CDF: The 3d Letter Form

We've started on the next project in Color, Drawing & Form, which is a 3d letter sculpture using illustration board, Bristol board, or foam core board.   The kick this project off, we are having to create orthographic views of a capital letter in any of the Font folio fonts.  I have chosen the W in the Kabel Std font.  A very bold letter, and it really gives me that art deco feel of the older years in cinema.

CDF: Letter Projection Documentation

In this project, we started by partnering up with another of our peers.  I was with Keaton Reeder.  We then had to take pictures of 2 sides of the design building, and create vector drawings of them in illustrator.  (Such as the south side above.)

Running parallel to this, we had to also create a vector drawing of our initials and create orthographic and oblique drawings of them.  (Below)

 In the end, the two were combined to form a sort of wall graphic or graffiti image on the two walls, and all this was bound in a book.  (Below)

 

VisCom: Line Project Documentation

We are also starting the new Line project with the completion of the Dot Book behind us.  This line study began with a series of simple line studies, to convey the words Progression, Balance, and Randomness. These had to be placed in 7x7 Squares.

(A simple line study for progression above.)

We Then had to use a simple study as a template, and fill in the planes with other simple line studies to make a Complex line study. (Complex progression line study above.)

We've now started on an experimentation with these, in which we use projectors,cameras, scanners, and the xerox machine.  I'll post images of this later.

Type: Flash Documentation

We are starting on the flash project for Typography now that the Dot Book is finished.  I've decided to work with the letter e in Bernhard Std and Futura Std.  I've yet to come up with the content for the e's to represent, but I'll get on that soon.

After the choice of font and letter, the cropping process starts.  We were to crop the letter in both typefaces into 3x3 squares. 

(Bernhard on Above, Futura below.)

VisCom & Type: Dot Book Documentation

Although it's a bit late, I figured I should still upload the documentation for the Dot book assignment.  I don't have photos of the ending product, but I'll get those up as soon as I can.

The Mind Mapping process in the beginning.  Always a favorite way to get ideas in my oppinion since it lets me think and draw how my brain does;  in this case, through iconography. 

Creating the basic dot layouts, specific to their words.  (Word list is in an earlier post.)  Found imagery as well.

Beginning the Type layouts, and the cutting/xeroxing process.

The battlemaps from a book I found at half priced books served as both a graphic element, and a vehicle for the books concept.  The title of which finalized as "Expand and Conquer."  The Red line graphic on these pages was continued on the front cover, and will be shown in the finalized project images I'll download later.

Found some Olive green paper from Creative to use as a back for all my pages.  Have the maps on the front and back of the pages would have been to overwhelming for the viewers.  I think it complimented the creamy tone of the maps quite well.

CDF: Vectors and Page Layout

Well the Wall Graphic Book has been put to rest in Terri's class.  Overall a very helpful assignment, considering my use of pen tools and knowledge of commands was minimal.  So I've learned a ton.  Centering things on the page, proper title management, and even an advanced study on the orthographic and obliques.  Definitely revisiting my drafting and design days.  As a field though, industrial design will remain a possibility in the back of my mind.  Not a bad direction to go.  

Being in Tom Lewis's foundation studio my freshman year, the journey from 2D image to 3D form was a constant and unyielding drone all year long.  But it was a necessary evil that when I look back on it, was a very rewarding experience.  The use of CDF's craft skills and hand drawing techniques was a nice breath of fresh air, since most of Tom's work was digitally based, centering mostly around photography.  Definitely looking forward to the 3D letter form and Color study. 

VisCom: Final Statement

My project, "Expand and Conquer", was meant to convey the overpowering, or take over of a country.  The imagery ended up well I believe, and the narrative formed by the order of the words was well organized.  As a whole, the book works quite well in my opinion, showing a wide array of layout decisions and design principles.  This project provided great challenges in both type arrangement and meaning, and both image and geometric layout.  To keep with the military theme, I tried to keep my layouts rather regimented, unless chaotic layouts were called for, to call attention to forms and ranks of the military, and their justified and orderly manner.  As I worked, I realized, that there must be a balance of both image and layout, as well as the process of the thing.  Getting hands on with the type and image really helped me to expand my thoughts on hands on processes. Lets tear the text, cut it, overlap, etc.  However, my book suffered at the end, due to poor craft in certain areas.  While my subject and imagery are stable, my books is too small due to over cutting.  Craft is for certain my first issue to overcome in my work. 

Project 1 Reading Response

I was surprised, I have to admit, at how relevant all of the readings were to our application of type, basic geometric design, and image.  It seems I'm constantly learning new concepts and ideals to pay attention to as I work. 

Type and Image by Meggs discusses primarily, the alteration in images to convey the thoughts of the designer to the public.  These could be anything from small tweaks to major overhauls.  The work as a whole is an image in the end, and all aspects of presentation should be considered when taking the piece in a viewers perspective.  Strong diagonals and reflective or responsive shapes, strong contrasts, and the collection of image in the piece.  Everything in a work will influence the outcome, so it's imperative that your bits of information don't contradict your theme in any way.  The message should be simple and clear.  Our dot compositions are at least 50% or more, image based work.  The composition speaks, but the images will take precedence in the viewers eyes over everything else.  The fact that the image is foremost in the layers of the piece should be considered, when compared to the actual form of the dot.  So the imagery in our pieces should acurately depict our word on each page, or the theme will fall apart. 

Principles in 2D design by Wong hints at concepts such as movement and contrast created by pattern and placement.  I personally need to work on bringing this design element into my work over all else.  The dynamic compositions can be created with less clutter and more decisions on where things go, their correspondence to other color and placement in the piece, and the imagery in such shapes as well. 

In A Primer of Visual Literacy, Dondis informs us of the successful implication of a set of element pairs to work under.  These pairs consist of opposite design elements.  Below is a list of them. 

Opposing Principles include:
1.Balance - Instability
2.Symmetry - Asymmetry
3.Regularity - Irregularity
4.Simplicity - Complexity
5.Unity - Fragmentation
6.Economy - Intricacy
7.Understatement - Exaggeration
8.Predictability - Spontaneity
9.Activeness - Stasis
10..Subtlety - Boldness
11.Neutrality - Accent
12.Transparency - Opacity
13.Consistency - Variation
14.Accuracy - Distortion
15.Flatness - Depth
16.Singularity - Juxtaposition
17.Sequentiality - Randomness
18.Sharpness - Diffusion
19.Repetition - Episodicity

For sure, there were the basics, and then there were some that I had to re-read a few times.  Each concept will help to solidify any designers work.  Our dot compositions particularly rely on
1-5, 8-10, 13. 15, 17, and 19.

Status Update.

I'm looking at another day in studio.  If I can muscle my way past Terri's 3d letters, I'm going to knock out as much of the book as possible today.  I'll have to get my hands on some of those wire O's today too.  I just hope the transparencies come out okay and I'll get everything trimmed to size so I can start on the circles. 

Reading Response Transparency

I thought Ellen Lupton's views on Transparency and Layers were an interesting outlook.  It never occurred to me that Layers were an occurrence in everyday space, music, and time.  It's hard to imagine anything as transparent as air could possibly have any opacity.  Makes me wonder what the world would look like with less opaque air....  That aside, I agree that transparency and layers are both extremely important design processes/tools, both of which I've had only minor experiences in.  I'm excited to explore the possibilities of the two. 

Maps

The compositions have been finalized, and I'm now in need of some maps.  So I'll be heading to west port's Snivey's Books to grab some to use on the background of each page.  Maybe I'll get lucky and just get a cheap atlas or something. 

I might start on the text layouts tomorrow too.  I'm just a tad worried that the layouts will come out close to the dot layouts.  Maybe I can come up with some different concepts since you can divide the words.  After seeing the complete books today though, I'm pretty anxious to see the ending product.  Just hope my craft will turn out fine.  Gotta move slowly. 

An awkward intersection.

Both typography and visual communications have melded to form once large book project.  Needless to say, I'm excited to see the ending product.  Till then hard work and lots of thinking awaits.  I've just organized most of my vis com information and layouts for the dot pages, but have yet to take much initiative on the impending type pages.  It'll be painstaking to do those pages by hand, but I think that like the room 2 with Steve Whitikre, it'll be much valued experience down the road.  I heard something about transparent pages from Epelhiemer, so I hope that's a premonition for what our text pages will be printed on next week.

Hopefully tomorrow goes smoothly and I can purchase a circle cutter somewhere for relatively cheap.  The design department has been burning a rather large hole in my pocket lately.

Book word choices.

I've decided to go with the following words for the circle book:

1. Anomaly
   
2. Conflict
3. Destruction
4. Confusion
5. Evacuate
6. Escalation
7. Separation
8. Control
9. Protest

The order of them isn't certain yet, and I'm still working on a title for the book, but I'll post that all when I figure it out.  Layouts come first.

Vis Com and Type Book Idea

I've decided to shoot at "War through a civilian's eyes".   This will be through means of photography, posters and propaganda, movies, music perhaps, and everything in between.

I'll be choosing through words such as the following:

1. Fear
2. Progress
3. Action
4. Conflict
5. Destruction
6. Confusion
7. Conversion
8. Morals
9. Evacuate
10. Pain
11. Separation
12. Death
13. Misunderstanding
14. Grudge
15. Casualties
16. Torture
17. Inhumane
18. Suffering
19. Control
20. Protest
    

F + S

I ran across this image on the internet recently, and found a huge amount of interest in it, since it ties in with the typographic studies we've been conducting.  All the test shows signs of alignment, and the fields of color are very eye catching. There is also a strong negative and positive space relationship, the type focus switching between them.  But I'm drawn to it primarily because it's a poster, a tool for conveying information in a quick and decisive way.  Right up my ally.

Guerrilla advertising has also been a huge influence on me.  That sneaking application of information to someone in an effective and witty way, brings a smile to someones face and makes them both remember and spread the word about that ad.  It makes me wonder if it's better to spend a lot of money on a few unique adds, or post thousands of traditional adds that will make money, but just doesn't have that pzazz.  Here are a few favorites.

This particular ad for a casino uses correspondence to the game.

This one relies on proximity to the human hand.

This one relies on continuation past the frame, and works really effectively in my opinion.