National Portrait Gallery

LOGO

The National Portrait Gallery is an interesting fusion of historical and modern portraits, and this dichotomy is represented in the interior architecture of the building, but fails to be shown in the logo and branding. As with the National Gallery the justification of the lettering places a lot of emphasis on the final word, "Gallery," when this is probably not the most important word of the bunch/does not deserve this attention. I do think this logo is slightly more effective than it's brother - the typeface has a little personality and playfulness to it - but it has the same essential flaw: it just feels arbitrary. First, although this typeface does have more personality I don't see much if any connection to the collection, I would again use the word arbitrary. Second, I might suggest to give some sort of hierarchy to the words through size or color. Last, I might consider an approach like the Tate to have a few variations of the same system; perhaps incorporating imagery relating to portraiture. One of the things I think of are the frames we put portraits in, so there could be three styles of frame that relate to different eras of the collection that are rotated in branding use. Another image that comes to mind is the human profile which could be incorporated as a background image.


SELF PORTRAIT

ARIEL


Andre Deutsch by Leonard Rosoman captures a certain essence of my personality. In a sort of Cindy Sherman way I can see myself in Andre's shoes, representing the masculine parts of me, and in his boss 1980's suit. The sketchy style of the rendering feels a little uncertain or perhaps not capture-able, like there is more than meets the eye (as hopefully there is). The figure does not dominate the scene, and the surrounding seems like a further reflection of the sitter. He doesn't seem to be hiding anything, letting you look into his life while the look in his eyes seems to look back into the viewers' life. I was particularly drawn to the messy desk, I imagine my home might look like that someday. A final connection is that Andre works as a publisher which is a field I have contemplated pursuing.

STUDY ABROAD FRIENDS


ETHAN


Laurence Sterne by Joshua Reynolds is a bold and wily-looking fellow, with a dominant brow bone and a strong nose. He has a physical likeness to Ethan, but a clear personality likeness as well. Laurence looks very confident in his opinions and not afraid to share them and defend them if necessary, this is the first element of Ethan's personality that strikes me. The dramatic black robes and red curtain recall his interest and participation in theater and his intellectuality, rooted in classical learning.

CLARE


Bryan Organ painted this portrait Diana, Princess of Wales during her engagement to Prince Charles so it is set in Buckingham Palace; the interior design is reminiscent of Clare, in color palate - gold, navy, white, touches of pattern - and traditional style - wainscoting, four panel door. The same is true of Diana, her incredibly classic style is the same as Clare's, more navy and white, and hair perfectly done. Diana has a pretty serious face in the portrait, just as Clare can put on her game face and get things done, though I have replaced it with her recognizable smile and dimples, just as Diana was usually seen smiling, though she had her serious side as well.

SARA W


Emma, Lady Hamilton painted by George Romney brings to mind Sara Waller most immediately in the pose. Lady Hamilton was a mistress to several men, this is not meant to make any implications about Sara but she has a certain casual sensuality about her, like Lady Hamilton who looks at ease and enticing. The Lady was popular at parties, like Sara, and looks innocent but we know there is some mischief inside. They also share slender faces and curly hair. The scarf around Lady Hamilton's head brings what we would interpret as a 1970's vibe, and Sara's style has some hippie flair with loose floral tops and long necklaces.

SARAH S

This comparison can be summed up in one word: fashion. This portrait of Anna Wintour, famous editor-in-chief of American Vogue makes me think of Sarah because of their clear shared interest in fashion and culture. There is also a similarity of taste, both have penchants for luxurious and modern clothes often with no accessories save for fur in Anna's case and a big scarf in Sarah's. Both are certainly very smart and savvy women with passions for the written word. Oh and really shiny hair.