Here's what you've all been waiting for: Part 3 of the Three-Part Interview with Jon Kraus '04, where he dishes out pie- ahem, dishes out inside information on a few of his awesome designs. Also, stay through 'til the end because there's some Blog Audience Participation!

Links to Part 1 and Part 2.

OTR: So how about an example of one of your designs?

Jon Kraus: I’ll give the example of my "Warho" design. I’m taking a very universally recognized image – Andy's Warhol's pop portraits of Marilyn Monroe. Everyone recognizes that style, if not that image.

Right.

So then I found a picture of Condi Rice where she is looking Marilyn-esque, with the coifed hair and all. Plus it's her White House photo, so it's a public domain image and I can freely use it!

Haha. Score.

So the image is compelling in its own way, and then the WARHO title hammers it home. The visual twist combined with the slight twist in the name.

I like it.

Thanks... yeah it gets a lot of reactions. Because people see the image, probably think Marilyn in their subconscious, then look again to see Condi and WARHO.

Yeah, it works very well.

Most people are highly amused, a few not so much. Would you like another example?

Sure.

Was there a specific design you'd like me to explain?

How about “Peace Czar,” since that's your screen name...although there's not a whole lot of a design there...anything significant in that?

Well it's purposefully a very quiet design, just the title. Just like you’d find on a Police or FBI t-shirt – dark, ominous, brooding. But just a twist on War Czar... militant pacificism, if you will.

"If you disarm" is pretty intriguing as well.

That design came to me just before New Year's, and I sat on it for a while, but I really liked the metaphor. It's a bunch of arms in the shape of the atomic symbol.

This is all very punny...I like that a lot.

So I took the 10 different countries in the world that have nuclear weapons (Iran is included, though I don't think any of us still know what's going on with that whole situation) – and made them like arms punching each other. I matched up "rivals", best exemplified by the USA punching Russia, some Cold War throwback there. And then the two top arms represent two possibilities.... doves or mushroom clouds. The doves correspond to a peace symbol on the hand, while the mushroom clouds have their fingers crossed…to show how delicate and deceitful the whole process of nuclear disarmament is.

It's very nicely done.

Thanks…and in the center I have the earth with a dove flying in front of mushroom clouds... kinda like photons and electrons. And then I made the image a bit "childish" with some thick cartoonish outlines, and some crayon-like coloring on the earth, giving it that wide-eyed, naive quality that a child has toward world peace. Cynical idealism is a good description of this image, I’d say.

The Cynical Romantic approves.

Yeah, years ago my brother aptly called me a "cynical idealist", and I think he was very accurate on that one.

So, any last thoughts?

Well I guess I’d want to touch on one other thing, which is, a chunk of the profits from my shirts go to various charities and causes. So they back up their messages by actually donating to something connected with the ideas expressed. In that sense it’s not just a consumer act. Compassionate capitalism, that whole deal.

That's neat.

And I would also say that anyone who is interested in contributing designs or ideas, to please contact me. One of my intentions is to make this more of a forum or co-operative for thoughtful ideas and expressions. Art, activism, and charities all woven together. And I’ll be taking the Bleeding Hearts Club on the road this fall, so I'll be directly visiting Wesleyan sometime soon.

Well, all I can say is I applaud your efforts.

It's much appreciated.

It’s been great talking to you.

Likewise... I’m sure a lot of my ideas were born out of the bleeding heart spirit at Wesleyan, so I hope this connects with some readers. These days we need as many people wearing their hearts on their sleeves as possible. 

To get involved, go to www.BleedingHeartsClub.com or join Jon's Facebook Group.