Posts

This project is an introduction to linear practices that can be utilized in a variety of ways. We visualized and rendered a personal studio space by placing both simple and complex forms within while playing with line weight and textures in order to accurately construct it. This allowed us to demonstrate a range of drawing techniques including perspective, unit of measure, and triangulation.

Research

Aside from our few basic requirements for this room, at first I had no direction for the final result. I knew I wanted a hybrid between a lounge and workspace but wasn’t exactly sure what that meant. I ultimately decided that I wanted to put a sewing machine in my space because it is a hobby of mine and I thought it would incorporate a unique element. That being said, I started by searching for inspiration of how I wanted to best execute this.

Precedents

 

 

 

Exercises

Line and Confidence Practice

Building confidence with something as simplistic as constructing lines, is an important basis for all design disciplines. We began by constructing quick and bold lines focusing on the difference in movement in the wrist, elbow, and shoulder. Realizing the difference between these three sensations can make all the difference in terms of keeping a sketch intentional. I also was introduced to the concept of ghosting which I found useful. We also took a more interpretive approach to work on confidence by doing some blind contour drawings of our peers. This was a great way to begin focusing on trusting what we see instead of what we think we see which is a constant battle for me personally.

 

 

 

Contour Shapes

We took our newly found confidence in basic line work and began applying it to 3D forms. The important aspect of this was to solely focus on the contour of the shape meaning no shading, interior detail, or secondary forms inside of the overall silhouette.  I went simple for my static composition by just displaying my 3 sizes of the bottle I chose as my form in line weights that increase as you move across the paper. For my dynamic composition, I went for a flower or kaleidoscope effect.

 

 

Still Life Focus

We worked on several versions of still life drawings for a large majority of this project’s development. I like practicing this skill because they’re easy to revisit and continue to improve upon.  We attempted many rough drafts playing around with different forms, positions, and points of view before settling on what composition we would hone in on for the final submission of this exercise.

 

 

 

I had never heard of a diptych before this assignment but I thought it was really interesting that the two separate compositions must have the effect that one is in response to the other. I interpreted this as the first one being the construction and perfectionism of creating a still life. It includes the grid I had used to originally map out correct proportions and the triangulation lines connecting every form at every angle possible. The main thing I got out of this exercise was the importance of these implied lines in perfecting my accuracy so I wanted to show that in the first part. I also had a concept in mind of dominance and contrast between my 3D forms and I thought leaving the lines in was the best way to portray that feeling.

The second composition, in response to the first, uses the new shapes I ended up creating as a result of my grid lines, triangulation lines, and original forms.  The end result is a super abstract version of my original still life. When side by side, it is easy to see the shapes I pulled from the first composition. I think you’re still able to tell exactly what it was, just not in an obvious way.

 

 

Perspective Exploration

In perspective, we started with talking about the eye-line, vanishing points and the station point and then constructed a couple basic shapes like cubes and rectangular prisms to get a hang of the technique in both one and two point. Eventually we worked with curved forms and learned to construct perfect circles, ribbons, and even text in perspective. We formed our final project grids using realistic measurements and scale in this step. This proved to be extremely difficult because any slight error causes a major distortion in anything you put in the room. After several attempts I finally was able to make a grid I was satisfied with in order to design my final project on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Production

I kept my design pretty simple but I think that accurately reflects my taste. Because I enjoy a minimalistic style, If I were to repeat this project, I think that I maybe would’ve taken a different approach and acted as if I was designing the space for someone else to really push myself and explore a different aesthetic. I learned so much over the course of this project and I truly feel more confident in my skills as well as my ideas. The several critiques and iterations of our final project were extremely beneficial and provided me with insight and left me with questions I could ask myself to reevaluate and continue to push myself each time.

 

Iterations

I was genuinely overwhelmed (in a good way!) with the endless possibilities this project offered. The requirements weren’t at all binding so I went with a space that I feel personally fits my aesthetic and was equally as functional. I had so much fun browsing for inspiration and constructing forms in a space that portrays a proportionally accurate room.

 

 

 

Final

 

I had so much fun with this project and truly enjoyed exploring the realistic and accurate aspect perspective naturally requires you to tackle. I think the most important thing I can look back and reflect on after the completion of this project, is the patience I gained and intend to master of the course of projects to follow. Although I tend to be a perfectionist and certainly take pride in only submitting work I am proud of, I found during this project’s duration that I would draw things that looked correct but weren’t necessarily accurately set in perspective. I tried my best to focus in on this during the final construction, but there are still a few discrepancies that I could have avoided if I took a bit more time and didn’t just go for it.

 

View the final project at Perspective: Final

This project focuses on the use of point, line, and plane in their most basic forms, and how that can be translated to create 2-D forms while thoughtfully applying the elements and principles of design.

Research

Shapes are the fundamental component of all art and design and so it is imperative that a good understanding of them is established early on. To begin this project we started at an elementary level by constructing basic squares, triangles, and circles in order to create stencils for our later exercises. It also gave us a chance to explore our compasses and snap off blades and improve our skills involved in using them effectively. We discussed the importance of elements and principles and how ultimately these would be the guides to the final project.

 

Exercises

Making Shapes From Shapes

The goal of this exercise was to explore the ways new forms can come out of pre-existing ones by overlapping, removing parts, and combining geometric and curvilinear shapes. Ultimately, I really enjoyed playing around with this concept and ended up with some great outcomes. This exercise also introduced me to the importance of trace paper. Of course the concept of trace paper is self explanatory, but using it as a way to create multiple iterations out of only one form I had merged from several shapes, was helpful. It took a little while for me to understand the intention of this exercise and properly execute it. As you can see in my first few trials, I wasn’t using the unique overlapping to its fullest potential and was coming up with what could be considered boring shapes where the outlines of the original shapes were a bit too obvious and basic. As I figured out the endless options I had even amongst just one iteration, my new shapes finally began to form with a more intentional purpose.

 

 

 

Adobe Illustrator Exploration

We played around with Adobe Illustrator on the ipad by designing a couple prompted objects like a moon or the letter “H” in order to get the hang of the functions within the program, especially the shape builder tool. Following this we were instructed to create an intentional group logo. The result wasn’t amazing but we worked with our quickly brainstormed ideas and newly learned skills in a small amount of time and the result was not too bad for a first trial. This was definitely a really fun part of the exercise and was a great practice in collaboration with others.

 

Next, we began to employ lines and points in addition to our new shapes in order to work with the use of design principles. We picked a principle and then tried to portray it using the three elements of our shape, line, and point in both static and dynamic formats.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Iterations

When coming up with the final iterations of this project, it was important to keep in mind that sometimes to achieve the principle I was attempting to portray, less is more. I started off with a few compositions but none of them were fitting the mold I wanted them to. I really wanted to display a combination of movement and contrast. That being said, my final two compositions were accomplishing this most to my eye. The removal of shapes using shape builder in Adobe Illustrator was extremely easy and created the exact effect I was going for. I ultimately ended up choosing the bottom left iteration because I liked the way the shapes worked together as one whole piece to boast a feeling of alignment along with the contrast the negative space automatically provides. It also has a balanced combination of straight lines and curves making it visually interesting.

 

Production

I began by cutting out the 8×8″ squares in both black and white. This took several attempts in order to ensure proper 90 degree angles, straight edges, and of course the correct measurements. Although tedious, this step could not be overlooked as it is the base of the entire rest of the composition and if cut incorrectly, it could throw off the intention of the design. Following that up, I began to decide how I was going to go about scaling my digital design to the paper version without error. I decided to do a combination of two things. First I drew a grid onto a square of card stock in the coordinating opposite color than the background I was working with. This allowed me to turn the grid on my Adobe version and manually place the points at the same location on my paper. I also selected each shape to get the specific measurements and used these as another confirmation of accuracy. After cutting everything out using my snap off blade, I pieced everything together and glued them to the background. I found some error in this step with excess glue staining the paper and how I pasted the shapes slightly crooked so I did another variation to clean up my craft. It came out much cleaner and final looking.

 

Final

 

 

The shape grammar project was helpful in a variety of ways but I think what was instilled in us most was the value of precision and accuracy; two things that should be held to the highest level of importance as we continue to develop as designers. Over the course of producing several final versions, my craftsmanship improved each time until I was satisfied with the result. As I reflect on how the project went, I noticed that I learned a lot about the purpose of what seems to be an insignificant exercise. For instance I was at first lost as to why we were cutting out basic shapes, but as I began to create new forms out of pre-existing ones, the concept all seemed to make sense. Sometimes we need to come from the most basic level as a jump off point in order to decipher the most interesting ideas for a final result. I’d like to consider this project as a baseline for where I can start and hopefully see major improvement as we move forward with other assignments. I think I could be more open to not settling for the first design I come up with. I tried to avoid this with the shape grammar project but I know I could always do more. I am excited to have completed my first official project and cannot wait to see how I can continue to apply all that I learned in future projects and disciplines.

 

View the final project at Shape Grammar: Final

Research

We began this project by diving into what constitutes a “good” or “bad” design and what that means to us. The conversations in class sparked agreement, disagreement, and most importantly a good look into the minds of the peers I’ll be working side by side with over the next year. To define what I personally consider a good or bad design I gathered information from articles and videos on the topic. Ultimately, I found that a good design is useful, efficient, and always pulls from a variety of design principles. I discovered that often times less is more and to always hold your target audience at the highest level of importance.

 

Good vs. Bad Design Comparison:

A design you feel is “good”

I think this is a good design because it takes two products that are used extremely often and combines them to be that much more functional. It is extremely practical because it eliminates the use of multiple dishes and even shortens the process of draining and returning the food back to the pot. I have one of these personally and it has come in handy. Overall, a great design improvement. The designers definitely had user efficiency in mind. 

 

 

 

 

 

image source

 

A design you feel is “bad” design

The symbols on this washer are far too vague to the point where it is a hassle for the user to depict. Too many of them are very similar and could easily be confused with another function which could result in ruining articles of clothing. Any design that is making a task more difficult is automatically “bad” in my opinion.  

 

 

 

 

image source

 

A design you do not like but are reticent to admit you do not like it

I think the design of this can isn’t cohesive enough. It clearly appeals to some and sells the product well enough, but it isn’t as aesthetically pleasing as it could be designed in order to get to their target audience. This drink has become popular amongst teens and young adults who typically find satisfaction in things having a certain aesthetic. I think these cans could be re-imagined and could become a more visually appealing product. 

 

 

 

image source

 

A design you like but are embarrassed to admit you like it

I wouldn’t by any means consider this a bad design but if each piece were individually represented it would get the point across better. It is cluttered and is distracting from the main advertisement. You must look extra hard to find the key information. However, what I like about it is the playful mix of fonts and the color palette. It is very visually appealing to my eye, and I like it as a whole, even though it may not serve the best purpose as an informational poster. 

 

 

 

 

 

image source

 

Reading notes:

• Aesthetics change so frequently but can still fall into categories that appeal to different eyes and succeed in certain instances and not in others  
• Do not innovate for the sake of innovation 
• User enjoyment through user enablement 
• Your design should reflect the character and the purpose of the design
• Keep designs adaptable 
• Bad design can be visually appealing but fail to serve a purpose or can mislead or completely miss the target audience  
• Experience is the best way to become “a good designer” like anything else  
• An open mind for building knowledge and the willingness to learn new techniques and style is extremely important  
• Usability and communication are key

 

Sources

https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/dieter-rams-10-timeless-commandments-for-good-design

https://www.manypixels.co/blog/post/bad-design

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYZwBDlK8Sg

 

 

Iterations

In order to develop my bio page, I created a few sketches to brainstorm layout, hierarchy, and overall rhythm. I also took some notes during our class discussion regarding what makes this first impression of ourselves successful. Many of my initial sketches I now see were a bit too over the top and distract from the main purpose of the about me page.

Notes on a successful bio page for designers:

• A professional bio matters a lot when it comes to winning jobs, assignments or client support 
• Promotes your own attributes and why you’re the most useful and why it should be you they pick for a job 
• Displays key skills and experience  
• A humble introduction is a better way to have people remember you and your name rather than diving right into your creative visions or ideas