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MA Portfolio of Dan Yang
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MA Portfolio of Dan Yang
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MA PORTFOLIO OF DAN YANG
INTRO
Hi, I am a girl named Dan. Since I have been in America, I have learned my name is pretty unusual, and that is cool. I am a graphic designer and I am also a good /
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reader. I can read people’s needs and help solve their problems. Understanding deeply is just the central idea of “Between the lines”. For me, “Between the lines” means to comprehend what is meant by something that is hidden. In other words, as a designer, I should read what people are truly thinking about and fix their problems. I like reading very much. I think reading is a good habit for me, in both life and the world of design. Life and design are interlinked. What I have experienced leaves signs on my mind and keeps inspiring me. Reading between the lines helps me to understand better and be more logical.
The noblest pleasure is the joy of understanding. —Leonardo da Vinci
INTRODUCTION
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PROJECT 01
Behind The Scene
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PROJECT 02
Beyond The Voice PROJECT 03
Under The Surface PROJECT 04
Into The Journey PROJECT 05
Inside The Mind PROJECT 06
Over The Fence
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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MA PORTFOLIO OF DAN YANG
OBJECTIVE
Choose a defunct or a dying brand, and verbally and visually revive it. The goal is to create a fresh identity with a new look, new target audience and future /
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extensions. The brand I selected is “Erector Sets�. The final deliverables were three branding guide books and one website. APPROACH
An Erector Set is a brand of metal toy construction sets. The new Erector is not only a toy brand bringing happiness to players, but also a tool for creativity and self-expression. Our future audience consists of those who would like to solve problems through making something by hand. For the rebirth of the Erector brand, the result is to prompt people to realize the importance of building by hand, and make people understand the connections between techinnovation and crafts. Through a number of extensions, New Erector wants to unite people to create together, break the ice, and brighten the future via building tools of innovation. Three visual guide books record the process of my rebranding of Erector Sets and illustrate design details of the new logo.
PROJECT TITLE
Erector Sets COURSE
The Nature of Identity INSTRUCTOR
Hunter Wimmer SEMESTER
Spring 2017 TYPEFACE
Museo Sans KEYWORDS
Inspire, Experience, Build DELIVERABLES
Book x 3
Website
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the new vision A project projectonon the new vision of Erector of ErectorSets Sets
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erector
erector
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OBJECTIVE
Select a supplied word and create a black and white poster in tabloid size using the definition, your own thoughts, and literal references. The word I chose is /
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“Bedlam”. The second poster is to develop a rationale for interpreting a piece of music through typography, imagery and layout. We chose a piece of music to design 2D elements, and then used different projectors to compose them onto various surfaces to create more dimensional design solutions. APPROACH
Both of the two posters are about women power. For the first assignment, the word I chose is “Bedlam”. I focused on women’s pressure to express the word. For the music poster, the song is named “A Step You Can’t Take Back”. I explored different approaches to deal with typography and reflect the piece of music. In my exploration, I gathered various pieces of materials, such as paper, plastic and glass to experiment with different emotional and visual expressions.
PROJECT TITLE
Women Power COURSE
Type Experiments INSTRUCTOR
Stanley Zienka SEMESTER
Spring 2017 TYPEFACE
Akzidenz Grotesk, Archer KEYWORDS
Protest, Power, Song DELIVERABLES
Poster x 2
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A project on women power and the enlightenment from music
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OBJECTIVE
Create a website about an opinion with a strong personal and conceptual context. This requires conducting extensive research, writing, image creation as /
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well as design. In addition, I further explored blending images and typography. APPROACH
I designed an opinion website based on the idea of biological invasion in the modern age. I was inspired by reading science books and watching relevant documentaries. I noticed that biological invasion is threatening our environment every second. The process is so quiet that most people don’t realize its destructive power. This opinion is introduced on the website in three divisions: About, Species and Debate. The “About” page presents the current condition of biological invasion. The “Species” page talks about several specific alien species. The “Debate” page offers some fresh views on the environmental crisis. I used condensed typefaces and heavy hues to illustrate the harm.
PROJECT TITLE
Biological Invasions COURSE
Type Experiments INSTRUCTOR
Kathrin Blatter SEMESTER
Fall 2016 TYPEFACE
Paralucent, Open Sans KEYWORDS
Latent, Destructive, Threatening DELIVERABLE
Website
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A website on my opinion about biological invasions
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OBJECTIVE
Create an application based on a selected topic. At the same time, apply UI/UX design to the application which should be uncommon and creative. My idea came /
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from my parents who speak Mandarin only and love traveling. APPROACH
I love seeing my family traveling around. But it will probably be harder if they take a trip to a place where people use a different language. I created an international travel application for people who don’t have a second language. Before people leave for the destination, the app can help the users to make traveling plans. What’s more, the plan files will be edited in two languages—the first language and the destination language. Once a traveler builds a plan, the application will generate a two-language file quickly to show the travel schedule, precautions and conversations that may occur. The conversations mainly contain daily expressions. When travelers come across barriers to communication in a foreign country, they can ask the local people for help by showing them the information on the application.
PROJECT TITLE
Trip Guider COURSE
Digital Design Studio 1 INSTRUCTOR
Bob Slote SEMESTER
Spring 2016 TYPEFACE
Helvetica KEYWORDS
Travel, Assistance, Plan DELIVERABLE
Application
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An application for travelers who can speak their mother tongue only
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OBJECTIVE
Generate a 64-page comprehensive book about a possibility that might happen in the upcoming one to two decades. The topic should be based on our trans/
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forming world. I received a topic from the ideas that my classmates came up with in class at random. APPROACH
This project looked at how technology changes life, and my topic was “The Tomorrow of Mental Disorders�. I selected articles to narrate different mental disorders and relevant treatments. I also created my own infographics to present how future technology will change the treatments of mental illness. I experimented with photographic overlays and various design layouts, and I used typography with a mental and scientific feeling in the conceptual book. For the color palette, I chose light green and beige mainly to create a mental atmosphere.
PROJECT TITLE
Mental Illness COURSE
Type Systems INSTRUCTOR
David Hake SEMESTER
Spring 2016 TYPEFACE
Akzidenz Grotesk, Archer KEYWORDS
Infographic, Future, Expression DELIVERABLE
Book
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A book on the future of mental disorders and treatments
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Investigate an existing problem that can be solved through the design process. As a topic was selected, identify the audience, competitors and stakeholders. /
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Research and integrate new visuals in a variety of deliverables to raise awareness of the problem and help to solve it. APPROACH
This project was about dyslexia, and its brand name was “Untie Ideas”. “Untie Ideas” aimed to call people’s attention to dyslexia and bring the experience that dyslexic people face everyday to non-dyslexic people through a series of activities and services. The goal was to help people to be more patient and understanding with dyslexic people. Based on this direction, I designed a new logo, a series of posters, an environment, an event and an experience website in a visual system. Additionally, I used colors to set the mood of my brand—green, light blue and dark gray to express the scientific attitude to dyslexia, and beige and red to show kindness and awareness respectively.
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Learning Disorder COURSE
Visual Thinking INSTRUCTOR
Sandra Isla SEMESTER
Spring 2016 TYPEFACE
Avenir KEYWORDS
Experience, Friendly, Understanding DELIVERABLES
Book Poster x 3 Website
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A project on calling people’s attention to dyslexia
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TO MY FAMILY
Thank you for trusting me, pulling for me and putting up with me all the time I studied in school. I could never have finished this book without your unconditional support and love. I love you! TO MY INSTRUCTORS
Thank you for teaching me the philosophies of graphic design, guiding me to the right way, always pushing me further, and sharing your knowledge with me. I really appreciate all the extra instruction time, your patience and your criticism, which helped this landscape architect become a graphic designer. Special thanks to Mary Scott for overseeing the development of this portfolio and pushing me hard to achieve success in my last semester. TO MY FRIENDS
Many thanks to all my hometown friends for being good friends with me and cheering me up when I was confronted with tough situations. I can’t but appreciate my San Francisco friends for staying up so many nights to work on projects together. TO MYSELF
Dream as if you will live forever; live as if you will die today. —James Dean
FAMILY
Mother Father Grandma Grandpa INSTRUCTORS
Mary Scott Phil Hamlett Hunter Wimmer Kathrin Blatter David Hake Stanley Zienka Sandra Isla Scott Rankin Jill Ballard Lian Ng Bob Slote Monica Berini Susan Pasley
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
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TITLE
Between The Lines DESIGNER
Dan Yang 415.602.3477 ydsheep@hotmail.com danyang-design.com COURSE
MA Portfolio Seminar INSTRUCTOR
Mary Scott SCHOOL
Academy of Art University School of Graphic Design and Digital Media San Francisco, CA 94105 SOFTWARE
Adobe Creative Cloud TYPEFACES
Oswald, Open Sans PRINTING
Graphic Imagery 396 Forbes Blvd, Suit D South San Francisco, CA 94080 BINDERY
The Key Printing & Binding 1934 Park Blvd, Suit A Oakland, CA 94606
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COLOPHON
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© 2017 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any forms or by any means, without expressed permission from Dan Yang.