Poster

Object to mark transformation

Paul Rand Project

Design Disruptors Review

This revolutionary documentary by InVision, a collaborative design platform that creates "user experiences" for companies like Netflix and Uber, explains what design philosophies Facebook, Google, and other up-and-coming startups use in their products and how these principles have lead to their success. This series of interviews reveals a controversial idea; that design is not art, it is problem solving. Art asks questions, whereas design gives solutions. At the center of all product considerations should be the intended customer, and it is the customer that a successful designer designs for. Design disruptors don't follow trends, they create them and push boundaries.

These fifteen companies interviewed often utilize design tactics that upend traditional thinking. For example, AirBnB uses Disney-style storyboards in their planning to emphasize the emotional relationship a customer has using their app, and in selecting a vacation destination. Facebook has a "2G Tuesday", where all employees use the 2G network on their phones in order to better understand the internet experience for upcoming markets. Likewise, Spotify employees use the Free plan for a week occasionally to stay in touch with the first impression Spotify makes upon people.

The production value of the film itself was really high! A lot of thought went into designing the menus and transitions. You could tell it was made by design people. The information itself was really dense, which is good but also sometimes the cluttered feeling made it a little hard to follow along at times. It was cool hearing from all these popular companies, specifically about how rethinking design made them so successful, but sometimes I feel a little disconnected from them. There's a danger that, when you design a perfectly simplified user experience you, in intending to create something appealing to all, just end up with conformity.

Designer for project

I have selected Paul Rand as my designer for my presentation! Ive always been a fan of his typographical work and I'm excited to learn more about him over the course of my research. Futura is one of my favorite fonts!

Pattern Making

Typeface Grid

Seeing Color

Color Transparency

Hierarchy / Typography Poster

Kit Hinrichs Video

In this video interview series, Kit Hinrichs gives an insight into his design methods and what good design entails. Design isn't just pictures on paper - it's how a designer tells a story to the audience and thus every aspect must be for a reason. It is important to create a collection of influences, for good design isn't insular - it is intersectional and makes references to a diverse number of sources. You must go outside your comfort zone in order to find strong sources for inspiration. Also, it is important to bring something of yourself to the table and not be afraid to challenge established norms. Faces and people are good tools to use in design projects because they easily capture the public's attention. Ultimately, design is about constantly interfacing with others, learning from them and working together. All designers must consider not only how their design looks but also how it works. Communication is in itself, a business.

Cropping video review

The cropping tutorial video we watched in class really made me look at cropping as a design function. Previously I thought of it as more of a basic tool to touch up photos rather than something designers use to add meaning to an image. There were lots of different kinds of cropping mentioned but the one I found most interesting was cropping to take out a small slice of a much larger image, reducing it to its fundamental meaning. This allows the audience to pay close attention to your focal point, and also is useful in situations where you don't have a lot of space. I also found the tips for cropping photos of people interesting. I just never considered the weight the eye places upon people in an image, and how that adds to the overall balance. People have a lot of psychological weight to the viewer and thus special rules apply for cropping them. For example, it is ill advised to crop out necks, fingers, feet, or through eyes in an image.

Cropping

original

cropped image

Border Play

Positive/Negative

CMYK Color Wheel

I was inspired by the vido to try to make a cmyk color wheel sing swatches I made myself.

Visual Principles Project: Color Interaction

Visual Principles Project - Color Wheel

Visual Prinicples Project - Typographic Texture

Visual Principles Project - Texture

Video review #2

I found this video very informative as well, for a number of reasons. Firstly, It made me reconsider some aspects of my approach to work in general, especially when it comes to design. Namely, that you have to carefully consider your own needs when it comes to projects and come up with an effective strategy for meeting them - even if some of the steps you take might seem silly to other people. Second, it caused me to think about the myriad of design careers available. One of the people interviewed mentioned how she originally wanted to go into typeface design, but certain aspects of it just didn't suit her so she settled upon lettering as a career option instead. I haven't decided upon what aspect of design I want to emphasize, if any, however now I will aim to analyze what work I seem to adapt well to. Also, the video drove home the point that, to succeed as a designer, you must come up with ideas pretty much constantly. One simply will not do. This inspired me to put more energy into my design work both inside and outside of class.

Visual Principles Project - Typography

Visual Principles Project - Scale

Video Review - Sean Adams "Insights on Graphic Design"

Sean Adams is a graphic designer, AIGA national president, and teacher at Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles. In this interview given on Lynda.com, an online graphic design course program, he details a little of what it takes to break into the design career and helps to dispel the numerous misconceptions people hold about designers. Among other things, he states how important a degree in design is despite the ability to experience success without one. Though talent goes a long way, it is important to know the fundamentals and have a good background in order to create deliberately. Though many people see it as a fluffy career, graphic design is mostly about solving problems visually. These problems are often very difficult and take a lot of mental fortitude and hard work to continually generate solutions for them. Ultimately, it is important to pursue one's passions in education. Though his family originally wanted him to go to Harvard and be a lawyer, Adams chose to become a designer instead and he is very satisfied he made that choice. He also says that making connections with others is crucial to succeeding in this career path. By being affable and producing good work in college, a student can stand out from others and develop a relationship with their professors. This relationship, in turn, can lead to recommendations and employment after college. Overall, I found the video to be a real eye-opener. I never saw graphic design as problem-solving centered, and now I'm looking at my projects in a new light. What I really need to work on though is staying organized and making sure I meet deadlines. I've had lots of issues with procrastination throughout my school journey and this video hammered in the point that I won't get anywhere if I don't change that about myself.

Visual principles project - Rhythm and Balance

Asymmetry

Scale

Proportion

Contrast

Unity

Symmetry