This is my
FINAL Draft
St. Norbert College ART 130 — Spring 2018
ika r E
t i D
n a zm
Who am I?
Erika Lynn Ditzman My name is Erika Ditzman. I am a college freshman at St. Norbert College pursuing a double major in English and communications with an emphasis in media studies. Working with Dr. Pennington as an editorial assistant for North Wind: A Journal of George MacDonald Studies, I was encouraged to take Introduction to Design and learn the Adobe Suite. Over the semester, I experienced many problems with the countless iterations we were forced to document in our process books. I felt as if every piece I created was my FINAL. Unfortunately though, revisions were always required, no matter how much I attempted to re-purpose my art work. This damaged my confidence a bit. I am certainly a perfectionist, and this was especially problematic in ART 130. My advice to you? Always be open to criticism. You can always make your work stronger.
The Good Life Versus a Significant One Differentiating between a good life and a significant life, each provides a specific connotation and definition. In analyzing the word “good,” this is a positive and happy connotation, providing a bit of freedom to its feel. In addition, “good” is defined as “to be desired, approved of, morally right, or righteousness” (Dictionary.com). When I think of a good life, I think of one in which I have created for myself, allowing me to be genuinely happy with my situation. Looking at the word “significant,” this word has a slightly negative feel. Looking at this in the context of this class, I have no desire to become an art major, though this is certainly an area I personally enjoy. Although Introduction to Design may not be particularly pertinent to my future career, it brings some good into my life amongst the relentless college stress.
My Greatest Failure? The greatest failure I have ever experienced includes falling victim to a severe disorder, Anorexia nervosa, five years ago. As an independent student with great ambition in my academics, I have always prided myself on success, personal strength, and completing difficult tasks without any additional assistance. When I developed this eating disorder, I failed myself, becoming both mentally and physically weak, and requiring consistent counseling from a trained specialist. Looking back, I see this disease as a failure, giving into my self-doubts. On the other hand though, I picked in variomyself back up and recovered. Overcoming my own emotions, I succeed in putting my life and my body back together again. This can be reflected in various pieces I have created throughout the semester.
Vocational Q’s
Dschool
Project Description
Walking into class on the first day of the semester presented our first mini project. This assignment truly embraced the spirit of being a graphic designer by interviewing one of our peers, identifying the problem, determining their needs, and then proposing a solution. Personally, I interviewed Grace Beno, realizing that due to the Christmas, her finances were all but drained. Grace is stressed, broke, and in need of funds to appease her family with the gifts they desire. In response, I proposed the creation of an app, working, shopping at dollar stores, relieving stress for clear thinking, and balancing a check book.
Reflection
Engaging with a real person, I was able to take personal feelings, thoughts, and abilities into consideration while determining my prototype. Getting to know the “client” was extremely useful, as I began to understand exactly what they would want. Therefore, I chose an app for financial calculations, as my partner stated she was not good at math. She was able to point out changes or suggestions in real time, fitting her need as a consumer and therefore representing others with similar problems. Grace stood as a representative sample for hundreds of other challenged gift givers around the holidays. Showing an unfinished prototype was difficult to explain to the “customer,” as there were several loose ends present and not enough to create a successful product that might catch their attention. It was difficult to explain my work when I myself was unsure of all functions and properties. The quick pace definitely played a factor in this, as I usually take a great amount of time perfecting every minute detail before moving onto the next. With this, I frantically threw my details onto a piece of cardboard and called it an app. Although I did have a few
This page spread demonstrates my swift process towards creating my final product, solving Grace’s concerns about finances during Christmas time.
unique ideas that popped into my head on a whim, many times I desire greater direction or explanation for the task at hand. This planning and preparation may require practice, in which I would need greater focus and a greater motivation for a design. This was an interesting exercise, but I do not imagine I could successfully manage this work as an occupation. In reflection, design thinking is an iterative, self-directed process. Based on what I learned in this project’s lecture, I would go back, look at my app, and problem shoot. Any doubts must be dealt with, and therefore these changes can be utilized in creating numerous prototypes. Even more drastic changes can be made as well, redesigning the app entirely and creating a new version, providing many options for the designer to choose from. Furthermore, I would take my “customers� ideas into consideration and ensure I create the most appealing model to fit their problem and needs for the wonderful season of empty pockets and financial crisis. If there was one thing I could do over again, it would be collecting a bigger sample of information reflecting gift giving experiences, to identify a more widespread problem, and assist a greater population of people.
DSchool Final Product
Shitty First Drafts Reading Ann Lamott’s essay on “Shitty First Drafts,” I was able to relate to Anne quite well, as I myself am a writer. At a young age, I developed an interest in fantasy literature, writing many stories with almost identical plots. These iterations resulted in one story titled Rebels; an amalgamation of all tales I had written over the years prior. Looking at previous works of mine, I ask myself how to improve my next story, realizing the childish mentality I had written with. Presently, Rebels is being edited with
the intention of selfpublishing, removing childish excuses for sexual intercourse and creating a more adult version. With editing, 300 pages of frantic scribbling were reduced to 150 pages of good material! On the other hand, this essay can relate to the projects discussed in class, among all good designing. To begin, we were assigned to interview a classmate on their gift giving experiences, identifying a problem and quickly troubleshooting that problem to determine the best solution. In a short brainstorming
session with use of notes from our interview, we wrote out and illustrated any ideas that came to mind, as quick as we could and regardless of the childish or impossible possibilities. For example, my partner suggested becoming a wizard or robbing a bank. Thankfully, she took my input, choosing a craft box as the most realistic option. After picking the most plausible, we reported back to our client and refined our product. Another example of this is within the Dot Line assignment, as we were required to create
five versions (iteration) of three words of our choosing with dots and line combinations, providing a variety of designs to compose our final product, and to eventually refine. As with Anne, as I played with my shapes, there were times that I had begun drawing them in my sketchbook, realizing how terribly bad they looked on paper. Hopefully no one will see them! I took a step back and refreshed myself, as Anne did, and returned
with a clear mind as I accepted they may not be perfect. Nonetheless, these would allow for a sturdy base to improve upon. In terms of visual art, I struggle to try and refine my work, as I fear I will not successfully replicate essential components of the piece. Though, this problem is eliminated by completing preliminary planning and thumbnail iteration. Previous to this course, I simply jumped into a piece without
The shittiest drafts ever to exist in St. Norbert College’s Introduction to Design class!
testing out alternative ideas. Though, as is successful with writing, “Shitty First Drafts” are simply the beginning of reflection, revisions and FINALLY, the MOST polished product. There is always room for improvement. As humorous as this essay was, it provident pertinent insight into becoming a better visual/literary artist, and more critical of myself. These tools will be extremely useful come a career in journalism or publishing.
Dot Line
Project Description
Applying principles of the Gestalt Theory, including figure and ground, similarity and anomaly, continuation, closure, and proximity, using a combination of dots and lines to create compositions. Each composition abstractly represented a single word. Choosing the words oppression, longing, and energetic, this project involved the painstakingly long process of constructing various iterations and the critiques that led up to our final product. Frustration became a common emotion during this project, always having to re-work what I had intended as my final draft.
Dot Line Project Iterations
Longing •Middle black circle (goal) is big enough to be eventually attained •Downward spiral into longing •Gray circles (the journey) stand out from black border, as well as middle black circle, demonstrating the different meanings
Oppression •Gray ball stands out from black lines and black background, pushing out into nothingness •Representative of individuality versus societal standards •Although revisions were suggested, I disregarded these, as they did not pertain to my original focus or intention in the piece
Energetic •Black circle of energy pent up and ready to explode •Use of gravity to demonstrate intent •The gray lines are diagonal and breaking the picture plane, representing instability and therefore gravitational energy Final Iterations
Reflection In my own words, gestalt is a theory of the mind, visually organizing perceptions and thoughts. These initiate patterns, as is common with humans, looking for a solution to chaos. In the case of the Dot Line assignment, grouping black and white dots would be a prime example of this gestalt theory. Principles of the gestalt theory include figure and ground, similarity and anomaly, continuation, closure, and proximity. With regard to these features, we integrated such into our Dot Line compositions to allow better representation and expression of a word of our choosing. These principles, effective by power of the human mind and interpretation,
can create better understanding of the intended word. Not only used in this Dot Line art, these are universal tactics, used to create viewer understanding and attract interest. I feel as if it is NOT difficult for me to create a “well-crafted object.” Whenever I create art, I complete the piece with the utmost dedication and time allotted. Once started, I will work until it is completed and completed WELL. I would rather spend the extra time to get all small details correct. I can demonstrate this through a common art technique called pointillism. An often “tedious” art, each point must be placed in the correct spot on the paper for proper coloration, shading or tint. Rushing through this creates a blob of dots with no resulting image. It is easier to
create a “perfect” product over a long period of time, than having to redo the entire piece from scratch due to quick mistakes. This Dot Line assignment greatly affected my idea of abstraction. Throughout the past few weeks, we spent a great amount of time reflecting on our designs and others’ interpretations of each word. More often than not, there were similar designs presented for each word, and also similar designs for DIFFERENT words, representing different perceptions of each word through abstraction. Yet, with principles of the gestalt theory, people can create abstract art similarly. Following project completion, I have obtained a sense of reluctance to practice abstraction as a preferred form
Playing with dot and line cut outs during the height of musical season.
of art again. With various interpretations of lines and dots through abstraction, many people judged my pieces incorrectly, not creating identical conclusions to my own. Therefore, my pieces were proclaimed wrong, despite adhering to my own perceptions. I did not find the representation of ideas without illustration difficult. I did not find this task difficult as I am
a literary person, with great interest in the symbolism presented in literature. (Symbols/ images into words) With words representing a greater meaning, I have learned to do quite the opposite, moving words into images and creating a more emotional effect through the visual. This emotional effect is the deciding factor in if my composition s u c c e s s f u l l y
accomplishes the term, as the literal representation lacks such effect. Granted, this emotional connection differs from person to person, and may therefore not be as potent. Though, so long as the word is communicated in such a shape and form as the parameters of this assignment, this can be successfully completed without illustration.
Text and Letter Project Description
This project taught the basics of hand-letting, using specific typography to convey meaning behind a word. Composed on 11” by 8.5” sheets, my final iterations included the following media: ink, 3D and cut paper. These were required under the parameters of this assignment. Additionally, my fourth iteration was created with white pastel against black paper. The majority of these iterations, as my chosen word was “ache,” were with Gothic lettering and focus. As stated in the earlier vocation questions, I experienced an eating disorder several years ago. This is the focus of three out of the four pieces. The final represents heartache
Typography Basics
Typography Practice
Reflection In studying handlettering and letter forms in Introduction to Design, I learned a significant amount on how text, such as the fonts we use on the computer, are formed. In early history, much of the fonts we use and take for granted today are based upon basic and historic hand calligraphy. Furthermore, taking text for granted, we learned a large amount about the construction of hand-lettering, with specifics pertaining to terms such as counter and x-height. These allow for accurate text creation. Besides these basic construction techniques, I learned that every piece of text has a greater meaning that can be pulled from it. When choosing a font on the computer for the
use of artistic graphic design, for example, san serif vs serif for elegance or a more plain text appearance. Additionally, art can be intertwined with typography to better illustrate the meaning behind a word. I had not realized typography could in itself become the art. For example, in working in this Introduction to Design course, we viewed a variety of examples through which different materials were used to create lettering. This was extremely intriguing, as this is a technique that I would like to try/perfect in the future. With reference to my art pieces, representing the word “ache,� I felt as if I was truly able to relate, create, and illustrate meaning through the forms of my letters. As a survivor of Anorexia nervosa, a form of body dimorphism
that affects 42% of females in the United States alone, a great majority of my pieces are represented by this disorder. Despite the outlier to this trend, the design demonstrating heartbreak, I created more rugged and jagged letter forms to create this idea of pain. With analysis of my own pieces, the basics of letter forms must be enhanced and changed to match the meaning of the piece, in which I believe I successfully communicated. There are also several letter forms that present the same idea with subtle differences. With the example of my Gothic form, I practiced many iterations to communicate pain. The technique I most enjoyed was the 3D version of my word ache. As much work as the makeup and special effects were, to create the idea of
carving this word into flesh, the simplicity of this idea put much more emphasis on the word itself. It is this technique that I would most like to spend time continuing and refining. Following this assignment, I intend to commit a great amount of time researching body art. Next, I believe it would be interesting to work with someone who is willing to be open to me regarding their insecurities, and through which I could illustrate this on them, whether through blood/gore or vibrant colored body paint. With this simplicity, I would keep their identity private, and therefore be able to give them and outlet through which they would be able to express themselves. Creating beauty out of pain allows for a sense of relief. I feel as if this would be an interesting
technique and hobby to pursue for future art projects. With regard to the strength of my finished products, I do believe that my execution is stronger than my ideas. These ideas are still extremely power though, as I took to the task of illustrating and symbolizing emotional turmoil to a great extent. Furthermore, I was able to put my own experiences with Anorexia nervosa into this text design. Unfortunately though, meaning through my art is nothing without the execution, allowing outsiders to understand the pain that I have felt. With this in mind, I made sure to create pieces that were blatantly obvious, such as the word “fat” written on the girls’ body to show the body dimorphism she felt she was a prison to. With the word “ache” there
is no roundabout way to explain this word, as every iteration of mined demonstrated a rather dark tone. Adversely, this may simply depend on the person. Nonetheless, these blatant, simple iterations are easy for viewers to recognize with a very dark message behind them. I am able to execute these well due to the pain I have personally felt, and therefore people are able to recognize this, as these are significant problems in society today. Also, I feel like the execution of my 60’s like heart went particularly well, especially as an outsider to the other three pieces I presented. While the others were reminiscent of selfharm and hate, this one symbolized a common aspect and regularity within our daily lives; heartbreak. As different as this meaning is, this
iteration stands out, while also standing out well with regard to black against white contrast, showing the picture of the heart,
and illustrating that ache. Over all, I feel that my executions were stronger. Although I had very dark and real ideas that truly
impacted the viewer, they would not have felt its effect if it was not communicated well or was not executed strongly.
Plans, Revisions, and Perfection.
Paint and Ink Preparation
Paint and Ink Final
Cut Paper Preparation
Cut Paper Final
3-D Preparation
Going “under the knife�
Above: Remnants of special effects makeup, created from Modge Podge, red paint, fake blood, liquid foundation, and toilet paper.
3-D Final
Pastel Final
Object Iteration Project Description
Choosing an object to focus on for the entirety of this project, this required extensive research on essential aspects to understanding said object. This allows recognition of its unique characteristics. Using these to express the object across varying stylistic techniques, including continuous line drawings, geometric figures, collage, typographic collage and the rendition of a master artist. Personally, I chose the bee hummingbird. As a 5.7 cm animal, this creature was particularly hard to portray, and yet, rewarding upon success.
Meet the Bee Hummingbird
Reflection Drawing this animal, the Bee Hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae), not only was I able to obtain knowledge about the bird itself, but I was able to understand the presentation of the creature and what features truly identify a hummingbird. Mainly, the long narrow beak is what gives the bee hummingbird its hummingbird look. Noticeably, every iteration of the hummingbird I have presented in my final product, despite changing techniques, includes this characteristic. Though, if I were to portray nothing BUT a long slender beak in a piece of work, as others in the class successfully portrayed their animals/object with
key characteristics, I did not find much success in this technique. There are not enough identifying traits that would immediately signify a hummingbird. I also learned that my object, small in scale, could not be easily portrayed on a sheet of paper. Every iteration I completed looked approximately the same size, and any attempts to make these smaller simply caused problems with identifying the figure, versus a smaller portrayal of this creature. An improvement I might have made could include using an alternate figure in the frame, offering a better sense of scale that might successfully convey this specific type of hummingbird. Though, if I were to go forward with this idea, there is the possibility that the object might be
distracting. Photoshop fixes everything though, so if I would decide I do not like my design, I could fix it using this editing software. So why not give it a shot? Overall, the hummingbird was fairly easy to present with varying techniques, so long as the figure of a bird and a long narrow beak were present. The media that was the most challenging for me would be InDesign, as I am struggling with the pressures of having to learn this software on the fly for my internship. With little training in InDesign previously, I am pressuring myself with learning this as quick as possible, to then plunge into the journal layout. I feel as if I need to take every step one at a time, and play around with the software before attempting to
professionally apply my knowledge. I would rather do the work right the first time. Contrarily, I feel as if Photoshop was the most enjoyable, as I often already engage in photo editing due to my independent photography business (E.L. Ditz Photography) for senior pictures, professional portraits, family portraits, and weddings. Granted, I have most commonly worked with editing in Picasa through Google, as it is free and I am a broke college student. With Photoshop though, I can broaden the quality of my photos. I knew that working with Photoshop would progress my already successful business. This goes for InDesign as well. Despite my struggles to understand the software, everything is
a learning experience that enhances my overall presentation to future employers, etc. I am always willing to give new things a try! I will continue researching and practicing as I work on North Wind: A Journal of George MacDonald Studies. L e a r n i n g this software, no one technique on Photoshop was more beneficial than the other, as I have had very limited exposure to this software. Even the basics were extremely eye opening. As I had stated previously, I run my own independent photography business. Many of the editing features in Photoshop are definitely NOT in Picasa. Looking at Photoshop for the first time is quite overwhelming compared to what I am used to, but there
is no question that I will use this in future photo jobs. After all, I might as well make use of the program while I have it! Once more, as I am unfamiliar with this software, this will take some time to learn. I’ll pull out some Photoshop for Dummies books and attempt to train myself before picture taking season picks up again! I hope that this will enhance my photos so that I might offer my clients a far better quality product (Better than it already is at least!) Furthermore, ALWAYS layer. Picasa doesn’t do this, and trust me, I have experienced a bit of trouble on more than one occasion once I make those changes. Thankfully, I always keep the originals. Photoshop just makes this process much less of a hassle
And the results of these efforts...?
Final! But.. how did I get here?
Modified and Blind Contour Practice
Modified Contour BeeHummingbird
Master Artists Eric Carl •Paint on tissue paper •Collage •Focus: natural elements and objects •Varying textures and shades of color •Vibrant coloration •Little focus on background
Wangechi Mutu •Tools and Materials: Ink, mica flakes, pressure sensitive synthetic polymer sheeting, cut and pasted printed paper •Splatter technique •Human forms represented by natural objects •Dull coloration •Use of thin, curved vines, grass, and snakes (Seems to vary throughout her work) •Less emphasis on details in the background
Eric Carl
Wangechi Mutu
Collage
Typographic Collage
Geometric
Medium: Origami
Medium: Sharpie
Medium: Charcoal
Data Visualization Project Description
This project entails researching information and collecting data on a specific problem that pertains to our personal values. This information was arranged in an InDesign document, using visual hierarchy for an effective display of the chosen content. This process required the investigation of various forms of data visualization, including our family representation and the visitor/resident chart. Several iterations proceeded this, testing different layouts and eventually combining these into a final product. My focus involved body perception as determined by societal standards, demonstrating this to readers with an anonymous survey.
Online Infographic Evaluation Generally, data visualization creates a heightened interest in viewers, as they do not simply have to understand the information, but they are allowed to visually perceive what is being conveyed. The data visualization I chose to evaluate is Common MythConceptions: World’s most contagious falsehoods with a variety of different “Mythconceptions” listed with images on this infographic, surrounded by dotted circles. A key was offered, addressing this information with regard to Google hits and the most used search engine, as people question these facts and seek answers. The larger the images inside the dotted circle were, the more hits it received on Google, and therefore, the more “contagious” the fact is, as it spreads from person to person who blatantly believe this. This was effectively done and appealing to look at, as the scaling of size creates a greater understanding of how extensive these myths reach, and the colors/simplistic images used against the white background did not take away from the textual information, but allowed the eyes to bounce around from fact to fact. Many of these elements are utilized in my final iteration.
Practicing Forms of Data Viz
Family Representation: Demonstrating the political divide between members of my family
Visitor/Resident Chart A visualization representing my digital presence online. Visitor Mode: Web as series of tools, no trace, instrumental, and defined goals Resident Mode: Evidence of significant presence and identity
“Fat” Fact Research
“Fat” Fact Formatting: Iteration #1
“Fat” Fact Formatting: Iteration #2
“Fat”Facts
81% of 10 YEAR OLDS are AFRAID of being FAT
tt
Why? 32%
42%
Satisfactory Unsatisfactory
The Unrealistic Portrayal of Men and Women in the Media
26%
Indifferent
Male Body Perception
and
Female
Male
Increasingly Muscular male body ideal
Female
More tubular, with bust and hips decreasing while height and waist increased
Effects? 20%
Satisfactory
16%
Indifferent
64%
ANOREXIA
Unsatisfactory
BULIMIA
Take the Pledge Against ANAD! • I will accept myself as I am • I will accept others as they are • I will support diversit and freedom of expression in he way people think, look and live • I will not tolerate physical or mental abuse• • I will actively participate in efforts to change media programmng and advertising that exploit or demean the human body
BINGE EATING DISORDER
• I will work to improve the lives of individuals, communities and the environment • I will support programs that encourage good health through proper nutrition, regular exercise and adequate sleep • I believe that I can get better
My FUTURE is worth fighting for!
Sources: “The Media’s Representation of the Ideal Male Body: A Cause for Muscle Dysmorphia?”, “Cultural Expectations of Thinness in Women: An Update.”, www.nationaleatingdisorders.org, www.avalonhillsfoundation.org/blog/2015/02/7-powerful-statistics-about-eating-disorders/., www.anad.org / get-involved/take-anad-pledge/.
Elements from previous iterations are combined to create this final product
Reflection In creating my data visualization, visual hierarchy was absolutely essential in relaying the message and motive behind the information I was displaying. Changing my title sizing after critique, I found that text point is extremely effective, as my title, “‘Fat’ Facts,” was the largest of all text on the document. Next to this, a fact stating that “81% of 10 year olds are afraid of being fact” was smaller, offering secondary context. Below that, the primary question, asking “Why?,” was larger in scale compared to the context. Furthermore, I attempted to keep consistent sizing and font type for titles compared to body text, differentiating significance between the two. Font is an
appealing technique to demonstrate visual hierarchy, as titles are a more exciting, expressive design (AR BONNIE) versus the body text, which is more plain (Bookman Old Style). Another example of this includes the significantly bigger text for the final point of the ANAD pledge, putting emphasis on what I deem as the most important out of them all. Color also applies to visual hierarchy. Considering I chose a complementary color palate, I was able to create a darker blue background, with slightly lighter shapes around major titles. Further emphasizing this, yellow stood out against the background for titles, and body text is white, still standing out, but less eye catching than the yellow titles. Using color in this project was
extremely excited, as the last project created many limitations and problems for me, attempting to display my master artist, Eric Carle, without his bright coloration. This project therefore allowed me to exercise my creative side, learning how to use complementary colors in demonstrating visual hierarchy, as was stated prior, highlighting the titles in a gold color to create a more eye popping effect, versus the white body text. Both though were layered on a shade or tint of blue. The different colors of blue were also significant, in that the darker blue served as the background, and the lighter blue served as a lighter shape to sit behind titles for even greater contrast, as the gold overlaid the light blue, which was pasted on top of the dark blue.
As stated previously, I chose complementary colors. The specific tints or shades of each color was determined by an adobe website associated with my account, in which I was able to better personalize the poster to fit my needs and preferences. The simplistic colors further strengthened the context, relating to 10 year olds, who are much less sophisticated in comparison to the average adult. The connection of specific, limited colors throughout the poster, allow the viewers eyes to easily move from piece to piece.
The main take-away from this project, is a better understanding of InDesign and Photoshop, and an effective arrangement/ display of information on a poster. I was required to utilize these, presenting North Wind for the Collaborative Undergraduate Research Forum on April 20. While I presented the online material, Dr. Pennington also desired a poster created to provide our primary mission, and also the areas of research we are currently pursuing. With a judge walking around and observing the presentations, one
person received a cash prize. For a broke college student, this would certainly have been a blessing! Therefore, I took everything I have learned, creating both an effective and attractive presentation. To succeed in this task, the color schemes and font had to relate to the design of North Wind and George MacDonald, providing the proper feel, and keeping the information short and concise, as the poster serves to offer the basics of our undergraduate research, not the the nuts and bolts of our presentation.
Anorexia
Bulimia
Binge Eating Disorder
Designer Presentation Project Description
Researching a designer of our choice, we were not only required to provide in depth information on their background and influences, but also our personal interpretation of the work that they produce. This presentation possessed 20 slides, each 20 seconds before they automatically advanced. Furthermore, this provides experience in the art of public speaking, involving key aspects such as projection, articulation, and frequent eye contact with my audience. From the designer list provided, I chose Charles S. Anderson for his simplicity and yet strong, satirical imagery.
Reflection Charles Anderson was unlike any of the other designers offered, as his simplistic design offered histerical satire. Smaller insignificant details, such as the red swirls on the Cream of Meat box for his StackO-Packs Campaign with French Papers, representing the blood of animal by-products and meat being mixed into everyday food products (Even some as unexpected as Cream of Wheat, as the design implies). I enjoy a piece in which I can discover greater meaning in the chosen design elements. Similar to interpreting a complex novel in English class, finding details that reflect and overall theme, this allows a certain extent of freedom for both the artist and I. Although I may not be correct,
there is technically no wrong answer so long that I have elements to support my claim. Charles S. Anderson is also permitted freedom, as he is able to imagine ways to suggest an overarching purpose. Not only that, but his extensive variety of pieces, as presented in my PowerPoint presentation, is absolutely essential in becoming a successful designer, and both interested and inspired me to search further, seeing how far his art could truly reach. As a whole, presentations can be nerve wracking. You’re standing there, stumbling over your words as EVERYONE in the classroom stares as you, judging everything from your fidgeting and sweating temple, to the frantic pacing of your voice as you attempt to fit in as much information as possible
within the allotted time. Or perhaps this is just me. Despite my involvement in high school forensics, moving onto the state level and receiving a silver for my poem “Contemplate,� I still feel a bit nervous. I cope with this by o v e rc o m p e n s a t i n g , overworking, and over practicing, almost obsessively, to ensure I will not make any mistakes. If I do make any mistakes, I am often devastated. Thankfully, this did not happen during my presentation. With regard to my presentation preparation, I wrote down main points in note form, retyped them in sentences, added transitions, revised them after I had practiced a few times, went over each slide about five times, and then rewrote these again on notecards
to read during my presentation. With such repetition, I was able to learn the words, almost by memory, and yet rarely had the guts to look up from my stack of cards, only looking up briefly to quickly make eye contact, as this is what is appropriate in presentations. And despite starting my research over spring break, I still did not have the confidence in myself. Thankfully that is done and over with. I can finally mark it off of my never-ending to do list! Of the designers I have viewed from my peers’ presentations, the one I was most excited to see was Art Chantry, as this was one of my alternative choices. Anaís’s presentation presented an overview of the rock age, in which he had created various posters for several music
groups, including Pearl Jam and The Cramps, among many other favorite music groups of mine. Seeing many of these posters hung up on my dad’s wall, as he frequently collects these, several of them I now recognize as Art Chantry’s work. Furthermore, I question how many punk rock shows I have attended that are represented by Chantry’s design. I intend to pursue extensive research with my dad, figuring out just how much Chantry has contributed to the rock era. Furthermore, he also interests me due to the blatant honesty in his visuals and typography. In one of the pieces Anaís presented, Chantry suggests bringing condoms everywhere that the a man’s penis would go. In the time period this was initially portrayed in, certainly giving a vintage feel,
speaking about birth control and the male sexual organs would be outrageous! And yet, Chantry has no problems with bringing these points to light. His art is bold, meaningful, and exciting, taking the form of several different styles, which will certainly make it more difficult to pinpoint his pieces from my dad’s collection.
Charles Anderson
This book was made as part of Introduction to Design at St. Norbert College in the fall of 2017. The fonts used include Nirmala UI, Papyrus, and NSinSun. It was digitally printed and saddle stapled at the college’s print center.