AIGA was once called the American Institute of Graphic Arts, but is now considered the Professional Associating of Design. AIGA is a national organization for designers, has 64 chapters, and over 20 thousand members, more than half of those members being college students.
Today I watched a documentary by Lynda.com called Lynda.com presents: AIGA. It was a documentary on the AICA organization and I learned a lot of information about the organization and what they believe in; some information I have listed above. In the documentary, Lynda was sitting in an interview with Rick Grefe, the executive director, and he spoke about Design for Democracy and various global problems that designers use as inspiration for creating new designs. I felt that this particular section reached out to me as the most inspiration, at that very moment, because he talked about something I am currently interested and am pursuing today. Rick Grefe spoke about a way to use design that is important to everyone, that being economic, as well as global, problems that every living creature is experiencing. These kinds of design ideas, if created successfully, can motivate public action and participation in environmental issues.
This interview was important to me because, as of last week, I have been worrying on a project where I must communicate an environmental solution to creating a sustainable world for myself and others. Global problems such as clean water, education availability trash, disease, energy, or the lack of, are all issues people living in this world have to deal with. Being able to communicate those issues and a way to create change for a better world is something I can do through design.
Feel free to check out the AIGA website: http://www.aiga.org/
as well as
Lynda's website: http://www.lynda.com/
Monday, March 11, 2013
Charles & Ray Eames
Charles and Ray Eames are a very famous design team; a team I learned about when I took a History of Design class at Cal State Los Angeles. The Eames brothers are most known for their modern architectural designs, furniture designs, as well as short films. Recently, In my Concept Development class, we have been discussing our final project and basically we need to create a video which visually communicates an idea I have which will help the Earth's sustainability. To be able to visually communicate something to a broad audience, successfully is what I have to keep in mind. Who will I be creating this for? What will they feel when they see it? What do I want them to experience when they watch my video? What do I want them to do about the problem at hand? My job is to communicate the problem I am believe is important, and persuade my viewers to have a reaction and to take action.
The Eames brothers created a short film in the 1970's which is called, the Powers of Ten. The short film is similar to the one I am assigned to do; its relation being, communicating an idea or problem to an audience in an interesting way. The film takes us through a process of measuring time through meters by starting us at a point right above a couple sitting on a lawn, and then moving outward towards space, measuring the distance as we go. Every ten seconds our field of view moves back 10 meters therefore our view multiplies by factors of 10. An interesting way of showing "relative size of things in the univers and the effect of adding another zero."
The Eames brothers created a short film in the 1970's which is called, the Powers of Ten. The short film is similar to the one I am assigned to do; its relation being, communicating an idea or problem to an audience in an interesting way. The film takes us through a process of measuring time through meters by starting us at a point right above a couple sitting on a lawn, and then moving outward towards space, measuring the distance as we go. Every ten seconds our field of view moves back 10 meters therefore our view multiplies by factors of 10. An interesting way of showing "relative size of things in the univers and the effect of adding another zero."
Friday, March 1, 2013
Three Frames
For the past few weeks, I've learned different ways of story telling through visual concepts using typography and illustrations. Being able to properly communicate a story visually without the use of type is a talent all successful designers must have. On Wednesday, in my Concept Development class, my classmates and I were divided into eight groups of three and as a team, we had to create a story using three frames and no type. The challenge was being able to come up with an interesting story and successfully communicate the story, visually, in only three frames. My team an I chose a love story. Boy meets girl and instantly fall in love, girl ends up pregnant, and then the little family lives happily ever after. Not the most original story, but it was picked as the most successfully communicated by my classmates.
After seeing what the other teams in my class came up with, I realized that though my team's story was the most successfully communicated, it was the least interesting of the bunch. There was no form of surprise or even imagination. Unfortunately, it looked as if we hadn't put enough thought into the story line. I've been sketching out ideas for my final project, which I'm sure I'll write about later, and some of my sketches communicate pretty well in just a few frames. Maybe I'll post some of my sketches this weekend.
After seeing what the other teams in my class came up with, I realized that though my team's story was the most successfully communicated, it was the least interesting of the bunch. There was no form of surprise or even imagination. Unfortunately, it looked as if we hadn't put enough thought into the story line. I've been sketching out ideas for my final project, which I'm sure I'll write about later, and some of my sketches communicate pretty well in just a few frames. Maybe I'll post some of my sketches this weekend.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Creative Briefs
Earlier this week, I participated in a game where my Concept Development classmates and I were tested on how well we could listen and communicate. The most important part of the game was knowing how to properly exchange information based on our tone of voice and expression. Overall, the game was kind of fun, however, the fact that we sat in a circle and had to turn our heads left to right repeatedly caused me some motion sickness.
Further into our class we discussed Creative Briefs. A creative brief is documentation which provides a creative team or client with a detailed overview of the project at hand; key dates, goals, target audiences. I have once heard about detailed outlines of a project, but never once understood the term "creative brief." As a designer I have discovered the importance of developing creative briefs when working on projects, whether they are for small or much larger companies. Its a sort of contract and guide line for you and your client to understand and use as a reference throughout the design process.
Further into our class we discussed Creative Briefs. A creative brief is documentation which provides a creative team or client with a detailed overview of the project at hand; key dates, goals, target audiences. I have once heard about detailed outlines of a project, but never once understood the term "creative brief." As a designer I have discovered the importance of developing creative briefs when working on projects, whether they are for small or much larger companies. Its a sort of contract and guide line for you and your client to understand and use as a reference throughout the design process.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Presentations and Letterforms
There are a few important aspects to remember when trying to deliver a great presentation; confidence, eye contact, a friendly smile, and always remember to not get defensive when someone argues against the rationale of your idea. This is exactly what I did; get defensive, I mean. In my previous blog, I wrote about an upcoming project I was working on for my Concept Development class. I had to design a board game concept. As challenging as that was, I thought I had come up with a good, solid game concept. I chose a baby shower box set, complete with four mini games, eight pieces each; enough pieces for eight players. The purpose of the game was to have a convenient way to prepare for a baby shower. To go to a store and purchase a box full of all of the pieces you would need to deliver fun and exciting games for a baby shower. After giving my presentation, a few of my classmates commented on how small my set was. They simply said, eight players just wasn't enough for a baby shower. When developing my concept, I neglected to research other families and ask how many attendants and players they usually had at the baby shower's they've been to. Instead, I developed my game based on my own personal experiences.
Overall, it was a good day for presentations. Each of my classmates delivered fairly decent presentations; some were obviously a little nervous, which was fine. Other's seemed much more confidant. The purpose of our presentations was to convince our audience why our games was the best game to buy. We were given two minutes to perform. It was a learning experience, I think most of us will reflect on when preparing for future presentations. Most of my classmates and I offered opinions, and words of advice to help improve our presentation deliveries for the future. After all, presentation is probably the most important skill set for a designer. Being able to sell an amazing design, or a very poor design, convincingly is key in this business. I know it will help me get a job just about anywhere.
**On another note, I've recently been working on a new project in my Letterform class. I've been designing and developing my own typeface. I just want to take this time to say, developing a good, balanced, unique typeface may look effortless, but it sure as heck isn't. I've already had a certain amount of respect for those who can develop their own typeface, especially those which sell and are being used; however, never before have I had this kind of an appreciation for those who enthusiastically try to create their own typeface. It is possibly one of the most difficult, most challenging projects I've had to do in a really long time. There are many things you need to consider while developing different letters of your typeface; balance, line weight, x-height, keeping a similar shape and relationship with your initial design. There are millions of things to consider. Wow!
Overall, it was a good day for presentations. Each of my classmates delivered fairly decent presentations; some were obviously a little nervous, which was fine. Other's seemed much more confidant. The purpose of our presentations was to convince our audience why our games was the best game to buy. We were given two minutes to perform. It was a learning experience, I think most of us will reflect on when preparing for future presentations. Most of my classmates and I offered opinions, and words of advice to help improve our presentation deliveries for the future. After all, presentation is probably the most important skill set for a designer. Being able to sell an amazing design, or a very poor design, convincingly is key in this business. I know it will help me get a job just about anywhere.
**On another note, I've recently been working on a new project in my Letterform class. I've been designing and developing my own typeface. I just want to take this time to say, developing a good, balanced, unique typeface may look effortless, but it sure as heck isn't. I've already had a certain amount of respect for those who can develop their own typeface, especially those which sell and are being used; however, never before have I had this kind of an appreciation for those who enthusiastically try to create their own typeface. It is possibly one of the most difficult, most challenging projects I've had to do in a really long time. There are many things you need to consider while developing different letters of your typeface; balance, line weight, x-height, keeping a similar shape and relationship with your initial design. There are millions of things to consider. Wow!
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Games and Concept Designs
Earlier this week, I learned more about board games than I ever have in my life. Yes, board games! Like everyone else, I grew up playing board games; Trouble, Candy Land, Monopoly, Pictionary. However, I don't think I've ever given much thought to how they are made, and why they were made... Not until Monday afternoon.
Most board games are made up of different concepts and different theme's, but you must ask yourself the most crucial questions; What is the story? What is the objective? Who are the characters? Where does the story take place? Why play this game? How does the game work? In my Concept Development class, us students were asked to bring in a couple of games, so that we could engage and analyse them. We went around the room, played a few games, asked ourselves those few important questions, (the who, what ,when, where, why, how), while making some new friends at the same time.
I found, the games that were the most fun were the games that caused the most stimulation, mentally and emotionally. My group and I discovered how one game could cause all of us to feel excitement, anger, joy, pity, and triumph, at different stages of the game. It really was a lot of fun.
After our brief analysis of the games we played, my professor, Jimmy Moss, asked us to really think about the different concepts and designs of the different games. He asked us a few questions about which ones were the most memorable, and which were just plain boring. He then asked us to try coming up with our own original concept designs for games. I didn't realize the challenge until I was at home, jotting down some ideas. What's interesting, is once I was back in class today, and after I saw what kinds of ideas some of my class mates came up with, I realized how much fun some of them had while coming up with their ideas. Some of the concepts they described were traditional and similar to some I'd seen before, and other's were very original and very interesting.
I've decided I will try to come up with some more ideas. I'm gonna put my current concepts aside and start coming up with some new ideas... and this time, I'm gonna have fun. Like Jimmy said, some of the best ideas come from when you just start throwing this out there and having fun.
Most board games are made up of different concepts and different theme's, but you must ask yourself the most crucial questions; What is the story? What is the objective? Who are the characters? Where does the story take place? Why play this game? How does the game work? In my Concept Development class, us students were asked to bring in a couple of games, so that we could engage and analyse them. We went around the room, played a few games, asked ourselves those few important questions, (the who, what ,when, where, why, how), while making some new friends at the same time.
I found, the games that were the most fun were the games that caused the most stimulation, mentally and emotionally. My group and I discovered how one game could cause all of us to feel excitement, anger, joy, pity, and triumph, at different stages of the game. It really was a lot of fun.
After our brief analysis of the games we played, my professor, Jimmy Moss, asked us to really think about the different concepts and designs of the different games. He asked us a few questions about which ones were the most memorable, and which were just plain boring. He then asked us to try coming up with our own original concept designs for games. I didn't realize the challenge until I was at home, jotting down some ideas. What's interesting, is once I was back in class today, and after I saw what kinds of ideas some of my class mates came up with, I realized how much fun some of them had while coming up with their ideas. Some of the concepts they described were traditional and similar to some I'd seen before, and other's were very original and very interesting.
I've decided I will try to come up with some more ideas. I'm gonna put my current concepts aside and start coming up with some new ideas... and this time, I'm gonna have fun. Like Jimmy said, some of the best ideas come from when you just start throwing this out there and having fun.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Freedom on the Fence
I recently watched some of a documentary, Freedom on the Fence, a film by Glenn Holston and Andrea Marks, basted on the history of Polish designers and posters. The documentary has many interviews from designers of older and newer generations, talking about the challenges they faced in political and cultural circumstances. It was interesting to see the symbolic renderings to the irony and realism they faced during WWII, and the years to come. Polish designers and their art are very different from the more contemporary designers I am familiar with. Their designs were very innovative, and they produced designs I have never seen before. Their use of color and subject matter, image and hand written letterforms, especially the ones from the 1960's, were fresh and exciting to look at; if not somewhat humorous and emotional. Overall, it was an experience that was very inspirational, and had me wishing to make new creations of my own.
I think I will.
I think I will.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
the Creative Process
Have you experienced your own or other people's fear-based reactions to your creative education and career choices?
Definitely. My mom, dad, sisters, friends, acquaintances, you name it. When I was going to GCC, I started off as a Journalism major. Even then my mom was always bothering me about being a nurse or a doctor. She wanted me to chose a career choice that would give me plenty of money in the future. You see, my mom came from a very poor family and then married a man who screwed up over and over and eventually used up all of her money; meanwhile, she had three little girls to support. During that time she worked as a Nurse's aid and then eventually a Housekeeper at Glendale Memorial Hospital. I totally understand why she was worried for me. She had every reason to. But little by little, after I graduated from high school and then was on the verge of getting my AA Degree, she started to back off. After completing all of my GE requirements, she started really listening to me when I would talk about art, reading and writing. Some of my favorite hobbies. I took a few art courses at GCC and thats where I fell in love with design. My mom has seen my work and now she totally supports me.
I still get really worried whenever I think about life after college. I have a little bit of experience, a few past jobs under my belt, but its still not enough to really prepare me, or make me feel confident about the future. Sometimes I wonder if I'm even good enough, but I squash that down because I know I am. Many of my design teachers have had my back from the start. And I've never been more motivated about anything in my entire life. I work hard and I love every bit of it. Recently I've thought about re-connecting with my previous bosses and teachers, to see if there are any companies hiring. Right now, I'm working with some people who just started a new business. I'm designing a logo for them, some flyers, posters and other advertisements. But this wont last forever. I need to start putting myself out there asap. But first, I need to get over my horrid feer of public speaking. Thats what ART 313 at CSULA should help me with. Well, that and B12 and Valerian root when I need it.
How have you successfully overcome these reactions?
I have, and I continue to most of the time. I try not to let my negative thoughts scare me away; I'm so close. But I still need to work harder. I need to get out there and stop looking. I've been in school for so long, always thinking about the future and my degree as such a distant thing. But its not so far away anymore; its just around the corner. I think, overall, that's the scariest part. Leaving my comfort zone and starting fresh. Preparing myself for failure or fortune all at once. Taking a chance when I see an opening. Those are situations I've never really felt I had to pay attention to.
What is your concept of your creative process?
To be creative is to come up with something new and imaginative A process is the series of steps you take to achieve the final product. My idea of a creative process is the steps I take when I am presented with a project or a job; whether its artistic or not. I know that the creative process takes research, study, trial and error, and a lot of patience.
I like to stay fresh and on my toes. I always try new things, especially once I start getting too comfortable with one medium or one idea. When I begin a project, the first thing I do is ask questions, as many questions as I can think of. If there are things about the project that I need to understand or I need to know before I begin, I make sure I'm completely crystal clear on the guidelines and expectations. And then I begin the most important part of my creative process. I start to research. Research, research, research. Who's done it, what have they done, what can I do to make it different, what can I do to make it better? Its not only a way to understand who I'm up against, but its also gives me inspiration. Then I start sketching. I just sketch, anything and everything that comes to mind. I start with contours of things around me; I sketch my room, my desk, my boyfriend, just to loosen me up. And then the ideas start coming, and thats when I start on the real work. I am a slow performer. I need to warm up before I can get my creative juices flowing, I've always been that way. I need time to really think and create before I can begin a project successfully. This is where trial and error comes in to play. I am one of those people who changes their mind over and over and over again. But once I've made a solid decision and I know exactly where I'm going, I go for it, all the way. And most of the time, I produce a successful piece.
--
On another note, I really enjoyed the TedTalks presentation by Elizabeth Gilbert. That is one inspirational woman. I particularly enjoyed everything she was saying about success and the creative "genius." How some people are given a genius rather than being one. And i loved what she said about Tom Waits when she was interviewing him; that, for sure, is one man I'd love to meet one day. Love him! She was really amazing. I'm going to go watch it again and do some more research on her. And... I went out and bought Eat, Prey, Love this afternoon. :)
Definitely. My mom, dad, sisters, friends, acquaintances, you name it. When I was going to GCC, I started off as a Journalism major. Even then my mom was always bothering me about being a nurse or a doctor. She wanted me to chose a career choice that would give me plenty of money in the future. You see, my mom came from a very poor family and then married a man who screwed up over and over and eventually used up all of her money; meanwhile, she had three little girls to support. During that time she worked as a Nurse's aid and then eventually a Housekeeper at Glendale Memorial Hospital. I totally understand why she was worried for me. She had every reason to. But little by little, after I graduated from high school and then was on the verge of getting my AA Degree, she started to back off. After completing all of my GE requirements, she started really listening to me when I would talk about art, reading and writing. Some of my favorite hobbies. I took a few art courses at GCC and thats where I fell in love with design. My mom has seen my work and now she totally supports me.
I still get really worried whenever I think about life after college. I have a little bit of experience, a few past jobs under my belt, but its still not enough to really prepare me, or make me feel confident about the future. Sometimes I wonder if I'm even good enough, but I squash that down because I know I am. Many of my design teachers have had my back from the start. And I've never been more motivated about anything in my entire life. I work hard and I love every bit of it. Recently I've thought about re-connecting with my previous bosses and teachers, to see if there are any companies hiring. Right now, I'm working with some people who just started a new business. I'm designing a logo for them, some flyers, posters and other advertisements. But this wont last forever. I need to start putting myself out there asap. But first, I need to get over my horrid feer of public speaking. Thats what ART 313 at CSULA should help me with. Well, that and B12 and Valerian root when I need it.
How have you successfully overcome these reactions?
I have, and I continue to most of the time. I try not to let my negative thoughts scare me away; I'm so close. But I still need to work harder. I need to get out there and stop looking. I've been in school for so long, always thinking about the future and my degree as such a distant thing. But its not so far away anymore; its just around the corner. I think, overall, that's the scariest part. Leaving my comfort zone and starting fresh. Preparing myself for failure or fortune all at once. Taking a chance when I see an opening. Those are situations I've never really felt I had to pay attention to.
What is your concept of your creative process?
To be creative is to come up with something new and imaginative A process is the series of steps you take to achieve the final product. My idea of a creative process is the steps I take when I am presented with a project or a job; whether its artistic or not. I know that the creative process takes research, study, trial and error, and a lot of patience.
I like to stay fresh and on my toes. I always try new things, especially once I start getting too comfortable with one medium or one idea. When I begin a project, the first thing I do is ask questions, as many questions as I can think of. If there are things about the project that I need to understand or I need to know before I begin, I make sure I'm completely crystal clear on the guidelines and expectations. And then I begin the most important part of my creative process. I start to research. Research, research, research. Who's done it, what have they done, what can I do to make it different, what can I do to make it better? Its not only a way to understand who I'm up against, but its also gives me inspiration. Then I start sketching. I just sketch, anything and everything that comes to mind. I start with contours of things around me; I sketch my room, my desk, my boyfriend, just to loosen me up. And then the ideas start coming, and thats when I start on the real work. I am a slow performer. I need to warm up before I can get my creative juices flowing, I've always been that way. I need time to really think and create before I can begin a project successfully. This is where trial and error comes in to play. I am one of those people who changes their mind over and over and over again. But once I've made a solid decision and I know exactly where I'm going, I go for it, all the way. And most of the time, I produce a successful piece.
--
On another note, I really enjoyed the TedTalks presentation by Elizabeth Gilbert. That is one inspirational woman. I particularly enjoyed everything she was saying about success and the creative "genius." How some people are given a genius rather than being one. And i loved what she said about Tom Waits when she was interviewing him; that, for sure, is one man I'd love to meet one day. Love him! She was really amazing. I'm going to go watch it again and do some more research on her. And... I went out and bought Eat, Prey, Love this afternoon. :)
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Clients, Users, Visualization Exercises
Clients are the marketers who engage a graphic designer's services. The difference between a client (the marketer) and the user (audience) is, the audience are the people who a graphic designer is creating the experiences for. The user's are who will be buying the products, the people who will have an experience when engaging in the products or logo or advertisement the designer is creating.
Yesterday, Jimmy Moss, who I've mentioned in my previous blogs, was trying to express to us, his students, why it is so important to understand the client base, and the different profiles between the client and the user. And during this conversation, he began talking about goals and how I, as a designer, will have to learn how to manage my time wisely and give myself the appropriate deadlines, according to what my client base is, to be able to completely my objectives successfully. I have taken a couple of graphic design classes before, at my community college, and Dana Maiden was one of my teachers. She was the first to introduce me to the importance of time management and why creating deadlines for yourself is so important. She told me that I knew how I work and what it takes for me to get things done, she told me that if I gave myself deadlines, within the deadlines my client gives me, not only would I be able to complete my work on time, but my work would be more successful and much more properly executed, given the extra time cushion. Jimmy expressed this to us as well. He told us that by coming up with our own deadlines, it will prepare us for being able to render our own decisions and develop many different strategies for completing our tasks effectively and sufficiently. Pretty exciting stuff.
Anyway, we had a little exercise yesterday, a Visualization Exercise.
Jimmy told us a little story. He had us close our eyes and visualize the story he was telling us. It was about taking a journey; I got up from bed on a sunny day, I walked through my small town towards a forest on a hill. Climbing through the forest I came to a cliff where I marveled at the beauty around me and then flew on a white birds back across the sky to another small grassy clearing where I saw an inviting cave and entered a door with my name on it. And as he came to a close he asked us to draw what we saw in through the door. Funny enough, I was immediately expecting to see something horrific starring back at me through the darkness, even though the story Jimmy had just told us was sweet and light. I watched a scary movie the night before and images of that demon face came flooding back into my thoughts; I only slept three hours that night. Anyway, I realized as I was drawing, that images in my head of the story Jimmy had told us started flooding back into my mind as I drew, so I began rendering those as well. Its hard for me to concentrate on one thing whenever I work, which is why I constantly take notes on things I see or hear around me all day, every day. So, as I was drawing my dark scary cave, I started drawing the story he told us. Me, the girl, waking up on a sunny day, the thick forest and pretty flowers, the giant white bird and the clouds, the cave. The story was irrelevant to what the initial outcome of what i saw in the cave was, but as I drew, I couldn't help but think of the story, so I drew that too. It was such an awesome way to get your creative juices flowing, artistically and intellectually. It reminded me of when I do blind contour drawings as exercise before I start a project. What was even more awesome was seeing everyones different perspective of what they saw when they entered the door with their name on it. Some people saw happy sunny places, like the beach, or an art studio, while others saw a scene from a horror movie like I did. It was excellent.
This is a picture of what I illustrated:
Yesterday, Jimmy Moss, who I've mentioned in my previous blogs, was trying to express to us, his students, why it is so important to understand the client base, and the different profiles between the client and the user. And during this conversation, he began talking about goals and how I, as a designer, will have to learn how to manage my time wisely and give myself the appropriate deadlines, according to what my client base is, to be able to completely my objectives successfully. I have taken a couple of graphic design classes before, at my community college, and Dana Maiden was one of my teachers. She was the first to introduce me to the importance of time management and why creating deadlines for yourself is so important. She told me that I knew how I work and what it takes for me to get things done, she told me that if I gave myself deadlines, within the deadlines my client gives me, not only would I be able to complete my work on time, but my work would be more successful and much more properly executed, given the extra time cushion. Jimmy expressed this to us as well. He told us that by coming up with our own deadlines, it will prepare us for being able to render our own decisions and develop many different strategies for completing our tasks effectively and sufficiently. Pretty exciting stuff.
Anyway, we had a little exercise yesterday, a Visualization Exercise.
Jimmy told us a little story. He had us close our eyes and visualize the story he was telling us. It was about taking a journey; I got up from bed on a sunny day, I walked through my small town towards a forest on a hill. Climbing through the forest I came to a cliff where I marveled at the beauty around me and then flew on a white birds back across the sky to another small grassy clearing where I saw an inviting cave and entered a door with my name on it. And as he came to a close he asked us to draw what we saw in through the door. Funny enough, I was immediately expecting to see something horrific starring back at me through the darkness, even though the story Jimmy had just told us was sweet and light. I watched a scary movie the night before and images of that demon face came flooding back into my thoughts; I only slept three hours that night. Anyway, I realized as I was drawing, that images in my head of the story Jimmy had told us started flooding back into my mind as I drew, so I began rendering those as well. Its hard for me to concentrate on one thing whenever I work, which is why I constantly take notes on things I see or hear around me all day, every day. So, as I was drawing my dark scary cave, I started drawing the story he told us. Me, the girl, waking up on a sunny day, the thick forest and pretty flowers, the giant white bird and the clouds, the cave. The story was irrelevant to what the initial outcome of what i saw in the cave was, but as I drew, I couldn't help but think of the story, so I drew that too. It was such an awesome way to get your creative juices flowing, artistically and intellectually. It reminded me of when I do blind contour drawings as exercise before I start a project. What was even more awesome was seeing everyones different perspective of what they saw when they entered the door with their name on it. Some people saw happy sunny places, like the beach, or an art studio, while others saw a scene from a horror movie like I did. It was excellent.
This is a picture of what I illustrated:
Monday, January 14, 2013
Group Process & Criteria
Almost anywhere you go, you will see symbols and signs; different forms of cumunicating directions to help you find your way around. Whether its at the local mall or in a parking garage. Over time, the way these signs were created have evolved; sometimes not even for the better.
In my Concept Development class, my classmates and I were given an assignment. We had to analyse last weeks homework, the project where we had to create comic cells based on the 'How I Made It to College' exercise, and come up with a criteria on how we were going to rank each persons final product; from the one of which was best delivered, to the one which was the least successful. We had twenty minutes to complete this exercise. My classmates and I came up with a list of four criterias, to which we would be scoring; 1) Clarity of the Message, 2) Neatness, 3) Creativity, and 4) The use of Color. This assignment was definitely a challenge. We all learned immediately that communication was key to completing the assignment successfully, and we failed. Right off the bat, we all jumped in and tried to take the 'leaders' position. We all bumped heads, stumbled over each others words; it was a mess. We were all talking instead of trying to listen and understand what each of us had to say. It wasn't until over 10 minutes into our time that we finally agreed on a scoring strategy and got to work.
Once our time was over, our instructor, Jimmy Moss, questioned us about why we chose that list of criteria and what each factor meant. Some of us answered these questions unsuccessfully. As we analysed what the original assignment was, we learned as a class that it isn't easy to just quickly navigate through thirty or so stories from thirty different perspectives. We needed a hell of a lot more time than twenty minutes to properly analyze each comic strip. Furthermore, we discovered that our list of criteria were not individually strong enough. And last but not least, our biggest challenge was how we handled a group process, a group effort. How we worked as a team to complete the objective. I learned today that sometimes, when working with a team, you have to know when to speak and when to just shut up and listen. I think, overall, this was our biggest challenge.
In my Concept Development class, my classmates and I were given an assignment. We had to analyse last weeks homework, the project where we had to create comic cells based on the 'How I Made It to College' exercise, and come up with a criteria on how we were going to rank each persons final product; from the one of which was best delivered, to the one which was the least successful. We had twenty minutes to complete this exercise. My classmates and I came up with a list of four criterias, to which we would be scoring; 1) Clarity of the Message, 2) Neatness, 3) Creativity, and 4) The use of Color. This assignment was definitely a challenge. We all learned immediately that communication was key to completing the assignment successfully, and we failed. Right off the bat, we all jumped in and tried to take the 'leaders' position. We all bumped heads, stumbled over each others words; it was a mess. We were all talking instead of trying to listen and understand what each of us had to say. It wasn't until over 10 minutes into our time that we finally agreed on a scoring strategy and got to work.
Once our time was over, our instructor, Jimmy Moss, questioned us about why we chose that list of criteria and what each factor meant. Some of us answered these questions unsuccessfully. As we analysed what the original assignment was, we learned as a class that it isn't easy to just quickly navigate through thirty or so stories from thirty different perspectives. We needed a hell of a lot more time than twenty minutes to properly analyze each comic strip. Furthermore, we discovered that our list of criteria were not individually strong enough. And last but not least, our biggest challenge was how we handled a group process, a group effort. How we worked as a team to complete the objective. I learned today that sometimes, when working with a team, you have to know when to speak and when to just shut up and listen. I think, overall, this was our biggest challenge.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Visual Literacy
Visual Literacy: to read and understand something visually. Ways of understanding what we see. Visual communication.
Pictures have the capacity to tell us a huge amount of information. It's a "seductive and powerful medium," as said by my Concept Development instructor, Jimmy Moss. Being able to communicate information through a visual experience has manifested and become a major role of cultural communication in my generation. In class today, Jimmy Moss was discussing the difference between visual evidence vs. conclusions us viewers draw from an image. "What you see vs. what you think you see."
Today, Jimmy showed us an older black and white image, The Critic by Weegee, and he asked us to describe what we 'see' not what we presume the picture is about. Never before have I looked at an image and viewed it without some kind of judgement or presumption as to what I think I'm looking at. When I looked at the image he showed us, I saw three women, two walking towards the camera wearing expensive clothing and the other, presumably a woman, with a side view of her face and body, wearing a more modest, shabby outfit. Immediately my response to the image was a judgement call. I analysed what I thought I was seeing, not what was actually there. I 'jumped the gun,' if you will.
With a little more understanding, and breaking down the image to what was actually there, the evidence, I discovered the image was taken to represent two basic facts, not an entire story. The privileged vs. the un-privileged. You see it in their body language, the expressions on the three figures' faces, the direction the figures are facing, and the different values on each figure.
Anyway, as the class went on, we discussed the importance of imagery, and the effect it can have on people. The different ways imagery is used, on buses, on bilboards, on political posters for campaigns. Visual communications is made up of imagery that causes the viewer to have an experience and most likely that experience is influenced by the way the designer has developed the information. Jimmy emphasized how designers have to power to communicate what they want to communicate, if the information is designed correctly. For a quick assignment in class, Jimmy had us create a short graphic novel called How I Made It to College, using four comic cells, in 20 minutes. We were supposed to translate important events that led us to Cal State Los Angeles. To translate a decent amount of information in four cells, and make it understandable while producing as much information as needed was a difficult task. Somehow, it was harder for me to translate an experience through imagery than it was to understand imagery when I was looking at it.
Pictures have the capacity to tell us a huge amount of information. It's a "seductive and powerful medium," as said by my Concept Development instructor, Jimmy Moss. Being able to communicate information through a visual experience has manifested and become a major role of cultural communication in my generation. In class today, Jimmy Moss was discussing the difference between visual evidence vs. conclusions us viewers draw from an image. "What you see vs. what you think you see."
Today, Jimmy showed us an older black and white image, The Critic by Weegee, and he asked us to describe what we 'see' not what we presume the picture is about. Never before have I looked at an image and viewed it without some kind of judgement or presumption as to what I think I'm looking at. When I looked at the image he showed us, I saw three women, two walking towards the camera wearing expensive clothing and the other, presumably a woman, with a side view of her face and body, wearing a more modest, shabby outfit. Immediately my response to the image was a judgement call. I analysed what I thought I was seeing, not what was actually there. I 'jumped the gun,' if you will.
With a little more understanding, and breaking down the image to what was actually there, the evidence, I discovered the image was taken to represent two basic facts, not an entire story. The privileged vs. the un-privileged. You see it in their body language, the expressions on the three figures' faces, the direction the figures are facing, and the different values on each figure.
Anyway, as the class went on, we discussed the importance of imagery, and the effect it can have on people. The different ways imagery is used, on buses, on bilboards, on political posters for campaigns. Visual communications is made up of imagery that causes the viewer to have an experience and most likely that experience is influenced by the way the designer has developed the information. Jimmy emphasized how designers have to power to communicate what they want to communicate, if the information is designed correctly. For a quick assignment in class, Jimmy had us create a short graphic novel called How I Made It to College, using four comic cells, in 20 minutes. We were supposed to translate important events that led us to Cal State Los Angeles. To translate a decent amount of information in four cells, and make it understandable while producing as much information as needed was a difficult task. Somehow, it was harder for me to translate an experience through imagery than it was to understand imagery when I was looking at it.
Monday, January 7, 2013
Persuasion and Presentation
In my Concept Development class at California State University of Los Angeles, my professor, Jimmy Moss, developed a "perception" exercise for his new students this Winter Quarter. Our exercise was to go around the room -- as your name was called from a stack of cards-- stand up, present yourself, say three things about yourself; two being true facts and one being a complete lie. The rest of the class meanwhile, will have to try to read the speaker and decide which fact was the lie. This gave the speaker the opportunity to practice persuasion, influencing the audience to believe you through the attitude you present in your presentation. Furthermore, the audience was able to perceive and interpret through sight and sound which fact about the speaker was false.
As a naturally shy person, immediately I felt overwhelmed as I quickly scanned through my current skills and interests. Mind you, this took me a matter or seconds, all in my head, and naturally I had rethink all of my choices every time another fellow classmate was called. "What are my interests again? Oh yeah. What should I pretend is true? Oh yeah." However, watching each of my classmates slowly unwind into a casual banter and excited laughter, the overall experience was indeed relaxing and fun. I found myself commenting and laughing with the rest of the class. Overall, it was a really great experience.
As a naturally shy person, immediately I felt overwhelmed as I quickly scanned through my current skills and interests. Mind you, this took me a matter or seconds, all in my head, and naturally I had rethink all of my choices every time another fellow classmate was called. "What are my interests again? Oh yeah. What should I pretend is true? Oh yeah." However, watching each of my classmates slowly unwind into a casual banter and excited laughter, the overall experience was indeed relaxing and fun. I found myself commenting and laughing with the rest of the class. Overall, it was a really great experience.
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