Joseph Wolfgang Mueller is a UI/UX and graphic designer currently based out of Chicago, IL.
He graduated in the spring of 2014 from DePaul University with a BS in Interactive Media and a concentration
in graphic design.
In his free time he enjoys editing together short films using found footage, fixing up beater bicycles,
and playing with his three chihuahuas: Winston, Oxford, and Isabella.
If you like what you see, I'd 
to hear from you.
e: joseph@eightninecollective.com
p: (630) 392-0304
w: www.eightninecollective.com/mueller
While working for DePaul, my co-designer, Michael Smith, and I were asked to create a new identity for the university's annual "I Am I" exhibition (an event showcasing work found throughout DePaul's seven schools). Using a simple box logo we were able to easily convey the identity in several different formats, and efficiently communicate it to the student body.
Speake is an application allowing users to experience and share music in a new way by giving individuals the abilty to sync playlists with friends, amplifying the sound produced, and creating a surround sound effect using only users' smart phones. It also allows users to catalog music to share with the Speake community and allows access to a larger, more comprehensible music library.
While working at DePaul, I was reached out to by the CDM school to refresh their graduate program viewbook. They asked for the new viewbook to reflect the mission and motto "Break New Ground", a saying showing the school's progressive attitude and spirit. The diagonal grid found throughout draws readers in to show that the CDM program is not one's typical school of computing.
As a multimedia designer at Simply Smart, I was asked to update the firm's identity and web layout. The firm wanted a refreshed logo for a more modern look, and along with this asked for a website that conveyed the sense that Simply Smart was a "modern small IT firm dedicated to working with modern small businesses with IT needs".
As a fun project for myself, I decided to redesign Target's sparkling water brand "H2Oh!". I wanted the brand to ditch the generic look so that it could reflect the modern, design-oriented attitude reflected throughout the rest of the store's identity. Using a clean, flat logo, along with a revamped bottle to reflect that logo, the redesign breathes new life into a product that the company has yet to update.
Lucent is an application aimed at exposing users' to new music, while at the same time fostering critical thinking in the individual, allowing them to seek out new artists and genres that fit their taste without the aid of forums or other music apps. Users are encouraged to become active in a large community dedicated to sharing and discussing new music to keep their Music IQ growing.
Whole Foods Market's marketing team recruited me to help create a design for a new tote bag that would be used to help raise funds for AIDS research through the company's "One Dime at a Time" initiative. The design had to evoke a sense of pride amongst the LGBT community and its supporters, while at the same time relating to the chain's brand.
As a project for myself, I decided to create an expressive 3-spread layout for Susan Sontag's "In Plato's Cave". In her essay, Sontag describes society's obsession with photography as a dillution of a true art form. Through the imagery and design elements found throughout, I chose to convey this obsession with taking photographs as a fetishized activity.
As the in-house designer for DePaul's AMD department, my co-designer, Michael Smith, and I were asked to redesign the identity for the university's annual Senior Capstone Exhibition. We used simple geometry combined with typography to create interesting and complex patterns that we found to be neutral so that it could be representative of the diverse exhibition.
"Candymane" is a short film blending the themes found in both horror movies and rap culture. The entire piece is edited together using scenes and sounds found in the 1992 movie "Candyman" with original vocals influenced by the 90's Memphis Underground. It was put on exhibit at DPAM in the spring of 2014.
"For Love or Money" is a personal investigation of what western culture perceives as beautiful in the modern digital age. Throughout the publication, images of fashion models are blended with people's instagram "selfies" using William S. Burrough's cut-up method, to create distorted images aimed at making the viewer question their own notion of beauty. Excerpts were published by Crook & Folly in 2014.
'Do You Know Jesus Christ?' is a video piece and installation commenting on the hierarchy of religion in western culture. The piece was displayed during an offering to Elegua (a santerian deity related to opening new pathways), and projected onto a santerian protection spell painted on the screen.
Primitive Methods is a series of mixed media prints I created as an experiment with the idea of blending digital distortions with tangible, printed media. The series was created using collaged images and ink transfers coming from a malfunctioning printer. The series was displayed at DePaul's 2014 "I Am I" exhibition.
As a fun project to do on a boring Sunday, I decided to digitally illustrate the love of my life, my oldest dog, Winston. I wanted the image to show him in his prime as a puppy, to recapture his youth and return me to a time, where he was no larger than the palm of my hand. Although he is no longer this small and cute, I will always remember this little face.
The Hand of Glory is an image often related to occultist theory, and old European folk lore. A painting of this image done by tattoo artist, Robert Ryan, is one of my all time favorite visuals. I decided to pay tribute to the image, through my own personal rendition using digital illustration techniques, and flat design principles. A limited series of 25 prints were created for distribution.
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