de fine me
Rachel Elise
de fine me
when I’m .I get that same feeling .. ? et ck ti ng ki par a en you pay you know that feeling wh buying art supplies. Like you’re being fined... The goal here? Well...to de-”fine” and define Where we’ll end up? Nobody knows...
Fall 2012 University of Tennessee Graphic Design Process Book Produced Written Photographed Illustrated & Constructed by: Rachel Elise MArch, Interior Architecture & Product Design ‘09
de fine me
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Logo Taxonomy
044 - 047
A1
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Transmedia MFA Identity
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Con tents
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!? have you taken the downtown greenway yet? ain? g a p stri r e pow guys? , e WHAT K h . t y AM I DOING!!!!! da l wednes stea s e u y d e th comps did first thaaaaaaaattts right...jenga master jedi! maybe...well? oh, what if you- ....nevermind... ummmm...looks li ke you opened Pand ya, good luck ora’s Freakin Box. with that... .. where is that list?!? Do yo u hav e a d ongle ?
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Y...HA HA, JAKE! GET YOUR SWAGNEY AT MAGNE HOW’S THAT FOR A TWIST ON BIOCLIMATIC.. HISTORICAL RESTORATION?!?! .HUH?
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funny...I leave architecture for graphics and the fist project is none other than architecture... THIS IS WAY MORE FUN THAN PLAYING THE CAD MONKEY ALL DAY.
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arch. id
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pographical, and identity design as well as exploring visual culture. You’ll see a progression in stages of creativity and innovation that bridle a new identity
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<< This project is a combination of architectural, ty-
system to a selected building...which turned out to the Magney House by Glen Murcutt.
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>> Figuring out the architects intent...this is where I began to appreciate my degree in Architecture
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...thank you systems class.
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<< Needless to say this is my technical and more pragmatic side setting up the foundation for ideation...I love those wee little sketchbooks...they make me feel smart :-)
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>> Architecture knowledge that came in handy...pretty much all the environmental stuff that people think is boring. You know... wind direction, stack or cross ventilation, climate, site position, etc. That kind of â&#x20AC;&#x153;stuffâ&#x20AC;?.
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systems Mercutt integrated into the house were instrumental in initial
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<< Taking a look at the
ideation...simple shapes, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s where itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s at...
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<< For a more interesting communication of the technical information...and to add value to my place in the class...visual aids were necessary. Just donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t expect Fedex to perform a simple job without error...aiaiai!
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>> Timeout for a few case studies on identity systems and their designers...form, function, application, etc.
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STEP 2: Come up with ideas that you think are good, but are y..FUGLY... not so good...some are fairly ugl
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<< Lettering workshop ...creating type to
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inspire ideation
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initial, well founded, reasoning or concept can produce shallow ineffective forms. Forms that fail to celebrate even the obvious. I did find a place of appreci-
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<< This is a good example of how jumping ships from an
ation for the fenestration of louvres in this here.
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<< Small group crits... just a couple of wee doodlations for their projects...as well as my own critique notes >> More notes
PRE-CRIT: I thought I had a decent handle on the representational shapes creating a type for the Magney house identity, but it wasn’t producing a gentle typeface, rather a harsh one. After a few goes at it I quit pushing the issue and defected to a more obvious approach that I wasn’t sure where it was to lead but the path felt promising…or was it just a relief to look at something new? At this point I was fooling around with overlaying sketchup model images of the Magney House with illustrations to see if it was possible to stumble upon a profound Identity.
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STEP 3: NOw...Come up with ideas that are good... Then Execute them.
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CRIT: OK, off to a bad start here…I showed up to class and when I went to pull up the work I’d done over the weekend I realized it wasn’t there. Not
on my new com-
puter that is. Amidst this project I had to replace my computer (Go Speedracer!), purchase CS6 (Yippee!!), and transfer the files I needed/was in process with to my new computer (Not the fun part ). SO, I had to come up with and engage plan B ASAP. In doing so I began sketching out everything I had been tinkering with in the computer and in my mind to the point that I realized I was caught up in this sickness of divorcing myself from the original approach I had begun. I was filling the page with only shallowly founded designs that looked to the mere roofline or louvres to give the typeface and lettering form. When I got up to present my work to the class (in sketches blown up on xerox machine, no less) the class immediately did me the service of dashing the new venture and reinstating their faith in the original work…se le vie! From that point I realized I had let my stubbornness get in the way of
letting the work grow upon itself and take
its own shape. I’d denied the identity the grace of finding itself with a guided hand. Lesson learned.
POST-CRIT: Have a look at the images below, each a snapshot of what I discussed above and the furthering of the original symbolic shapes venture. In this effort I may need to tone down the variation of color for readability, but all in all I am happier that I purged back to this concept and found ways to soften the type using transparency and rounding edges. In the juxtaposition of each letter I strove to make each one seems as though it was a system all its own…not unlike the multiple environmental systems found throughout the Magney House design. I found a color palette that works well and will work with varying aspects of the building in its environment. The colors are representative of the following: EARTH, WIND, VEGETATION, WILDLIFE, LIGHT, and OCEAN. On each board you’ll see a number of notes, but more importantly a development of the shapes concept. In terms of how I plan
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to improve the building environment I plan to utilize a rotating print on the louvres, possibly a lighted version on the opposite side of the louvres as well as on the roof to be seen from the air and sea at night. As far as the interior is concerned color coding the circulation patterns on the floor material coupled with super graphics on certain walls would bring a simple but effective element to the interior identity. We’ll see where it goes from here…
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>> A color palette devised to speak to the nature surrounding the Magney House.
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>> From lettering to pushing those shapes into a mark here are multiple iterations of the mark
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STEP 3: NOw...Come up with ideas that are good... Then Execute them.
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[magney house]
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>> LED lighting on the
>> The Magney Logo as a
building louvres light up
vehicle decal to spread
the coast with information,
awareness of the regional
events, and of ocurse the
cutural center
Magney identity.
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>> Men and Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s apparel to be sold in the Magney House cultural center shop
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>> A Mobile application for residents of the region and visitors to the Magney House Cultural Center
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>> All elements of the new Magney House identity as an Australian cultural center.
poster for the Magney House Cultural Center.
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<< Regional promotional
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STEP 4: Reflect on where to go from here...whats the next move? ne... Nothing is ever perfect to everyo now figure out how to make it better
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So going into Crits I elected to pursue an identity that uses people as the primary vehicle for external exposure. On the first poster you’ll see the final logo form clipped with images of the Magney House, sans the grey horizontal bar that was previously spanning the mark horizontally. While departing from that aspect of the previous form I found that the shapes became more readable and the outer vertical rectangles, with a filleted top, mimicked the roofline and walls of the building itself. All in all after looking at it for so long the new version could breathe more than the old. The type below the mark was shortened and changed to Rockwell…it just seemed to emulate the essence of the building’s architectural language. As for this promo poster the idea is that it would be hung in local community venues, campus halls, rec centers, schools, etc. I tried letting the logo and
When looking at the second poster it’s essent-
type sit free of any borders, frames, etc. but in further
ially the outline of the identity components:
iterations it felt like there needed to be a grounding
Logo, LED Louvre Signage, Vehicle Decal, Mobile Applica-
plane and texture.
tion, and Apparel In terms of where I go from here? Well, I am happy to see a lot of improvements in my work across the board. BUT, grasping the idea that, unlike architecture, graphics often flow from form to function is more trying than I ever would’ve thought. While drinking out of a proverbial fire hose this semester the other tool in my shop that needs considerable work is typography. I’m a far cry from what atrocious things I produced less than a year ago this semester undertaking typography while implementing it in everything feels like I’m running the 3ooM hurdles… the hell race. It’s rough going though I’ve got a lot of training, but I’ll be so glad when the race ends and I can begin the warm down…if you prefer another metaphor– it’s like learning a new language.
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-Onward I go…
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Awareness & aid Sports...I wa nt to ride mountains agai n!!! photography FOOD...YUM Human Equality
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Logo Taxonomy
045
HUMAN EQUALITY
AWARE
PHOTOGRAPHY
LOGO
TAXONO“ME”
RAC
SPORT
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FOOD
05
2012
HUMAN EQUALITY 046
AWARE SPO
WARENESS & AID << In this exercise the instruction was to collect no less than 30 logos that we have recently been exposed to and break down the lot of then into a taxonomy of categories. Here’s what I’ve been looking at…well, since summer.
SPORTS
RACHEL
ELISE
FOOD
09
05
2012
AWARENESS & AID
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SPORTS 047
FOO
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Nothing matters at all but the craft...
...and maybe a payche ck.
“Okay, so life right now is best described as:
<< Blog post after Fall Break
I am drinking out of a firehose… wtf was I thinking?!?!? Maybe it’s a bit
...slight freak out moment induced epravity melodramatic, but the innate first born by sleep d
child desires to please others rather than myself have
overtaken…prioritization is my number one project and the shark of time is thrashing me from one side to another. It’s currently 2am on Monday morning, mind you this is meant to be after what some people thought would be called fall break…more like fall [it will] break [you]. The trial of taking so many studios has certainly put my midwest work ethic to the test, and here the rivers have merged. While I’m meant to be writing a book on what brings people together [yep, no where near enough research done for the rough draft to be written for wednesday], completing the never ending yet infamous type exercises
[finished that 2 hours ago...seriously], and of
So….I am fully aware of every due date and each assign-
course the fun project…this A1 project [the one I really
ment but given my circumstance for returning to Uni,
wanted to be working on].
let’s raise our glasses to doing it for yourself, NOT for the grade or the due date. YES, pens will diagram, copy will be written, illustrator will illustrate, work will be done and not for the utopian idea of how most people think design gets done [by pulling it out of our rears]. The quasi-OCD side of me will be tempered once more as I reluctantly remind myself to to what is humanly possible in the given 24hrs in a day, all while ignoring the incessant urging of my roomies [the parents] to go to bed because everyone needs rest. With that said, here’s to just one more all nighter I’ll have pulled for design, and please excuse the sparseness of this page while real life is going on behind the screen…Cheers [thanks for your patience]”
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equipped MY MIND ON MY MONEY! HA, HA, HAAA...DID YOU SEE JARED’S??? GOT AN D MY MONEY ON MY MI resilient ND! reliseadventuro us AND MEAN. BUT I DON’T SEE YOU THAT WAY... REALLY? A WOLF...I...I JUST THINK THEY ARE SCARY
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...
a1
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PHASE 1: interview and ideate...
is to make just remember the reason we push a mediocre thing better... ...just donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let your ego get in the way ...ps- this is level 1...hit the checkpoints!
...or do>>
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>> This project was designed to develop an identity for the alter-ego within, and to experiment with implementing that identity in a number of ways that escalate in scale.
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Beginning with A5 and progressing to A1 paper size...
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My alter ego: RELISE
[pronounced release, or realize]
<< A5 Interview with Emily Gilles conducted via Facebook messaging...
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>> This is the breakdown of how various aspects of the project relate to one another.
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>> A5 Interviw
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>> A4 Mark
>> A5 Grid
>> A3 Self Portrait
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>> A2 Tourguide
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PHASE 2: MAKE A MARk...and make it a4 ...ps- this is level 2...donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t fail...
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>> Mind mapping the possibilities of an Alter Ego named Relise.
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>> Taking the mind mapping a step further to establish related visuals...
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>> experimenting with hand
3 Words the mark for RELISE
drawn images that the visu-
must represent and embody
>> ADVENTUROUS
als mind map generated...
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>> EQUIPPED
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>> RESILIENT
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>> Post mid-crit review: Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do anything with a wolf, coyote,
etc. Ap-
of the country they have bad connotiations and the tree tends to be overdone. Re-visit a different animal and possibly succulents that embody the 3 words.
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parently in this region
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<< The high contrast represents the duality of the namre relise while the wood grain symbolizes skills as
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a woodworker.
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>> The final mark... the hand drawn quality, though cleaned up in the computer, alludes to the many technical and fine art skills relise comes equipped with.
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PHASE 3: Create a Self Portrait...and make it a3 ...ps- this is level 3...Who are you...
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>> The self portrait began as a literal expression using another skill Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve become equipped with... oil painting.
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>> Though the self portrait began as an oil painting, I reintroduced the hand
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drawing into the final
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iteration of the image... in the hair I incorporated elements that were part of the the process of this project.
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PHASE 4: MAKE A Tourguide...and make it a2 ...ps- this is level 4...donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get lost...
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sentially a snapshot of my workplace...CAFE 4... I work a locations that are local and offer great food, espresso, and energy....
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>> The Tour guide is es-
JAVA JAVA JAVA JAVA JAVA!!!
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>> The final tour guide...
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reduced and refined.
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PHASE 5: Put it all together...and make it a1 ...ps- this is level 5...Mission nearly comp lete...
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>> A few open iterations that really didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t feel right ...so naturally I
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tried again...
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>> And another version that didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t work...
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>> and again...
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>> and again...
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>> Final Critiques for the A1 poster
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>> and again...but it
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worked this time...
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does it work? Centripetal Fo rce
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do an experiment... Geeze this is so what Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had to learn on my own this os going to work We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t exactly know how take a stab at it...but it might need some help What is FLUX? put it in a box and ther e you go... ?? on? ati what about applic
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transmedia id
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<< The University of Tennessee is Endeavoring to combine itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2D, 3D, and 4D Master of Fine Arts Programs into a single curriculum that
is diverse
across the mediums...it is and this is my proposal for the Transmedia identity and application.
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called Transmedia design...
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<< Here we are taking the idea of Flux and defining it in a number of ways and experiments gave context to the possibilities of the flexible identity that the Transmedia design program will employ
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>> More Experiments...
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and fun
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te visuals experiments and crea Mission 1: Take the
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>> CENTRIPETAL FORCE...
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say that 5x fast...
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>> TRI = 10 Disciplines >> PETAL = Forward motion & organic growth
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>> CEN = 3 year program
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<< variations of the application of this flexible identity...Version 1
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>> Experimentation with personalization...Version 2
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>> From the experiment these are the resulting individual marks that each person made for themself I created...
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using the flexible identity
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work d make the identity an em st sy e th ne fi Mission 2: Re ...in real life that is...not just in your head
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transmedia design Level of capability within the respective discipline
3D 2D
4D
research
self designed student logo or TMD text
Digital
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business
environmental industrial exhibition
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>> This version...Version 3 is a reduction and refine-
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ment of the experiments
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As we were aiming to define what Transmedia means, how
<< Curriculum Proposal
it works, and the way UT’s new program would function I found that my own path would be a significant source to draw on. One way or another the purpose of endeavoring in a Masters degree program is to enrich the foundation upon which a student has built to this point, whether it be an academic or commercial motivation. This idea that Transmedia design is meant to incorporate a fluid way of
In terms of my own path I have spent the last eight years
thinking and moving among multiple mediums is best facil-
in design; six in architecture; four in product/indus-
itated by pushing experimentation in a number of courses
trial design; and approaching one year in graphic de-
and environments not specific to one field or medium,
sign. Muddled between those classes in my undergraduate
and in a way that by the end of study student has learned
study were a number of business, marketing, and economics
to function successfully across the fields in an adapt-
courses...just a few hours short of a minor. In may of
able way. Nothing is ever perfect, and while beauty is in
2009 I completed a Masters Degree in Interior Architec-
the eye of the beholder it’s important to understand
ture & Product Design with a focus in Furniture Design.
that “pretty” does not fix problems. Form and Function
With such an intense six year study in learning how to
are not often finite and it’s the genius of the designer
design virtually the whole 3D environment from large to
that produces a methodology, system, or solution to
small scale I assumed I would immediately find employment
address any number of issues resolved by design.
and begin a 8-5 job. Now I’m grateful that didn’t happen.
Commercial needs for designers are changing constantly
I came to realize through a series of layoffs, sales po-
as of late, and the ability to work as a “Jack/Jane of
sitions, and freelance work, that to be successful (not
All Trades” is becoming increasingly requested and sought
necessarily financially) Iad to change my mindset from
out by employers. For those seeking to remain in academia
designing as a part of work to designing and problem
beyond their study in Transmedia design it is critical
solving as a way of life. So many experimental failures,
they are able to guide a future generation of designers
exposures new crafts and mediums, extensive traveling, as
who can tackle thinking in a number of dimension, field,
well as the useful business principles I’d learned forced
and have the technical skill to support the granduer of
me outside of my comfort zone and enriched my proverbi-
highly conceptual ideas. Design is essentially
al toolbox. It created a paradigm that made the fear of
problem solving.
trying/learning new things fall to the background because the return on my investments would benefit me in some future project or endeavor. More recently that 3D form of thinking has been flipped on its head with the exposure to Graphic design...mostly because you can ride the conceptual train far longer. The point is focusing on one medium tends to pidgeon hole designers, but challenging ing and apply those to a new problem or medium constantly teaches the designer’s mind to be a dynamic, adaptable, teachable, and an ever expanding toolbox...in any medium. Below is how I would imagine exposure to the Transmedia way of thinking to be facilitated...surely this could be improved upon in a number of ways: A Final Solution is in
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them to take the skills and principles of problem solv-
the works...To be continued...
121
122
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on refined Final Soluti Mission 3: Produce a ...although what is ever final since nothing is perfect?
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TO BE CONTIINUED...
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>> Just keep going... just make something...
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trust yourself...
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just do it...
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