weather report

The weather report shows the weekend forecast for four cities in three different segments. Students were told to present this information in three ways, choosing between location, alphabet, time, category, or hierarchy (L.A.T.C.H.). I chose to begin with alphabet, transition into time, and finally end with location. The difficult task was transitioning from one segment to another while keeping all of the weather information on screen.

words in motion: order

This was a short assignment meant to re-familiarize us with After Effects. We chose a word and were told to animate it in a way that clearly defined it. My first word was increase and I showed this by gradually stacking the word on top of itself, increasing the saturation as they stack. My second word (below) is order. I showed this by creating a font made up of small squares. The squares appear in order from lightest to darkest.

words in motion: increase

blue squares

The blue squares assignment was a short exercise we did in class just before we started the word in motion activities. We were given an example that appears exactly like the one above and told to imitate the motion of the blue squares exactly. This assignment helped us become familiar with the basic motions that are possible when using after effects.

graphic design history: systems and series

The purpose of this project was to establish a visual format for continuity and identification. Students were told to design and produce a series of commemorative entrance buttons and accompanying explanatory poster for a hypothetical Graphic Design History Exhibition held at the Blanton. My buttons represent the Arts and Crafts movement and are inspired by the works of artists such as William Morris, Charles Voysey, and Owen Jones.

instructional design

For this assignment we were told to create a "how to" piece for a simple task (such as how to wash dishes). The challenge was to create instructions that were both aesthetically pleasing and graphically innovative. We had to decide who our target audience was and where they would find these instructions. My target audience was college students/roommates and they are meant to access this tutorial through a public site such as youtube. While most college students already know how to wash the dishes, they frequently "forget" to do them. Therefore, my instructional stop motion is meant to be more entertaining than informative and it plays off the idea that your dishes won't wash themselves. While my stop motion is not a straightforward set of directions, it runs you through the process of washing dishes in an unexpected and innovative way.

the kitchen of meaning

For the Kitchen of Meaning assignment we were given a list of words to choose from and subsequently design a poster that embodied the definition of that word. I chose to explore the word "melange" because I like the idea of mixing incongruent items together in a way that appears cohesive and smooth. Originally, I had a hard time focusing my design ideas because creating a design that is defined as a mixture or blend leaves a lot to be explored. From the beginning I knew that I wanted to create my own typeface and that is how my final poster transformed into what it is. I noticed that the typeface I created looked more like a group of varying shapes than actual letters. I then decided to play around with the shapes individually, stacking them on top of one another, flipping them around, etc. until I had created a whole page of what appears to be a mix of patterns. At first glance you may not realize that the pattern on the page is made up of the same shapes that spell out melange but I think that makes the poster more interesting.

beads

Lately I have not been able to stop browsing different blogs for cool DIY projects. I haven't had as much time as I would like to actually make any of the items I run across but I recently sat down and made this lamp-ish piece. I got the idea from DesignSponge but haven't had time to attach a light bulb to it. So for now this beaded object hangs above my sink. I'll find time to light it up eventually...

rugs

For my 3d design class we were told to make a rug using any method we wanted. After looking around on the internet I found different tutorials on "simple" ways to construct a rug. For this type of rug you have to braid 1-2 inch wide strips of fabric together, coil, and then hand stitch the coils together. The process is pretty time consuming but the end result is nice. The final result in the top picture. I enjoyed it so much that I decided to make another for my kitchen a year later.