Geek Culture - Vector Icons (Round #2)

Geek Culture - Vector Icons (Round #1)

Intro-Active Postponed Until March 3rd!

The last Intro Active was really informative. Don't miss out tonight! 

Intro-Active is a topical lecture series and moderated discussion specially developed for traditional print designers, new professionals and students interested in transitioning to or gaining a foundational knowledge of web design.

A strategic view of web design will be introduced over the course of 4 sessions. At each session selected speakers — from social media and usability experts to interactive designers and developers — will give their points of view as experienced industry professionals and arm attendees with resources, vocabulary, inspiration and confidence on relevant web design topics.

Intro-Active 2: Crafting Interactive User Experiences
This session will explain user interface and information architecture methods and help define their relationships to designers and the web design process

Guest Speakers
Jeni Yakel, Associate Director of User Experience at VML

Jason Rincker, Senior Visual Designer at Sprint

REGISTER

PJ 2 Icons - First Round

Nintendo NES System (This is being edited with a more stylistic approach. See the glasses below for an example)

Black Glasses (This is the basis for the revisions to my other images)

USB Flash Drive (Sharper angles are being added)

TV (New angles are being added)

Energy Drinks (This will be replaced)

Book (This will be replaced)

The Seven Deadly Sins

I created a layer association chart based on what tyler mentioned in class today about the different layers of association regarding image. The other form is a scenery chart for mocking up / storyboarding my photographic composition in order as they would appear in the website.

Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy, Pride

Typography:

Garamond, or hand drawn typography. I believe that my concept of clean and simple compositions would be strengthened by a serif typeface like Garamond or my own take on something similar.

NARROWED DOWN CONCEPTS

• Remnants: A series of images based on the seven deadly sins. Each image would show the “remains” of the night before, or the aftermath of an event. At times small signs of people exiting the scene may be appropriate. For example a hand swinging at your side as it falls to your side as you exit a room.
• Animals to represent the sins: Gluttony would be a pig.  Anger could be a bear. Envy a domesticated animal like a dog. Sub-concept: People as animals? Masks? Props?
• Hands to represent the sins.  I would use hands interacting with other hands. Using some props such as knives etc.
• Use different kinds of foods to represent the different sins. If needed also in various states of decay.
• Paper craft: Creating abstract compositions that represent each sin.
• A versus concept: Pitting the sins against the virtues. I would use images depicting the struggle through interesting placement and interaction of objects. Lust:Chastity,  Gluttony:Temperance, Greed:Charity, Sloth:Diligence, Wrath:Patience, Envy:Kindness, Pride:Humility.
• (Might be too far off the path) Photograph: Book of Proverbs, it is stated that the Lord specifically regards "six things the Lord hateth, and the seventh His soul detesteth." Namely:

o   A proud look.

o   A lying tongue.

o   Hands that shed innocent blood.

o   A heart that devises wicked plots.

o   Feet that are swift to run into mischief.

o   A deceitful witness that uttereth lies.

o   Him that soweth discord among brethren

Photographic ConceptS

Photographic Concept: Different shades of color filters imposed over the image or cast in a colored light. For example: Anger could be red, and envy Green.

Photographic Concept: Possibly use a Polaroid camera, or cross processed images if I can get access to C-41 chemicals and slide film.

Typographic Campaign - Billboards & Buswrap Final Revisions

This is the third and final round of revisions for my billboard and buswrap section of my typographic campaign. 

My final revisions after our last crit:

I added my web address to all sides of my bus. 

I enlarged the size of the website address on all sides of the bus to make it more visible. 

I adjusted the size of my texture on the back of my bus's to make room for the web address. 

I took a note from the class crit and resized some of the quotations on my bus wraps and billboards because some of the type was getting too close to the sides of the bus / billboard. 

On the last bus wrap I adjusted the rotation of the texture to work both vertically and horizontally instead of trying to force one idea I discovered both together work stronger as a composition. 

Tecumseh Final Poster

Above is my first version of my Tecumseh poster. 

Just a quick break down of the symbolism. The separate shapes and chief headdress represent division among the tribal leadership between Tecumseh and the Prophet which helped lead the Shawnee towards destruction. The red and blue shapes along with the off white background represent the American flag also as a source of conflict. The two guns one of British nature, and the other of American rustic design who the separate factions and loyalties that pulled the two apart. 

Above is my final poster for Tecumseh.

IMAGERY: 

The dream catcher represents his dreams of uniting the remaining native american tribes against the American expansion.  The dager represents the betrayal and deceit of his brother that crushed his dream.

The heart torn in two represents the heart of betrayal. The two opposing beliefs of pacifism versus open warfare in the Shawnee tribe.  

The red and blue heart pieces on the aged white background represents the american flag. 

LIGHTING: 

My lighting was focused on the dream catcher illuminating his life's work. 

I created this effect by using the centered spot light in the photo room. 

Along with another soft box to diffuse the light near the top of the poster to remove extra shadow. 

REASONING:

I believe that this is the right image to portray for the museum's exhibit because it highlights Tecumseh's legacy, and ultimately  his death. Considering not much else is known about his life outside of the imagery that I covered, and no physical image of him have ever been found. 

I believe that this poster would attract people to see the exhibit based on their personal relation to struggles in one's life and celebration of a cultural icon of the American Indian. 

POST CRIT:

Major flaw, I neglected to enlarge the title of the poster. Tecumseh is missing clearly as a title of the exhibit. 

The lighting could be a little less yellow post printing. 

Dieter Rams' Ten Principles To "Good Design"

Rams' Ten Principles To "Good Design"
"Recently Rams' work has been reprised in the context of its influence on Jonathan Ive of Apple Inc. In the documentary film Objectified, Rams states that Apple is the only company designing products according to his principles."


Good design:

• Is innovative - Rams states that possibilities for innovation in design are unlikely to be exhausted since technological development is always offering new opportunities for innovative design. He also highlights that innovative design always develops in tandem with innovative technology and can never be an end in and of itself.

• Makes a product useful - A product is bought to be used. It has to satisfy certain criteria, not only functional, but also psychological and aesthetic. Good design emphasises the usefulness of a product whilst disregarding anything that could possibly detract from it.

• Is aesthetic - Only well-executed objects can be beautiful. The aesthetic quality of a product is integral to its usefulness because products used every day have an effect on people and their well-being.

• Makes a product understandable - It clarifies the product’s structure. Better still, it can make the product clearly express its function by making use of the user's intuition. At best, it is self-explanatory.

• Is unobtrusive - Products and their design should be both neutral and restrained, to leave room for the user’s self-expression. Products fulfilling a purpose are like tools and are neither decorative objects nor works of art.

• Is honest - Honest design should not attempt to make a product seem more innovative, powerful or valuable than it really is. It should not attempt to manipulate the consumer with promises that cannot be kept.

• Is long-lasting - It should avoid being fashionable and therefore never appears antiquated. Unlike fashionable design, it lasts many years – even when the trend may be in favor for disposable products.

• Is thorough down to the last detail - Dieter Rams states that nothing must be arbitrary or left to chance in the design of a product since care and accuracy in the design process show respect towards the consumer.

• Is environmentally friendly - Good design should make an important contribution to the preservation of the environment by conserving resources and minimizing physical and visual pollution throughout the lifecycle of the product.

• Is as little design as possible - Dieter Rams makes the distinction between the common "Less is more" and his strongly advised "Less, but better" highlighting the fact that this approach focuses on the essential aspects thus, the products are not burdened with non-essentials. The desirable result would then be purer and simpler.

Wikipedia

Print Center Can Take More Print Orders Today ( Image Class )

Hey guys I wanted to shoot out an blog post so everyone knows that its not too late to print your poster in the print center today. 

I will be there working from 5:30 to 7:30 to help out so come by if you wanted too but were concerned it was too late!

Typographic Campaign - Buses & Billboards Iterations Round #2

I will be moving forward with my red iterations after critique today.

Post Crit Decisions: (These pertain to the Red iterations only) 

• I will be replacing my thin typeface with a still visibly thin type but bold enough to be legible for the application on the bus.

• Instead of using white box shapes to show a reversal of contrast for emphasis and second meaning (which allowed for the reader to receive the message even if they could only catch a part of it moving quickly in a moving vehicle) with a BOLD type instead to give the same visual appearance. 

• If I choose to rotate the kit image I must do so on all of them. I'm still torn on to do this or not. I think having the kit texture being turned at an angle helps portray speed and motion but at what cost to my other two designs which benefit from being straight on horizontal. 

• The first bus skin will have to be adjusted because it uses two separate kit items. Michael pointed out I could simply use the circle again at a larger scale which should resolve the problem. 

• The second red bus skin I will have to make the choice to either rotate the kit design horizontal or vertical. After crit I believe there is no question to making the horizontal choice. 

• Personally I think that the first concept is the strongest but we'll see once the next round of iterations are complete. 

My current color pallet

Typographic Campaign - Billboards Iterations Round #1

The concept of my campaign is "Graphic Design as a means to improve society through inspiration".

My revised quotes are:

• "Good art inspires; Good design motivates."
  - Otl Aicher
• "Design is about making things good (and then better)and right (and fantastic) for the people who use and encounter them."
  - Matt Beale
• "Design creates culture. Culture shapes values. Values determine the future."
  - Robert L. Peters
  

The most successful of these designs was the first and third red composition, and the third of the white compositions according to critique. 

I will also be moving forward with revisions and implementation of more of my kit items. 

My pallet and resources

Appropriate Quote For Our Current Typography Project

"Art has to move you and design does not, unless it’s a good design for a bus."

- David Hockney

Refined Digital Explorations + Typographic Experiment

Typography Experiment using different color cans of cat food to create repetitive letter forms. 

Needless to say I got some crazy looks doing this one. 

H's

I's

A's

Anomaly

Concentration

Direction

Gradient

Repetition

Space #1

Space #2

Texture #1

Texture #2

Texture #3 - Coffee (W/ and without creme)

The Constructed Image - Tecumseh - Progress Review

Above is my first version of my Tecumseh poster. Just a quick break down of the symbolism. The separate shapes and chief headdress represent division among the tribal leadership between Tecumseh and the Prophet which helped lead the Shawnee towards destruction. The red and blue shapes along with the off white background represent the American flag also as a source of conflict. The two guns one of British nature, and the other of American rustic design who the separate factions and loyalties that pulled the two apart.

Post critique I have started the new version of the poster below with adjustments. 

In the new version of the poster I plan on cutting out the bird images and adjusting them to make them more legible and also more representational of a human heart. I plan on cutting small wholes in the heart / bird and casting light down above it and tracing the circle spots that avoid the light. The area underneath that isn't bathed in light will be painted blood red. Instead of the two guns, I am going to use one large native american knife possibly embedded in the base of the poster or mid cut through the poster. The quote would rest between the heart and the knife. Still ironing out the rest of the details. 

Design Archeology - Geek Culture - Final Book (Updated)

Modern Geek Culture & Values

Modern Geek Culture, places high value on intellectual pursuits, technological exploration, collection, and celebration of material objects that pick their curiosity.

Such as a wide array of objects ranging from the creation of custom designed computers to stress relief outlets in the form of video games, and science-fiction novels.

Modern Geek Culture also champions the idea of the individual. Someone who is unwilling to follow trends, and who instead focuses on things that interest them personally at times even to the point of bordering on obsessive.


Layout Concept

My layout has two shapes. Every spread except for Gamer Chairs, and TV's are in a diamond shape <> to varying lengths and widths. Gamer Chairs, and TV's are in a cross layout + to break up the visual progression through the book.

The images in my layout goes from larger to small based on the popularity of the items on each spread.

The layout also represents the introspective nature of the Modern Geek by bringing the items that represent them into the center of the composition as one would bring in the things that represent them and support them emotionally in a personal place of safe keeping.