Week 5, Day 2
Today was Game Day! We spent the whole class period playing games. I brought a pack of cards to class but ended up playing Taboo and Trivial Pursuit (the Disney edition) instead. I’ve never played Taboo or Trivial Pursuit before, so it was really fun playing those two games for the first time. Taboo is a game that involves guessing the word on a card without saying the actual word or the five additional words that are on the card; saying any one of these words would be “taboo.” I had lots of fun trying to figure out what clues to give for each word in a limited amount of time without saying something taboo — the game definitely got my creative juices flowing! Trivial Pursuit is a game that involves answering trivia questions. The objective of the game is to move around the board by correctly answering trivia questions. We played the Disney edition of Trivial Pursuit, so all of the trivia questions were based on Disney movies. I’ve seen most of the classic Disney movies multiple times (I have a pretty big collection of Disney videos at home), so I thought playing this game would be a piece of cake…so not true! Some of the questions were super hard! And for some reason, I kept getting questions about Hercules and The Rescuers Down Under, which are movies that I’ve only seen once and don’t remember much about. My group members and I were laughing at how silly some of the Trivial Pursuit questions were. There was a question asking what kind of hat did one of the characters (I couldn’t remember whether it was the butler of the milkman) wear in The Aristocats. Does anybody actually pay attention to such minute details when watching a movie? I guess that’s why the game’s called Trivial Pursuit.
Game Day was so much fun! Professor Moss, if you’re reading this, can we please have another Game Day in class? :)
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
Google Searching = Eighth Deadly Sin?
Week 5, Day 1
Professor Moss wanted us to have a different perspective of the class today, so he decided to start class on the opposite side of the room. We were asked to move our seats to the opposite side of the table that we were sitting in so that we would face the back of the room. Professor Moss told us that we would have a game day on Wednesday, so we spent the first part of class talking about games. With the help of the class, he listed dozens of different games on the board. Board games, card games, strategy games, etc. We got into a long discussion about the game of Monopoly and how it relates to capitalism.
Professor Moss wanted us to have a different perspective of the class today, so he decided to start class on the opposite side of the room. We were asked to move our seats to the opposite side of the table that we were sitting in so that we would face the back of the room. Professor Moss told us that we would have a game day on Wednesday, so we spent the first part of class talking about games. With the help of the class, he listed dozens of different games on the board. Board games, card games, strategy games, etc. We got into a long discussion about the game of Monopoly and how it relates to capitalism.
For the second part of class, we looked at the pictures that we brought in for the Seven Deadly Sins. Our homework over the weekend was to find seven pictures, one for each of the Seven Deadly Sins. It was interesting seeing what images everybody came up with and trying to figure out what sin was being portrayed in each image. Some pictures were much easier to tell than others. Most of us had repeat images; Professor Moss said that this was the first time it’s happened in any of his classes. I guess some of us did this assignment the easy way, by typing in the name of the sin on Google search and selecting the first image that popped up, rather than looking at many different images and choosing the best one. Out of my seven images, two were repeats. Some of my classmates brought in stock photos, and we had a very brief discussion about that topic. Professor Moss told us that stock photos can look very unrealistic, and it’s always better to choose images that looked natural instead of posed. When I got home today, I saw an article on Yahoo about was about ridiculous stock photos. What a coincidence! We were just talking about bad stock photos in class!
I was hoping we could go over the homework that we had to redo over the weekend but we didn’t get a chance to. I was curious to see what my classmates came up with. Did we do the assignment correctly this time? Guess we'll just have to wait until next time. For now, I'm totally looking forward to Game Day on Wednesday!!
Reading Response #5: Stage 3: Conceptualization pg. 71-96
"Conceptualization" talks about how to bring ideas to life. According to Aspelund, a design concept is "an abstract vision that needs to become tangible." But how exactly does an abstract idea become tangible? By brainstorming, of course! Brainstorming is a process of spontaneously thinking and sharing as many ideas as possible about a topic without being judgmental. It can be a very effective tool that allows one to examine a concept and fully explore what it's all about. Brainstorming allows one to visualize a concept's development. Aspelund goes over rules on how to brainstorm successfully, such as focusing on having many ideas and encouraging the process of freewheeling.
Aspelund also presents 6 perspectives to consider when brainstorming an idea:
Aspelund also presents 6 perspectives to consider when brainstorming an idea:
- Description
- Comparison
- Association
- Construction
- Use
- Troubleshooting
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Visual Stories
Week 4, Day 2
Our homework for Monday was to find 3 unrelated images that would create a story when placed in a specific order. For my visual story, I chose a picture of a little girl looking at a Barbie doll in a store, a picture of a woman whose face was marked up for surgery, and a picture of Jocelyn Wildenstein, a woman who's had millions of dollars worth of plastic surgery done on her face in order to look "beautiful," but ended up looking like a monster. Look her up on Google and you'll know what I mean. WARNING: Nightmares may occur. Look at your own risk.
It was fun seeing what my classmates were able to come up with. Some of my classmates came up with really funny and creative stories, while some came up with visual stories that made absolutely no sense at all. Professor Moss posted up the visual stories that didn't make any sense on the wall, and as a class, we tried to figure out the story that the student was trying to tell. Then we were told to scatter all of our pictures on the tables and create new stories by mixing and matching each other's pictures. We ended up created some really funny stories.
Class ended with Professor Moss showing us a TED video about John Maeda, who's the current President of the Rhode Island School of Design. John's talk was about simplicity. He talked about how we, as people, want simplicity but love complexity. I thought it was really cool that John was able to create graphics just by scanning French fries and Cheetos. Simple, yet very creative. I totally want to try that approach on a project someday. I think I already have some ideas in mind. John used plenty of humor in his talk, which made the video very entertaining to watch. It was hilarious when he mentioned that his daughter once told him that he resembled the guy on those ...For Dummies books. They actually do look quite alike!
Our homework for Monday was to find 3 unrelated images that would create a story when placed in a specific order. For my visual story, I chose a picture of a little girl looking at a Barbie doll in a store, a picture of a woman whose face was marked up for surgery, and a picture of Jocelyn Wildenstein, a woman who's had millions of dollars worth of plastic surgery done on her face in order to look "beautiful," but ended up looking like a monster. Look her up on Google and you'll know what I mean. WARNING: Nightmares may occur. Look at your own risk.
It was fun seeing what my classmates were able to come up with. Some of my classmates came up with really funny and creative stories, while some came up with visual stories that made absolutely no sense at all. Professor Moss posted up the visual stories that didn't make any sense on the wall, and as a class, we tried to figure out the story that the student was trying to tell. Then we were told to scatter all of our pictures on the tables and create new stories by mixing and matching each other's pictures. We ended up created some really funny stories.
Class ended with Professor Moss showing us a TED video about John Maeda, who's the current President of the Rhode Island School of Design. John's talk was about simplicity. He talked about how we, as people, want simplicity but love complexity. I thought it was really cool that John was able to create graphics just by scanning French fries and Cheetos. Simple, yet very creative. I totally want to try that approach on a project someday. I think I already have some ideas in mind. John used plenty of humor in his talk, which made the video very entertaining to watch. It was hilarious when he mentioned that his daughter once told him that he resembled the guy on those ...For Dummies books. They actually do look quite alike!
Monday, April 18, 2011
It's Story Time!
Week 4, Day 1
Class started off with Professor Moss asking us to seat ourselves in chronological birthday order, with the Januarys sitting in the front of the class and the Decembers sitting in the back. This time, we were supposed to sit in a serpertine-like order. My classmates and I were able to do this very quickly and successfully; we definitely seated ourselves much faster than when we were asked to sit in first name alphabetical order a few weeks ago.
After the rearranging activity, Professor Moss placed everyone into groups of four. We were asked to each take out two items to use for storytelling. I took out a flashlight and a box of peach-flavored Tic Tacs. My group members took out a lip balm, a wallet, a sketchbook, a ruler, a comb, and pretzel sticks. We were given about 10-15 minutes to come up with a story that involved all of these items. My group members and I came up with a story about a girl named Samantha and her archnemesis Abigail. After time was up, Professor Moss asked each group to share their story to the class. Each group had a distinctly different style that stood out from the others. The first group came up with a murder story (which sounded like it could actually happen in real life), the second group had all four members taking turns telling the story, the third group (my group) came up with names for the characters, the fourth group moved each item around as the storyteller told the story, and the last group incorporated incredible science fiction terms into their story. I think the storyteller in the last group did an awesome job of telling the story, incorporating fancy sci fi words here and there. The whole class was amazed. All in all, I really enjoyed doing this storytelling activity. It was fun working with the people in my group and seeing what we could come up with using the required resources in a limited amount of time.
Our homework over the weekend was to come up with a short phrase and find 10 images that would change the meaning of that phrase. As everyone walked around the room looking at the pictures on each posterboard, we realized that no one actually did the assignment "correctly." Most of us just found 10 different examples for each phrase, rather than 10 different meanings. Professor Moss said that we were supposed to find 10 pictures that would change the meaning of the phrase each time. Because none of us did the assignment correctly, we all have to redo it again for next week.
Class started off with Professor Moss asking us to seat ourselves in chronological birthday order, with the Januarys sitting in the front of the class and the Decembers sitting in the back. This time, we were supposed to sit in a serpertine-like order. My classmates and I were able to do this very quickly and successfully; we definitely seated ourselves much faster than when we were asked to sit in first name alphabetical order a few weeks ago.
After the rearranging activity, Professor Moss placed everyone into groups of four. We were asked to each take out two items to use for storytelling. I took out a flashlight and a box of peach-flavored Tic Tacs. My group members took out a lip balm, a wallet, a sketchbook, a ruler, a comb, and pretzel sticks. We were given about 10-15 minutes to come up with a story that involved all of these items. My group members and I came up with a story about a girl named Samantha and her archnemesis Abigail. After time was up, Professor Moss asked each group to share their story to the class. Each group had a distinctly different style that stood out from the others. The first group came up with a murder story (which sounded like it could actually happen in real life), the second group had all four members taking turns telling the story, the third group (my group) came up with names for the characters, the fourth group moved each item around as the storyteller told the story, and the last group incorporated incredible science fiction terms into their story. I think the storyteller in the last group did an awesome job of telling the story, incorporating fancy sci fi words here and there. The whole class was amazed. All in all, I really enjoyed doing this storytelling activity. It was fun working with the people in my group and seeing what we could come up with using the required resources in a limited amount of time.
Our homework over the weekend was to come up with a short phrase and find 10 images that would change the meaning of that phrase. As everyone walked around the room looking at the pictures on each posterboard, we realized that no one actually did the assignment "correctly." Most of us just found 10 different examples for each phrase, rather than 10 different meanings. Professor Moss said that we were supposed to find 10 pictures that would change the meaning of the phrase each time. Because none of us did the assignment correctly, we all have to redo it again for next week.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Reading Response #4: Stage 2: Identification pg. 39-70
I found this week's reading, "Identification," to be rather tedious. This chapter was soooo incredibly long and sleep-inducing! It actually took me four sittings to finish the reading. Identification talks about constraints, which define the project as the idea or the solution. Little did I know, there are constraints for every aspect of design, including end user constraints (functionality and form, societal, safety), production constraints, designer constraints (information, time, materials, budgets), and responsibility constraints (unintended consequences, sustainability).
I like how Aspelund compares design to a river: both require constraints in order to have form and direction. If a river isn't constrained within its banks, then the water will end up flowing into unwanted places. The same reasoning applies to design: if a designer ignores constraints, then the project may lead into an undesirable direction, which could require the the designer to rework the project, or even worse, cancel the whole thing. Designers need to think of constraints as a "frame and guide" that keep them from going into such areas. Aspelund's design/river analogy definitely helps me understand the importance of constraints when it comes to design. A designer must stay within the boundaries in order to create a successful project.
I like how Aspelund compares design to a river: both require constraints in order to have form and direction. If a river isn't constrained within its banks, then the water will end up flowing into unwanted places. The same reasoning applies to design: if a designer ignores constraints, then the project may lead into an undesirable direction, which could require the the designer to rework the project, or even worse, cancel the whole thing. Designers need to think of constraints as a "frame and guide" that keep them from going into such areas. Aspelund's design/river analogy definitely helps me understand the importance of constraints when it comes to design. A designer must stay within the boundaries in order to create a successful project.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Words & Images
Week 3, Day 2
Our homework for Monday was to find an image, either from a magazine or online, and come up with at least 10 words/short phrases for that image. Each word/phrase should change the meaning of the image in a different way; they should convey 10 different emotions. The image was to be mounted onto a 15" x 20" posterboard, along with a clear sheet protector to insert the words in. After flipping through several magazines, I found an image of Mr. Peanut attempting to dunk a basketball and decided to use that for the homework assignment.
We started off class by presenting our posterboards. Everyone moved the tables and chairs to the back of the room and gathered in the front to view the posterboards. Professor Moss would take out the words from a poster and read each of them out loud to the class. Some of my classmates came up with really funny and clever words for their images. I immediately began to have doubts about my own assignment. I had struggled with trying to find words for my image, and I wasn't sure if I had did the assignment correctly. When Professor Moss got to my posterboard and started reading aloud some of my words, he exclaimed that they were "horrible!" I realized that I had focused on describing the image itself (with words like "athletic," "whimsical," and "funny"), rather than trying to express the meaning/emotion of the image. I guess I kind of misunderstood the assignment and interpreted the directions differently.
After about half of the students presented their posterboards, Professor Moss decided to shift gears and move onto something else. He brought in a dozen or so actual advertisements that featured thought-provoking words and images. I found most of them to be really creative and clever. We were then told to look at the advertisement that was posted on the board. It was a poster for Band-Aid that had an image of the Incredible Hulk's hand with a bandage wrapped around one of his fingers.
We spent the rest of the class period discussing this image, and how its interpretation ranged from "even superheroes get hurt" to "even God gets hurt." The God reference comes from the powerful glow and the hand position, which resembles that of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel painting.
Our homework for Monday was to find an image, either from a magazine or online, and come up with at least 10 words/short phrases for that image. Each word/phrase should change the meaning of the image in a different way; they should convey 10 different emotions. The image was to be mounted onto a 15" x 20" posterboard, along with a clear sheet protector to insert the words in. After flipping through several magazines, I found an image of Mr. Peanut attempting to dunk a basketball and decided to use that for the homework assignment.
We started off class by presenting our posterboards. Everyone moved the tables and chairs to the back of the room and gathered in the front to view the posterboards. Professor Moss would take out the words from a poster and read each of them out loud to the class. Some of my classmates came up with really funny and clever words for their images. I immediately began to have doubts about my own assignment. I had struggled with trying to find words for my image, and I wasn't sure if I had did the assignment correctly. When Professor Moss got to my posterboard and started reading aloud some of my words, he exclaimed that they were "horrible!" I realized that I had focused on describing the image itself (with words like "athletic," "whimsical," and "funny"), rather than trying to express the meaning/emotion of the image. I guess I kind of misunderstood the assignment and interpreted the directions differently.
After about half of the students presented their posterboards, Professor Moss decided to shift gears and move onto something else. He brought in a dozen or so actual advertisements that featured thought-provoking words and images. I found most of them to be really creative and clever. We were then told to look at the advertisement that was posted on the board. It was a poster for Band-Aid that had an image of the Incredible Hulk's hand with a bandage wrapped around one of his fingers.
We spent the rest of the class period discussing this image, and how its interpretation ranged from "even superheroes get hurt" to "even God gets hurt." The God reference comes from the powerful glow and the hand position, which resembles that of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel painting.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Storytelling
Week 3, Day 1
Today's class started with a discussion of what makes a story good. Professor Moss picked me to come up to the board and, with the help of my classmates, write down the elements of a good story. We came up with about 30 terms: Beginning, Middle, End, Characters (Protagonist and Antagonist), Setting, Plot, Mood, Conflict, Theme, Humor, Fantasy, Romance, Tragedy, Suspense, Interaction, Relationships, Moral, Climax, Narrative, Rising Action, etc.
We spent the remainder of the class period by watching two more TED videos: Amy Tan and Elizabeth Gilbert. Unfortunately, after sleeping for only an hour this morning, I wasn't able to follow the videos since my mind was drifting in and out of consciousness. I'm going to have to watch both of these videos again before I can write anything else.
To be continued...
Today's class started with a discussion of what makes a story good. Professor Moss picked me to come up to the board and, with the help of my classmates, write down the elements of a good story. We came up with about 30 terms: Beginning, Middle, End, Characters (Protagonist and Antagonist), Setting, Plot, Mood, Conflict, Theme, Humor, Fantasy, Romance, Tragedy, Suspense, Interaction, Relationships, Moral, Climax, Narrative, Rising Action, etc.
We spent the remainder of the class period by watching two more TED videos: Amy Tan and Elizabeth Gilbert. Unfortunately, after sleeping for only an hour this morning, I wasn't able to follow the videos since my mind was drifting in and out of consciousness. I'm going to have to watch both of these videos again before I can write anything else.
To be continued...
Reading Response #3: Stage 1: Inspiration pg. 17-38
According to Aspelund, "inspiration can take countless guises and exist in many places." Inspiration, in any kind of form, is an energy that drives people to be creative and infuses their creations with life. As a design student, one of my biggest challenges is to find inspiration. Every time I am assigned a project, I would spend countless hours just sitting at my desk and staring blankly into space until I could think of an idea. I can't even imagine how much precious time I've wasted just by trying to think of ideas from scratch. I totally agree with Aspelund when he says that "inspiration is something that cannot be waited for - designers should always actively seek it." But how? How do I find inspiration? Aspelund says that inspiration exists in many places, but where do I start?
Thankfully, Aspelund offers tips and suggestions on how to get inspired:
Thankfully, Aspelund offers tips and suggestions on how to get inspired:
- Always remember that inspiration can come from anywhere, even the most unlikely source
- Look to architects, painters, wood-carvers, sculptors, filmmakers, musicians, etc.
- Keep scrapbooks and journals
- Always add to your knowledge of art, music, and film
- Make a point of experiencing, seeing, and listening to something new every now and them
- Engage in playtime
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Video: Scott McCloud on comics
During the end of class on Wednesday (April 6), Professor Moss showed us a TED video about Scott McCloud. Our homework was to watch the video again on our own, and make note of the things that we didn't understand. Professor Moss asked us to find 3 things that we were curious about and go research them. Here we go:
1. In the beginning of the video, Scott makes a funny remark about how he was the opposite of Dean Kamen: Scott is the comic book artist son of an inventor father, while Dean is the inventor son of a comic book artist father. This got me thinking, "Who's Dean Kamen? And what did he invent?" After doing a bit of research, I found out that Dean invented the Segway PT, which is an electric, self-balancing human transporter with a complex, computer-controlled gyroscopic stabilization and control system. The device balances on two parallel wheels and is controlled by moving body weight. Dean's father, Jack, was an illustrator for Mad magazine and Weird Science comics.
2. Scott makes a reference to Charles Babbage and how his steam-driven computers were never built. I found out that Baggage is considered a "father of the computer" and is credited with inventing the first mechanical computer that eventually led to more complex designs. Babbage directed the building of steam-powered machines that achieved some success, suggesting that calculations could be mechanized. His machines were among the first mechanical computers, but they were not actually completed, largely because of funding problems and personality issues.
3. Scott mentions the story of the Scorpion and the Frog, which I originally thought was one of Aesop's Fables. After doing some research, I found out that this story is attributed to various West African and European folktales, and is often misidentified with Aesop's Fables. Oh. So I guess I'm not the only one who thinks that.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Mind maps.
Week 2, Day2
Professor Moss started class by showing us a YouTube video about AIGA, called "Get Inspired." After the video, a GAUGE member talked to us about, well, GAUGE. I already knew what GAUGE was all about, since I've seen many of their in-class presentations and posters around the Fine Arts building.
We were then introduced us to mind maps. A mind map is a diagram used to represent words, ideas, tasks, or other items linked to and arranged around a central key word or idea. Mind maps are used to generate, visualize, structure, and classify ideas. Professor Moss showed us some examples of mind maps done by former students. I found a couple of them really funny, such as the ones on "What if there was an alien in my bed?" and the one about killer carrots. We were all given 30 minutes to create our own mind maps that focused on a "What if?" question. At first, I tried to create a mind map on "What if we could go back in time?" After writing down four thoughts, I couldn't think of anything else to put down. I felt that this topic was a bit serious and I wanted to create a mind map that was silly (like the ones for the bed-intruding alien and the killer carrots), so I decided to change my question to "What if SpongeBob SquarePants came to life?" From there, I was able to come up with lots and lots of fun and silly ideas.
We ended class by watching a TED video about Scott McCloud, which I'll discuss in a later blog.
Professor Moss started class by showing us a YouTube video about AIGA, called "Get Inspired." After the video, a GAUGE member talked to us about, well, GAUGE. I already knew what GAUGE was all about, since I've seen many of their in-class presentations and posters around the Fine Arts building.
We were then introduced us to mind maps. A mind map is a diagram used to represent words, ideas, tasks, or other items linked to and arranged around a central key word or idea. Mind maps are used to generate, visualize, structure, and classify ideas. Professor Moss showed us some examples of mind maps done by former students. I found a couple of them really funny, such as the ones on "What if there was an alien in my bed?" and the one about killer carrots. We were all given 30 minutes to create our own mind maps that focused on a "What if?" question. At first, I tried to create a mind map on "What if we could go back in time?" After writing down four thoughts, I couldn't think of anything else to put down. I felt that this topic was a bit serious and I wanted to create a mind map that was silly (like the ones for the bed-intruding alien and the killer carrots), so I decided to change my question to "What if SpongeBob SquarePants came to life?" From there, I was able to come up with lots and lots of fun and silly ideas.
We ended class by watching a TED video about Scott McCloud, which I'll discuss in a later blog.
Reading Response #2: Introduction, Perspective, Exercises pg. 1-16
What exactly is design? Well, it's certainly not something that can be easily explained or answered with a simple defintion, as I found out after completing the second assigned reading. According to Karl Aspelund, a design is "a plan of action, created in response to a situation or problem that needs solving." Such a plan often needs to be laid out in order to be clearly understood by a viewer. Thus, designing involves forming ideas, planning and explaining the execution of those ideas, and making choices based on the evolution of those ideas that will lead to an end result. Aspelund describes designing as "a journey that has a number of stops and detours along the way." Wow...the whole concept of design is much more complex than I ever imagined! Before taking this class, I've always thought of "design" as simply an image/graphic used in the context of "Hey that's a cool design on your shirt!" and "I really like the designs on the cover of this book." Design isn't just something that appears on a poster (or a shirt or a book cover for that matter); design is a journey that requires lots of time, effort, and energy.
Aspelund compares the design process to a romantic relationship, which I find really amusing but helpful. I think it's very creative on Aspelund's part to use an example that people would be able to relate to in order to help them understand how each stage of the design process works. The design process consists of these stages: Inspiration, Identification, Conceptualization, Exploration/Refinement, Definition/Modeling, Communication, and Production. Aspelund explains what occurs at each stage by relating each one of them to a stage in a relationship. I really appreciate Aspelund's analogy because it definitely helps me understand the design process and how it works.
The assigned reading contains Aspelund's own perspective as a designer. He graduated from Wimbledon in London as a set and costume designer, and began his design career in theater working with musicals, ballet, and opera. Aspelund has also designed for films, fashion shoots, and exhibits. His varied experiences working in the industry led him to realize that all design follows the same process. I appreciate how Aspelund reflected his personal thoughts and experiences; his strong enthusiasm and passion for design definitely makes this book exciting to read...so far :)
Aspelund compares the design process to a romantic relationship, which I find really amusing but helpful. I think it's very creative on Aspelund's part to use an example that people would be able to relate to in order to help them understand how each stage of the design process works. The design process consists of these stages: Inspiration, Identification, Conceptualization, Exploration/Refinement, Definition/Modeling, Communication, and Production. Aspelund explains what occurs at each stage by relating each one of them to a stage in a relationship. I really appreciate Aspelund's analogy because it definitely helps me understand the design process and how it works.
The assigned reading contains Aspelund's own perspective as a designer. He graduated from Wimbledon in London as a set and costume designer, and began his design career in theater working with musicals, ballet, and opera. Aspelund has also designed for films, fashion shoots, and exhibits. His varied experiences working in the industry led him to realize that all design follows the same process. I appreciate how Aspelund reflected his personal thoughts and experiences; his strong enthusiasm and passion for design definitely makes this book exciting to read...so far :)
Monday, April 4, 2011
Sleepy...
Week 2, Day 1
I only slept for 20 minutes, so I was pretty much brain dead this morning. I had a super hard time trying to stay awake in class, but I'll try my best to reflect on what we did today.
Professor Moss shared with us his experience of not being able to "get into" a particular project back when he was in college just because he simply had no interest in it. The day before that project was due, he was inspired to make a completely different project, one that he really enjoyed working on. He brought his finished project to class the following day, and managed to overwhelm his professor. Professor Moss told us that it's important to find a passion for something because we'll find it much easier to enjoy doing it. After he said that, I started to think about how I used to be a Business Marketing major and how much I disliked it. I absolutely dreaded learning about economics and working on accounting problems. My heart just simply wasn't in it, so during my junior year, I changed my major to Graphic Design. I couldn't have been happier with this decision because now I get to learn and study something that I really enjoy. I've been in this major for about a year and a half now, and sure, I've pulled countless all-nighters trying to finish up art projects, but you know what? I've enjoyed every single minute of it, whether it was drawing, painting, sculpting, or working on computer graphics. Art is my passion, and it's what I love. I honestly don't mind staying up all night working on art projects - it's so much funner than doing homework for accounting! :D
We spent a good chunk of class time ranking the comic strips that we did for homework over the weekend (we were supposed to draw out why we chose to attend college) and discussing our reasons for ranking them the way we did. Class ended with a discussion of Seth Johnson's "I didn't know sh*t (until I started working)" lecture. This guest speaker event was held in the student union last Friday, on April 1st. The students who attended this event were asked to sit in front of the classroom and discuss what they had learned from Seth's lecture. According to my classmates, Seth took only one design class at Cal State L.A.; everything else was self-taught. Seth shared six points to design success, which are as follows:
I only slept for 20 minutes, so I was pretty much brain dead this morning. I had a super hard time trying to stay awake in class, but I'll try my best to reflect on what we did today.
Professor Moss shared with us his experience of not being able to "get into" a particular project back when he was in college just because he simply had no interest in it. The day before that project was due, he was inspired to make a completely different project, one that he really enjoyed working on. He brought his finished project to class the following day, and managed to overwhelm his professor. Professor Moss told us that it's important to find a passion for something because we'll find it much easier to enjoy doing it. After he said that, I started to think about how I used to be a Business Marketing major and how much I disliked it. I absolutely dreaded learning about economics and working on accounting problems. My heart just simply wasn't in it, so during my junior year, I changed my major to Graphic Design. I couldn't have been happier with this decision because now I get to learn and study something that I really enjoy. I've been in this major for about a year and a half now, and sure, I've pulled countless all-nighters trying to finish up art projects, but you know what? I've enjoyed every single minute of it, whether it was drawing, painting, sculpting, or working on computer graphics. Art is my passion, and it's what I love. I honestly don't mind staying up all night working on art projects - it's so much funner than doing homework for accounting! :D
We spent a good chunk of class time ranking the comic strips that we did for homework over the weekend (we were supposed to draw out why we chose to attend college) and discussing our reasons for ranking them the way we did. Class ended with a discussion of Seth Johnson's "I didn't know sh*t (until I started working)" lecture. This guest speaker event was held in the student union last Friday, on April 1st. The students who attended this event were asked to sit in front of the classroom and discuss what they had learned from Seth's lecture. According to my classmates, Seth took only one design class at Cal State L.A.; everything else was self-taught. Seth shared six points to design success, which are as follows:
- Tell your clients what they need.
- Make your own work.
- Do a lot with a little.
- Shut up and listen.
- Make things better.
- Be curious and never satisfied.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Reading Response #1: Front cover - xviii
The book that we're required to read for Art 220 this quarter is The Design Process, by Karl Aspelund.
The designs on the cover of this book remind me of Spirograph. A feeling of nostalgia swept over me just by looking at the book's cover, as it brings back fond memories of my childhood, when my sister and I would spend countless hours drawing different Spirograph shapes using our multicolored pens. Oh, how I miss those simple, carefree days.
The assigned reading consisted of the contents of the book, the preface, and the acknowledgments. The Design Process is divided into one introductory chapter and 7 chapters that correspond to the 7 stages of design: Inspiration, Identification, Conceptualization, Exploration/Refinement, Definition/Modeling, Communication, and Production. The table of contents is very neatly organized and easy to follow. The title of each stage is written in a different color, which makes it very easy for the reader to find a specific chapter. Each stage includes objectives, key concepts, exercises, and perspectives of actual professionals from the design industry.
From reading the preface and acknowledgments, it seems to me that Aspelund is very confident that his book will inspire design students and help them succeed. I'm excited to find out what Aspelund has to offer in his book, and I sure hope that his advice would help me improve and succeed as a graphic design student.
The designs on the cover of this book remind me of Spirograph. A feeling of nostalgia swept over me just by looking at the book's cover, as it brings back fond memories of my childhood, when my sister and I would spend countless hours drawing different Spirograph shapes using our multicolored pens. Oh, how I miss those simple, carefree days.
The assigned reading consisted of the contents of the book, the preface, and the acknowledgments. The Design Process is divided into one introductory chapter and 7 chapters that correspond to the 7 stages of design: Inspiration, Identification, Conceptualization, Exploration/Refinement, Definition/Modeling, Communication, and Production. The table of contents is very neatly organized and easy to follow. The title of each stage is written in a different color, which makes it very easy for the reader to find a specific chapter. Each stage includes objectives, key concepts, exercises, and perspectives of actual professionals from the design industry.
From reading the preface and acknowledgments, it seems to me that Aspelund is very confident that his book will inspire design students and help them succeed. I'm excited to find out what Aspelund has to offer in his book, and I sure hope that his advice would help me improve and succeed as a graphic design student.
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