SPRING 2020 VISUAL ARTS COMPUTING WITH KAREN WONG. 1
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MEET THE ARTIST: Hi! I’m Karen Wong, a second-year student at the University of South Carolina double majoring in International Business and Marketing and double minoring in Chinese and Studio Arts: Graphic Design. Spring 2020 has been a great opportunity that where I could merge my passions in design with what I’ve learned within the business classes I’ve taken at Darla Moore and abroad at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. I’m excited to show you my process journal for my Visual Arts Computing class (ARTS102) and the work that I have accomplished this semester through this class.
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PROJECT 1: SNIPPETS BACKGROUND
[January 24, 2020.] What is a SNIPPET? A snippet is something interesting that you hear while in a coffee shop, the elevator, waiting in line at Target or on the bus that strikes you as something interesting, maybe even a bit weird. People are funny when they think no one is listening to them. A snippet can even be from a song or a movie. I call these slices of audio candy “snippets�. What do I do with a snippet when I hear one? Just write it down in your sketchbook. And close your eyes to see if the snippet would generate any interesting visual in your mind.
SNIPPET ONE
The first snippet is based on a conversation that I had with my friend as we were studying together in the library. My friend was annoyed that our conversation was interrupted by a phone call. I thought that it would be funny to play up the quote with a bit of dramatic flair, so I changed the context of the conversation to one between exes. 4
The snippet portrays a touch of annoyance and detachment, as shown through the outer space theme. The snippet is composed of five different pictures that are cut and edited in Adobe Photoshop into one photo. The only photo that is mine is the blue text bubble.
SNIPPET TWO
The second snippet is based on a different conversation that I had with my roommate where she jokingly said that she only kept her boyfriend for his eye for taking aesthetic pictures. The background picture is a photo that I took of my sister on a beach in Charleston, SC, of my sister walking towards the sun. I thought that it would be an interesting change of background from the first snippet placed in outer space.
SNIPPET THREE
For the third snippet, I went for a more vintage themed aesthetic. I used a picture that I took in Hong Kong and added old HKG stamps with the blue text bubble in continuation with the rest of the last two snippets. This last piece was inspired by a quote that popped up in conversation with my friend who was
reminiscing our time in Hong Kong. This picture was taken in a village in MeiFoo, Hong Kong. The village in Kau Wa Keng Old Village has around 300 years of history, so it was an incredible experience to see life outside of the high skyrises and tourist-filled places. My friend, Collin Chung, and I went to visit his dad’s old house that had been in his family going back a few generations before Collin’s father immigrated to America. This moment was such a memorable experience in my study abroad travels -- especially as we shared ties as second-generation immigrants. We spent the whole day exploring the village, sharing stories growing up as Asian Americans in the Pacific Northwest and the South, respectively, and grilling/ eating the famous BBQ in the village. This picture holds some of the best memories I had in Hong Kong, so I’m really happy how the edits I made pay a small homage to that day.
RECURRING THEMES
Though we didn’t have to have reoccurring themes between all the snippets, each includes the integration of the blue text bubble, space, and old stamps.
FINAL EDITIONS OF PROJECT ONE. SNIPPETS 1, 2, 3 TOP TO BOTTOM. KAREN WONG
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PROJECT 2: GREAT IDEAS BACKGROUND [February 7, 2020.]
For many years, Container Corporation of America ran an advertising series that, instead of directly promoting a product, it promoted an idea. These were the first of what became known as a new genre in marketing: the “institutional” ad. For each poster or ad in the “Great Ideas” series, a well-known designer was invited to visually interpret a famous thinker or artist’s words. The genesis of the series is recounted in more detail in the blog post below in “resources.”
QUOTE
My inspiration for project two stems from a quote from Jerry Garcia that states, “Choosing the lesser of two evils is still choosing evil.” We often don’t think about the consequences of seemingly small decisions that we make. When we reflect on the things of the past, it is so much easier to see where problems began -- but in the moment, we don’t realize the weight of our actions.
PROCESS
Project two’s theme combines a sci-fi/ Matrix with a feeling of being 6
overwhelmed. This is portrayed through the repetition of the quote in red in the background and the stark contrast of the lined figure. The quote in the background gives almost a reverse coding feel -- but instead of green 0110 coding, it is in red words. The repetition of words also represent the string of thoughts that run through our minds. The feeling of being overwhelmed is represented by the figure holding her head -- a stark contrast against the black and red. From the first thumbnail sketches, first drafts, to the final draft, there have been quite a few changes in composition in layout and font. Changes such as font visibility, positioning of the figure, and changes the figure color have allowed for my poster to reach a more cohesive stylized “poster” look.
FIRST EDITION OF PROJECT TWO. KAREN WONG
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FINAL EDITION OF PROJECT TWO. KAREN WONG
PROJECT 3: MASCOT LOGO DESIGNS DESIGN
[February 21, 2020.] For my mascot design, I drew the words “retro” and “bear.” I made this logo design for an imaginary organic tea company that is branded by a very peaceful looking bear by the name of “Bearly Tea.” Gestalt’s Principles of Design are a set of principles in psychology that account for the observation that humans naturally perceive objects as organized patterns and objects. The focal point is the bear waving his paw up. By also using the principles of similarity and proximity in the rays, the consumers’ eyes are drawn outwards as they look towards the logo name. I also chose a more “retro” looking type to further fulfill the visual requirements for the word that I chose.
AND PROCESS
On the next page are various refined sketches that I simplified into one. This was a bit more difficult than I originally planned as I bounced between ideas of what company I was going to cater my logo to. I think that I will continue to play around with color swatches so that they
lean towards cooler tones. I chose a light blue color because it gives off a calming effect and yellow because draws in the consumers’ attention while giving the appearance of appealing and fresh tea. The bottom right design on the bottle was my original design was before critique. As seen in the picture, the lines of the bear are not that visible if you move further away. However, from the previous week’s design, this design is more refined. After my critique with my professor and reading my peers’ comments as well, I went back and refined my logo again. The weight of the lines for my bear are much heavier now and more recognizable. I also made less rays coming out of the bear and thickened up the lines in efforts not to overwhelm the customer. The rays are more evenly spaced out and not the focal point of the design. The logo title is also more legible and less pixilated.
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REFINED SKETCHES FROM PROJECT THREE.
color
(3” max, leave breathing room)
greyscale
(3” max, leave breathing room)
color
(50% scale at 1.5”)
FINAL COPY OF PROJECT THREE. KAREN WONG
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PROJECT 4: SYNTAX AND SEMANTICS BACKGROUND [March 26, 2020.]
Syntax includes aspects of form such as shape, color, texture, and composition. When you focus on syntax, you are not interested in “what something is” (umbrella, mountain, car, dog, etc) but rather the look and visual relationships you see. Semantics is the meaning something carries. It includes such fundamental meaning as identity (being able to tell “what something is”) [denotation], to complex associations and highly conceptual implications [connotation]. Presence is how a thing stands out. Presence is dependent on context. Something may be very bold and bright, but is surrounded by other bold and bright things, it will have little presence.
INSPIRATION
As COVID-19 has continued to spread, I continue to see increased ignorant/racist comments and violent acts targetted towards Asians here in the States and beyond. As an Asian American, I feel compelled to speak out against hate 12
that is currently penetrating many communities. As an artist, I recognize the platform that I have within my own circle and I feel like it’s important to remind people to not lash out in anger in the face of fear. In times like this, we have to stand together as a community to help those who are in need and to be socially responsible. For project four, I wanted to analyze masks and the syntax and semantics that comes along with it. There are currently a plethora of negative stereotypes and stigmas that surround masks -- especially while wearing them in public when you’re East Asian. Having recently returned from living between Mainland China and Hong Kong for six months, I can confidently say that the culture is pretty different than what we are used to in the States. Wearing face masks in many East Asian cultures is an accepted norm due to air pollution and is also seen as a method to prevent germs from spreading -- whether or not you are sick. In America, we don’t often wear masks unless you already are
sick or you work in the medical field. Aside from the daily uses, as I experienced the Hong Kong protests from May 2019 to November 2019 before I left, masks also became a symbol of resistance towards the government and the protests. Tensions rose over masks during this period as well, however, it was due to political tensions, rather than racial ones. I find it quite interesting how masks have presented themselves and symbolized different ideals and carried a wide range of uses as seen even through my own life as a 19-year old college student. In this project, I will compare the differences between dust masks and the N95 mask. Both are masks but hold completely different connotations when/ where they are worn. After all, masks are just objects, not a reason to lash out in hate and violent crimes.
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SYNTAX (visual elements & relationships)
Vibrant colored fabric covered in various shades of blue, burnt red, yellow, white, green, purple, and black. Very fluid, almost liquid-like print pattern that repeats throughout the entire mask.
SEMANTICS: DENOTAITON (specified) Clothing > mask > festival dust mask
SEMANTICS: EXPRESSION (feelings) Loud, fun, energetic, intense
SEMANTICS: CONNOTATION (associations) Raves, festivals
PRESENCE (contextual)
Little: At a festival, rave or outdoor concert where there is a lot of dust Lots: at a business function; casual dinner with friends; a sports event...
SYNTAX (visual elements & relationships)
Object is predominantly white form. Minimal orange, yellow, and metal elements including yellow band tieing the mask together, the orange text for logo branding, and the metal bar for mask support towards the nose bridge area. Perminater of masks has repeated dotted design surrounding the middle of the mask, taking approximately 1/6 of the total design. The middle has a rectangular ventenlator that takes 1/3 of the mask design.
SEMANTICS: DENOTAITON (specified) Clothing > masks > N95 Mask
SEMANTICS: EXPRESSION (feelings) Intense, serious, cautious
SEMANTICS: CONNOTATION (associations) COVID-19, medical workers, tired, sold out
PRESENCE (contextual)
Little: High-risk areas of the virus or laboratories Lots: At home with your family
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FINAL PROJECT FOUR. KAREN WONG
NOT AN EXCUSE TO BE RACIST 15
PROJECT 5: PROCESS JOURNAL BACKGROUND [April 2, 2020.]
Design a process book that takes us through your semester, highlighting all writing and visual works, as well as comments on your process and experiences.
INSPIRATION
My layout format was heavily influenced by magazine layouts. I like how the text is broken up into columns, paragraphs, and different pictures. I think that this process has forced me to take my work a step further than just a “pretty picture.” Creating intentional text that elevated/complimented my work really challenged me to think deeper as I created impactful visuals and text.
MOTIVATION
As a business student, it is important to see how my work can be used in products to be sold. I think that this process of making the journal has forced me to refine my works so that I am better represent my ideas as an artist. By creating and curating my own works, I’m essentially marketing myself to potential employers. This journal can be used to 16
help show off both creative and technical skills.
PROCESS
Usually, I use Adobe Illustrator or Procreate on my IPad to create works, so the transition of creating a whole entire spread on Indesign was initially a bit frustrating. However, after the initial learning curve, I have to admit that Indesign is a very useful tool and skill to use in the industry. This process has really forced me to integrate what I’ve learned in this class visually while also pushing me to be more intentional about what I create. One of the biggest critiques that I have received this semester, especially in projects 2 and 3 was to further simplify my work. Sometimes I get too caught up in the details and add too much to my work.
CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
What I’ve realized this past semester, is the limited attention span that consumers have. If you don’t automatically grab the attention of the audience within the first 30-seconds, their attention and interest diminishes dramatically.
The ability to be able to capture, hold, and engage audiences is what we as artists and business people strive to achieve. Consumers are slammed with a constant stream of outside influences and other competing factors that try and take their attention... so the biggest question is -- “How do I engage my audience?” While taking my Professional Communications class (MGMT 250), one of the key concepts that our professor always tries to reenforce on us is the formatting of our written works. Even the slightest misaligned indentations or break down of paragraphs will cause us to look “unprofessional” or for our readers to not want to read the text. It really goes to show how the presentation of your work can either attract or lose potential buyers.
APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE
This idea is prevalent in both the process journal for this class and in our lives as well. If your work isn’t in the best possible state that it could be in, given the circumstances, it raises the question about the quality of your actual work as well... not just the aesthetics of it. Project 5 has really allowed me to apply all of these ideas together in a visual format. 17
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DRAFTS FROM FIRST EDITION OF PROGRESS JOURNAL. KAREN WONG
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FINAL STATEMENTS: [April 5, 2020.] Though very tedious, this process journal has given me a sense of accomplishment as I navigated through this class with no prior experience of Indesign. As someone who used to attend a magnets arts high school and majored in Visual Arts, only to turn the completely opposite direction towards business school in college, this class was a bit daunting at first. Though I was really excited to be taking art classes again, I also recognized that it had been two years since I had officially taken classes. Now that I have officially declared a double minor in Studio Arts for Graphic Design, I’m excited to continue to integrate what I love in business and art. The tools that I’ve learned in ARTS 102 will be a solid foundation as I learn to master the basic Adobe Suite and other tools that the industry uses.
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COLOR SWATCHES FROM BEARLY TEA. KAREN WONG
COLOPHON: FRONT PAGE TITLE | CENTURY GOTHIC, BOLD, FONT 73PT PAGE TITLES | CENTURY GOTHIC, BOLD, FONT 31PT SUBTITLES | CENTURY GOTHIC, BOLD, FONT 14PT REGULAR PAGE TEXT | CENTURY GOTHIC, REGULAR, FONT 11PT FULL-PAGE TEXT (PG. 15) | CENTURY GOTHIC, BOLD, FONT 106PT CAPTIONS | CENTURY GOTHIC, ITALICS, FONT 9PT
INSTAGRAM @KAREOART
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