Spring 2016 End of Term Assessment

From the type 1 class, I learned typographic vocabulary such as kerning, base line, descenders, etc. I got to know how each letterform is designed and all the different types of typefaces (serif vs. sanserif, old fashioned vs. contemporary). Lorena taught us the importance of having everything aligned in a grid so that the work looked organized and intentional. Adv type allowed me to take all the things I learned from the previous class and apply it all in one go, particularly in the Fulbright Program. I especially used my knowledge of legibility to choose a typeface in the Fulbright Program because I had to make the typeface so small in certain sections.

 

I loved that we got to organize the Fulbright Program book however we wanted. I felt that this freedom was really refreshing and challenging which is something different from the previous courses I have taken. Although I felt that the weather report project was the bane of my existence, looking back I appreciate it. It taught me a new program, it taught me patience and it taught me that there will be things in my career that I will have to figure out on my own.

 

I think I see it. You have to marinate in it and really get to know it before you can start designing it, ya feel? You almost have to be in a certain headspace to design it, in order to get the most effective representation of it. I think the pieces of it is the brand which encompasses the typeface, color palette, graphics and conversation that it creates.

 

I don’t think I asked enough questions. I know I should have, but sometimes I am afraid to ask questions because I might get feedback that would make me change everything that I had been working on. When I did ask questions, it was always very helpful. I love asking what my peers think of something just because we are all in the same boat so we all know the struggle. For this class in particular, I wish I had put in more practice time. I felt that this semester I was so busy that I lacked in my practice time. I wish that I gave myself more time to delve into each project rather than do the minimum (at least the minimum for me because I like to hold myself to a high standard). My life felt wayyyyy out of order most of the semester but I think I am starting to get back in my groove again. I feel like my creative juices are flowing again and I feel more passionate about my major, not that I never did, just other things in life distracted me from my love of design, but now I am back!

 

Tuan’s class I think could maybe have more group critiques but other than that I love the classes he teaches. They are unlike other classes I have taken and it is very refreshing.

 

I think that from both graphic design classes, I have a better grasp on finding the brand or design aesthetic quicker. I have also grown an appreciation for research; research the “client” or “product” beforehand to see a more holistic vision for the end design. I wish I would have done more research for the Fulbright Program, but now I know that I need to do that for future projects. In terms of distance, I think that I am about a mile from where I was.

Fulbright Program Book

This project was a challenge (and I plan on making it better). Tuan gave us a big chunk of raw text that we had to massage down into a 32 page book that included ads that took up at least three spreads. I approached the organization of the program book by first grouping the chunks of text in terms of topic (detailed schedule, speaker bios, welcome statement, etc.). I then organized the text in such a way that the user would like the best. For example, I put the speaker bio’s after the detailed schedule, that way if the person was curious as to who a speaker was for the event, they could easily flip to that section, find their name, and read up about them. I designed each section to be very sectioned in nature because there was so much information for the reader; I didn’t want them to be confused with too many different elements on the page.

As for the design, I went with a more organic approach. The theme of the Fulbright conference was “Meeting World Challenges”. When I thought of that phrase, it produced images of grit, the earth and a liveliness that I decided to use in my process. I ended up using a charcoal brush in Illustrator to create the icons on the cover to give the icons that grittiness and hand drawn aesthetic. Each icon was simple and sketched out to reinforce that human touch vibe. For the color palette, I approached it the same way. I chose color swatches that seemed of the earth; rich, deep colors that were muddled a tiny bit to bring out the grit aesthetic I was going for. The reddish color is indicitive of red clay, the dark blue of oil, the orange of the sunset and the blue/green of the ocean.

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If you wish to see the full program, click on this PDF link: Fulbright

Weather Report

Learning the skills of After Effects to seamlessly transition between hierarchical key frames was challenging. I decided to go with a modular concept to highlight the futuristic quality of the assignment. All key frames had a rectangular design that retained the weather report information which made it simple to read as well as add that futuristic vibe. In addition, I decided to make the key frames have some personality (i.e. by adding bouncing expressions) because the Weather Report has human interaction; I wanted the expressions to reflect a sort of organic movement while still maintaining a modular feel throughout by keeping the boxy design.

I can improve on the timeline of my Weather Report. I didn’t make the key frames sit for long enough, so the viewer had a hard tim e reading all of the information for each key frame. I wish I would have spent more time practicing in After Effects; I found the program to be difficult which in turn made creating the project challenging.

Below is a sample of the Type Specimen Book (To view the full version, click the PDF link below):

WeatherReport

Link to Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/160543662

Zine

The commanding voice of my truism, “Empathetic people must self reflect often,” was at the foundation of all my concept decisions for my zine. I used scans of my face as the background of each page to mimic looking at myself in a mirror; self reflection is in a way confronting yourself and I had to literally look at myself while flipping through the pages. In addition, I hand drew the words in bold bubble type letters to force the urgent message of my truism, kind of like a big sign in front of my face (literally and figuratively). Around my face, I hand drew little graphics such as pills, shoes, needles, different faces and mirrors. I personally associate each of those items with being empathetic and how empathetic people are, so those little designs are a reflection of how I see the world through an empathetic lens.

Below is a sample of the Type Specimen Book (To view the full version, click the PDF link below):

HannaKingZine-01

Link to Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/148187564

Interface

I knew that I wanted to create an app that would be useful for lifestyle bloggers that want to make quick blog posts from their phones. To keep it simple, I created circular buttons that held only the necessary editing tools to make a simple blog post. I kept the color scheme mostly neutral, using shades of light gray as the main color swatch while adding bright accent colors in order to make the app feel fresh thus enhancing the productivity of the user. There is a feature within the app that allows the user to set a posting time for their content that I developed specifically for my target audience; that way a lifestyle blogger can schedule a post ahead of time if their normal posting time isn’t achievable on that day. Being a blogger myself, I tried to make the app accessible and quick for on-the-go moments.

Below is a sample of the Type Specimen Book (To view the full version, click the PDF link below):

Interface

Click to view PDF: Interface

Plotter Poster

I received instructions on how to modify a word in Illustrator from a fellow classmate that instructed I create a maze-like design within the letterforms. When I thought of the structure of a maze, I immediately thought of tall thick walls and a person getting lost inside one; I chose the word “LOST” to plot in order to mimic the unease of navigating a maze. I chose to make a complicated looking maze within the letterforms not only to make the concept more obvious, but to further that sense of anxiety about the confusing structure. In addition, I decided to use a thick gold sharpie as my tool so that the “walls” of the maze could appear large even though it’s on a 2D surface. After I plotted the modified word, I realized that the design reminded me very much of being in a prison which makes the anxious feeling even more apparent.

PlotterPoster

Mapping Project: Cognitive Map

This was one of my favorite projects I have done thus far because I felt that I explored my talents through illustration and symbol making the most. I chose to do a cognitive map on whether or not I should take a bath because it had many scenarios. I went with this topic because I wanted to challenge myself with something that was playful and humorous because I tend to choose concepts and designs that are serious and rigid. To make it more playful, I hand drew many of the elements on the map using the Wacom tablet in a sort of illustrated style. For the symbols, I added rubber ducks, foamy bars of soap, scrub brushes and loofahs; items that you might find in a child’s bathtub. I selected Moon Flower as my typeface because it mimicked adolescent handwriting. I accented everything with bubbles which I felt furthered the playful, light tone that I was trying to convey (the text of the cognitive map is humorous and my designs needed to reflect that).

Below is a sample of the Type Specimen Book (To view the full version, click the PDF link below):

CognitiveMap

Click to view PDF: CognitiveMap

Mapping Project: Information Map

Analyzing the excel spreadsheet information Tuan gave us, I noticed two different relationships I could make into informational maps: the relationship between purchased food products and daily meals, and the timeline of non-vegan products bought per month (both in a years span). For the first information map, I felt it made the most sense to do a pie chart to show a comparison of parts to the whole and the second map a linear graph to show a change over a period of time. My design concept for both of the maps was to make them visually straight forward but also have a playfulness because the topics can be dry. I went with a color scheme that accentuated saturated colors against a dark background to bring out that playfulness and have a little pop on the page. For the pie chart, I filled each part with a cartoon-like stylized pattern of food. In the line graph, I stylized a leaf to represent veganism and kept up my playful color palette and style of symbol making.

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Mapping Project: Artifact Map

I struggled with finding a concept for this project until it hit me; a breakup map (several of my friends had been going through a breakup at the time). Essentially, I wanted to create a map that showed all the best places to go while a person is experiencing the seven stages of a breakup (or the seven stages of grief). I made symbols that represented each stage with stylized facial expressions depicting the stage’s emotion. Like my previous two maps, I wanted to stick with more playful design content so that all the maps stayed somewhat cohesive. I chose to make the map portion of this project have a dull color palette, with subdued blacks, grays greens and blues to bring out the sadness of a breakup. I made the icons bright colors because breakups most often are shocking and there are such strong emotions that bold colors needed to be used to represent that idea. For the locations of the symbols, I chose quiet places for the stages like isolation, shock and depression knowing that the person doesn’t want to be around a lot of people. For the stages like denial, anger and bargaining, I chose places where a person can be active and a place that is populated because they want to get their mind off of the negative emotions. I chose calming and scenic places for the stage when a person reaches acceptance, figuring that’s when they can appreciate the beauty of life again.

ArtifactMap

Symbol Methodology

I chose to base my symbol concept on gratification. I have always wished that a symbol existed for the word “thank you”; imagine having stickers with the thank you symbol on them and how many uses those stickers could have (you could put them on cards, gifts, virtually anything to express gratification in a tangible way). While gratification is an abstract word, I knew that I wanted to create symbols that had “pleasant” qualities such as smooth curvey edges and a wholesome feel by creating thick shapes and lines. I created realistic/stylized symbols such as a bouquet of flowers and a handshake, as well as abstract symbols that incorporated broad sweeping lines and curved diamond type symbols. I combined all of those elements into my three final symbols that exhibit a sort of grace and comfort through the bold, soft edges of the symbols.

Symbol SymbolsMorphed_Page_1 SymbolsMorphed_Page_2