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Research:

With this project being centered around the game of chess, it was top priority to understand the game itself and also the pieces that are used to play the game. Throughout this process we played chess during class and even did a jeopardy game that helped us understand how the pieces work. Each piece has its own physical reference as to how to use it, which became a key factor to think about when ideating for our own chess pieces.

Exercise:

 

In this exercise, we were challenged to each make a piece that would connect with the other group member’s pieces in order to create a top, side and other side view of the form.

In our group, we decided we were going to make a tree. Each of us chose a side to make and then we connected our individual pieces together. The picture on the left shows our outcome.

What we learned from this is that all pieces of a single form need to work together and have the same measurements so that each side of the form makes the piece a whole 3D shape. As you can see, we did not communicate about any measurements or dimensions, making our final product disproportionate.

 

Ideation:

• As a group we immediately started brainstorming a ton of ideas that came to mind just on instinct. Since we had the three-way chess board, it was difficult to come up with ideas that would work in three different ways. As you can see in the pictures below, we had a wide range of ideas that didn’t really work together like we had hoped. Part of being in a group project is compromising with one another, we dealt with this pretty heavily as we wanted to all do something completely different.

• After tons of conversation, we decided to do thunder, rain and lightning as our theme for the chessboard. This was something that all of us had our own interests in but also knew that it would be a challenge to create pieces of abstract things. We began mind mapping as a group to understand how to approach this theme.

• I chose to do rain for my pieces as I had an interest in exploring how to show something that is clear but also can be physically touched and experienced by living things, especially humans and how we interact with water/rain. This was a bit of a challenge trying to understand how I was going to make these abstract ideas into physical/literal things.

Concept Statement:

With the checkmate project, my group focused on the components of a storm: thunder, lightning, and rain.  Each component corresponds to a bodily sense; for instance, thunder-sound; lightning-sight, and rain-touch.  As my side of the board centered around the movement and feeling of rain. Using the elements of shape, form and color to represent the ways in which rain is seen through the eyes, whether that be the movement in the way rain falls from the sky and what ways humans interact with water. The pieces are meant to be seen as sitting in water across the chessboard, emphasizing the idea that rain is a liquid, although it is a literal thing that someone can touch, it is also a very abstract subject as only the sky can control when and where rain falls. Each piece has its own meaning as to why it correlates to the actual chess piece that it was chosen for. Through color, the pieces put the viewer in a feeling of coolness yet makes the mind think about their own experience of watching rain fall.

Production:

Final Product: Thunder, Rain, and Lightning

Reflection:

Personally from the beginning I was not a fan of this project. My group and I got the three-way chessboard which made the approach to this design even more challenging and definitely took a ton of communication and brainstorming. Although we had a lot of great ideas, I do think though that our decision to stick with our thunder, rain and lightning theme was for the best because it pushed us to think in ways that maybe none of us had really approach design with. This project definitely came with its challenges as the laser cutter was completely booked up for the rest of the semester and we were scrambling to come up with new ways to construct out pieces. I was excited to make the pieces out of a new material such as wood or chipboard but due to the limitations I stuck with paper and it honestly I think was the better decision. I was able to paint the pieces exactly how I wanted which made them stand out on the board but also work really well with my peers’. I’m still not super confident with my crafting skills but with the last minute changes I think I was able to pull off what I wanted to!

Link to Portfolio Project: Checkmate

Research:

 

In our beginning research, we talked a lot about how the ‘container’ or ‘wrapping’ of a gift is just as important as the thing inside. We also discussed different mechanisms that intrigue the recipient to actually open the gift.

 

• When giving a gift to someone it is important to know some key aspects of that person to truly know what things they are interested in and what gifts would be beneficial for them. There is nothing worse than giving someone a gift and them not liking it, you want to give something that has meaning and purpose.
• I interviewed my mentor as a way to get to know her and what things make her who she is today. The notes below show the information I gathered during our discussion.

• Once I did some information gathering from my mentor, I began mind mapping what I wanted her gift to represent/what function did I want it to have? Her personality really shined through during the interview so I wanted to reciprocate that through the gift.

Exercise 1: Best Gift I’ve Received

Exercise 2: Creating A Container

Iterations:

Concept Statement:

My mentor, Mollie, is a unique individual that has a sweet, rustic eye for interior design with a focus on cozy spaces that warm the body. Through my communications and information gathering with her, it seemed that every topic we discussed led back to her relationship with her boyfriend who is a United States Marine. She shared with me that their relationship started just a couple weeks before he got deployed for training. While he was deployed they would write letters back and forth to each other, she explained that the foundation of their relationship truly was made within each and every letter they shared. Unfortunately those letters have been stored away in a shoebox and haven’t seen the light of day since she opened them during his deployment. Once I was given that information, I knew right then that I needed to make something that gave those letters their own special space. I decided to use color and scale to bring emphasis to the feeling those special letters gave to Mollie whenever she would open and read them. Whether she was missing him or simply came home after a stressful day, I wanted the letters to be seen at all times in order to bring that warm, comforting feeling back to her heart. This gift is a perfect symbol of the design quote I chose for this project which was, “Every good design starts with an even better story”. Their love story was used as the basis of this entire project and was a constant reminder as to why I made it the way that I did. The viewing of these letters tells the story from within which makes the design complete.

Production:

 

 

 

In order to glue the pieces of acrylic together, I had to use a special mixture of glue and chemicals that are used together to actually weld the acrylic to itself. The glue would melt the acrylic just enough to where it melted together, making it impossible to detach.

I taped all of the pieces together to get an idea of how they would all stand up and be connected. By doing this, I was able to hold the pieces together while doing the gluing process.

I would drip just a couple drops of the glue in the seams of where the acrylic touched. This glue spreads rapidly as it searches for any open pockets to fill. This is why the pieces were extremely sturdy and had no room to move or break.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had to tape the walls as shown in the picture so that the glue did not grab onto the tape compared to the previous photo above.

I learned this through the gluing process as the first time I began gluing, the tape began to stick to the acrylic as the glue had found the tape during its spreading process.

I knew the walls were completely square because they were sitting in the groove in the bottom sheet of acrylic that I had made in illustrator before cutting it out with the laser cutter.

 

 

 

 

Final Product:

Reflection:

I absolutely loved this project and everything I was able to create throughout the process. I am definitely the most proud of this project because I think it shows just how far I’ve come from the beginning of the year. I had no idea I could make something like this but I’m so happy I tried. I’ve never used acrylic before so it was a little intimidating to think that it might not work the way I want it to but I still attempted the challenge with my best effort and it truly shows. I loved the story behind this design from the very start and it flourishes in its spot at my mentor’s home which is exactly what my intention of the whole design was. In the process, I really pushed myself to sketch out my ideas more and understand more deeply how things were going to functionally work. This was the best decision I’ve made and I wish I would’ve started doing this earlier in my design foundations year but I know now what I didn’t know then and I think that is huge progress in itself. I know my abilities and I’m only more excited to learn/grow even more past this project.

Portfolio Project Link: Gifting Design 

Research:

 

We got the opportunity to go to the Thompson library and look at a variety of different pop up/dynamic pages books. This was actually really interesting and I felt that seeing the endless amounts of ways to approach dynamic pages was extremely beneficial, especially when it came to our brainstorming process.

Seeing the different ways each author used to tell their story was helpful in keeping our ideas flowing with possibilities that we wanted to pursue within our own project. There really wasn’t any big restrictions with this project which is why I think it was easier to really think outside the box about our project’s concept and possible narrative that we wanted to tell.

 

 

Exercise:

In this exercise we listened to 5 different instrumental songs and we were tested to visually show/draw out the sounds we heard in each song. Once our visual was created, we discussed what ideas or words came to mind when hearing the song. I really enjoyed this exercise because I felt like I was listening to music in a whole new way. My ears were picking out sounds that I probably wouldn’t have realized was its own part in the song, even though I’ve been in music for pretty much my entire life, this time I was able to see the rhythms and beats and pitches all in their separate lines but also together at the same time. Below is the visuals for each song that I would draw out while the song played.

Iteration:

 

After doing the music exercise in class, my partner and I decided it would be beneficial to do that same thing with the song we chose to use for our project. The song we chose is actually an original made by my partner Aaron. The name of it is “Don’t Leave Me Alone”. This was an interesting situation as he already knew what the song is about but I did not. So we used a combination of my thoughts and his to come to a conclusion about the message of the song and what we wanted to convey to our peers.

We created a list of feelings and idea descriptors to get our ideas down on paper that we were feeling/thinking while listening to the song. Then we came up with words that expressed movement but correlated with the feelings involved as well.

Starting off our ideas were very literal, we immediately knew we wanted to do something with couples and human interaction but it seemed too easy to figure out and understand. We really wanted the viewer to think about the message.

By making the list of descriptors, we landed on the idea of the sun and earth interaction. The earth depends on the sun to keep coming back around but the sun does not need the earth. We thought this was a great connection in expressing our thoughts and the meaning of the song.

 

 

 

Video Showing how the mechanism works: Path Movement

We decided that the most clear way to do this was to show the planets moving toward each other, once they reach a certain point where they are closest together is when the explosions start to occur. Emphasizing the idea that some people are better apart than they are together.

This mechanism is the outcome of part original and part research. It was important to have the planets slide around to show their movement in space but also to come together.

Resource Used: https://youtu.be/FDxHrMbe4U8

 

 

Video Showing how the mechanism works: Explosion Pop Up

The next step was figuring out how to do the explosion. It was important to both of us to show the calm atmosphere while the planets are separated. We believed that having each page be completely one solid color until the explosion showed peace and kept the viewer focused on the planet while it slid down its own path. Once the planets met together is when the colors would appear, trying to create a surprise for the viewer.

This was the most difficult part of the project because we wanted our pieces to work together and having the explosion in between meant we needed to compose our pieces connected to each other. As busy college students trying to navigate life and school we quickly realized that solution wasn’t going to work so we stayed to doing our own pages.

We wanted the explosion to be a quick pop up when viewers are least expecting it so the paper mechanism had to be smooth and fast. We landed on this mechanism, deciding that we would use the flames as the pop up. Having color on the inside and the solid color on the outside so it blended in with the main piece.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In class we learned how to make a simple pull tab that was used to uncover something. I knew I wanted to use this mechanism in my final page but wasn’t sure exactly in what way. Video showing how the mechanism works: Pull Tab Movement

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These are just some quick sketches and iterations of what we wanted the planets to look like. Both of us loved the black and white contrasting colors to portray the planets, emphasizing the differences in people that are together in a relationship.

The photos below show our sketch that we often referenced during production. I created these on the app procreate, so that I could have something visually to make decisions from. My side was the Earth while my partner chose the Sun.

 

 

 

 

 

Production:

 

 

I knew this path needed to be cut extremely well and even because in my practice one I found it was somewhat difficult to slide the mechanism down the path since my cutting had some hiccups within it. I learned that just the slightest difference in cut was going to get the planet stuck and not move swiftly. So I decided to use the cricket to cut the path and stars. This was the first time I had every used a cricket so I was learning how to use the app and how it looked on there wasn’t necessarily how it was going to cut out. A lot of trial and error went into this but I loved figuring it out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just like the mechanism I created earlier in this post, I recreated it but this time using bigger circles. I drew out two circles that were slightly connected in the middle. Cut out that shape as a whole then I folded them together where I had left them connected, so each side was now folded as you can see in the photo. This was connected to the planet and it slid down the path.

I really liked the simplicity of this mechanism but it is sometimes difficult to change the angle of the planet as it slides. I knew I would have to come up with some way to guide the planet, so I decided I would just leave the main cardstock open on the side where the tab was so it had free range to move. Since the path was see through I decided to put another piece of cardstock behind it so the viewer couldn’t see the table it was sitting on through the path.

 

 

 

 

 

I used the same mechanism as I had previously tested but this one was pulled outward instead of being pushed inward with the tab. This gave me the ability to put the explosion/fire on the inside of the mechanism so that when it opens, the fire will be facing out toward the viewer. This took some time to think about how the mechanism was going to work/how I wanted the affect to look but ultimately I was happy with my thought process of it and glad it worked the way I intended.

The photos to the left and below show how I constructed each piece.

 

 

 

 

The photos below show the pull tab I used to show the sparkle paper that shines through in the stars. Just like the pull tab I did in the practice one earlier in this post, I somewhat came up with this mechanism on my own. I needed something that I could use to ‘light up’ the stars but then could also hide once the explosion in the movement subsided. I decided doing the pull tab was the best way to do this so that when I pushed it down, the glitter would show but once I pulled the tab it brought the sparkle paper back up and hidden from the viewer. All pieces were made out of cardstock and tacky glue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Concept Statement:

In certain relationships, sometimes the individuals in those relationships just aren’t meant to be together. Whether that be their personalities clashing or different priorities, whatever the case may be we’ve all been in relationships where it’s best to be separate than it is together. In our project we wanted to convey that push and pull atmosphere that many relationships go through. The earth and sun are used to represent what it feels like to be in that relationship. The earth needs the sun for multiple reasons but the sun does not need the earth. We wanted to emphasize the idea that when the two planets are apart, there is a calmness as each planet is doing their own thing as they go down their own paths, but once they begin to come back together is when the chaos begins and the toxicity of the situation starts to affect the atmosphere around the pair. With the use of contrast in color we emphasized the balance of the planets while at the same time showing how vasily different and unique each individual is. The name of the song is called “Don’t Leave Me Alone”, the message in the song is about wanting to be near/with someone but knowing it is best to stay apart. 

Final Product:

Link to a video showing the pages work together: Movement Video

Link to original song used for the composition:

Reflection: 

I really loved our approach to this project, it was really interesting to go through the thought process together and see how each person approaches design in different ways. Luckily my partner and I tend to make our designs based off of our own personal lives so that really worked well for us when it came to brainstorming an abstract idea. Just like all partner or group projects you never know what may happen…even though my partner and I had great brainstorming and communication, things fell through between us making it difficult to fully extinguish the project that both of us would’ve liked to. In design I’ve learned that you have to be able to work around/with other people constantly and the control is not always in your hands. I think the last minute falling out between my partner and I got the best of us and we put our best effort in to create something that showed our thinking but at the end of the day I think both of us would’ve liked to redo the final composition, which is okay.

Link to Portfolio Project: Dynamic Pages

Research:

 

 

• When I was first introduced to this project I immediately started thinking of ways actors and actresses used a “mask” to portray a certain character or role. I wanted to research some ways that the movie industry masked their characters without actually using a facial mask that covered their true face.

 

 

 

• I also began to think of different masks that I have seen people wear in my community during the Covid-19 Pandemic, specifically in grocery stores. I had noticed throughout the entire pandemic how different masks showed different feelings. Some felt more structured and uncomfortable on the face while others were more loose and form fitting. Some masks were soft on the skin while others were like boxes stuck on the face with little to no movement.

 

• Each mask seemed to start forming its own personality and those personalities began to structure themselves around each person’s own personality. For example the one on the right makes the person look more welcoming and friendly versus the mask above looks scary and serious.

 

 

 

• The purpose of this mask is to portray a narrative that correlates to a pandemic. My partner and I brainstormed some ideas that we had about the covid-19 pandemic and tried to create connections with one another’s feelings and thought processes that both of us were going through at that time. Below are our beginning brainstorming and ideating about possible narratives/feelings that we wanted to convey in our project.

• Once we narrowed in on a narrative, we began brainstorming ways to show the feelings and emotions that each mask would portray. In our narrative we had a hero mask and a citizen mask. I chose to do the citizen because I really gravitated toward the meaning behind the citizen’s role in the pandemic while it was also super relatable.

Exercise:

 

• An exercise that we did in class started with a piece of paper and our narrative. During each round we would make something out of paper that added onto the main piece that we started with. The pieces that we were adding on were made to represent a feeling or message that we wanted to convey within our own mask. Each round we would pass our masks back and forth to each other and each partner would add something to the mask, and then give it back to its owner so the process could go again. We did this about 5 times, each time adding more and more.

 

• In this mask I wanted to portray someone that was beat up by the criminals that were running the streets (in our narrative), while also showing that these citizens don’t have a voice in what happens to the town.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• I took another shot at this exercise but this time I wanted to make something more geometric. After measuring out each shape’s width, height, and angles, I pieced each shape together as I purposely added the tabs to make sure all of them fit together. This was just a rough draft to get an idea of how the paper would mold to my face.

 

• I needed to make an area for the eyes, nose and mouth as those were key areas that I wanted to focus on in my final product of this project.

 

 

 

 

 

• This was very eyeopening and somewhat challenging as I had to learn all the measurements for my actual face and how to sculpt the paper so it would lay the way I wanted it to. Although it didn’t come out as well as I wanted it to, I knew it wasn’t going to be exact as I was using plain paper that wasn’t sturdy enough to keep shape. Again, this was just to get an understanding of how the paper worked and brainstorm possibilities for my actual mask.

 

 

Iterations:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I did some quick sketches to start getting my ideas down about how I wanted to portray the emotions of a citizen. The emotions I wanted to convey the most were scared, sad, and tired. I also wanted to create something that showed distress on the citizen. Whether that meant showing some sort of injury or using the mask to show emotion through the eyes/mouth. The sketches on the left are rough ideas that I used to begin thinking about their function and what they actually showed to the viewer.

 

I shifted my focus to the idea of a citizen’s skin cracking. Almost as if that hard shell that they had put on while going through the pandemic was becoming too heavy, as it broke apart showing their soft, fragile skin underneath.

I also thought about ways to visually show how the voices of citizen’s were shut down during the pandemic. Due to the covid-19 pandemic being so politically driven in the United States, the majority of community members chose to keep their mouth shut when it came to conversations about the pandemic.

 

 

I experimented with different materials to decide how I wanted to portray these ideas. In the picture to the left, I tested crackle paint on a piece of paper. The cracks came out visible but not nearly as big as I wanted them to be. As you can see in the picture, it is hard to even see the cracks as they were very small and little cracks in rows. I also tried putting the paint on elastic and it had the same effect.

I also tested tying different types of rope such as yarn, twine and cloth, so that I could put that over the mouth area, but none of them really satisfied what I was looking for. I started to rethink my idea of putting a cover over the mouth.

 

 

Since our narrative was based on an old western town, I wanted to incorporate something from the bandana my partner was using for his mask. I began to focus my attention on the white diamond looking shape that is shown in the picture on the left.

I thought about ways I could manipulate the shape and use it as the geometrical pattern on my mask. I began to really like this idea and wanted to experiment with ways I could incorporate the shape.

 

 

 

I loved the idea of using the geometric shape from the bandana in my mask. Even though the person viewing the masks won’t necessarily know the shape is from the bandana, it is a cool connection that my partner and I have within our masks.

So I began thinking of ways I could structure the shapes around the face. I was very excited about forming the shapes on the face so that although most of the face would be covered by the mask, there would still be areas where the human side shines through.

 

 

 

 

 

• I liked how this small prototype looked and was excited where I could take it with my mask but it just didn’t seem like it was going to stay in tact on the actual mask. That’s when I realized I could use the same shape but do multiple of them, each cut into their own piece as it would be easier to attach each one to the mask and create the sharp feeling I wanted to show.
• It was also really important to me to emphasize the hard shell citizens had to put on (metaphorically speaking) during the pandemic. As it was during a time of hostility, division, and a constant state of anxiety as no one truly knew what was happening and what the future was going to hold.

Narrative/Concept:

An old lonesome western town is rippled with crime and corruption. The law enforcement is paid off by the bandits and they run the streets doing as they will. They steal, murder, and destroy what they please. The townspeople are under great pain and have no power to stop the destruction of their beloved home. They are broken, burnt out, abused and lonely.

The routine of everyday life shifts into survival mode with no end in sight. The anxiety of what tomorrow may bring weights on the shoulders of each citizen as they wonder if they are the next victim. 

Until a masked hero rises from the locals! He starts to bring justice to the town. He is a light at the end of the tunnel as his presence begins to lend a hand to citizens, encouraging them to come out of their shells and resume their daily lives. Slowly but surely the hero gives a shimmer of hope for the citizens as they embark back into society. 

This mask seeks to use an analogy of an old western town to communicate the feelings we went through at the start of the pandemic by using two “characters”. A “towns folk” who represents the feeling we went through at the first lock down and stay at home order and a “hero” who represents the moment in time where we started to reintegrate ourselves back into society. The town’s folk character is this tired, lonely, and hopeless person who is fearful of the unknown future. What will life begin to look like? This “hero” character is someone who is strong and confident but most importantly prepared for taking on the virus.

Production:

 

I started my production process with a paper mache of my face as I wanted to use it as the base of my mask. It was really important for me to have a mask that fit the form of my face because my design involved my own facial features.

In this process I first had to put vaseline on my entire face so the paper would not stick to my actual skin. Then I used pieces of newspaper dipped in a mixture of glue and water. My mom helped place the newspaper pieces on my face and did 3 layers of paper total. Then once it was mostly dry I took off the mask and let it finish drying for 24 hours.

 

 

 

 

 

While the paper mache finished drying, I tested how the shapes I chose to use as the pattern on the mask would fit on this practice face. I wanted to make sure the placements of the pieces were exactly how I wanted them before actually putting together the final mask.

I played around with different angles I could place the pieces in but ultimately I came to the conclusion that emphasizing the sharp point on each piece was the best way to show the emotion I wanted to convey.

 

 

 

 

 

I shaped the paper mache mask using my exact-o knife and scissors to fit around my eyes and mouth the way I wanted it.

I also decided to paint the mask gold as I wanted to attempt doing the wabi sabi method. I thought that having the gold shine through the white triangles would emphasis the beauty of humans within.

The pictures on the left show each side of the mask as I wanted the angle of the mask on my face to be a bold statement. The mask is meant to give a glimpse of what is underneath… which appropriately is my actual skin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before gluing all the pieces down to the mask, I held them up manually to the mask as I made decisions about how I wanted to place each individual piece. It felt like very tedious work but I knew that each piece had its own part in creating the story I wanted to tell.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I decided after placing all of the pieces on the mask using a hot glue gun that I didn’t like the way the gold behind the pieces was shining through. It seemed like it just didn’t make sense for it to be there as I was already emphasizing the human face by using my own face and features.

So I decided to spray paint the entire mask white as I loved the all-white look of the mask. It seemed to really convey this uniform feeling but at the same time was sharp and clean, which I think truly made the piece stronger as a whole.

I used a reused popsicle stick to poke into the bottom of the mask. I chose this method because it seemed like the perfect way to ‘put on an act’. Just like how they used to do for people in theatre, holding the mask up to their face was a way to hide themselves from the world but also make a statement as well.

 

Final Product

 

Video I presented to my class for critique https://youtu.be/nZCmbOSTw3o

Reflection: 

This project was probably the most fun I’ve had in constructing a design. I really wanted to do something completely different than my normal approaches to design and I think I really pushed myself in thinking in new ways of construction. Even though I still stayed with using paper, I felt like my ideation process improved extremely as I really dived deep into ways I could show the emotions/feeling that I wanted. As I’ve learned in design, sometimes things don’t work out and you have to reroute in order to get the job done…my partner for this project ended up getting really sick within our last two production weeks and ultimately did not have a mask to present with me. This was challenging for myself because I was creating a mask that was supposed to work with another mask, without it I felt like the narrative was incomplete. So I decided to make a video that I could present to the class that was able to give them the full affect of what the story of our pandemic is and how the mask should be viewed. This ended up working really well and I’m super proud of the way I handled the setbacks.

Link to Portfolio Project: MaskUp

Research

Being introduced to this project was a bit intimidating as the spectrum was so broad and could be taken so many different ways. I looked at some inspiration pictures from commercials such as the one to the right but also looked at Pinterest to see what kind of variation there is with layering paper. I knew going into the project that I wanted to use the silhouette of a human as I feel it can really add to the meaning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

• I was introduced to a couple of sources that really helped me gain understanding of how to visually make something work without it having to be explained. I came back to these sources multiple times as I wanted to implement those techniques in my own work.
  • Geometry of Characters: https://youtu.be/i2tkCBFlXyc
  • A line is a dot that went for a walk: https://youtu.be/kQETpMy30fY

Exercise: Text-Figure, Ground, Closure

In this exercise I practiced using vectors, exploring positive and negative shapes and get experience with laser cutting or vinyl cutting technologies. Using my own initials, I picked a font and image that I could potentially “hide” in the negative space of the letter. I started by using Adobe Illustrator to make my vector design, then by connecting to the laser cutter I was able to cut out the design onto Bristol paper. Here is the link to view my iterations for this exercise, Exercise 1 Layers Iterations

Iterations

• Brainstorming
  • My first idea for this project was based on a child at Disney and what that means/looks like for a child. Incorporating the idea of depth I wanted to show how that child evolves over time in which they are now an adult taking their own child to Disney. Below are my initial brainstorming notes:

• Over the course of this project I struggled to unfocus my ideas. I had very specific ideas but it seemed that they were a bit too literal in my opinion. I kept brainstorming and continued to struggle with solidifying an idea. Then I began to reflect on my personal life and the things I was experiencing at that time. I began to get excited about my ideas once I got past this hurdle. I landed on the concept of falling in love and what that means for humans.

 

 

 

 

 

• I started with this very basic foundation for my design. I knew I wanted to implement the literal figures of a man and woman because it was relating to my own life in that time.

 

 

• I started playing around with ways I could show the non-visible connection between the two figures. This was harder than what I expected as the idea for my design was very abstract and the interpretation could definitely change based on who is viewing it.

 

 

 

 

**Due to my evolving idea and the brainstorming I had to do in order to portray meanings and feelings, I made multiple iterations. Please view the link provided to see the many iterations I made in order to reach my final design. Final Design Iterations

Concept Statement

Romance is a natural feeling that the majority of humans go through at least once in their lifetime. This design was created to resemble the chemistry and feelings the human body embraces during a time when they are ‘falling in love’ with someone. Using black and white card stock, this design takes the viewer on a journey to falling in love by providing representations of the raw feelings that occur from inside our bodies. The contrasting black silhouettes of the male and female capture a moment in time when the surrounding world seems to stop. The feeling of butterflies in the stomach create a patterned line originating from within each individual using principles that include movement, shape, and line. The transition between the cutouts in the white card stock and the 3D butterflies, resembles the feeling of coming alive as the butterflies dance through the scene. The use of line is also dominated in the area of the mind. On the female side, her mind is free flowing from one idea to the next while the male side is straightforward and set to its ways, representing how each gender has a different approach to what love is. Gestalt’s principle of ‘closure’ is depicted as the negative space between the two faces plays with the mind of the viewer. We know the figures are male and female even though they are missing hair or a complete face, while also acknowledging that as their heads join they create the shape of a heart even though we know as viewers it is not perfectly a heart. By unfocusing the viewer’s eye, the faces form together and create a candle in the center where they collide. This illusion ties the design together as a whole by bringing the idea of burning love between the two into full effect. Each feeling is used in various and specific ways to show the rollercoaster of what love is and can be. For those who have fallen in love before, seeing this design could bring back those butterflies in the stomach moments, while for others who might not have had this experience yet, it is a chance for them to get a visual idea of how it may feel when meeting that special person. 

Production

 

 

Using the laser cutter at the innovation studio, I was able to cut out each layer that I had set up using my Adobe Illustrator file. This was a big learning curve for me as I really had no knowledge of how to use the laser in relation to my files. Making sure my illustrator files had the correct settings and layout was fun but also stressful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once I had all the layers cut out, I cut an old cardboard box into thin rectangles so I could use them as spacers in between the layers of paper. By doing this it creates a feeling of depth as the paper is spaced apart from each other. I put glue on each side of the rectangles as they attached to the backside of each paper.

 

 

 

Final Product:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reflection:

• Overall I grew from liking this project, to hating it, and back to loving it. I really feel like I evolved as a designer with this project. The hardest part about it was how broad the topic of depth is and how much freedom we had to do whatever we wanted. I bounced around so many ideas and it became pretty overwhelming. But with the use of mind mapping and writing out my brainstorming process, it became easier to gather my thoughts.
• I’m really proud of this design. It fully represents the feelings I wanted to portray but in a wholesome way where each element looks and works smoothly with the other. My favorite part is the airy butterflies that flutter through space, I surprised myself with how well that worked out.
• I also worked really hard with figuring out the negative space this piece made. I struggled with the exercise for this project and I was determined to get a better understanding of how I can use negative space to my advantage in designs. The candle with a flame above it that sits in the negative space of the two figures’ faces is a great aspect that just adds more meaning to the story of the design.

Link to Portfolio Project: Layers: Deep Space

Research:

When introduced to this project I immediately thought of how many styles and ways notebooks are made. But I also thought of reasons why I don’t like buying ones from the store…such as having the same lined paper throughout the whole book, the binding gets annoying once the book has been used, the covers get flimsy and bent in your book bag…the list could go on and on.

I’ve never really been the type of person to sketch or doodle and honestly never saw the purpose in doing it. Below are some sources I used to educate myself on sketching and my biggest takeaways from the material I learned.

• TedTalk: Doodlers Unite
  • I learned that doodling is actually supposed to make yourself think and stops you from losing focus. Although the social norm of doodling is looked down upon, it impacts the way we can process information and how we can solve problems. There are four ways to make a decision, visual, auditory, reading/writing, and kinesthetic. As someone who is extremely indecisive, I learned through this project how to make decisions for my sketchbook primarily from doodling.
  •  https://www.ted.com/talks/sunni_brown_doodlers_unite?language=en 
• Reading: Sketching as Design Thinking
  • I learned that sketching is a tool for visual thinking, as it creates and envisions a physical example of what used to be a thought. There are even different types of sketches, these include…
    • draft
    • detailed
    • proportionate to the end result
    • monochromatic
    • geometric abstractions of use of space and text
    • doodles and scribbles
  • I had no idea how many ways someone could “sketch”. The idea of sketching always scared me because I never knew what was appropriate or needed to be put down in order for it to be considered a ‘sketch’, in my mind sketching is all about drawing something and because I’m not good at drawing I always avoided the idea.
  • https://osu.instructure.com/courses/117283/modules/items/7649737 

Exercise:

In this activity we created mini sketchbooks out of a single piece of paper. Below is the tutorial I used to create the mini sketchbook.

 

 

 

What I learned:

• After making the sketchbook I found that there were some elements I liked and disliked.
• I did not like how some of the pages were still connected to each other (folded on the outside edge which made the page super thick) while others were loose and single pages.
• I did like how I was able to use a single piece of paper to make the product, that opened my eyes in seeing how I could recycle and reuse products that I probably wouldn’t have expected to complete the job.

 

 

 

 

 

• Once we finished making the sketchbook, we practiced making quick sketches in our books using the prompts given to us to doodle about. This helped myself visually see how quick brainstorming is super beneficial. I ended up really liking how I could get all my thoughts down onto paper and physically see how things correlate with one another. I also experimented with explaining things without using words which is something I’m not very familiar with.

Iterations:

Brainstorming what I want in a sketchbook:

• I began my process by getting together almost an inspiration board of the elements and feeling I wanted my sketchbook to have. I wanted it to somewhat resemble my personality and who I am as a person. Below are some notes I used to begin my idea of what the sketchbook could include.

 

 

 

• Then I began mind mapping all the features that a sketchbook has. Basically getting all the main parts down on paper so I could begin to think about how I wanted to manipulate those features to where they are satisfying and useful for myself in my own sketchbook.

 

 

 

 

• I created a step by step brainstorm of what each feature of the sketchbook is and options for each feature underneath it. I found that this was one of the most beneficial things I did throughout this project, as I continuously came back to these notes during my iteration process. It was a great way for me to visualize my thoughts and make decisions quickly of what I wanted or didn’t want.

 

• I decided that having a sketchbook that worked like a binder was exactly what I wanted. I loved the aspect of being able to take a piece of paper out and move it or do whatever I wanted and then once I was finished with it I could put it back into the book without any issues. I also thought it was the cleanest way of making a book…unlike regular notebooks the binding either gets messed up and starts to undo itself or it sometimes just doesn’t even go back together. I wanted my book to be functional and durable.

 

• Below are the visualizations I wanted my book to have…I began brainstorming the requirements of the project and how I wanted to personalize the book.

 

• I moved to using a vector format so I could get a better idea of how the book was going to look but also understand measurements and how all of that could play out. I found a lot of my measurements by going through my own books at home and seeing which sizes I liked the most and felt nice in my hand. I used Adobe Illustrator to create these artboards.

 

• Binding:
  • I tried a couple different techniques that I could use to bind my book together. I really wanted the rings to have a small detail on the outside of the book but not completely on the outside as I have found having the rings stick out makes it easier for damage. I played around with scrap pieces of paper and metal rings to create prototypes for binding.

 

• Once I found the binding method that I wanted to use, I began estimating measurements for where the holes for the rings would go. I used Adobe Illustrator to transfer those measurements and make sure everything aligned correctly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Connecting the book together:
  • I decided to tear apart a binder I already had and use the chipboard that was inside the plastic lining. In design we have learned that finding reusable sources and being able to be environmentally friendly while paying attention to cost of materials is a big part of being a designer.
  • I experimented with ways I could connect the binder together using my own materials. I found with the binder that I tore apart, that the chipboard pieces were connected together using melted plastic. I had to make sure the material I chose was going to bend like thin plastic would, I thought of using tape as it is flexible and somewhat sturdy.

Production:

Constructing the base: 

• Using the laser cutter at Hopkins Hall and the Innovation Studio, I was able to cut out the front, back, and side covers for my book, using the recycled chipboard from a previous binder. I also cut out the holes for the rings at this time as well. I set all the measurements in Adobe Illustrator, then we connected to the laser to make sure everything cut where it needed to.

•  Once everything was cut out, I applied modge podge on the chipboard and wrapped the board in thin wrapping paper. I did this using one whole sheet of the wrapping paper for the outside of the book. With the excess paper on the edges, I wrapped those inward to create the flush look. Then I flipped the book and did the same process on that side.

Adding the Necessities:

• I wanted to create my own pocket for inside the front cover. I used the measurements of my book and made some estimations based off of the placement on the book. Then I drew out somewhat of a blueprint of the pocket using the skills I learned in Design Foundations in Autumn 2021. Then using a cutting knife and self healing mat, I was able to cut out the drawing out of cardstock and used glue to fold the paper into a pocket.

Final Product:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meaning behind this Sketchbook: 

I really wanted this book to be a resemblance of who I am as a person. I’ve always been told I have an old soul, I wanted to implement that into this book with the natural looking cover and the vintage vibe the book gives off. I feel like the elements I included very much speak to my aesthetic. I always need to be organized so I added the post it notes and pocket knowing that I will definitely use them quite often. My hidden element is my family’s motivational quotes. I talk to them every day and they are a big reason why I work so hard. They have been my biggest cheerleader in this dream of mine and having their handwritten words in my sketchbook means a lot to me.

What I learned from this project:

• This was a huge learning curve for myself. I have never used a laser cutter before and had no idea what I could even use it for. I took a lot of chances in this project which isn’t normally how I like to do things. Every day it felt like I had no idea what I was doing but at the same time I did. I learned that having confidence in yourself during the design process is really important and will ultimately help yourself in making your designs.
• Due to not having much experience with the laser cutter, it was difficult to find a comfortable spot with it. Looking at my final product, I’m not completely disappointed because I know it was a learning process but I definitely think I should’ve spent more time testing with the laser as the final design on my book cover looks blurry and hard to see due to the affects of the laser…I now know what it looks like to fill the lettering!
• Another aspect of this project that was a learning curve was the time management and how to adjust when things don’t go as planned. We had a snow storm during production week which caused us to not be in class for a couple days. This forced me to make back up plans due to not being able to get to the laser but also to realize that panicking in the moment will not help but instead cause rushed work that doesn’t look as good as it could be.

Link to Portfolio Project: Sketchbook

Research:

• As part of our research on mashups, we listened to this podcast that is centered around the act of cutting and pasting different pieces together.
• For example, the story that was most talked about in the podcast was “Pride and Prejudice + Zombies”. Neither of these really go together but by dissecting each piece and putting together unique parts, a story/narrative begins to form.

 

• I also did some of my own research on ways to visually show the action of something. Below are examples that I found…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exercise 1:

 

 

 

 

1. We chose a font that we feel represents some aspect or quality of our personality.
2. Then, we transferred this text to an isometric grid and created an extruded 3D isometric illustration of our name/initials.
   Testing methods of drawing by using different tools in Illustrator.
3. Experimented with line weight, color, value and fill variations.

 

 

 

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Iterations:

 

 

1. I started off by making a list of mashup words that consisted of a noun and adjective/verb.

 

 

 

2. Then I began brainstorming ways I could visually show the definition of each word. I’ve often found in my design thinking/process that I easily become attached to my first ideas and struggle with thinking beyond what my first idea was. I noticed this within myself and wanted to work on pulling out bigger and more unique ideas/ways to create a design that I actually cared about and had some personal connection. I’ve realized over the semester, that by creating my own personal connection with each project, it inspires me more and helps my creativity shine.

 

3. I began thinking about people/things that are important to me and my personality. I instantly thought of music, my favorite singer being Beyonce because of her girl power and independence that radiates to people all over the globe. This was an idea I was becoming excited about. The word I decided to use is BEYPOWER

4. Then I started to brainstorm ways that I could resemble Beyonce in all her glory but also show the powerful aspect of it as well. I decided that having each letter be manipulated into a specific object or idea would help the viewer understand who the artist is but also what she represents in our society.

 

 

 

5. I began playing with the manipulations on the letters and quickly began to realize that manipulating each letter felt too busy and did not give the vibes that I was hoping to portray onto the viewer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. I moved on to realize that maybe actually showing who the word is about would bring more clarity to the viewer but also the definition of the word as well. But still adding slight aspects to the figure so that it is still embodying the meaning of the whole word.

 

 

 

 

 

Getting the Idea Together

• I wanted the figure to be extremely simple as it is only working to be a helpful tool for the viewer when trying to figure out what the word is consisted of and who it relates to.

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Production:

Reflection:

• This project was definitely an interesting time for me. I really wanted to conquer the challenge of doing this project digitally as I have always had this desire to learn how everything works. But at the same time I felt like I bit a little more off than I can chew for this project as it was very stressful trying to learn how to use Adobe Illustrator on my iPad and desktop while at the same time creating a design that is strong.
• Another part of this project that I’ve had to learn to adjust to was time management. I think the stress of trying to get this project done took away from my ability to truly explore and dig deeper into my abilities to portray what I truly wanted to portray.

Link to Portfolio Project: MashUp

Research (Pattern):

Finding Inspiration with Abstraction:

• In this research activity we collected 10 images of natural forms and 10 human-made mechanisms. Using line drawing techniques and digital applications, we analyzed each form using proportion/size, direction/line, component/shapes, value (which are the 4 lines of my own hand drawn abstractions under each picture).

 

Natural Forms

Human – Made Mechanisms

My Own Research on Mandalas:

• I decided to do some of my own research on mandalas as I wasn’t familiar with their history/purpose. In my research I found that there are 3 different types of mandalas including, teaching mandalas, healing mandalas, and sand mandalas. Source: https://www.invaluable.com/blog/what-is-a-mandala/
• I really gravitated towards the ideas that the healing mandala represents such as it delivers wisdom, restores peace and calm, and it enhances concentration and focus. These are ideas that I constantly live by on a daily basis and felt like I would enjoy making my own healing mandala. Source: https://optimistminds.com/healing-mandala/

Inspiration Photos of Healing Mandalas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exercise 1:

 

• In this exercise, I selected 2 abstractions from my research collection (1 natural and 1 human made). On a single 3 inch square, I drew and combined these abstractions in illustrator. Then repeated this square for a total of 9 times to create 9” x 9” patterned grid design.
• I experimented with rotation of grid squares to enhance and change pattern and movement within the grid. While also playing with line weight, value, and fill variations.
• Compositional Principle Used = Directional Movement

 

 

 

Research (Color):

• As I explained in my previous research section, my focus of this mandala is healing. Once I decided that I wanted to do the healing mandala, I did some research on the specifics of healing mandalas as I was curious if color played a role in them.
• Below is the information I found about color portrayal in healing mandalas. Source = https://optimistminds.com/healing-mandala/
  • • White = heals ignorance & unawareness, replace it with wisdom
    • Yellow = heals pride & replaces it with oneness and completion
    • Red = heals emotions of fear & attachment in individuals and replaces it with freedom and confidence
    • Green = heals jealousy & replaces it with unconditional love and positive regard
    • Blue = heals anger in individuals & replaces it with self-expression and intuitiveness

 

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Iterations (Pattern):

Making the Template

• I started off with making 3 rough sketches of grids that I could use for my mandala. I started very busy and gradually decreased the line work in my grid, bringing it down to a more simplified version. As I played around with how I wanted to convey my compositional principle of direction, I found myself creating a grid that looks similar to a star. In my research, I found that healing mandalas often start with a dot in the middle as it symbolizes a blooming of growth. So I tried to keep that same idea in my own grids.

Experimenting

• In this phase of the process, I began playing around with the different abstractions I could use in the mandala. This took a lot of time and experimentation as I found that my abstractions didn’t quite work well together. Trial and error became my best friend in this process.

 

 

 

In this draft I wanted to create a variety of ‘textures’, as the abstractions I was playing with symbolized to me the idea of growth such as the ovals in the middle starting small and gradually becoming big. While also including the tree branch looking abstraction that looks as if the lines are growing outward.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A key suggestion I was given was to lower the stroke width on my lines, the reason for this is so that the lines don’t seem permanent, by doing this it helps me as the designer not get stuck on one idea but to open the possibility of changing up the grid if I wish. In this draft I continued to experiment with the abstractions and how I could show direction.

Although I felt like my abstractions were starting to come together, I felt that the grid was holding my design back, as if the grid was too basic. So I decided to keep the same format but mature it.

 

 

 

 

 

I used the radial tool in Illustrator to create my idea of having each ‘arm’ standing as its own. Keeping the space in between each as a way to break up the busyness. When I think of the process of growth, it is not always straightforward, there are setbacks and there are opportunities, both allow for growth in their own ways. This is what I wanted to convey through this mandala.

By using the blue grid lines in Illustrator, it helped my grid become more clean and symmetrical, this also helped me see how my abstractions could fit within the grid more evenly. This draft shows the beginning of how I inserted certain abstractions that worked well with the grid I created.

 

 

 

 

In this draft, it felt as if my abstractions were really coming together within the space that each was set in. I experimented with repetition in abstractions, line work and even a little bit of color value. The mandala was slowly coming together and only needed a couple more tweaks.

 

 

 

 

Iterations (Color):

 

• In my first color mandala draft, I wanted to portray the typical colors that are used in healing mandalas. Using the Adobe Color website, I played with variations of these colors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• In my second color mandala, I did the same colors used in my first draft but instead heightened the brightness in each of the colors, experimenting how the feeling of the mandala would change based on the brightness of the colors.

 

• In my third color mandala draft, I wanted to focus specifically on one of the five colors that are typically used in healing mandalas. I decided to focus on blue. I also used the Adobe Color website to find the color variations that I wanted to use.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Production (Pattern):

Abstractions Used:

Reflection:

• I had a lot of fun experimenting with these abstractions. In the beginning I really struggled with how I was going to combine them together to create something that is wholesome yet unique and pleasing to the eye
• After looking at the final product I am happy with how my ideas came together, even though it was a long process in figuring out how to use Illustrator.
• I feel that I could’ve made more improvements especially by using the abilities that Illustrator has, but as I mentioned before this project was very much a learning curve. I’m excited for upcoming projects as I now know the basics of illustrator and how using layers is always important!

 

Production (Color):

Color Harmony #1: Square 

 

 

Color Harmony #2: Monochromatic 

 

Reflection:

• I really enjoyed getting the opportunity to explore what color can do not just in our mandalas but also in society and everything that we as humans interact with on a daily basis. I never realized how color can completely change our views or perspectives on something simply with a change in value or brightness of that same color
• If I could go back and change something on my final mandalas, it is that I wish I would’ve thought a little more abstractly. I feel that a lot of the abstractions that I used were basic which made my final product basic as well. For lack of better words, I would’ve liked to take bigger risks with my abstractions and been more comfortable going outside the box of what a mandala usually looks like.

Link to Portfolio Project: Patterning and Abstractions 

Research:

Postcard Activity

• One of the first activities we did in class was about making a postcard for a certain destination on campus, I chose the Brutus Buckeye bench in the Ohio Union.
• Words to Describe this Location:
  • • feels like home
    • a place for people to make memories
    • everyone stops at this bench to take a picture with Brutus (travelers, touring, future students, alumni)

 

Group Activity: Slow Looking

• The goal of this activity was to take a certain route to any destination on campus starting from Hayes Hall, and then take a different route on the way back to Hayes Hall. We chose Mirror Lake as our destination.

 

• Observations of 1st Path:
  • • Busy (people walking all over in different directions)
    • the red brick underneath our feet
    • People socializing and relaxing in nature
• Observations of 2nd Path:
  • • Air feels refreshing on our skin
    • Transition of multiple types of materials underneath our feet
    • Animals and sunlight create a feeling of peace

 

 

 

Observing Different Types of Maps

• In class we looked at 6 different styles of maps to get inspiration on what we could input into our own maps. This activity was helpful in the way that it opened many doors and ideas for how I could put this map together and make it readable for anyone who decides to go on my path.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Exercises:

1: Poetic Instructions for Path to Destination

• Key Sentences:
  • • “The sea of people ramble through North Oval, scurrying to get to their next class.”
    • “As I walk by Hughes Hall, the music from within tickles at my ear only to faintly recognize the song.”
    • “The big, bushy trees on my right hand side silence out the noise of the world but the construction on my left hand side rattles in my ear.”
• To view the full document of written and poetic instructions, click the link:  Full Instructions

2: Image Compositions of Path

• The images in the composition are locations that you pass along the path that I originally chose. Not all locations are depicted on this composition as I changed which locations I wanted to represent in my final map.

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Iterations:

 

1. First Idea

• Each building on my path has a specific meaning to me and I wanted to show that within my map. So I used the symbol that alludes to that building’s meaning to me, as the actual building. Trying to convey that each location is not just a building, but a story behind each.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Second Idea

• After some brainstorming, I realized that the meaning of this map is really a walk down my childhood, and how multiple visits to OSU’s campus as a kid helped form my dreams and goals in life (especially having a growing love and aspiration to be a buckeye someday). So, I thought about how I could convey this childhood of mine. I took this idea quite literally and thought maybe having a female figure (representing myself) actually walking through my path.

 

 

 

 

3. Final Idea

• In this last ideation, I decided to go back to my original idea of using the buildings as a symbol, but this time in a different way. As I said, this path reminds me of my childhood, so I decided a way to show that childhood grow into adulthood is to use a literal figure that grows up as they pass each building.
• To take the idea a little further, I also manipulated each building to what someone from that certain age might view the buildings. For example, starting at Hayes Hall is a little child with their mother, Hayes is constructed out of wooden building blocks. Moving to Hughes Hall, the building already looks rectangular and it is the College of Music so I included a piano as the structure of the building.
• As you follow along this journey, each building slowly matures as the individual grows older as well.

 

 

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Production:

Ideations of Drawing

• I made multiple drawings of how I would want to depict the figures in the ‘scenes’ of each building. The photos shown are some of my brainstorming and attempts at drawing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rough Draft

 

Final Map

 

Reflection

• Overall this project was one that I actually enjoyed doing the process as I was able to really work through my ideas and thoughts and experiment what I liked more.
• I went through a lot of mental blocks as I would get stuck on one idea and didn’t know how else I could convey a certain feeling or idea. But I am proud of myself for working through those stuck moments and putting my best effort in.
• My biggest challenge was time and making sure I had enough time to do what I wanted on this project. Of course I feel like I could’ve been a little more creative when it comes to craft but this was my first time fully hand drawing everything on my own and that was a challenge just within itself.

Link to Portfolio Project: Space and Time Walk

Research:

• The majority of this project was purely my own research that was conducted throughout the designing process, as I explored and discovered new, improved templates and forms that would lead me to my final compositions.
• To the right is an example that was presented in our class lecture that really stuck out to me and became a common reference throughout the project.

 

 

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Exercise 1a: The Perfect Cube

Build a perfect 3″ cube out of white Bristol paper

 

 

 

Step 1: By using the template provided in class, I found each side’s measurements and translated them onto Bristol paper using my pencil and ruler.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 2: After I translated the template, using my cutting knife I cut each solid black line and scored each tag that was connected to the main shape. Then I used tacky glue to piece together the tabs with their corresponding sides (can be seen in the template image).

 

 

 

 

 

Final Product & Reflection:

• After completing the 3D cube, I was not happy with my product. The sides did not align well, there were holes or gaps in between the corresponding paper and ultimately looked nothing like a ‘perfect 3″ cube’
• I learned that some of the sides I did not score enough while on others I scored too much…this lead to unevenness throughout the entire form as each side was not able to smoothly connect to one another. This caused more length on one side of the cube which set off the rest of the sides.

 

 

Exercise 1b: 3D Prism

Construct a 3D Prism of the letter F

 

 

Step 1: Using the same process that was conducted in exercise 1a, I translated the provided template onto Bristol paper, although this time the template being a bit more complex. Originally, I did not know what shape the template was going to form so I had to use the solid lines, dotted lines and tabs to understand where each part was suppose to connect.

 

 

 

Final Product & Reflection: 

• Similar to my 3D cube form, I was not happy with the outcome of this exercise. I felt like my work was sloppy and could’ve definitely been done in a cleaner fashion. But I was aware that constructing this form without knowing what the final image of it would be, made the process of gluing it all together extremely frustrating.
• Not knowing which order you should be gluing each side down became a process in itself as I had to brainstorm a variety of different ways to put sides together without getting my own fingers in the way of each other.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exercise 2: Orthographic Drawings

Construct 1:1 scale orthographic drawings of the 3D form

• Using the isometric grid, I was able to create/visualize how the 3D form would look on paper. By drawing this form I was able to get a better perspective of the shape and also understand how the template of the form was created. I had to evaluate the elevations and angles the form had as the template was used to communicate those aspects of the shape. For example using the dotted lines on the ‘side view’ in order to show depth while the filled lines show that it is flat.

 

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Iterations

Creating the 3D Form

 

 

1. Choosing a Shape

Looking back at my shape grammar composition, I discovered a couple shapes within that I could possibly use for my 3D form. The shape highlighted in green is the one I chose to work with in this project.

 

2. Finding what I need

I decided to create a small prototype of the shape I chose to work with. By doing this I was able to see potential ways I could arrange the form to make it more interesting and complex. Although it does not look like much, this example was a great tool for exploring different paths I potentially could take with just a basic form. I used the isometric grid in my initial brainstorming as to how I would construct the form. Using this quick sketch, I was able to visualize what I needed to have in my template and decide measurements.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Brainstorming Ideas

Once the shape was chosen, I started thinking of ways that I could manipulate the form. I knew I needed to keep one side of the form its original shape but I could do anything I wanted with the 3 other sides. The image to the right consists of my brainstorming for how I could manipulate the shape and finding what the best approach would be.

 

 

4. Creation of 3 Rough Models

 

 

• Model #1: I visualized each side of the shape going in toward one central point. I measured out a 3 inch tab on each side of the basic form, thinking that because each side had the same measurement then they would all meet at the same point…I was wrong. This model is what I created by having the same measurement on each tab.

 

 

 

 

 

• Model #2: After my first attempt did not work as I had thought/planned. I used that model and added onto the back of it. I thought maybe it would be cool if the whole back of the shape slanted downward, acting as if it was a clean slate that could easily be slid down by a human (almost like a big, borderless slide). I added a triangle and rectangle onto the previous model to try and make my visualization come somewhat to life, just getting the general idea of what it could look like.

 

 

 

 

 

• Model #3: I decided to revisit my initial idea of having the tabs of the original shape meet at one central point. This time I measured the distance from each point of the shape to the middle (or halfway mark) of the shape. By doing this, I guaranteed that it was going to meet in one general area, even if the measurements were slightly off. This example shows my first attempt.

 

 

 

Creating the Template for Chosen Model:

• I decided to go with my model #3 as my final composition idea. I used the same method in creating the form but this time using specific measurements and angles that were symmetric to one another, assuring myself that the connecting sides would match in length and width.
• In this phase, I realized that putting a 2″ tab on the two angles that meet together in the middle of the original shape (sides K and H on the template), was not going to work as they would be overlapping each other on the template. So I moved the tabs to the long, top left and right tabs that are skinnier and act as the northwest side of the 3D form.

 

 

Product from this Practice Template: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• I learned from this product that my idea and solutions had worked and now it came down to perfecting the craft and making sure I had the correct measurements and angles so that I could create more copies of the exact form.

 

** TO SEE ADDITIONAL PERSPECTIVES OF EACH MODEL, CLICK THE LINK** Additional Perspective Images of Models

 

Creating the Modularity Option #1

 

 

Step 1: 

I chose to do option #1 Modularity as my second form. My original idea for this was to create 4 copies of my final 3D form and put them together so that the pointed sides all met together, almost looking like a pie. Once I had put the forms together, they did not connect to gather as well as I would have wanted. So I continued moving around the forms with my hands just to see how different sides would connect with each other.

 

 

 

 

Step 2: 

Since I used 4 rough 3D forms when brainstorming how I would connect all of them, it was a little difficult to fully visualize how the final modularity product would look but by taping them together, it became a little easier to understand.

 

 

 

 

Step 3:

My only obstacle with this form was how I would be able to keep it stable as the only connection these 4 forms had were with their edges. After some further thinking and experimenting, I concluded that adding a piece of scored Bristol paper in between the edges would add stability to the form while also letting the 4 separate forms lay somewhat loosely with their natural angle.

 

 

 

 

 

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Production:

FINAL TEMPLATE

FINAL 3D FORM COMPOSITION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FINAL OPTION FORM: MODULARITY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comparison of the two forms:

I now look at the first 3D form as only a piece, of the whole. The second composition (Modularity) makes me feel that the design has come full circle as it not only works together to become a complete shape but it also brings out negative space that adds to the piece’s entirety. The first form is very one directional but the second form disperses in multiple directions, almost reminding me of the planes that are shown in the movie, Star Wars, which I think is a cool way to think of it!

Reflection:

• I actually really enjoyed the process of this project. I was able to start and end this project all based on my own ideas and I surprised myself with abilities that I had no idea I have. Although, this was probably one of the most stressful projects I’ve done so far, I’m happy with the design that I came up with and produced.
• I’m still aware that my craft could and will get better with the more practice I get. But I am happy with my efforts and used what I learned from the previous project to help guide myself through this project. I pushed and stretched myself more than I ever have before and it ultimately made me feel more confident in the work I was doing.

Link to Portfolio Project: 2D to 3D Translation