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.

illustrator exercise

This is one of the very first things I made in Illustrator. The assignment was meant to familiarize us with the pen tool and basic abilities of Illustrator.

personal geography

The personal geography assignment consists of three maps: artifact, perceptual, and cognitive. My artifact map (top) acts as a basic map of the route I take every morning from my house to school. This map is meant to be labeled and designed well enough so that someone could use this and successfully make it from point a to b. The perceptual map (middle) acts as a sensory guide for the same route as the artifact map. This documents my senses that are experienced and how they vary in intensity over time. The third and final map in this process is my cognitive map (bottom). This represents my thoughts and decisions in symbol form.