CLUELESS The Designs of a Girl Who Has Not Taken An Art Class in Seven Years
By: Allison Schneider St. Norbert College - ART 130 - Fall 2019
Introduction
My name is Allison Schneider and I am a junior at St. Norbert College who is taking my first art class in seven years, ART 130 (Intro to Design) with Professor Katie Ries. This is what happened...
D_SCHOOL
D_School New Solution Objective: Learn how to work through the creative process and formulate ideas and collaborate with other designers.
Through engaging with a real person in the D_School project I learned a lot about working through problems and how to gain insight from someone else. I learned what they liked and didn’t like and it helped me make decisions based off of their input. It also forced me to think outside of my box and look at things in a different light as they had an opinion different then my own. To continue, I really enjoyed showing someone my unfinished work, especially because it felt by no means judgemental.
D_School Interview
My partner was understanding and was willing to laugh it through with me, which made me feel more confident in my work and not feel selfconscious that it wasn’t perfect. This was a challenge, though, because the pace was extremely quick; it forced me to make split second decisions. I am typically a complete perfectionist who takes a lot of time on everything, so it helped me stray away from that mindset and, instead, focus on getting the work done without
spending too much time overthinking it. Overall, I think if I was put in this position again, I would do pretty close to what I had done before which was make fast decisions and trust my instinct. However, I would also probably focus more on doing something smaller in 10 minutes and not try to put all my ideas out there at once. I believe it’s more important to put your energy into one good idea instead of multiple not-sogood ideas.
DOT-LINE
Thumbnails #1
Objective: Create an abstract composition while also learning how to create iterations and underestand basic elements of design, such as value and scale.
Gestalt, to me, is how a composition is viewed. It looks at all aspects of the piece and determines how someone perceives it from a singular perspective. It provides a holistic viewpoint of an artistic piece. This easily relates to our project as when viewing our pieces we had to take into account all aspects of the piece in order to figure out what emotion was being communicated. Through this holistic view, we were able to see the full picture and understand the emotions. In terms of crafting the project, I enjoy working in details and paying close attention. So, I enjoyed the “well-crafted object” aspect to this project. Although it was challenging and I’d often get frustrated doing the project, I think I learned a lot about how important details truly are. It’s interesting because this is my first art class in over seven years, so I learned a lot about abstraction through this project and how to work with different materials. I learned the basics of it and how important it is to look and think outside of the box. I also learned that everyone views abstraction differently and that makes it easier to help you interpret it because it forces you to look at a piece in a completely different way.
Thumbnails #2
In terms of difficulty, I think this project absolutely was difficult to an extent; however, once I got into a mindset of doing abstract art I think it forced me to do something different and it made it less challenging. Once I was able to force myself to consider emotions from a different perspective, I was able to use the dots and lines to express the various feelings. In the future, I hope to use Gestalt to create more holistic pieces. I think it will be able to help me pay more attention to details and concentrate on the idea that less is always more. I don’t need to have five million different colors/shapes in order to create a beautiful piece.
Abundance Final
Energetic Final
Scarcity Final
LETTERFORMS
Mindmap
Objective: Learn how to understand type and how it relates to the space around it. Also, to learn how important just a single word can be and the variations/iterations one can achieve just by working with different solutions and details
Letterform Sketches #1
Letterform Sketches #2
To begin, I learned a lot about letterforms through this project. I had never worked with any sort of letterform before, so this project was the beginning of my knowledge regarding these forms and their complexities. For those reasons, I found that the development of where we started to where we are now is incredibly interesting and exciting. I also appreciated the complexity and difficulty of the ink/ printing/letterforms. They’re so much more than just “fonts” or “letters” that you slab onto a piece of paper. This was by far, for me, the most challening project we took part in throughout this class. I had a very hard time learning about ink and how to use it in a non-messy fashion
Letterforms - Variation Final
Letterforms - Modification Final
Letterforms - Modification Final
Letterforms - Straight Final
In the future, I would really want to work on cleaning up my letters and focusing on the meaning of the word I’m printing. There’s something so beautiful about creating a piece that speaks beyond just the word being printed and I think that could be communicated even further. I had a really hard time creatively throughout this project, so I think I would want to make more creative decisions next time and, like I said, focus more on the word that I am printing. In terms of the actual printing, I would really like to get better at cleaning up the printing and making the letters darker.
OBJECT ITERATIONS Objective: Learn how to make a coheisve piece that still invovles multiple different types of media and concepts. Beyond that, work with one subject and be able to learn and develop a final poster that is refined and unexpected.
Extra Collage Iteration
Extra Typography Iteration
Scan Geometric Iteration
To begin, I learned a lot about the shape of monarch butterflies and how their different angles are to be observed. Beyond this, I learned about the importance of the natural shape of a butterfly and what sets a monarch butterfly apart from other butterflies, as the shape of a butterfly is pretty well-understood and recognized that I needed to find certain aspects of a monarch butterfly to set it apart from being just a “butterfly�. Thing such as the design on its wings and the way it moves is just a few of the small details I had to focus on for this project.
The most challenging aspect of this project was probably the collages because it was difficult to decide what magazines or pictures would work best for my object and how they would interact on Photoshop. The most enjoyable was definitely doing the Master Artists because I had to follow another artist’s lead in order to understand how to interpret their type of style. Also, it was really fun to see how close I was to interpreting their work.
Object Iteration Rough Draft
Object Iteration Rough Draft 2
Overall, I primarily learned the most about Photoshop, as this was my first time ever working in it. Therefore, it pretty much taught me everything I know right now about Photoshop. Specifically, the quick selection/magic wand tool, how to change a background, and how to work in curves. I think I’ll use it going forward as it’s very interesting and I definitely will be using it in my career as I have already started using it in my internship.
Object Iteration Final
If I were to continue doing this project, I definitely think I would want to work more with my hands in terms of something bigger such as a sculpture instead of all print/ drawings. I think that aspect of 3-D would be really interesting to explore further.
PSA Objective: Work further with typography and begin to grasp an understanding of how to use it to express a message. Further, develop a sense of hierarchy that communicates what is important on a page and what is not. Finally, to work with another designer and develop a piece of work off of their ideas and concepts.
PSA Thumbnails
PSA Thumbnails Continued
It was absolutely challenging to work only in typography for this project. However, I was definitely able to work around those limitations. Also, it was a good type of challenge as it required me to think outside of the box and use the creativity skills I’ve been developing throughout this semester. Furthermore, I think that typography is so simple that it is important to understand how to build work around one element. This forces us to not rely on color and pictures, but our design choices regarding words.
PSA Sketch #1
PSA Sketch #2
Overall, in terms of hierarchy, I tried to make the main title as the biggest, boldest part of the poster, while the other things were viewed more in the background. Therefore, I also wanted to make a point to allow negative space to speak for itself without filling the entire page. I did not want the entire paper to be filled with text so I tried to keep it simple and not distracting from the point that is trying to be made.
PSA Second Draft
PSA First Draft
Plant More Trees, Keep The Planet Green, Prevent Global Warming KEEP THE PLANET GREEN, PREVENT GLOBAL WARMING, PLANT MORE TREES, KEEP THE PLANET GREEN, PREVENT GLOBAL WARMING, PLANT MORE TREES, KEEP THE PLANET GREEN, PREVENT GLOBAL WARMING, PLANT MORE TREES, KEEP THE PLANET GREEN, PREVENT GLOBAL WARMING, PLANT MORE TREES, KEEP THE PLANET GREEN, PREVENT GLOBAL WARMING, PLANT MORE TREES, KEEP THE PLANET GREEN, PREVENT GLOBAL WARMING, PLANT MORE TREES, KEEP THE PLANET GREEN, PREVENT GLOBAL WARMING, PLANT MORE TREES, KEEP THE PLANET GREEN, PREVENT GLOBAL WARMING, PLANT MORE TREES, KEEP THE PLANET GREEN, PREVENT GLOBAL WARMING, PLANT MORE TREES, KEEP THE PLANET GREEN, PREVENT GLOBAL WARMING, PLANT MORE TREES, KEEP THE PLANET GREEN, PREVENT GLOBAL WARMING, PLANT MORE TREES, KEEP THE PLANET GREEN, PREVENT GLOBAL WARMING, PLANT MORE TREES, KEEP THE PLANET GREEN, PREVENT GLOBAL WARMING, PLANT MORE TREES, KEEP THE PLANET GREEN, PREVENT GLOBAL WARMING, PLANT MORE TREES, KEEP THE PLANET GREEN, PREVENT GLOBAL WARMING, PLANT MORE TREES, KEEP THE PLANET GREEN, PREVENT GLOBAL WARMING, PLANT MORE TREES, KEEP THE PLANET GREEN, PREVENT GLOBAL WARMING, PLANT MORE TREES, KEEP THE PLANET GREEN, PREVENT GLOBAL WARMING, PLANT MORE TREES, KEEP THE PLANET GREEN, PREVENT GLOBAL WARMING, PLANT MORE TREES, KEEP THE PLANET GREEN, PREVENT GLOBAL WARMING, PLANT MORE TREES, KEEP THE PLANET GREEN, PREVENT GLOBAL WARMING, PLANT MORE TREES, KEEP THE PLANET GREEN, PREVENT GLOBAL WARMING, PLANT MORE TREES, KEEP THE PLANET GREEN, PREVENT GLOBAL WARMING, PLANT MORE TREES, KEEP THE PLANET GREEN, PREVENT GLOBAL WARMING, PLANT MORE TREESKEEP THE PLANET GREEN, PREVENT GLOBAL WARMING, PLANT MORE TREES, KEEP THE PLANET GREEN, PREVENT GLOBAL WARMING, PLANT MORE TREES, KEEP THE PLANET GREEN, PREVENT GLOBAL WARMING, PLANT MORE TREES, KEEP THE PLANET GREEN, PREVENT GLOBAL WARMING, PLANT MORE TREES, KEEP THE PLANET GREEN, PREVENT GLOBAL WARMING, PLANT MORE TREES, KEEP THE PLANET GREEN, PREVENT GLOBAL WARMING, PLANT MORE TREES, KEEP THE PLANET GREEN, PREVENT GLOBAL WARMING, PLANT MORE TREES, KEEP THE PLANET GREEN, PREVENT GLOBAL WARMING, PLANT MORE TREES, KEEP THE PLANET GREEN, PREVENT GLOBAL
#SAVEthePLANET PSA Final
Throughout this project, I primarily learned about how to use InDesign and the complexities of it. Beyond that, I also learned a lot about different fonts and how different fonts only apply to specific situations.
PRESENTATIONS Objective: Learn how to research and develop information regarding a contemporary designer. Furhter, learn how to use the concepts from class to help evaluate and explain their work.
What I really liked about Paula Scher was that she was so well-versed and dynamic. She was able to make her mark in corporate America while still staying true to her design background and using her creativity. Overall, she was clearly very established and celebrated and I appreciated that she was a woman who was able to break the glass ceiling and be part of the “boy’s club”. That, in itself, was half the reason I chose Paula Scher as my artist.
Paula Scher
Overall, I enjoyed giving the presentation. I feel like we present to our class pretty much on a daily basis so it wasn’t very nerve racking considering these are the people I’ve spoken so often in front of. I do always think there is room for improvement though so I definitely could have been more clear on certain points; however, all in all, I think I did a pretty good job.
Swatch - Paula Scher
The Public Theater Logo - Paula Scher
If I were to do a different artist, I was really interested in Ruth Ansel as I enjoy style and fashion, so the fact that that is something she works in is really appealing to me. Beyond that, she also, like Paula Scher, seems very dynamic and a strong, feminine figure.
FINAL QUESTIONS What is the difference between a good life and a significant life? This is a challenging question because I think many times these two things go in hand. When I hear the word “significant”, I immediately think successful and popularity. However, when I hear the word “good” I typically turn to the idea of happiness and content. Therefore, I think that is truly what defines the two. Significant is when you make a difference for others and do something important, whether that be creating beautiful for art for others to view or writing an incredible novel. In contrast, a good life is when you make yourself happy and others happy, but not necessarily by doing anything incredibly important or noticed. It’s the small acts of kindness that I believe make up a good life. Thus, what you do in your life and how you live your life are the fundamental differences between a good life and a significant life.
If you were guaranteed it would support you financially, what would you want to design or make for a living? If I was guaranteed to have financial support, I think I would want to make something like the object iterations for my life. I liked creating things by hand and then moving those creations to Photoshop in order to develop something dynamic. I’m not quite sure what that would exactly be called, but I think there’s something to be said about creating things on a piece of paper with a sharpie or paint or whatever it may be and using something you made to help guide your designs in a graphic sense.
Object Iterations - Master Artist Iteration - FInal
A Little Less
CLUELESS This book was made as part of Introduction to Design at St. Norbert College in the fall of 2019. The fonts used include Shree Devangari 71 and Helvetica Neue. It was digitally printed and saddle stapled at the college’s print center.