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Object to Mark

Object to Mark I

Great Mind in Design: Chip Kidd

Object to Mark I

The object in this photo that I am choosing is the raccoon hat. 

Hierarchy (Ina Salts)

This video series was helpful and informative. I really hope to use these principles in practice soon because I enjoy the challenge in developing a layout and hierarchy. The main principles I noted were:

1) Consistent tonality on print
a. no rivers
b. smooth, eye not drawn to one area
c. no widows or orphans at the end of paragraphs
d. no difference between one paragraph to another

2) All elements should be in relation to other elements

3) Consider content, context and audience

Some kids I got were: 

- alternating color with text is tight in space
- use color to indicate hierarchy
- use color for action words
- use subtle changes in size, weight and case to organize heavy information/text

Patterns

Step II

Step III 

Step IV 

Step V 

Step VI 

Step VII 

Layers

Hierarchy

Hewbert Calligraphy Workshop

Watching and listening to Herbert's about his experience since graduating City College and SDSU provided insight into the real world aspect of pursuing design. Although he doesn't use calligraphy as much as he'd like day-to-day, the importance of calligraphy still comes through in how he thinks about design. It was cool to see all the different pens, inks, and the types of effects that can be created with them. It also gave me a whole new appreciation for unique typography because of the pain-staking detail that goes into each word, let along each letter. I'll be buying myself some pens and ink to start creating!

Border Play

Amor and Keisuke

I really enjoyed the presentation from Amor and Keisuke - it was amazing to hear about what they've been able to accomplish in such a short amount of time. I was mainly intrigued with the workshops for communication solutions and the think tank they took part in. That is the aspect of design that truly draws me; how communication and design interact to solve problems and unlock layers of creativity. In my work experience, those types of interactions most often produce the best outcomes. 

Although it was inspiring to learn what opportunities you can create for yourself, I was still intimidated by the financial aspect, and that the level of success they achieved required that they were not locked into any one place or job. I find it difficult to imagine doing that with my own life and for the people that depend on me. Even still, this presentation in some ways reminded me to be realistic about what is right for me and my life, but it doesn't detract me from believing that success can be achieved in my own way. 

I am very curious still about what their creative process is like, in terms of coming up with concepts and ideas. They both seem to be pretty naturally gifted, which is not the case for most, so I'm interested to learn what they did personally to grow as designers. I understand that time and practice is probably the majority of it, but they must've had their own way of practicing the art of creation.

All in all, wonderful and inspiring presentation. I certainly hope to work with them in the future, whether at City College or beyond.

Positive Negative

Grouping Modes

Jim Krause

This was a series just packed with information! It was a bit fast so I didn't absorb as much as I would've liked. Ultimately I found that he played with various color combinations and hues based on connection with audience, originality and representation of product. I didn't know that greys and browns came from various saturation levels and mixes of complimentary colors like orange and blue. I certainly learned that without value, there is no hue or saturation! As with the other videos, I found his sources of inspiration refreshing, which continues to broaden the scope of inspiration for me and I'm exciting to further explore the works of the various artists he mentioned.

Seeing with Color

Interaction of Color

Color Wheel

Typographic Texture

Texture

Marion Bantjes

This has been my favorite so far! The way her mind and creativity work is fascinating. The main take away for me was really creative inspiration - I couldn't help myself from purchasing old christmas cards from a thrift store in hopes of coming up with something even remotely interesting as Marion's christmas card valentine series. 

Like the other graphic designers we have seen, it's reassuring to see so many resist the idea of continuing to do what they've always done because they know it so well. They pushed themselves to grow and develop, even if it meant taking a risk and holding a mirror to yourself almost at all times. 

Marion echoed the same sentiment as Jessica Hische, "unless you're really paying attention, you're never going to see it". Her key points that there is a place for the personal artist in the corporate sphere, that the work should be good enough to have longevity outside of its original purpose, and that multiple layers payoff really struck a chord. It makes perfect sense that she is as highly acclaimed, respected, and sought-after as she is because she puts meaningful thought and empathy into her design and work. 

Scale, Depth, Motion

Jessica Hische

I didn't think I had a lot of interest in type illustration or typography until watching this video series on Jessica Hische. Ultimately what I got the most out of this was creative inspiration and how accidents can turn into gold. My favorite quote was about teaching yourself to want to look: "unless you're looking, you can't learn." - learn from the terrible, accidental, excellent, everything. She had great advice to think beyond the title or career and really think about the day-to-day. 

I also enjoyed her description of the classic book series and how excited she was about the opportunity to design everything from typeface to embellishments, and because of that part of the layout as well. Lastly, I enjoyed how Jessica and her partner found ways to push themselves, which ultimately turned into extensions of their brand and a growing network and hub of their peers. 

Scale

Sean Adams

My takeaway from the Sean Adams video series was his advice to remain patient with design. He mentioned that clients can sometimes demand that something be produced as quickly as possible, but if you allow just a little more time, you will ultimately produce something of much better quality. His advice to have the patience to allow things to germinate, rather than just reacting, really struck a chord with me. 

I also enjoyed how he delved into how easy it is for designers to "become seduced by how things look", and how it's important to take a step back and ask yourself if there is a purpose, a concept that is behind the design. His advice to listen to clients, write things down and do entirely the wrong thing are gems that are bound to ring through my head throughout my design education. 

Lastly, he made the statement that design is the lubricant that drives capitalism and makes it work. I found this interesting because it tied into the Margo Chase series in that her design aesthetic and thought process contributed to and shaped popular culture of the time. In today's world, the line is blurred between capitalism and pop culture, but the design community is ultimately the guiding star. 

Rhythm Balance

Margo Chase

I really enjoyed this first video series on Margo Chase, particularly that she sort of stumbled her way into graphic design for the music industry with Warner Brothers. I am a musician myself so the combination of the two worlds is an exciting prospect for me. I like that she has her own archive of graphic design history and inspiration in the office, and that the workspace itself is conducive to open and creative thinking. 

What really struck a chord for me was one of the reasons that she decided to leave Warner Brothers, which was that graphic designers were not part of the marketing conversation. The concept she delivers about graphic design solving for business problems is spot on. What has driven me to pursue and understand graphic design is my interest in communication, and I believe that graphic design, communication, and marketing go hand-in-hand; you can't have one without the other. To further this argument, the segment that included her marketing partner emphasized the necessity of expressing an understanding of the problem in order to communicate the solution. This understanding then transposes to the design concept, branding, marketing, and so on. Their insight into this process was really valuable, including starting points: what is the consumer thinking?; aspirations of the brand and consumer; creating a persona; creating a brand theme board. 

Lastly, it was interesting to me that she won a Grammy for the Cher limited edition package, and that she designed the album cover for Madonna's Like a Prayer (the only Madonna album on my Spotify). Her aesthetic drove pop culture for the time, and I think it's fascinating for graphic design work to be a part of that.

Points, Lines, Planes

100 Iterations