Monday, February 27, 2012

Thursday, Feb. 23rd

  For class today we were to hand in all of our studies from the semester for our "rough draft" book due for midterms. This consisted of about 96 pages working with line and placement, type block and compositions, face variation, display faces, rules, blocks, bars, and image and texture. Between the short time of monday and thursday I didn't really go back into my studies to rework, mostly because I felt pretty comfortable from going back into them in the past after critique for my motion studies.
  

During class Dorian collected our studies for review as we worked to refining what we already had. I wanted to wait and see what he had to say about my studies before I began reworking them though.

We also were emailed our group critiques from our image and texture studies. I did horrible. I definitely plan on reworking and reanimating these for the weekend as well fixing my studies once I get them back. 

Monday, February 20, 2012

Monday, Feb. 20th

These motion studies have been a lot of fun to make over the weekend. I wouldn't say this time I was fun in after effects and making the compositions, but actually running into things while I was out and bout and taking videos! There was a lot of surprises that happened this weekend and at each of those times I had my camera ready. For example, late friday I was headed into the labs to find the academic center hosting the annual ligature show. I was so caught up in the previous week I completely forgot about this! I was really excited to stumble upon the show, and while I was there I caught some video footage that resembled one of my still studies from thursday. People kinda got freaked out once they figured out I was recording them but I thought even that reaction was kinda funny. Another surprise was a visit from my mawmaw! That was the best. Overall, great weekend.

Studies




For critique we did it a little bit different. We all emailed Dorian individual comments on each person's study, and apparently we are suppose to receive all of the comments back from the whole class. From the discussion we had in class I was slightly disappointed. I had so much fun making the videos buy the time I worked in the type it was an after thought and I guess it was shown. I didn't realize this until the critique though. I also learned about "continue rasterize" for type in after effects. That made me realize why my illustrator files were bluring my text when I moved it. Really happy to go back into my studies to fix this problem. And it will definitely make them more readable. Without even receiving back everyones comments I already feel like I took something away from this critique. Usually I feel really sleepy and can't wait for coffee., ha. 

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Thursday, Feb 16th

Last night was very very long as I was trying to finish up all of my work for my classes. Typography took the most time, like always, especially getting lost in all of the images that I could find on the internet.  I wish I would of had time to take my own photos, but the assignment didn't call for that and I had absolutely no time! I plan to actually make my own videos for my motion studies over the weekend though. Videos are difficult to find. Interesting ones defiantly are.

Arriving to school a little early, I chose to print on a different paper this time. Since we are working with color and images, printing on school paper with the lazer printer would take away from my work. I worked so hard I defiantly didn't wanna make the printing something last minute and not thought about.  

CRITIQUE:
We pinned our studies on the board as usual and started. All of us were to go and mark each one, "Fundamentally wrong, Just no, and YES (something is going right here)" Dorian later separated each out into these categories and explained why each one was in the pile, or had us explain because ultimately we were the ones who made the decisions. 

overall class critique:
FUNDAMENTAL/ JUST NO
- will you fight for it?
- title safe/action safe
- contrast
- no frame
- structure
- relation between type and image
YES
- even "yes's" have fundamental problems
- make clear of what you want it to function
- what would you sacrifice if you had this man studies as an art director?
- imagine studies working much better in motion
- let the image be spectacular, get type out of way. OR be more spectacular in the type and make it apart of gorgeous imagery


are you interested in the art or the image?
be more spectacular


Monday, February 13, 2012

Monday, Feb 13th

Over the weekend we were to create motion studies using the past studies when we used elements along with text. We were to also explore effects and expressions. I came up with this!

I found that making my own effects through the movement, rather then the presets, I was able to understand what I was doing more. It also helped me to make sure I wasn't using an effect because it was cool, but more use it because it worked more with the composition. Towards the end though I started slipping into the presets, hope in critique they actually work and don't take away.


Critique:
-MAKE TYPE LARGER
-pixilation issues
-blur issues
-very cool movement and interesting
-nice work


Sunday, February 12, 2012

Thursday, Feb 9th

This is fun! Okay, so we're getting to a point where we get to incorporate elements other than funky display faces and copy in our work. We get to use elements such as shapes, blocks and bars to make our compostions more complex. I feel that in using these my studies will feel more put together, in a way that gives us context on how they are used.


In making my studies, I felt very comfortable from the experience from the studies I have done in the past. However, I do feel somewhat questionable on making certain moves. Rotating text, using circles, and the incorporation of size, but i'm up for the challenge. I decide to try by best to use the circle, and see what critique has to say about it. I feel that if it is in fact wrong, at least i'll understand once I try it. If it's right, Awesome! I overcame my challenge.

The reading was also very interesting this week. It was our first reading, but a great introduction to reading handouts. This handout was very tricky in it's wording. It played word games with us to help us figure the meaning out in our way, using our own interpretation and background knowledge. It helped me understand graphic design, even in the actual design in the book. It was interesting visually and was thought provoking. Reading: http://beachaus.com/ringling/2012SP/Type2/Parts/JointVenture.pdf


Morning of Thursday:

Coming into class we hang up our studies as usual, and wait for Dorian to come by and mark them. This time, if he marked our paper, we had to state why. This is kinda funny especially because I knew I was already trying to figure out a certain problem with circles and rotation. Hmmm, I have two papers with marks. One is the circle composition and another one isn't. It was kinda tough trying to figure out why Dorian marked it they way he did for others, but I knew why. BUT, turns out I was wrong. Dorian had other problems with it I did not notice. Other people were struggling with their own problems as well but I had some in common with the others:
-size of type in compositions: my case too small, others small and large
-rules, make the ruling similar to other elements on the composition
-rotation
-using circles

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Monday Feb 6th

Over the weekend we were to create another set of motion studies, but this time we examine the relationship when using the z axis and rotation. Personally, I am not a fan of rotation. I feel that rotation gives an unavoidable "cheezineness" that is very difficult to avoid. AH so avoiding to experiment. 

Study:


So! I didn't have too much difficulty. Didn't take as much time as the last studies, and were pretty simple. I really forced myself to not use rotation as much, or at least use it in a suttle way that was not distracting. 

Critique:
-cinematic (like last studies)
-famous drop of the period lol
-work on relationship between size on screen and readability 
-be careful when fading elements too close together: bleed into one another


Now we are off into exploring more type studies...

Monday, February 6, 2012

Thursday, Feb 2nd

Today was a usual critique of our studies. We hung our studies on the wall and started to take a look, scan the room and mark what we thought worked as a display face with the rest of the composition, and what we thought didn't work.

Notes:
Only a few actually worked
Reason- each type face has a different consignation. Be mindful what type you use and for what reason
Relationships and Proportions
Almost there, but not quite
Some display faces were for reading, and not for a display face.
Some copy/text faces were for display and not reading

After we collected the good ones and the bad ones we took the inbetweenies in the middle, or the ones people thought did not deserve to be in that pile. Picked one other than our own, and headed off to the work room to try and fix what was wrong about it to make it right. I personally did not try to fight for mine, even though I had two studdies in the pile. I only had one mark on it that made it in the pile and that wasn't enough to make a difference.

I ended up touching up Javier's study, and didnt' do too much though. I felt it was done really well already and the only reason it was in the pile because he was one to want to fight for his study in there. Fixed some alignment problems and went back to critique. This critique was the most interesting however, Dorian set it up so that it was like an internship, and we had to chose one to continue for production. Really cool that Javier and I were chosen for our study to continue. We learned a pretty cool lesson on how it is tough to fight for art, and how to defend on why we do things.