Sunday, January 31, 2010
Class Exercise C.
The first 2208 Lecture of the month!
Today, our lecture assignment was to select an object and create 1) iconic and 2) indexic representations of the object.
Kristle, Witono and I decided to choose a rattlesnake, and design a pictogram that warns of the danger of a snake. It's not a common creature in Singapore, but it's an animal that many people recognise on sight.
Picture references.
Concept.
We decided to focus on the image of the rattle to allow people to associate this with the rattlesnake quickly, since it's a trademark physical trait of the rattlesnake. Witono suggested snake fangs to allow Singaporeans unfamiliar with rattlesnakes associate the pictograms with the snakes. I also suggested including the snake coils.
Designs.Iconic representation of the dangers of the snake.
Indexic representation of the dangers of the snake.
I included the eye and the forked tongue to further emphasize the image of the snake.
I'm considering setting these pictograms on a yellow instead of a white background, in order to emphasize the caution that people should have for these dangerous snakes.
♥ head in clouds.
7:49 PM
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Class Exercise B.
Today we're supposed to make constructive criticism on an image of our choice, based on our lecture notes from last week! :)
We've chosen to critique Witono's work, here it is:
Description.
Witono's work is clear-cut and to the point in its "green" and environmentally conscious message. The use of highly contrasted images on a plain white background immediately draws my attention to the centre of the image, where the hands holding the plant are. His work is visually and aesthetically pleasing, and the black & green work very well on the white background.
Analysis.
Although the black-coloured hands and forearms already present a stark contrast on the plain white background, thus drawing a lot of the audience's attention to them, what really captures my attention was the bright green of the 2 leafed plant. Perhaps it was because of the fact that green was the least used colour in this 3-colour image that made me turn my gaze to it immediately and place my visual focus on it. To me, this was the most striking, and the key element of the image, i.e. the main focus of Witono's message to the audience.
Interpretation.
The title of the piece, "In Your Hands", connotes the sense that the state of global warming in our world is indeed in our hands, as displayed by the little plant held cupped in the hands of the person in the picture. To me, the plant looks exceedingly vulnerable, fragile, delicate and in need of someone to care for it, as indicated by the protective cupping gesture the hands make around the plant. Witono's usage of the pun "in your hands" connotes a double meaning, 1) the literal visual display of the plant being in the hands of the person in the image and 2) that it is within our ability, power and control to change the state of global warming in the world. The fate of the world's environmental well-being is indeed in our hands.
Judgement.
The vulnerability and fragility of the earth's ecosystem is effectively conveyed through Witono's clever use of the small 2-leafed plant. The bright green also effectively draws focus to the plant, the main component of the image. The image gives a clear message on global warming, treasuring nature, and that it's in our hands to keep our environment healthy. However, there's just one thing that Kristle and I thought he could improve on. After looking at his image for awhile, we gathered that the black liquid oozing down along the arms and hands is supposed to show melting arms & hands, giving a literal representation of global warming and the melting polar ice caps (as confirmed by Witono as the original meaning behind the black liquid). This, however, currently gives the impression of blood, due to the colour and thickness of the liquid, which is completely different from his intention.
Suggestion: To give the liquid a bluish, semi-transparent look, in order to convey the look of icicles melting into water. This would more accurately visually represent the melting polar ice caps.
I tried my best to keep close to the Constructive Criticism model Jing touched on in our second lecture. Hope this gives a satisfactory critique! :)
Other things we learnt today:
Today we learnt about how it is really important to set your photoshop file size correctly before beginning work in it. I learnt this the hard way a year or two back... I was designing a poster for my faculty publicity event and did it under 150 dpi. (this was before i knew about resolution) The image was meant for printing, and I eventually had to open a new file at 300 dpi and redraw the entire image. It was a very painful lesson, indeed. x(
♥ head in clouds.
7:25 PM
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Class Exercise: 18th January 2010.
Exercise:
1) Identify ME by writing down words associated to me.
2) Sort these words and visualise how they represent me--sketch lots of thumbnail sketches
Brainstorming.
Dance. Hip Hop. Music. Cartoons. Anime. Manga.
Rainbows. Bright colours. Sweets.
Bold. Happy. Simple.
♥ head in clouds.
7:15 PM
Saturday, January 16, 2010
As promised, I've uploaded my sketches from our very first lecture assignment, AND changed my learning journal layout!
Class Assignment A.
Sketch (design) a machine/device that enhances your creativity 100 times. Honestly, I was rather taken aback by the first lecture assignment, as I didn't expect to have to conceptualise and sketch out a design like this during our first introductory lecture to the module. ^_^" So while everyone else was proficiently sketching out professional looking devices, I only managed to come up with these doodles:
The Creative Juicer
Device Components.
Device Sketch.
ConceptSince we know that juices come from fruits, I assume that creative juices must flow from freshly squeezed fruits as well! :)
I wanted to play with the concept of "creative juices", knowing fully well that such "juices", even if they exist, cannot possibly come from fruits. ^_^"
My concept stems from my belief that creativity is something that's really hard to pin down and define. I find it personally very difficult to try and define what makes a person creative. Listing the aspects of a creative person might help, but it will not help in defining creativity itself, because creativity is more than just aspects.
Many people conceptualised devices that enhanced eyesight and perceptiveness, intelligence, sense of hearing/smell and so on. While I found many of these ideas and designs brilliant, I didn't want my device to be like that. Creativity isn't just perceptiveness, or intelligence, or the heightened use of one's senses, or the summation of all these traits. (although creative people often have enhanced perceptiveness, intelligence, observational skills and better use of their senses) The definition of creativity is thus just simply too hard to pinpoint, or break down into explanable components.
This is why I chose to let creativity be contained in something like a fruit. So that its mysterious, abstract nature can still be contained within that mysterious (albeit fictional) little fruit. :)
Hope you found my device interesting and *ahem* creative enough. ^_^"
♥ head in clouds.
10:34 PM
Hi everyone!
This is my official NM 2208 Principles of Visual Communication Learning Journal! :)
I'm going to be uploading sketches from Lecture Assignments, Class Assignments and other things I find interesting and pertaining to our design stuff soon. :)
I'll also search for another, um, cooler layout. This noob one will be gone by the next post.
Till then!
-nicnic
♥ head in clouds.
9:50 AM
