This assignment was to find a place in Austin and create a set of instructions that inspired a type of feeling (ex. desire, joy, wonder). We were then asked to take these instructions and make package them as a tag with at least one matching button. The tag and the pins were expected to share the same fe eling as the rules and embody the mood of the desired location. All tags were to be printed and put in small clear baggies with the buttons.
I chose two places in Austin (East Austin Succulents and The Cathedral of Junk) and created instructions for both of these locations. I printed my tags on enhanced matte paper and cut them to fit in the baggies. I printed and prepared my buttons but the button maker supplies were running low so I was unable to actually create my buttons. Both of my tags share the same style as their intended locations and the buttons were created to match the tags.
Jimmy does a great job of making us start from the very beginning when creating projects like these, so we first started by going on an audio tour to Deep Eddy swimming pool. We then created our own audi o tours around campus to gain a better understanding of how to create instructions for someone other than ourselves. He then had us pick two places in Austin and write two sets of directions that elicited one of the specified feelings. Once we finalized our directions, we started designing our tags in illustrator. It took a long time to figure out what style I wanted my tags to be. I could see it in my head and I could explain it to Jimmy, but I had trouble transferring it to the computer. I was really interested in texture, and I tried printing on different kind of paper or scanning in interesting scrapbook paper to make my designs look more authentic. I created the tags first, and then began working on the buttons simultaneously. I enjoyed having two tags to work on, so I was able to switch freely from one to another when I hit walls in my creativity. I presented my work at two class critiques, both of which helped my design process immensely. The feedback from my peers from the second critique helped me make changes to finish my final designs. I printed them and cut them down, then slid them in to the packaging.
The first and most important decision I made was to determine where I wanted my instructions to take place. I picked two of my newest favorite places in Austin (Jimmy made us go try something new in town for us to base our projects on), mostly because I enjoyed my experience there and thought I could create something cool with both of them. I decided I wanted the East Austin Succulents packaging to be very earthy, green, and resemble that of a paper bag. For the Cathedral of Junk, I wanted something out of order but controlled, and metallic. I chose to make three pins for each one, and I also chose to make the East Austin Succulents one similar to a plant tag.
My East Austin Succulents tag embodies the location and feeling of joy because my instructions encourage the reader to enjoy the weather, go with friends, and marvel in the array of plants. The packaging is very earthy and the pins are flowers that I drew and scanned in. My Cathedral of Junk tag embodies the concept of structure within messiness. The lettering is very clean, but the words are jumbled. Similarly, the instructions on the back are in the form of a cathedral-like structure.
The design enhances the content because it entices someone to go to these locations and actively engage in completing the instructions
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