Having spent the semester asessing my view of the design world and developing my personal design theories, I can see that there is no way to encapsulate my thoughts and feelings on design in only one paper. Above all else, design is an element of change, the rhetoric we use and the concepts we create are extensions of our need to communicate and change the world around us.
In the last 49 blog entries I have come to understand the value of challenging others to think critically about the world they live in. Whether my designs accomplish this fact, I dont know, but having seen examples of how designers can incite change in the world, I hope that I can rise to the challenge.
4/21/08
The Urban Forest Project
Creating Awareness for the environment is something that I am particularly tuned into, as a self proclaimed hippie I have a keen eye for dynamic eco friendly projects.
I found the Baltimore Urban Forest Project searching for poster competitions to enter. Some of the work is really great, clever and unique posters like Yeohyun Ahn's poster targeted to the large community of computer scientists and physicists which depicts a mathematical equation for growth.
I found the Baltimore Urban Forest Project searching for poster competitions to enter. Some of the work is really great, clever and unique posters like Yeohyun Ahn's poster targeted to the large community of computer scientists and physicists which depicts a mathematical equation for growth.
My Compliments
My Compliments go out to the team involved in putting together the Black book affair for the graduating classes of 2008. My girlfriend Debbie participated in organizing the event pro-bono with her classmates from the public relations program. Its nice to see students work together towards a common goal, coordinating copywriters and designers as well as event decor and audio visual presentations.
As I am 'in the loop' with some of the basic activities related to design that take place at Debbie's work, Faye Clack Communications, I often hear how PR people often work with designers. Theres a ton of freelance opportunities out in the business world but we need to know where they are and how to get them.
Debbie has been tirelessly working to make sure things go off without a hitch throughout the busiest time of the semester so I think she definitely deserves my compliments.
Check out the pieces of work on the facebook group linked above, theres some great advertisements like this beautiful example of script typography designed by Meghan Lynch.
As I am 'in the loop' with some of the basic activities related to design that take place at Debbie's work, Faye Clack Communications, I often hear how PR people often work with designers. Theres a ton of freelance opportunities out in the business world but we need to know where they are and how to get them.
Debbie has been tirelessly working to make sure things go off without a hitch throughout the busiest time of the semester so I think she definitely deserves my compliments.
Check out the pieces of work on the facebook group linked above, theres some great advertisements like this beautiful example of script typography designed by Meghan Lynch.
Illustrating the passage of time
One of my favorite illustrators of late is Olofsdotter, a sweedish artist whose illustrations are often minnimalistic but can be dramatic and decadent as well as gritty and dissident.
Her website and portfolio houses a chronological illustration (left) that interconnects across space and time as it were.
I would like to see more talented illustrators featured in advertisements, I think it adds so much personality. Heres an ad for divine chocolates that is right on the mark.
Her website and portfolio houses a chronological illustration (left) that interconnects across space and time as it were.
I would like to see more talented illustrators featured in advertisements, I think it adds so much personality. Heres an ad for divine chocolates that is right on the mark.
Design Power
I think that theres an enormous opportunity for designers and design educators to promote social change. Creative for a cause is an organization that promotes social responsibility in design. There are a ton of links to 'role models' and case studies- people and design firms who are using their power to make change.I think people are fundamentally decent, but I don't feel that we are naturally compatible with one another. With modern technology moving forward at such a pace, the ethics of interaction are not keeping up.
Living in a city as multicultural as Toronto has give me a strong sense of how people perceive one another through filters, only seeing what they perceive to be negative qualities. I am a strong supporter of what the Dalai Lama calls 'a need for a Secular System of Ethics' that is non-theistic in nature.
So, As a designer I hope to promote decency and respect between people and a shift from seeing the world from the inside out to seeing it from the outside in. Change can only occur within, thus we should use our considerable communication skills to share what we know and provoke others to do the same.
Creative Education
Creativity
I had an unusual childhood. Well, unusual by todays standards anyways. Both of my parents are still married, and my three siblings are happy and (relatively) well adjusted. To say we were difficult kids to manage would be a grand understatement, all four of us had some degree of attention deficit disorder. Think of a wild pack of savages, put them in white collar suburbia, and you'd have a reasonably accurate idea of how we behaved.
Needles to say, many of my talents were overshadowed by my inability to perform academically, and few teachers were able to identify what it was that I DID do well. I was a comic book junkie ever since I was a kid, probably collecting and trading cards was an outlet for my social nature and my appreciation of good art(many of my trades were not strategic but aesthetic).
It wasn't until high school that I started to see myself as creative. Almo, my bro from back home, spent all of his time inventing comic book series that never went anywhere. So we developed an endless cast of characters as our creative outlet. While my skills as an illustrator are beginning to fade due to a preference for digital art, my skills were definitely developed through the amount of drawing and conceptualization I did in high school.
Education
My experience as a designer is actually relatively short. I never focused on communications in high school partly because the school I studied in was poorly funded and archaic. My perception of design was linked to advertising which was unfortunately a negative connotation because no-one ever bothered to dispel the perception that all advertising is evil. Maybe chalk it up to bad career counseling or a lack of awareness of the booming advertising industry of design.
Rather than risk wasting a degree in fine arts, I decided to pursue Youth and Addictions Counselling as I have always been a calm, trustworthy and social person. I felt that if I could make a difference in someones life that I would be able to enjoy my job. Upon moving into Toronto to study at George Brown, I discovered that the program I chose was not an appropriate fit, but fortunately I met a student studying graphic design while I was there.
That was when realized that if I wanted to combine my skill with words and people with my passion for art, I would be able to do so as a designer because of the collaborative nature of Graphic Design.
I had an unusual childhood. Well, unusual by todays standards anyways. Both of my parents are still married, and my three siblings are happy and (relatively) well adjusted. To say we were difficult kids to manage would be a grand understatement, all four of us had some degree of attention deficit disorder. Think of a wild pack of savages, put them in white collar suburbia, and you'd have a reasonably accurate idea of how we behaved.
Needles to say, many of my talents were overshadowed by my inability to perform academically, and few teachers were able to identify what it was that I DID do well. I was a comic book junkie ever since I was a kid, probably collecting and trading cards was an outlet for my social nature and my appreciation of good art(many of my trades were not strategic but aesthetic).
It wasn't until high school that I started to see myself as creative. Almo, my bro from back home, spent all of his time inventing comic book series that never went anywhere. So we developed an endless cast of characters as our creative outlet. While my skills as an illustrator are beginning to fade due to a preference for digital art, my skills were definitely developed through the amount of drawing and conceptualization I did in high school.
Education
My experience as a designer is actually relatively short. I never focused on communications in high school partly because the school I studied in was poorly funded and archaic. My perception of design was linked to advertising which was unfortunately a negative connotation because no-one ever bothered to dispel the perception that all advertising is evil. Maybe chalk it up to bad career counseling or a lack of awareness of the booming advertising industry of design.
Rather than risk wasting a degree in fine arts, I decided to pursue Youth and Addictions Counselling as I have always been a calm, trustworthy and social person. I felt that if I could make a difference in someones life that I would be able to enjoy my job. Upon moving into Toronto to study at George Brown, I discovered that the program I chose was not an appropriate fit, but fortunately I met a student studying graphic design while I was there.
That was when realized that if I wanted to combine my skill with words and people with my passion for art, I would be able to do so as a designer because of the collaborative nature of Graphic Design.
A Manifesto
As a design student my process is still relatively ill-defined, as such this manifesto represents the ideal circumstances in which I am able to produce my best work.
Follow YOUR Path to the End- While many stress the importance of process, no one can tell you the ideal way to create, that comes from within. The sooner you can find your own path, the better you will be able to express your concepts.
Seek Inspiration from Outside of Design- The best designs are the embodiment of an idea. Taking inspiration from an existing design means either boiling it down to the concept or struggling to mimic something you cannot fully understand.
Stand Back- Don't get too involved in your work, get an outside opinion, take a break and return with a fresh perspective, or just work on something else. You'll never work through your problems if you cant put them in perspective
Take Good Care of Yourself- Nutrition and rest are essential to the creative process. Sound design choices are made with a clear and open mind, and nothing dulls the decision making process like an all-nighter.
Seek Constructive Criticism- While critique is always invaluable, so much depends on your ability to communicate your ideas and get reactive feedback. Always explain your design choices as best you can or the feedback you receive will be based on perception rather than understanding. Never take criticism seriously if it is based on personal opinion or experience, there is no such thing as a universal rule.
Never Let Yourself be Satisfied- Being satisfied with an unfinished job implies that the concept has not lived up to it's full potential.
Learn from the People Around You- The best teachers are strangers and friends alike. Learn new lessons in a real context so that you can better apply the knowledge you gain.
Make Time for Experimentation- Always enter a project with an open mind and figure out what works best, otherwise you may find yourself stuck in a dead end.
Follow YOUR Path to the End- While many stress the importance of process, no one can tell you the ideal way to create, that comes from within. The sooner you can find your own path, the better you will be able to express your concepts.
Seek Inspiration from Outside of Design- The best designs are the embodiment of an idea. Taking inspiration from an existing design means either boiling it down to the concept or struggling to mimic something you cannot fully understand.
Stand Back- Don't get too involved in your work, get an outside opinion, take a break and return with a fresh perspective, or just work on something else. You'll never work through your problems if you cant put them in perspective
Take Good Care of Yourself- Nutrition and rest are essential to the creative process. Sound design choices are made with a clear and open mind, and nothing dulls the decision making process like an all-nighter.
Seek Constructive Criticism- While critique is always invaluable, so much depends on your ability to communicate your ideas and get reactive feedback. Always explain your design choices as best you can or the feedback you receive will be based on perception rather than understanding. Never take criticism seriously if it is based on personal opinion or experience, there is no such thing as a universal rule.
Never Let Yourself be Satisfied- Being satisfied with an unfinished job implies that the concept has not lived up to it's full potential.
Learn from the People Around You- The best teachers are strangers and friends alike. Learn new lessons in a real context so that you can better apply the knowledge you gain.
Make Time for Experimentation- Always enter a project with an open mind and figure out what works best, otherwise you may find yourself stuck in a dead end.
The Meth Project
When looking for inspiration for an ad campaign Ive been working on, I found a series of jarring ads for a campaign against crystal meth. I was actually surprised that these ads could run on television or billboards due to the gritty depictions of violence and prostitution, but clearly this was the point - to shock the audience into hearing their message.
This is an excellent example of advertising that pushes boundaries and takes risks in an appropriate way. Their tagline "Not Even Once" sends a strong message to the target audience which is predominantly kids who havent tried meth and who will likely face peer pressure to do so.
The TV spots almost play out like mini horror movies, I don't know whether I support the messages being sent but given the circumstances, I would say that it's a necessary evil. Check out these spots, these are two of the more straightforward ones, others include references to girls selling their bodies for meth and children abusing their parents. Hardly suitable for daytime television.
This is an excellent example of advertising that pushes boundaries and takes risks in an appropriate way. Their tagline "Not Even Once" sends a strong message to the target audience which is predominantly kids who havent tried meth and who will likely face peer pressure to do so.
The TV spots almost play out like mini horror movies, I don't know whether I support the messages being sent but given the circumstances, I would say that it's a necessary evil. Check out these spots, these are two of the more straightforward ones, others include references to girls selling their bodies for meth and children abusing their parents. Hardly suitable for daytime television.
4/14/08
Fill the well
I dont know if anyone else is feeling creatively sapped from their studies, but if so check out Fuel Your Creativity to fill the well.
Challenging the Standard Format of Modern Communication
Yes! This is exactly it! Check out these remarkable information design pieces. As I have been working on my own theories of design in my college studies, I cant help but recognize an excellent example of how design can remove the 'visio-rhetorical subtext' from something as commonplace as the news.
While I was drifting in the blogosphere I happened to stumble upon university student David Bowker's website, Designing the News. He has taken the
text of various newspapers, dissected them, and reinterpereted them as the visual content of his designs.
I think this is a innovative way of thinking about distributing information. He has interpreted the text of one full week of the guardian and based a series of visuals and information graphics. I think this piece is an excellent example of how challenging the standard format of modern communication can produce such provocative and inspired designs.
While I was drifting in the blogosphere I happened to stumble upon university student David Bowker's website, Designing the News. He has taken the
text of various newspapers, dissected them, and reinterpereted them as the visual content of his designs.I think this is a innovative way of thinking about distributing information. He has interpreted the text of one full week of the guardian and based a series of visuals and information graphics. I think this piece is an excellent example of how challenging the standard format of modern communication can produce such provocative and inspired designs.
4/13/08
Dsign is Visual Rhetoric
Visual Rhetoric is a form of persuasion that engages us on a subconscious level. We are subjected without ever being aware, to a variety of image-based persuasions in our daily life.
Everything we see has been designed to create some form of subliminal response. Whether it is the sleek, user friendly, ergonomic design of apple products, or the beautification of political candidates(a la Will(I)am), we are told how to perceive almost everything we interact with before ever being able to come to our own conclusions.
Often, by designing something to be representative of a quality such as elegant or edgy, we are merely positioning our design in opposition to its opposite quality: "This product is NOT cheap" etc.
I have created for my design object, a poster which can be read in a number of different ways. While the poster has been set up to allow the reader to read it in four different ways, essentially it presents two opposing perspectives on how awareness of this rhetoric can allow the designer and the consumer to interact.
Subtle, yes. But it effectively delivers my message that we can design in a way that allows people to come to their own conclusions, rather than presenting a flashy package that forces an impression upon the viewer. After all, nobody likes to be told what to think, do they?
Everything we see has been designed to create some form of subliminal response. Whether it is the sleek, user friendly, ergonomic design of apple products, or the beautification of political candidates(a la Will(I)am), we are told how to perceive almost everything we interact with before ever being able to come to our own conclusions.
Often, by designing something to be representative of a quality such as elegant or edgy, we are merely positioning our design in opposition to its opposite quality: "This product is NOT cheap" etc.
I have created for my design object, a poster which can be read in a number of different ways. While the poster has been set up to allow the reader to read it in four different ways, essentially it presents two opposing perspectives on how awareness of this rhetoric can allow the designer and the consumer to interact.
Subtle, yes. But it effectively delivers my message that we can design in a way that allows people to come to their own conclusions, rather than presenting a flashy package that forces an impression upon the viewer. After all, nobody likes to be told what to think, do they?
4/1/08
The Mad Magazine Fold-in
This ones for Craig.
I remember being mystified by the mad fold-ins as a kid. since before I was old enough to fully grasp some of the political nuances of the comedy, I was delighted by the mystery of what may appear once the page was folded. Little did I know the rarity of this art form, apparently the same artist has been drawing them since the 1960's, Al Jaffee.
I found this interactive fold in showcasing his work on design observer. I was impressed not only by his work, but by the ability of modern technology to represent his work in such a remarkable way. After all, theres no more appropriate way to represent what could be considered one of the the earliest forms of interactive design, than by using it's modern counterpart. Check it out.
I remember being mystified by the mad fold-ins as a kid. since before I was old enough to fully grasp some of the political nuances of the comedy, I was delighted by the mystery of what may appear once the page was folded. Little did I know the rarity of this art form, apparently the same artist has been drawing them since the 1960's, Al Jaffee.
I found this interactive fold in showcasing his work on design observer. I was impressed not only by his work, but by the ability of modern technology to represent his work in such a remarkable way. After all, theres no more appropriate way to represent what could be considered one of the the earliest forms of interactive design, than by using it's modern counterpart. Check it out.
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