Frankly Speaking
I researched the 90’s-00’s artist Lisa Frank, after doing so I designed a series of illustrative deliverables with different functionalities that simultaneously educates my audience about who she was.
I have always liked the artist, her art work was featured on elementary school supplies in the 90's and early 2000's. Rainbow cheetahs, dancing bears, and colorful kittens are just a few examples of what were depicted on backpacks, folders, and trapper keeper’s. Some of which, I had owned growing up. When carrying out my research I came to find out that she was actually not all sunshine and happy faces. After immersing myself in newspaper articles, court documents, and interviews, I formulated an opinion. Underneath all the gleeful illustrations was a privileged woman with a superior sense of entitlement and a dreadful attitude. She has an abounding history of treating her employees badly, & from my perspective, bordered on abuse. That in and of itself changed the way I viewed her. After I dove head first into the Lisa Frank rabbit hole of information, I wanted to create an illustration that was in her style but with a bit of a twist. I produced a whimsical illustration that features a devilish unicorn in outer space in her own world. She is surrounded by colorful stars and expressive planets. My goal was to encapsulate who the artist was and tell a story about what I had discovered visually.
“Lisa Frank is notorious in Tucson as the world’s shittiest employer,” said Caroline, who considered applying for one of the many job openings at the company she saw advertised when she moved to Tucson in 2001, but decided against it after speaking with locals. “Every single person I talked to advised me to avoid Lisa Frank at all costs,” she said. “I didn’t know a single person who had not heard horror stories about the work environment there.”
“I don’t know if it is possible to really communicate just how bad their reputation was in town,” Karen stressed, before adding, Every person who ever worked there seemed to have a case of PTSD from it. ‘Rainbow Gulag’ is really an apt description.”
On the front of a tin case full of rainbow drawing pencils is a colorful and vibrant illustration.
On the back of the case you can find information about the artist with direct quotes from an article. "Frankly Speaking." A Lisa Frank Employee Publication. Apr. 1994, Vol. 1, no.7
An oversized t-shirt product featuring the unicorn character surrounded by flames with pink stars on the front and planets on each of the sleeves.
A tin lunchbox product featuring an illustration on the front, with the focus being the nefarious brightly colored unicorn surrounded by flames on planet stuck-up.