Graphic Design the New Basics Reading

The first section talks about Rhythm in relation to balance, time, and pacing. Balance is a fundamental human condition and allows us to go about our daily lives. In design, balance acts as a catalyst for form. Rhythm is a strong, regular, repeated pattern. There are many ways of achieving balance. Symmetry is not the only way, as asymmetrical design is typically better. In asymmetrical design, balance is achieved by placing contrasting elements in counterpoint to each other. In relation to time, rhythm can be shown by a repetition of elements. Rhythm and pacing should work together in design to keep the viewers interest, and add elements of surprise, and involve variation.

The importance of scale in design is discussed in the next section. Scale objectively is literal dimensions of a physical object or literal correlation between a representation and the real thing it depicts. Scale subjectively is one's impression of an objects size. Size and scale is very important in design, because it can make or break it. An design on the computer may look great until it is printed out because of scale. A design whose elements all have similar  looks dull and lacks contrast in scale.

Time and motion are very big parts of design. Any word or image that moves functions both spatially and temporarily. The big idea here is CHANGE. We need to imagine how to make an image move across a page or screen, and how to show this change. Think about elements over time. The reading talks about the persistence of vision, which is how the brain retains images for a split second longer than the images are actually before us resulting in the illusion of movement. When animating type, legibility is very important. It is crucial to keep the text on the screen long enough to read but not too long to drag on. Context of the text is also important

Journal #8

I read for this journal entry, Type Means Never Having to Say Your Sorry and Designing Under the Influence. Both were very interesting to read. I recently used Futura in one of my projects and actually really like it, I felt that it worked best with my book covers. I look at Futura and really like it for titles and captions, but I guess I should get used to other typefaces. It was interesting to read the comments after the article and see that so many students are never told not to use Futura, and I am glad that we are. It was important read how other considerations should be taken into account when deciding on a typeface to use besides just liking it.
 “To fail to address the degree to which design history plays a fundamental role in any typographic course of study is nothing short of tragic"

Designing Under the Influence was interesting, because it our lives our so saturated by information because of the internet. Therefore, it could be possible to be influenced to much by an idea, something that I often worry about and try not to do!

To replace Futura... I think the closest font to switch out with Futura would be Gothem. I was also looking at Frutiger and Interstate. I think the regular weight of Interstate could replace some heavier weights of Futura.

Journal #7, TYPE IN NY!

I was in NYC over spring break and took many pictures of everything I saw. NYC has typography EVERYWHERE you look, so here are a few of my favorites:

Journal #6: thirty conversations on design

I listened to Sean Adams, Edwin Chan, Paula Schere, Chip Kidd, Massimo Vignelli, Kiko Farkas, Paul Sahre, and Eddie Nunns. It was really interesting to hear the different answers from each designer. Some had similar thoughts, and found the most inspiring design something personal or something they really identify with such as the album cover Kiko Farkas describes, or Paul Sahre's Old Spice bottle from his grandfather. Others such as Paula Schere and Massimo Vignelli could not find one single piece that inspires them the most, rather they are inspire by everything around them, or what ever they happen to be working on at the time. I really like how Sean Adams describes his most inspirational piece to be the Declaration of Independence. I never though of it as a designed object, be he made a really good point how our government is designed and shaped by that document. It shows that everything around us is designed, and I think it is rather or not we realize it that makes this concept interesting.

I do not think I can think of one single piece that inspires me the most, because I think I am often inspired. So much around us is beautiful that I can not pick just one thing.

The second answer from most of these designers seemed to have a similar trend. Most of the designers said that we need to concentrate on minimizing waste. Our job as designers produces a lot of waste. Paul Sahre stated that we, as designers, are a big part of the problem; we do solve many problems, but we also produce problems because of our drive to constantly design better objects. Many of the designers also discussed how we need to design things people need rather than what people want. If we design only what people need, there will be a reduction in waste. This would make design more responsible. Unfortunately, designers are paid a lot of money to design things people want, and money is a big drive for designers (so they can buy expensive alcohol, as Chipp Kidd describes.) All in all, design needs to improve people's lives.

I believe too, that the next goal of design needs to be to produce things while wasting less. We could perhaps design things that do not need to be thrown away, that can be used for a very long time. I don't see this as a reality though, because producing less means less money. I think all design needs to be more environmentally conscious. I do think the whole green movement, as Edwin Chan states, is a giant fad, but I think it is a really good fad. Americans, and other societies are so wasteful, but this trend in environmental awareness will better our culture and better us as designers.

Timeline final and Process Work

time line project

sam fine

spring 2010

wertzberger

Project Brief//

This assignment involves organizing information with a appealing typographic solution. The goal of this assignment is to make things easy to read, navigate, and understand. The foundation of this assignment starts with creating a strong typographic heirarchy.

Project Overview//

Overall, I learned a great deal from this assignment. I went outside my comfort zone and chose a topic that sounded more challenging and different from anything I have designed thus far. From the beginning, I had ideas and concepts I was happy with, but had trouble developing my ideas. I also had a difficult time showing the large time gaps that take place in my timeline. When I found a great typographic solution for all of the information, I abandoned the complex DNA design I had, and found a simple solution.

Research: moodboard, inspirations, and sketches

Round one of sketches

round two

round three

FINAL POSTER

Journal #5

The first video I watched was the assigned video clip from a lecture by Stefan Sagmeister. His presentation was important because it expressed happiness in design and happiness while designing. He also described some really funny projects such as the ironic subway posters in new york. I really like the small artists projects he discussed in his presentation.

I also watched the video by Theo Jansen where he showed his really sweet mechanical creatures that move across the beach and are fueled by wind power. The last clip I watched is J.J.

Abrams speech about keeping a little bit of mystery to your work to keep interest. He is a writer of Lost, and it is very interesting to hear the way he thinks!

I browed the TED website a little, and it is a really cool site that makes available all of these lectures and talks that technology, entertainment, or design.

Journal #4

Bruc Mau is a visionary and world-leading innovative designer. He owns his own very successful design firm and produced the award-winning compendium S,M,L,XL in collaboration with Rem Koolhaas. Bruce Mau has also designed the branding of the New York Museum of Modern Art, which I am going to in a few weeks and very excited to see! I will post pictures of it when I get back! He is important to us as students because he is trying to teach us his ways of design. He founded the Institute without Boundaries which is a studio-based post graduate program designed to prepare students for the new roles of a designer.

Out of the advice listed, I choose my mantra for this week his 28th piece of advice:

Make new words, expand the lexicon. The new conditions demand a new way of thinking. The thinking demands new form of expression. The expression generates new conditions.

I really like this one because it talks about experimenting with new words or ideas in order to get your brain thinking about new things or in a different direction. I think it is very important to keep trying out and think of new ideas, and but I sometimes get so caught up in one direction in a project, that I do not think of other ideas