Strictly Typography

This past week in lecture we watched a few music videos integrated with image and typography. The music videos reminded me of what we were most recently studying: comic books. Especially Check It Out by Will.I.Am featuring Nicki Minaj because of the bright vibrant colors in the costumes and backgrounds. This video was especially interesting because the typography was in Korean and had literal translations to the words in the song. Like the comic books these music videos were juxtaposing word and image. After lecture I stopped thinking about the music videos and word and image and just made my way home. At home I got into my usual routine of playing music off of youtube. While I was listening to Raise Your Glass by Pink I couldn’t help but notice a video that was strictly typography that was made to go with the song. Naturally since I just came out of class I was curious so I clicked on it and watched it. Now I have seen many typography videos but I’m pretty sure this was the best one I have seen so far. The way the font fit in with the words of the song and how the came on the screen was simply put as fabulous. Here just watch it for yourself and comment on what you think about it.

Brian Fies Word and Image

Brian Fies cartoonist of Mom’s Cancer and Whatever Happened to the world of Tomorrow came to our class to lecture on his design process. Fies honesty and deep passion was very inspirational. His story about having to temporarily give up comics to be able to support his family and then coming back to it later represents his true dedication.  Fies came to describe the long process of making his comic book about his mother’s cancer.  Fies sponge like behavior helped him stay true; for instance, he talked about how he use to write down what his mother said, the doctor, his two sisters, and even what he was saying at the moment.  Fies claimed that in order for the comic to be successful he had to tell it how it was.  The words had to match what was going on and so did the images. The one image that had the strongest effect on Fies was the one of his mother in her chair going through chemotherapy. The powerful image shows exactly what was happening in the room. To display this Fies used words to help describe the setting and sets the mood that life continues to go on while his mom slips into a daze.  Another powerful image is the one used for the cover it has a comic style because the panels are present but the way they are split is emotion provoking because it shows how his mother is distant. Fies explained how he wanted the cover of his comic to be the one of his mom in the chair but after hundreds of other cover options the one with the split panels came to be the final choice.  Sometimes things are a hit and miss but this was definitely a hit.

Absorb

Earlier this week in lecture, Housefield made me contemplate his insanity when he stuck a sponge in his coffee cup and slurped up the coffee from the sponge. He then proceeded to say, “Word up, be a sponge”.  From what I took from it the whole point of his presentation was to show that as a designer you are still a student and need to “drink it up” and by drinking it up I think he meant your surroundings. Being a sponge is just one of many creative processes. By being a sponge you find what interests you and you work out of what you know and what you’ve experienced.  Brian Fies is a great example of using this creative process.  When Fies’ mother was fighting cancer he was also fighting cancer. Not only was his mother experiencing cancer but in a way he was too and he absorbed her experiences and as well as his other family members into an idea. This idea consisted of finding his mother’s voice and using the family’s experience as a window for other people to absorb some of the things his family went through.  Fies shows us that absorbing our surroundings as well as other’s surrounding is a learning experience for everyone. Applying the concept of absorbing to your daily life will not only open up your eyes but will inspire you to make steps towards life changing experiences. 

Playing

This may sound crazy but one day this week I woke up and decided I wanted change. Not change in the future but change now. Not change for the world but change for me. This change I decided to take was giving myself a haircut.  I woke up and said, “Hey, I’m going to give myself a haircut,” so I did.  Sometimes you just have to do things in the spur of the moment.  Professor Housefield lectured about the importance of play. I use to play all the time when I was younger and I miss those days. I use to frequently play with Barbie Dolls and I use to pretend that I was a hair stylist and cut their hair and style them. I thought I was pretty good for an 8 year old and even considered it as a when I grow up I want to be a hairdresser. So when I woke up that glorious morning I thought about my Barbie Dolls and I missed those days and so inspired by Housefield’s lecture on play, I gave myself a haircut.  But the best part is that I used my hair to make art.  I felt like I needed to fulfill this radical movement for change with some posters. Forget Obama’s ideas for change we all should cut out hair and make posters. I am totally kidding but seriously I think in order to be successful work should feel like play because I believe in investments and we should invest in experiences through play. 

De Young Museum

I never imagined myself saying that a museum is popping on a Friday night.  On October 22, 2010 I took a trip to San Francisco to hear my current design professor Dr. Housefield lecture on Gauguin. I would like to note that this was my first trip ever to San Francisco and from it I will be making more trips over there.  I was not able to catch the feel of the San Francisco city life because I was so absorbed into the De Young Museum. The museum had live music, dancing, and actors acting as artists. It was bizarre because theses actors were actually legit artists and represented the artists they posed as extremely well.  But best of all, never in my life have I almost had a heart attack but I think that was something I can say I experienced in San Francisco walking through an exhibition. Now this may seem ironic since heart attacks are nothing to joke about but this was a good kind of feeling. Of course I knew the exhibition was going to obtain works by Van Gogh, Seurat, Cézanne, Gauguin, and many others but I had no idea what effects these works would have on me. I was looking at the works and then I looked across the room and  (this may sound cliché) made an instant connection with “Starry Night “ by Van Gogh.  As I approached this painting my heart immediately stopped beating. Maybe it was because I was in the presence of living history or because I was taken aback by its beauty and simplicity but I honestly thought I was going to go into cardiac arrest. It was such an amazing experience!

Design as Conversation

I walk up smiling to an entourage of people. I don’t know these people but they look friendly. As I near the circle, I take my time to look everyone in the eye and then enthusiastically I say, “Hello, nice to meet you!” The moment I started walking till the moment “hello” left my mouth a conversation had begun.  There are many different forms and styles of conversation. But every conversation begins with an approach. People always say the first impression is the last impression. Personally, I don’t agree with that but a first impression does begin with body language.  Body language is a form of conversation and at times actions will speak louder than words. Design can be seen as a form of conversation, it has no need for words like body language but you can use them if you want to. That’s what makes design so amazing there are infinite limits to making good conversation. A good designer knows how to relay a message with or without words and with enough clarity for even a squirrel to understand while a good conversationalist can relay a message in few words and some animated gestures. The whole point of a conversation is to say something. Design is conversation because there is a message being put out to an audience. Design is “Hello, nice to meet you”.

Atmosphere

Atmosphere

Music is therapeutic but it is also inspirational. When times are hard and when times are swell music will always be there. Sometimes artists go into dry spells that range from weeks to months and when I go into a spell I look for inspiration in music.  My favorite group is Atmosphere! I can always count on them to bring me up from my lows and higher from my highs.  I’m even listening to them at this very moment.  I am just so inspired! Atmosphere sets the mood for me at all the times and at anytime. There is something about Atmosphere that inspires me.  It could be the easy listening style of music produced by Ant (Atmosphere) or it could be because Slug (Atmosphere) is a lyrical genius.  I mean c’mon Slug is my favorite rapper. This dynamic duo spits fire so hot that even I catch on. When I’m creating, designing, or dappling in the arts either Atmosphere or the beauty of silence or even the sounds of nature rock my playlists.  Correct me if I’m wrong but I say a good amount of people listen to music when they are creating. Not just musical artists but sound. I count sound as music because I’m just a noisy person and all sounds inspire me.  Subconsciously, when listening to music you might feel your hand moving and working with the music.  Two arts coming together and collaborating now fancy that! If you are feeling uninspired try looking for inspiration in music. Next time you are listening to music try and recreate someone’s verbal art into visual art with your own spin on it.

Web Design

We live in the age of technology where electronics dominate our culture.  We have come to a day an age where addiction now includes technology such as Internet and video games.  The Internet was originally designed for communication capabilities and information services. Since then we have evolved these ideas and put them to use with things like advertising and networking.  Now speaking of networking, Facebook is probably the most visited networking service online. Networking is a great way to get connected with people in your community but it can also be dangerous for various reasons. Facebook can become dangerous when you fall victim to its ability to distract you from all possible activities. Distraction could be seen as an addiction, a disease, I am addicted to being distracted. I wouldn’t be surprised if that was a real disease. Distraction is not a disease but it is a good form of web design. One aspect of successful web design is how well it attracts people to its site also known as its visual design. The visual design is what initially brings people to a site and keeps them there. The most important thing for a site is its information design or how easy and accessible it is. For example, Google is an excellent example of information design because everything about it is straightforward. A good website is like a good restaurant if the service is satisfying along with fulfilling the consumer with a purpose then you have a loyal customer. You’ll have them coming back whether it be for temporary distraction or fine dining.

Creativity From Without

Upon first appearance, these may look like your average dream catchers, but they are far from it.  They are dream catchers but they’re made from random stuff I found laying around the house.  From the tops of plastic cups to the cardboard cylinders that hold your toilet paper, living in California has made me go green. Instead of buying materials, I look for them. Finding creativity from without is the knowledge of discovering inspirations in the most miniscule places. I love dream catchers and everything about them. Maybe it’s the spider web inside, the feathers, or the story that goes with it, but I do know that I love them. My slight obsession for dream catchers began last year when an Apache tribe came to my high school. The Apaches told their stories about their reservation and the traditions they try to follow in today’s modern society.  Strangely, the Apaches didn’t talk about dream catchers at all, but just seeing them perform rituals reminded me of a time when I was younger. When I was a girl scout I remember taking a trip to a reservation and seeing dream catchers everywhere. Just seeing the Apaches reminded me of the times I treasured the most. Those treasured times are of my childhood, and as I child my creativity was at its best. Since then I’ve made over sixty dream catchers and have given them to friends and family.  It’s strange to think that something like the rim of a plastic cup could lead you back to the youth of your years. 

Stone Soup

If you were thinking Ke$ha (musical artist) had come to Davis and thrown up on a box you were wrong.  Earlier this week in design class our teacher wanted us to participate in a group activity called stone soup. The purpose of this activity was to get a group of people to come together and create something out of a few items donated by each person.  As the class marched outside, the group I’m in got together and in an almost cult fashion we dumped our contributions on the ground that lay before us.  Fortunately, we have a diverse group of male and female designers and I think because of this we were able to bring a wide variety of objects. Personally, I contributed cardboard boxes, which happened to be the base of our creation.  The materials we had ranged from moss to colored tissue paper. Out of all of the other groups I think our group can grab the title: most colorful. Being the clever person I am, I call our creation: clutterful. This self -proclaimed title is ironic because we were outside and there was plenty of space we could have utilized.  I imagine that if you were to walk by, seeing the design community at its best would inspire you.  Within our group, watching my fellow designers make things and then collaborate with everyone else’s mini creations was an accomplishment within itself. I didn’t think all of our ideas were going to mesh well. I was obviously wrong because our creation turned out unique. I found it amusing when other groups made human like creations because in reading Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud, McCloud asserts how we as a race are very self-centered and how we see ourselves in pretty much everything.  Here’s some food for thought: How self-centered are you?

Shields Library

Are libraries made for studying or are they made to distract wandering eyes like mine?  Libraries are supposed to be filled with books and when I was trying to look for some books (being the intellectual that I am) I couldn’t help but notice the artwork on the walls.  Earlier this week in design class we discussed what design was and whether it was a verb or a noun. Well, I think it’s both, but the main thing we came up with was that design has to be created by man. Sorry guys, nature doesn’t count as the type of design we are discussing here. So anyways, as I was sitting in the library, I decided that artwork on the walls were design because obviously someone planned it out and then proceeded to create it. The picture attached to this post (hence the one up above) if I could I would love to give proper credit to whomever created it, but unfortunately, I could not find that information anywhere. So to our unknown artist thank you for your creation. The thing that interested me the most was not the design of the art piece but the idea that this art piece is a product of design and is being used as a design in order to design a room. All of this design is mind boggling by the design. This idea could potential go on because I could continue on how everything from the building and its structure to its exact placement is all design related. But I won’t.  Somehow, design once again has managed to make me ponder its whereabouts.  

Something Beyond

     Design in society? Really, where is design? Design is everywhere it almost smothers us. For instance, I am sitting here in my dorm room, and if I didn’t think about it I would have never known that I am surrounded by the fabulous world of design. From my funky monkey smoothie to my bed comforter different aspects of design appear to be everywhere.  For some odd reason I am freakishly obsessed with my bed comforter. Why you may ask? Besides the fact, that it’s the most fantastic bedding in Davis, California, this comforter holds meaning to me. A good graphic is one that catches and captivates the consumer’s needs and desires. Since I live in southern California, northern California is quite a distance from home.  The point is I choose this bedding because it reminds me of home.  The most successful graphics are the ones that are the most memorable.  For example, when you go to the super market, what type of water bottle do you buy? Now that you’re thinking about it, do you buy the water bottle you buy because of the way its priced or do you because you like the way it looks, how its shaped, the pictures, or the brand name? If it was any of the last four things I said, you have fallen victim to the mysterious aspects of design.  We all need to take a moment and take notice to the strange yet fascinating world of design. Similar to my comforter, design is like space we are aware of its existence but unaware of its potentials.

It’s Magic but it’s not a Wizard

Every Saturday morning the battle royal began, “Hey! NO, no, no, it was me! I got here first…come on.”  I may have only been seven but I knew the first one to the magical black box got to be the one to emit its magical powers. Now, being the second eldest, I felt entitlement to this role. This box wasn’t your ordinary magical black box. It was made of plastic so it was hard, but yet it wasn’t hard at all. Its curves rounded the top and sides gave it a gentle appearance, as if waves were doing everything in their power to crash upon the shore without a splash. My love for this box surpassed my love for anything, even for my stuffed baby doll Pinky. But this box didn’t just start becoming magical on its own; it needed the help from a very talented creature like myself. In order for this machine to work, besides sliding the power button on, you had to blow air into the cartridge, choose a game cartridge, then blow some more air into both of them nearly fifty times before these two objects could make magic non-comparable to David Blaine. It wasn’t just the box that interested me; it was the graphics that were magically emitted from this box onto my television screen. How was it that I was able to become a character and then control him from my corner of the rug? Well, obviously it’s because the black box was magical, right? Well no, not exactly. I may have thought that when I was seven, but I came to understand that it was because there was a mixture of technology and design non-comparable to anything on the market. The creators of Nintendo 64 were geniuses in my mind because everything about this machine was visually appealing. Not to mention that for the time being, it was compact. But, best of all, it was addicting. Everyone wanted one, and the more games you had the more envious your friends were. Every weekend that’s where you could find the four Pulciano kids all under age 10, glued to the Nintendo 64.