Olivia Barr
hi5oliviabarr@ gmail .com
Photo IllustrationAnimationResearchProductionProductInfo

Animation

Animations

Just like the photo illustrations I use licensed stock photography as raw material.  I brainstorm ideas based on a headline and style with the client’s branding in mind. All of the animations are frame by frame and have size limitations for the web which creates constraints, but also makes them quick and to the point.
"How to Tell the Difference Between COVID-19 and Allergy Symptoms"
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Animation
"Reasons to Celebrate Everyday"
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"How Italy’s ‘Runaway Duchess’ Changed How We Drink Champagne"
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"Struggling to Stay Positive? Experts Say Don’t Fight It"
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"What is Bystander Effect? And How Psychology Explains It"
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“Tips for Video Call Etiquette”
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"How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies"
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"Why is the Price of Produce Going Up?"
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"What is a Pizza Stone and How Does It Work?"
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“Does Stress Cause Grey Hair?”
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“How to Propagate Succulents”
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Conceptual Research

Conceptual Research

I was the photo researcher for O, The Oprah Magazine. I sourced images for book reviews and quotes. The goal was to use contemporary artists, but that's tricky because not a lot of contemporary art inspires the uplifting sentiment required for the brand. I spent my time going to galleries, art fairs, and thumbing through the library books at the International Center of Photography. Licensing an image directly from the artist, foundation, or their gallery representation can be tough, but having Oprah as the calling card helped for sure. I was impressed by the legendary names we were able to publish who were not known for magazine illustration.
William Eggleston
I worked with Cheim & Read gallery for the rights to this image. Eggleston, the pioneer of color, was always included at the forefront of my research for book review artwork. This piece, “Untitled (Young Boy in Red Sweater)”, was also on view at the Whitney Museum’s show Legacy: The Emily Fisher Landau Collection.
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Research
Gallery Liaison
License Negotiation
Irving Penn
My photo director wanted to honor Irving Penn by publishing one of his images just after he passed. She was the one who found the Jessye Norman portrait, but it was my job to work with his foundation. They were unwilling to license the image if it was illustrating a quote, but I got them to offer us a work around by including an on page mention of his exhibition on view in London.
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Foundation Liaison
License Negotiation
Bruce Gilden
This image came from Magnum Photos collector’s edition magazine called “Fashion Magazine.” Each issue follows the traditional magazine format, but showcases one of their photographer’s work including ads. Martin Parr was the debut artist and Bruce Gilden followed up with the theme of the “Seven Deadly Sins of Fashion”. I also got in outtakes for the rest of our article on beauty and aging.
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Research
Agency Liaison
License Negotiation
Laurie Simmons
She is one of my all time favorite photographers and it was great to be able to find an opportunity to feature her work. I licensed the image through her gallery at the time Sperone Westwater.
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Research
Gallery Liaison
License Negotiation
Man Ray
Part of a researcher’s job is finding images for mood boards. I pulled this image as inspiration for a possible shoot to illustrate an article about irritated eyes. I tried to find other photographers who did similar images and during the process I discovered that Man Ray’s foundation had a licensing department. I contacted them and we got the original.
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Research
Foundation Liaison
License Negotiation
Adama Delphine Fawundu
In 2001 the Brooklyn Museum had a quintessential exhibition called "Committed to the Image, Contemporary Black Photographers” that featured 95 photographers. The show was before my time, but I was first introduced to Fawundu’s work because it was featured on the cover of the book the museum published in conjunction with the exhibition.
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Research
Artist Liaison
License Negotiation
Arlene Gottfried
At the ICP library I found a book Arlene did on churches called The Eternal Light. She is usually known for New York street photography, so it was new to me and worked well with a group of book reviews on the theme of faith in different forms. I got to work with her directly on licensing the image. The New York Times recently ran a feature on her work and published the same image as the hero.
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Research
Artist Liaison
License Negotiation
Tierney Gearon
After seeing her show “The Mother Project” at Yossi Milo gallery I thought she would be a good fit for the magazine. I contacted the gallery to see if she had any new work and they sent me this as part of a series of double exposures she was working on at the time.
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Research
Gallery Liaison
License Negotiation
Lise Sarfati
I started following Sarfati’s work when she gave a talk at the Aperture foundation and then discovered she also had a show up at Yossi Miko gallery, Rough, Cold, and Close, A Russian Poem. After some research I found out she did a series in China and pulled this image. Her work captures the tone of Ha Jin’s novel about longing to be a poet.
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Research
Agency Liaison
License Negotiation
Catherine Opie
I found this image in her book, “In and Around the Home”, a portrait of her domestic life in LA. It came out in conjunction with her solo show “Catherine Opie, American Photographer” at the Guggenheim and juxtaposes intimate images of queer family life with underlying political themes.
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Research
Publisher Liaison
License Negotiation

Fashion Research

Archival Fashion Research

Photographs in archival collections are not keyworded with fashion in mind. If the article explored an accessory theme like bangles instead of a celebrity I had to comb through stock sites with the keyword of “actress” or “singer” to hopefully find someone wearing bangles. Hopefully AI will be a fix. Keywording is a huge obstacle in any CMS or archive.

Production

Photo Production

Photo shoot production is about putting the pieces together for collaboration. It involves acting as liaison with the photographer as well as hiring all the necessary contributors, hair stylists, makeup artists, prop stylists, stylist stylists, caterers, location scouts, etc. On set the role transforms into art director.
Photographer: JUSTIN FANTIL
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Art Direction
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Photographer: BURCU ASVAR
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Photographer: JOSE MANDOJANA
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Photographer: GABRIELA HASBUN
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Photographer: CORAL VON ZUMWALT
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Photographer: SAVERIO TRUGLIA
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Art Direction
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Product Design

Product Design

I create objects including products, gadgets, wearables, and furniture. I learn how things work by taking them apart. I designed and built a wearable camera that was sold at the Whitney Museum. I’ve been nominated for a Visual Design Bessie Award for my responsive costume called the Pexel Shirt for the Brooklyn Ballet. Both had viral moments.
NOT-A-CAMERA
I made a functional camera necklace by taking apart a dashcam I found on Amazon that was shaped like car keys. I rewired the pcb components to fit my design and achieve optimum flatness. The parts were tiny and a microscope was necessary to solder the new wires.

I used Illustrator to design a 2D SLR shaped case. The mini SD is accessible on the side. It's only ¼ thick. The back of the camera has instructions.
I laser cut and etched the design onto wood, leather, and mirror plexi. After making a box and paper instructions I gave it to friends to take photos/videos and put together a tumblr of their footage so folks could get a sense of the pixelvision-like quality. notacamera.tumblr.com/

I created a press kit and sent it to design sites. It got picked up in over 45 sites in 11 languages including features on The Creator’s Project, Dezeen, PetaPixel, Not Cot, Hack-A-Day, and Slasher Gear.

Because I got some steam with the press I had to make more. I started working with the factory in Shenzen who produces the board so I could get them made with my new wiring, but the quantity they required for the order was out of my budget. I ended up selling them in small batches at the Whitney Museum store. The mirror version is called The Seflie.
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Concept
Creative Direction
Design
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Marketing

Olivia Barr

Olivia Barr

CONTACT: hi5oliviabarr@gmail.com
I’m a Visuals Editor.

I started out working as a visual researcher for print magazines and licensed images directly from artists, galleries, and institutions.

Constructing photo illustrations and animation for editorial articles allowed me to move into digital.

I completed the UX/UI program at Pratt and know Figma.

My own practice of creating objects includes products, wearables, gadgets and furniture. One project was included at the Whitney Museum store. I have also been nominated for a Bessie for Visual Design working with the Brooklyn Ballet.

I organize markets for Brooklyn designers. I teach classes on soldering and laser cutting.

This site was designed and built by me from scratch.

Photo Illustrations

Photo Illustration

I design artwork for editorial articles using licensed stock photography as collage elements. The process starts with a headline from the editor. I construct a visual concept to interact with the headline, but also tease the content text. I source the images and build the collage using Photoshop. The skillset is understanding the client’s branding and allowing it to direct the style.
"How to Remove Ink Stains — WIthout Damaging the Fabric"
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"What is Coconut Milk"
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"Across the Industry, Calls for Craft Beer to Grow Up"
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"Working Out on Keto—All You Need to Know"
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"How to Work Out Like Beyoncé for a Week"
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"Common Lawn Weeds"
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“Why is CBD So Expensive?”
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“Feel Like You Don't Enjoy Anything Anymore? There's a Name for That"
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"The 4 Best Orange Wines for Summer"
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“This Is Why You Feel the Way You Feel Before, During, and After Your Period”
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“Are Vape Pens Toxic?”
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“5 Ways to Handle Your Karmic Financial Debts”
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