"Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Design is knowing which ones to keep" - Scott Adams




Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Journal 13

Larry Lessig's lecture was interesting and definitely relevant as the majority of his argument concerned the younger demographics. Essentially, he discussed the ways people are learning to use resources and technology to recreate/create different things (i.e. music, videos, artwork. etc.) However, laws are becoming more and more strict on the boundaries and consequences of copyrighting to the extent where remixing and collaborating work is frowned upon. According to Lessig, this has gone to far because in his opinion it is a positive act. It is people learning to manipulate things around them to say things differently – something we should encourage. I agree with this arguement though I feel like more times than not, its a case by case basis when people challenge the rules of theft.

Journal 12

David Carson–

Really enjoyed his work and his unique uses of typography, rare that I've see it done that well. This is definitely a link I plan to reference in the future for any explorations with type. The motion graphics shown in the video were also well done. The transitions were interesting and fit perfectly into the background audio. I really responded to his way of mixing typography (different strokes, sizes, etc.) because he would do so in a way that one might not assume would be successful yet he makes it work.

Paula Scher-

She was very relatable to me because I go through similar steps for a design project and it reassuring to know that professionals go through the same process. With her commentary on the identity jazz, she mentioned the importance of the interaction with the client and how she adapts to their preferences which I also responded to since I have been newly recriuted for a position on a newspaper. Lastly I thought her discussion of the theater identity becoming a popular style was really interesting, I would love to be able to say that about my work some day.

Milton Glaser–

"The life of a designer is between two sets of entities, the life of the business man and life of the artist. And most people know where they lie..." This quote really stuck out to me because it feels so true. Glaser went on to casually discuss his very lax interpretation of design -"design is whatever"- because in a weird way it captured the essence of what we do. His lucid interpretations I felt demonstrated his passion for it because he thinks of it as a casual, beautiful, phenomenon as opposed to just a job or a class.

Journal 11

Debbie Millman is the host of the radio talk show, Design Matters, that is featured on DeisnObserver.com and is the President of a known design division at Sterling Brands, New York. But what caught my attention most was her contributions as editor to Print Magazine, a semiannual design publication. She is the President of AIGA and has written three books all regarding graphic design.

Millman's talk with Dee Dee Gordan was interesting to me because she was a trend seeker, a job I think sounds marvelous. Her influential work has landed in prestigious publications such as Vogue and the New York Times. This reminded me very much of a guy who's blog I've been following for years, the Sartorialist. He takes photographs of interesting people and fashion from all around the world and was recently named one of the most influential people in America.

Journal 10

I watched the state of the planet. This video was successful in showing the viewer lots of complex information but making it visually un-intimidating, even pleasing. It was a good example of how to incorporate type and motion, good reference point? I especially liked the transitions, very clean, simple, fun, but appropriate.
Browsing around the site, I was interested in the infographic designs shown. The majority of them are more simple which surprised me because I typically think of a poster conjested with stats for an infographic – though I'm learning otherwise. The graphics were often a clever interpretation of the content described and varied between photography, illustration and vector images and just minimal graphs.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Barack Obama's Victory Speech of Nov. 5th, 2008

– Barack Obama
–Because not only was it in response to a presidential election, It marked one of the most important moments in history when the first non-Caucasian candidate was elected office.
– Because it represents the evolution of our society and how far we’ve come in the last 100 years with regard to racial discrimination. More so, I was fortunate enough not only to witness this revolutionary moment, but I was old enough to understand the weight and importance of it and was truly moved by it.
– Powerful, unifying, enthralling, moving, serious but not pretentious ¬– real. Relative and yet historic. Life changing.
– Beginning and very ending had the most impact and emphasis. Especially when he said “We are the United Sates of America after the first minute. There was powerful emphasis on each of the different “types of people” (black, straight, women, men, Hispanic, young, old, ect.) Emphasis on yes we can. “TONIGHT is your answer” – loud, emphasis. Pauses between examples in his speech.
–I feel like the callouts to different minorities, the call out to United States of America, the call out to “tonight is you answer” should be loud, bold, and memorable. The first portion of the speech where he describes those who have doubts could be much more down played subtle and smoothly flow together.
–There’s not so much a call of action as there is a declaration of patriotism and a congratulations to all and especially younger demographic needs to continue to be involved the way they did in this election. Most of all it is a powerful recognition of our nations evolution.
–It gives me goose bumps. Makes me feel passionate and dedicated to being informed and involved and proud that I was able to witness the mark of this new era in which racism no longer dictates the American Government.
–The audience was in awe, amazement, exited is an understatement. They were exhilarated and heavily emotional, many were shown crying. Everyone in the world boomed with amazement, American or not, democratic or republican, from the turnout.
–If anything, perhaps it could be solely viewed/interpreted as a speech intended to bring the country together and motivate them to involve themselves in their nations as opposed to congratulating the country on their achievement.

Bio in short:

Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States, having taken office in 2009. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his election to the presidency in November 2008.

A native of Honolulu, Hawaii, Obama is a graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School, where he was the president of the Harvard Law Review. He was a community organizer in Chicago before earning his law degree. He worked as a civil rights attorney in Chicago and taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992 to 2004.

Obama has seven half-siblings from his Kenyan father's family – six of them living – and a half-sister with whom he was raised, Maya Soetoro-Ng, the daughter of his mother and her Indonesian second husband. In October of ’92 he married Michelle Robinson and now has two daughters Malia and Sasha.

Sunday, April 3, 2011

type means never having to say your sorry...

I think Univers is a strong alternative to Futura. The two sans serif typefaces are very similar in stroke, shape, and weight. However, Univers is more clearly structured and more legible. While it has a subtle geometric feel, the shapes of the characters are more generalized than those of Futura which makes it more versatile and in my opinion, stronger.

Designing Under the Influence

I really enjoyed this article (and even the comments posted in response). I thought is was definitely relevant to patterns with upcoming designers and made excellent points about the level of influences pre-existing designers carry with their work. However, in instances such as that described by Bierut, I think the line between influence and plagiarism becomes very indefinite. While Kruger's work was so identifiable, I think it is also to an extent, generic. To make the argument that the students work mimicked hers is difficult. I think in the world of design, there is such a vast range of type combinations, color palettes etc. and millions of designers that the likelihood of multiple people to create similar designs is definite. That said, I think Beirut has a valid point that it is crucial for young designers to be well educated on design history. The better educated one is, the better chance they have of avoiding such a similar look to a well known designer (unless that be their intention). Furthermore it provides greater ground of influence. The fact that a student didn't know Kruger is downright sad. It is from past designers that we evolve, grow, learn, and improve.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Points in Typography

_ What are the advantages of a multiple column grid.?
Allows you to easily organize large amounts of text, room to experiment with the typography, clean

_ How many characters is optimal for a line length? words per line?
40 to 50 characters (including letters, punctuation, spaces)

_ Why is the baseline grid used in design?
Establishes as ordered system that is uniform through out the layout unifying multiple sizes of type.

_ What is a typographic river?
The sting of gaps created with justification

_ From the readings what does clothesline or flow line mean?
The horizontal line created to carry the eye through the page...where the text hangs

_ How can you incorporate white space into your designs?
Ragging the text instead of justification, little things that are called out (used with justification), adjusting type size and leading/tracking

_ What is type color/texture mean?
Bold, weight, size, leading and tracking, column width

_ What is x-height, how does it effect type color?
The hight of lowercase character sans any ascenders or descenders

_ In justification or H&J terms what do the numbers: minimum, optimum, maximum mean?
Restrictions on the spacing between the letters

_ What are some ways to indicate a new paragraph. Are there any rules?
Do not indent the first line, when indenting – no use .5 indent but less, (equal to leading) do not indent if there is a space between paragraphs

_ What are some things to look out for when hyphenating text?
No have two letters left behind (de-sign), words that are four letters two syllables, no hyphenate names. Lonely words on line above (the, of, in)

_ What is a literature?
two letters that will become physically combined into one letter (fi, tt, ffi)

_ What does CMYK and RGB mean?
additive v. subtractive (internet is RGB, just stay consistent)

_ What does hanging punctuation mean?
text aligns and punctuation hangs out

_ What is the difference between a foot mark and an apostrophe?
Foot mark is straight

_ What is the difference between an inch mark and a quote mark (smart quote)?
Inch mark is straight, quote mark is curved/angled

_ What is a hyphen, en dash and em dashes, what are the differences and when are they used?
shouldn't have three hyphens in a row – something is wrong, avoid completely in call outs, en dash is used in dates and breaks of thoughts with a space on either side, em dash is the longest – option shift dash with no spaces

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Cold : Bold

Jonathan Harris is an artist/designer and expert of computer science and code. He used his technological savvy as a gateway for creating art on the web. In this video, Harris gives a presentation that discusses in part the his recent work and the his thoughts on the current evolution of technology and how he believes it affects the human race. He explains his overwhelming concern that the advancements in computers is diminishing humans' connectedness with their emotions and essentially their humanity. Harris also goes on to discuss what he refers to as physical vs. digital and professional vs. personal schizophrenia and the difficulty that comes with divulging himself in computer code (something that for him can become so dehumanizing in that he thinks in code rather than emotion or instinct) while also becoming a working artist.

I really enjoyed this video and I definitely responded to the points made by Jonathan Harris. I think the underlying messages of his presentation relate strongly to graphic design and the different battles that I face between the digital and physical media. More and more we here about the posed threats of technology and our increasing dependency on it – how it begins to use and have control over us instead of us having control over it, a point that I believe to be true. In the graphic design field, so much of our work relies solely on computers. It's unfortunate I think that the art of craft by hand is dying and becoming obsolete. Coming from someone who has spent years as a fine artist, I think art created without the help of computers is so much more expressive and personal. It captures the essence of emotion and humanity that lacks from that created by technology. Like Harris, I believe that there is possibility for a marriage between physical and digital media to exist but has yet to be achieved. This is actually a goal of mine personally as an aspiring graphic designer. I hope for my experience and increasing expertise as a fine artist can be integrated successfully in the world of computers thus creating a medium between illustrator and graphic designer.

Friday, March 4, 2011

My Mantra

Keep moving.
The market and its operations have a tendency to reinforce success. Resist it. Allow failure and migration to be part of your practice.

I chose this mantra because I felt it is very reflective of my processes in design and my tendency to get overly discouraged by from error. However, I realize that strong success is spawned from failure, as long as you can allow it to help you up rather than bring this down.
This point was made by Bruce Mau, the Chief Creative director of Bruce Mau designs. Mau has used design and optimism to originate, innovate, and renovate businesses, brands, products, and experiences. Some of his well known clients include Coca– Cola, McDonald's, MoMA, and MTv. He is a recognized award winning author and publisher and was the focus of the recently released book GLIMMER: How Design Can Transform Your Life and Maybe Even the World. Mau's design's are fresh and innovative and are definitely a source of inspiration for a young aspiring designer like myself.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

On Creativity by Andy Rutledge

In this article, Rutledge goes on to explain his concept of creativity and its distinction from design. Creativity is not at all self-expression, but rather, it is a filter through which perception and output pass and it is technical and analytical. According to Rutledge, the only contradictory to what you may be taught in elementary school, believes that this design based definition is the only one worth focussing attention on. Creativity is an inborn capacity for thinking differently than most, seeing differently, and making connections and perceiving relationships others miss. But most importantly, it is the ability to then extrapolate contextually useful ways of employing that data. He believes there are four main disciplines that few posses which advance ones creativity even further:
- ongoing curiosity,
- the desire and habit of looking more deeply into things than others care to,
- the habit of comparing stimulus with result, and
- a habit for qualitative discrimination.
Furthermore, constraints and limitations posed by external forces are in fact the basic groundwork for design because it is from those constraints that we as designers are posed with a problem for which to develop a solution. Without them, creativity is irrelevant. Lastly, our intuitive, subjective design senses are relevant to our work. Competence demands that we understand the difference between what we prefer and what we know what will work best. We must filter purely subjective data from sympathetic, fundamentals-based creative work in order to be successful.

Andy Rutledge is currently the principal and chief design strategist for Unit Interactive LLC, a successful design firm that works with web design, branding etc. Additionally Rutledge manages his own website for which he writes articles critiquing, exploring, and discussing different aspects of design. His experience in the field has definitely lent him high credibility and status as a designer and critic.

Monday, February 21, 2011

Journal

Theo Jansen Creates New Creatures

In his presentation Theo Jansen reveals a series of man made creatures that are created through electrical tubing. They remain on the beach and are powered by the wind. These kinetic sculptures demonstrate the evolution of the wheel and are designed to move and "survive" on they're own, withstanding the threatening hazards of the water. These so called "Strandbeests" beautifully display the evolution of the wheel and the potential that lies in kinetic art.

David Kelley and Human-Centered Design

Human centered design is a field that has grown largely in the last eighteen years. It is becoming increasingly important to capture the behavior and "personality" of the product being designed. David and his team of coworkers are part of one of the company's that is redirecting the focus of their designs more toward the human experience. One of the videos in his presentation demonstrates the application of this new direction in the technological designs of the Prada retail store. For example the renovations to the dressing rooms that allow the customer to gain more information about their items quicker and easier.

I think this is a very interesting point because the idea of human experience can be applied to graphic design as well and how the audience/ customer associates with and responds to the design.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Journal

What is Good Design

Good design is innovative and useful. It must speak to the consumer, better yet be self-explanitory. It must be aesthetic yet unobtrusive. The product of a design is not generally to look pretty but to have a purpose. Good design is honest and does not mislead the consumer as to the use or value of the product and it must be long-lasting. As opposed to fashion design, it must remain appealing and smart throughout several years. It takes into consideration all details of the product yet is environmentally friendly.

Don Norman Video

In his presentation, Don Norman discuss the relationships between design and emotion. He first makes the point that when we are anxious, scared, or frustrated, our thinking processes change causing us to have an unyielding focus on the task at hand. Contrary, when we experience positive emotion, the heightened dopamine sent to our brain allows us to be receptive of things in our environment and thus allowing us to think "more outside the box."
–visceral
-behavioral
-reflective
Don explained that a good design conveys positive emotions in three ways. First, it must make you feel good through the look of color, type, etc. It should make you act on the positive emotions and the functionality of the product and lastly, a good design will elicit positive reflections regarding the design.
Don's presentation definitely echoed the points made in the article by Dieter Rams. Each of the ten criteria listed all work together in a good design successfully to generate positive emotions.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Audience Personas

1. Jen is a 22 year old college undergrad. She is an eccentric concert goer that knows how to have a good time but when necessary, is a more conservative, greatly dedicated student. She enjoys shopping at small boutiques with one of a kind clothing and eating out at hole in the wall restaurants. Her style is considered eclectic and versatile. Her hobbies reflect her multifaceted personality from reading to music to volleyball. She is often intrigued by things that aren’t what they seem

2. Bryan is a 16 year old high school with a bold attitude. He’s not fond of rules or limitations on his behavior or “self-expression. He has never been much of a fan of reading typically because it is required of him, but finds himself occasionally interested in stories that seem to have an edge. At this age his largest priorities consist of playing guitar and hanging out with friends. However, his rebellious attitude hides the fact that he is quite passionate about the music he plays and looks to it as a career

3. Lisa is a mom of two in her mid thirties. She finds herself crazed with work and seldom has time to sit, relax and take time for herself. Since she was a young girl she’s loved to travel. She makes It a goal for herself to make it to all the continents. In college she thoroughly enjoyed studying foreign language. Her hobbies include reading novels of romance and scrapbooking.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Successful Logos/Brandings/Icons








Each of these I thought worked well because they are easily understandable, reflects their message and/or product creatively and is unique enough that it is recognizable and stands out against other logos.


I thought this was a really successful example of branding. With a limited palette, type, and a classic pattern, they have made this chocolate unique and recognizable. The packaging reflects the product, is gender neutral, and current.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

Sue Monk Kidd was born on August 12, 1948, in Sylvester, Georgia, and lived on a plot of land that had belonged to her family for more than 200 years. She spent all of her childhood in Sylvester, a safe, small, rural town she has called “endearing” and “Mayberry-esque” in interviews, even though the town was the site of racial injustices so prevalent in the South during that time. As a child, Kidd observed the deeply ingrained segregation between white and black southerners. Nevertheless, she recalls listening to the stories of the African American women that worked in the domestic realm of her home.
Throughout her thirties, Kidd began to use her writing to explore philosophy and theology. She read widely in the classics of Western spirituality, philosophy, and literature, and she has named the Swiss psychiatrist C. G. Jung and the monk and poet Thomas Merton as important influences discovered during that time. In 1988, Kidd published her first book, God’s Joyful Surprise: Finding Yourself Loved, a spiritual memoir that explores her Christian faith and personal relationship with God. Her next book, another spiritual memoir called When the Heart Waits: Spiritual Direction for Life’s Sacred Questions (1990), describes Kidd’s spiritual awakening. Virtue magazine named this book its “Book of the Year” in 1991. Kidd’s third book, Dance of the Dissident Daughter: A Woman’s Journey from Christian Tradition to the Sacred Feminine (1996), describes Kidd’s transition from a Baptist upbringing to the development of her unique feminist perspective. This bestselling memoir explores feminist theology—a thematic interest that would reappear in her later fictional work, including The Secret Life of Bees.

Summary:

This story is set in a segregated town of South Carolina in 1964. Lily Owens, a 14 year-old girl, is haunted by the memory of the death of her mother years ago. To escape her lonely life and abusive relationship with her father, Lily flees with Rosaleen, her caregiver and only friend, to a South Carolina town that holds the secret to her mother's past. Taken in by the intelligent and independent Boatwright sisters, Lily finds solace in their mesmerizing world of beekeeping.

Tone/Feeling/Mood/Themes

segregation
strength
coming of age
devotion
love
motherhood
empathy
determination
female community
old fashioned
southern
rich
inspirational
faith

Quotes:

“Most people don’t have any idea about all the complicated life going on inside a hive. Bees have a secret life we don’t know anything about.”

“Putting black cloths on the hives is for us. I do it to remind us that life gives way into death, and then death turns around and gives way into life.”

I chose this book because I think the story is highly relatable and timeless. It's a classic that I've always enjoyed and I believe it has potential to be modernized and re-designed to correspond to the contemporary styles of today's world while also incorporating the old-fashioned southern influences. Additionally, the imagery throughout the story offers great potential for an eye catching cover.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

Born In 1956 in Tennessee, Arthur Golden is known for the success of his only novel, Memoirs of a Geisha. He attended Harvard College, where he received a degree in art history, specializing in Japanese art. In 1980 he earned an M.A. in Japanese history from Columbia University, where he also learned Mandarin Chinese. After a summer spent at Beijing University, he worked in Tokyo, and, after returning to the United States, earned an M.A. in English from Boston University. He currently lives Brookline, Massachusetts, with his wife and two children.

In 1929 an impoverished nine-year-old named Chiyo from a fishing village is sold to a geisha house in Kyoto's Gion district and subjected to cruel treatment from the owners and the head geisha Hatsumomo. Her stunning beauty attracts the vindictive jealousy of Hatsumomo, until she is rescued by and taken under the wing of Hatsumomo's bitter rival, Mameha. Under Mameha's mentorship, Chiyo becomes the geisha named Sayuri, trained in all the artistic and social skills a geisha must master in order to survive in her society. As a renowned geisha she enters a society of wealth, privilege, and political intrigue. As World War II looms Japan and the geisha's world are forever changed by the onslaught of history.

I chose this book for my re-design because I thought the bold themes and incredible visuals described offered high potential for an elegant, eye-catching cover design. The oriental aspect offers strong pattern and color and a terrific setting for inspiration. The two existing covers created for this book are limited to photographs of a geisha using minimal color palettes. Furthermore I consider this story to be one of my favorites and hope to create a series of covers that reflect such an inspirational story.

Themes/Tone/Mood/Feeling conveyed in the novel:

Obligation
Societal Status
Elegance
Delicacy
Male Dominance
Competition
Deception
Cultural
Drama
Jealousy
Love


Powerful Quotes:

"At the temple, there is a poem called 'Loss' carved into the stone. It has three words, but the poet has scratched them out. You cannot read Loss, only feel it. " – Sayuri

"A story like mine should never be told. For my world is as forbidden as it is fragile. Without its mysteries it cannot survive. I certainly wasn't born to the life of a geisha. Like so much in my strange life, I was carried there by the current. " – Sayuri

"You cannot say to the sun, "More sun." Or to the rain, "Less rain." To a man, geisha can only be half a wife. We are the wives of nightfall. And yet, to learn kindness after so much unkindness, to understand that a little girl with more courage than she knew, would find her prayers were answered, can that not be called happiness? After all these are not the memoirs of an empress, nor of a queen. These are memoirs of another kind. " – Sayuri

"We do not become Geisha to pursue our own destines. We become Geisha because we have no other choice." – Mameha

Prints and Patters






Thought these were great examples of bold color, strong, graphic designs --yet simple and fun. Loved the different patterns within the animals and other existing forms.