Friday, June 20, 2014

My Cousin Is Famous.....Almost

Some of you may not know this, but I grew up in The Halloween Capital Of The World. That's Anoka, Minnesota. Every Halloween is a major deal, obviously. And they have a contest every year for local artists to design the logo for each year's events. My cousin, Tyler, entered this year and won! Here is an article about it:

An artist and Halloween fan his entire life, Tyler Erickson grew up watching the classic Universal Monster films, sparking his interest in the spooky and unknown. Tyler grew up a few miles outside of Anoka itself and has, of course, always been well aware of Halloween in Anoka. Participating in events and attending parades as a child. His reaction to winning a coveted spot in Anoka Halloween history was shock, the good kind.

"My very first thought when I found out I had won, was that I now am a part of Anoka Halloween History! I now have a legacy! It means so much to me and I am very proud of it. When I found out I won through an email, it was like winning the lottery. I was so shocked I had to read it over a couple times to make sure I wasn't just imagining it! I can’t wait to someday walk into the Anoka Antique store and see my button alongside the rest of them. It’s truly an honor to have won." Tyler gained inspiration for his logo design from what was around him. Tyler and his girlfriend actually live in the Pierce House! How lucky is that?

"My girlfriend and I recently moved into the Pierce building in 2013. It's a pretty cool place with lots of history. The owners, Paul and Mary Pierce are really nice people too. We chose to move here because of how cool the building looked and that it used to be a sanitarium back in the early 1900's."

"I graduated from The Art Institutes of MN in the summer of 2007 with an Associate’s Degree in Graphic Design. I have done some freelance work for some companies, and currently do some design work for my employer. For a few years now I've wanted to enter the button contest, but I would always end up forgetting about it and remembering too late. So this year I made sure I wouldn’t forget. This was the first time entering the contest. I did some research on what the buttons of past years looked like, so I wouldn’t find myself repeating stuff that has already been done before. I also wanted to do something that was a little more grown up looking. My first idea of an Anoka landmark to use for the design was the Pierce Building. As beautiful as it looks, it also has a haunted creepy vibe to it as well. A haunted house felt like a good start. Being a fan of the FX show American Horror Story, I thought it would be awesome to see an artistic homage to its signage. I think it really adds to the overall design, and fans of the show will recognize and relate to it immediately. Since the button design is a circular design, it was easy to incorporate an exaggerated moon in the background without being too direct and drawing a crescent moon shape or a small circle. To better understand what I mean, imagine a gigantic full moon rising up behind it all. The trees are actually mirrored from left to right, to make the design slightly symmetrical. Throw in some flying bats and some grinning jack-o-lanterns and Walla, the 2014 Anoka Halloween button! For the finishing touch, I hid the name "KLINE" in the design. It can be found on the cone shaped top of the right side turret. It’s an honorary nod to the late Dr. James Kline. Who without him, this beautiful building would not exist."

While Tyler is rightfully thrilled to have won a spot in Anoka Halloween history, he still manages to keep things in perspective. "I wanted a more grown up look for the button, but I think I would appreciate it if I were a kid too. After all, it's all about the kids. It’s kind of full circle for me growing up going to the parades, and one year being Michael Myers with my sister in the Gray Ghost 5k race. Now I've designed a button for the fun and festivities I once relished in as a kid. It's an awesome feeling. I really didn't think I would win. I was just having fun creating something cool. I hope my button really resonates with people of all ages." 

Congratulations Tyler!

Read full article at Halloween Honey.
 

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~Hayley