ATX in 3ish Minutes

I think we sometimes forget how much video can tell us. Life for me is about subtly and small experiences. Throughout the semester I've been trying to get myself to shoot 1-5 second clips of various moments. Here's the sequence from our Austin trip.

Sophomore Review/Semester Reflection

Since a couple days have gone by, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on my experience and personal growth this year. The other day I came across my semester reflection from Visual Communication 1 last year. It was interesting for me to read the objectives I had placed for myself and consider whether I successfully accomplished them or not. I thought now would be a good time to assess whether I met those objectives then set new ones for myself for next semester. After taking time to step back and look at my work holistically for Sophomore review I believe I was successful in meeting them although I will always say that I could have pushed further.

I also wanted to reassure everyone that I don't plan on leaving this department. I know I had a bit of a scare last semester, but I'm definitely here for the long haul. Looking back, I think I just had too tight of a grip on what I wanted to do rather than trusting those that were put in place to guide me and keeping an open mind to all of the experiences I could gain. It was the moment I metaphorically loosened my grip that allowed me to take larger steps in and outside of studio this semester.

I guess you could say that their were major highlights or learning points this half that helped propel me. Firstly, get involved. It is important to be engaged in studio culture, but also in the local design community. We all have the ability to influence each other. I can assume that we all want to get the most of our experience here, I know I do. We all come from different places, have different backgrounds and we all can contribute to studio in one way or another. After my meeting with the professors and after the Keetra Dean Dixon lecture I made more of a conscious effort during the second half of the semester to push myself and my work to see if it would propel someone else to push. While, I think and hope it worked, especially near the end of the semester, I can't be entirely certain. I guess the point I'm trying to make is be a leader, always try to raise the bar or set the standard because you can. Also, be physically in studio, while at times we distract each other, it makes those rough nights easier to overcome when we go through them together.

As students we should always thirst for knowledge. Our involvement outside of studio does, in fact, influence us inside so when we a active in engaging ourselves in the community and other sources we can further enrich our studio experience. The seniors weren't kidding when they said it's easy to interact with design professionals especially in Kansas City through AIGA. I'm really glad Josh was also wanting to get more involved in the design community because it really encouraged me to continue attending these events and made it less intimidating when there's someone else to take that step with you. There were also many great speakers this semester from Design Week, Intro-Active, the Vanderslice Lecture Series, to Design 360. Being involved opens you up to what's out there and can inspire you. Sharing that knowledge can also inspire someone else and encourage them to do the same.

Secondly, this semester has really allowed me to see the different possibilities I could take with my design in the future, but for now they are new mediums to explore and just play. I know Jamie has told me before that I don't have to choose one, but sometimes I wonder what I'll do with myself. I know Josh is aiming to be a design badass, but I want to be a Keetra status designer. It's my secret passion I guess you could say, but I would love to be able to establish myself enough to travel and inspire other people the way she inspired me. This semester has really reinforced my love of teaching and helping others. It has also moved me in the realm of interactive and experiential design, where people are required in order for it to exist.

Thirdly, know your limits. Near the end of the semester I may have bitten off more than I could chew and while this shouldn't discourage me from pushing I just need to be more realistic at times. I honestly thought I could do it, but I guess the only way to know your limits is through experience.

Lastly, but most importantly, this semester has taught me confidence. This is probably the one area of growth that is immediately evident to me. I need to be confident in myself, my decisions, my work and allow my enthusiasm for design to resonate through me especially the dorky side. So, for next semester here are the objectives I feel like I need to push more:

1. Speaking up more in class
2. Finding and utilizing opportunities to present my work formally
3. Thinking about typography as language and meaning
4. Push community involvement
5. Find new ways to explore form

A Design Strategy

Lately I've been thinking a lot about applying for summer internships so I opened up my resume the other day and was very unsatisfied. It's a bit amazing how much one can learn after a semester of design, because I realized that I need a design strategy!

It all started when I noticed that the name on my resume wasn't aligned with anything and while I was correcting that issue I began thinking about what was being communicated through the formal decisions I've made on my resume. This really opened up a can of worms for me, my mind was suddenly being swarmed with thoughts of typographical hierarchy, multimedia cohesion, and verbal communication. I also began realizing the importance of being an active participant in the world of design outside of the classroom. Being involved does more than just building your resume and portfolio, it shapes you as a designer and allows you to make a difference. In the upcoming days/weeks I plan to clean up my resume and web presence so that they are cohesive and representative of the designer I want to be portrayed as.

The Art of Authenticity

I just encountered an interesting article on NPR about how film makers and set designers in the past managed certain visual effects before the era of computer aided effects. The one section I wanted to draw attention to was about the set design for the 1976 film, All the President's Men. Briefly, the film is about reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward in their investigation of the Watergate Scandal. In re-creating the newsroom of the Washington Post, the production designers very meticulously "itemized, measured, photographed and detailed every square inch" of the location.

They are carefully studying and documenting this location to create authenticity in their design. I know that this article is mostly about cinema, but there a plenty of cues we as designers can take from it. There is very much a dialogue about analog versus digital production in the article. As designers I feel that we are constantly searching for ways to make our designs feel more authentic both conceptually and visually and the example mentioned above is just one way in which we can achieve this. This concept is exactly what we're executing in the current visual communication project. Although creating authenticity isn't directly stated in the objectives, the process Jamie has set up for us allows for this to happen naturally.



Article Referenced: Long Before Computers, How Movies Made Us Believe

VC: Semester Reflection

I want to start by acknowledging how quickly the semester went by, but I'm really pleased with the growth I've seen in my classmates and myself. The one objective spanning from project to project that I've struggled the most with is understanding how to clearly communicate an idea and how the formal decisions I make can influence that idea. Looking back to the dot project, I didn't have a clear understanding of my concept and therefore many formal decisions I made concerning imagery were mostly arbitrary. I was really disappointed with the outcome of the final artifact, but I was determined to continue to move forwards in project two. I honestly feel that I made a great deal of progress in project two in regards to this objective. I attempted to question my formal decisions more frequently throughout the process to prevent weakening my overall execution of the concept.

Another objective that I struggled with was learning how to work collaboratively. In the beginning of the semester there were other things that made this task difficult the first being that most of us had never really worked collaboratively before. Also, not knowing my partners strengths or weaknesses and just trying to get a handle of the material as an individual. It was a definite struggle in figuring out how to compromise ideas, manage time schedules and divide workloads. Going to the panel discussion and the studio tour helped me to understand the possibility of collaborative work and I feel that majority of the struggle is attitude change. Realizing that working creatively with another individual has different possibilities than working individually.

Moving forwards into next semester, there is much knowledge to be carried over:
1. Understanding when an idea isn't working or is being exhausted and deciding what steps need to be made
2. Continue iterating as much as possible in order to explore all possibilities
3. Making sure formal decisions correspond with concept
4. Taking risks

Skylab

I can't remember the last time I've been this excited for a Monday, but the prospects of this field trip had me wishing the weekend would move along faster. The guys at Skylab were definitely generous in their space, process and prints, which made the trip all the more enjoyable. Some of my classmates may have gotten a bit crazy with the print collecting, but I guess I understand their enthusiasm. Anyways, the one thing I enjoyed most about the experience is the tactility of their work. As designers its important for us to clearly visualize the end product from what we see on our screens. Having an understanding of physical materials like paper and ink in addition to the process of your printer and what he or she is capable of accomplishing will improve your efficiency in both time and design. I'm not saying that you need to understand all printing processes, because the printer is knowledgeable in these areas. This is why, as Marty stressed, having a good relationship with your printer is important. Being a designer today is really a collaborative effort. Not only must we work collaboratively with other designers, we also work with printers, programmers, photographers and etc. Essentially, the complexity of collaboration is dependent on the goal you're trying to accomplish.

In the future I would love to intern at Skylab or a similar print shop. During this past month I've been struggling with my decision of choosing graphic design over printmaking and this trip has made me realized that I need that physicality in my work to be happy. Not to say that I plan to switch majors, but I've been feeling really divided in my work. I'm determined to figure out how to make this work.

Beautiful Losers

Beautiful Losers is a film directed by artist, writer and independent curator Aaron Rose. The documentary explores the world of a group of underground artists who met in the early 1990's and found their beginnings in outsider art such as graffiti, skateboarding, and street music. Through these subcultures they discovered the desire to create and rebel against standards.

Watching this documentary makes me miss picking up a paintbrush. I miss the feeling of how a paintbrush balances perfectly in your hand or the feel of the paint when you make your first mark on the paper; these are the moments I'll never forget. Don't get me wrong, I love graphic design, but a part of my heart will always belong to fine arts. In my future practice I want to be able to integrate the two, because it doesn't make any sense for me to separate them. I know it can be done, because more and more artists are doing so now. I think this is why analog practice is so important to me, because it's all I've been doing for the past two years. It gets me down when people don't see the point of doing analog projects. A combination of both analog and digital practice creates a richer experience than just working digitally or analog. Graphic design isn't about computers or Adobe programs, it's so much more. If you think about it, the computer is still a young creation and it's still rapidly changing, but craft and principles are timeless. I feel that one should invest the same amount of care and respect to an analog project as a digital project, because they aren't any different.

Wow, this post is going in an entirely different direction from what I expected, but it's okay because I think there's a lesson to be learned here...now if I only knew what that lesson was.






Beautiful Losers film trailer from beautifullosersfilm on Vimeo.

Learning to Write & Speak

I like to set goals for myself and every once in awhile I try to ask myself these questions, "how can I be a better artist and how can I be a better person." Well, I'm not much of a writer or a speaker, but I really want to be able to write and speak more critically and professionally in my field. Today both Marty and Jamie made it a point for me to look at other designers work, and I do. However, I think what I'm not doing is taking the time to really analyze, understand and relate the artwork to my own practice. So because repetition can create mastery, I'm creating a goal for myself. Every Friday, I need to find a piece of design and some sort of literature about art or design to analyze and write about. There's a couple things I'm hoping will happen when I do this:

1. By analyzing other artwork, my own work will become stronger by seeing how other artists handle similar ideas and principles

2. By writing about other artwork, I hope to improve my writing abilities and develop a language for speaking

3. By reading literature by other writers and artists, I can learn how to comprehend the language used in professional practice as well as understand how they use it

At my previous college my English composition professor used to stress the importance of writing ideas out because it's the physical act of writing something down that creates the reality. It's one thing to have a goal in mind, but if you take the time to write it down then you're already one step closer to that goal. I think this is really important for visual artists because we take ideas from our minds and visually represent them. In the design department we already do this in multiple ways if you think about it, we write in our blogs, we sketch out ideas, we keep process binders.