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.

critical mass

My critical mass video revolves around the word evolution. Students were told to choose a scientific word and create an allegory for it. In my animation I use paint cans to represent this process. It shows different paint cans mixing together (reproducing) and creating a new color. At the end of my video all of the paint cans have changed from their original color.

scales

For the scales project we were told to imitate different design styles such as Constructivist, International, Pop Art, etc. We were given a list of questions that we had to answer through our designs and the focus was more on quantity rather than quality. This project helped us improve our photoshop skills and think of new ways to create interesting images.

symbol interaction exercise

This interactive video is a follow up on the symbol methodology assignment. Students were told to choose one of their final symbols from the previous project and animate the creation process. This assignment helped me improve my flash skills and learn to explore new mediums to express my ideas.