Assignment 13: Research & Inspiration

Research: name of the game
Exquisite corpse: a method by which a collection of words or images is collectively assembled (Wikipedia).
Developed in 1925 by the French surrealists ("The Exquisite Corpse and The Surrealists").
Surrealism: an art movement that goes against reality

Inspiration:

crazy
cute

modern

exciting

weird

Brainstorming:

Who is your target audience? me and my group

What are you trying to communicate? surrealism

Inspiration Pieces:

I like the use of color. 

I like how crazy it is, but how well it all flows together.

I like the different usage
of modern and ancient
portraits for the sections.

The Creative Process

The Creative Process: A series of steps repeated every time you design something.

Why do we need to do this?

1. It improves consistency

2. The ability to plan and time your work

3. Raise the quality of your work

4. Communicate more effectively and in a more professional manner

Steps of the creative process:

1. Research - Research the client and the competition. Get online, look in magazines, listen to music, pay attention to the world around you...whatever you need to get inspired. The more you know, the easier the project will be!

2. Brainstorm/inspiration - Striving to be unique and innovative while still following the current trends, ensures a fresh and creative approach.

- coming up with adjectives of what your end product should be

- ask yourself some questions, if you can answer then with your brainstorming, then you are on the right track.

     - what kind of message am I trying to communicate?

     - who is my audience?

     - what am I trying to tell the audience?

     - what kind of visuals will work for this audience?

3. Sketch - Thumbnails, thumbnails, and more thumbnails. Sketch to get your thoughts out and to work through ideas.

4. Execute - Implement your ideas. Combine type and imagery, into a well developed composition. Utilize design principles sand visual organization guidelines to help. Try techniques, explore possible options, and analyze the outcome. If you get stuck, walk away and clear your head. if the piece doesn't look how you imagined, and it isn't working, try another idea. Forcing an idea won't result in a good design.

5. Critique & Revise - take a step back, (literally) and look at your design with an objective eye. Make sure the design effectively conveys the message, to the intended audience. If it doesn't, go back and tweak the composition until it does! Asking others for their opinion will help with this process.

Photo Composition

Snapshot: a quick shot, often spontaneous, taken to record a moment in time
Photograph: an image taken with care and thought


Rules of Composition: 
1. Rule of Thirds: Imaginary lines drawn dividing the frame of your camera into thirds, both horizontally and vertically. Avoid the center square! Place important subject, or important elements of your composition where these lines intersect; place the horizon line at the top or the bottom horizontal divider; or fill up the entire frame with the subject for a close up image.
2. Leading Lines: Use the lines created within the foreground or background of the composition to lead the viewer's eye through the photo. Lines can draw attention to one or more intended subjects or a single focal point.
3. Point of View: Change the way your subject is perceived by changing the camera position. If you are photographing a subject that you want to seem very tall, compose the shot so that the camera is looking upwards. If you are photographing a subject that you want to seem very short or small, compose the shot so that the camera is looking downwards.
4. Simplicity: Keep your background simple and clear of clutter. The mood and effectiveness of a photo can be altered by what is in the background. A chaotic composition will cause the viewer to look away.

Semester Reflection

          Coming into this class, I honestly didn't know what to expect. I thought it would be a pretty easy class that would be fun to take. After the first few days, I knew that this would be a challenge. Fortunately, I have learned SO many things that I had never thought about. I have a MAC at home so maneuvering around from program to program was not a difficult task, but using some of the unfamiliar programs were complicated. For example, Photoshop and Illustrator were completely new to me. Thankfully, I learned how helpful and amazing they can be! Just by simply using one tool, an amazing piece of artwork can be created! The assignments were also very cool. My favorite assignment was the "If I crossed the road..." project because we got to use our own imagination to create our own picture of whatever we wanted it to be! Learning about all the different types of artwork, elements, designs, techniques, tools, etc is pretty difficult, but extremely interesting!
          Next semester, I hope we could continue working in the programs and learning more! My only suggestion would to be to create a logo or advertisement or something like that. According to many of your references to the real world and what we would be doing if we were a graphic designer, I would love to see what it would feel like. Overall, this has been an extremely exciting class! I LOVE IT!

Review Week 17

Go to www.ilovetypography.com. Under "Popular Articles", click on "Who Shot the Serif?" Read the article. At the end of the article, the author asks a question. Answer that question in this post and discuss your findings.
After reading this article, I learned several things. First of all, I didn't know that the origin of "serif"  is in ancient Rome. In addition, there are several types of serifs, but the two main types are Adnate and Abrupt. The Adnate serif is more organic and natural. On the other hand, the Abrupt serif is a squarer, more rigid letter.

Review Week 16

How many points are in an inch? How many points are in a pica?
There are 72 points in an inch. There are 12 points in one pica.
Of the seven classifications, which classification(s) would best work as body type? Why?
Sans Serif because it is has the most basic fonts, which is what is needed to easily read smaller fonts.
Identify the lowercase characters that have ascenders?
b, d, f, h, k, l, t
Identify the lowercase characters that have descenders?
g, j, p, q, y


Classify the following typefaces and briefly explain why you believe it should be classified that way:
1. Sans Serifs typeface because there is a monotone appearance and a uniform weight.

2. Script typeface because there are smooth strokes that look like handwriting.

3. Decorative typeface because it is a distinctive design.

4. Slab Serif typeface because it has a uniform line weight but thicker serifs.

5. Blackletter typeface because this is an ornamental font with elaborate thin to thick strokes.

6. Modern typeface because there is a contrast between thin and thick strokes, as well as flat serifs.

7. Old Style typeface because there are angled serifs, and a low contrast of thick/thin strokes.

Podcast #4 Typography

Define typography?
The art of expressing ideas through the selection of appropriate typefaces
Where did the word "typography" originate from?
The Greek words for "form" and "writing"
What does typography involve?
The selection of the appropriate fonts, sizes, line spacing, spacing between the letters
What is a typeface?
A distinctive design of visual symbols that are used to compose a printed image/design.
What is another term for typeface?
Fonts
What is a character?
An individual symbol that makes up a typeface
What is type style?
Modifications in a typeface that create design variety while maintaining the visual style of the typeface; bold, italic, condensed, roman, heavy
What does type style "create" within a design?
Variety
What is the waist line and what does it indicate?
An imaginary line drawn at the middle of the characters
What is a base line and what does it indicate?
An imaginary line at the bottom of the characters, where everything sits
What is an ascender?
The park of the character that extends above the waist line
What is a descender?
The part of the character that extends below the base line
Describe a serif?
A smaller line used to finish off a main stroke of a letter, usually at the top and bottom of a character
How can the size of the typeface be identified?
Point size is the vertical measurement used to identify the size of a typeface. It measures from the top of the ascender to the bottom of the descender. Even if the character does not have an ascender or a descender, the point size will still measure from the top to the bottom.
What is a point?
The point size is measured in a unit called points
How many points are in an inch?
*know this conversion* 72
What is a pica and how many are in an inch?
*know this conversion* 6
How many points are in a pica?
*know this conversion* 12
What is body type and where can it be found?
Body type is any type size that range from 4 pt through 12 pt type. These sizes are found in places where there  is a lot of text to be read. It is the small text in the body of the paper.
What is the key to selecting appropriate typefaces to be used as body type?
Readability
What is display type and how is it used?
Type sizes above 12 pt. Typically, these sizes are used to draw attention to a message (headlines, sub headlines, etc)
What is reverse type and when would it be used?
Consists of white type on a solid black or darker color background. If the text is too small, reverse type can be difficult on the reader's eye. Display type is necessary.
What is a typeface classification?
A basic system for classifying typefaces was devised in the 19th century when printers sought to identify a heritage for their own craft.
When was Blackletter invented and how was it used?
Blackletter is the earliest of the typefaces. It was used with the inventions of the printing press in the mid 1400s.
Describe the characteristics of a Blackletter typeface?
Blackletter typefaces resemble the calligraphy of the time and are highly ornamental with elaborate thick to thin strokes. Typefaces are most often seen in official documents such as diplomas, certificates, formal invitations, etc.
When was Old Style invented and what was is based on?
It was invented in the 15th and 16th centuries. It was based on ancient Roman inscriptions and created to replace Blackletter typefaces.
Describe the characteristics of an Old Style typeface?
Typefaces in this classification have wedge-shaped, angled serifs and a low contrast of their thick/thin strokes.
When were formal scripts developed?
Formal scripts developed from formal writings of the 17th and 18th century handwriting masters. They will lend a formal quality to a composition.
When were casual scripts developed?
The 20th century
Describe the characteristics of a Script typeface?
Script typefaces are based on forms made with flexible brushes or pens and have varied strokes of reminiscent of handwriting. Scripts should not be used as small body text. It would be too difficult to read.
When was Modern typefaces developed and why?
The Modern classification was developed in the late 18th and 19th centuries as a radical break from traditional typography of the time.
Describe the characteristics of a Modern typeface?
Modern typefaces have a sharp contrast between thick and thin strokes and have thin, flat serifs.
How early can Sans Serif typefaces be found? What happened?
San serif typefaces can be found as early as the 5th century. However, the Italian Renaissance return to Old Style made the Sans Serif classification obsolete in the 20th century.
When did they become popular?
Once again, it became popular in the 1920s.
What does "sans serif" mean?
"without serifs"
Describe the characteristics of a Sans Serif typeface?
Its strokes are uniform in weight and have a monotone appearance.
When was Slab Serif developed and why?
The Slab Serif classification was developed in the 19th century for advertising purposes.
Describe the characteristics of a Slab Serif typeface?
It's mainly used for decorative purposes and headlines. It has a uniform line weight and thicker, square serifs.
Describe Decorative typefaces? These typefaces have the most distinctive design style, and were developed with a specific purpose, or theme, in mind.
Why were they developed? 
Decorative includes a variety of typefaces and are typically those that don't belong to other decorations. Typefaces may incorporate pictures of objects, animals, etc. into the character design.
What are they best used for?
They are best used for larger point sizes, or display type.