Sunday, April 7, 2013
inpsiration
I am inspired by many things on a daily basis and a lot of it is, I suppose unfortunately, from Pinterest. So, I have decided to post a link to my site, if there are any who'd like to follow me: http://pinterest.com/paigenriewerts/
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Erik Spiekermann
Erik Spiekermann is a brilliant typographic designer that has influenced a number of people through the creation of Meta and other very popular typefaces. In his interview with Elliot Jay Stocks, they discuss the progression of designers into an increasingly digital world. He says the best part about digital design: convergence; how newer designers are still developing similar tendencies even though we are moving towards a more digital versus tactile world that all of our inspirations come from. Spiekermann noted that in probably two years there will be virtually no destinction between paper or digital design: it still consists of putting content and form to an issue. Even though format has evolved, such as designing for mobile, the problems are still the same: cram lots of content into a given format, solve the problem, and think about the users: can they read, how/when do they read, must they read.
As the interview continues, Spiekermann expresses amusement at the fact that newer designers are just now discovering grids when older designers like himself grew up using grids. Even so, with a new age, new things do influence the designer. Now, instead of hiring individual printers and other partners, it seems the designer has taken on many of those roles themself. We can control the medium, the colors, and format. Spiekermann does mention that there will always be problems to consider, however. For example, the use of random color is bad, stick to your strengths but don't be afraid to explore (whether that means new color schemes or new typefaces). We need to design for the issue not the medium. As with any changes, there can be problems as well as improvements. In terms of design, there are always people that will use too much. After all, we are a western society; we have too much of everything - but something good can come from it. Ideas, designs, new typefaces, etc. are all spread more rapidly and are more rapidly available to others.
I agree with all of what he said and admire Spiekermann for his clarity and conviction when it comes to design. To go for it and explore new things, but do it with logic and keep to your strengths when the situation calls for it. He is a wise man and an inspiration indeed.
As the interview continues, Spiekermann expresses amusement at the fact that newer designers are just now discovering grids when older designers like himself grew up using grids. Even so, with a new age, new things do influence the designer. Now, instead of hiring individual printers and other partners, it seems the designer has taken on many of those roles themself. We can control the medium, the colors, and format. Spiekermann does mention that there will always be problems to consider, however. For example, the use of random color is bad, stick to your strengths but don't be afraid to explore (whether that means new color schemes or new typefaces). We need to design for the issue not the medium. As with any changes, there can be problems as well as improvements. In terms of design, there are always people that will use too much. After all, we are a western society; we have too much of everything - but something good can come from it. Ideas, designs, new typefaces, etc. are all spread more rapidly and are more rapidly available to others.
I agree with all of what he said and admire Spiekermann for his clarity and conviction when it comes to design. To go for it and explore new things, but do it with logic and keep to your strengths when the situation calls for it. He is a wise man and an inspiration indeed.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Jessica Hische and Louise Fili
Both of these ladies are extraordinary. Jessica Hische has such a charming personality that deeply resonates in her beautiful lettering (that I consequently found out is much different than type design from her video presentation). I can't imagine drawing type for hours on end, but her creations are always so amazing and detailed and flawless that I can't imagine Ms. Hische doing anything else. Going through her presentation, I admired her illustrations as much as her type. They are whimsical and often amusing in relationship to their context. Overall, I learned that lettering is very exclusive, complicated, and takes a lot of dedication to every little detail; it's best to try many things but to stick to what you love (especially if you're good at it); don't complain about having one of the coolest jobs ever; and don't give your talent away for free (unless it's for charity) ... the results can be fantastic.
Louise Fili has done so many different applications of her lettering and design that it's hard to imagine I didn't recognize her name. I did get bug eyes when I saw the Good Housekeeping logo, however — that was cool. She is super inspiring and has a ridiculously awesome repertoire of projects and ideas and creativity. She has so many sucessful projects elsewhere that it's crazy to thing she concentrates on food and restaurant packaging. Wow.
Louise Fili has done so many different applications of her lettering and design that it's hard to imagine I didn't recognize her name. I did get bug eyes when I saw the Good Housekeeping logo, however — that was cool. She is super inspiring and has a ridiculously awesome repertoire of projects and ideas and creativity. She has so many sucessful projects elsewhere that it's crazy to thing she concentrates on food and restaurant packaging. Wow.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Chip Kidd and Paul Rand
Chip Kidd is fantastic. He is funny, yet passionate about his book covers. He doesn't take himself too seriously, which I think is a great trait in any designer. Throughout the video, Chip makes numerous great points about design, book cover design specifically - but I do think that many of his theories can extend to other mediums. I think the most important words Chip says are that a designer must have read the book in order to have designed it with any depth: “Once the book designer has read the text, then he has to be an interpreter and a translator.” From there we can give the book a face which will present the reader with a first impression of what magical, or disturbing, world it holds inside. I think my favorite example he gave about arriving at a design solution was the Jurassic Park novel where he took an image of a tyrannosaurus rex skeleton and made it into a silhouette, which then extended past the cover of the book to the movie and other merchandise.
Paul Rand was an amazing designer that was definitely ahead of his time, as described in the video. He broke "design rules," combined mediums, and made shocking designs that would have been very wild during the '50s and '60s when he was making book cover and jacket designs. He conceptualized novel covers versus just taking still frames from the story to plop on the cover, which is an ingenious way of making his designs more timeless. The collaged book jacket of The Bridegroom is a great example of this. I also really enjoyed the jackets sporting letter forms as a frame for illustrations, and the cover using color banding to create a character's shadow. Overall, the take away from this is to not think so literally all the time, but embrace abstraction and concept as well. This way, if successful, book jacket designs can be beautiful and timeless.
For the assignment of redesigning a book cover, I chose Uncle Tom's Cabin written by Harriet Beecher Stowe and published in 1852. It hasn't been made into a movie in decades, that I have found, and the book jackets that I have seen range from stereotypically racist in content, sketched covers, and the wonderfully imaginative little log cabin featured right smack in the middle. So, I believe I can definitely be inspired by Chip Kidd and Paul Rand's works. I can really consider what I'm reading, what I'm giving a face to, what I want the reader's first impression to be; and I can convey that in a multitude of ways while keeping in mind that it doesn't have to be a literal translation of the book.
Paul Rand was an amazing designer that was definitely ahead of his time, as described in the video. He broke "design rules," combined mediums, and made shocking designs that would have been very wild during the '50s and '60s when he was making book cover and jacket designs. He conceptualized novel covers versus just taking still frames from the story to plop on the cover, which is an ingenious way of making his designs more timeless. The collaged book jacket of The Bridegroom is a great example of this. I also really enjoyed the jackets sporting letter forms as a frame for illustrations, and the cover using color banding to create a character's shadow. Overall, the take away from this is to not think so literally all the time, but embrace abstraction and concept as well. This way, if successful, book jacket designs can be beautiful and timeless.
For the assignment of redesigning a book cover, I chose Uncle Tom's Cabin written by Harriet Beecher Stowe and published in 1852. It hasn't been made into a movie in decades, that I have found, and the book jackets that I have seen range from stereotypically racist in content, sketched covers, and the wonderfully imaginative little log cabin featured right smack in the middle. So, I believe I can definitely be inspired by Chip Kidd and Paul Rand's works. I can really consider what I'm reading, what I'm giving a face to, what I want the reader's first impression to be; and I can convey that in a multitude of ways while keeping in mind that it doesn't have to be a literal translation of the book.
This Means That summary/response
"This Means That" is about the relationship between semiotics and human understanding and communication, which is a vital relationship to a graphic designer. Signs can have meaning based on their actually definition (ex: an apple is an apple), or they can imply something based on their context (ex: an apple implies Mac). Semiotics help us create, interpret, and understand meaning through different tools and processes and - yes - context. How we interpret signs is based largely on the society we live in. An example given in the text is how our western culture views time in a consumeristic manner which is so prevalent to our society: spending, wasting, taking, saving time - all words which convey time as a commondity versus an ongoing process.
There are two sources of semiotics: natural and conventional. An example is that we think of it as natural to wear clothes in colder climates, but what and how we wear them are conventional. Semiotics can also take many forms, but the general process of creating meaning is through a signifier and the signified. There can be one signifier with mulitple signified meanings, or mulitple signifiers that have one signified meaning. Many signs we use are arbitrary, but if we learn societal conventions, we can use them to give a sign a meaning that seems wholly natural. Signs can be represented by icons, indexes, and symbols. With icons, signifiers resemble the signifieds; with indexes, signifiers are caused by the signifieds; with symbols, signifiers have an arbitrary relationship with the signified.
The message presented by the sign is transmitted via some medium, which can be presentational, representational, or mechanical. After the message is given and received, the receiver must apply meaning to the message in order for it to be understood. The meaning can be literal or non-literal (which is more amusing, but also more challenging). Meaning can be implied through similies or metaphors as well. It can also be implied through a synecdoche, or by only showing part of something to represent the whole thing (or vice versa).
There are two sources of semiotics: natural and conventional. An example is that we think of it as natural to wear clothes in colder climates, but what and how we wear them are conventional. Semiotics can also take many forms, but the general process of creating meaning is through a signifier and the signified. There can be one signifier with mulitple signified meanings, or mulitple signifiers that have one signified meaning. Many signs we use are arbitrary, but if we learn societal conventions, we can use them to give a sign a meaning that seems wholly natural. Signs can be represented by icons, indexes, and symbols. With icons, signifiers resemble the signifieds; with indexes, signifiers are caused by the signifieds; with symbols, signifiers have an arbitrary relationship with the signified.
The message presented by the sign is transmitted via some medium, which can be presentational, representational, or mechanical. After the message is given and received, the receiver must apply meaning to the message in order for it to be understood. The meaning can be literal or non-literal (which is more amusing, but also more challenging). Meaning can be implied through similies or metaphors as well. It can also be implied through a synecdoche, or by only showing part of something to represent the whole thing (or vice versa).
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I found this passage to be very interesting! It easily broke down and defined what makes up a huge part of human communication. I never realized there were so many thought processes and opportunities that went behind the creation of semiotics, which off hand I wouldn't really give a second thought. It is challenging for me to really think about what I can use to signify meaning, whether through a literal or non-literal means; especially if I wish to establish a new connection. This was a good way of providing examples and of learning about semiotics, which seemed so simple and thoughtless before.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Monday, March 4, 2013
Final Book (One Spread) and Final Video
With the video of the speech, I combined scale, opacity, music, and visuals to convey the somber mood and angst that fits with the admittance of failure to negotiate, the accusation, and the request for "calmness and courage" from the people. The parts I think worked the best include the activeness of the letter forms in "action" and the words "force" and "attack" which pushed off the page and into the viewers face.
I emphasized certain parts of the speech through boldness, scale-change, and opacity, in addition to visuals and music in order to bring life to the words (without being too cheeky) in both my book and video.
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