In order to construct narrative, I knew from the beginning that I wanted to tell the story of a dying flower. However, my concepts of beginning, middle and end changed as my work progressed. I originally was thinking only on a small scale but as I got further in, I realized I wanted to add a new beginning - one that showed how the flower got taken away from its family. Because of this addition, I was able to add perspective into the narrative. To keep the viewer engaged I was able to add sound to boost the narrative. The first few seconds are filled with noise that is harsh and jarring, to reiterate the pain and confusion that is occuring in the narrative.
In terms of sound, I am not a very sound conscious person. After these projects I realized how much sound is out there, even if we are not aware of it. I never thought about sound in relation with my work before, but can now see the difference that it makes, and the whole new level of interest that it can add. Even if sounds are not perfect, they can add another element to your work that you may now have been aware of, and this adds a whole new depth. It can also take away from your work. It can change the meaning of your work, or overwhelm it. In terms of my personal work, the sound is usually non-diegetic, and serves as more of a background mood. I also made use of promiximity to accent the closeness of an object to a viewer.
Question for GradComD:
As technology advances, how does a designer find the solution between an online based world and a traditional print based world? What is the difference in audience between these two groups and how does that affect the design? How do we balance these two mediums to keep them as one even more powerful tool.
What is the best way to engage an audience?
How does working with others influence our designs? Does looking at a larger context defeat what our original idea was or improve it?
What does a school with a traditional curriculum have to do in order to prepare its students for work in a world that changes in the blink of an eye, without compromising its core values. What is the most effective design approach? Does design have to motivate or change someones values or opinion in order to be considered good?
Does our school need a class that discusses design theory and current design trends in a information and discussion based approach? What can our school do to be more progressive about the way the students think about design.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Monday, December 1, 2008
Regarding sound
The animation process has been a long and difficult one! My animation is finally at a point where I am happy with it. In terms of sound, it has evolved from my original idea. When I first began thinking about sound I knew that it had to be soft and easy to listen to. My symbol is based on the words earthy and romantic, and that definitely shy away from using a sound that was too loud. However, when browsing sounds i had found some "mystery" sounds that I really liked. I combined these with a pretty guitar riff that my boyfriend had created, using audacity. The sounds synced to the animation because of the movement of the heart. I linked the "mystery sounds" with my "creature" taking deep breaths, building tension, and then jumping. However, after getting feedback from the class I realized that there was still too big of sound difference between the sound effects and the guitar. The sound was "bigger" than my animation. In order to fix this i decided I needed new sounds. I did some research (aka - listening to my ipod) and an Iron and Wine song caught my attention. I tried to use this song in my animation but it just did not sync up properly. After a little more research, I found another song by them that I actually preferred. The new song loaned itself better, and I like how it doesn't just fit the romantic and earthy words, but it also fits with quirky.
As the animation "evolves" (it bursts from an egg, develops appendages, breathes, and then flies away) the music accents these motions. I used audacity to crop the sound how I needed, and created a fade out to emphasize the logo as it flies away. I think that the sound suits my animation now and they work together, where as before, they were fighting.
I really like the way my animation has turned into a little creature. The elements are so abstract that its nice to see that they can work together to form something. The quirky symbols can be seen as eyes, while the earthy symbol can be seen as legs. The romantic heart is the life force behind the logo and is what propels it to breath and then fly. It becomes free and follows its own path, which can be seen as another representation of me. The interactivity is nice as well. The last version of the animation had the logo just being there. I was stuck for a long time about how to add length to my animation. But by adding the hatching in the beginning which is triggered by the button, you see how it develops and can recognize the individual parts as well.
As the animation "evolves" (it bursts from an egg, develops appendages, breathes, and then flies away) the music accents these motions. I used audacity to crop the sound how I needed, and created a fade out to emphasize the logo as it flies away. I think that the sound suits my animation now and they work together, where as before, they were fighting.
I really like the way my animation has turned into a little creature. The elements are so abstract that its nice to see that they can work together to form something. The quirky symbols can be seen as eyes, while the earthy symbol can be seen as legs. The romantic heart is the life force behind the logo and is what propels it to breath and then fly. It becomes free and follows its own path, which can be seen as another representation of me. The interactivity is nice as well. The last version of the animation had the logo just being there. I was stuck for a long time about how to add length to my animation. But by adding the hatching in the beginning which is triggered by the button, you see how it develops and can recognize the individual parts as well.
Monday, October 20, 2008
New logo
The words I ended up using are: earthy, romantic, and quirky. I liked the symbols that I had originally come up with, but after getting feedback, decided to work on some combinations with symbols from another idea that were bolder. The word romantic I had wanted to use, lent itself to another symbol that I had drawn that could be interpreted as being heart or leaf shaped. The word earthy has a very delicate shape, and needed to be balanced by a bolder shape, which I found in the symbol for quirky. I played with rearranging the elements until I found a combination that I liked (last image) The process of combination and collage was useful to see the variations that I did not originally see.
I like my hybrid image, it reminds me of a sort of carefree bird creature. I like the combination of recognizable objects (leaf/heart symbol) with the more abstract bubbles and branch (quirky and earthy).
As far as the animation goes I plan to have a construction/deconstruction theme going. I can picture the bubbles rolling and bouncing across the screen. I think the fact that they have an inner circle as well will help make it even more interesting. The heart symbol would be interesting to pulsate like a real heart. The earthy branch could perhaps flutter as if it was in the wind or grow into the three leaves. I haven't thought too much about sound yet, but it will probably be gentle and soothing because it reflect my personality more than something loud.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Monday, October 6, 2008
sound
After completing this project, I became much more aware of sound. I now hear it it in places I never noticed before. While watching tv the other day, I noticed the choice of background music they were using to enhance tension, even though the tv show was a reality one. Before this exercise, I had never really given sound a chance, because I am not a musically inclined person. It is refreshing to know that sound does not have to relate to only musical instruments, or those with a good sense of rhythm (not me!) I liked being able to create sound out of everyday objects, and still have it work to create mood in an animated piece.
The project where we swapped sounds in class was very helpful. It is interesting to see how random pieces will still sync up to your images. This helped me realize points in my animation where I could work at making the sound sync up and add more depth. I also noticed the use of a steady beat in two of the works (both the male members of the class!) and the importance of using a variety of sounds.
My challenges for this project were finding sounds that would work with the mood of my piece. Some sounded too happy, and others were too machine sounding. I think that in my piece I made use of background mood, selective sync, object movement, and allusion. A flower dying would not normally have sound, but it was added to emphasize the pain and sadness it would experience.
The project where we swapped sounds in class was very helpful. It is interesting to see how random pieces will still sync up to your images. This helped me realize points in my animation where I could work at making the sound sync up and add more depth. I also noticed the use of a steady beat in two of the works (both the male members of the class!) and the importance of using a variety of sounds.
My challenges for this project were finding sounds that would work with the mood of my piece. Some sounded too happy, and others were too machine sounding. I think that in my piece I made use of background mood, selective sync, object movement, and allusion. A flower dying would not normally have sound, but it was added to emphasize the pain and sadness it would experience.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
More Connotative Images
The story has taken a turn! Before the flower dies a lonely death, it is seperated from its family, and can only view them from a distance. These new connotative images depict the point of view of the flower, as it is ripped from its home, and can only stare from a distance at where it longs to be. Oh the heartache!
Monday, September 8, 2008
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Monday, August 4, 2008
articles week 6
How Green is Your Brand? - Allison Arieff
The blog discusses what the author learned at a sustainability conference.
Main points include:
-It was refreshing to see companies such as Dow Chemical invited, because it shows that they are willing to think progressively, and the audience is broad. They are paying attention to packaging, distribution, and authenticity.
-Consumers make decisions based on price and convenience.
-companies, however, still use "Greenwashing" and jump on the marketing bandwagon without actually offering ecofriendly products.
-Making more stuff, no matter how green, will not reduce global warming or the carbon footprint. We have to consider behavior and innovation.
-Water as example - In San Francisco, rather than promoting plastic water bottles, a thesis project of a student, offered the solution of installing public drinking fountains (none were previously available outside of parks and buildings.) San Francisco has excellent tap water, and this was a better way to deliver it to the consumer.
good design = sustainable design
1. business and public service innovation
2. public and community service innovation
3. design skills development
4. design policy and promotion
5. organizational and operational efficiency
Former Google employees have a new search engine. Claims that it is bigger than Google, and that it ranks its content not by popularity, but by content. Also says that it does not use user IP information, so there is more privacy.
Companies can hire Web filtering and security that works on the cloud to prevent or limit employees from looking at sites like You Tube and Facebook. Relieves companies or costly burden of managing it on their own, and intercepts inbound and outbound http traffic. Gives reports on traffic - which departments are spending the most time on social networks.
They say they don't want to stop Web 2.0, but to manage access because all day access is not good.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
NY Times by Claire Cain Miller
The blog discusses Verve Wireless, and how it offers newspaper publishers to make their paper accessible on cell phones. Since May - 728 newspapers have joined.“Mobile is actually a better way to reach people than print or even Web. It’s versatile, immediate, travels and is just as compelling–if it’s done right–as a Web site or a printed page.”Of the 95 million mobile Internet subscribers, 40 million actively use their phones to go online, double the number two years ago.
Contains a link to a website for a web design company that is only one page. Seth states that having boundaries can sharpen the mind, while the designers behind the site state that their work is refined, simple, and works.
The blog discusses that although it is a good thing to reach out and help poverty ridden countries, often times, we can learn from them, more than they can help us. An example he gives is in a small town in India, where he witnessed farmers feeding chickens what appeared to be grain. It turns out the chickens were eating the maggots around the grain, so the grain could be cleaned and sold. When the author looked online about cleaning grain, he found the first link was to a high tech grain cleaner, that was clunky and less practical than using chickens.
A huge development industry measures progress in terms of economic growth and increased consumption. This industry often assumes without question that urbanization and transport intensity are signs of progress. But, as another example, the author describes a hotel project lead by Giorgi Armani that would displace 500,000 fisherman natives."millions of people are expelled to the margins of fruitful existence in the name of someone else's progress."
The author states that designing a poster about an issue, or launching a media campaign about it, is not the same as helping real people, in real places, change a material aspect of their everyday reality. The follow through, the distribution of a a product meant to help, along with training and maintenance are even more important.
The author reinforces that we can learn from those in poverty stricken areas, and the best solution is to combine aspects from both sides.
What change are designers making?
Does reading on the Internet promote or hinder literacy?
Sunday, July 20, 2008
articles week 4
NY Times...Nick Currie
a look at 5,000 years of chairs in a 5 minute video. Images that may be considered imperfect, but are still enjoyable.
Seth Godin's blog
review of the pixar movie Wall -E. says that it is not your normal Pixar movie - it has little dialogue, no bad guy, and no violence. He states that is not 90 minutes of commerce but a good movie, that will make a lot of money anyways. "Marketing isn't always about pandering to the masses and shooting for the quick payoff. Often, the best marketing doesn't feel like marketing at all."
The Design Blog.org - by Asmita
A cardboard house designed to be used after natural emergencies, such as the earthquake in China. It comes in two boxes, that weigh 41 kg, and can last up to 6 months and can fit 5 people.
The Design Sponge
A surge protector that shows that even technology can be pretty.
ColourLovers - by evad
The color palettes from this post are inspired by classic video games for Atari. "While technology may have limited the color palettes of some of the first, and most popular, video games, their colors are no less influential on modern game design and culture as a whole, and an important part to any design is its packaging." The author states that usually the packaging was misleading, and the games weren't nearly as colorful.
a look at 5,000 years of chairs in a 5 minute video. Images that may be considered imperfect, but are still enjoyable.
Seth Godin's blog
review of the pixar movie Wall -E. says that it is not your normal Pixar movie - it has little dialogue, no bad guy, and no violence. He states that is not 90 minutes of commerce but a good movie, that will make a lot of money anyways. "Marketing isn't always about pandering to the masses and shooting for the quick payoff. Often, the best marketing doesn't feel like marketing at all."
The Design Blog.org - by Asmita
A cardboard house designed to be used after natural emergencies, such as the earthquake in China. It comes in two boxes, that weigh 41 kg, and can last up to 6 months and can fit 5 people.
The Design Sponge
A surge protector that shows that even technology can be pretty.
ColourLovers - by evad
The color palettes from this post are inspired by classic video games for Atari. "While technology may have limited the color palettes of some of the first, and most popular, video games, their colors are no less influential on modern game design and culture as a whole, and an important part to any design is its packaging." The author states that usually the packaging was misleading, and the games weren't nearly as colorful.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
articles week three
sawatdee ka - hello from thailand! I am out of the country for class this week, but here are links to the blogs I've found...
not entirely design, but in honor of thailand...
blog from new york times, By ROBERT TURNBULL
Thais want to set up a museum that loans artifacts to the Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia, which is lacking in historical pieces.“We want to educate Cambodian people about their own history,” said the museum’s managing director, Sunaree Wongpiyabovorn. There are those “who know little about its monuments, and even less of the progress of Buddhism and what led up to it,” she added.
web tips
blog from sethgodin.typepad.com, by SETH GODIN
This blog discusses simple changes to make websites more user friendly:
--put USA above Afghanistan on your country pull down list
--make it so clicking on your logo takes me back to your home page
He then suggests that corporate sites hire a pro to:(for a generous hourly fee),
--set up analytics for a website and do weekly reports (by email) that are actually useful and actionable.
He states that $200 an hour is reasonable.
grow green
blog from The designblog.org, by Idealist
This blog talks about a business card used by a gardening company that contains a seed in the card that the consumer can plant to grow their own plant. The basic idea behind this product is to be able to grow plants anywhere and everywhere thus helping even ordinary citizens make a difference to global environmental problems. I liked the idea of reusability in design.
parsons id annual design review
a look at parsons pick for contemporary designs from THE DESIGN SPONGE.
I plan on checking this out when I get back in the country
blog from colourlovers.com, by Evad
article talks abotu how colors in nature were not good enough, so scientists created more colors by mutating genes. hey can also be used as pollution indicators.
not entirely design, but in honor of thailand...
blog from new york times, By ROBERT TURNBULL
Thais want to set up a museum that loans artifacts to the Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia, which is lacking in historical pieces.“We want to educate Cambodian people about their own history,” said the museum’s managing director, Sunaree Wongpiyabovorn. There are those “who know little about its monuments, and even less of the progress of Buddhism and what led up to it,” she added.
web tips
blog from sethgodin.typepad.com, by SETH GODIN
This blog discusses simple changes to make websites more user friendly:
--put USA above Afghanistan on your country pull down list
--make it so clicking on your logo takes me back to your home page
He then suggests that corporate sites hire a pro to:(for a generous hourly fee),
--set up analytics for a website and do weekly reports (by email) that are actually useful and actionable.
He states that $200 an hour is reasonable.
grow green
blog from The designblog.org, by Idealist
This blog talks about a business card used by a gardening company that contains a seed in the card that the consumer can plant to grow their own plant. The basic idea behind this product is to be able to grow plants anywhere and everywhere thus helping even ordinary citizens make a difference to global environmental problems. I liked the idea of reusability in design.
parsons id annual design review
a look at parsons pick for contemporary designs from THE DESIGN SPONGE.
I plan on checking this out when I get back in the country
blog from colourlovers.com, by Evad
article talks abotu how colors in nature were not good enough, so scientists created more colors by mutating genes. hey can also be used as pollution indicators.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
articles week 2
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/26/technology/personaltech/26basics.html
The article discusses the expanding collections of fonts available online for users to customize. Users are not limited to font libraries, but can create their own fonts on sites such as www.fontstruct.com. Other options include having your handwriting customized into a typeface for around $200. These options are not being used by just designers, but by scrapbook fanatics, historical re-enactors, and restaurants.
http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/NussbaumOnDesign/archives/2008/06/the_10_commandm.html
In this article, reputable design figures came up with a list of important concepts to follow while design websites. The list includes attention to typography, content, and immersion in experience. The list says to not overwhelm the viewer with advertising and clutter.
the design blog
design sponge
colourlovers
In the Colors of Corosion from colourlovers.com; there are beautiful images of rust and corrosion and the colors that result from the chemical reaction. It goes on to give color palettes and RGB profiles. The article was written by Evad, and was written to show that inspiration can come from anywhere, and that destruction can be beautiful. "Rust can be a humbling reminder of the passing of time and the fragility of humans and their creations, like seeing rust appear on the edges of your first bike." To go on and give multiple examples of color combinations is extremely helpful to not only designers, but every day people who may be painting their houses.
The article discusses the expanding collections of fonts available online for users to customize. Users are not limited to font libraries, but can create their own fonts on sites such as www.fontstruct.com. Other options include having your handwriting customized into a typeface for around $200. These options are not being used by just designers, but by scrapbook fanatics, historical re-enactors, and restaurants.
http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/NussbaumOnDesign/archives/2008/06/the_10_commandm.html
In this article, reputable design figures came up with a list of important concepts to follow while design websites. The list includes attention to typography, content, and immersion in experience. The list says to not overwhelm the viewer with advertising and clutter.
the design blog
design sponge
colourlovers
In the Colors of Corosion from colourlovers.com; there are beautiful images of rust and corrosion and the colors that result from the chemical reaction. It goes on to give color palettes and RGB profiles. The article was written by Evad, and was written to show that inspiration can come from anywhere, and that destruction can be beautiful. "Rust can be a humbling reminder of the passing of time and the fragility of humans and their creations, like seeing rust appear on the edges of your first bike." To go on and give multiple examples of color combinations is extremely helpful to not only designers, but every day people who may be painting their houses.
Monday, June 30, 2008
research
things I noticed:
lots of black w/ bright colors added - hot pinks, blood red, lime
mixing texture and pattern into backgrounds
using hand drawn sketches and images
lots of little pieces with different links - sometimes up to 20 choices - all different images
ads galore - too much to look at, free stuff, references to cell phones and music, exclamation points, celebrities
either websites were very happy with bright colors, or more artsy and dark, and geared towards the "angsty" "emo" "rebellious" "music driven" teen.
To me it seems that most teens around the age of 16 are looking for attention, turn to music for comfort, are in constant contact with friends, and use the internet to "market" themselves. They are stressed and live a fast paced life, and are often over stimulated.
screenagers in general -
young adults who have grown up with personal computers, cell phones and the internet and are now taking their place in a world where the only constant is rapid change. But more than eight-in-ten also acknowledge that these tools "make people lazier."
constant contact with friends. When not chatting over the Internet, they sometimes endure "awkward silences because we're not used to doing just one thing or being with just one person."
About half of Gen Nexters say they have either gotten a tattoo, dyed their hair an untraditional color, or had a body piercing in a place other than their ear lobe.
emo
Asked about the life goals of those in their age group, most Gen Nexters say their generation's top goals are fortune and fame
http://people-press.org/report/300/a-portrait-of-generation-next
How do you target these discretionary spenders, this try-it generation, these slaves to peer pressure, the addicts of cool, and these can-never-have-enough-stuff age group?
They're mobile, better-educated, quick thinkers, openly opinionated, and better communicators than we ever were, because they have better and faster forms of communication.
They're digital in everything that they do. Televisions use digital technology, the music they listen to is digital (as the CD dies a slow death), their phones are digital, the games they play are digital (who has the time for a board game like Monopoly when you can challenge and play an opponent on another continent in real time?), and they are on the move. On the go, go, go!
http://ezinearticles.com/?Capturing-Screenagers&id=1240269
39% of online teens share their own artistic creations online, such as artwork, photos, stories, or videos
33% create or work on webpages or blogs for others, including those for groups they belong to, friends, or school assignments
28% have created their own online journal or blog, up from 19% in 2004.
27% maintain their own personal webpage
26% remix content they find online into their own creations
http://www.viralblog.com/2007/12/21/59-of-us-screenagers-create-content-online/
www.pbs.org
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