Discovering Design Gabriel Thiel St. Norbert College ART 130 Process Book Fall 2023
This book was made as part of Introduction to Design at St. Norbert College in the fall of 2023. The fonts used include Futura PT Bold, Futura PT Medium, Futura PT Book, and Futura PT Book Oblique. It was digitally printed and saddle stapled at the college’s print center.
Course Overview Art 130 is an introductory design course that gives students a basis for creating thoughtful and successful designs. The course involves hands-on work and also utilizes Adobe Photoshop and InDesign. It stresses the use of a thoughtful creative process and utilizing feedback from peers. Through many critiques, students can take a more critical look at others’ designs and provide insightful feedback.
Crash Course
Project Overview The Crash Course Project was a rapid-fire activity that occurred on the first day of class. In this activity, students were divided into pairs and would take turns interviewing each other. Students asked questions about problems that their partners were facing and were tasked with developing a solution for one of their problems. After creating a potential solution, students then attempted to bring their solution to life by creating it out of materials found in the art studio.
By interviewing my partner, I learned that she had a passion for running and hockey, but had an injury on one foot that inhibited her ability to run, but not skate. So, I hastily put this solution together with foam core, tape, paper, and a colored pencil. This is a half-road-half ice rink. The idea is, she can run on the uninjured foot and skate on the injured foot, allowing her to run and skate at the same time! Although this may not be the best solution, this activity helped hone my ability to think quickly and creatively.
Crash Course Reflection Engaging with a real person changed the direction my prototype took in several ways. First, being able to listen to feedback on my designs proved to be very helpful in creating a more functional and reliable design. My partner was able to point out several design flaws that certainly influenced my prototype. Engaging with a real person also caused my prototype to become more user-friendly. Speaking with a real person allowed me to design something that would cater more towards my partner, rather than to myself or a broad audience. Showing unfinished work to another person was not something I was uncomfortable doing. Although my drawings and prototype were unfinished, I was able to explain my intentions for the finished product and felt satisfied with that. Although showing unfinished work to another person is not ideal for me, I was not discouraged in doing so. The pace felt fast, but I found it very exciting and fun. I normally like to work at a faster pace, so this activity played to my strengths. It pushed me to make quick decisions and embrace spontaneity, which injected some energy into my prototype. Since completing the prototype, I have already begun to think of ways I can improve it. If I were to go back and work on it, I would ask my partner about their evolving needs so that my prototype would stay relevant. I would also try to gain a more in-depth understanding of my partner’s problems and struggles so that my prototype would cater to them even more.
Dot/Line
Project Overview The Dot/Line project involved expressing a variety of emotions using only specific combinations of dots and lines with black and grey paper. The dots and lines were placed onto 4” by 4” pieces of paper which were glued to 6” by 6” pieces of foam core.
Terror
Oppression
Energetic
I began the project by choosing the emotions I wanted to convey. Then, I created several thumbnails for each. After that, I created five additional iterations of my favorites.
Final Compositions
Terror
Oppression
Energetic After creating three thumbnail designs I was satisfied with, I then moved on to cutting and gluing dots and lines to the paper. After an in-process critique, I received mostly positive feedback, and made minor changes. Above are my final three compositions.
Dot Line Reflection In my own words, I would describe gestalt as a set of principles that are used to convey a variety of emotions. Gestalt relates to the dot line project immensely. Many of the principles were seen in the artwork. In our critiques, there were many references to the proximity, continuation, similarity, and anomaly of certain elements. Overall, gestalt played a major role in this project. I found it difficult to make a “well-crafted object”. Throughout the assembly of my artwork, I would constantly notice small details that were slightly off. At first, I would try to fix every small mistake. However, as time went on, and the mistakes kept up, I eventually became content with the fact that my artwork would not be 100% perfect. I even began to believe that some of my mistakes made positive contributions to the art. Although I would like to have my artwork be free of mistakes, I would rather make things more quickly and a bit less perfect to help ease some frustration. This project certainly had an impact on my view of abstraction. Going into the project, I oftentimes thought of abstraction as a meaningless, confusing form of artwork. However, after completing abstract work myself, and taking a critical look at others’ abstract artwork, I have a newfound appreciation of abstraction and have improved my ability to interpret it. When coming up with ideas for various emotions, I surprised myself with my ideas. I initially assumed that I would have a tough time coming up with ideas that were not illustrations. However, as I began experimenting with the lines and dots, I was able to create several designs I was content with. Being able to be hands-on with the various elements helped me formulate ideas much more quickly than if I were to draw different ideas from memory. I believe that completing this project and learning about gestalt will prove to be useful in my future artwork. Being aware of the different gestalt principles will help my art achieve its desired outcome. Additionally, having completed abstract art and getting out of my comfort zone, I now feel more prepared to do other types of art that I am not exactly comfortable doing.
Letterforms
Project Overview The Letterforms project consisted of creating four iterations of a four or five-letter word using ink and hand-carved linoleum stamps. The kerning (the amount of space between letters) was manipulated to impact how the word was interpreted. Additionally, the use of a photocopier was permitted.
After choosing the word I wanted to use, I created a mind-map to help think of some associations with the word bump. These associations helped inspire several of my iterations.
Here is the letter that I carved. The class made an entire alphabet of these which were shared for the project.
These are my first attempts at making a straight print and some modifications of the word.
After becoming frustrated with the difficulty of placing the letters exactly where I wanted them and having too many specks of ink (noise) around the letters, I decided to use the photocopier to help me. Below is a sheet of letters I made using the linoleum stamps and ink, which I then photocopied. This allowed me to have an unlimited supply of letters so I could experiment as desired.
Final Compositions
For these three iterations, I used the printed letters that I cut out earlier and taped them onto a blank sheet of paper. Then, I placed the image onto the photocopier and turned the exposure to the minimum to erase any potential shadows from the letters. After printing that sheet, I took it and once again placed it onto the photocopier, this time ramping the exposure to achieve a deeper black. For the photographed composition, I cut out the letters and taped them to a curb.
Letterforms Reflection By doing this project, I certainly expanded my knowledge of letterforms. First, I learned how to create linoleum stamps, and I found it rewarding when I was able to create a stamp that looked good. Second, I learned about the process of printing letters by hand and learned about the carefulness and technique required to create a clean print with good kerning. I also learned how “noise” and variations in letters’ kerning cause the word to feel differently. Finally, I learned about how letterforms can be manipulated using a photocopier. I found this to be a very useful tool in achieving the desired outcome for my pieces. If I were to continue working with these letters, I would create more typographic variations of my word. I have several ideas for variations that I did not use for my final critique that I think could be successful in communicating my word. In these variations, I would continue to utilize the photocopier as it helped me tremendously with my other variations. Out of curiosity, in other new variations, I would like to experiment with enlarging or minimizing the letters as this is something that I had not tried with my initial project.
Iterative Illustrations
Project Overview The Iterative Illustrations project involved creating several iterations of an object or animal and strategically placing the iterations on a poster. For my project, I opted to showcase the plains zebra. Iterations included two master artist iterations, continuous line iterations, geometric iterations, collage iterations, and typographic collage iterations.
I began the project by creating some continuous line iterations.
Next, I created some collages of the zebra using mostly pieces of paper from magazines and wrapping paper.
I continued to make collages, but this time, strictly using paper with type on it.
I also drew some iterations of the zebra using only geometric shapes.
This is a master artist iteration, made in the style of Eric Carle, the popular children’s book illustrator. I once again utilized collage, but this time, painted the paper before cutting out shapes.
This is another master artist iteration, made in the style of Keith Haring, a distinct artist known for the movement lines in his work. For this iteration, I used a permanent marker to imitate Haring’s style.
Final Composition
Once I had all of my zebra iterations made, I scanned them and then edited my favorites. I then put my favorites into InDesign and placed them in a way that highlighted my strongest work. Finally, I printed the final poster onto 12” by 18” cover weight paper.
Iterative Ilustrations Reflection By completing this project, I learned several new things about my animal: the plains zebra. First, I learned that this type of zebra is the most widespread species of zebra. I also learned how the stripe patterns on the plains zebra differ from other zebra species. For example, the plains zebra’s stripes are thicker compared to other species. This project certainly allowed me to expand my knowledge of zebras! The most challenging media for me was collage. Not only did I often become frustrated with the amount of time it took to make, but it was challenging to cut out so many pieces (many of which were very small) and then glue them exactly where I wanted them. The most enjoyable medium, however, was the continuous line drawing. I surprised myself when doing this and was able to create a piece that I was happy with rather quickly. Removing the background of an image in Photoshop will be a skill I will utilize going forward. I have long wondered how to do this, and now that I am able to, I am excited to use this skill in my future work. If I were to use new ways to represent the plains zebra, I would make some pieces that showcase a small, young zebra. This would make my work more educational by showing how the zebra grows over time. I also would like to incorporate more of the zebra’s habitat into my work to create a more immersive representation of the plains zebra.
Public Service Announcements
Project Overview The Public Service Announcements project had the class create a PSA creative brief, which was then swapped with a classmate with a similar topic. The task was to create an effective PSA using your partner’s creative brief while maintaining constant communication to ensure that your PSA aligned with your partner’s wants and needs for the poster. Also, no illustrations were allowed on the poster.
My partner wanted me to create a PSA for RPAWS, a wildlife rescue program in Green Bay. These are some thumbnail sketches I made to generate some ideas for the poster.
After creating the thumbnail sketches, I made a few rough compositions that I showed my partner to garner feedback and provide a starting point for the PSA.
s:
tem nt I
; ken; sable ndry ff c w i o h d c s; Reu p; Lau urn o y ch in; o p m o t a I e p f st pu umpk aby lov ish so ically g a B n t Mo i p D r a s; am ; Pu anned eggie yl ex soap; autom d e n i v c t se ’ V nd d Bird spiced uit an wels; er; Ha at don to h fr iz nNo food Paper sanit pads t d y ; g Bab wipes s; Han eatin e H y v Bab er glo leach; B b rub gent; er det
ta por
? E S U A C E ! H S T W T A U P O R B O A T E E R T A A C ON D
General Supplies: Masks; Pencils; Pens; Dry erase markers; Disinfectant wipes; Gift cards for produce and supplies; Glade and Febreze single and double plug-in air fresheners
Food items: Apples; Bananas; Dried fruit; Raw nuts out of shell; Live and dried Mealworms; Live and canned Crickets; Duck grower pellets; Timothy hay; Suet; Emeraid critical care Bedding items: Repti-bark; Lizard litter; Pine bedding; Aspen bedding; Coconut fiber cage bedding; Fleece or flannel blankets/sheets; Receiving Enrichment items: Unused cat, dog, blankets; Hospital flat sheets and bird toys; Mouse wheels Carriers: Clam shell pet carriers; Incuba-
Animal Hygiene items: New cloth diapers; Cotton balls
tor; Soft sided kennels; Dog kennels and carriers;
:
ms
Ite ant
y le n; w; icke eusab aundr off o h h c c L R d n py m oo in; tur ap; es; st I pup umpk aby f glov ish so ically o a M p D rin at s; B am ; Pu anned eggie nyl ex soap; utom d e ta se Vi ’ nd dv dc Bird spice uit an wels; er; Ha at don to h fr iz nNo food Paper sanit pads t d y ; Bab wipes s; Han eating e y H v Bab er glo leach; B b rub gent; r e det
t por
? E S U A C E ! H S T W T A U P O R B O A T E E R T A C ONA D
s: item ent og, m h d ic t, Enr sed ca ys; Unu bird to els e e gien h and se wh t u l Hy Mo ma ew clo balls i n n A s: N otto item ers; C diap
: lies ns; e upp al S cils; P s; r e n Gen ks; Pe arker s; m s Ma erase t wipe s; n ple p Dry nfecta or A s: i f em ried t Dis cards d supt i u d D Gift uce an and Foo anas; nuts o e d d pro ; Glad gle an Ban t; Raw ve and s; eps r i i s: R ; plie eze sin -in ai fru hell; L lworm tem litter i g r g ard pen Feb ble plu din of s d Mea k e Bed rk; Liz ng; As c ri dou eners dri a t i ll dC r h e ti-b bedd oconu she fres Liv canne growe ine ng; C am ubal P y d k C h d n i c : t c a s d r u o r n d o I D m ai ge eece rie s; be ets; ets; Ti Emer l r ca Car arrier ed ken l c fibe ing; F kets/ d pel ; Suet; e d n pet Soft si ennels a d g l e r b nel b eivin hay ical ca l tor; ; Dog k s; for flan ts; Rec ospita r crit nels carrie d wire y e H e ; h s e s ket and ber an of pr l d a blan heets Lum ide bir amm ts a fl s m out s and e cag s e cag
After learning which composition my partner liked best, I then brought my ideas into Adobe InDesign. These are my first few designs. As you can see, I was given quite a lot of text! This made it difficult to create a readable, yet interesting design. I was up to the challenge.
? E S U A C E ! H S T W T A U P R O B O A T E E R T A A C N O D s:
tem nt I
y s; off ed s; Bab glove ap; urn pic n-s veggie exam ish so cally t o l ati w; N nd p; D iny cho fruit a els; V d soa autom y p t n up od r tow r; Ha don’ e a p y fo t e urin ; Bab s; Pap anitiz ds tha P ; s e n i a d p k d i e p w g se an mp Bird ed pu ; Baby ves; H Heatin n o ; n l e h n g k c ca chic er lea d ubb t; B foo able r rgen te s Reu dry de n u a L
st Mo
ta por
Im
Animal Hygiene Items: New cloth diapers; Cotton balls
Enrichment Items: Unused cat, dog, and bird toys; Mouse wheels
Carriers: Clam shell pet carriers; Incubator; Soft sided kennels; Dog kennels and carriers; Lumber and wire for outside bird of prey cages and mammal cages
Bedding Items: Repti-bark; Lizard litter; Pine bedding; Aspen bedding; Coconut fiber cage bedding; Fleece or flannel blankets/sheets; Receiving blankets; Hospital flat sheets
Food Items: Apples; Bananas; Dried fruit; Raw nuts out of shell; Live and dried Mealworms; Live and canned Crickets; Duck grower pellets; Timothy hay; Suet; Emeraid critical care General Supplies: Masks; Pencils; Pens; Dry erase markers; Disinfectant wipes; Gift cards for produce and supplies; Glade and Febreze single and double plug-in air fresheners
ll
a or c om ! c . e u if ildl nk yo hw a eac ns. Th b y ba stio o to que n, g h any o i t t rma 5 wi info 368 ore ) 391m For (920
? E S U Imp t s A o M C E ! H S T W T A U P R O B O A T E E R T A A C N O D ms: d aby ves; e t I ce es; B glo oap; nt spi i
tu ngg hs xam ally ; No nd ve inyl e p; Dis matic w o ch fruit a els; V d soa auto py t n ’ w pup y food er to er; Ha t don a p n a z i b i a r h t a i t P u B san pads es; in; d; P wip and g see mpk Bird ed pu ; Baby ves; H Heatin ; n lo en can chick ber g Bleach d ub ent; r o o e f l terg sab Reu dry de n Lau
a
fe S
The
Bay
c Bea
Animal Hygiene Items: New cloth diapers; Cotton balls
h
dli Wil
e ry R
a nctu
Enrichment Items: Unused cat, dog, and bird toys; Mouse wheels
Carriers: Clam shell pet carriers; Incubator; Soft sided kennels; Dog kennels and carriers; Lumber and wire for outside bird of prey cages and mammal cages
s S) i
PAW
m (R
ra rog
nP
atio
ilit hab
ff
rn o
orta
Bedding Items: Repti-bark; Lizard litter; Pine bedding; Aspen bedding; Coconut fiber cage bedding; Fleece or flannel blankets/sheets; Receiving blankets; Hospital flat sheets
f
do
ee in n
ing
llow
fo the
General Supplies: Masks; Pencils; Pens; Dry erase markers; Disinfectant wipes; Gift cards for produce and supplies; Glade and Febreze single and double plug-in air fresheners
s:
tion
a don
Food Items: Apples; Bananas; Dried fruit; Raw nuts out of shell; Live and dried Mealworms; Live and canned Crickets; Duck grower pellets; Timothy hay; Suet; Emeraid ll
ca or om ! c . e if ou ildl nk y chw . Tha a e s ayb stion e ob o t y qu g , n n tio with a a 5 orm inf -368 ore ) 391 m For (920
After experimenting in Adobe InDesign for quite some time, I created a more refined design that I was comfortable presenting to the class for an in-process critique (bottom poster).
Final Composition s:
em t I t n
? E S st Mo U A ! C E S H W T A T RP U O O B T A E T E R A A N C DO
t frui aper nd d a o w; by fo ipes; P es; H ach; o h v a e c py kin; B aby w er glo nt; Bl p u B e b p p b rg n; m rina ed pu hicke ble ru dete u P c ; ry n sa f eed d can food s; Reu Laund rn of s s: d y Bir spice Bab love oap; ally tu tion a n ; g s s o ic n gd No eggie exam ; Dish omat n i t l v w p y t au follo and ls; Vin nd soa on’ e h t e d a of tow izer; H s that d Food Items: e e d it in n Apples; san ing pa s i S) t a Bananas; Dried W e H (RPA
r o p Im
ta
m gra o r nP
tio
fe ildli
ay he B
ry ctua
San
W ac h
Be
T
Animal Hygiene Items: New cloth diapers; Cotton balls
Enrichment Items: Unused cat, dog, and bird toys; Mouse wheels
lita abi
Reh
Carriers: Clam shell pet carriers; Incubator; Soft sided kennels; Dog kennels and carriers; Lumber and wire for outside bird of prey cages and mammal cages
fruit; Raw nuts out of shell; Live and dried Bedding Items: Mealworms; Repti-bark; Live and canned Lizard litter; Crickets; Duck Pine bedding; grower pellets; Aspen bedding; Timothy hay; Coconut fiber Suet; Emeraid cage critical care bedding; Fleece or flannel om fe.c . i l d blankets/sheets; s il hw estion c a Receiving e u yq ayb blankets; o b ith an t o Hospital flat n, g 685 w ou! o i t y -3 a sheets rm -391 hank o f 0 T 2 in For call 9 r o General Supplies: Masks; Pencils; Pens; Dry erase markers; Disinfectant wipes; Gift cards for produce and supplies; Glade and Febreze single and double plug-in air fresheners
After utilizing feedback from in-process and final critiques, I crafted the final design for the PSA.
Letterforms Reflection I found it challenging to be limited to type only. At times, I felt that certain illustrations could strengthen my piece. Because I was unable to utilize illustrations, I had to think creatively as to how I was going to make my PSA interesting while only using type. Luckily, I found that using a combination of knockout text, different fonts, and angled baselines could ignite some dynamism in my PSA. To create a visual hierarchy, I utilized a few techniques. First, I made the headline the largest text on the poster in hopes its large scale would bring attention to it. Bolded text was also used here to draw more attention. Next, I placed the headline, the contact information, and the most important items on a slanted baseline. The slant draws attention and gives them a hierarchy over the normal list of items. Knockout text was also used on the headline, most important items, and contact information. This created a stark contrast that allowed for more attention toward them and gave them a hierarchy over the normal list of items. The normal list of items was the smallest text on the poster. This was done for a few reasons. First, the sheer amount of text in this category made it difficult to increase the font size. Second, my partner preferred for the most important items, headline, and contact information to be higher in the visual hierarchy, so I purposely put the lists at the bottom of the hierarchy. By doing this project, I certainly improved my skills in InDesign. I found it very fun learning new features in the program and quickly experimenting with different ideas. I also gained experience taking direction from another designer, which I think will be useful for me in the future. Lastly, by participating in the critiques, I was able to see the factors that differentiated the successful, eye-catching posters from the others.
Vocational Questions What’s something you’ve made in the last two years that you’re proud of? Last year, I made a paper for a theology class called Providence Suffering Freedom. The paper utilized content from the entire semester and I received a 100%! I was extremely proud because the professor rarely gave out such high scores. If you were guaranteed it would support you financially, what would you want to design or make for a living? If I were guaranteed to be supported financially, I would love to design for a professional sports team. As someone who consumes plenty of sports social content daily and appreciates eye-catching graphics, I think it would be fun to design in the sports industry.
Art and design are different in that art is expressive and is often open to many interpretations, whereas design serves a specific purpose. If I had to pick a side, I would pick design because I like it better. Last year, I made a paper for a theology class called Providence Suffering Freedom. The paper utilized content from the entire semester and I received a 100% on it. I was super happy about that because the professor rarely gave out such high scores.