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ari curtis design

aricurtisdesign@gmail.com | aricurtisdesign.wordpress.com | 970.391.0796

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ari curtis designUrban Plains | Cover

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As the Art Director for Urban Plains, a senior capstone magazine for Magazines majors at Drake University, I created the look of Drake’s first all-digital publication. The beautiful cover illustration was done by John Vogl, a Drake graduate and owner of The Bungaloo.

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ari curtis designUrban Plains | “Almost Famous”

Almost famousRegional bands in the Midwest are on the verge of a major breakthrough.

CHI » LIGHT POLLUTION

Jim Cicero doesn’t want to sing about beaches. The Light Pollution front-man instead focuses more on the horrible winters in January. It’s some-thing the band knows about. The trio formed while suffering through long Midwest whiteouts while they attended Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Ill. That bleakness comes through on “Ssslowdreamsss,” a seven-minute track that draws out the slow nature of Midwest winters with sluggish drums and a guitar that sounds as mutated and hazy as the band’s name. And then there’s “Good Feelings,” which blends Light Pollution’s pop harmonies and psychedelic edge while Cicero’s vocals slide over the flourishes of cymbal crashing and static guitar. The good news: Having per-formed with Phantogram, Memoryhouse, and Deerhunter, Light Pollution is beginning to spark some buzz. The bad news: Their sound could suffer if they move to warmer climates.

Listen: “Good Feelings” and “Witchcraft”

The Midwest will never be the new Brooklyn—and that’s a good thing. We don’t need all those trust-fund kids or trendy indie rockers. We just want some good music, and we’ve got it. Active scenes in Chicago, Minneapolis, and Milwaukee all bring their individual sounds to the corn belt. And let’s not forget surprisingly productive places such as Des Moines, Omaha, and St. Louis. To help you navigate, we’ve created a list of our favorite emerging stars. Grab your headphones and get listening.

OMA » BOx ELDERS

Started in 2005 as a goof-off project by brothers Clayton and Jeremiah McIntyre, the Box Elders originally had their mom singing vocals. That didn’t last long. The two brothers recruited Dave Goldberg to play drums and keyboards. They now pump out what they describe as cave pop.

It’s kind of fitting. Box Elders tread the line between ’60s-era garage rock and bubblegum pop. Most of their songs are ridiculously fast-paced, hovering around two minutes, making the journey on their first album, “Alice and Friends,” like an abbreviated road trip—satisfying and fresh. But it’s the fact that every blissed-out, lo-fi song sounds like it was recorded in some dingy, forgotten tornado shelter that makes Box Elders feel truly underground. The exception: The electric organ and grinding guitars give an image of a day at a seashore resort in the infectious song “Stay.” Guess everyone needs to come above ground sometime.

Listen: “Hole in My Head” MP3 and “Stay” MP3

MPLS » SOLID GOLD

Dance music doesn’t always need to speed along at 130 beats per minute. It can chug along steadily, romantically. Solid Gold doesn’t fall victim to the cookie-cutter club genre. Instead, tracks such as “Armoured Cars” and “Synchronize” slide their sunny sound into a sea of wavering pulses, chimes, and bongos. Lead singer Zach Coulter strains over the collage of sound with an emotional anger streak. They’re de-popping the electro genre as they warm up those unforgiving Minnesota winters.

Listen: Beyonce remix download

STL » PHASEONE

In the DJ world, samples make the tracks. It’s called “digging” to those in the scene. The best diggers make the best tracks, relentlessly searching for the overlooked sounds, melodies, and hooks that push production to the next level. Phaseone is a digger of the highest order. He rips his samples from all genres. On his 29-minute mix, “The Realest Shit I Ever Wrote,” he rotates electronic influences from Aphex Twin and Actress vs. Zomby to classic acts such as Talking Heads and Fleetwood Mac and current artists Curren$y and Nite Jewel. This cut-and-paste approach creates a haunting atmosphere of muffled bass that sounds like there’s a wall next to the speaker. The grimy production isn’t shining anyone’s shoes, but that’s not the point. That’s how Phaseone works: deep in the nooks and crannies of your favorite record shop.

Listen: “White Collar Crime” and “Thanks But No Thanks”

MIL » JAILL

There’s healthy competition between major cities to be the best stops along a band’s tour. Milwaukee alt-rock troupe Jaill does their best to re-turn the favor to the fans. Instead of simple power chord choruses and melancholic lyrics, Jaill’s popped-up rock comes through in the simple pleasures: maracas in the background, short guitar solos, and a twinge of West Coast garage rock. These simple flourishes characterize the sound of a band influenced by the coasts but still rooted in the simple pleasures of the Midwest.

Watch: “The Stroller”

DSM » THE POISON CONTROL CENTER

The four members of the Poison Control Center lived in different cities from 2008 to 2009, but they kept the band alive by constantly exchanging demos that documented their daily lives. When they reunited in May 2009, they’d put together over 40 tracks despite the 1,500 miles of distance. The band’s incorporation of saxophone and trumpets may prompt visions of jam bands everywhere, but the Center stakes its claim in the lo-fi realm of bands such as Pavement and The Pains of Being Pure At Heart.

Watch: “Being Gone”

CHI » THE COOL KIDS

Chuck Inglish proclaims in the song “One, Two” that The Cool Kids are “the new, black version of the Beastie Boys.” Inglish and partner Mikey Rocks bring back the old-school hip-hop swagger of the Beastie Boys and De La Soul, playing around with unorthodox beats that employ more drums than booming bass. But when The Cool Kids pepper tracks such as “A Little Bit Cooler” with references to ’80s standards such as Sega, “Star Wars,” gold rope necklaces, and beatboxing, the com-parison is brought home. “Gone Fishing,” “Tacklebox,” and their EP “The Bake Sale” have created hype for The Cool Kids’ first full-length album, “When Fish Ride Bicycles.”

Watch: “Gold Links” Official Music Video

story by skylar bergl

courtesy of light pollution

courtesy of subpop.comcourtesy of solid gold

courtesy of afternoon records

places | brewers of the lost art + Groovy Coffee + Going the distance + Almost famous + home is where the art is + a different song and dance + no passport necessary + down to earth urbanplainsmag.com 24

This article by Skylar Bergl featured some of the best up-and-coming bands of the Midwest.

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ari curtis designUrban Plains | “Tri, Tri Again”

Caitlin Berens featured world triathlete and athletic phenom Charlie Wittmack in this article for Urban Plains.

W hen Charlie WittmaCk Woke up on the road, he saW a semi

barreling toWard him. his first instinCt: get off the highWay. but he had just been propelled off his bike by a Car going over 40 mph. his right side Wouldn’t Work. his arm and leg Couldn’t move.

Wittmack has been through worse.he has been stung by jellyfish, suffered severe hypothermia, and

been left to fend for himself through extreme situations.a des moines native, Wittmack, 33, has been putting his body

through hell for the past few months. in august he became the first american to complete the peak and pond—climbing mount everest and swimming the english Channel. it’s a challenge only three others have achieved. and it isn’t the first time he has tried. Wittmack conquered the mountain in 2003, but his first Channel attempt in 2008 ended with a severe case of hypothermia six-and-a-half hours into the swim. on aug. 8, Wittmack completed the swim in 12 hours with the aid of a wetsuit, using bananas and red bull as fuel.

about two months later Wittmack was biking his way through kazakhstan when the unexpected occurred. he was rear-ended by a car, thrown off his bike, and knocked unconscious. Wittmack woke up on the pavement, disoriented and scared. fortunately he suffered no major injuries. and that semi coming his direction halted before getting too close.

as an endurance athlete, father, practicing attorney, adjunct professor, and motivational speaker, there’s not too much Wittmack hasn’t crossed off his list. but he’s still adding to it.

A Childhood Ambition

Wittmack’s current work-in-progress is something he dreamed up back when he was 14 years old: the world’s toughest triathlon. “i thought if you start on the english Channel, finish on mount everest, and somehow combine the two with a bicycle ride, you’d actually have it,” he says.

nearly two decades later, Wittmack is turning his dream into reality. he set off in june to tackle what he has dubbed the World

Surfacing for air, Charlie Wittmack powers through the English Channel.

story by Caitlin Berens

photos courtesy of The World Tri

»

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ari curtis designUrban Plains | “Down to Earth”

This is an opening spread for an article about an eco-commune in Rutledge, Missouri. It was written by Emily Cook.

Forget drum circles, pot, and the Merry Pranksters. At Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage you’ll find a different kind of good vibration.

»PLAY VIDEO AGAIN

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ari curtis design

This is a page from a fashion spread featuring Midwest designers. I took these pictures among many others in the magazine.

Urban Plains | “High Fashion Next Door”

This is a page from a fashion spread featuring Midwest designers. I took these pictures among many others in the magazine.

DeS MOiNeSaimeePetite model Briana Berkowitz makes a big statement in the city. This luxury boutique brings fashion from all over the world to the Midwest.

(Left:)Dress: Eva Franco $210Shoes: model's own

(Far left)Dress: Mina UK $115Earrings: Lavish $76Shoes: model's own

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ari curtis design

I created this map with a built-in, color-coded key to show each trail individually, with a composite map of all the trails on the back. The audience I had in mind consisted of Downtown Des Moines residents who would be familiar with the landmarks I used as distance markers.

Downtown Des Moines Trail Map

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ari curtis designDowntown Des Moines Trail Map | Trail Spread

The left panel features small maps of loops along the trails.

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ari curtis designDowntown Des Moines Trail Map | Trail Spread

I chose bright colors for their visibility. I thought the red, yellow, and purple are vibrant enough to stand out against the map without being overbearing.

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ari curtis designDowntown Des Moines Trail Map | Detail

I listed the distances of the complete trails next to the names of each one. As a runner, I found it necessary to include mileage.

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ari curtis design

modern mexican cuisine

Raiz | Logo

I created Raíz, a modern Mexican restaurant, based on real-world restaurants run by a Mexican chef. I drew the typography with tall x-heights to push the idea of a root, and chose an abstract carrot illustration (it’s a root vegetable) for a quirky and modern mark.

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ari curtis designRaiz | Stationary

This stationary system is accompanied by a menu and a miniature mock-up of a take-out box.

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ari curtis designRaiz | Signage

A mock-up for signage.

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ari curtis designPhotography | “Skin Deep”

While I consider photography a hobby, post-production is one of my skills as a designer. This photo was shot for a series featured in Urban Plains. The series won 3rd place in feature photography for the Society of Professional Journalists Region 7 Mark of Excellence.

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ari curtis designPhotography | “Ascension”

This photo was a part of an assignment for a digital photography class. It is an exterior wall of the Des Moines Art Center.

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ari curtis designPhotography | Untitled

This photo of a building in downtown Des Moines was a part of an assignment for a digital photography class.