Chicago Sun-Times: All posts by Bryan Barker2023-12-30T10:00:00-06:00https://chicago.suntimes.com/authors/bryan-barker/rss2023-12-30T10:00:00-06:002023-12-29T12:59:54-06:00How a designer created the Creative Chicago cover to capture city’s vibrant cultural scene
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<img class="Image" alt="The cover of the Sun-Times’ Creative Chicago section features an illustration made up of letters from signs, murals, graffiti and public artworks across the city." srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/7797316/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2388x1340+0+27/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FWaWZzb5f-K6bpM-QGHeECio1Sn4%3D%2F0x0%3A2388x1393%2F2388x1393%2Ffilters%3Afocal%281194x697%3A1195x698%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F25180489%2FCreativeCov_Blur.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c4885a0/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2388x1340+0+27/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FWaWZzb5f-K6bpM-QGHeECio1Sn4%3D%2F0x0%3A2388x1393%2F2388x1393%2Ffilters%3Afocal%281194x697%3A1195x698%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F25180489%2FCreativeCov_Blur.jpg 2x" width="490" height="275"
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<div class="Figure-content"><figcaption class="Figure-caption"><p>The cover of the Sun-Times’ Creative Chicago section features an illustration made up of letters from signs, murals, graffiti and public artworks across the city.</p></figcaption><span class="line"></span><div class="Figure-credit"><p>Bryan Barker/Sun-Times illustration</p></div></div>
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<p>Twenty-four thousand, eight hundred thirty-six steps. Approximately 12 miles walked. And 365 photos taken.</p><p>That’s what went into the cover for the <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/creative-chicago-2023" target="_blank" >Creative Chicago special section</a> the Sun-Times published this summer.</p><p>My daily gig consists of designing the front page and a handful of inside news, opinion and/or features pages. But in my early years at the paper, I was designing fancy pages for Sunday Showcase and Movies, our weekly broadsheet entertainment sections — big, blank canvases where I could let my creativity run wild.</p><p>The chance to work on the Creative Chicago section — our look at the makers, creators and visionaries shaping our city’s vibrant cultural scene — sounded like a fun return to those earlier, more artistic endeavors. </p><p>One issue: What could we possibly put on the section’s cover that would live up to its name?</p><div class="RelatedList Enhancement" data-module data-align-center>
<div class="RelatedList-title">Related</div>
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<a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/2023/8/24/23817955/chicago-creatives-neighborhoods" target="_blank" >Chicago is bursting with creativity in unexpected places </a>
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<p>The editor of the section, Victor Brand, and I wracked our brains and batted around a few impractical ideas, but in the end, we turned to the city itself. </p><p>We decided to combine snapshots of the signs, graffiti and public art you might see as you move through the city going about your daily routine. And from those everyday sights, stitch together something vibrant and kinetic that conveys — in bright, bold letters — the creativity that courses through Chicago.</p><p>I talked my bosses into letting me spend a shift just wandering the city photographing all the cool typography I could find, and set off from my Logan Square condo the next morning. </p><p>With a checklist of the letters I would need, I paraded up and down Milwaukee Avenue for miles, stopping what felt like every three steps to snap a shot of whatever caught my attention — flyers plastered to a utility pole, a worn mural with its paint peeling from years in the elements, the bespoke lettering of a ritzy cocktail joint’s sign. After a few hours, guided by the Sun-Times’ great <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/murals-mosaics" target="_blank" >“Murals and Mosaics” series</a> that details public art in the city and beyond, it was up to Uptown and down to Pilsen for more exploring. </p><p>Twenty-four thousand, eight hundred thirty-six steps (all recorded on my phone’s health app) and 365 photos later, I had the makings of a cover that I think tells our city’s story — and that I’m proud of. </p><div class="Enhancement" data-align-center>
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<img class="Image" alt="Margie’s Candies, the Aragon Ballroom and this Vienna Beef sign were incorporated into the illustration. " srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/08763ee/2147483647/strip/true/crop/905x508+142+0/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FfY-Z_0ziuVEKoKAKw0BGxFDZbE0%3D%2F0x0%3A1189x508%2F1189x508%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28595x254%3A596x255%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F25180540%2FMargiesAragonVienna.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/a27cc81/2147483647/strip/true/crop/905x508+142+0/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FfY-Z_0ziuVEKoKAKw0BGxFDZbE0%3D%2F0x0%3A1189x508%2F1189x508%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28595x254%3A596x255%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F25180540%2FMargiesAragonVienna.jpg 2x" width="490" height="275"
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<div class="Figure-content"><figcaption class="Figure-caption"><p>Margie’s Candies, the Aragon Ballroom and this Vienna Beef sign were all incorporated into the illustration. </p></figcaption><span class="line"></span><div class="Figure-credit"><p>Bryan Barker/Sun-Times</p></div></div>
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</div><p>Maybe you’ll recognize a few of the letters. I shot the Margie’s Candies sign in daylight and aglow in neon at night. (Tough choice — both had me drooling in anticipation of a sweet treat.) The Aragon Ballroom marquee took me back to noisy shows I’ve seen there through the years. And is there anything more quintessentially Chicago than a Vienna Beef sign?</p><p>My day on the town reminded me how important it is get out and experience your neighborhood. I still work from home the majority of the time, so just exploring and enjoying my community was rejuvenating. </p><p>But mostly, it reminded me how inspiring our city is. The creativity overflows; art and expression are everywhere, and if you’re not paying attention, you miss so much. </p><p>The little break from my usual day-to-day reminded me to look around, soak it up and bring that spirit to work with me every day.<br></p>
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2023/12/30/23963374/graphic-design-cover-front-page-creative-chicago-margies-candies-aragon-ballroom-vienna-beefBryan Barker2016-06-24T10:16:00-05:002019-04-17T22:52:49-05:00Lawmaker’s watermelon giveaway was racist, challenger says
<p>JACKSON, Miss. — A white lawmaker says he gave watermelons to people in his central Mississippi House district, and his black challenger says doing so promoted racial stereotypes.</p><p><a class="Link" href="http://on.thec-l.com/1HS0trw" target="_blank" >First-term Democratic Rep. Brad Oberhousen of Byram tells The Clarion-Ledger</a> that he gave the melons to several people for their Fourth of July gatherings.</p><p>Oberhousen says he has given away fresh produce for years. He says his supporters are black and white and they don’t view his melons as having any racial connotations.</p><p>His opponent in the Aug. 4 Democratic primary, Jarvis Dortch of Jackson, says he has spoken to voters who felt insulted that Oberhousen posted Facebook photos of himself giving watermelons to black people. Dortch says Oberhousen has deleted the photos.</p><p>Oberhousen and Dortch, who are both attorneys, are running in a majority-black district.<br></p>
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2016/6/24/18474666/lawmaker-s-watermelon-giveaway-was-racist-challenger-saysBryan Barker2015-07-22T07:41:37-05:002019-05-13T12:36:25-05:00Lawmaker's watermelon giveaway was racist, challenger says - Chicago
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<p>JACKSON, Miss. — A white lawmaker says he gave watermelons to people in his central Mississippi House district, and his black challenger says doing so promoted racial stereotypes.</p><p><a class="Link" href="http://on.thec-l.com/1HS0trw" target="_blank" >First-term Democratic Rep. Brad Oberhousen of Byram tells The Clarion-Ledger</a> that he gave the melons to several people for their Fourth of July gatherings.</p><p>Oberhousen says he has given away fresh produce for years. He says his supporters are black and white and they don’t view his melons as having any racial connotations.</p><p>His opponent in the Aug. 4 Democratic primary, Jarvis Dortch of Jackson, says he has spoken to voters who felt insulted that Oberhousen posted Facebook photos of himself giving watermelons to black people. Dortch says Oberhousen has deleted the photos.</p><p>Oberhousen and Dortch, who are both attorneys, are running in a majority-black district.<br></p>
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2015/7/22/18618220/lawmaker-s-watermelon-giveaway-was-racist-challenger-saysBryan Barker2012-04-12T21:20:00-05:002019-05-06T14:22:03-05:00J.K. Rowling unveils title of 1st adult novel
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<div class="Figure-content"><figcaption class="Figure-caption"><p>In this Thursday, July 7, 2011 photo, British author JK Rowling arrives in Trafalgar Square, in central London, for the World Premiere of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 2, the last film in the series. Adult fans of J.K. Rowling can rejoice: She has a new novel coming, for grownups. The kids will have to wait and see. The author of the mega-selling “Harry Potter” series said Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012 she has an agreement with Little, Brown in the United States and Britain to publish her first adult novel. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan)</p></figcaption></div>
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<p>She may not be able to match the phenomenal success of the Harry Potter series, but J.K. Rowling has high hopes for The Casual Vacancy, her first novel for adults.</p><p>The title was announced Thursday by Little, Brown & Co., which said the novel will be set in a seemingly idyllic English town called Pagford.</p><p>It opens with the death of a popular man whose unexpected demise shocks the town, which is described as far more menacing than its pretty facade would indicate.</p><p>In reality Pagford is “a town at war” with rich people fighting the poor, parents battling their teenagers, and wives in conflict with their husbands.</p><p>The Casual Vacancy will be available worldwide as a hardcover and an e-book on Sept. 27.</p><p>The effort will mark Rowling’s first post-Potter effort. Her saga of the boy wizard became one of the most successful fictional series in history.</p><p>AP<br></p>
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/2012/4/12/18534134/j-k-rowling-unveils-title-of-1st-adult-novelBryan Barker2012-03-29T20:25:15-05:002019-05-06T14:03:49-05:00‘Dancing With the Stars' – Martina Navratilova hears the call: ‘Out!”
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<div class="Figure-content"><figcaption class="Figure-caption"><p>DANCING WITH THE STARS - “Episode 1402" -- After last week’s sensational season opener, which proved to be one of the most competitive season premieres ever, all 12 couples returned to the ballroom with another fabulous lineup of extraordinary performances. This week the couples danced either the Jive or the Quickstep, MONDAY, MARCH 26 (8:00-10:01 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. (ABC/ADAM TAYLOR)TONY DOVOLANI, MARTINA NAVRATILOVA</p></figcaption></div>
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<p>“Dancing With the Stars” was a love game for Martina Navratilova.</p><p>The tennis champ was eliminated from the ABC dance competition Tuesday and became the first star dismissed from the series’ new season.</p><p>“It was an amazing experience,” Navratilova said. “I wish it had lasted longer.”</p><p>She came into the results episode with the lowest scores from the judges and was disappointed, but apparently not surprised, at her dismissal. She said she gave it everything she had but confessed to mistakes during her jive routine.</p><p>“I blew it,” she said while watching clips from Monday’s show.</p><p>Returning to compete next week will be actors Jaleel White, Roshon Fagan, William Levy, Jack Wagner and Melissa Gilbert; singers Gladys Knight, Gavin DeGraw and Katherine Jenkins; TV personalities Maria Menounos and Sherri Shepherd; and football star Donald Driver.</p><p>AP<br></p>
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/2012/3/29/18533117/dancing-with-the-stars-martina-navratilova-hears-the-call-outBryan Barker