SYMBOL METHODOLOGY

Symbols transcend the split between the rational and the irrational, the known and the unknown, and are very complicated things because of that. There is also a level of ambiguity that comes into play with a symbol. It needs to be efficient in what it represents and also be symbolic of a bigger picture.

My symbols represent various aspects of the nature-based Wiccan religion: the moon, fire, crystals, claws, skulls, and trees. My first symbol represents the eight moon phases. The moon is connected to a feminine aspect, so I kept the aesthetic very fluid and orderly. With the hierarchy, I put emphasis on the new moon, full moon, and quarter moons, while the waxing and waning crescents and gibbous phases are offset with a smaller size. The straight lines connecting the dominant circles show the clear hierarchy/size relationship between the phases.The second symbol is a hybrid between the words fire and crystal. The energy of crystals and fire radiates from a center point in a bold way. The variation in the line width embodies the frenetic energy and wild power within both.The third symbol is a hybrid between claws, skulls, and trees. There is a bold, dangerous robustness to all these elements that comes across in the shapes and the positive and negative space.

It was both challenging and fulfilling to use the vinyl cutter, as vinyl is material I’ve only worked with a few times before. Keeping the output size in mind – one inch by one inch- was definitely something I had to remember, as I am a very detail oriented person. I had to remember what small lines and shapes might get lost when the designs were scaled down.

ARTIFACT MAP

In this project, I designed an artifact map of the tree density in Austin. Austin is a very green city with lots of greenspace and different tree populations; I am a gardener and wanted to create a map that I had a personal connection to.  Different species of trees are represented by different shades of green. Circles represent the density of a particular kind of tree – the bigger the circle, the higher the concentration of trees in that area. When you see a flora-fauna map, trees are usually represented with a tree symbol or silhouette, but I wanted the circles to represent the way a trees leaves/branches look like from a birds eye view. The major highways give orientation to the map, as well as general landmark/area captions.

 INFORMATION MAP

The information map highlights different ways to express data in a visual way, with the end format being a magazine spread layout. You can tell a lot about a person by the colors they are attracted to. My information map focused on the idea of how the colors that you gravitate towards lines up with psychology of color. I conducted a survey of 50 individuals about how preferred color lines up with aura colors and what colors individuals aren’t drawn to and find unappealing. It is like an in-depth favorite and least favorite color survey. I took that data and turned into a series of infographic-style charts.

I took a more geometric and creative approach to all of the data charts. For the bar graph, I took the traditional idea of straight bars and curved the bars outward to make a semicircle, reminiscent of a rainbow and the colors of the light spectrum. I turned the favorite color data in a circular chart with each dot representing a different shade or hue and representing a statistical portion of the total number of people surveyed. The bright colors were the emphasis of the layout, so I chose simple, consistent text and a solid background.

COGNITIVE MAP

The cognitive maps is a decision making where the decision making process is represented visually. The mind steps determine the outcome—the process is much like a flow chart. When deciding on the layout for the map, I asked myself “what are all the variables and component and dimensions to the decision?” I started with the question what kind of tea should I make, and honed in on the deciding factors, whether it be hot tea for sickness, iced tea for a hot day, time you have available to spend brewing tea, taste ranging from lemon herbal to white to chai tea to iced black to yerba mate. I used mostly symbols and captions with very few words as symbols are often the backbone of a designers’ work. The symbols are nuanced and specialized to each kind of tea. I laid the map out as flow chart that is broken down into five sections: herbal, white, green, black, and special brews.