Journal 14 // Inspiration

Over the course of this past year, there have definitely been a lot of different things that have inspired me. I came into graphics very excited, but also somewhat nervous and not knowing what to expect. Ever since I was young I have liked making things on the computer; my mom would never buy cards for family because I would want to make them myself. I would always consider my "audience" and if it was for my grandpa I would find a baseball player to put on the card, or if it was for my grandma I would put a golfer.

Being in graphics was the first time I was really around people that had the same passion for design that I did. I think meeting all of these people and spending so much time together really made everyone a better designer. I would say I have definitely say I was inspired by my classmates. Seeing other people's projects that had the same parameters with such different outcomes shows how infinite design solutions are. Some projects made me wish "I should of thought of that" or I wish I knew how to do that. It was interesting to start to see everyone's strengths come out in different projects in different ways and aspects of the project.

Along with this, it was easy to pick out my own weaknesses, especially with the different programs. I was pretty comfortable in Illustrator but I had never had much experience with photoshop. I still know that I have a lot to learn when it comes to photoshop and after seeing many, many interesting work from using it I am motivated to learn. The same goes with aftereffects and flash. Like most people in our class I didn't have any experience with the programs so it took awhile before I became comfortable using them. I would say the most influential thing for me was knowing how much potential there is in design because of all of the tools and resources we have available to us. Knowing all of this has especially lately kept me motivated to keep exploring, revising and working toward higher expectations for myself.

Journal 13 // Larry Lessig

I really enjoyed the second half of this TED talk, not just because of the funny videos but he brought up a lot of issues that I thought were very interesting. One interesting point he made was that creativity was consumed in our culture but the consumer is not the creator. This went along with what he was saying about the "read write" culture, which also could translate to the idea of creating and recreating. This was all before he talked about the internet becoming the popular way to spread content.

The interenet was a new tool for this "read write" culture but now it was easier for amateur artists to broadcast what they were doing. It was a new idea that people wanted to share their new work because it was something that they loved, not to turn a profit. This user generated context was the beginning of the "remix" phenomena that younger generations are still contributing to.

This remix culture uses old and new elements to recreate; this is the way they learn about the past and interpret the present and future. The examples that Lessig included were not only entertaining, but also proved his point well. Lessig made it a point to mention that it was not a piracy to create these types of "remixes" because it is not using the whole work and are not distributing it for a profit. Recreating allows the artist to create a new message and to see things in a different light. It is a new tool for speech and literacy. This represents how youth think and speak. He talked about how the two extremes of this issue need to reach a neutral platform to satisfy each others needs.

It relation to our speeches in motion, Lessig mentioned that there were new laws and regulations against copyright and that it could potentially be that anything using something that has a copyright would be removed from places like youtube. Would this include our speeches since we use the real audio?

Journal 12 // Hillman Curtis Videos

I really enjoyed Paula Scher's talk and the points she was bringing up, especially that "type is making noise." It really hit home about how type really is "image." Her work with the public theatre is a great example. The way she presented it hit right on with her points of type being extreme, loud, visual, and urban; she made another point that type is really about the words and in relation the message that they send based on the way they are used and represented. This example of work was very urban and fit in well with the NYC culture; which resulted in the city "eating the public theaters identity." It was interesting to hear more about Scher's design process and how she doesn't consider herself a refiner and uses a very intuitive process. It seems that she knows right off the back if she has the ability to come off with a successful solution to the challenge at hand. Her citibank was an example that really demonstrated what she was talking about; she broke down the client's needs and used information from them to come to the "umbrella" being formed with the "t".

David Carson is a designer that I really had not heard much about and I really enjoyed his talk. It is interesting that he attributes some of his success to his lack of formal design training. He just went out and did what he thought was right and used his "self indulgence" to design. Because of this, you could tell her was very serious about his thoughts on how design to him needs to be more personal. He thinks it is important for your personality to show through in your work. If you pull from who you are as a person he thinks you will have more success; this makes sense in that your work should somehow show part of your identity not only as a designer but as the type of person you are as well. His work from the RayGun magazine was very interesting to look at. He talked about how he didn't have to report to anyone before printing so he took full advantage and went out on a limb for many of his designs. Carson's three big keys to this work was read, interpret, and draw attention to. He wanted his readers/viewers to really think about what they just read or listened to.

Milton Glaser is always interesting to listen to. I feel like he always has insight that is relevant and relatable. He seems to have reflected on his career a great deal and can say that designers cant understand their path until its over. This played into the question of where designers are on the spectrum between artists and businessmen/women. I think it is important to find a balance and it would be difficult to be on the end of either extreme. Glaser made a good point about how designers produce social commentary; the way they decide to present work is the way the rest of the world sees it. He made a good point about how they have access to people's minds which contributes to them being a good citizen. They can present ideas both good and bad so it is key to think about what your work would say to others. This is another reason why Glaser wanted to teach. He wants to project into the future to avoid being narcissistic but also to contribute to the way designers are being taught today and make sure that the ideals he has deemed important are still being stressed; his level of success and influence makes the things he say very believable and people respect his views. He really embraces the idea that "the possibility for learning never disappears."

Moon Landing Video Progess

Here is my video after a few more rounds of improvements; I got all of my type in and now just need to tune it up in addition to adding some more interesting elements to parts. I want to play more with using the light tool and may incorporate the camera tool as well. I also am going to try to find a song to play in the background.

If the quality isn't great, here is the same video on youtube.

Animation Experiments

This was my first time using aftereffects again so I have a lot to refresh my memory on. This is my first video (combined what I was doing into one video). I used text animations on each frame to see how they worked in the videos and I also tried to animate the text after each preset. It is takes about 23 seconds and it is just the "Its one small step for man..." quote so it was a good indication of how fast the text is going to be. I didn't put in my sound yet because I wanted to get familiar with the program before I got ahead of myself.

Here it is

Journal 11 // Debbie Millman

Debbie Millman the President of the design division at Sterling Brands, an international design consultancy. She has been there for fourteen years and in that time she has worked on the redesign of global brands for Pepsi, Procter & Gamble, Campbell’s, Colgate, Hershey and Hasbro. Debbie is President of the AIGA, the professional association for design. She is a contributing editor at Print Magazine and the chair of the new Masters in Branding program at the School of Visual Arts. In 2005, she began hosting “Design Matters with Debbie Millman,” the first weekly radio talk show about design on the Internet.

Design Matters is a opinionated and provocative internet talk radio show. The show combines a point of view about graphic design, branding and cultural anthropology. In a business world dependent on change, design is one of the few differentiators left. VoiceAmerica is now the industry leader in Internet talk radio, and Design Matters has over 150,000 listeners.

I listened to the radio show with Jonah Lehrer. The theme of this talk was really about our memories. Millman started by talking about being asked to try and remember her first memory. Once Lehrer got onto the show he made an interesting point about how our memories are things that had to biggest impact on us and what affected us the most. We "tweak" our memories to fundamentally change it. Lehrur studied Neuroscience and he talked about what drew him to the subject and how he was always interested in studying the brain and mind. He wrote in his book as the moral, "We are made of art and science." This is a very interesting view point; the book is about designers who embrace neuroscience.

I think this goes to show how broad design is and how it really has an impact in any field; whether neuroscience or graphic design. This is also shown with Lehrer himself. He studied neuroscience at Colombia and is now the editor at large for Seed Magazine (this incorporates the science and design, "art and science"). It also shows that maybe people aren't just a left brain/right brain person.

Neuromarketing was also brought up, in addition to neuroeconomist. They focus on brain research and testing. They discuss how different parts of the brain affect people. There was an interesting topic brought up about people drinking expensive wine compared to cheap wine. Scientists monitored brain activity and found that people that thought they were drinking more expensive wine enjoyed it more than people who thought they were drinking cheap wine. They have done similar testing with coke and pepsi.


What I got from this talk can be summed up with this quote from Lehrer:
"Collaboration at unexpected places."

Journal 10 // GOOD

This site revolves around creating a place for people to visit (whether online or by reading a magazine) to educate themselves on issues that they deem important. They want people who themselves want a good life to have a place to go to for a "unique editorial perspective." I really liked this site and found most of it interesting and "good." I definitely thought some videos and infographics were better than others but for the most part they were all pretty successful. One thing that most of the videos had in common, especially the State of the Planet in 2009, was professionalism; they don't overdo any of the motion in the videos and just do enough to make it visually interesting without complicating it too much for the viewer to follow. They focus in on making something work really well instead of trying to do too much. Their pacing is really nice – they leave things on screen long enough to read and that's it. They also find interesting ways to bring text in and out, I liked when it looked like they were zooming in on certain areas and they would go in and out. This was used a lot in the Hidden Cost video. I also liked how they used rotating text, they made it work really well

I watched some vidoes that were not the "Transparency" kind and they were okay not quite as successful; they incorporated interviews with graphics. They would have the person talking and when they were about to make an important point they would add in some graphics. Some I liked, especially about health tips and work out myths. They also had some interesting infographics. I thought the most valuable companies in the world was interesting along with the richest and poorest neighborhoods. I also looked at the NASA budget one and it used blinking images, I thought this was unnecessary and distracting.

Some of the graphics used seemed a little childish in some of the work that is on the site; this could be both good and bad depending on the content and audience. I don't think it is the best way to approach their audience though because I feel that most of the content is targeted towards adults and maybe a more sophisticated approach could be brought in. The magazine seems to cover some interesting and relevant issues. They definitely appeal to a wide audience.

Favorite video

Simple, gets point across without any distractions

Favorite Infographic

Very creative, sticks to theme and well executed

Print vs Motion... (4/12)

I think the audience persona of my speech (or any for that matter) will change drastically depending on the media they are viewing it with, i.e. print vs. motion. When someone sees the print for the text they will get out of it what the designer wanted them to; what they stress as the most important parts will most likely be what the viewer remembers. Whether they use bold, italics, letter spacing they are being taught about the speech from the designers perspective on what the most important pieces are. If they are watching the speech in motion the designer will still have an impact about how they view it, but they will also get to listen to the audio to see what the speaker stresses; this way the designer will be stressing what is already stressed in the tone and use of the speakers voice.

So, in print you are the one stressing the parts that you deem important from the speech. You have endless possibilities to show the flow and stresses of the speech. You get to make all of the decisions. Where as in motion the audio will serve as a guide to what is stressed and the most memorable parts. It would be extremely difficult to try to change or modify the message of the speech through motion because of the audio.

My speech has more than one person talking and is somewhat sporadic. I want the viewer of my printed piece and motion to get a sense of communication through space. Some parts are also somewhat hard to understand in the audio so I will stress that in my motion piece. Aftereffects is a great tool for animating text and the possibilities are endless; anything you want to happen can most likely be done.

Journal 8

Type Means Never Having to Say You're Sorry.

This article was about how the futura typeface is overused, in particular when the author went to a senior show and most of the projects were set in this font. I think the writer brought up a good point; it is easy to use a typeface and then when you see it successful you always have it to fall back on and reuse because you "know" it is a good font. I think avoiding this is something that designers learn to avoid. With more experience you would know that it is not okay to use the same typeface in projects with completely different moods, tone, and overall purpose. Another interesting point was how when students were asked about why they used futura then questioned again on their answer apologized. They didn't know how to defend their reasoning whether it was right or wrong. I think this logic could be applied to other fonts as well. It is crazy to think about how much helvetica is out in the world that you see everyday.

An alternative to futura could be frutiger it has similar structural elements to futura like sharp edges. Franklin Gothic could be another option, it has a tall x-height and large bowls.

I also read Designing Under the Influence. This article started by the writer talking about students show he attended and one piece of work that caught his eye. In one girl's portfolio she had one piece stand out amongst the rest and when asked about her Barbara "Krugeresque" in her work she had no idea who the designer was. Intentianally or not it may have never crossed the girls mind that her work resembled something that was already successful. Does that make it "copying?" This really gets at how important it is to have a general understanding and education of design history and present. A good point that writer brought up was can you "own" a graphic style? Technically, no. But if something is successful it is only a matter of time till it is reused in a different but very similar way.

"One Small Step For Man..."

_ Who is speaking?
_ Why was/is the speech important to society?
_ Why do you feel in is important or interesting?
_ What is the emotion, mood, tone, personality, feeling of the speech?
_ What is intonation, emphasis, what is loud, stressed, or soft. Where are there pauses...
_ What do you FEEL should be loud or soft, long pause or ruhed?
_ Is there a call to action? When listening to it what are key/emphasized words?
_ How does it make you feel?
_ How do imagine that the audience felt?
_ Could there be another interpretation of the speech?
_ Write/find a short bio, of the person giving the speech.

This "speech" consists of Neal Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin. This speech is important to society because it was the first time anyone had ever walked on the moon and he was an American. The timing was also important because of what was going on in the World with the Cuban Missile crisis and the space race. It is important for obvious reasons but I think it is interesting because I think it is amazing we are able to have this video considering technology at the time and the whole being literally in space, specifically the moon. The mens voices sound very determined. They also seem calm and ready to get their job done. There is also some anticipation in their voices. There are several pauses throughout the speech; also some loud beeps. Both of these elements have a lot of possibilities for adding motion. There are also some parts that are difficult to understand so having the text on screen will help the viewer know what is being said. I think the most important part is obviously when Armstrong says "One small step for man, and one giant leap for mankind." The audience probably felt pride, relief, happiness, amazement.

Neil Alden Armstrong (born August 5, 1930) is an American aviator and a former astronaut, test pilot, aerospace engineer,university professor, and United States Naval Aviator. He was the first person to set foot on the Moon. His first spaceflightwas aboard Gemini 8 in 1966, for which he was the command pilot, becoming the first U.S. civilian to fly in space. On this mission, he performed the first manned docking of two spacecraft together with pilot David Scott. Armstrong's second and last spaceflight was as mission commander of the Apollo 11 moon landing mission on July 20, 1969. On this mission, Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin descended to the lunar surface and spent 2½ hours exploring while Michael Collins remained in orbit in the Command Module. Armstrong is a recipient of the Congressional Space Medal of Honor

Sequence Reflection

After designing this flip book in class, it is obvious why sequence is so important. We used 5'' by 5'' squares cut out from a magazine to create a flip book that had a nice flow and sequence. I think this exemplified why pacing is so important. The sequence of anything you design needs variation; if it was all type followed by all images the reader would get bored and probably not even make it to the pictures. Or just skip all the text. Having this balance is what makes things readable. This is an important thing to understand no matter what you are designing.

Text in Motion

Text in Motion.

The adobe videos were awesome. They really showed that the possibilities are endless for motion as we know. I also liked how they had the captions telling what they were doing and also how they did a screen shot to show the viewer how to do the action themselves.

Without sound it is definitely harder to comprehend what is going on; the timing was confusing because we didn't know why they were speeding up, slowing down, etc. Some of the videos were a little crazy but definitely more logical with sound. It is interesting to me as to the different types of motion that work in different videos. How things work perfectly for a certain video but would be horrible in another; whether it be text on a straight line opposed to a curvy line. Timing also obviously affects this. The 6 different videos were somewhat similar to each other, I really liked the ones that had a lot of variation in the timing. Having this contrast with fast and slow allows for the viewer to get a sense of what the flow means and what is suppose to be the most important part. Flickermood was a good example of this because of the variation that it used. flickermood

On youtube I found several sequences that I really enjoyed. I liked the consistency in the North by Northwest title sequence. I thought it had really nice pacing; even though it was simple in that it used the same graphics throughout it was really successful at setting the mood and had a very distinct tone. It showed what you can do with only a few graphical elements. The music was also very dramatic.

I also really liked the Catch Me If You Can sequence. It fit the music perfectly and had an interesting pace. It had nice transitions and flowed extremely well. Again, I like using once a select color palette similar to that in North by Northwest.

This was an interesting example; it used just a block of text but used a lot of animations to make it look 3-D. I have never really done anything like it so I think it would be an interesting style to experiment with. The designer created a lot of depth with just the type.

3_31 Book Reading Summary

The first part of this reading was about balance; right off the bat I thought a good point was made in that it should anchor and activate elements in space. I thought it was an interesting point to make that relationships of the elements of a page represent physical relationships in our lives. In both we strive for balance and to make sure that everything is divided as equal as possible. Another good point made was about rhythm and how designers use it to guide how their work is intended to be seen.

In regard to balance, the reading also talked about symmetry and asymmetry and how both can be used successfully to achieve the same goal of a good design. "Asymmetrical designs are generally more active than symmetrical ones, and designers achieve balance by placing contrasting elements in counterpoint to each other..."

Repetition was regarded as a dominant feature in our everyday lives and something we can not get away from so we should embrace it. Using everything discussed so far, designers are able to create rhythm in their work. They mentioned grids, circles and lines to be elements to help achieve rhythm. Along with rhythm comes pacing, which we are also working on with our workbooks.

Scale was also mentioned in the reading, what they said about logos was something that was stressed to us in our graphics class; a logo must be legible both at a tiny size and from a great distance. They also made another good point about scale regarding how different things look once you print them after having designed them on screen.

Implied motion was another interesting topic covered in the reading. They talked about how designers use many different techniques to show change and movement. Animation was also covered; they went over how sequences of still images are used to create the illusion of movement. The reading also talked about how designers like to work frame by frame when starting projects, which is similar to what we do when we start a new motion piece with our storyboards, that they also talked about.

The section about animating type will be beneficial to refer back to once we start our speech motion project. They made a good point that even though animating text is like an image, it is still crucial to make sure that it can still be read in order and that it is legible.

Journal 6: 30 Convos on Design

The first talk I listened to was from Sean Adams. I thought he made some valid points; but I was definitely not expecting any of his answers to be any thing close to what he said. He said his most inspiration comes from the Declaration of Independence. This surprised me for several reasons, I never really thought of it as a "design" prior to hearing his explanation. Thinking of it as a piece that its "audience" (the Public) had to understand was a new way of looking at it for me. This proves his point that governments need to be obviously well designed, but also in the process it has some similarities to designers work today. His answer for the big design problem was also interesting. He kind of reversed the question by saying that having this big problem that design was going to solve but too much on designers and made them feel inadequate. He backed this up by talking about how the process of design works with clients. As a designer you help your clients maintain their lifestyle and allow for them to live their everyday lives as they see fit. He also said that the next big problem for designers should be their next project, which was also an interesting take.

The next video I watched was from Joe Duffy. He talked about how it was hard to pick one single piece of inspiration and thinks its more of a group of inspirational pieces that motivate him. His example of this was nature; he thinks it has specifically motivated designers over the past 25 years. He then brought out an example which was some jars of classico pasta sauce; he and his team used illustrations from nature. They also used natural colors to make it have a hand made old family recipe feel. I feel like this was a great branding strategy because people are starting to pay more attention to the foods that they eat and a natural feeling that this label uses hints towards this. Another example he showed was the Islands of the Bahamas branding. I had seen this before and love it. They use natural colors and "flora" along with tropical fish to make up a map of the Bahamas. This was such an innovative and creative way to represent the island. They got their inspiration after visiting the Bahamas, this shows how important it is to gather ideas and inspiration to help you in the long run develop successful solutions. With these examples it is easy to understand why he thinks the next big problem for designers to solve is how to keep incorporating and preserving nature. It is important that nature is protected so it can keep inspiring designers now and in the future.

Eric Ryan inspiration comes from the camera and the endless possibilities it allows. He made a good point that even if you don't have a camera with you, you are never not able to snap a picture thanks to cell phones. This allows for inspiration to be documented anytime as long as you have your phone, which is almost always. I also really thought what he said about training the mind to find inspiration in unexpected places. This is something I really want to incorporate into my own designing. I think I am going to start being more observant to my surroundings to try to find inspiration in new places. He also said that the more unexpected the better; it allows for even more originality. With this incorporation you will look at the world differently and it will show in your work. I had never seen a "grass roof" before he talked about them being the next big problem for designers to solve. If this was a possibility I think he is right it would have a very good impact on our culture but unfortunately I think this is something that is far from the near future. But I appreciate where he was coming from in saying the sea of grass would create a more beautiful place, which is also a designers goal.

Greg Hoffman's inspiration comes from the new Mission 1 motorcycle; he likes what it represents because it has the same functionality as any other motorcycle but it is innovative because of the fewer emissions it releases. It is an example of how you don't have to give up form and function to create a product that is better for the environment. Another important aspect considered in its design was sustainability. Hoffman's answer to the question about what problem designers can solve next shows how broad the design field can be. He answered with tackling youth obesity by encouraging youth participation in sports. The main goal was to get kids active again. He also had three main points that he thought would be beneficial;

1. Environmental design; create a space where kids want to play.

2. Equipment design; get youth active by providing fun opportunities.

3. Communication design; send out message to youth to motivate them to lead an active lifestyle.

I know Hoffman works for Nike so I think its great that they are concerned about youth and what there options are for activities. If they focus on youth it will allow for them to start a healthier lifestyle which they will hopefully continue with throughout their lives.

The last video I watched was from Eddie Nunns. He also said it was nearly impossible to narrow his inspiration down to a single piece of art. Instead he said he was inspired by efforts of other designers. Some examples he gave were architects dedicating their time to designing low income housing. Also designers who spend time designing products for everyday life. Since he works for Neimann Marcus it was refreshing to hear about how he supports fashion design for people at all economic levels. He made a valid point that good design should be available to everyone and part of their lives. He also said that a problem that designers should work to solve involves nature and sustaining it. He talked about the world of ecology and how sustainable energy is an area that needs to be more developed. Lastly he talked about the wind turbines that you see while driving out in the middle of nowhere. I had never really thought of them as a "designed piece." He made a good point about them and even said they had a "magnificent" design, almost looking like a statue. With these goals on preserving our environment it is key to have everything designed well so it works well the first time and fits its specific purpose.

History of the Bathing Suit Process

Project Overview: This challenge was to create a timeline; we had six different topics to decide between and I chose the history of the bathing suit. The real focus of this project was to show time through typography. It was important to not let our timelines become too image based. We had to organize our information in a logical way that would read as a timeline by establishing order.

Our first step was trying to find a proper type treatment for the information. From the beginning I had the idea of using the string of a bikini to serve as the "line"

After going through the first phases, I decided I was going to need more then simply a curvy line (string) to signify that it was a bathing suit. I used a few images to try and use a real picture. I was thinking that the persons back could serve as the background and that it would help the viewer know it was suppose to be about swimsuits. However, using an image like this was difficult because it was not working to enlarge because the skin became unrecognizable. Of all of my preliminary explorations, I decided this was the one with the most potential:

Even though it was very incomplete, I liked the idea of having the bikini top showing with the string hanging down. I was also planning on using a real string and attaching it to the final product. I also thought about doing a flip book that had the string woven through it. However, that idea did not last long.

Once I had my final idea, I was able to come up with a few variations.

I chose to make the swimsuit this silver color because I was still planning on using a real string. I thought about finding a way to have it come through under the loop or even a make a loop with the string to attach. The silver seemed too boring for my idea, so I decided to change it. I wanted my finished product to have a fun feel so I decided to incorporate the "yellow polka dot bikini"

I couldn't decide if I wanted to have just the outline (which I thought would have worked better with having the string attached). I was also questioning whether to have the dots be yellow, silver or blue on both the outlined and full color swim suit.

I decided to go with the full color swimsuit and also to not use the string. By using such a bright yellow it really didn't need the string. Plus, it would have been difficult to attach and would have more likely then not looked tacky. This is the final composition.

Project Brief: I started out really thinking that I was going to like this project. From the start I knew I wanted to do something fun and upbeat because my last project had a very serious tone. But once we got going in the project I started to have some issues with how I was going to execute my idea. I really did want to use a string in a flip book. If there would have been more time I might have tried harder to make it happen. When I realized it wasn't going to happen I kind of hit a slump and felt somewhat lost with where I wanted to go. My images were not turning out well on the computer because of poor quality resulting in them looking very pixilated. But I am happy with the way that my final poster came out. I have never really made anything like this using the pen tool. It looks very graphic and is something I would like to try more. I like the idea of the yellow polka dot bikini because it is so popular and a very recognizable song. Because of this I feel that it works well with the history of the bathing suit.

TED Talks.

Stefan Sagmeister's talk on design having the ability to make you happy had several points that I could relate to my education up to this point in addition to several things that have directly impacted me in both positive and negative ways.

One of the points he made was about being happy while you are designing. This seems obvious, but I have found that while I am stressed out working on certain projects I sometimes forget to enjoy what I am doing rather then just trying to get it done like a normal assignment. Our coursework is much different then a typical assignment for a class and should be much more enjoyable. I am going to try harder to take a moment to remember how much I like what I am doing; not only will this help me get what I need done, but will also greatly benefit the outcome of my projects. He also mentioned how beneficial working without distractions is, being happy while I am designing will definitely take away a stress distraction.

He also talked about how important it is to incorporate variation into your designs. He mentioned tools and techniques; I need to expand my horizons and follow this advice. I really want to become more comfortable with photoshop and bringing myself out of my element to give me more experience.

I really liked two things he said;

"Everything I do always comes back to me"

"Having guts always works out for me"

I also listened to JJ Abrams talk. This was especially enjoyable for me because I am a die hard LOST fan and have been watching it from the beginning. As much as I have talked about the show with friends I loved the insight on what the producers put into their ideas for the show. He showed a clip from the pilot to make a point about how far technology has come. He said, "If we would have wanted to do this 20 years ago we would have had to kill a stunt man." He was making a point about how far technology has come; he said people have to know they have the potential to make anything. He then related it to another topic he covered; he said that the blank page is like a magic box. Abrams talked about how much he loved and learned from his grandfather. He loved to take things apart to see how they were designed. He has also had a mystery magic box for years and has kept it unopened because he loves what it represents. It not only reminds him of his grandfather but also the infinite possibilities it holds, potential, and hope.

Paula Scher's video was also very inspiring. The most important thing I took from this talk was about how sometimes its best to not know absolutely everything about a new project or concept because you will have too many preconceived conceptions about what you're suppose to produce. May be best to be "unqualified." She talked about how it may not always be the best way to go by always doing what is expected. I was really interested on her work for the New York Public Theatre identity. What a great opportunity to be the "visual voice" for the place without a format or an in house department she would need to work with. She used it as an example of serious play because she was able express herself and grow from it. But it was interesting to hear about how popular it became and how it was copied by other organizations forcing her to re-create an identity. I'm curious if there would have been anyway to protect her work with copyrights?

The How Good is Good reading raised a lot of valid points about the potential of good design. Sagmeister wrote about how he wants a part of his studio to focus on doing designs for significant reasons opposed to just doing cool things. He also talked about how strong designs for bad causes can be very harmful. Some of the important points he brought up for good design for good causes were that it can unify, help us remember, raise money, inform and teach, and lastly make people feel better. After watching Sagmesiter's talk and reading his article it is no surprise that he is popular in the design world. Even with all of his success he seems down to earth and has the desire to help others through his work and by being a teacher himself.

Journal 4

Bruce Mau is the Chief Creative Officer of his own design firm. He takes pride in pushing his work to the limits and is known to be a world-leading innovator. In 2003 Mau founded the Institute without Boundaries which is a program that was formed for postgraduates to encourage a new breed of designers for the future. As a result a traveling exhibition came into play with produced a publication and educational program series to map out the future of design. Mau has become well known world wide for his innovative techniques. In 2007 Mau earned the AIGA Gold Medal for communication design. He is also a distinguished Professor at the Art Institute of Chicago. Glimmer, a new book on Design, also features Mau.

My mantra:

Go Deep. The deeper you go the more likely you will discover something of value.

-I chose this mantra because I think I need to expand my range with my designs. I think I need to step out of my comfort zone to explore new solutions. This also applies to the programs we use, I want to learn more about Photoshop and doing it through exploration will force me to learn a lot.

Final Concept Statement and To Suggest

Final Covers

20 Rules

This reading really made me think about the design process in perspective for me. Even though I was aware of most of the "rules" of graphic design, this reading made me really think about the creative process and how important each step is from start to finish. When you have a solid concept, the rest should come into place with time.

3 important rules:

I think that speaking with one visual voice is extremely important. This is one thing that I have really been trying to work on. Once I have a concept I need to ensure that all aspects of my work correlate with each other to create a whole, well rounded design. Consistency is very important and I am trying to incorporate that into my own work.

Be universal; remember it's not just about you. This is an important rule to consider because it is something that every designer needs to keep in mind. It's easy to get caught up in your work but it is crucial to step back and get another perspective and to consider who your audience is.

Move it! Static equals dull. I think this should definitely be a rule of thumb because designs with movement are almost always more successful. I need to make this more of a priority in my designs to ensure that they don't become "static." Designers want to create things that people want to look at because they are intrigued by something in the design.

3 to ignore:

Distribute light and dark like firecrackers and the rising sun. I feel that this is something important to keep in mind, but not all the time and for every design. Some projects may not require a vast difference between dark and light. Some designs may work better with similar colors depending on the concept, audience and product.

Ignore Fashion. Seriously. I don't feel that this concept should be a "rule" because I think it could be completely situational whether you follow fashion or currents trends. Ignoring what the audience expects and wants may not always be a situation with a positive outcome.

Look to history, but don't repeat it. I think that this rule could easily be broken by looking to history and understanding how design was at the time, and then potentially using techniques that were successful and made their designs work. Of course it wouldn't be okay to copy something that has already been done, but I think it would be beneficial to notice popular techniques that were successful and incorporate them into designs today.

3 to practice more:

The if you can do it with less, then do it rule is something that I have definitely been trying to work on. I am starting to realize that simplicity doesn't mean a bad or boring design, but done on purpose to ensure that the viewer can establish the most important thing without having to look/read through a lot of clutter in the design.

Negative space is magical- create it, don't just fill it up was another rule that I have been trying to incorporate more into my designs. It kind of coincides with the "doing it with less" but is another thing all in its own. White space can do wonders because it really helps the hierarchy stand out and creates a good, clean space for the viewer.

Another rule that I need to work on was about treating type as an image, as though it's just as important. This is one area that I know I need to work on, but really haven't in most of my designs. I need to find more ways to make a title more interesting. It adds a lot to a design because it is usually one of the most important parts.

12 Covers... Some of the text is hard to see

Journal 1

"In sum, building confidence in writing is an ongoing process. It takes dedication,

practice, and patience, and the more you write, the more confident you will become

at expressing yourself in words."

For me, this quote from the Visual Writing reading summed up what I mostly took from the text. It went into great detail about each of the steps that a writer should take to make their work more successful. Most of the topics covered in the first half we have practiced in class. Like we talked about, it is good to know that our process is used elsewhere and not "just in Kansas."

After this reading, I was reminded that I need to start sketching more. I think I have the mindset that I am not a great drawer so it wouldn't be that beneficial to me, but now after reviewing chapter 2 in this reading I know it would be beneficial for me in the long run.

"One of the ways to grow and evolve as an artist and designer is by being aware of

how you learn, think, communicate, and work."

I think this quote is going to be important to keep in mind not only for this project, but for each challenge we come across. Even though the process may seem long without a clear end in sight, its important to know that it will all come together if you use the right steps to get there.

"Keep your process organized—there will most likely

be many pieces to the grant application including the

proposal narrative, work samples, budget, résumé,

and letters of reference. Proofread carefully. The review committee could

interpret one or two misspelled words as lack of

attention to detail. "

The information of writing artist statements and resumes will be a good resource to look back to once we start putting these things together for portfolios and interviews.

"But writing is more than a burden—it is a critical component of your work. Embrace it."

Word List:

hurt fear pride loath angst nightmare trepidation bravery courage disgust
despise revolt defy ridicule resist withstand survive endure exist persevere
persist suffer sustain revive remain prevail torture affliction agony excruciation persecution torment oppress genocide massacre devastation annihilation extinction concentration camp hell incarcerated antisemitism
catastrophe extermination murder emotion discrimination racism extermination dignity honor self respect modest sad uncertainty

Courage: the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery

Persecution: a program or campaign to exterminate, drive away, or subjugate a people because of their religion, race, or beliefs:

Torment: a state of great bodily or mental suffering; agony; misery

Catastrophe: a sudden and widespread disaster, a final event or conclusion, usually an unfortunate one; a disastrous end

Defy: to challenge the power of; resist boldly or openly, to challenge (a person) to do something deemed impossible

Dignity: bearing, conduct, or speech indicative of self-respect or appreciation of the formality or gravity of an occasion or situation

Bravery: a quality of spirit that enables you to face danger or pain without showing fear

Revolt: to break away from or rise against constituted authority, as by open rebellion; cast off allegiance or subjection to those in authority

Suffer: to undergo or feel pain or distress, to sustain injury, disadvantage, or loss

Resist: to make a stand or make efforts in opposition; act in opposition; offer resistance

Revised Concept

Concept Statement:

"I decided to devote my life to telling the story because I felt that having survived I owe something to the dead. And anyone who does not remember betrays them again."

Tone:

Reflective, remembering, enduring, writing

I do not want the tone to be overwhelmingly sad or depressing, but instead optimistic for the future and overcoming obstacles

Audience Persona:

Brett is a 26 year old male who just recently moved to Los Angeles California. He grew up in Madison, Wisconsin and from a young age has had a passion for studying history. He is a sponge and remembers any historical fact thrown his way. The history channel has always been a favorite for him and he would chose a documentary about Vietnam over a football game any day. In particular he was always had a strong passion for studying World War II. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in Psychology and History. Brett chose to move to LA to earn a masters degree in History and he hopes to someday become a History Professor. Recently, he was a rekindled desire to learn more about the Holocaust. He knows everything about Hitler's plots and strategic War plans but wants to gain more knowledge from a more personal source. He wants to learn more about concentration camps and what they were like to be a part of. Brett thinks that getting a first hand account of a survivors story would help him fill this void in his otherwise extensive knowledge of World History.

To Suggest...

to never forget

to overcoming obstacles

to respect what others have endured

what hate can spark

reflection

passing notes

writing

remembering