Michael Armstrong

A Francophile

2012-02-15T09:36:00.001-08:00

A francophile is a person who adores all things related to french culture. These areas of love
might include its cuisine, history, leisure time, sophistication, and fashion to name a few. One
value paramount to this subculture is a love for language, which fuels a passion for travel,
conversation, personal interaction, and open mindedness. They tend to be outgoing individuals with a hunger for socializing. They are boisterous and gestural, and often incredibly polite
people with impeccable social etiquette. They have a tendency towards immersion into french
culture and a knack continued learning which manifests itself through reading and socializing.
Francophiles typically spark their obsession in high school and continue to further develop their
admiration well into elder years.

Most of all, the major need for francophiles is networking, since socializing and the most effective continuous use of the french language is done through personal interaction with fellow
francophiles. They will often establish meetup groups for this very purpose. Networked activities will often include celebrations of french holidays, crepe parties, visits to art venues, and
leisurely activities such as coffee and conversation at local cafes. Primarily the internet is used
as a channel for networking francophiles, but since they tend to be charismatic people, word of
mouth often plays a role as well.

THIS IS HOW I SEE THE WORLD (looking ahead)

2012-02-10T11:43:00.001-08:00

How I See The World - Major Project Update / Research

The Question:

How does nearsightedness, farsightedness, and a stigmatism affect the typographic form at different set distances? Can there be a typeface designed to correct optical distortions? Can the data be used to accurately replicate the optical blur and distortion in other situations? Can this information then be put into application form using Apple's iPad in which the user can share their custom tailored vison experiment with others

Concept:

The user holds the iPad and snaps a photo of anything around them they want to use for the test. They then remove their corrected vision ie. glasses / contacts and then they look at that same object and match the level of blur that they saw without their glasses after putting them back on using the iPad application. The app would utilize sliders to interface with the iPad and make the corrections. Next the iPad uploads (online calculations) or crunches (internal process) the data and then the user would get their personalized results. These results can then be shared with friends and family or other users to show and compare the way that you each see the world. The user you send your to data can then take a different photo and plug in your data or select your results (or profile if it saves friends profile data) and view the photo that they took with your same vision results.

Social Integration:

The user will be able to share their personalized vision "settings" with other users who also have the app. This would allow us to show a friends list of sorts or profile list that the user could pick through to try out several friends settings. Consider it a modern way to take off your friends glasses. So that other people can see the world through their eyes.

The user has the option of printing off their own personalized set of letterforms based on their vision settings. It could spell out their name or whatever else they wanted it to say. This could be e-mailed to the user or a friend. It could also be printed off using Apple's Air Print system. There could also be an online gallery that you and your friends can upload to and share online with.

Prototype:

We will be using the iPad to create our prototype of how the application would function with the results of our experiment. Hypothetically they would be created using iPad rather than MBP.

Functioning Details:

The images will be replicated using photoshop via MBP. (we tried the iPad & iPhone PS Express but it lacked any blur / scripting capability)

Typefaces Explored:

We picked different typefaces to test with (ones that people interact with on a daily basis e.g.

Helvetica
Interstate
Futura
Trade Gothic
Garamond
Univers

Interesting Fact: "Helvetica is everywhere. It is the standard typeface of hospital signage systems, medicine labels..." -http://www.frieze.com/issue/article/typecast/

Technical Details:

1-3ft farsighted
6-12ft nearsighted
The stigmatism would be a radical.
Using these mesures we can show the near and far side.
Consider the zero point at 6ft. Farsightedness being -6 and nearsighted being +6

Final Artifacts:

The iPad application.
The image data.

A poster of all of the data visualized.

Testing the Waters

2012-02-03T12:25:00.000-08:00

THIS IS HOW I SEE THE WORLD-

The Questions: How does nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism affect the typographic form at different distances? Can there be a typeface designed to correct optical distortions? Can the data be used to accurately replicate the optical blur and distortion in other situations?

Pick different typefaces to test with (ones that people interact with on a daily basis e.g. Helvetica, Interstate, Futura, Trade Gothic, Garamond, Univers). "Helvetica is everywhere. It is the standard typeface of hospital signage systems, medicine labels..." -http://www.frieze.com/issue/article/typecast/
Creating a checklist with multiple scenarios for the individuals eyesight and the results for each distance and typeface tested.
Interview potential victims. Record their specific vision type.
Conduct experiment. Try to ask the subject to replicate the type with a camera for blur and a computer for distortion.

Experiments?

2012-02-02T20:28:00.001-08:00

Here are my proposals for typographic experiments-

This is How I See the World- (collaboration w/ eli)

The Question: How does a person’s particular near or farsightedness affect the typographic form at different distances?

Proposal: Gathering a group of people and placing type at a number of set distances. Having each person identify the affect of “poor vision” on the type at each distance, by adjusting the focus on a camera. We would then identify the amount of blur for each vision variant and match the results in photoshop to produce similar affects on other typography and imagery. The result could be represented as a poster and collected information could be organized into info-graphic material. Also an animated reconstruction of each subjects experience with the type.

How Much is Lost-

The Question- How much of any given typographic form be taken way before it becomes unrecognizable?

Proposal: Conducting a study of how typographic form can be subtracted form and still be recognizable. Giving a group of people a set of type and asking that they take out elements of the type till they can’t recognize the form anymore. Then collecting the type to examine the consistencies and inconsistencies between them. The result would be a set of type that is, on average, as reductive as it can be.

Finding My Way Home-

The Question- If you could draw on a map the route you take to get home, wherever you live, would there be any typographic form within the line of that route?

Proposal: Having as many people as possible draw out on a map, their route that they would drive home. Then taking a look back at that map I would try to discern whether or not any typographic form could be found. Each person would then have a specific letter form or forms that represented them.

Personas (Francophile)

2012-02-01T08:17:00.000-08:00

Norm

Francofiend

“I felt as though I’ve been there before and the people treated me like a life long friend. There was a strange familiarity in the sights and sounds, I must have been French in a former life.”

Age 57
Art History Professor
Actively travels to France and resides there part time
Leads a local Francophile meet up group
Has dual citizenship

Norm is what we call a Francofiend. He frequents France, speaks French fluently, and even raises a French flag on Bastille day. He knows where to travel while in France without the assistance of a guide, and knows where to find the finest French cuisine. He plans classes in France over the summer and returns to teach in America. In his spare time he enjoys travel, cooking, photography, reading outdoors, and attending art exhibits. He often finds himself thinking and even dreaming in French. He keeps up with French news, and knows about several media platforms to do so (primarily web and applications). He identifies with France’s leisurely and slower pace of life. He is renovating a house in the south of France where he plans to retire and fully integrate with French society.

Michelle

Francofan

“Language is a living thing. If you don’t use it you lose it.”

Age 32
Stay at home parent
Member of a local Francophile meet group

Michelle is married with a three year old daughter and a six year old son. Her initial interest in France began while studying French in high school and traveling abroad. After college, she spent time with the Peace Corps in French speaking Rwanda. Since then she has lived in the U.S. and has not exercised her fluency as much as she’d like to, which is her main motivator for networking with other francophiles. She sends her daughter to French immersion school, in hopes that she will receive a well rounded education as well as an early appreciation of the French culture. She enjoys taking her daughter to operas, museums, and galleries. She speaks French predominately at home with her daughter, and only in simple phrases. Being a stay at home parent keeps her very busy, and she is content with living in America.

Web in 2011 (response)

2012-01-30T09:32:00.000-08:00

You've Come A Long Way Baby-
I very much agree with and love the statement made in this section. Seeing that new technology has made it possible to truly "web design". By integrating those new technologies into our design thinking we can see how the web becomes something far more than the physical page. While still carrying the same information it can be structurally different.

It's All About The Users-
In this statement it talks about the importance for graceful transitions for the user within the ever changing web landscape. Having a site that adapts to the user instead of forcing the user to adapt to the site.

Respecting Complexity-
Just from starting the analysis of the website I'm working with, I can see that no matter how simple I would want to make it there is an underlying complexity within how a site functions that must be respected. Otherwise it becomes something that either doesn't allow for the complexity of the information needing to be displayed and it becomes uninteresting because of it.

Greater Than The Sum Of Its Parts-
It is good to note that web design, as well as any design, is by no means about any one thing but a whole system of framing and planning.

Talkin' Bout My Inspiration-
I like this statement here because I don't think anyone should design alone. Its never good to get your design too wrapped up in your own head since it will ultimately not be for yourself.

The 95%

2012-01-27T06:51:00.001-08:00

What I got out of the readings on Web Design is 95% Typography

Optimizing the overall structure of typography increases the usability and the ability to hold interest long enough to transfer the inquired information.

Enacting professional typographical standards allows the text to act as a user interface more than as ornaments. The goal is to make it easy and painless to read. Designing with all possible platforms in mind insures overall usability and adaptivity.

The Problems/Solutions:
The text lines (measure) are too long

100% scalable is not a reader friendly solution: Don’t make me think, ok, but don’t make me resize my window either

Lack of whitespace

Lack of active whitespace

Linespacing is too narrow

The text blocks are not well aligned

Too many font sizes

Pictures are badly placed and disrupt the reading ease

Text-background color contrast

Lazy handling of titles and subtitles

Text sizes

Text blocks that are not split up into enough small, scannable, digestible parts

Indiscernible links. Visited and non visited links are not discerned

Text is not treated as an interface but as decoration

It’s not clear if the text is a navigational element, a link or plain text

Fancy navigations marking the center of attention (content is the center of attention, content deserves the most love from the designer)

Francophiles (collaborative: w/Keaton Reeder)

2012-01-24T12:43:00.000-08:00

Francophile:

A Francophile is any person with a fondness of all things French

One type of Francophile are those who admire only the widely known, romantic, stereotypical aspects of the French culture. These people may have a limited knowledge of France and are only familiar with obvious geographical landmarks, art, and diet. They may not even be able to speak a word of French themselves regardless of their intentions to do so. They may not personally be interested in integrating into the French culture or do not fully comprehend all of its aspects. They may still however admire it from afar. If they do go to France they may only stay for a short period of time without fully weaving themselves into the french flag.

The other type of Francophile are those who have a more extreme love for absolutely everything French. They may visit France often and know many different places to see that only a local would know of. They may even move to France or own property there. They want to completely integrate with French culture and its people, they may even aspire to marry a French person. They are learning to speak French or already speak it fluently. They want to become part of Frances in its entirety, not just the romanticized France (you know those moody out of focus light-orb nightlife Paris photos?) that most non-Francophiles are familiar with.

Below are the list of possible prompts (created based on secondary research alone) to send out to potential Francophiles in the area. We hope they produce interesting results.

You know you’re a francophile if-
Name as many locations in France that you would visit-
Name 10 things that come to mind when you think of France-
What aspects do you find most intriguing about French society-
Do you travel to France, if so how often-
Do you feel the desire to integrate with French society and culture, if so then in what way-
What is your favorite French cuisine-
If you had a home in France what region would you live in-
What are some major differences between your culture and French culture-
Do you celebrate French holidays-
Do you seek out other Francophiles-
Do you know any French recipes-
Do you actively speak French-
Do you think in French-
Have you been told you sound authentically French-
Do you have French ancestry-
Do you keep up with French news-
What would you describe Frances atmosphere to be-
Would you marry a French person-
Do you watch French films-
What do you think of when you hear red white and blue-
Name ten thing you immediately associate with France-
Do you have a favorite French expression or word-
Are there any aspects of French culture that you find difficult to adapt to-
Do you read any French books-
When visiting France do you require a guide-
In your opinion, are people from France welcoming to foreigners-

AE3D Test Segment

2011-12-02T05:53:00.001-08:00

This video is a small segment of what will be a much larger piece. My concept is to utilize the After Effects interface to create a 3D camera tutorial using the 3D camera tool. Information will all be connected in space and will fold out revealing the information needed to use and understand the tools, while giving an example of its possibilities. I will also be dissecting and animating many of the individual elements of the software.

I've learned a bit more on the limitations of the 3D camera and the spotlight tool, as well as having a more intimate feel for the structure and location of elements within After Effects. I have also learned the limitations in creating true 3D objects in the program.

INSIST. Final Documentation / Statement

2011-11-29T10:24:00.001-08:00

INSIST. is an organization created to help people in the community understand that they have the right to insist on a receipt no matter where they spend their hard earned money. We believe that they should ask for their receipt to avoid the financial hardships that are possible without paper documentation of payment such as evictions, and duplicated payements. We have created the Receipt Keeper a portable storage device that contains an index file that will allow the owner to better manage their receipts on the go and also remind them to insist on their receipt. The Insist campaign is aimed at business as well as the customers. We believe that businesses want to operate at a high level of professionalism and using Insist they can help do that by training their employees their importance of giving receipts to each and every customer. To advertise Insist we have created a logo that shows a receipt being torn off. The logo also forms the shape of an exclamation mark suggesting the importance of insisting on a receipt. The red and black colors represent regained financial security. Our bus ad will be shown on bus routes near partnering business informing them about the function of the receipt keeper, what comes with it and where they can pick it up. The pick up locations will be one of each of the three different types of pick up locations: Community Centers, Churches, and Community Banks. The box itself is an organizer containing an index and t-shirt. The T-Shirt is a special gift from the sponsor U.S. Bank. That people can wear with a sense of pride that will also spread the message. To reach the businesses we will be sending out a mailer that will appeal to the businesses sense of professionalism, teaching them the importance of keeping receipts. Inside the mailer will be a sticker that will be placed in the widow of the businesses to remind the customer to ask for a receipt and remind the employee to remind the customer to get their receipt.

WHAT THREE THINGS WOULD I DO TO IMPROVE OR EXTEND THIS PROJECT:

If I had a bit more time I would do the following to improve and/or expand this project:

Consider and explore a Receipt Keeper Wallet option for men. Not that the box isn't or wasn't designed to be unisex but currently the box serves better in a purse or bag rather than a pocket.
Attempt to make the current Receipt Keeper Box and possible Receipt Keeper Wallet out of a sturdier material like some kind of polymer or plastic.
More customization options inside the Receipt Keeper Box to support other kinds of financial documents at the discretion of the owner.

WHAT DID I LEARN FROM THIS PROJECT:

I'd say that firstly it was very nice having the experience of a "design for good" based project and to chase a problem down across a broader range of platforms/channels. Being able to experience the poverty simulation for this as well as a better understanding of the related social issues.

The other thing that I learned over the course of this project was the basics of communication theory. I can now, with some authority dissect a communication problem with the proper terminology. This is definitely helpful in better understanding a communication breakdown, which is obviously the base of every design problem. I also learned how to better manage a project of this nature across a particular time constraint. I don't feel as though we were particularly rushed durring the course of this project.

FINAL IMAGE OF FULL PROTOTYPE SET:

Receipt Keeper, T-Shirt, Letter, Stickers, Bus Ad.

Insist Presentation 2The Problem:

People within the community are failing to insist on their receipts

Due to lack of education, apathy, or pride

This is resulting in unnecessary consequences to those who may be already financially unstable

Evictions, Property repossessions, Double payments

The Solution:

Insist is an organization who wants to:

Empower the public to insist on their receipt

Give them an container in which to keep and organize their receipts

Insist on a higher level of mutual respect and professionalism between the customer and the employee

Branding:

Our logo represents a receipt being torn off.

The logo takes the form of an exclamation mark suggesting the importance of insisting on receipts.

The colors, from red to black, implies regained financial security.

Audience:

The financially unstable and the business owners/employees

Insist targets each party with a universal message of the importance of receipts

as well as a more tailored message to both the customer and the employee.

Bus Advertisement:

The bus advertisement will be displayed on the buses with routes near partnering businesses.

The ad will inform the viewer of the importance of insisting on a receipt.

It will also tell them about the function of the Receipt Keeper, what comes with it, and where to pick it up.

The ad will also reflect the three different community locations closest to that particular bus route for ease of picking up.

Location:

The Receipt Keeper will be available for pick up at locations in the neighborhood:

Locations like:

Community Centers, Churches, Community Banks.

These are locations we believe to be easily accessible by bus, bike, or foot.

Receipt Keeper:

The receipt keeper is an organizer with an index for three different receipt categories that people can name themselves

The box includes information about the importance of keeping and organizing receipts on the inside

T-Shirt:

As a special gift from the sponsor U.S. Bank the receipt keeper comes with a free shirt.

Having this shirt to wear can give people a sense of pride and empowerment in asking for their receipts, as well as spread the message to others

Mailer:

Inform the the business of the importance of keeping receipts

Appeal to their sense of professionalism

Be polite in reminding the customers

Sticker:

Placed in the window of the business

Reminds the customer to ask for their receipt

Reminds the employee to remind the customer to get their receipt

Narrative Project Goals

2011-11-20T21:42:00.001-08:00

For my proposed narrative project I would like to tackle the question of how to reveal new info using 3D space by giving a 3D tutorial on how to use 3D space in After Effects. This would both show the possibilities of the tool in a visually pleasing way as well as give a step by step narration on the process of basic set up and how to use the camera functions. Things to be explained would be the use of the different axis points as well as keyframes needed and angling tools. The elements in the video should be visually consistent with those in After Effects.

History of Motion Graphics!

2011-11-20T20:32:00.001-08:00

So in response to the history of motion graphics video I can say I'd never have defined motion graphics as they did until now. The idea that the main line between motion graphics and film is whether or not a character is able to express themselves, had never occurred to me. The other thing that really struck me was the revelation of why I love motion graphics so much, or at least a sign as to why I should pursue them more. In watching this video and its reel of all of the more current animation pieces, a reoccurring thought came to me. Why did I not make that? More than any other thing I always try to analyze how motion graphic pieces are done. Probably a sign.

Logo Build

2011-11-18T05:13:00.001-08:00

My logo build is for the organization For the Silent. Over five seconds the build expands upon the idea of the cage and the bird being released as a representation for the freeing of those enslaved in sex trafficking. The rotoscoped bird goes from footage to vector using a reverse choke effect into a unexpanded mask path. The composition is then set back to frame one with the wipe of the larger bird footage, making the video loopable. This is probably the shortest amount of time I've had to ever loop anything so it was definitely a good challenge for me to do that and not lose the narrative. Also I learned how to use the roto brush tool, allowing me to create the bird flying out of the cage.

Sketches, They are not Prototypes.

2011-11-14T13:32:00.001-08:00

In the reading on sketches by Bill Buxton, he explanes the differences between sketches and prototypes. Sketches are made to elaborate on concept and not solutions. The prototype is a final proposal for a solution to a problem while the sketch is meant to explore concepts and not options.

INSIST.

2011-11-14T09:30:00.001-08:00

Our campaign/organization, INSIST. consist of a system of four components. A box for the user to put receipts into with information on the inside slip describing the importance of insisting on and keeping receipts. A vacuum-packed t-shirt with a graphic portraying the complicated and stressful nature of receipt management (the t-shirt will be placed in the receipt box). A bus ad would advertise the main message and the route specific pickup locations for the receipt box. A mailer would go out to the businesses giving them information on the importance of giving receipts and assuming professionalism in doing so. The mailer would include stickers to place at the place of purchase and in the store window, reminding people to give/ask for their receipts.

For the Silent

2011-10-28T07:03:00.000-07:00

For my five second logo build I would like to use For the Silent, an organization that combats child sex trafficking. This is an issue that I feel strongly for. http://www.forthesilent.org/

LUDEN'S!!!

2011-10-24T09:39:00.000-07:00

The Luden's package is finally done. I've tailored the experience to the consumer as much as possible, adjusting from the original mode pathos mode of appeal. Originally the package sported a soothing, more old-fashioned style. You could just see the scroll like banner and the warmly illustrated honey and lemon, and begin to feel the implied soothing nature of the drops. I wanted to replace the pathos mode with a logos mode of appeal. I gave the package a more straight forward and logical representation of its two main flavor/ingredients. The iconography of both the honey and the lemon are represented in both the center of the box and in the pattern that wraps around it. Other than the color, the nature of the clean vectors is more neutral than the typical photograph or more detailed illustration. The high contrast colors actually really grab the eye on the shelf causing the package to stand out amongst others. The pattern on the box is more dense on the left side and the flow of the open space leads through the radiating lemon pattern. This guides you from the front to the information on the back. Altogether the new design may grab a newer audience that might overlook the product. Its just super fresh.

Package List

2011-10-10T10:20:00.000-07:00

1. Does the package design stand out among competitive products on the store shelf? (shelf impact)

2. Is the brand name prominent enough to hold presence?

3. Does the package clearly communicate the identity and the function of the product? (functional attributes)

4. Does the brand image and design style target the right age group and create the right personality? (emotive attribute)

5. Has the hierarchy of communications been addressed for easy shopping? (brand, product visual, descriptor)

6. If there are many similar products, is it easy to differentiate among them?

7. Does the structure of package work well to contain, display, or protect the product?

8. Is the brand name or logo usable in places other than on the package, such as online, print advisements, or signage?

Sticks out on the shelf as far as brightness and style, but needs clarity as to what the product is. If it is in with other cough drops then it will stand out amongst the crowd. All of these will really stand out on the shelf due to the comparisons being made and the pops of color. The brand logo seems to stand out enough. The pattern interacts with the rest of the package which ties it together. It should target a slightly audience than it normally does. Since the product has been around for a long time I would like to target this group.

The role switch is clever.

People might not like the bee.

The bear will hold a nicer connotation than the bee.

Stylistically it may not be fitting but the concept is there. The pairing may need to be reworked.

Modes of Appeal/Product Identification

2011-10-03T12:10:00.000-07:00

Color Palette-
Logos: The color palette for a logos appeal could be any palette that links visual to the literal make-up of the product.

Ethos: Colors belonging to authoritative and pre-established groups or organizations.

Pathos: Color palettes with contrasting colors can suggest anger or energy. Cool or warm muted colors can imply a sense of calm. Reds and deeper warm colors can imply romance or passion. All colors have there own connotations: blue suggests intelligence or water, green can suggest natural qualities.

Type-
Logos: Type that is laid out to express the brand and other information without the aid of expressive alterations or color. If it is laid out in a statistical format it might only suggest qualities or ingredients of the product.

Ethos: In the same way as the color palette, the typeface used may already be associated with a notable/trustworthy group or organization. The typeface used could suggest the age of the brand for added validity, such as Trajan. Careful wording to appeal to the consumer can also add validity.

Pathos: Hand letter type can informality or playfulness. Script could be romantic and formal. Woodblock type can suggest antique or nostalgic qualities. Type can relate to culture and the feelings one associates with that culture.

Stylistic References/Rendering Methods-
Logos: Any stylistic reference and rendering method that is objective enough to not imply meaning beyond what is pertained in the product. Simplistic and straight forward.

Ethos: If the style references the appropriate culture that the product relates to. The style and rendering method could be something that the consumer would relate to and subsequently trust. Ethos can play on nostalgia in a way that implies longevity.

Pathos: The stylistic choices and rendering methods can evoke emotion if they target the appropriate emotion. Nostalgia can be employed as a means to tug on the heartstrings of the consumer.

Product Identification

Pathos: The overall feel of farming and country. Reminiscent of a home cooked meal. The color reinforces these aspects appropriately. The slab serif adds to the authenticity of this appeal.

Pathos: The bright color implies energy. The wings also support that sudden burst of energy.

Ethos: The design references old style milkman service. As the tag suggests it has a reliable and old fashioned appeal. The color is very strongly associated with the older trustworthy milk service/industry.

Logos: Shows exactly what it contains, which is four cans of each flavor in a box. The type does not assume any other responsibility other than relaying that information. The color only loosely relates to the type of meat in each can. The stylistic rendering of the cat as a silhouette does little to affect the consumer in a emotional or ethical way.

Pushing Products

2011-09-28T09:38:00.000-07:00

Luden's Drops (Pathos)

I felt that the packaging for the cough drops, with its lemon and honey and simple description, was very soothing. The way it is illustrated also enforces that. The consumer does have to flip the package around in order to get to more of the factual information. The sides only repeat the main label and on of the sides even has nothing on it. The tag line "Uniquely Good" on its old-timey banner gives it an air of natural authenticity amongst others. The audience should obviously be anyone who has a sore throat in need of soothing.

Audit: Remembered the honey drop and the fact that it was menthol. Pointed out the red stripe and didn't like the the plastic, wanting to get past the plastic to be able to feel the paper. Oral anesthetic was recalled before the tag "soothes everyday throat irritation".

Lidia's Marinara (Ethos)
I chose Lidia's simply because Lidia Bastianich is a renowned Italian chef and food critique, and a staple for great Italian food. The packaging seems to have a simple and seemingly authentic Italian feel to it with its repeating gold frame on a red background. You associate the message of "All Natural, Made With Fresh Ingredients" with the fact that this product is produced and backed with the approval of Lidia herself. The packaging, upon turning the jar, yields more information on who Lidia is and the breakdown of just how natural it is.

Audit: Did not like the way that Lydia was portrayed/printed. Felt she looked possessed or devil like. The contrast between her and the background was disturbing. The rectangle geometric shapes felt like going down a staircase. Visually the sound of the sauce moving could be heard. The name didn't strike him as Italian. Red.

Famous Blaster Small Engine Tune Up (Logos)
This thing is just screaming at you, and in more ways than one. The packaging is bright yellow and does catch your eye on the shelf with all of its descriptions, but in more of a "what the **** was that" sort of way. Its actually quite a battle in trying to figure out just what it is due to the fact that there is plenty of hierarchy but none that's actually helpful. Regardless of this the packaging is completely informational, and some of it is redundantly so.

Audit: Found reading the text in different voices and tones came naturally. Very confusing and excessive. Infomercial like. Liked the color. Text on the side was redundant. How it tells you how to use it but not where to point it was funny.

Grace Kelly (finess finess finish)

2011-09-26T00:49:00.000-07:00

So for Grace Kelly I have ended up going with the antithetical representation of her by, showing her symbol interacting with a wintery scene and warming away the snow. Her symbol, the saxophone, is standing in for her warm/sultry tone that she achieves with both her sax and her voice. At the same time I wanted to elude to her youth and also appeal to a younger audience. This is what led me to make the smooth, flowing, playful, and graphic stylistic vector composition that I did. The way in which the type moves freely, echos the movement in the snow drifts, and this movement also leads the eye around to the saxophone. From there the snow drifts movement leads the eye down to the Folly Theater logo and other important information that resides in the banner. I believe I have successfully represented the Grace Kelly Quintet in a way that stays conceptually grounded in both my perception of her and the founding rhetorical tropes. Visually I believe the poster would be appropriate for a younger audience, but would not offend the older regulars of the theater. I also think that the pop of orange/yellow will grab your attention from the street and the rest of the color palette will be appropriate for the season.

This is my earliest success out of the earlier/later iterations. My biggest problem has been getting the color of the grass and the type correct. The type here is beginning to do what I want it to with the exception of the "featuring Phil Woods" line. The color of the grass is still clashing heavily with the color of the sax, but the sax has been more appropriately simplified from the one I had used before. The grass now also suffers from being too detailed. I begin to see the grinch hand problem stemming from that detail.

Here is the poster that I went with to show the people from the Folly Theater. Everything seems in order except fot the green in the grass is now not green enough, but...

I quickly solve that by warming up the green, while not making it too vibrant against the orange of the sax.

Here are the iterations for possible billboards, based off of the same poster.

Here is the final iteration for the billboard format.

A White Hunter is Nearly a Narrative.

2011-09-18T22:47:00.000-07:00

Here are my typographical, temporal solutions to two selections from Gertrude Stein's Tender Buttons. The base concept for my compositions is that I am trying to draw out imagery through typographic hierarchy. These animated narratives are derived from that idea that with the fragmented nature of the poems still intact, the mind can still make order out of the chaos with only minimal direction. With the white hunter being nearly crazy at the end of my collection, and the way in which the members of that collection interact through the pages of my book I decided to have one video affect the other. The first video foreshadows the other, in the way the text begins to overlap, while the second video deals with the overlaying of text after of a whole collection of text/imagery before it.

Folly

2011-09-12T11:38:00.000-07:00

This project is the third annual junior designing of the Folly Jazz Series posters. My artist for which I am deigning is the Grace Kelly Quintet, and also a special guest artist Phil Woods. The concept must be driven by a rhetorical trope (in my case it is antithesis), and it must appeal to a broad range of ages. The antithesis is describing her sound as a thing that is warm, effecting a cold environment. The direction I chose is that of a saxophone, which is indexical of her playing, that is warming a cold snowy area, producing green/spring grass around it. The image will either be photo manipulation, vector, or a mix of the two. This direction is likely more original than my other concepts which, while nice, have been done before. I would like to keep the style youthful and fresh since Grace Kelly is very young for her playing ability. I'm not worried about Phil Woods being misrepresented as anyone of an older caliber of musician would appreciate being associated with a younger crowd.

The metaphorical representation of her warm sultry sound feels dated and is not as original as my antithetical representation.

This last one will be the one I pursue further.

Folly Crit Checklist
Have you connected with the audience?

Yes, but it connects to two different audiences. (young adults/adults)

Is the message clear?
There are moments where the stylistic choices get in the way of clarity. (smooth flowing graphics are better)

Is it visible from a distance?

The darker compositions have more clarity from a distance, while the snowy compositions are muddy.

What is the visual entry point?

The grass is the entry point in the snow compositions. The red sax and the body form are the entry points of the two smokey compositions.

What is the second element you want to see?

Sax in the snow and in the darker compositions.

Do the visual codes connect to and represent the subject?
Conceptually they do. Still working on the formal side of it.

Are there any emotional cues?
The warming in the cold environment gives a warm feeling.

What makes it memorable?
The contrast in color. Original concept.

Are there any distractions?

The banner could be distracting.

Grace Kelly (sketchy)

2011-09-11T00:25:00.000-07:00

These are a round of digital (which regrettably would have been more appropriate at this time, had they been done in pencil) sketches for possible compositions. These are based off of the three main directions from the concept matrix.

Grace Kelly (in the matrix)

2011-09-08T00:13:00.000-07:00

In the genesis of this project the goal was to generate concepts based on our artist (in my case Grace Kelly Quintet) in the light of ten rhetorical tropes. To do this we constructed a matrix that would correlate each of our artist's indexes or symbols with each of these tropes. The three objects that I narrow it down to are the mic/saxophone, smoke, and the flower. The mic/sax is her symbol, the smoke relates to her sultry tone, and the flower relates to her youth/romantic feel.

more or less synecdoche

metaphor

antithesis

Also a group of possible rendering methods

Find and Share Tropes

2011-08-29T09:55:00.000-07:00

metaphor

hyperbole/parody

allegory

metaphor/personification

pun

pun/parody

personification

2011-08-24T18:40:00.001-07:00

You see whats going to happen don't you?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFbyujLT8HQ&feature=featured

2011-08-22T08:46:00.000-07:00

http://vimeo.com/7851926

This is some fine analog motion/type.

2011-07-31T11:39:00.000-07:00

I will be soon uploading the video work from this internship and will post a link shortly. For now, here are some more pictures of physical artifacts for, Run for the Silent.

The Thread

2011-07-30T20:58:00.000-07:00

I have some new images of my last and latest venture of my official time at my internship site. As I previously stated, I would be working on redesigning theThread (theRock's book store). It was decided that we would use pages of books to create a texture that would be used as a "theme" throughout the store. We also cleaned out allot of the area and parred down what books would be displayed and which ones were not being sold or simply outdated or irrelevant. This allowed for the store to open up, be more organized, simple, and more professional. We also provided space to sell other merchandise such as shirts and gift items, that were previously not being displayed. We also included a place to sit down and read or relax within the store itself. This was inspired by my trips to Barnes and Noble. Of course the size difference between them and our little store is quite large, so I really took inspiration from the smaller corners and spaces of their store.

Aside from the general display and signage, the biggest change is the creation of a main back wall and the placement of the counter space in front of this wall. This was the one move that really made this store actually look like a store.

the original idea...

what actually happened...

how it was implemented...

Tornadoes and Piñata Balls...

2011-06-18T11:23:00.000-07:00

So momentarily theThread project has gone on the back burner until next week presumably. This was do to two things: One the Rock on Tuesday put a team of people together, myself including, to go down to Joplin Mo. for some disaster relief. It was hard manual labour all day and while I didn't get any pictures other than on my phone, the damage was indescribable. The other thing was that, since Wednesday we've been working on putting together an installation for the summer theme at the Rock. The theme is "GO & DO" implying growth, outreach, and moving out of your comfort zone. The idea for the installation started out being these paper lanterns decorated with strips of colored paper with smaller spheres branching out from them, representing the sending or reaching out. When this became less of a possibility I had the idea to create some sort of exploding or moving cluster with the lanterns. Another idea of mine that had to go was to take the same swatches of color and linearly hang them in rows behind the cluster, creating a wall of color that would have more concentrated moments of color around the cluster itself. This would have given it each color of lantern a radiating sphere of color, and would have probably taken us another day to finish. We decided to hang long strips of butcher paper behind it as a backing and with it the color of the cluster really pops more and the strips have a nice flow in the occasional breeze that flows through the building.

Sumer Intern Ship's Away!

2011-06-09T13:17:00.000-07:00

So my internship at TheRockofKC started more or less officially last week and now that the ball is rolling I'd like to show some of the progress that I've made, and give an update on the projects I'm working on.

The two projects on my plate for right now are-
Designing for "Run for the Silent" here at The Rock.
Run for the Silent is a part of the organization "For the Silent" who helps fight against child sex trafficking.
In conjunction with a local marathon of your choice, you get people to sponsor you through the Run for the Silent website. The Rock is doing this in conjunction with the different races at the KC Marathon on Oct. 15. The different material I am creating is meant to both advertise for the event and help in registering for the race as well as fundraising.

Long format banners-

The direction we ended up taking was one that utilizes a shot of kansas city that fades of into the distance , and has a crowd control fence placed infront of it. This fence is not only something recognizable as an object familiar to marathon runners and bystanders, but it also can represent something blocked or a lack of freedom as in a prison or a cage. That's something that I thought would be a strong image when put in the context of child sex trafficking. It also serves as an obstacle to be overcome.

Informational handouts-

Image process-

Standard business card format handout-

The other project that I will be delving more into as the prior project soon comes to a close is designing for and reworking/remodeling The Rock's book store "theThread". As it currently stands the book store area (which resides in a rather small space) has some functionality/flow and display issues that need to be adressed. I will be designing for thinner profile displays that will take up less room and make it easier for the workers in the thread to manage. Extra book copies and the storage for other items such as merchandise needs to be taken care of as well.

I have some ideas of my own as well as some things that I saw utilized on a trip to and through Barnes and Noble. I went there to see how the space was laid out and how they managed the display of their books and merchandise.

6º Could Change How You Experience a DVD.

2011-05-06T07:16:00.000-07:00

The overarching concept for our group's 6º movie campaign was creating a reorientation of a natural or habitual process, that rewards the user for accepting that reorientation and following it to fruition. Visually we have fleshed this out to a broad compiled image of nature that is stained and covered in oil. In each application there is then a moment in which the user can remove that oil to reveal a clean image underneath.

DVD Menu

6º Process

2011-05-02T22:20:00.000-07:00

For the group project of rebranding the movie 6º Degrees Could Change the World (six degrees degrees), we have come up with the concept of reorienting the individual's process by providing interaction and a positive result for complying with its particular necessary adaptation. The imagery includes a scene of nature that is covered in oil. In each application there will be a moment in which the user can participate in removing this oil allowing to see what is underneath, while completing the task of interacting with the dvd cover, menu, and poster interface.

Below is the first iteration that gets closest to the stain and/or oil spillage that we were going for.

The rest are the tests up till the final images which is the direction we are moving forward with.

Ipad Fun–ctionality

2011-05-01T23:31:00.000-07:00

Here is the functionality of my Ipad spreads in video format. Its fairly simple in terms of navigation, and hopefully that simplicity translates into clarity. The layout is not unlike that of the previously made paper magazine spreads or it at least nods its head to the aesthetic.

CONFORM•CONSUME

2011-05-01T23:11:00.000-07:00

Conform and consume is an exhibit that takes an in-depth look at the assimilation and modification of Japanese culture and cuisine in America. Put more plainly it is how america has taken sushi in all its aspects and traditions and in making it its own, has made it into something completely different.

For this concept I kept in mind the idea of conforming and consuming sushi and how to best portray that.

I decided on taking this on in two parts. The first is to change my icon color to something more appropriately or stereotypically American, thus deciding on the faded glory color scheme. This set the tone for the rest of the imagery. I took the American flag and masked out an area of it to either frame or contrast the icon. The imagery inside the masks were at first shapes of things that reach, grab, eat, and consume, such as the profile of the eating man. Later the imagery evolved into consumption related images that had more to do with the contrast between that image and the more traditional object that the icon depicts. Such relationships are the fork and the chopsticks, and the fast food cup and the tea pot.

Its a Raw Deal.

2011-04-27T00:00:00.000-07:00

Its well overdue that I give the tour around some of my key process moments, so without further ado-

The first of several unfortunate magazine misfires, this intro spread shows what not to do, which is make lots of arbitrary stylistic choices to tie into a form and color scheme that should ultimately be let go. In a desperate attempt to keep these things and make a loose reference to a maki roll wrapping with the added black bands, I created a completely inappropriate and restricting layout, which has terrible flow. Lesson hopefully learned for the last time.

This stage is where I bring in a more appropriate calm and warm tone to the spread. The black banding still needed to go and the puke green which worked so well in the past is starting to taste a little sour now with the new color theme. The name is, while slightly clever is more negative than I'd like.

Right about here is where I find the right niche for this article, which leads to the following choices in color and image handling. The change in title is still a clever word play but is less negative. Now its the issue of rag, alignment, and making sure I dont end up with any bland dead space in my layouts. Fine tuning is the most relaxing and yet most obnoxious part of the process. Needless to say I'll be making quite a few more trips to the printer before its over.

iPad-azine

2011-04-25T08:22:00.000-07:00

Here are the interactions I'm moving forward with in the ipad format. The layout will ultimately need to be revised. Throughout the text are active points that activate a tab with related information, to the side of the body copy. The infograph can be enlarged by tapping it or the small button next to it.

Assumably the folio at the bottom of the page would be a scroll through between the article pages, but I may or may not be moving forward with this due to time restraints.

Whats A Poe Boy to do?

2011-04-21T10:10:00.000-07:00

Before the next project progresses any further and I get myself buried again I want to do a quick post on the final images for the Edgar Allen Poe e-Book covers. The presentation I felt was the best I've given... that may not be saying much in the grand scheme of presentations but I'll take it. The images that I used for my slides I feel were also nice enough that it made me feel more confident to talk about them. The main thing that I changed was the typography in The Cask of Amontillado.

Final Poster for Mister Wim.

2011-04-21T08:51:00.000-07:00

Just wanted/needed to put up some kind of final encompassing evolutionary process of my poster for the Wim Crouwel lecture. This shows the early stage of the typographic exploration, and then applying that to the Vanderslice building in some way. The real goal was to create something that did not necessarily copy Crouwel's work but utilize the same techniques to create a poster that was appropriate for him. I used Helvetica as a means to play off the building's edges with its ultra neutral and unifying characteristics. The color at first was awfully drab and more appropriate to the building than Crouwel's style. The next stage is when I decided to visibly show the grid work that coincided with the buildings edges and use that grid to hang my type. The colors I changed to a green, black, and grey combo for an added pop. The latest iteration that I've done, in order to make the title more fitting to the style of the building, uses a more expressive typeface that contains some of the same elements that I've tried to call out in the building.
I've also cleaned up some of the more arbitrary grid lines and fixed the accidental tracking issues.

One thing that I've learned, other than an the fact that its now difficult to not think of alignment in my compositions, is that even with the use of any strict design system, such as a grid, there is plenty of room to express the desired style of the thing you are designing for. This is something that Wim Crouwel is the master of.

Peripadicalls

2011-04-18T08:35:00.000-07:00

Wired-

Out of the three examples, Wired for the ipad has some of the most attractive examples of the new tablet magazine format and the consequent inovations. They've really taken the user experience into consideration. The user can take part in an enveloping experience which can take place in many individual elements, and can go on for several layers of interaction. This is not only a breakthrough for the magazine articles and overall story, but also for the advertisements. My favorite example of this is the ad where the interface allows for a 360 look around of a car.

Esquire-

The Esquire magazine's ipad format is as equally layered and intuitive, but I find the Wired layouts more attractive as is usual. They seem to have more first level interaction, but allot of it. It also has the option to scroll through pages with a table of contents that lets you see thumbnails of the full pages. The Wired version also gives you the option to simply scroll without the thumbnails. It seems to me as though the layouts share a closer aesthetic to a standard handheld paper magazine.

Time-

The time magazine has something that somewhat stands out from the others, in that it has assigned different functions to the vertical and horizontal format of the ipad. It also has a standard magazine feel to it with the exception of some video and picture interaction. When put in a horizontal position the layouts often become more visual than text based.

The Day After Tomorrow... Is Saturday.

2011-04-14T22:48:00.000-07:00

The day after tomorrow is technically an environmentalist movie, if I remember correctly.

Branding Concept Titles

2011-04-11T12:04:00.000-07:00

Here are the titles for the three possible museum exhibitions. (descriptions included)

Perfected Practice-
A look into the time honored traditions of the true sushi masters.

Sushi Under Construction
Discovering the genesis of this ever popular cuisine.

Conform Consume
Considering the assimilation and modification of Japanese culture and cuisine in America.

Poe Covers from Sketch to Mid-completion

2011-04-08T11:43:00.000-07:00

The following are the original sketches for the Edgar Allen Poe ebook covers. The first one is the closest to the concept I end up moving forward with. The concept being, a look at the area where the story specific partition pushes against the space behind it.

I later decided to add perspective for an extra dramatic flare, and worked with the typography within that perspective, integrating it into the walls and floor. At the beginning the integration was not as specific to the story as it would later be, but the color red was an intentional move that I felt was appropriate to the murderous theme that the three stories embody.

The Raw Facts on the Raw Facts on Sushi

2011-04-08T01:08:00.000-07:00

Let me just start this off by showing you this.

This is the complete set of infographs based on information about sushi and its culture. Each includes the usage of my previously constructed icons as the project called for. The infographs utilize the icons both as labels and as labels that correlate information between the graphs individual units of information. All in all I have two temporal graphs (timelines), one spacial graph (maps), and one cluster of three quantitative graphs (numbers/quantity) that tie together and relate to each other. The other required problem to solve was making them cohesive with the stylization of the icons themselves. This lead to the rounded/geometric look that many of the elements have, and the flow of the set is helped by the streamlined swooping effect they create.

Infographics… (one for every day)

2011-04-01T00:23:00.000-07:00

So in my regular researching fashion, the first place I hit is good 'ol Google. When I pulled up images for infographics, it did not take long for an interesting one to pop into view (which is not normal for a Google search). The site it lead me to could not have been more perfect. The Daily Infographic site not only gives a fresh infographic every day but also funny commentary about each one.

I thought this one was entertaining. The color scheme is perfect for the subject matter. Its very easy to read for the amount of information displayed. This is due to the easily followed flow of the composition and the aid of directional and numerical indicators. The icons used are easy to read in most instances, even though some must rely on surrounding context. There are several levels of reading from the main points to the sub points. The middle bar of information gives a nice break to what would otherwise be an overwhelming amount of busy information.

http://dailyinfographic.com/

Woops There It Is.

2011-03-28T11:52:00.000-07:00

So I just realized I had not posted the link to the video of my Typographical Design Campaign.
I'm not sure how though as it was my favorite part of the project. I'm really happy with how it turned out and will probably upload it to some other sites to strengthen my portfolio.

http://vimeo.com/20745131

Five Favorite Compositions

2011-03-21T05:21:00.000-07:00

These are some of the compositions that for one reason or another I find intriguing. On a few of the compositions during this round I kept Vanderslice Hall in mind, but this proved to be only slightly useful when it came to integration.

Seven Virtue Site.

2011-03-11T09:39:00.000-08:00

http://design.kcai.edu/marmstrong/index.html

There it is…

Icons Icons Icons.

2011-03-10T23:16:00.000-08:00

Relation to culture-

My icons have a link to my culture in respect to the semi-woodblock print aesthetic. This looks to the traditional Japanese culture. At the same time they have a clean and friendly form and color gives it a more modern look. This could represent the modern sushi restaurant culture which is more adaptive and westernized.

Cohesion-

The icons all follow a strict rule set that keeps them cohesive in form and hopefully function in the future contextual instances.

Legibility-

The legibility of my icons is as good as is possible with my extremely strict rule set. A great deal of their legibility will be reliant on how I utilize them in proper context. This goes especially for the sushi icon (the bane of my existence). Otherwise termed the space amphitheater, this icon may need special attention in the future.

Process-

The process of designing these icons really began with the form exploration utilizing blunt mark making tools. The geometric style of icon gave me a particularly unique form and later yielded a decent set of icons. The rule set includes at least one rectangle, pill shape, and curved tear drop shape. This rule had to be broke slightly later as it slowly broke me. Even with the slightly less strict measures it allowed for a cohesive set. Later when experimenting with the colorization and expanding around the boarders I found the second variation on the final icon set which is more stable and might be applied to differing situations more effectively.

Funspiration.

2011-03-09T22:45:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine sent me this video he found in which I can point out several interesting design process tidbits. Mind mapping, animated type and image, infographics, comedy, good pacing and music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_8Oqxk-wEo&feature=player_embedded

Digital Final.

2011-03-04T04:36:00.000-08:00

Here is my final set of digital icons for seven of my sushi artifacts. This is a tentative set as I will be still looking for things to edit.

Pictocons.

2011-02-20T21:47:00.000-08:00

What I gathered from the readings was a greater outlook on how big of a role clarity and context plays on the success of a pictogram. Also a look into the early history of representative image making was nice to keep in the back of my mind whilst learning about modern pictograms. Unfortunately the video seemed to be corrupted and started over once it got half way through.

The clarity of the pictogram depends on several factors. The pictogram must be in formal alignment with other pictograms of a set. They should be un ambiguous in form and should not be weighed upon by the stylistic choices of the designer (something I have had a hard time with). Also the pictogram is highly influenced by its surroundings and the norms of the culture in which it is represented. I'm wondering if we will be exploring placement in some way.

Sushi... Not Bad.

2011-02-13T23:13:00.000-08:00

For as nervous as I usually am giving presentations, I felt I was the most comfortable during this last one. This could have simply been due to the slightly informal format and the fact that I did not have to stand. I've learned allot about sushi culture which I was not aware of, that I hope to tastefully put into practice. My book did not receive to many comments overall but I am really happy with the way it turned out. The craft is decent even though the paper I used may be slightly unforgiving. As I've already seen how the book has helped inform the more expressive icon exercise, I'm pretty confident that I've chosen good images.

Jim Croce Progress

2011-02-13T23:00:00.000-08:00

As of now I have the overall warm and quiet mood that I believe works well with Jim Croce's persona. The headless body of Croce is sending off all the wrong signals so I will have to edit that as well as the overly neutral type choice. The time in a bottle reference is now finally under control since I've been more selective with what I put into the composition.

Type Campaign

2011-02-07T06:40:00.000-08:00

Promoting cohesion between the functionality of design and the consumer's/user's ability to access that functionality.

"Design is the conscious effort to impose a meaningful order." -Victor Papanek

"The function of design is letting design function." -Micha Commeren

"If the users can't find it, the function's not there." -Human Factors International

Making the Smithsonian Visible

2011-02-06T23:45:00.000-08:00

In the reading, Making the Invisible Visible, I understood two important things. One being that when working with a client or partner, the input whether constructive, negative, or otherwise can be whatever you make it whether constructive, negative, or otherwise.
The second thing is that the most basic theme should be at the center of every project in every matter. The values listed at the beginning of our culture project influenced what the style or mood the project would take. It will also continue to do so through whatever future stages our project takes us.

As for the other reading... I am not entirely sure how it relates other than the fact that the Smithsonian has a very elaborate and focused method for collecting and documenting, making it possible for them to keep track of their expansive collection, and for them to paint a fully encompassing portrait of many cultures.

Experiment?

2011-02-06T23:19:00.000-08:00

After going through the experimental type reading I was fairly confused. After going through it again there was a little light at the end of the tunnel. Out of the handful of definitions of experiment and experimental type, I think that I understand one at least a little bit. Experiment in type or design of any kind is simply the act of creating something. At its infancy a project is still an experiment so long as there is openness to whatever turns the project takes. The inspiration from the form and natural progression of the project carries the experiment up to the refining stages. This is where the experimental nature ceases and the focus turns towards whatever needs the project's results suit best. Therefor, experimenting is the means of unfocused and natural process to inform later experiments and commercial projects.

Thirty-seven Years Dead.

2011-02-04T01:13:00.003-08:00

I've had a really hard time choosing my dead person to explore (that sounds creepy). Maybe I've been just putting too much thought into the next phase of the project, but I've finally found who I'd like to go with. While slightly morbid, I knew that many interesting people have died in plane crashes, so I actually did a search on people who died in plane crashes prior to 1984. The list was very long and I didn't know any of the names except for a handful of musicians. Thats when I hit Jim Croce. Recognizing the name I looked him up to confirm who I thought he was. I can say honestly that all of that listening to oldies music as a kid is finally paying off. Granted I don't know many of his lesser played songs, but singles like Bad, Bad Leroy Brown, You Don't Mess Around With Jim, Time in a Bottle, and Operator are still classics in my book.

   James Joseph Croce was born January 10, 1943 to Jim (Sr.) and Flora Croce in Philadelphia Pennsylvania. His early career consisted mostly of playing at parties with a number of small bands until he met his wife and they performed together performing blues, country, rock and roll, and folk.

   In the 1970s Jim experienced most of his success when pianist/guitar player and singer /songwriter Maury Muehleisen backed him up playing lead guitar for his feel good, down to earth, all American music.

   At the age of thirty, Croce died in a plane crash on September 20, 1973 along with Muehleisen and several others. He was flying on a commercial flight between concerts and just before his last single was released.

Quotes-

"If I had time in a bottle,
If words could make wishes come true,
I'd save everyday for eternity passes,
And then I would spend them with you."

"I was searching all the time for something that I'd never lost or left behind."

"I've overcome the blow, I've learned to take it well. I only wish my words could just convince myself that it just wasn't real. But that's not the way it feels."

Sushi Exploration

2011-02-03T18:55:00.000-08:00

Here are my mock up book layouts. I've added more images than the ones that I took myself. This should give it more variety. The printed version of this needs to be toned down considerably when it comes to color, and I'm still trying to find the magical balance of reds and yellows so that the printer doesn't give me an extra spoonful of each. I really want sushi now... all the time... even when I'm not hungry. If only it weren't so expensive and wouldn't fill me with mercury. In that light I think the title "RAW INDULGENCE, luxury necessity desire" works well. While sushi is delicious, it is a luxury (in my case at least) to have, and while I often feel that it is a must have, it is definitely more of a want than a need. I think that reflects well on sushi culture and what inspires its members to eat copious amounts of raw fish.

7 Type Explorations

2011-02-02T12:37:00.000-08:00

Anomaly

Concentration

Direction

Texture

Repetition

Gradation

Space

Design Is.

2011-01-30T21:23:00.000-08:00

It is hard to talk about something that we do everyday, often without thinking, and give it a concrete definition. To accomplish anything requires that we put some conscious or unconscious plan into action. According to Victor Papanek this meant that everything we do is, at its most elementary level, a form of design. What makes something a useful design is where conscious, purposeful decision making comes into play. The question then is, what does design as an art mean?

What I've always believed is that we cannot create anything. To do so would require the ability to make something out of nothing, and something that is also outside of the ingenuity of the human mind. This would be above and outside of ourselves. What we can do is discover and reorganize the material we already have at our disposal. Design is where I believe we can do just that. By that definition all art, and all manners of purposeful action and problem solving are facets of design.

Papanek believed that, purposeful as it is, design should serve some higher purpose that would most efficiently progress human life. Anything less would be wasteful and senseless.

With all this in mind I tried to create compositions that are as purposefully organized and placed as possible. Aside from the layout I drew on the meaning of the quote and highlighted the words "design is order" and "design is meaningful". This is because I believe that design is the ordering of preexisting material or situations, which allows for the meaningful and efficient means to an end and a future.

The process of the letterpress itself was, while interesting, very stressful. The current setup which we have available to us at this time does not allow for efficient means of production, especially with the number of people needing to use it at once. With the large amount of people, the whole operation ends up becoming a pressure cooker with the person behind you in line rushing you to simply be finished. I soon found out that this was just not something you can rush and do right. It's complicated, dirty, and very slow going. Setting the chase does not involve any form of logic, no matter how simple the composition is. I tried quite a few times and it seemed that no matter what I did the edges of the type printed ragged, which I was not expecting or hoping for. Nevertheless there were a few that were less ugly around the edges and the counters, so... partial success it is!
That being said, I understand that it is what it is, and that the current resources available to us will not allow for a smooth operation. As it is, I probably won't be chomping at the bit to get back to the letterpress any time soon. Sorry Marty... I at least have a basic knowledge of how to work the thing.

Oo oo pretty.

2011-01-28T08:39:00.000-08:00

http://www.behance.net/gallery/HBO-Unexpected/696859

Design Quote

2011-01-25T08:25:00.000-08:00

Design is the conscious effort to impose a meaningful order. -Victor Papanek (1974)

Victor Papanek was all about creating design that did not offend the sensibility of the user. He believed that design for the sake of design was only something nice to look at not useful for progressing life. To Papanek the process of design was not something that just artists do but it is the process of working out a problem and getting from where you are at to a foreseen desired goal. Design is planning and execution in any manner that is efficient and forward thinking. Since design is, in that case, hand in hand with the process of human life, all work made from those in the specific design fields should be tied directly with it, in a way that brings order and betterment. Design should allow people to continue their own process unhindered.

Cultures

2011-01-25T07:48:00.000-08:00

Here are the first two cultures that I have broken down into values and artifacts.

martial arts-

honor
self control
confidence
defense
respect
tradition

sensei
dojo
ranked belts
bokken
crash mats
nun-chucks
throwing star
printed screens
robes
mirrors
broken cinderblocks
broken wood panels

foodies (food snobs)-

adventurous
curiosity
connoisseur
gluttony
indulgent
snobby

sushi
fork and knife
chopsticks
plates and bowls
spices
herbs
buffet
hors d’oeuvres
wine
coffee
napkins
salad

Taxonomy

2010-12-10T07:13:00.000-08:00

Here are a few of the pages from our completed taxonomy booklet-

Past Project...

2010-12-10T06:31:00.000-08:00

In this poster iteration, I clearly need to take a step back and think about what I was doing. It was at the end of the project and I was feeling pressed for time and I let that dictate some of my design decisions where it shouldn't have. While I think this iteration has some potential it really had no place in this project. Where I should have been choosing a line study that is cohesive with the lines and angles of the building. Instead I decided it was a good idea to take the least noticeable lines to work off of. The two really just don't go together enough outside of that one instance, and while the perspective is a nice idea, it only succeeds in making a clutter and doesn't tie in the rest of the image appropriately.

In my opinion the only thing that is really somewhat successful is the placement and alignment of "downtown" with the "n" aligned with the side of the building. It is still a little close to the edge of the composition though.

Semester Reflection

2010-12-08T06:37:00.000-08:00

I would say that on a formal basis, things like using grids and exploring space both more openly and selectively is something that crossed over between assignments for sure. On a more conceptual note, I've learned the importance of keeping my concept clear and in view at all times during a project. Even if I am happy with my work formally it doesn't really make much difference if it looks good and doesn't say what I want it to. Also being able to let my design be affected more by outside influence and natural objects and occurrences, and integrating those things with my design to broaden my visual style. Last but not least, I have learned to not be afraid of working in analog from time to time (even if working digital is my favorite), and that Flash, while faster, is nowhere near as intuitive as After Effects.

All of these things both formally and conceptually will definitely be useful to me in the future. Now let me just hit "⌘s".

Haiku Line One Progression

2010-12-07T13:15:00.000-08:00

Here is the progression of the motif for line one of the Haiku.

Haiku Flash

2010-12-06T11:32:00.001-08:00

Here is the final Flash animation for the haiku. (I apologize for quicktime's trouble reading the file but you should get the basic idea). I worked to create this animation with the same mood of longing that the haiku itself has. Also the motions used should reflect the essence of the object itself and the line of the haiku. For instance, the marks made for the trees are made out of bamboo, and the motion gives an illusion of going through trees. The "eyes" were made from twisting a blindfold which can be linked conceptually to obscuring vision, and the motif itself obscures the text with the transition into the third line.

The music I used was an edited sample of a cigar box fiddle http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TujVCn_83c4. I added reverb and put in some gushing wind sounds behind it. The song itself speaks that longing feeling to me and feels appropriate for someone who would be looking up at the sky surrounded by trees. The wind-like sounds are obviously to further make that connection to the sky.

Venezky

2010-12-02T16:28:00.000-08:00

Martin Venezky's specialty seems to be large,open, uninhibited collage and collection. It is in his book "It's Beautiful Then Gone" that he tackles the mind boggling process of organizing his collage and collections. The Format of which keeps with his style of his pieces only broken up with the thread of information running through and often mixing with his images much like a collage. I suppose this would make him successful in bridging his work and documentation in a manner that takes direct lessons from the form of his work.

HAIKU Final Images.

2010-11-19T05:29:00.000-08:00

These are the final images with the lines of the haiku they represent included in the composition.

Taxonomy Format, Organization, and Classification.

2010-11-16T14:43:00.000-08:00

The book will be organized as such

1. Cover

2. Table of contents

3. Manmade/Natural

Object used in mark making

Method/Manipulation

Marks made from similar objects and methods will be placed on the same pages.

The book will be bound with either saddle stitch or wire-o. (tentative)

The format will be square. (tentative)

http://erikagoering.com/2010/11/16/taxonomy-and-such/

Leo Lionni.

2010-11-04T23:43:00.000-07:00

Leo Lionni is a man who is making a plea for visual consciousness at all times, and to have meaning for the choices we make both formally and conceptually. At the same time it may be the greatest form of inspiration and preliminary process to just let the sketches be sketches and not let the hand be as affected by the concept. This can allow for more pure image making and a broader palette from which we can draw and redistribute according to concept later. I'm still debating with myself just how much you can allow for pure unadulterated image making to go before it can be counterproductive to final deliverable requirements. Pure image making however can be very relaxing (then it comes back to bite you in the rear because it is too distant from a workable concept).

Web Spreads Cont.

2010-11-04T23:03:00.000-07:00

Here is my latest iteration for the final spread. All that was really changed was an issue with the top white space placement.

Web Spreads.

2010-11-01T06:02:00.000-07:00

Here are my spreads. The body type is Veranda 12/15. Tried to keep an I on alignment.

2010-10-28T22:17:00.000-07:00

My overall concept for these posters was to show the vacant nature of some of downtown by highlighting both the upper and lower parts of the area. For both the skyline and the ground level I took the original image and broke it up, setting it against the area that is not represented to accentuate that vacancy. In the first I juxtapose the progressive line study and the progressive nature of the building as it curves back into space. I then progressively bring the lines down. The negative space leads from the upper section of the city to segue into the second poster. The second poster is focused on the lower part of the city leaving the higher parts open. I used the progressive manipulated line study to accentuate the movement of the stairs and also hold the upper area of the composition.
My process included allot of reworking between the concept and formal exploration and decisions. Using the different methods of line manipulation did allow for a greater palette from which to draw information from. The use of analogue manipulation/sketches for the first drafts of these posters was helpful for direction but I found that moving into digital after that allowed for faster editing that for the most part allowed me to keep moving.

Paula Scher

2010-10-27T10:49:00.000-07:00

Paula Scher is, from what I've gathered, a very expressive designer who is influenced heavily by her surroundings and her disdain for helvetica and every conforming, conservative, war starting institution for which it stands... sigh. While I do enjoy her designs aesthetically and formally I find I often disagree with her reasons for her formal choices. Doing a project a certain way for a thousand dollars is fine, but I don't think you should then be able to trace every decision back to "and it allowed me to keep the thousand dollars". A thousand dollars does not mean you can make Utah an Island to justify your geographical misnomer. But I digress (busts a vein).

One thing that Scher does have right is her observations about how geography can influence design. The world is full of lines which in turn make one giant grid for us designers to fit into. Letting this grid influence our design allows for cohesion between the environment and design. Obviously we probably won't be making a building in New York that follows the grid of our design. More commonly the infrastructure will already be there as there are certain rules to follow, and nobody wants a design that doesn't look like it belongs somewhere. This also forces us to create solutions for spacial relations we do not naturally process, and take lessons from these solutions. The infrastructure that we have made is an extension of us, and our design is an extension of the infrastructure.

Grids...Where They Be?

2010-10-25T11:19:00.000-07:00

This exhibition poster, created by a designer that goes by "Network Osaka", shows a good sense of proper grid structure in its design. It is divided in half from top to bottom and horizontally in almost perfect thirds. The first line of text below the title begins at the edge of the first third and extends to the end of the second aligning with the "I" in the title. All text below that is aligned within the first third. The title and the text below it take up an even amount of space. Aside from the broken color gradient residing below the center line there are only a few instances where edges align with previously established grid lines.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/networkosaka/2388859822/in/set-72157605232895544/

http://designreviver.com/inspiration/30-inspiring-poster-designs/

BitMap vs. Vector

2010-10-22T00:44:00.000-07:00

A comparison of bitmap and Vector... GO!

Bitmap-

Bitmaps are great for your basic raw or edited photo. They're as close as replication is going to get to the real life imagery. They also have an atmospherical grain that can make foe a nice contrast between the hard edge and graphic style of vectors and other design elements. Bitmaps are directly proportioned to their original file size and pixel dimension so if you distort or make a scale change you have to make sure that you do not stretch the dimensions beyond their limits. If you do it will cause for large out of focus/grainy images.

Vectors-

Vectors are not based on the width of a pixel, but on shape alone. Because of this you can stretch a vector image out as large as you want. The danger here is for there to be some issues with proportions after an image is stretched so far. Vectors do have a clean line that defines their edges, and can work together with themselves or be used to spice up a bitmap image. They can translate well within many different formats which makes for quick editing.

Lines Critique.

2010-10-20T10:12:00.000-07:00

Downtown: The line study itself demonstrates regularity which keeps with the buildings repetitious pattern of windows. I took some of the bricks to make a more gradual transition between the photo and the study, which was previously to sharp. The text is aligned with the line study/window extension, but it might not be adding any thing to it compositionally and it may have so kerning issues. The sharp clean lines of the typeface I believe express some of the fast, sleek, and tall nature of the downtown area. The building itself represents some of the business/living aspects of downtown. In each of these I tried to use symmetry, asymmetry, and alignment between the line studies, the photograph, and the negative space. The study and the photo should both represent aspects of downtown while the negative space should emphasis some aspect that is not present.

In this composition I'm trying to again use alignment, symmetry, and repetition. The type is more integrated into the structure of the building, and plays against the thin vertical lines of the windows. At the same time the line weight may need to be thicker because of the large blocks between the building segments. The transition between the building and the study in this composition is much more abrupt than the previous one. I cut the sections of the windows away from the side of the building and brought the line study up through those spaces to make more of a vertical flow between them.

For this composition I went further with editing out the front facing windows and placing them between two line study segments. Taking out the windows except for the ones that are open gives it a sense of vacancy. The text may need to have more presence and be aligned better to the established grid. The composition shows continuation and alignment.

With these compositione I tried again to draw attention, through alignment and continuation, to the negative space at the bottom. The text may need to go toward the bottom for clarity.

I also tried to blend the lines between the building and the line study by bringing in parts of the building into the study and vice-versa. Text alignment may be an issue.

This was meant to mimic my first iteration, and also give more emphasis on the line study through form and repetition.

The line studies for the midtown compositions are supposed to keep in line with the easier flow of the neighborhood in comparison to the downtown area. I experimented with staying truer to the original line studies but it seems to busy. Also placing the text in the bottom area does not feel right. I ended up trying to take out allot of the original path and continuing the line study up till the upper slice of the image. I need more of that part to make that work well though. The text mimics the lines of that part of the photo.

In both of these the bottom half is far to busy and the text does not feel attached enough to the rest of the composition.

Juxt... J... Juxtap p p... Juxtaposition.

2010-10-12T22:18:00.000-07:00

Juxtaposition... a word that I've heard thrown around so many times since entering art college. To put two images that have opposing content or contextual meaning, together creating a desired or undesired new meaning or relation. In many cases there can be some serendipitous juxtapositions that aren't necessarily intended. While these results can be powerful and unexpected it is probably important to keep an eye out for juxtaposition in design to avoid creating something too contextually off kilter. On the other hand considering observations in juxtaposition when designing can successfully alter meaning, and allow for previously unattainable compositions that appeal to the viewer's sensibilities on a deeper level. Cropping also plays a big part in keeping whatever cohesion is necessary in the composition, and to add drama and tension.

Typeface.

2010-10-08T10:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday when we all traversed over to the theater to see Typeface I was expecting to see a movie that was not only about the process of the wood type but typographical principles as well. It was however heavily weighted on the wood type and the museum/shop that still makes use of it. It chronicled the history from past to present of this printshop up in Wisconsin. It showed the workers who for the most part are retired, dead, or on deaths door. The biggest most time consuming part of the printing process is not just setting all of the type in place but putting all of it away in their respective cases afterwards. This was an even more daunting task for those pieces that were just laying around in the museum or in the collection of the small group of designers who set up a small printing studio a few hours from there. Depending on the amount of use or neglect the typeface could succumb to damage which doesn't necessarily ruin it. Any damage adds character to the typeface, which actually makes it its own unique set. Methods using polymer instead of wood can never quite have the same feel of the wood type, and is considered by many to be of a cheaper quality.

The movie overall was really depressing. It focussed to much on the museum than over typography or wood type in general. It seems as though from the tone of the film that the museum will eventually close, and the art of wood type will probably follow its lead. The only way I could see it surviving is through those who would print for the novelty of it. The practice itself is highly impractical in today's economy and fast paced environment. Even the man who was previously in charge of the museum had to sit down and really think about his future. I suppose the movie was more of a warning about the future of wood type.

Type in Lines.

2010-10-07T21:06:00.000-07:00

Here is an example of lines being employed in an advertisement for an exhibition. The designer is Berk Kizilay, and on a side note according to his Deviant profile he has a mustache...
The image features a mass of type that is structured on a grid giving it a sense of order, but it is a random order. It is just a little grungy for my taste but beautiful none the less.

http://webdesignledger.com/inspiration/33-amazing-typography-posters-and-illustrations

Do'n A Little Business On The Side...

2010-10-07T20:09:00.000-07:00

So the other day I got a last minute commission for some album artwork for a Christmas single. I know that, looking back at it now, there would definitely be some things I would have done differently given more time, and that I shouldn't accept projects that require a twenty-four hour turn around. This time though I thought I'd make an exception. I threw some things together that I had in studio, and even used the photo room for the first time since I've been here. When I went into Photoshop I tried to employ some of the principles I've learned in class with the type. I tried to slightly imply a typographical metaphor with the title. I couldn't be too abstract with it otherwise it wouldn't flow with the pre-existing album artwork. In the end I was up till five in the morning before I considered it "first mock up" close. On wednesday there were a few minor edits I had to do before I sent it off.

Mike and Types. (Cont.)

2010-10-07T19:45:00.000-07:00

Here are my bitmap words made from Mike and Ikes. Kerning is as accurate as my eyes can tell. Some of the guidelines I followed are a x-height of five "ikes" and major ascending serifs have one "ike" placed at a diagonal. Ascending stems also must be two "ikes" wide, while horizontal must be one.

Lines Lines Lines...

2010-10-05T23:30:00.000-07:00

   All of the elements we have dealt with have been linear elements. However it is very easy to see these new compositions as having black lines on a white background (for me at least). By definition (as a path) however I have to look at the bigger picture. Everything in these compositions are lines, from the black or white lines to where they touch and the spaces in between.
   These linear elements work together to create shapes, curves, and even the illusion of dimension and perspective. Closed or heavy weighted lines make a plane, and planes joined together with added perspective (with or without a vanishing point) can give you three-dimensional elements. We have been using pre-existing dimension and perspective to form our lines.
   The linear elements together can work to create a grid for placing and organizing other graphic elements such as image and text in order to give them added perspective similar to the lines themselves. Once these elements are aligned to this skeleton they become/create linear elements themselves. I'm guessing that this aspect of lines will play heavily in the next part of the assignment.

Magnesium.

2010-10-04T11:32:00.001-07:00

I am magnesium.

Mike and Types.

2010-09-30T23:38:00.000-07:00

Ok, so really quick because it's late and I'm sick now apparently (oh yippee) here are the three sets of hand made typefaces. I tried my best to follow my own set rule when designing them, such as what serifs looked like and where line weight was a certain size and angle. Shooting on the light table was a mistake though because the lighting actually made the paper hard to edit out, and you can still see the grid a little bit.

Just A Little Update.

2010-09-29T00:44:00.000-07:00

Just going to throw up the first few of the color study photos I've taken to show the direction I'm heading in. Essentially I'm painting fruit with different harmonies that relate to the fruit's original color, and photographing them together. The background I felt was too distracting so I've been shooting them on the light table to light them from top to bottom.

Color Emotion?

2010-09-27T00:43:00.000-07:00

Wow, I never would have figured thinking of emotions for these colors would be so hard. Some weren't so bad but others like orange... all I could think about were oranges and other physical associations. Either way here they are.

For this part of the color emotions project I had some difficulty coming up with new exiting names for these colors. Many of them ended up being silly or very obvious. I blame it on by lack of word association skill.

Helvetica (Oh Yeah).

2010-09-27T00:26:00.000-07:00

   So Helvetica... best font ever. I know that this is just my subjective opinion (even if its right) but it is really such a versatile typeface. Helvetica took me out of a dark place full of grunge fonts and stencil fonts and grunge stencil fonts.
   Watching the documentary Helvetica really just reinforces why I enjoy it so much. I love the way it takes you through the modern visual landscape of todays cities and how it permeates so many aspects of our culture. The fact that they point out is for however widespread its use is because we see it everyday it becomes installed in our brains as this normal functioning thing. This is what makes it such an automatically accepted universal font.
   The other part of the documentary that I enjoyed was seeing the people, who do not like the font or fervently hate it, try and justify there reasons. I suppose most particularly expressive designers feel the same way, but seeing people attribute it to big business, "right wing propaganda", and conformity drives me up the wall. At that point lets face it, it's not Helvetica thats the problem is it?

Weapon of Mass Production (not really).

2010-09-24T02:30:00.000-07:00

   So its very late/very early and I'm listening to the news and have the air blasting on hi just to keep me awake enough to write this blog post. I've completed my book finally and I feel very good about how it turned out. It's almost everything I could have hoped for given the parameters.
   The dot compositions prove that relations between elements in a composition such as scale, position, layers, and color hierarchy, can really elude to abstract words and concepts. Effectively used, there is often no need to enforce the image with explanatory text, but put together as abstract metaphors they can communicate very strongly and be aestheticly pleasing.
   The image material I chose effectively backs up my concept of health and mental degeneration with its many worsening side effects. I included various medical related images such as photos of microscopic images of the body. Along with the page bases which are medical diagrams and terminology, the cover looks as though it is a medical file. The facial imagery is there to keep the view of the topic grounded in the individual. Those faces are blurred and obstructed to keep the imagery abstract and also give the feeling of loss and confusion that mental degeneration would convey on a first person level. The background text and image is there to provide order and also give an uneasy feeling similar to seeing one's own medical chart and not knowing how to read or understand it. There are several serendipitous moments throughout the book, and the text and image work very well together as a whole. Having both elements there to support each other definitely helps to further communication even with abstract concepts.
   The font I chose was Monotype Grotesque. I feel that using this font was a good choice because it is very clean and not distracting but at the same time it can hold its own in the composition. It also carries the fluctuating relationship between organic and mechanical forms.
   One of the things I would have liked to have improved on would be to not accidentally punch binder holes into the wrong side of one of my final pages. I did however re-back the page and fill the holes as best I could. Also I would have liked to have made better use of the much more precise tools available in the digital realm for preparatory work.

Functioning- employs repetition through the continuation of the forms moving across the composition

Regressive- employs compound shapes that become less complex from left to right

Degenerate- employs alignment that sets up order which is then dismantled

Erode- employs compound shape in the middle form and alignment in the forms below it

Disoriented- employs continuation in the dots that form a continuous path that swirls around from the center

Irrational- employs scale (if anything) with different sizes of dots moving about in a semi-haphazard way

Dissociative- employs correspondence in the relationship between the larger dot and the smaller ones that represent the sliced portions

Unfamiliarity- employs positive/negative play with the smaller dots forming dots themselves

Dysfunctional- employs repetition from left to right and then breaks it with the third form

Layers and Transparency.

2010-09-22T01:41:00.000-07:00

As much as I love to work digitally, it is very interesting to take a step back to see that the way we are composing our books is not so far off base from earlier analog design methods. Creating, finding, cutting, pasting, and overlapping are all useful and ageless, viable techniques that have been the forces of creative design process far before the introduction of digital methods. The layering process can give you information about physical, spacial, and abstract relations. Transparency often goes hand in hand with layering and can often accomplish the same things, but it can also affect the clarity of an image. It can cause the imagery to be more direct or less obvious.

I feel that the interplay of image and type in my book could help to strengthen the communication of the topic and individual words. In the end there will be a tag team combination between the dot compositions who's actions elude to and support the typed word, and there will also be a similar relationship thanks to the typographical metaphors which do their part to convey the meaning and the topic. In the way of aesthetics, the flow of communications should benefit, and the pages them selves will probably look much sharper where necessary and more complex where some tasteful confusion will aid my theme.
It is hard to think about the serendipity at this point, because I keep thinking a little to far ahead, and it actually gets a little stressful. However, I can see where certain compositions will have potential to blend together and look very nice... exiting!

I Like Nice Things...

2010-09-20T19:44:00.000-07:00

These are the first color study for Color Form and Production utilizing four color systems, RGB, CMYK, HEX, and PANTONE matching system (PMS). The CMYK is very hard to match and trust because you can't make a true CMYK color in RGB that will end up printing accurately. The image I pulled the colors from is my own, so yes I own two bright orange ladles.

GE History.

2010-09-20T00:39:00.000-07:00

The General Electric logo is currently fourth most valuable logo in Fortune 500.

It has iterations that date back as far as 1892, and yet it hasn’t changed that much since then. I could not find the designer of the original logo. In fact the only designer that I was able to find was the designer of the most recent logo which was made in 2004. Actually the design was created by a branding firm known as Wolff Olins. It was Wolff Olins that chose to change the logo from black to blue. The exact blue is pantone 7455.

The founders of Wolff and Olins were Michael Wolff and Wally Olins in Camden Town, London in 1965. Neither of them have actually been with the company since 2001 when the company became part of Omnicom Group, a holding company that includes many other similar advertising agencies. It currently employs 150 designers and advertising specialists. From its inception the company has focused on the strategy of creating a corporate identity, and now is more limited to corporate branding. They primarily produced these corporate identities for large European companies such as Volkswagen up until the 1990s when they broadened their horizons to other companies worldwide.

The General Electric company as we know it today was formed in 1892 with the merger of Edison General Electric which was founded by Thomas Edison through his business acquisitions, and the Thomas-Houston Company which was run by Charles A. Coffin. Their main base of operations is locate in Schenectady New York along with one of the two original plants. Today General Electric is present and working in over 100 countries. Their business is in the inventing and production of electrical appliances and the energy that powers them. They have an extensive power generation program that includes wind power among others as they do their part in the environmental initiative. They pride themselves as being a creative center for bringing ideas to life. Their slogan, “Imagination at Work”, reflects their desire for their company to be a place where ingenuity can flourish. Their logo I believe reflects this ideal in that it is both cyclical and mechanical suggesting progress, and yet organic and flowing suggesting flexibility, creativity, and change.