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onsiterationsiterationsitera tionsiterationsiterationsiterationsit onsiterationsiterationsiteration erationsiterationsiterationsite siterations iterations iterations ite Wait, how many onsiterationsiterationsiteratio erations iterationsiterationsite iterations do we iterationsiterationsiterationsitera ations iterationsiterations have to make?iterat siterationsiterationsiteration terationsiterationsiterationsit erationsiterationsiterationsit ationsiterationsiterationsiterations nsiterationsiterationsiterationsi rationsiterationsiterationsitera erationsiterationsiterationsitera ationsiterationsiterationsiteratio terationsiterationsiterationsiterati erationsiterationsiterationsit Sara Winkel.Art 130.Spring 2018.St. Norbert College
This book was made as part of Introduction to Design at St. Norbert College in the Spring of 2018. The font used is Avenir. It was digitally printed and saddle stapled at the college’s print center.
Introduction This book contains the thoughtful and detailed process of my work created throughout a semester of Introduction to Design. Being one of the first college level art classes I have taken, many of the processes and techniques used within this class were new knowledge to me. Although I took many art classes throughout my high school career, Introduction to Design was a whole new experience in which I learned many new things. This class has provided me with many things that I will continue to reference and use as a designer. I look forward to continue using the skills I obtained in Intro to Design to excel in my future art classes throughout my college academic career. In this book, the various skills I learned throughout the semester have been illustrated and documented through endless iterations of images, text and final pieces. The picture, sketches and explanations within this book provide you with an exciting overview of each project I completed in Introduction to Design.
DSchool The objective of DSchool was to think quickly and efficiently to create a prototype that redesigned the gift giving experience and fulfilled the needs of out partner. When interviewing my partner, Danny, I discovered that one of his biggest struggles was wrapping the gifts he planned to give to his friends and family. I began sketching out a few plans and then I created a small prototype that I thought would be a good solution to Danny’s problem. I decided to make an automatic gift wrapping machine for Danny to use.
Engaging with a real person was somewhat difficult at first, but gradually became easier as the process went on. It was more challenging to come up with thoughts and ideas towards creating a prototype for Danny because I didn’t always know exactly what he needed within the prototype. Showing the unfinished work to Danny was a little awkward and confusing because it was a lot easier for me to picture the finished piece in my head than it was to explain it to my partner. I had to make sure to emphasize and thoroughly explain how the piece worked and what still needed to be added in order that Danny could get a good feel as to what the finished product would look like and how it would work. The pace was very fast for me compared to how I would prefer. Normally I take a lot of time brainstorming to come up with the best possible outcome. It was difficult to come up with acceptable questions, thoughts and ideas for the prototype within the small time frames we were allowed.
To continue on with this prototype I would take the thoughts and ideas my partner referred to me at the end of the interview and work towards adding them to the prototype to make it better and more applicable to what my partner wants. If I would do it all over again I think I would come up with more questions in the beginning that I know would help me create a prototype the fits the needs of whoever I am interviewing.
Dot/Line The objective of the dot/line project was to create three separate compositions in relation to a specific word by using various amounts and sizes of dots and lines. Throughout the process we were required to create multiple iterations for each word we chose and work towards having successful value, scale, lines and visual hierarchy in our final compositions. The three words I chose to create for this assignment were scarcity, chaos and stability. As an introduction for this assignment we discussed the gestalt principle, which, in my own words is the way people see shapes and forms and how they depict them in certain ways. This theory and the principles applied to it can easily be related to the dot/line project. For example, each composition made has some type of figure and ground appearance meaning that there is positive and negative space, the dots and lines being the positive and the white background being the negative. Another example is continuation. This occurs in compositions where dots and lines look as though they could continue off the page. For me, creating projects like this I tend to be a perfectionist and need everything to be exactly how I want it to be. This being said, I would rather spend extra time to ensure the details are as good as I want them to be. Creating compositions with simple dots and lines that referenced a word really broadened my perspective on the art of abstraction and how everyone has different ways of expressing their thoughts and ideas through it. This project also made me realize that there is no right or wrong when creating these abstract pieces because art can be perceived in many different ways. Some compositions that were made using one word might have made me think of a different word rather than the one that was being referenced.
SCARCITY
CHAOS
STABILITY At times it was difficult to create compositions without thinking of a literal object or situation and creating shapes related to what I was thinking. However, after this project, I am more comfortable with being less literal and more abstract. I have grown to enjoy this type of art more because it allowed me more freedom to do more with the shapes while still being able to refer to a certain word. Another way to use this exercise and the gestalt principle could be to use different shapes. This could allow for numerous amounts of different compositions that differ from the dots and lines, but still manage to reference a word.
Typography The objective of the typography project was to experiment with fonts and hand lettering in order to create compositions of which the form of a specific word could be related to the word itself. For my project I chose to recreate the word “heap.� We first had to make multiple iterations of our word using different lettering and forms. Our final four compositions needed to include one of each of the following: ink or charcoal, photograph and cut paper.
Completing the various hand-lettering assignments throughout this unit caused me to realize the unlimited ways you can create different letters and words. I also became more informed on the importance of fonts in relation to the word being spelled and the meaning that is trying to be portrayed. Creating the word mad in a happy and bubbly font is not going to have as great of an affect as a font that is striking and rigid. Before this assignment, I also had no idea that letters had different parts to them like ligatures, ascenders, and counters. After learning about them it was easier to refer to the specific parts of the letter I was referencing.
One thing I would like to continue working on is the cursive and calligraphy lettering technique. Even though I did not use this technique in my final project, I enjoyed this type of lettering a lot throughout this typography project. In most of my finished pieces I think my execution was stronger than my ideas. I was able to create lettering that could be related to the word I chose in a visual way. I think my ideas could have been stronger in some of my pieces because that would have lead me to even better execution.
One of my strongest compositions is my 3D iteration using laundry. For this I assembled a pile of clothing and blankets and created the word “heap� from multiple pairs of white socks. This is one of my strongest pieces because the items used to create the word had a very strong correlation to the word itself. One piece I would like to continue working on is ink. It was difficult to create clean lines with no streaks or edgy parts. It was also challenging to make all the serifs on the letters the same shapes and sizes as each other. Spending more time on those lines and serifs would make the piece cleaner and more appealing to the eye.
Object Iterations The objective of this project was to create multiple unique and interesting iterations of a specific object or animal using various types of media. Producing multiple iterations was an important part of this project as it challenged us to create in different ways while still making sure to have strong compositions. Our final compositions needed to include continuous line, master artist, collage, typographic collage and geometric iterations. For this project I chose to experiment with and create different iterations of a scissors. Throughout this process I discovered the variety of ways there is to create the image of a scissors. Whether it be that they were opened or closed or that they were in the act of cutting something, I learned a lot about the different angles and perspectives that a scissors can be seen from. The most challenging object iteration was the collage. Finding images/patterns that could represent certain parts of a scissors was a bit difficult at times. I also had to keep reminding myself that each part of the scissors did not have to be an actual object which was hard to get out of my mind at times. The iterations I most enjoyed were the type collage pieces, which also became some of my strongest pieces. I enjoyed working with black and white text and simply just collaging together the different types of typography I found. These were also the iterations in which I was able to add more detail and have the scissors cut something which made it more enjoyable and satisfying to make.
The two main things I learned in Photoshop while working with my object iterations were how to use the clone stamp and the marquee tool. Since I have worked with Photoshop before I knew how to use a lot of the tools, but these were two that I did not know much about and helped a lot with cleaning up and making my iterations look better digitally. If I had to continue creating iterations of a scissors, I would definitely create more “scenes� rather than just having the scissors itself. I would have the scissors cutting a variety of objects while also creating iterations from different angles and perspectives.
For my final iteration of the text collage with the scissors going through the hand, I used the clone stamp to make an even background from the pencil I colored in in my sketchbook. The clone stamp was also helpful in cleaning up unecessary smudges and marks on my final iterations.
With the marquee tool I was able to darken the lines on my contour drawings. Since the photo of this contour in my final composotion was so small, darkening the lines helped to make it more visible on the page.
Data Visualization The objective of the data visualization project was to create a graphic visualization that represents a certain topic of interest. Using credible data we were required to create visuals with colors and shapes related to our topic. The topic I chose to represent was elephant poaching. After choosing our topic and finding credible information we were required to create rough sketches of our data visual as a whole, making sure to include the visuals we planned to use and where these visuals along with the information we collected would be placed. Our final composition was to be created using InDesign. As an introduction for this project, we had to first create visitor/resident chart based on apps, websites, social media and other programs we use. This chart was made to show how often the website was used and for what purpose. For mine, I chose to represent each topic by drawing the app icon related to it. I also made a variety of sizes which represent how often I use the application. Another assignment we had was to create any type of data visualization in relation to our family. For mine I chose to illustrate which of my family members swear the most. I grouped each of my moms siblings and their families based on colors. The amount of symbols represent how often that person swears.
To create visual hierarchy in my data viz I made sure to craft every detail and piece of information so that it directly related to my topic. I think creating an illustration of an elephant really made the piece and information stand out. Also, the illustrations of the elephants and the shape of Africa I created really helped make the data stand out as some of the most important parts of the piece. While creating this data viz I learned a lot about color palettes and choices and the impact they have on the piece as a whole. I also learned a lot about making data and information more than just words on a page and instead creating something visually compelling. Since we have been working with black and white throughout the semester I really enjoyed working with color for a change. At first, it was kind of difficult deciding which colors would work best with my piece, but once I chose the colors I enjoyed playing around with them and using them throughout it.
Reflection I believe I am a person who is called to creative work. Since a young age I have always showed interest in art and enjoyed showing the creative side of me every opportunity I could. Whether it be book projects, Powerpoints or arts and crafts, I always relished going above and beyond the creative side of things. Unsure of whether or not I could make my creativity a part of my future I decided to enroll in a few art classes in my first year of college. I soon recognized I had received my calling years before and had already been immersed in my creative future for a long time. Now, gaining more knowledge each day, I believe I am drawn even more to art and the creative work within it. If I had all the means to support myself financially I would want to travel throughout the world and create a variety of different types of art. I would experiment with art by referencing the cultures and styles of whichever country or city I am visiting. Like art, I have enjoyed traveling since a young age and experiencing both of these things would make me a stronger and more successful designer.
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