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Observations
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A place to put a picture of me observing
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Acknowledgments This is where acknowledgments will be This is where acknowledgments will be This is where acknowledgments will be This is where acknowledgments will be This is where acknowledgments will be This is where acknowledgments will be This is where acknowledgments will be This is where acknowledgments will be This is where acknowledgments will be This is where acknowledgments will be This is where acknowledgments will be This is where acknowledgments will be This is where
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Observations
Piecing it all Together
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Observations
Where it Began When I step into an environment I become aware of my surroundings. As a child, my mother always cautioned me to take note of what’s around me– like keeping an eye on family and noting fire exits. She wanted me to always be aware of where I was and who I was near. This is what began my interest in observations. Over time, I started to consciously make note of the physical environment that surrounded me and I became even more transfixed on the different characters I came across. Through the years I have found myself trying to understand why people act the way they do. I do not pass someone in a coffee shop and minutes later forget their face. Instead, in those few seconds of our lives crossing, I make mental notes on how they are behaving and acting. As time goes on, I start to reflect on my connections to these people. I’ll watch the loudest person I see in the lunch room and eventually start to compare their interactions to the quiet one in the corner. I enjoy going more in depth with my observations and try to see how it relates to people changing over time. I do not simply want to see how someone acts but attempt to understand why they act and react the way they do. I am a firm believer that every decision that is made affects the person you become.These
thoughts have started to collect over time and I have always felt a desire to share them with others. Creating an information graphic to show my observations seemed like the right way to display these thoughts, and would be a challenge as I have never made one before. My work as a graphic designer is primarily based around communication. I am constantly trying to convey a message, because of this I am invariably thinking of the viewers interactions with my work. To convey my work’s message clearly my process is made up of constant sketching, refinements and critiques. The communication aspect of my work is either focused on translating my own ideas, someone else’s idea or a business’ message clearly. The work I create lives in a public environment. I have created books, publications, shirts, brand identities, websites and packaging. My goal in each project is to create a clear message and reach my intended audience. While designing I think about how the viewer will interpret each part of a project and how they will react or respond to it. For example, I created a book that featured essays by my classmates about the values that guide their lives based on the radio series This I Believe. I titled the book Communications because if these beliefs had not been discussed in class, I probably
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would never have been able to hear my classmate’s stories. I thought this was intriguing. We live in a society where it feels as if every thought is posted in the public eye in some way and shared. I created the book based around the idea of how these stories could be broadcast in current day media. Each story was accompanied by an image of a form of communication like a billboard or cellphone text. I did not just simply introduce the idea of how the writings could be displayed, I also alluded to it through imagery. When I approach a new assignment I always start with a visual mind map drawn out on a large piece of paper. This helps me determine which ideas are critical to the project. After I create my mind map I am able to clearly figure out what key words I want to help guide the piece. For example, last summer during my internship with Toderico Creative, I helped design new beer packaging for the local Maine brewery Sebago. To begin the process I made a mind map around the theme of Maine. I then chose the most visual words from my map and then did further research on those topics (like, moose, pine trees and chickadee), by looking in books and researching for
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images and facts online. This allowed me to create thumbnail sketches and begin to create a composition. This process helps to see a wider picture of the subjects I am working with and where I can push them further. Sketching is also a large part of my process. Before I go onto the computer, I start sketching with pencils in my notebook. Sketching not only helps explain my ideas, but it also gives me a chance to explore a composition. I then scan the sketches onto the computer and refine them from there. In the beginning of the thesis process, when translating my thoughts into visuals, I began to write out relevant lists for each person I observed. I would start with one person I found compelling and start to create a mind map. These sketches were composed of circles, lines and words; they started to help me understand more clearly what exactly I was interested in about the individual. (Fig.1) I go through many critiques during the work’s progression. There is a lot of trial and error. I test out typography, color and tools during this stage. There is a lot of back and forth from either the client I am working for or from my collaboration
Color Palette group. These steps are imperative to the process because it helps ensure I am on the right track in translating the message of the work in a clear and effective way. In every project my color palette seems to vary. I test out different colors and their relationship to one another. The colors I choose depend on the emotion I am trying to relay. In my thesis I pushed exploring colors more. The six main colors in my installation were developed by many different sets of colors in a search for the ones that communicate the emotion I was trying to reach. The tools also deviate from project to project. I can use anything from an exacto knife to publishing software. The thesis project was no exception to this. Consideration was made in an effort to expand my graphic design tool set. I explored different ways to work with the floor and walls. As a result I went through many tools like vinyl, sticker paper, wood and MDF board. It took a while to obtain the final materials I needed but without researching new materials and trying them out I would have not been able to come to that conclusion. I decided to use vinyl, MDF board and wood for the final piece. In the Visual Identities System class
I took my junior year I learned what it was like to really collaborate with others. This was one of my favorite classes at MECA because it let me see what it was like to work with clients, see the steps of how to work with them and work with others to create a final piece. This class gave me more confidence on how to approach clients and how to navigate working with other people’s ideas. These projects had many iterations and required a lot of collaborative team work. I have since carried this process through to other classes and it also helped prepare me for internships. For my thesis project I was my own client. For that reason this may have been one of the hardest projects for me. Besides resumes and business cards, I never had an opportunity of this extent to create a project based on personal content. My thesis was based around my observations of others so the only way I could get people to understand these motives was to understand them myself first. My observations reach many topics like how people talk, react to situations and interact with others mannerisms. I am very fascinated by the ways in which everyone is so different from one another. I become aware of how much of a person
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In the beginings of my process I began to sketch out my observations as visual minds maps. This helped me see how the personalities I was observing related and differed from one another.
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I started to not only focus on individuals but groups of people as well. I started to note the differences in how people interact and react to the same situtation
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Edward Tufte
can be revealed by simply observing the way they act in a one day span or even an hour. This has intrigued me ever since I can remember. As I observe someone I usually notice something as simple as the way they walk into a room. I will watch if they walk fast with their head held high or slow and quiet, trying not to make noise. I then, over time, will note how they enter a room each time I see them. The days that they do the opposite of what I saw before intrigues me. I then will start comparing other previous observations of them to see if those have changed, such as who they talk to, what they talk about, where they sit, how they sit, or what do they turn to for entertainment or a distraction. I take note of this because often this is when the more complex layers of someone are revealed. I start to try and piece together why they have changed their usual habits. When and if I start to get to know this person over a length of time, I will start noticing more pieces of this person’s life. Then I will check out their social media and maybe even try and have one on one time with them to see how their interactions differ with me alone then they have with other people. I do not believe one is capable of knowing someone completely. Over time
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I try to slowly pull these clues about who I believe someone to be together to form a larger picture of who they are, but I don’t think I will ever truly know someone entirely. That is my drive during this process. I try to understand someone at every level. Every day I spend with a person I learn a little more about them, whether through a speaking interaction, knowledge of their past, or observing from a far. These bits of information start to form patterns of how they act around certain people. I am forever intrigued by the human puzzle and my observations are a way to try and figure it out. The language of expressing my thoughts and observations is very important to me. I try and be very conscious of stating my data in a non-judgmental way. I would like this data to be read as an object rather than a subject. For example, “cleans often” is one of my observations. I chose the wording of this very carefully to avoid sounding negative, like, “cleans too much” or even positive “luckily cleans all the time.” I do not want people to see this as a list of accusations rather than informing others this is what I see in the people around me. As I was collecting data I started to focus on four people in my life. All are different ages and I have known each for different lengths of time. I started to see
a pattern of categories while observing them. Eventually I broke the data into six categories. What I saw included stress points, religious views, how they portray themselves on social media, the way they act around their friends vs. how they act around strangers and what they observe most of others. Once I figured out these categories I started to find a visual form for the data. While researching information graphics I came across Edward Tufte’s steps on creating a successful information graphic. Edward Tufte is well known for his writings and his knowledge on data visualization. His first rule is to show the data; I kept this in mind while starting to create my visual map. He also speaks about the importance of not putting an excessive amount of unnecessary visual elements into the graphic. It’s important to stick to the core idea which is communicating your information clearly. Tufte also explains how using using multiples of something to show consistency is helpful to understand a pattern. I applied this by using consistent shapes and colors to show the different and similar aspects of my subjects. Because I have had never created an information graph to this extent, Edward Tufte’s advice helped guide me through this process. When looking through The Info-
graphic History of the World by Valentina D’efilippo and James Ball, I was attracted to the organic aesthetic of the graph ‘Field of Commemoration.’ (Fig. 2) The graph was created to show the death tolls in the wars from 1900-2010. To show the deaths, the graph is made up of poppy flowers with long stems. It is probable that the poppy was chosen because of its history as the sole flower to grow on run-down battlefields. The stems start the year the war began and lean forward into the year it ended. The size of the flower depicts the quantity of the deaths during each war. This delicate approach to something so serious is truly beautiful. They took this very dark and personal subject and showed it in an effective and respectful way. The poppies overall whimsical aesthetic is countered by the timeline that lies beneath. The structure of the timeline helps anchor the whimsical movement of the flowers. I wanted to reflect this organic structure in the graphic of my observations. Just like my ideas, most of my observations grew over time as well. I thought it would be important to reflect that in my information graphic. In order to have the viewer feel connected with the piece, I decided to place my observations on the wall. These graphics start at the bottom of the wall and travel up. There are four graphics to repre-
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sent the four main people I had observed. The viewer has the option to stand in front of any of the four points they would like. Right from the begining this forces the viewer to compare and contrast each person. To differentiate the people, I gave them their own amount of observations and gave them their own path. I did not want to give them an alias because I do not want them the names to be associated with gender or reference to certain people. I still wanted them to remain just as a group of observations rather than identifying who the people actually are. It was important for me to have these be general ideas so the different viewers can relate to them. Having a specific name may have deterred the observer from relating to the path of data. They were labeled, Person 1, 2, 3 & 4. When I began the process of creating my mind maps at my studio desk, I was constantly passed by friends and fellow designers. Many of them stopped and asked me about my observations. The most common question was “Is that me?”meaning “did I include them in the piece.” This started my thinking about the possibility of viewer interaction. I realized some people were curious to see if they were the subjects within my thesis. I believe adding an interactive element in the final thesis will let everyone take part in it. 24
The more people I can have join me on this journey and be excited to be connected with it the better. In between the forms, the wall will also hold six wooden frames. They represent the categories I found through my observations. Above each frame has a question marked on the wall: How do you feel about Religion? What do you post most on your social media accounts? How do you act around your friends? How do you act around strangers? and, What do you observe of others? Each frame holds six wooden circles with a phrase on each that answers the question above. They were created by studying the overall group of people I observed during the semester ranging from 15-20 people. The frames can only hold three circles at a time. The viewer will pick three out of the six answers that most relate to them and hang the three in the frame. Then they then move to the next frame and continue the process. The circles are made out of 4x4 inch MDF board. I chose this size because it is easy to hold in the average hand. They are just big enough to hold one in each hand, making the participant take their time in choosing. I wanted the shapes to have their own presence. That is why I chose to create them out of a thicker board. I care about their answers. The frames thick sides and edges
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Piecing it all Together
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allow only one viewer to see what they are choosing at that time. This gives the participant more privacy when choosing their answers. As they go down the line and start to choose their answers in each category the next person will be able start at the beginning frame. This automatically connects the new viewer with the person before them and highlighted their differences or similarities. They then switch around the answers to make them best fit themselves. Luna Maurer is an artist I found inspiration from. The Fungus Series is a series of installations that invites the viewers to interact with them. One of the series Tape On Floor 4 is a very large participation based design. The viewer walks into the space and is greeted by a list of instructions. They then take a round sticker and place it on the floor to continue the snake that is being made by the collections of stickers. By walking into the space the viewer is automatically part of the piece. It is up to them after reading the instructions to decide whether to continue.This forward way of creating entitles the viewer to want to know and understand why this creation is coming towards them and to try and discover the meaning behind it. As the viewer walks away, I would like them to continue to see people as complex individuals comprised of several
layers. I hope that some will give people a second and/or third chance instead of sticking to their initial observations. To captivate mind and body in a piece is very complicated. It is often these pieces that draw me in the most. Its not soley about creating a large piece that you step into or creating the information graphic that you have to study to understand; it’s creating the space around the viewer that allows them to get completely lost in your design. Everyone has a unique makeup of who they are and I hope more people can start seeing that. Humans are fascinating subjects and it’s really interesting when you start to peel back their layers and unfold their complex personalities. I hope my piece will be an extension of their previous observations and I hope they too will see how fascinating people and even themselves can be.
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I started to not only focus on individuals but groups of people as well. I started to note the differences in how people interact and react to the same situtation
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I continued to push how my thoughts and how they could be displayed. I narrowed my data down to four people. I began compare them.
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I began to sketch out the final installation of my project. I decided to have two sections, a particapation design and an observational map.
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I wanted the viewer to be involved so I came up with the idea of asking questions.
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FIguring out the dimensions of the frames was the first step. They had to be able to hold three of the MDF circles.
I started to sketch out the final installation of my project. I decided to have two sections, an interactive design and observational map. The interactive element had frames as a part of the piece I decided to make them myself.
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I started to sketch out the final installation of my project. I decided to have two sections, an interactive design and observational map.
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I began to sketch my observational map on the floor. I wanted the viewer to take an actual walk in my mind and see how I observe other.
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This is the begining file for the participation design. It needed this file to be cut using the CNC router.
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The circles ended up needing two coats of primer and two coats of paint.
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Choosing the color was one of the toughest parts. I had to choose six different colors that would show white text well. After I painted my circles I matched the colors to Pantone colors so the vinyl cirlces would be insinc with the color pallette.
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A place to put final installation pic
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Colophon Obseravations was set in Avenir. Avenir was created in 1988 byt Adrian Fruitiger. Avenir is a french word for “future.� It was inspired by the early geometric sans-serif typefaces Erbar and Futura. Both were designed by Paul Renner.
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