aspects of the plot.
“I was working hard to go beyond the cliche,” said Will.
As part of his creative process, Will often goes through several prototypes before he arrives at the final version. He posts all the different renditions on his blog, which he created to give his students a better understanding of the graphic design process. By reading the blog students see how Will and Kanoff work together, learning the importance of teamwork. They also see how Will handles the delicate task of being creative while also imparting all the necessary information.
“The content obviously includes a lot of additional text, so all those things can be a challenge, to make something vibrant that visually narrates what the production is about,” said Will.
Since a playbill is advertising, it’s important that it gets noticed. While working on the poster for “Big Love,” a play about 50 brides fleeing their pre-arranged marriages, there was some concern that the poster might be too strong. Will photographed a blood-splattered Barbie doll in a wedding gown. After much discussion and a slight reduction in blood, Will and Kanoff decided to proceed with the concept.
“The thing is, that’s what we’re trying to do — to provoke a response,” said Will. “This world is saturated with visuals everywhere.” Will knows his work needs to stand out.
“Otherwise it’s just flowered wallpaper.”
If you go
* What: A collaborative journey between the Theatre Director and the Graphic Designer, the posters of Gary Will.
* When: Aug. 24 through Sept. 24. The reception is 5 to 6:30 p.m. Aug. 28.
* Where: Hartmann Center Gallery, 1400 W Bradley Ave., Peoria, on the Bradley University campus.
* Admission: Free.
Leslie Renken can be reached at 686-3250 or lrenken@pjstar.com. Follow her on Twitter, @LeslieRenken, and subscribe to her on Facebook.com/leslie.renken. Posted with permission.
