For this map, I wanted to communicate Tony Pierce’s information that dealt with his arts and entertainment spending (these categories compared to all spending, and the details within those categories). After experimenting with separating the sections from the pie chart, I was reminded of the geometric bounciness of 1950s cartoons and the Monsters Inc. opening sequence, which became part of my visual inspiration.

I created icons to visually represent the different activities off of this geometric style. The darker browns, reds and greens were for a refined dinner menu kind-of look, and the type I chose (one cursive, the other typewriter-esque) was meant to also express this snazzy, posh style and relate to the subject of arts and entertainment. I think I could make my chart more effective by deciding on a more contrasting color palette (not so dark/saturated across the board) and set a standard for the amount of spacing between the objects (a grid system) as well as for the scaling of type. I also think by making the icons more a part of the piece, I would have added more visual interest. Overall, I think it would have helped to provide more information for the viewer in order to communicate more context about Tony Pierce’s expenses.

Since my friends and I enjoy sitting outside to eat and spend time together, I wanted to create a map that indicates the different types of seating across campus. I chose a color scheme of neutrals with a pop of red tones that related to the appearance of the St. Edward’s campus and to highlight the main structures, Main Building and the Northen Theatre.

I created icons that indicate the types of seating as well as the number of seats. I would like to have worked more on the concept of expressing multi-layered information (different measurements like time, distance) through color and other icons, which I don’t think I really accomplished. My information (the number of chairs and types of seating) was more flat of a concept than I would have liked. I think I lost the personal aspect of it, too, because of the lack of information layers.  

 

Symbols are everywhere (on signs, products, maps) and quickly evoke things, ideas and concepts visually (and sometimes transcend language barriers). Their forms and colors can represent abstract ideas as well as literal things. We were introduced to the matrix method, which gave us a model of guiding our concepts and thoughts and translating them into vector images. The first row involved tracing images (literal shapes and icons), in the second row we worked on combining ideas into stylized images, and then the abstract layer of making we were to communicate concepts that were not possible to imagine through a literal object (for example, the noun “hope” or “ingenuity.”

Using the Matrix method, I was able to develop multiple concepts that called for different shapes. My overarching topic began as the city of Corpus Christi and a symbol for its plans to replace one of its landmark bridges with a new one. This idea generalized into the evocation of Corpus Christi’s community, wildlife and architecture as I began to abstract images of the fish, architecture, and overall feeling of wind and movement that is present in the city. In my first layers I traced images of a swordfish (wildlife), the new bridge (renovation), and a guitar with a rose (culture). I then took these ideas and abstracted them further, and worked to combine their elements. To produce my final symbols I sliced my previous symbols even further in order to try to produce fluid shapes representative of Corpus Christi’s atmosphere and multi-faceted identity.

This project helped me develop my technical skills (a great introduction to Adobe Illustrator and vector image making, as well as printing the vector image onto vinyl sticker sheets) as well as my concept and form-making processes. Throughout this project, line weight, impact and meaning became essential lessons. I began to develop the understanding of merging ideas together–the shapes of wildlife and the architecture of Corpus Christi.