And as for the map, it's got a lot of work ahead of it. I need to keep everything from conforming to that odd slope shape, among other things. On the back of this would be the event listings, but I haven't designed those yet!
April 21, 2011
Nelson Event: First Round Refinements
More Birds! Everything is beginning to assimilate. Here are my first birds that got vectored, with their nests made of images of the sculptures. I also tried beginning to place them into their card formats, with either the trading card style or the cut out. It's all pretty rough still.
And as for the map, it's got a lot of work ahead of it. I need to keep everything from conforming to that odd slope shape, among other things. On the back of this would be the event listings, but I haven't designed those yet!
And as for the map, it's got a lot of work ahead of it. I need to keep everything from conforming to that odd slope shape, among other things. On the back of this would be the event listings, but I haven't designed those yet!
Nelson Event: Going Digital
So, these are the initial illustrations for the Nelson-Atkins birds and their sculpture nests. There are some readability issues with the nests, and for several of them it is difficult to make the connection that they are based off of the highlighted sculptures.
Map Iterations:
I'm going to continue in a more digital, geometric approach from this point forward. One thing that I thought was interesting was this map, which uses the photographs in combination with the bring colors. This is something else that I would like to explore, because I think that the combination of the photos and the bold, flat shapes can turn into something really exciting.
Some other things I messed around with, but will not be using:
Map Iterations:
I'm going to continue in a more digital, geometric approach from this point forward. One thing that I thought was interesting was this map, which uses the photographs in combination with the bring colors. This is something else that I would like to explore, because I think that the combination of the photos and the bold, flat shapes can turn into something really exciting.
Some other things I messed around with, but will not be using:
April 20, 2011
Nelson Event: Initial Brainstorming
The event direction that I went along with was a theme of bird watching, but with a twist. The birds are the ones searching (with the children), so it is instead called "sculpture spotting."
Birds would direct you on the map towards the highlighted sculptures, and then once the kid discovers them, is rewarded with a card with information about the sculpture on it.
A couple of map variations, one with bird tracks and the other with a bird narrating the journey. I also played with different ways of indicating the sculptures on the maps, like with nests with eggs (a little too eastery though) or drawn icons of the sculptures.
And here were my rough (very, very rough) ideas for the birds that they would receive. I'm not sure if I want them to be trading cards or something that you can cut out and put in the craft tree that the kids have the option of making at the event. If they are trading cards, then after the event the become a little useless. If they're pieces for the tree though, it will last once they take the tree home, but what if they don't make a tree? Questions, questions.
Some birds:
Birds would direct you on the map towards the highlighted sculptures, and then once the kid discovers them, is rewarded with a card with information about the sculpture on it.A couple of map variations, one with bird tracks and the other with a bird narrating the journey. I also played with different ways of indicating the sculptures on the maps, like with nests with eggs (a little too eastery though) or drawn icons of the sculptures.
And here were my rough (very, very rough) ideas for the birds that they would receive. I'm not sure if I want them to be trading cards or something that you can cut out and put in the craft tree that the kids have the option of making at the event. If they are trading cards, then after the event the become a little useless. If they're pieces for the tree though, it will last once they take the tree home, but what if they don't make a tree? Questions, questions.
Some birds:
April 18, 2011
Experimental Typography Test
This weekend I spent an extended amount of time recording type over time. I played around with flowers again, like in the previous class, and I also did a lot of type with water. I feel like I started to get something with the water, because of some variables that happened to be in the area I was filming. While this is a technical detail, it's still significant, considering the fact that that is the nature of the question I am asking.
In the flower piece, I waiting for either the flowers to wither or the wind to blow them away. Either element was fine, or a combination of the two, since that's just what happens. The wind was very mild yesterday, but after a few suprise gusts, the flowers were in a pretty good state of disarray, making it nearly impossible to read the word that it originally was.
In the first and second water test, I was trying to play with the nature of the water spreads. To be honest, I was a little disappointed in the degree that it did NOT spread. When I did initial tests—on a smaller scale—to the letters, there was a lot of spread of the water, which resulted in almost losing the letter's legibility altogether. Now that I've changed the scale of the letters though, it's not nearly as obvious.
After the first two tests with water, I realized that something more interesting than what I was trying to test was happening. I was filming on a slight incline, and the water was beginning to drip. This was a new factor that I had not thought about before, and for the third water test, I changed locations and tried to capitalize on this running water effect.
In the flower piece, I waiting for either the flowers to wither or the wind to blow them away. Either element was fine, or a combination of the two, since that's just what happens. The wind was very mild yesterday, but after a few suprise gusts, the flowers were in a pretty good state of disarray, making it nearly impossible to read the word that it originally was.
In the first and second water test, I was trying to play with the nature of the water spreads. To be honest, I was a little disappointed in the degree that it did NOT spread. When I did initial tests—on a smaller scale—to the letters, there was a lot of spread of the water, which resulted in almost losing the letter's legibility altogether. Now that I've changed the scale of the letters though, it's not nearly as obvious.
After the first two tests with water, I realized that something more interesting than what I was trying to test was happening. I was filming on a slight incline, and the water was beginning to drip. This was a new factor that I had not thought about before, and for the third water test, I changed locations and tried to capitalize on this running water effect.
Type Experiments
Moving along with the nature theme, I tried to execute an experiment in which I set up flowers in their natural environment. This was not a time-lapse experiment, since I was just trying to make it believable that these flowers were in their natural environment. Since technical problems that we run into don't matter, I will try to focus on other areas. Right now, these letters are very simple, and also do not show any change. Continuing on, I would like to try and work on making the letters a little more detail, and get back to the original questions of the evolution or devolution of type that is reflecting its environment.
iPhone App Problem and Readings
For the final project of information architecture, I decided to go with the Jones Generation Hikers. They are baby boomers, which means they are concerned with their health. This of course, could contribute to the reason that they are hiking. But at this age, they are beginning to be concerned with many health issues.
For my app, I would like to create a program that will help the hikers remember other health issues that they need to be aware of before, during, and after their hike. This includes problems such as allergies, air quality, blood pressure, arthritis, and remembering to take meds at certain hours. While hiking is a wonderful exercise, it is good at distracting people too. So this will hopefully help.
The Readings:
For my app, I would like to create a program that will help the hikers remember other health issues that they need to be aware of before, during, and after their hike. This includes problems such as allergies, air quality, blood pressure, arthritis, and remembering to take meds at certain hours. While hiking is a wonderful exercise, it is good at distracting people too. So this will hopefully help.
The Readings:
- Buttons should look like buttons, and not be hard to find or hard to understand as buttons. Too many visual elements can make it hard to read, but you do want it to have a degree of abstractness to it.
- There are a set of standard tab icons. Use them. Certain icons have certain meanings, and if you stray from them then it is confusing for the user.
- There are a lot of standards that are required for an iPhone app to pass inspection. If you're not within these guidelines, doesn't expect it to pass.
- Along the same lines, it is probably a good idea to just stick with the gestures that the user will already know, instead of creating a whole new one just for your app.
- It needs to be taken into account, to some degree, that a lot of the screen is covered up by the user's finger as they do a gesture.
April 17, 2011
April 15, 2011
April 12, 2011
It is Beautiful, Then Gone
While the processes for both of the projects were interesting, I felt that the Sundance project was a more useful read. Venezky talks about the project being split into several pieces that work individually, and were created independently and then brought together. While the Reebok work was very different from what is normally done for Sports design, the unpredictability of the Sundance work really appeals to me and relates more to the experimental type that I'm doing.
While what we are doing are technically experiments, it really frustrates me and makes me nervous when I think about the prospect of them not going anywhere or failing completely. I've been working on several different works at once, trying to answer the questions that I posed at the beginning of the project.
As I continue to work on more experiments, I will also work on refining their quality, keeping them in a managable time frame, and trouble shooting to resolve and prevent problems found in the past experiments.
While what we are doing are technically experiments, it really frustrates me and makes me nervous when I think about the prospect of them not going anywhere or failing completely. I've been working on several different works at once, trying to answer the questions that I posed at the beginning of the project.
- How can human interaction change the form or legibility of type placed in nature?
- How can time effect the state of type placed in nature?
- How can type be presented in nature to make people more aware of their environment?
- What kind of type can be placed in an environment without it effecting the well-being of the nature in it?
- How can nature be manipulated to form legible type?
- How can a font be made that expresses the environment it was created in?
- How can typography reflect the patterns found in nature?
- How can the unpredictability of nature be translated into typographic form?
- How can type emulate the symbiosis of natural and manmade elements?
- How can the passage of time evolve or devolve typography in nature?
As I continue to work on more experiments, I will also work on refining their quality, keeping them in a managable time frame, and trouble shooting to resolve and prevent problems found in the past experiments.
April 6, 2011
PSA: Healthy Homes Final
Familial baby boomer caregivers are a group of people that commit their lives to the health and well-being of someone else in their family, like an elderly parent, a injured or sick spouse, or perhaps even a sibling. They spend most of their time in their home, assisting their patient. While interviewing and researching, one thing that caregivers were really concerned with was their own well-being. Because of their age, their health is beginning to degrade and they need to pay extra attention to that, as well as continuing to take care of their patient.
This brings me to the bigger societal concern, which is hygiene. It's all over the news, and a constant issue, especially when it's talking about people cooped up in closed spaces for extended periods of time (like in schools or offices). Caregivers are in this exact situation! So, as a PSA, and as an attempt to improve the health and environment in which caregivers spend their time, HEALTHY HOMES is made!
Healthy Homes is a PSA consisting of a series of seven reminder stickers. They are places in one of the only places caregivers go outside of their own home, the doctors office. These stickers are placed in proximity to objects that exist in both the doctor's office and the caregivers home. As the caregiver is waiting in the waiting room, or the examination room, or even visit the bathroom, these reminders call attention to spots that need some cleaning attention, but are often forgotten.
Visually, they are meant to be reminiscent of the visual language of the medical world, similar to the medicine bottle labels on their patients daily meds. The titles of each reminder uses coded language relevant to the jargon they have to deal every day. The copy is similarly styled, and while it still uses medical vocab, it’s lighter than the normally serious nature of doctor-talk. It’s also worded in a friendly manner, so the already busy caretakers don’t feel like they’re being commanded to do more work. By pointing out these objects (objects that also exist in their home), the goal is to alert them to the problem and give them the reminder they need so that when at home they will remember the objects (doorknob, computer keyboard, light switches) and clean them, improving the well-being of them and their loved one.
March 27, 2011
PSA: Getting There!
I feel like I made a lot of progress between now and when I was stuck in a rut before. Now it's just a matter of working out all the kinks, and fixing everything up! I did some rapid prototyping with these, and I've got some discoveries I need to work on.
For one, they need to be BIGGER! Right now they are all around 4.5x45 in, with the exception of the one that hangs below the TV (which it will no longer do). They all need to be bigger, and I need to think of their placement so that it is at a level that people can actually read. I also need to make sure that they contrast against what will probably be a stark white wall in the doctor's office.
Beyond all that:
For one, they need to be BIGGER! Right now they are all around 4.5x45 in, with the exception of the one that hangs below the TV (which it will no longer do). They all need to be bigger, and I need to think of their placement so that it is at a level that people can actually read. I also need to make sure that they contrast against what will probably be a stark white wall in the doctor's office.
Beyond all that:
- refine a logo, house shape will move to logo, not be the entire thing
- make it more friendly
- refine a spray bottle icon to use across all the pieces (iconic iconic iconic!)
- naming needs to be better, perhaps more specific.
- reuse the titles if needed (I would like to try and avoid this though
PSA: Eek!
This is an attempt at combining the visual and verbal language of baby boomer caregivers into the PSAs. there are a lot of things wrong with this, aside from the obvious lack of design involved. I think I was getting too stuck on the fact that these needed to reflect as much of the subcultures language as possible, and I was hardcore sacrificing design for it. What I got from this is: I've looked up the design that baby boomers see all the time. Prognosis: it is hideous. Solution: don't try to use it!
PSA: Flushing Out
So for all of this, what I decided to do was make a series of visuals that go in a doctors office. This is because baby boomer caregivers spend a LOT of time dealing the doctors their patients go to visit. This is also a good spot because at the doctors office, YOU ARE TRAPPED. And you have to sit for a long time! So, there's incentive to let our eyes wander out and discover these pieces scattered around the room.
First is the waiting room. This includes the doorknob, light switch, television, telephone, receptionist's computer/desk, and pay station (credit cards).
The examination room will cover the sink/drain/faucet, counter tops, cupboards and trash can.
And the bathroom will have another sink (maybe) and the toilet handle.
And this is a rough of the magnet they can pick up on their way out to help them remember to do these things once they are back at home.
First is the waiting room. This includes the doorknob, light switch, television, telephone, receptionist's computer/desk, and pay station (credit cards).
The examination room will cover the sink/drain/faucet, counter tops, cupboards and trash can.
And the bathroom will have another sink (maybe) and the toilet handle.
And this is a rough of the magnet they can pick up on their way out to help them remember to do these things once they are back at home.
PSA: Initial Brainstorming
The first idea from the initial brainstorming was directed towards baby boomers, and it was a series of posters alerting them to the danger or certain areas of their home. Problems with this was that posters are pretty dull, and that it was so serious that it could potentially offend someone, or just be seen as a big joke.
The second idea was also involving germs and baby boomers, but this was with a LOT more pieces. It was supposed to be a website that helped baby boomers with their cleaning around their house. There were elements like a diagram of rooms in your house, and what areas might be germy. To go along with this, there were simple, printable materials that could remind of assist the baby boomers. One was a recipe card for how to make your own bleach, and it could be put on their fridge. They would also be able to print out things such as checklists and calendars with "cleaning day" called out somehow. Way too much for this project, but all pretty interesting, and in my opinion, pretty useful!
I went ahead with a hybrid of the two ideas, getting rid of the website and concentrating on just a few key elements.
The second idea was also involving germs and baby boomers, but this was with a LOT more pieces. It was supposed to be a website that helped baby boomers with their cleaning around their house. There were elements like a diagram of rooms in your house, and what areas might be germy. To go along with this, there were simple, printable materials that could remind of assist the baby boomers. One was a recipe card for how to make your own bleach, and it could be put on their fridge. They would also be able to print out things such as checklists and calendars with "cleaning day" called out somehow. Way too much for this project, but all pretty interesting, and in my opinion, pretty useful!
I went ahead with a hybrid of the two ideas, getting rid of the website and concentrating on just a few key elements.
March 21, 2011
Experimental Typography Readings
Experimental typography. Whatever that means.
This article really spoke to the unclear lines between what is considered "experimental" and what is not. In many instances, people toss the word experiment around when there's no clear reason to their work. If we were to speak scientifically, then we would be making questions/hypothesis's that we would be using type to prove. But this doesn't really mean the result will be groundbreaking or "novel."
With the limitation of communication on us, our experiments must already conform to some sort of convention. But out of all of this what I got was that the definition of experimentation is extremely subjective, and no matter what opinion or view you tend to lean towards, it seems that most importantly, like design overall, the experiments are all about process.
"It is experimental only in the process of its creation."
This reading really gave me some insight into the variety of standards regarding what people consider to be experimental typography. It's so subjective, I'm not sure why people want to analyze it. But it was interesting when the author pointed out that even if it is something that does not have a practical use when it was made, often times the discoveries made in the process of the experimenting lent itself to some better purpose.
RADICAL TYPE DESIGN
function and aesthetic
I thought this was a much more interesting reading the perspective that it has as much to do with the experimenter as the experiment. This reading made me really excited to approach the risks involved in the process of creating these experiments. Again, it's all about process process process of it all! This project seems like it's going to be a sort of embodiment of the design process, explored through the element of typography.
This article really spoke to the unclear lines between what is considered "experimental" and what is not. In many instances, people toss the word experiment around when there's no clear reason to their work. If we were to speak scientifically, then we would be making questions/hypothesis's that we would be using type to prove. But this doesn't really mean the result will be groundbreaking or "novel."
With the limitation of communication on us, our experiments must already conform to some sort of convention. But out of all of this what I got was that the definition of experimentation is extremely subjective, and no matter what opinion or view you tend to lean towards, it seems that most importantly, like design overall, the experiments are all about process.
"It is experimental only in the process of its creation."
This reading really gave me some insight into the variety of standards regarding what people consider to be experimental typography. It's so subjective, I'm not sure why people want to analyze it. But it was interesting when the author pointed out that even if it is something that does not have a practical use when it was made, often times the discoveries made in the process of the experimenting lent itself to some better purpose.
RADICAL TYPE DESIGN
function and aesthetic
I thought this was a much more interesting reading the perspective that it has as much to do with the experimenter as the experiment. This reading made me really excited to approach the risks involved in the process of creating these experiments. Again, it's all about process process process of it all! This project seems like it's going to be a sort of embodiment of the design process, explored through the element of typography.
March 7, 2011
March 3, 2011
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