Ducks & Design Designed by: Brianne DeLain
Hello
Through this Intro to Design class, I have learned many things about myself as an artist and as a designer. From a young age, I knew that I had a passion for art and loved making anything I could with my hands. It wasn’t until I got to my senior year in high school that I started to realize the difference between art and design. At the time I was interning with a Marketing group where I was given my own clients to do work for. By working on a variety of different projects for each client I was able to identify that my favorite client work was designing promotional pieces such as social media posts, print materials, or signage. I fell in the love with this avenue of design because I was designing with a purpose and my work became a solution to my client’s problem. This made me realize my love for design and my need to expand my knowledge, skill, and portfolio. I loved this course as it pushed me to make a wide variety of work and gain experience with a variety of different mediums. Not only did I pushed myself but felt the support of my classmates and professor as they pushed me to create the best version of my work. I look forward to critiquing as it is a way for me to gain useful insights from my fellow designers and in return give my opinions on their work. I loved the process of each project and the steps that were laid out in order to find your best ideas. I soaked in every project and all the work that came with it. In this book, I will be explaining how I went about creating my work for each project. I will give you a look into my initial thought process and share the steps I took to plan out each project. I will show the progression of each of my pieces and how each iteration made the work stronger in the end. Most importantly I will show through my body of work why I have gained such an appreciation for design this semester. Sincerely,
Crash Course I thought this was a very interesting and engaging experience. My partner was meeting and talking to me virtually about the task at hand. I was surprised to find that we were still able to engage and explain our ideas thoroughly even though we were meeting through Zoom. Hearing feedback from a real person on my prototype helped me to make a plan for the adjustments that would need to be made for the future design. When showing my unfinished product I felt like I needed to explain more of my vision than anything else. I wanted to express what the design and purpose was in my prototype. Portraying these messages clearly made it easier for my partner to envision the final product. In general I like to work under pressure. I think my best ideas and pieces come through when I am not given too much time to pick one. I liked the quick pace of this activity because it made me verbally explain my ideas rather than just showing it. I would spend more time in the dig deeper section. I think more could have been done on my end to really find the root of my partner’s problem instead of keeping it so generalized. This is where researching would help too.
Project Description: For this project, we were asked to design something that would solve a solution for our client/partner. We had very limited time to sketch, plan, and create something that would fix the problem at hand. The point of the limited time was to go with your gut and create something for your client that was simple and to the point. This project allowed us to completely go through a design process keeping in mind that you were creating something for someone else.
Dot/Line With Gestalt we tend to look at the big picture before dissecting it into smaller pieces. I think this can be important especially with the dot and line project because there is a limited amount of elements to begin with. It’s hard to describe a term with such limited options. By looking at a peice using Gestalt principles you are able to instinctively see what word the artist is trying to portray. From there you are able to look more closely into the different aspects of the overall design. I found it difficult to have the well crafted outcome I was looking for. If it wasn’t getting Glue on the front of a line or dot, it was getting a mark on the white picture plane. Since the colors were so limited, and white being the most prevalent in my pieces, I found it hard to come up with the clean crisp look I was going for. I realized that it was worth taking the time to remake one if there was a glue dot or an imperfection on the page. Spending the extra time through the construction of the piece made an overall better piece for me in the end. For me it was difficult to let go of that end goal image for this project. I tend to try and make something useful, and meaningful with all my art and design. At the beginning I started looking for ways to make shapes into something resembling an object or thing to get my words meaning across. Once I let go of this and started using more of a Gestalt mindset I had some of my breakthroughs. I honestly thought it was going to be a lot harder for someone to get the meaning/word behind my piece. I thought it was really cool to see through Critique how well my classmates were able to look at the piece and get the message from it. I think this project was a useful experience as it forced me to step back and look at the piece for what it was rather than trying to find something finite and definite within it. Sometimes you have to be able to let go a little in order to come up with your best work.
Project Overview: For this Project we were asked to create three works that described a particular word. We were given a list of words, grey and black dots and lines, and a list of possible combinations to choose from. Sketching thumbnails became extremley important for this project as it allowed me to play with the layout of my concepts before laying them down. I sketched multiple iterations for each word before choosing the one I was going to create. I then drew larger more detailed sketches before gluing the pieces into place.
Rejection This piece represents an issue in society today. In my Women and Genders Studies class we talked alot about the struggles and challenges that homosexual couples face. The two grey dots represent those couples and how they are seen differently than heterosexual couples. I really liked the way I was able to connect a concept from another class and use it to show social injustice in my work.
Longing I used the same repitition of the smaller grey dots to show their journey to get to the larger black dot. This was the most challenging piece to construct as the dots wee difficult to gule down without leaving resedue.
Stability For this Piece I wanted to show what stability was in my mind. I thought about this piece as making it a measuring square. At any position the square is able to provide a soild and stable measurement.
Project Description: The letterform projects allowed us to expand our knowledge and skills while using typography. We started this by learning about different fonts and ways to sketch them. From there we carved letters out of linoleum and explored printmaking. The most important lesson about this project was to use text in a way that conveyed a message strongly. I learned how big of a message can be sent just by changing the orientation of the letters. I thought it was interesting how big of a change you could make by altering the letters on the page slightly. I loved looking at the text and learning about the different specifications. I will definitely pay more attention to this and take it into consideration more when working on projects. I liked the prints more without the chatter in the background. I think for some words it definitely adds to the piece but for mine I felt like it was distracting. I would find a better way to keep the letters on the same line. I found it difficult to get my “P� on the right line with the rest of the letters.
Once I had choosen the word speed I immediately knew that I wanted to incorporate my bike into the project. I had built my Cafe Racer the summer before so it was comepletely natural for me to continue creating with it. I photographed the word from a variety of diffrent angles before setting on my final. I took shots from further out and closer to the bike in order to see which immages supported the word well. I ended with the image below. I absolutely loved the way this piece turned out. I feel that the use of the engine along with the text sends a strong message to the viewer. I feel that the black and white photo also helps provide speedy tone.
Duck Iteration Project Description: For this project, we were asked to create a number of different works that represented an animal of our choice. These iterations were to be made from a variety of different media. The iterations were supposed to show the animal in a variety of positions. After the iterations were made, we were then asked to scan the images and create a composition that displayed the work in a purposeful way. I learned about the position Mallard Ducks fly in and the flying patterns they fly in together. They fly in the diagonal pattern that we see geese and other birds following. I also learned a lot about the coloring in their feathers and bodies. Their wings have a small portion of royal blue in the middle section. They also only have their green heads for part of the year. I struggled to get the painted paper effect that Eric Carle used in his work. I think it would have come off better if that iteration was made in color. I found the most time consuming for me was the carving and printing of the wings. I found that I loved collaging. It wasn’t something that I expected to like, but ever since the assignment I have found myself wanting to make more of them. I think they are very interesting and you can make some interesting pieces with the different textures in the images. I learned about the image trace and mask tools. I think this will be useful moving forward and working on projects. I would love to learn more about curves and how to knock out some of the paper background. If I had more time I wanted to represent the darker reality of a Mallard Duck’s life. They are one of the most hunted game and I think that can be forgotten sometimes. I think it would be difficult to accomplish, but showing the duck in a way that gets across that aspect in their life would be another way to show it. I also would show the duck flying and viewing it from a head on position.
Geometric Duck With this iteration, I played with a variety of different size shapes. I loved the way this one turned out, as it was very different than any of my other designs. I constructed it by fitting out paper into my desired dimensions and then gluing them flat on a piece of card stock.
Continuous Line Drawing When I had completed all of the iterations this turned out to be my favorite. When I first created it I disliked it because it was extremely loose and unfinished. I think that creating this one without looking showed my strength with the animal itself.
Collage Duck I found that collaging was one of my favorite mediums. I really love how this collage iteration so strongly illustrates the mallard’s colors. Even when the image is printed in a black and white version, you can tell the colors are there.
Typographic Duck I created the typographic duck by using the shape of the D’s to show the shape of the duck body. For the legs, I used single lines of text connected to the D shaped feet. When placing it into my composition I choose to add a grey background in order to make it stand out more in the final composition.
Swoon Wing Print After working in the print center with the Letterforms I knew that I wanted to work more with relief printing. I felt as though I had done many iterations of duck’s full bodies and their heads. I love the feather patterns and colors of the mallards so I knew I wanted to represent this in some way. I first started by looking at my reference images of the wings before sketching out a few versions. For the project, we were asked to base a few of our works off of a master artist. I chose Swoon, also known as Caledonia Curry who does different installations and works mainly revolving around female figures. I loved the swooping and wispy lines that she adds to all of her work. I knew that I could incorporate this idea into a print by creating the lines with carve lines. I carved the stamp and left the extra chatter to give the idea that the wing is in motion. I love the way this print turned out and I hope to make additional prints for myself in the future.
Work in Progress
Final Work
PSA Posters Project Description: For this project, we were asked to create a PSA poster that would use typography in order to provide an eye-catching finished product. The goal was to create a poster that used limited graphics but rather used the text to strongly send the message to the audience. I find that when I am trying to promote something I gravitate towards using images and illustrations to structure the message I am trying to send. This was challenging to use all typography to get the message across to the audience. I used shapes to organize the text so that it gave off the impression that the poster was portraying condom packaging. I wanted this poster to grab your attention with its humor and its message. I made “Hard” very large on the poster so that it drew the reader in and made them want to read further. You are definitely able to see it from a distance especially with the bright color. I scaled the “Practice Safe Sex” text larger than the rest of the infornamation so that the audience was aware of what the call to action was. By placing the most facts and statistics below the call to action it made the message seem as though they were the instructions for how to stay safe. I learned a lot about how the size of typography affects the message you are trying to send. By bolding or making some words larger I was able to make certain things stand out.
In order to fulling think through the concept for the poster I had to make draw out multiple thumbnails. Once I had decided on my favorite design layout I was able to make more detailed full page sketches to work from. I really wanted to stretch the humor of the headline so that it would Grab the readers attention.
In this Project I found that one of the first thumbnails I made was the one that I went with. I liked the suttleness of the condom package and how I could place the required text in a instructions style format. I was able to refer back to my other thumbnails to gain ideas on how I could make additions to the working poster.
IT’S NOT THAT
HARD PRACTICE SAFE SEX Using condoms + other forms of birth control is how couples can be most effective & safe Use of contraceptives reduces unwanted pregnancies Use of condoms lowers risks of unwanted pregnancies, spread of STI/STD 98% of condoms prevent pregnancies Visit the websites below to learn more information: https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/birth-control https://www.guttmacher.org/fact-sheet/contraceptive-use-united-states
Work in Progress
Final Poster
Designer Talks I was originally intrigued by my Paula Schers map paintings. I thought they were so colorful and bright and they were all very interesting variations of geographic information. The further I dug into the work of Paula Scher the more I fell in love with it. I am especially intrigued by her graphic design work as well as her ability to create such strong brand images with a logo. I especially like looking into the design work she has done for the Title Town Village. Next time I am in the Lambeau area I am going to be sure to take a closer look at her installments. At first I was nervous about presenting to my classmates but the more I looked into the work of my designer, the more excited I got. I never thought that I would enjoy critiques so much but I have found they are some of my favorite days in class. I think this is because of the excitement I have in showing my own work and to seeing the work that my classmates make. I am continually blown away by their creations and love seeing them. It was because of these feelings that I especially was excited to share the discoveries I made on a topic we all share a passion for: Design. I really enjoyed Sarah’s presentation on Aaron Draplin because I think she brought a great amount of humor and purpose to it. I liked his work because of the outdoors themed designs. I liked the boldness in everything he made.
Paula Scher
American Graphic Designer
Vocation Questions If you were guaranteed it would support you financially, what would you want to design or make for a living?
My goal is to travel full time while working remotely. I want to accomplish this without sacrificing a career that I love. My goal is to personally brand myself so that I am able to market myself to a variety of audiences in order to obtain freelance work. I want to use my love for design to accomplish this. For example, I want to design a website/blog that I will be able to use to promote. I will additionally use my design background to work on a wide variety of projects that will additionally expand my portfolio. I have realized that design and traveling are my true passions. With that being said I knew I needed to come up with a plan on how to combine those two aspects. Financially, I don’t feel that I will spend much on myself for the places and things that I want to explore. No matter what if I am making enough to support myself, I want to be spending my time doing something that I love.
Are you called to creative work? If so, how do you recognize that calling? If not, to what do you feel called?
I definitely have always found myself being called to create. For as long as I can remember I have been constantly working on projects. These range far and wide from drawing to full-blown home renovations. My ability to have so many different projects on my plate is something I have always admired about myself. I see myself creating many more projects in my future. I love creating for others and seeing their reactions to the ideas and solutions I come up with. I see this quality present in many other aspects of my life as it relates to doing things for others. I love putting a smile on someone’s face and the best way I know how to do that is by creating something that makes them happy. Ideally, I will build myself a career that will support this passion.
“This book was made as part of Introduction to Design at St. Norbert College in the fall of 2020. The fonts used is Consolas. It was digitally printed and saddle stapled at the college’s print center.”