Coming into the graphics program I was floundering, to say the least. I really didn't have much of a direction, or a clue, on where I wanted to go or what I wanted to do. With virtually no previous design experience I was lacking the confidence required to be successful in this program. I think the most important thing I have gained from the past year is confidence. Not only confidence in my work but more importantly, in myself.
My roommate the other day noticed the difference in my attitude towards class, projects and especially critiques. She commented on the change from the beginning of the semester when I would come home pretty upset and down from being critiqued in class, to now. Having critiques in class several times a week has taught me more than any speech class could ever hope to. While I still struggle to talk about my work, I think it is something I have extremely improved upon. As well as being able to stand up in front of my peers without feeling so anxious that I might throw up. Critiques are no longer something I dread every morning when I wake up. I now look forward to showing my hard work and receiving feedback from my professors and peers to help make my work stronger.
Lastly, I have really enjoyed making the connections and friendships that I have this year. First semester I worked at home a lot. After realizing that working in the lab was a much healthier creative environment, I believe my work not only improved, but I met so many more people that have made this entire experience all the more worth while.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Monday, May 9, 2011
Motion Blog #2
answer the question: how do you think the audience experience will change based on the media? What will the audience experience in print. In Motion. What can you do in print that you can't do in motion. What can you do in motion (in aftereffects) that you can't do in print?
I think that they audience will be more engaged and will actually read/listen to every word of the speech when it is read TO them, rather than them having to do the work or reading and figuring out an accordion fold book (can become quite confusing).
I do think that the benefit of having the speech in motion is the viewer is able to control their own speed while reading. If they want to spend a longer time on a page to take everything in, they have that ability. However, in print, the reader is not able to actually hear the syllables stressed and the emotion in the speaker's voice. This is why it is important it push the type in the print version as much as possible.
I think that they audience will be more engaged and will actually read/listen to every word of the speech when it is read TO them, rather than them having to do the work or reading and figuring out an accordion fold book (can become quite confusing).
I do think that the benefit of having the speech in motion is the viewer is able to control their own speed while reading. If they want to spend a longer time on a page to take everything in, they have that ability. However, in print, the reader is not able to actually hear the syllables stressed and the emotion in the speaker's voice. This is why it is important it push the type in the print version as much as possible.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Journal #9 (At the End of the Day)
Jakob Trollback
"Sometimes there is not other reason to put something on a wall, other than it's beautiful."
I really like the point Jakob made about the different sides of the brain. He said that if a piece of work is too left brained than it can too easily be understood too easily. He believes in the importance of leaving the audience with a question, engaging and interpretive.
Jakob had many inspiring things to say (in the hour and a half talk). I thought this one to be one of the most important ones to take with me and to impmlament in my own work. — "At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what you went though, it matters if you have emotionally engaged."
"Sometimes there is not other reason to put something on a wall, other than it's beautiful."
I really like the point Jakob made about the different sides of the brain. He said that if a piece of work is too left brained than it can too easily be understood too easily. He believes in the importance of leaving the audience with a question, engaging and interpretive.
Jakob had many inspiring things to say (in the hour and a half talk). I thought this one to be one of the most important ones to take with me and to impmlament in my own work. — "At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what you went though, it matters if you have emotionally engaged."
Journal #12 (It doesn't smell right)
After listening to the artist series interviews by Paula Scher and David Carson, these are the main points I would like to mentions:
It is important to make your work move the subject — put more of yourself into the work
A good starting point for your work is with interpretation
syncopation includes a variety of rhythms which are in some way unexpected
I also loved the way Paula described her design process: It is an intuitive process, I have never been a refiner.
Another interesting point made: You don't design with the computer (use of hands) — It doesn't smell right.
It is important to make your work move the subject — put more of yourself into the work
A good starting point for your work is with interpretation
syncopation includes a variety of rhythms which are in some way unexpected
I also loved the way Paula described her design process: It is an intuitive process, I have never been a refiner.
Another interesting point made: You don't design with the computer (use of hands) — It doesn't smell right.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Journal # 11 (Disrespect for Convention)
Debbie Millman is a partner and president of the design division at Sterling Brands, one of the leading brand identity firms in the country. Millman is president of AIGA, and chair of the School of Visual Arts’ master’s program in Branding. She is a contributing editor to Print magazine and host of the podcast “Design Matters.” She is the author of How to Think like a Graphic Designer(Allworth Press, 2007), The Essential Principles of Graphic Design (Rotovision, 2008) and Look Both Ways: Illustrated Essays on the Intersection of Life and Design (How Books, 2009).
In this audio interview with Debbie Millman, Jonathan Ford discusses going on eighteen job interviews before being hired by Michael Peters, his belief that a good idea cannot come from a computer, his interest in fear and the importance of doing work that is truthful.
I found it interesting that Ford went through over a dozen job rejections before actually receiving an offer. I appreciated his advice for future employees was to find a balance of hassling and staying present.
As a young designer, it helps to hear that even the best, most-well known and talented designers still have design angst. In this interview, Ford expressed his interest in fear. Within this discussion he comments on how "non-designers" look at the job and think, "Oh, how easy," "What fun." It's funny to me how much this sounds like my friends. His reassurance that even he feels enormous angst through the whole process of design, was comforting.
The last point I want to emphasis is his thought that original thinking comes from being fearless. I especially enjoyed a phrase from one of his quotes,
"[...] a healthy disrespect for conventions[...]"
In this audio interview with Debbie Millman, Jonathan Ford discusses going on eighteen job interviews before being hired by Michael Peters, his belief that a good idea cannot come from a computer, his interest in fear and the importance of doing work that is truthful.
I found it interesting that Ford went through over a dozen job rejections before actually receiving an offer. I appreciated his advice for future employees was to find a balance of hassling and staying present.
As a young designer, it helps to hear that even the best, most-well known and talented designers still have design angst. In this interview, Ford expressed his interest in fear. Within this discussion he comments on how "non-designers" look at the job and think, "Oh, how easy," "What fun." It's funny to me how much this sounds like my friends. His reassurance that even he feels enormous angst through the whole process of design, was comforting.
The last point I want to emphasis is his thought that original thinking comes from being fearless. I especially enjoyed a phrase from one of his quotes,
"[...] a healthy disrespect for conventions[...]"
Journal #10 (GOOD is Great!)
A Brief GOOD Bio:
GOOD is the integrated media platform for people who want to live well and do good. We are a company and community for the people, businesses, and NGOs moving the world forward. GOOD's mission is to provide content, experiences, and utilities to serve this community.GOOD currently produces a website, videos, live events, and a print magazine. Launched in September 2006, the company has garnered praise for its unique editorial perspective and fresh visual aesthetic and is quickly positioning itself as a significant new voice in our culture.In 2010, GOOD started "Good Projects"— a new kind of agency focused on helping businesses and organizations do well by doing good. GOOD Projects works with clients to engage communities and bring great ideas to life.
What GOOD has to say about itself:
"GOOD is a collaboration of individuals, businesses, and nonprofits pushing the world forward. Since 2006 we've been making a magazine, videos, and events for people who give a damn."
GOOD is Great!
From the first line in their bio, to their portfolio examples, I am in love with the ideals and concepts that found this company. Coming into college, I knew that I didn't want to sit around filling prescriptions all day, every day. However, I wanted to help people. So, almost instinctively I chose a pre-pharmacy path. Three years later, I am a graphic design and strategic communications major. Since my abrupt change in majors, I have not only been looking for a way to utilize my education in a way that fulfills my deep desire to help others, but finding a career path that I will be able to put my journalism and design experience to use. All in one website, I have found all of this. I am not saying that I have decided this is where I want to work for the rest of my life, or even at all, it is simply a reassurance that I find most uplifting during an incredibly stressful week. GOOD's website is definitely now a permanent part of my bookmarks for me too keep an eye on and always keep in the back of my mind.
Journal #6 (Make the F-er Shimmer!)
“What single example of design inspires you most?” and “What problem should design solve next?”
The following are the five designers that I find most interesting and chose to comment on their opinions.
JAKE MCCABE
-8 1/5 x 11 piece of paper - amount effort it takes to produce this products- becoming a luxury
-When approaching a project, think about something that no one has asked you to think about
ME-I picked Jake because of his comment about paper. I am an admitted paper freak, and love his acknowledgment of it's significance in the world. It is, with out a doubt, one of the most underrated and taken for granted every-day objects in today's society.
MARC LATHUILLIÉRE
-Finds inspiration in a bottle of vodka- he says, you think everything is visible upon sight, but you can no fully understand the power of a little bit of it
"Speech does not expose or hide, it indicates."
ME-I wish that everyone had the same view on speech as Marc; the world would be a much more honest place to live.
JOHN M. MILITELLO
-"It is the design mind that inspires me" - not so much the design of the product but the use, the design mind challenges people everyday, challenges the user in a good way, to rethink what is aesthetic beauty, form and functions and how things work with one another, And how things just work and can be intuitive.
ME- John's was by far my favorite interview that I listened to. I think his in depth analysis of what actually inspires him can be relevant to just about every person, in all areas of study.
K. KIRK & N. STRANDBERG
ME-I gave up listening to what the couple was actually saying because of my fascination with their presentation style (Iphone-powerpoint). Loved it!
STEFAN BUCHER
The needless ambition of hummingbirds
"Seeing the little beak go into the little swaying glass tube is a little bit more amazing then pulling through the drive though at McDonalds."
ME-This guy was the last I listened to, total nut, but totally made me smile.
Stefan's final remark that I will leave you with: "MAKE the fucker SHIMMER"
The following are the five designers that I find most interesting and chose to comment on their opinions.
JAKE MCCABE
-8 1/5 x 11 piece of paper - amount effort it takes to produce this products- becoming a luxury
-When approaching a project, think about something that no one has asked you to think about
ME-I picked Jake because of his comment about paper. I am an admitted paper freak, and love his acknowledgment of it's significance in the world. It is, with out a doubt, one of the most underrated and taken for granted every-day objects in today's society.
MARC LATHUILLIÉRE
-Finds inspiration in a bottle of vodka- he says, you think everything is visible upon sight, but you can no fully understand the power of a little bit of it
"Speech does not expose or hide, it indicates."
ME-I wish that everyone had the same view on speech as Marc; the world would be a much more honest place to live.
JOHN M. MILITELLO
-"It is the design mind that inspires me" - not so much the design of the product but the use, the design mind challenges people everyday, challenges the user in a good way, to rethink what is aesthetic beauty, form and functions and how things work with one another, And how things just work and can be intuitive.
ME- John's was by far my favorite interview that I listened to. I think his in depth analysis of what actually inspires him can be relevant to just about every person, in all areas of study.
K. KIRK & N. STRANDBERG
ME-I gave up listening to what the couple was actually saying because of my fascination with their presentation style (Iphone-powerpoint). Loved it!
STEFAN BUCHER
The needless ambition of hummingbirds
"Seeing the little beak go into the little swaying glass tube is a little bit more amazing then pulling through the drive though at McDonalds."
ME-This guy was the last I listened to, total nut, but totally made me smile.
Stefan's final remark that I will leave you with: "MAKE the fucker SHIMMER"
Monday, May 2, 2011
Journal #8
Alternative san serif fonts for Futura: Din, Helvetica and Interstate
Designing Under the Influence:I thought this article to be extremely relevant in pertaining to today's ever increase in visuals and graphics, especially to a young graphics student (me). "Copying" and "ripping off" someone else's work is always consciously in the back of my mind while working. I think the author made a good point in saying, "We've debated imitation, influence, plagiarism, homage and coincidence before, and every time, the question eventually comes up: is it possible for someone to "own" a graphic style? Legally, the answer is (mostly) no. And as we sit squarely in a culture intoxicated by sampling and appropriation, can we expect no less from graphic design?" It is definitely something that should be thought about and taken a little more seriously by the design world.
Designing Under the Influence:I thought this article to be extremely relevant in pertaining to today's ever increase in visuals and graphics, especially to a young graphics student (me). "Copying" and "ripping off" someone else's work is always consciously in the back of my mind while working. I think the author made a good point in saying, "We've debated imitation, influence, plagiarism, homage and coincidence before, and every time, the question eventually comes up: is it possible for someone to "own" a graphic style? Legally, the answer is (mostly) no. And as we sit squarely in a culture intoxicated by sampling and appropriation, can we expect no less from graphic design?" It is definitely something that should be thought about and taken a little more seriously by the design world.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
A Speech
Robert F. Kennedy
He is addressing the nation about the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
I felt that his words, while somber and sad, were inspirational. He articulated the life of Martin Luther and was hoping to sooth the audience but reinforcing that while he is no longer living, his ideals should live on.
The speech has a slow, steady beat to it. It is dark in the subject matter but inspiring and soothing in the intent.
I believe the audience felt shocked, despair and sadness. I think that the speech is pretty strait forward and can’t be interpreted in very many ways.
He is addressing the nation about the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
I felt that his words, while somber and sad, were inspirational. He articulated the life of Martin Luther and was hoping to sooth the audience but reinforcing that while he is no longer living, his ideals should live on.
The speech has a slow, steady beat to it. It is dark in the subject matter but inspiring and soothing in the intent.
I believe the audience felt shocked, despair and sadness. I think that the speech is pretty strait forward and can’t be interpreted in very many ways.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Blog/Research for Spreads Project
What are the advantages of a multiple column grid.? A multiple column grid, obviously allows for the use of multiple columns, which will allow flexibility add variety and interest to a page and allow for more complex layouts with more interesting compositions of visual elements.
How many characters is optimal for a line length? words per line? Between 45 and 65 characters is optimal for a line length. This is approximately 10 to 11 words with an average of five letters.
Why is the baseline grid used in design? The baseline grid maintains continuity across a page and within a design. When text sits on a baseline grid, the space between the lines and the margins are equal or proportional
What is a typographic river? A typographic river is created from the large gaps that run down a paragraph of a text. This is due to the alignment of spaces often caused by justifying text.
From the readings what does clothesline or flow line mean? Flowlines are the horizontal intervals that separate columns of a grid to create alignment throughout the page.
How can you incorporate white space into your designs? White space is created by not filling up the whole page and by creating negative spaces or margins between objects and or text on the page.
What is type color/texture mean? Type color refers to the weight or boldness of a typeface. It is used by typographers and designers to describe the visual tone of a mass of text on a page. Type color can also be the spacing and line measurement used.
What is x-height, how does it effect type color? X-height refers to the distance between the baseline and the mean line in a typeface. The differences in x-heights on a page can affect the typographic color. The smaller the x-height is, the darker the typographic color is, and vice-a-versa.
In justification or H&J terms what do the numbers: minimum, optimum, maximum mean? Minimum, maximum and optimum amounts of space are used when justifying text and to prevent bad rivers or gaps between words. The minimum word space is usually a fifth of an em.
What are some ways to indicate a new paragraph. Are there any rules? There are many different ways to indicate a new paragraph. New paragraphs are typically indicated by an indentation. Other ways to highlight a new paragraph are with a new color, font, or size, ornaments, droplines, pilcrows, boxes, bullets, and outdentations. One rule is that when you indent it is not necessary to put space between paragraphs.
What are some things to look out for when hyphenating text. Some things to look out for are to never hyphenate a word in a headline, to hyphenate proper names as a last resort, and avoid more than three consecutive hyphenated lines.
What are ligatures, why are they used, when are they not used, what are common ligatures? A ligature is when two or more letters are combined into one character. Ligatures used to improve the appearance of type are usually character pairs or triplets that have features that tend to overlap when used together. Ligatures create a smooth transition and connection between characters by removing dots over the j, by connecting crossbars or otherwise altering the shape of the characters. Common ligatures include ff, st, ft, ch, ct, qu and Th
What does CMYK and RGB mean? RGG are additive colors that have 3 inks: Red, Green and Blue. CMYK are subtractive colors that have 4 inks: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black
What does hanging punctuation mean? Hanging punctuation is used in justified text when the punctuation is allowed to extend into the right hand margin area to make the margin look neater. Typically this would be quotation marks hanging outside the text.
What is the difference between a foot mark and an apostrophe? A footmark is a straight dash, while an apostrophe has a curve and a ball serif
What is the difference between an inch mark and a quote mark (smart quote)? Inch marks were common in type writers. They are straight quotation marks. Quote marks are the marks that should be used, not inch marks.
What is a hyphen, en dash and em dashes, what are the differences and when are they used.
An em dash is the size of a capital M relative to the typeface. It is substituted for brackets or parentheses and indicates a sudden change of though or though patterns. It is also to indicated a rest, less strong than a period but stronger than a comma.
An en dash is half of an em dash. It is used to indicate a range between preceding and following words such as dates.
A hyphen is 1/3rd of an em dash. It is used to connect words, connect two broken parts of a word when reading justifies text and to break syllables.
How many characters is optimal for a line length? words per line? Between 45 and 65 characters is optimal for a line length. This is approximately 10 to 11 words with an average of five letters.
Why is the baseline grid used in design? The baseline grid maintains continuity across a page and within a design. When text sits on a baseline grid, the space between the lines and the margins are equal or proportional
What is a typographic river? A typographic river is created from the large gaps that run down a paragraph of a text. This is due to the alignment of spaces often caused by justifying text.
From the readings what does clothesline or flow line mean? Flowlines are the horizontal intervals that separate columns of a grid to create alignment throughout the page.
How can you incorporate white space into your designs? White space is created by not filling up the whole page and by creating negative spaces or margins between objects and or text on the page.
What is type color/texture mean? Type color refers to the weight or boldness of a typeface. It is used by typographers and designers to describe the visual tone of a mass of text on a page. Type color can also be the spacing and line measurement used.
What is x-height, how does it effect type color? X-height refers to the distance between the baseline and the mean line in a typeface. The differences in x-heights on a page can affect the typographic color. The smaller the x-height is, the darker the typographic color is, and vice-a-versa.
In justification or H&J terms what do the numbers: minimum, optimum, maximum mean? Minimum, maximum and optimum amounts of space are used when justifying text and to prevent bad rivers or gaps between words. The minimum word space is usually a fifth of an em.
What are some ways to indicate a new paragraph. Are there any rules? There are many different ways to indicate a new paragraph. New paragraphs are typically indicated by an indentation. Other ways to highlight a new paragraph are with a new color, font, or size, ornaments, droplines, pilcrows, boxes, bullets, and outdentations. One rule is that when you indent it is not necessary to put space between paragraphs.
What are some things to look out for when hyphenating text. Some things to look out for are to never hyphenate a word in a headline, to hyphenate proper names as a last resort, and avoid more than three consecutive hyphenated lines.
What are ligatures, why are they used, when are they not used, what are common ligatures? A ligature is when two or more letters are combined into one character. Ligatures used to improve the appearance of type are usually character pairs or triplets that have features that tend to overlap when used together. Ligatures create a smooth transition and connection between characters by removing dots over the j, by connecting crossbars or otherwise altering the shape of the characters. Common ligatures include ff, st, ft, ch, ct, qu and Th
What does CMYK and RGB mean? RGG are additive colors that have 3 inks: Red, Green and Blue. CMYK are subtractive colors that have 4 inks: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black
What does hanging punctuation mean? Hanging punctuation is used in justified text when the punctuation is allowed to extend into the right hand margin area to make the margin look neater. Typically this would be quotation marks hanging outside the text.
What is the difference between a foot mark and an apostrophe? A footmark is a straight dash, while an apostrophe has a curve and a ball serif
What is the difference between an inch mark and a quote mark (smart quote)? Inch marks were common in type writers. They are straight quotation marks. Quote marks are the marks that should be used, not inch marks.
What is a hyphen, en dash and em dashes, what are the differences and when are they used.
An em dash is the size of a capital M relative to the typeface. It is substituted for brackets or parentheses and indicates a sudden change of though or though patterns. It is also to indicated a rest, less strong than a period but stronger than a comma.
An en dash is half of an em dash. It is used to indicate a range between preceding and following words such as dates.
A hyphen is 1/3rd of an em dash. It is used to connect words, connect two broken parts of a word when reading justifies text and to break syllables.
BOLD + cold. (journal #5)
Johnathan Harris's Ted talks at the AIGA Gain Conference.
Jonathan Harris makes projects that reimagine how humans relate to technology and to each other. Combining elements of computer science, anthropology, visual art and storytelling, his projects range from building the world’s largest time capsule to documenting an Alaskan Eskimo whale hunt on the Arctic Ocean. He is the co-creator of We Feel Fine, which measures the emotional temperature of the human world through large-scale blog analysis, and created recent projects about online dating, modern mythology, anonymity, news and language.
Johnathan's thoughts:
Empathy: A good person makes a bad programmer
Rational Beings: Always one in code but not in real life
The Act of Expression: Layers of abstraction make it hard to express yourself
Resistance of the medium: Your first vision will always be wrong
Individuality: It is possible for technology to help with self reflection not just self promotion.
Housing Crisis: Dealing with individual places/spaces/pages on the net.
Outcome over Ideas: Ideas are way of getting to your goal, but your goal is the goal.
Question to ponder: Is the thing you are making, making life better for people as humans, not just people as consumers?
Jonathan Harris makes projects that reimagine how humans relate to technology and to each other. Combining elements of computer science, anthropology, visual art and storytelling, his projects range from building the world’s largest time capsule to documenting an Alaskan Eskimo whale hunt on the Arctic Ocean. He is the co-creator of We Feel Fine, which measures the emotional temperature of the human world through large-scale blog analysis, and created recent projects about online dating, modern mythology, anonymity, news and language.
Johnathan's thoughts:
Empathy: A good person makes a bad programmer
Rational Beings: Always one in code but not in real life
The Act of Expression: Layers of abstraction make it hard to express yourself
Resistance of the medium: Your first vision will always be wrong
Individuality: It is possible for technology to help with self reflection not just self promotion.
Housing Crisis: Dealing with individual places/spaces/pages on the net.
Outcome over Ideas: Ideas are way of getting to your goal, but your goal is the goal.
Question to ponder: Is the thing you are making, making life better for people as humans, not just people as consumers?
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
"Now that we can do anything, what will we do?" Journal #4
With the help of my developing multi-taking skills (and indecisiveness) I have chosen three mantras from Bruce Mau's Incomplete Manifesto for Growth.
27. Read only left-hand pages.
Marshall McLuhan did this. By decreasing the amount of information, we leave room for what he called our "noodle."
40. Avoid fields.
Jump fences. Disciplinary boundaries and regulatory regimes are attempts to control the wilding of creative life. They are often understandable efforts to order what are manifold, complex, evolutionary processes. Our job is to jump the fences and cross the fields.
43. Power to the people.
Play can only happen when people feel they have control over their lives. We can't be free agents if we’re not free.
Since founding his studio in 1985, Mau has used design and optimism to originate, innovate, and renovate businesses, brands, products, and experiences. Through his work, Mau seeks to prove that the power of design is boundless, and has the capacity to bring positive change on a global scale. Working with his team of designers, clients and collaborators throughout the world, Mau continues to pursue life’s big question, “Now that we can do anything, what will we do?”
27. Read only left-hand pages.
Marshall McLuhan did this. By decreasing the amount of information, we leave room for what he called our "noodle."
40. Avoid fields.
Jump fences. Disciplinary boundaries and regulatory regimes are attempts to control the wilding of creative life. They are often understandable efforts to order what are manifold, complex, evolutionary processes. Our job is to jump the fences and cross the fields.
43. Power to the people.
Play can only happen when people feel they have control over their lives. We can't be free agents if we’re not free.
Since founding his studio in 1985, Mau has used design and optimism to originate, innovate, and renovate businesses, brands, products, and experiences. Through his work, Mau seeks to prove that the power of design is boundless, and has the capacity to bring positive change on a global scale. Working with his team of designers, clients and collaborators throughout the world, Mau continues to pursue life’s big question, “Now that we can do anything, what will we do?”
Don't Hurt Tom's Nose. Journal Entry #3
Stefan Sagmeister's Ted Talks was engaging and slightly hilarious. One of the statements that stood out to me was a sort of off hand comment he made about one the the pieces of art that interested him was this:
"If you abstract an image you open as much room for the unrepresentable and are therefore able to involve the viewer more."
I also really enjoyed his list at the end of the talk about things he wanted to try when working on his art. I think it's a really great list that could be incorporated all of our work:
Thinking about ideas and content freely - without the deadline far away
Working without interruption on a single project
Using a wide variety of tools and techniques
Traveling to new places
Working on projects that matter to me
Having things come back from the printer done well
Ken Robinson- Schools Kill Creativity
"If your not prepared to be wrong, you will never come up with something original"
"Professors live in their heads (and slightly to one side)"- funny comment never to share with my mother (and English professor).
"Creativity comes about though the interaction of different disciplinary ways of seeing things."
What do I love more than Lost?
I'm IN. LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. with J.J. Abrams.
Several basic ideas from his talk:
Infinite possibility
Mystery is more important than knowledge
What are stories but mystery boxes?
Importance of investment of characters
"If you abstract an image you open as much room for the unrepresentable and are therefore able to involve the viewer more."
I also really enjoyed his list at the end of the talk about things he wanted to try when working on his art. I think it's a really great list that could be incorporated all of our work:
Thinking about ideas and content freely - without the deadline far away
Working without interruption on a single project
Using a wide variety of tools and techniques
Traveling to new places
Working on projects that matter to me
Having things come back from the printer done well
Ken Robinson- Schools Kill Creativity
"If your not prepared to be wrong, you will never come up with something original"
"Professors live in their heads (and slightly to one side)"- funny comment never to share with my mother (and English professor).
"Creativity comes about though the interaction of different disciplinary ways of seeing things."
What do I love more than Lost?
I'm IN. LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. with J.J. Abrams.
Several basic ideas from his talk:
Infinite possibility
Mystery is more important than knowledge
What are stories but mystery boxes?
Importance of investment of characters
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Audience Personas
Neeti is a 20-year-old college student that lives in Wichita Kansas. Neeti has lived in Wichita since her freshman year of high school. She previously attended the University of Kansas but is currently enrolled in the business program at Wichita State. Although she is majoring in business, her heart lies with children. Her career goal is to open her own daycare. Neeti lives in an apartment with a good friend from high school. The majority of the residents in her complex are older, middle class citizens. Being a college student, Neeti has a hard time affording the rent. Consequently, she spends most of her free time working at “Kinder Care,” the local daycare chain. Neeti has been working for Kinder Care for six years and has recently been promoted to Assistant Director.
When she is not working or going to class, Neeti is spending time with her friends or visiting her boyfriend, of two years, in Texas. Neeti hopes to graduate in a year and move to Texas to pursue her MBA.
Trisha is a 48-year-old professor at Wichita State University. Trisha is a mother of two and has been happily married for 25 years. She lives in the small town of Andover, on the outskirts of Wichita. As a child she grew up in an even smaller town called Girard, Kansas. When she graduated high school she attended Wichita State, working her way through college by teaching twirling lessons. After receiving her masters in speech pathology she worked for a company called Rainbows. Later, she opened a teaching school called Kaleidoscope in conjunction with Wichita State University, before starting her teaching career full time.
Most of Trisha’s time is spent grading papers, completing research for the university and updating her teaching material. However, she loves spending time with her family and enjoys spending evenings drinking coffee and watching TV. Her favorite show is Brothers and Sisters.
Trisha enjoys the simple things in life and would not be considered high maintenance. Although, she has been known to rack up her Talbots bill from time to time. She prefers the atmosphere of Dillons over Wal-Mart, however, can’t ignore the significant price difference that is indispensable.
Marlene is a 68-year-old woman residing in eastern Kansas. She is a retired hairdresser happily living with her first husband, Eldon. Eldon is the owner of his family carpet company. It is hard for Marlene to find more joy in something other than her grandchildren. Over the years, her acquired name has become “gramzie.” Gramzie hates the winter months because she is no longer able to sit around her pool in her backyard.
Marlene sits across from her husband on the reg. and while he is reading from his Christmas present, the Kindle, she prefers “old fashioned” books.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Journal Entry #2
Dieter Rams: ten principles for good design
1. Good design is innovative
2. Good design makes a product useful
3. Good design is aesthetic
4. Good design makes a product understandable
5. Good design is unobtrusive
6. Good design is honest
7. Good design is long-lasting
8. Good design is thorough, down to the last detail
9. Good design is environmentally-friendly
10. Good design is as little design as possible
Don Norman on 3 ways good design makes you happy
"It's call about fun- pleasant things work better"
When you are happy, you are more apt to do out-of-the-box thinking and you are more creative
Visceral- choice of type fonts, colors, subconscious
Behavioral- all about feeling in control, usability and understanding
Reflective- superego, no control over what you do (no senses)
cognition is about understanding and emotion is interpreting
Sometimes we pit one emotion over the others
Don Norman is only saying positive things from now on.
1. Good design is innovative
2. Good design makes a product useful
3. Good design is aesthetic
4. Good design makes a product understandable
5. Good design is unobtrusive
6. Good design is honest
7. Good design is long-lasting
8. Good design is thorough, down to the last detail
9. Good design is environmentally-friendly
10. Good design is as little design as possible
Don Norman on 3 ways good design makes you happy
"It's call about fun- pleasant things work better"
When you are happy, you are more apt to do out-of-the-box thinking and you are more creative
Visceral- choice of type fonts, colors, subconscious
Behavioral- all about feeling in control, usability and understanding
Reflective- superego, no control over what you do (no senses)
cognition is about understanding and emotion is interpreting
Sometimes we pit one emotion over the others
Don Norman is only saying positive things from now on.
Rules to Live, and not live, By
Typographer and author, David Jury, has graciously provided us with an article called, "Twenty Rules for Making Good Design." - Rules can be broken but never ignored.
Three rules I took from this article that I think are most important include:
-Have a concept
-Negative space is magical- create it, don't just fill it up
-Be decisive, do it on purpose or not at all
Not only are these the three rules that I consider to be most important, but also the three that I need to be most conscious about and work on the most.
Rules NOT to sweat over:
-Be universal- its not all about You (I am still in school, so technically, it is).
-Create images, don't scavenge (Andrea says we can, so her law overrules Jury's).
Three rules I took from this article that I think are most important include:
-Have a concept
-Negative space is magical- create it, don't just fill it up
-Be decisive, do it on purpose or not at all
Not only are these the three rules that I consider to be most important, but also the three that I need to be most conscious about and work on the most.
Rules NOT to sweat over:
-Be universal- its not all about You (I am still in school, so technically, it is).
-Create images, don't scavenge (Andrea says we can, so her law overrules Jury's).
Journal Entry #1
A mind map gives visual form to ideas.
-Do not question until completed
-from the middle “whole” word, draw six or seven lines: nouns are a good idea.
-Hierarchy can help to emphasize concepts and make associations.
Concept maps and mind maps are very similar but the main difference is concept mapping allows for a more thorough investigation and analysis of conceptual relationships and meanings.
-Focuses more in systems thinking
-“When concept maps are conscientiously constructed, they are remarkably revealing of students’ cognition organization,” Joseph Novak
-Shows relationships of concepts in a hierarchical order, from general to specific. Each word is joined by a proposition of linking statement (depends on, can be, made of, from).
Freewriting- looping
Brainwriting is the written equivalent of traditional brainstorming.
-More inclusive of an entire group
-Use a template (6-3-5)
A traditional outline defines content through headings and subheadings.
-A plan of, of guide to, ideas you want to address, making it easier to work on sections in any order.
-A storyboard or a series of small schematic sketches can act similarly to an outline
Web-based critique methods: flickr, blogger, VoiceThread
Thursday, January 27, 2011
people_2_know
STEVEN HELLER
THE EAMS
ALAN FLETCHER
ALEX STEINWEISS
ALVIN LUSTIG
ALEXANDER GIRARD
PAUL RAND
SAUL BASS
THE EAMS
ALAN FLETCHER
ALEX STEINWEISS
ALVIN LUSTIG
ALEXANDER GIRARD
PAUL RAND
SAUL BASS
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
This Means This
This Means This, This Means That Notes
Semiotics: the theory of signs
Signs can mean something other than themselves
Semiotics is about the tools, processes, and contexts we have for creating, interpreting and understanding meaning in a variety of different ways.
Signs are formed though the society that creates them
Signs are shaped by different societies in different ways
Societies have two basic sources of signing
1. Natural
2. Conventional
signs are composed or two inseparable elements: the signifier and the signified.
Seventeenth- century philosopher Rene Descartes
First modern philosopher
He believed that in order to build a system of knowledge, one must start from first principles
I think therefore I am
Messages are always transmitted through a medium
1. Presentational
Through the face, the voice or the body
2. Representational
Paintings, books, photographs, drawings, writings, books
3. Mechanical
Telephones, television, internet, radio, film
“The window of the soul is the mouth”
Non-literal forms of meaning enable us to make the familiar seem unfamiliar and the unfamiliar seem familiar.
Non-literal communication: simile, metaphor, metonym, synecdoche, irony, lies, impossibility, depiction, and representation
The likening of one thing to another is a simile. A simile is a stated comparison between two different objects, images, ideas or likenesses.
Simile: x is like y
Metaphor: x is y
When one thing is substituted for another in a piece of communication we call it a metonym.
Using a part of something to stand for the whole thing, or the whole thing to stand for part, is called synecdoche. (Part/Whole relationship)
It Just Works
The following are three book designs that I believe to be successful.
I chose this book cover because of it's use of typography to make a graphic element. I think it is interesting when you look at the black 'W/M' by itself, it isn't how you would typically write a 'W' or and 'M'. But the mind puts the two together and connects the words with ease. Continuing the graphic across make the cover less static and more visually interesting. (+ I enjoy the playful use of the dot in the 'f').
What I liked most about this book cover was the unusual use of the title. I think when most people are thinking about where to put the title for a book they automatically think, "the top of the page." Also, the cover is covering half of the graphic on the page, another intriguing element. I haven't read this book, but the title to me seems like almost a question. Placing the title over half of the graphic makes me question what the rest of it looks like.. causing me to 'imagine'. I feel like the cover works well with the title of the book, and makes me want to read it. Therefor, I believe it is a successful book cover.
AND last but not least:
I picked this as my last book because, unlike the other two books I chose, this cover uses photography. I like the cleverness to the photograph, playing off of the title of the book. I also like the idea that the title is smaller than the author's name, which I think is something you don't see a lot in book covers. It makes since in this case, however, because while "My Unwritten Books" is the title of the book, the most important part is that is is George Steinbar's unwritten books. The title is almost an after thought, something to be placed in parenthesis, which can be interpreted through the bookend on either side of the title.
I chose this book cover because of it's use of typography to make a graphic element. I think it is interesting when you look at the black 'W/M' by itself, it isn't how you would typically write a 'W' or and 'M'. But the mind puts the two together and connects the words with ease. Continuing the graphic across make the cover less static and more visually interesting. (+ I enjoy the playful use of the dot in the 'f').
What I liked most about this book cover was the unusual use of the title. I think when most people are thinking about where to put the title for a book they automatically think, "the top of the page." Also, the cover is covering half of the graphic on the page, another intriguing element. I haven't read this book, but the title to me seems like almost a question. Placing the title over half of the graphic makes me question what the rest of it looks like.. causing me to 'imagine'. I feel like the cover works well with the title of the book, and makes me want to read it. Therefor, I believe it is a successful book cover.
AND last but not least:
I picked this as my last book because, unlike the other two books I chose, this cover uses photography. I like the cleverness to the photograph, playing off of the title of the book. I also like the idea that the title is smaller than the author's name, which I think is something you don't see a lot in book covers. It makes since in this case, however, because while "My Unwritten Books" is the title of the book, the most important part is that is is George Steinbar's unwritten books. The title is almost an after thought, something to be placed in parenthesis, which can be interpreted through the bookend on either side of the title.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Redesign Research
Bookcover Project
1. Those Who Save Us
2. Jenna Blum: is of German and Jewish descent. She worked for Steven Spielburg’s Shoah Foundation for four years, interviewing Holocaust survivors. She currently teaches at Boston University and runs fiction workshops for Grub Street Writers.
3. The Stormchasers
4. For fifty years, Anna Schlemmer has refused to talk about her life in Germany during World War II. Her daughter, Trudy, was only three when she and her mother were liberated by an American soldier and went to live with him in Minnesota. Trudy’s sole evidence of the past is an old photograph; a family portrait showing Anna, Trudy, and a Nazi officer. Trudy, now a professor of German history, begins investigating the past and finally unearths the heartbreaking truth of her mother’s life. The book is about people whos lives are rearranged by huge forces beyond their control. It is about survivor guilt, secrecy and hope.
5. Moving, depressing, dark, sacrifice, provocative, morality, love, sad, hard times, contradictions, tension, persuasive
6. moral responsibility; how far will one go to protect those we love.
7. The story is split between Anna’s past in Germany and the Trudy’s present in America. Anna does everything to can to keep herself and her fatherless child Trudy alive during tough times. She must face the tough moral decisions to do what is right and what will help her survive. Trudy has unconsciously been searching her whole life for the answers to her mother’s past in Germany. Trudy’s shame for her mother’s possible past has began to effect her own life.
8. The Obersturmfuhrer is a heartless, brutal Nazi officer. When he comes to kill Anna for feeding the prisoners, he notices her beauty and decides to spare her life if she became his mistress. He provided Trudy and Anna with protection and essentials for a couple years but puts Anna through mental trials she will never recover from.
9. "Heimat. The word mean home in German, the place where one was born. But the term also conveys a subtler nuance, a certain tenderness. One's Heimat is not merely a matter of geography; it is where one's heart lies. "
"Life is so often unfair and painful and love is hard to find and you have to take it whenever and wherever you can get it, no matter how brief it is or how it ends."
“She should have known this would happen even with him; she should have known better than to tell him the truth. She can never tell him what she started to say: that we come to love those who save us. For although Anna does believe this is true, the word that stuck in her throat was not save but shame.”
10. When I first looked at this book, the cover was what attracted me to it. I picked this book to redesign because I felt like the cover led me to believe the book was going to be different than it actually was.
1. Brave New World (1932)
2. Aldous Huxley: was an English writer and one of the most prominent members of the famous Huxley family. He spent the later part of his life in the United States, living in Los Angeles from 1937 until his death in 1963. Huxley was a humanist and pacifist, and he was latterly interested in spiritual subjects such as parapsychology and philosophical mysticism. He is also well known for advocating and taking psychedelics. By the end of his life Huxley was considered, in some academic circles, a leader of modern thought and an intellectual of the highest rank, and highly regarded as one of the most prominent explorers of visual communication and sight-related theories as well.
3. Crome Yellow, Antic Hay, Those Barron Leaves, Point Counter Point, Eyeless in Gaza, After Many the Summer Dies a Swan, Time Must Have a Stop, Ape and Essence, The Doors of Perception, The Genius and Goddess, Island.
4. Written in 1931 and published in 1932. Set in London of AD 2540 (632 A.F. in the book), the novel anticipates developments in reproductive technology and sleep-learning that combine to change society. The future society is an embodiment of the ideals that form the basis of futurism.
5. Futuristic, sci-fi, fantasy, cold, semi-serious,
6. The use of technology to control society (dangers of giving the state control over new and powerful technology), The consumer society (warning and satire), The incompatibility of happiness and truth (the use of Soma), dangers of an all-powerful state (different from 1984; force and intimidation. BNW; making citizens so happy and superficially fulfilled they don’t care about personal freedoms.
7. John becomes the central character of the novel because, rejected both by the “savage” Indian culture and the “civilized” World State culture, he is the ultimate outsider. John’s extensive knowledge of Shakespeare’s works serves him in several important ways: it enables him to verbalize his own complex emotions and reactions, it provides him with a framework from which to criticize World State values, and it provides him with language that allows him to hold his own against the formidable rhetorical skill of Mustapha Mond during their confrontation.
8. Mustapha Mond is a paradoxical figure. He reads Shakespeare and the Bible and he used to be an independent-minded scientist, but he also censors new ideas and controls a totalitarian state. For Mond, humankind’s ultimate goals are stability and happiness, as opposed to emotions, human relations, and individual expression.
9. "Cleanliness is next to fordliness."
"Actual happiness always looks pretty squalid in comparison with the over-compensations for misery. And, of course, stability isn't nearly so spectacular as instability. And being contented has none of the glamour of a good fight against misfortune, none of the picturesqueness of a struggle with temptation, or a fatal overthrow by passion or doubt. Happiness is never grand."
"That's because we don't allow them to be like that. We preserve them from diseases. We keep their internal secretions artificially balanced at a youthful equilibrium. We don't permit their magnesium-calcium ratio to fall below what it was at thirty. We give them transfusion of young blood. We keep their metabolism permanently stimulated. So, of course, they don't look like that. Partly," he added, "because most of them die long before they reach this old creature's age. Youth almost unimpaired till sixty, and then, crack! the end." (7.22)
10. I picked this book because it is an older novel that many people have had to read for school, and the cover is ugly.
1. The Traveler’s Gift
2. Andy Andrews: a best selling novelist and speaker whose combines works have been translates into nearly twenty languages and have sold millions of copies worldwide. As a speaker and corporate entertainer for the world’s largest organizations he is in constant demand. Andy has spoken at the request of four different United States presidents and toured military bases around the world, speaking to troops at the request of the United States Department of Defense.
3. The Lost Choice, The Noticer, Mastering the Seven Decisions
4. David Ponder has lost his faith in life. Formerly a high-ranking executive at a Fortune 500 company, David is now forced to work part-time at a minimum wage job. When his daughter becomes ill, David is unable to pay for her medical expenses. In an act of desperation, he crashes his car and finds himself not dead, but transported back in time to seven important moments in history.
In this modern parable, seven leaders and heroes from the past teach our protagonist the seven secrets of success. The cast of characters include King Solomon, Anne Frank, Harry Truman and Abraham Lincoln. Through their tales of courage, resilience and passion, David Ponder realizes that his own choices and attitudes dictate whether he would succeed or fail.
5. Intriguing, mysterious, magical, inspiring, positive, challenging, touching, adventure, historical, success, self, help
6. You are responsible for your own past and future, you are where you are right now, your thinking dictates your decisions and choices, think constructive thoughts, when faced with an opportunity to make a decision make one and stand by it.
7. David Ponder is at a seriously rough time in his life. He finds himself with no job at fourty-five years old and no money to pay for his daughter’s surgery. After being fired from a second job, Ponder experiences some road rage that ends in a serious wreck. He is then magically taken on seven journeys to help him discover a new way to live life.
8. Through out the book the protagonist, Mr. Ponder, encounters seven people throughout history that have largely impacted the world. The seven people include; Harry Truman, King Solomon, Colonel Chamberlain, Christopher Columbus, Helen Keller, Abraham Lincoln and Gabrial. Each of the seven people that Ponder encounters teaches him an important life lessons and gives him one of the “seven decisions that determines personal success.”
9. “You have a condition common to most people. You hear, but you do not listen.”
“Truth is truth. If a thousand people believe something foolish, it is still foolish! Truth is never dependent upon consensus of opinion. I have found that it is better to be alone and acting upon the truth in my heart than to follow a gaggle of silly geese doomed to mediocrity.”
“As children we are afraid of the dark. Now as adults we are afraid of the light. We are afraid of the light. We are afraid to become more.”
10. I chose this book because I don’t read a lot of fiction but it was the last one I read.
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