Design Process

I just finished getting a critique on one of my works in class today.

For about 2 weeks, we designed an exhibition schedule poster for the Fine Arts Gallery at Cal State LA. I launched into my project (not initial comps though. bad girl.) thinking that I would really explore type this time. I was determined to really get into my work and spend a lot of time.

Initially I wanted to do something that was a bit inspired by David Carson's work. I ended up picking something else. I noticed that I have a real tendency of not going outside of my limits and really exploring type. I don't know, but I must be constraining myself. It's strange because I have no problems when it comes to drawing or painting.

Now I wonder if I chose the right comp? Or was it the process I went through that was where I went wrong? Maybe you're wondering what the heck I'm saying.

After receiving the critique from class, I thought seriously over my design process.

I asked myself a couple questions:

1. Am I exploring all the aspects of design, visual communication, color, typography?

I think I still consider type as simply text and not an element of design. Ah-ha. So this is why I feel like I'm so constrained when I deal with type. I should be able to apply all the design and art elements I've learned until now to my work. The fact that it's turning out so rehashed and boring probably means I'm not doing that.

2. Do I even start my work with a purpose, an idea, a message to communicate?

I find myself relying on the guidance of my instructors, directors, etc to pick a direction or idea to start off my design work. This is generally good because as a designer, I should know what the client wants. But as an artist, a creator of art, it's pbhtttt... In other words, I really need to work on getting out into the world and gathering lots of ideas and building up my creativity.

After answering my own questions, I felt a new sense of determination as a designer. I hope everyone else in class felt that the critique was helpful. Even though it's hard to accept sometimes, I think it helps develop my design skills tremendously.

Prospective Typography project?

Can you tell the stripes are actually letters? Check out the rest of the Twenty-Six Types of Animals at http://www.jeremypettis.com/

Note: Click on image. Scroll right to see images

I was looking for inspiration on typography and I ran into a site called "Drawn!" which is a multi-author blog devoted to illustration, art, cartooning and drawing.

"Its purpose is to inspire creativity by sharing links and resources. Albert Einstein said, “The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources,” but what the hell did he know anyway?"

It's a really great source of professional designers, illustrators, and cartoonists. They have a large archive of typographic work. The image above was done by Jeremy Pettis and it's called Twenty-six Types of Animals. Maybe we should do something like this for our typography class (*ahem*jimmy).

Drawn! http://drawn.ca/category/typography/

Simple Organization

[A Type Primer: pgs. 116-149]

Golden Section and Fibonacci Sequence

Isn't it amazing that the Fibonacci sequence can be seen everywhere? After reading about its mathematical beauty (I sound like my old math teacher), I checked online for more information. Take the sunflower for example. There are two spirals, one going clockwise and the other going coutner clockwise. The number of spirals for one is 21 and the other is 34, which are the numbers in the Fibonacci sequence. It's not only the case for flowers, but pine cones, plants, and even bees and rabbits.

So how does this relate to graphic design? When a designer first considers the space that must be worked with, proportions, organization, and layout must be taken into account. Because the paper we work with has limitations, understanding the kinds of proportions like the "golden section" or the "Fibonnacci sequence" should be a basis for all designers (at least that's what I inferred from the book, A Type Primer).

The way text is placed on a spread is important for sustained reading. The golden section was the ideal layout especially used in the old days. Now we can use columns of 2 to even 8 with different variations. This helps in organizing a mass amount of text.

Paper

In the U.S., the standard paper size is 8.5 x 11 inches (letter). The rest of the world however use the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) system. Doesn't this remind you of the Metric System? And by the way, there are only 3 countries in the world not using the metric system (aka: International System of Units): the United States, Liberia, and Myanmar.

The beauty of the ISO system (below), is that this related ratio allows you to cut a paper in half to get the exact smaller ratio. For example cut an A0 in half and you get an A1, and so on. I think this is very logical and convenient, especially for printing facilities and designers.

Hierarchy

In the first project with Jimmy, I found myself having a bit of trouble organizing the information in to a good hierarchy. What is the most important information? What is the least? "A designer's first goal is to make the material comprehensible to the reader." This should be instinctive when we first approach a project, especially one with a lot of information.

No matter how much text or information there is, they can be divided into their own groups. By establishing a format, establishing a hierarchy, and using different styles of a typeface, the distinctions between different types of information are made clear.

43 seconds of Graphic Design

Ask yourself these questions before you watch this video:
1. Do or did I use the typeface Comic Sans excessively?
2. Who is Paul Rand?
3. Do I like John Stossel?



As for myself, I wondered if this really did air on 20/20.

Legibility & Texture

This is something I stumbled upon on the internet. It's a great example of text being used as texture and at the same time effectively communicating an idea: Just because something is "legible" doesn't mean it communicates an idea.

This poster was done by David Carson who is known for his experiments with typography and magazine designs.

Find out more at: http://www.toddroeth.com/class/grph_210/38/06-type-as-meaning-compositon#

The above site is maintained by Professor Todd Roeth, a graphic design assistant at Marietta College. It's interesting to see all the different works of typography and the various lessons you can learn from it.... And see how other colleges teach their typography class! (No offense to Jimmy ^^)

The above image is a copyright of David Carson and was borrowed from http://www.toddroeth.com/class/

Communicating Directions

How would I draw a viewer's attention and at the same time clearly communicate a lot of text? This was the challenge I had to face when creating a poster on how to get from my house to the computer lab at school.

Although I've done posters before, I've never had to work with so much text in one poster. But thinking back in the "old days" of typography when everything was done by hand, I can't help but appreciate how much easier it is to create something. On the other hand, while technology today has made the creating process of graphic design easier and faster, artists still face the same problems of communicating and creativity. In a way, many graphic designers today seem to be tied down to the computer programs, instead of using it to make what they envision. Many times I find myself adhering to the limits of the computer, instead of challenging myself to overcome those limits.

That's why I hope to gain as much as possible from my education and work to overcome these limits and become a true artist who can express creativity and communicate to the world.

Idea Compositions Art 413:

Flute Beatboxing

I'm sure almost everyone is familiar with people beatboxing with their mouths. Well here's something I found on Youtube that I thought was pretty amazing. The combination of two very different forms of music, classical and hip-hop, struck me as very interesting.
This was inspiring in a design aspect because contrasting themes in combination can actually be interesting and unique.