Monday Dec 06, 2010 - Final Day

Today was our final for this class. We all signed up last week to bring food and drinks and when class started we all dug in and took a seat for the show. Jimmy brought his laptop and played all the videos we made for the final project. They were all really great. It was such an open-ended project it was fun and interesting to see how everyone interpreted it. Jimmy said there was no need to have a discussion after because every video was "Awesome!". Next we took out all our apples and displayed them on top of the tables. That was also fun to see the ideas people came up with. Their are a lot of different ways to render their apples, one person even used pennys! Lastly, Jimym had us write down on index cards what we liked/disliked about the class and any advise for future 220 students. He also read aloud index cards we had written on the first day of class about what we thought we were going to be learning. I have to say, I think we did a pretty good job because a lot of what he read was pretty close to what we did in the class.

Well, this will probably be the last post for this blog, though I may start up one just in general. It's pretty neat to have a place to share your thoughts on the things you've seen and experienced and let everyone know whats going on in your life. This class was a blast, I've learned a great deal on design and about being a designer. I hope that in the future I have another teacher like Jimmy that's not going to just recite a textbook but really push and challenge his students to get the most out of their college career.

See ya around all...

Final Project

Here's my final project video. The program I used had a glitch and I wasn't able to fully publish the movie for upload. I did, however, make a video of the video so I could still turn it in. It's choppy because the program didn't allow me to render it either.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1o_MmXWavhw

Where there's a will, there's a way.

Wednesday Dec 01, 2010 - Day 20

End of the road...

Today was the last official day of class. Next week is finals week. It was a really short class today, Jimmy went around the room and asked us all what classes we are taking next quarter. He specifically wanted to know which design classes, if any, we were taking. I'm still trying to finish some university requirements so I'm only taking one design class next quarter. Next, Jimmy passed around a sign-up sheet for us to put down what we are going to bring next Monday for the class party. I'll be bringing sodas.

All that's left now is to finish the final project video...

Monday Nov 29, 2010 - Day 19

Beautiful Losers...

Today we watched the film we were supposed to watch last week, Beautiful Losers. It's a documentary that follows an eclectic group of artists, from different backgrounds who, in a small NYC art gallery, found a mutual understanding in each other. Using a combination of interviews, footage from gallery showings and images of their pieces, the film takes us on a journey through the careers of these artists, their creative processes, and their inspiration.

Right before the movie began, Jimmy said that as artists we should constantly be making art. We should create and make art, because thats who we are and thats what we do. I found that a lot of the artists in this film shared that same sentiment. They created art just for the joy of it; as an outlet to express themselves. There was nothing else for them to do, making art is what they did and its what they still do. Considered to be underground artists, (even though most if not all have had mainstream success), no thought was given to where their art would end up. None of these artists strived to have their pieces displayed at the MET. Their galleries were basements, garages, sidewalks, walls...

Many of the artists spoke about their adolescent years and the environments they grew up in. This where they drew a lot of their inspiration from. For example, their was one artist that talked about how skateboarding and how after school he would spend hours and hours skateboarding through the streets. Another artist talked about watching this show called "Style Wars" which was very popular and another talked about the growing movement of graffiti during that time. Most mentioned how they found solace in groups that weren't necessarily "the norm" but more outside of the realm. All these sub-cultures contributed to the uninhibited, do-it-yourself, sense of spirit present in these artist's work.

I found the film to be incredibly interesting. I really like the fact that you hear these stories from the artists themselves. It's really insipirational to see the camaraderie in this group of artists and the unbridled passion they have for their craft. I hope to see more films like this one.

Wednesday Nov 24, 2010 - Day 18

Half day...

We spent about an hour going over the ideas we came up with for promoting our major, Graphic Design/Visual Communication. By putting to practice everything I learned this quarter, I had an easier time coming up with ideas this time around. I even drew up some sketches to show. We each took turns presenting and there were a lot of interesting and unique ideas. Some people thought we should have large interactive displays in the campus walkway so we could reach a larger audience as everyone uses the walkway to get to class. Also, people are usually drawn to large pieces, in general, as they tend to stand out. Others thought we should try to promote during orientation and campus tours, but Jimmy said then every department would want to do that. I think he really got into the exercise though, because he said if we wanted to continue this project, to talk to him after class and he would round up a team to really tackle this issue.

The second half of class was supposed to be spent watching a film, but Jimmy didn't have the necessary cables needed for the projector. We'll probably see the film on Monday.

Our time here is coming to an end, only a couple of weeks left...

Monday Nov 22, 2010 - Day 17

Graphic Design/Visual Communication...

Today we went over the definition of our major, Graphic Design/Visual Communication. Jimmy asked us if we knew why the name was so long. Turns out its because the department couldn't decide which name to use so they used both. Awesome. We also talked about the different paths of graphic design, like Web Designing, Motion, and Print. According to Jimmy, most universities that teach graphic design, design their programs to fit one of these paths. Most if not all are centered around print, but a few are starting to intergrate web design as well; motion design is still in the works. Jimmy says that our own university may change the curriculum in the future to incorporate all three paths.

I think the discussion sparked an idea in Jimmy's head because our homework assignment is to come up with three ideas on how to promote the Graphic Design/Visual Communication major. Our target audience is incoming students to the university and students who are already enrolled but haven't declared a major yet. The are no other parameters on the assignment, the rest is up to us.

I'm feeling the pressure now...

Reading Assignment #9

Read Stage 7: Production 169-186

This chapter deals with the final stage in design process, "Production". At this point there are final decisions to be made and it is important that a designer establish dialogue with their production team to ensure the best results. This is where a designers knowledge and background in communication comes in handy. Working in a team, designers will most likely encounter others who have experience in areas that they, themselves do not have so it is vital to be open to receiving outside information and be able to have a clear and rational discussion on the subject. As I've learned in class, teamwork goes a long way. Everyone brings something to the table and when we work as a team instead of individually, we get a lot farther, faster.

Another aspect of this stage is prototyping and testing. "Prototyping is the creation of a model or mock-up of a design to test various aspects of the idea" (Aspelund 175). There are different types of prototyping such as concept prototyping, which is a rough representation of the idea, throwaway prototyping, which is used to test a specific aspect of the design, and evolutionary prototyping, which as the book states, serves as a work in progress where you can make changes as you go. This in my opinion is the most important part of the design process. Speaking from experience, as I studied aeronautical engineering for four years, you can learn a great deal from protoypes and working models. Any errors or miscalculations are immediately seen and because you are looking at the design in its entirety, it allows for a full evaluation of the concept where you can pinpoint exact areas that may need attention.

Lastly, as part of the final decision making process, you must take into account certain factors now that your design has become reality. These are budget, scheduling, materials & aesthetics, and sustainability. For example, budget deals with the cost which will allow you to make a profit. Scheduling comes into account on how long it will take you to produce a finshed product within the budget. The longer you take, the higher the overhead is going to be and the less profit you make. Materials and aesthetics again fall into the catergory of costs. You want to produce the best product you can using good materials but, without blowing your budget. Lastley, sustainability. If your design and product do not last, whether it be by design, or whether we are taking about lasting as being successful, it again affects your profit. All of these factors are integrated and are important in the final decision.