Week 09 - 3D

Class Format

The classes for 2D and 3D are now well and truly bleeding into one another. It is strange because at the start of the semester it almost felt as if they were set up as opposing foes. My instant reaction to this was to find each in the other as I coldly bludgeoned each with the other. This was the intention of this unit, to have 2D and 3D battle in the classes as surely as it would in our minds. Near the end now, they are both bloodied and pale reflections of their former preconceptions, little more than one giant mass of dismembered limbs, ideas, entrails and dimensions.

 

Group Exercise

Concept Realisation

1. Present and discuss your 3D exhibition piece(s) with the class (5 mins each)
2. How many of you are collaborating with other courses?

Here it is on a helmet, on a head. Stitching was far trickier than I had imagined, there were many expletives used while making this.  I only have two more to do!
The pouch on the side will need some more consideration as while it performs its function, it could be more neatly sewn. The image here is of myself and I have been waiting to use this quote from 'Pulp Fiction' since I proposed this design weeks ago, "Check out the big brain on Brad".

 

Design Realisation

1. Work on your own for the exhibition.
   - O . k .
2. Make a list of your proposed exhibition works.
   - Website, logo construction, cyber punk monitor and hard copy portfolio.
3. Itemise:
   - Dimensions
   - Display requirements (hanging / floor space / special FX / audio / video)
   - A short description of the concept
   - The name of the piece
   - Materials used
   Artist: Materials: Dimensions.
4. Save this as a Word doc and copy to the SHARE folder for staff to PRINT group who will design a template.
   - Ke?
5. Blog all the above.

Result

Cherill, Katelyn and I had a meeting about this. We discussed our various personal and group requirements for the exhibition. A couple of interesting things came out of this meeting. The most important of which being the definitive timeline for the next four weeks. We delegated jobs to ourselves from the list of tasks created from this based on on our relevant skills. 

 

Research

Video

How good is this, one of my favourite street artists Banksey, animated and given this faux 3D effect. Found this through My Modern Met via Made By ABVH.

 

Images

I thought this might raise an eyebrow for  you Mark. Andy Vible is an artist who likes to humorously replace human heads with every day objects, although it doesn't sound very funny when you are describing it. This came in as usual via the RSS feed from My Modern Met.

 

Reflection

The separate units for the course are now beginning to coalesce, with the exception of Illustration of course. This is necessary as it gives a greater understanding of how things occur in real world situations. Quite obviously nothing we do as designers is insular. It is not only connected within ourselves with every other thing we have created, it is intermittently is connected with the ebb and flow of the people we work with. Let's quote a bit of John Donne shall we?

No man is an island,

Entire of itself.

Each is a piece of the continent,

A part of the main.

If a clod be washed away by the sea,

Europe is the less.

As well as if a promontory were.

As well as if a manor of thine own

Or of thine friend's were.

Each man's death diminishes me,

For I am involved in mankind.

Therefore, send not to know

For whom the bell tolls,

It tolls for thee.

Week 09 - 2D

Class Format

Todays class was about producing a range of design alternatives. These were developed from the exhibition invitation that we have been working on for the past two weeks.

 

Group Exercise

Concept Realisation

Sketch in your Visual Diary or Illustrator.

1. Clear rendition of 3 invitation / flyer layouts using YOUR exhibition logo & text 
2. The design must have space for sponsor logos 
3. CDU logo must be on the bottom right – check branding rules 

Each student post the group results in your blog with images and descriptive text.

This was my first first design and probably the strongest and most engaging. Bold colour draws the eye and the title and tag have a strong connection with the image

This was the second design. The idea here was to just provide a new title and tag. I am not fond of the text at all.

This is the third design. Still using the same image while stripping it down to black and white. I actually prefer this. I am also liking the colour variation below.

 

Research

Video

This video accompanies the image below, please see below for source links. I included it because it contains an image that I would have preferred to put below but could not find a static representation of. Look out for the graffiti themed version of "The Walk of Progress' at 51 seconds. I probably could have stopped the video there and just taken a screen grab for the image below, but it is not often that an article comes along that fill both the video and image categories of this blog.

 

Images

This just appealed to me and came in via My Modern Met from Maentis. A variety of interpretations of the 'Walk of Progress' inspired by the Darwinian theory of evolution. It fits with the general topic for this week in that the project is about producing design alternatives based on a theme. They had an interesting site, although the scrolling was a little jerky in my preferred browser, Safari. Just checked it Chrome and it was fine. I like the 'Piss us off' link which opens a new email.

 

Reflection

Creating design alternatives is obviously something which needs to be built into the creative process of the designer. I believe this should occur throughout as having a back up plan just makes sense to me. Ideas are fragile however and as such I find it good practice to edit them as I would an image in Photoshop; non-destructively. An idea then becomes layered as iterations are separated and an entirely new idea requires a new document. This mode of thinking allows me to revisit original ideas when particular evolved threads are deemed to be not working.
About the image above. I don't think the evolutionary steps turning man into a pigeon where necessary, just having the apple would have been enough to complete the visual pun of marketing evolution for me. The pigeon represents the mindless flock and the silhouette of a sheep would have been better suited to that role. The creation of a mindless flock is also implied by the word 'marketing' as its very purpose is to create mass appeal which can remove the notion of choice from the mind of the consumer. Marketing does not mass appeal to mindless flocks, it creates mindless flocks with mass appeal. I love you marketing, you evil bastard!

Week 08 - 3D

Class Format

Content delivery was thinner than usual this week. As the pressure builds toward the end of semester, the entries here will also become thinner.

Group Exercise

Concept Realisation

• Materials
  - Nylon Spandex, elastic, pens, pencils, paint
• Tools
  - Sewing machine (and accessories - scissors, thread, etc.), printer, software
• Equipment
  - Computer equipment, cameras, helmet, plinth, mannequin

Discuss your choice of the above as a group – give reasons.
The concept for the most part dictated the materials, tools and equipment employed in the project. Research and experimentation informed the process.

Research

Video

I thought this was very cleverly done. From Design Taxi via a Youtube channel Bauman Ber Rivnay who seems to work for Satchi & Satchi Isreal ("The Lovemarks Company" - of which there is a reference to near the end of the video). The link rabbit hole on this one left me a little confused at first. The video, while categorised on Youtube as 'Educational' and in fact coming across as that for the most part in its content, is in fact an element of the company's own 'integrated advertising' strategy.

 

Images

My logo in physical form. This was constructed from 30mm square pine wood. The tricky part was cutting a 63.2 degree angle with a drop saw. I needed to use the drop saw to keep the sections consistently square and most do not cut angles greater than 45 degrees. The solution was to cut a 26.8 degree piece which was then fixed to the target section at a right angle and used as a guide. The sections were then joined with internal blind nails and glue. Further work will include painting and finishing to a high gloss. The piece will then be photographed in various situations for inclusion in other branding materials like the business card and flyer. The object will also be a part of the exhibition.

 

Reflection

For the most what I do creatively is driven by the intent. I have a fairly wide skill set and materials experience, which affords me an equally wide range of solutions to my creative questions. The reasons why I chose to work with wood for the Myatt Media logo were both practical and conceptual. I have a good working knowledge of how to work with wood, the materials (wood, glue & nails) and the tools (drop saw, drill, builders square & iphone running a protractor application). These represent the practical reasons for the choice. Conceptually I wanted the object to have a sense of of strength and solidity, while maintaining a certain warmth. 

Week 08 - 2D

Class Format

Todays class built on last weeks exploration of the exhibition invite theme. My knowledge of the future allows me to know that this exercise had a real outcome in the past, but that is no longer so.

 

Group Exercise

Concept Realisation

• Materials
  - Nylon Spandex, elastic, pens, pencils, paint
• Tools
  - Sewing machine (and accessories - scissors, thread, etc.), printer, software
• Equipment
  - Computer equipment, cameras, helmet, plinth, mannequin, 

Discuss your choice of the above as a group – give reasons.
The concept for the most part dictated the materials, tools and equipment employed in the project. Research and experimentation informed the process.

 

Concept Realisation (part 2)

Clear rendition of 3 headline variations for Exhibition 2012

1. Layout your version of all 3 designs decided on in the group exercise
2. Show your results to the class
3. Blog screenshots of your work

Further to last weeks exercise to design an invite for the exhibition this exercise elaborated on the initial concept. I opted to continue using my base image and rework the title and tag based on it. The second image below using the word 'sparks' was not a great leap from last weeks 'bright'. The third design based on the word 'threads' required that the image be desaturated and inverted.

Research

Video

Insert video and comment

Images

I could not possibly resist posting this. A media and subject which are both close to my heart. This came in via RSS from My Modern Met and is the work of Jasper Branse (DeviantART).

Reflection

This week elaborated on last week and demonstrated a process by which a concept realisation could in effect be catalogued. This is important so that a project and its progress can be mapped.  In turn, this is also important so that the general nature of projects can also be mapped. This is especially important for your accountant so that they can tell you which projects to focus on.

Week 07 - 3D

Class Format

The inversion theme continued this week. This time in the sense that the process from 2D was duplicated in 3D in reverse.

 

Group Exercise

PRACTICAL – Design Communication

Choose one design from last week’s 2 sketched designs (sports & fashion).

1. Make a list of 2 key concepts you are trying to communicate.
   - Use a classic or retro style.
   - Use colour palette to represent sports team.
2. Make a list of 2 key feelings your trying to communicate.
   - A sense of movement and energy.
   - Happy simplicity.
3. REFINE your design concept to communicate these 4 things.
4. Prepare to present your communication skills to the class.
5. Upload all this content to your blog.

I chose the sports design from last week, pictured to the right. The classic racing stripe was chosen to represent energy and of course at the same time a retro styling. The design was reduced to a palette requiring the application of just two colours for the sake of simplicity. The colours have also been kept bright in order to convey a happy disposition.

 

GROUP EXERCISE – Concept Investigation

Using a scale of 1 – 10, each group assigns a quantitative rating for all the designs, based on the three criteria below;

1. Clear rendition of 2 key concepts.
   - Katelyn 5, Queenie 6, Andre 4, Jacob , Myself 8.
2. Clear rendition of 2 key feelings.
   - Katelyn 6, Queenie 5, Andre 5, Jacob , Myself 8.
3. Immediate visual appeal.
   - Katelyn 5, Queenie 5, Andre 4, Jacob , Myself 8.

 

Research

Video

Insert video and comment

Images

This is an image failure for a couple of reasons. First the rotation is too fast for my liking. Second and the most obvious is that blogger does not seem to like animated gifs with transparent areas. This will however be the basis of the logo that I use on the website with the plan being that it rotates a quarter turn on mouse over and rotates back on mouse off. After a little research into achieving this effect it seems that this will not be possible without employing some javascript. This was not my ideal situation but was necessary to avoid the image reseting awkwardly.

Reflection

Key words for this week include 'refine' and 'concept investigation'. 

Week 07 - 2D

Class Format

Todays class followed the same quantitative rating system from last week.

Group Exercise

PRACTICAL – Design Communication

1. DESIGN a logo mockup on a DL for the student exhibition.
2. Make a list of 2 key concepts you are trying to communicate.
   - The sense of an energetic creative process.
   - Colour sympathetic to the region.
3. Make a list of 2 key feelings your trying to communicate.
   - Excitement.
   - Curiosity.
4. REFINE your logo to communicate these 4 things.
   -
5. Prepare to present your communication skills to the class.
6. Upload all this content to your blog.

This is the draft I came up with in class. Moving the design forward would include the dates, opening times and additional logos across the bottom. I would also consider capturing some some actual light writing for the logo and tagline, 'Bright - New Work'.

GROUP EXERCISE – Concept Investigation

Using a scale of 1 – 10, each group assigns a quantitative rating for all the designs, based on the three criteria below;

1. Clear rendition of 2 key concepts.
   - Katelyn 7, Queenie 5, Andre 4, Jacob , Myself 7.
2. Clear rendition of 2 key feelings.
   - Katelyn 6, Queenie 6, Andre 4, Jacob , Myself 7.
3. Immediate visual appeal.
   - Katelyn 6, Queenie 6, Andre 5, Jacob , Myself 8.

Research

Video

This is the second animated render out of blender. I use the video output as scratch versions to see how the general flow is working. The video here was exported with Blogger in mind and so has been shrunk to 320x240, leaving it a 1.5MB mov. I then tweaked the html to enlarge it 560x460 to fit my layout, which didn't help but you get the idea. Blender is a vector environment, so the export size and resolution is dependant on requirement. It is 6 seconds or 142 frames long and took about twenty seconds to render, obviously higher size and resolution equals longer render times. I'm still not completely happy with the lighting and the rotation will get a couple of variants. To prepare the animation for web deployment I will remove the background and export the individual frames as PNG, import to Photoshop as layers, create frames from layers (animation window), edit a little and export as animated GIF from the save for web and devices dialogue.

Images

One last picture and then I'll change topic. Just wanted to share my workspace layout for animation in Blender (click to enlarge). This is of course the twin screen set up.

Reflection

We are certainly getting toward the pointy end of the course as the pressure is building. I enjoyed the pressurised set up of todays class in that we had a short amount of time to develop and present a concept for the exhibition invite. I imagine that this type of approach to a project is common in real world scenarios, I need this designed and I need it yesterday!

Week 06 - 3D

Class Format

The class format here was turned upside down in that the Practical (individual) was followed by the Exercise (group). The purpose of this is to show that the design process works in both ways simultaneously. The blind rating system featured this week based on the visceral responses of our peers to predetermined criteria was a surprise.

 

Group Exercise

Practical - Design Perspectives

Based on your favourite 3D design, draft and label 2 variations in your blog

• Design 01: Design in a style that appeals to a community sports group
• Design 02: Design in a style that appeals to a fashion label
• Draft in your blog with hand drawings and notes
• Give each work a NAME and DESCRIPTION (max 50 words)

So this was a twenty minute exercise and I think it is fairly obvious what is going on visually here. The sports version is simple and brightly coloured emphasising the number (it also has a racing stripe). The fashion one is elaborate with a splash of colour, hair and feathers. My first design I give the name 'Racing 01' and the second 'The Peacock' (image source may be found here).
The purpose of this practical was to take a current design that we have been working on and think about it from a different perspective. By doing this the design is forced forward through other design alternatives. In effect kick starting the creative process. This is followed by a similar rating system as given in the group exercise for 2D. I was not fond of this process as while I am sure it may occur in some form in the real world, I am also sure that it does not occur devoid of any actual critical discourse. Given the time restraint this worked as a kind of origination pressure test as well as the purpose outlined above.

 

Exercise - Changing Perspectives

Using a scale of 1 – 10, each group assigns a quantitative rating for all the designs, based on the criteria below;

1. Accuracy in addressing the brief.
   - Cherill 9, Queenie ?, June ?, Katelyn ?, Andre ?.
2. Immediate visual appeal.
   - Cherill 7, Queenie ?, June ?, Katelyn ?, Andre ?.
3. Cross generational appeal.
   - Cherill 7, Queenie ?, June ?, Katelyn ?, Andre ?.
4. Artistic depth.
   - Cherill 8, Queenie ?, June ?, Katelyn ?, Andre ?.

With limited time we were instructed to complete this task in our own time. The process employed here was to apply quantitative results to subjective criteria. As per the task requirement - I give myself a 6 for item 4.

 

Research

Video

Insert video and comment

Images

Below are images of Cherill and I working on the pattern for the bicycle helmet cover.

 

Reflection

While I was not a big fan of the blind rating system, I will be looking at (and possibly collating) the results. The inversion of the class format was a clever way to show the movement of influence as occurring in both directions and I am sure this will be elaborated on later.