HOMESCREEN | FIRST SCREEN

CONCEPT STATEMENT | Revised

Adorned by few, but considered boring by most, bird watching requires both patience and presence. General information and requirements, species and specs, even individual personalities will be discussed in this vintage revival of America’s forgotten past time, authenticating bird watching as the adventure of a life time.

AUDIENCE PERSONA | Hal Morgan

Hal Morgan is a 66 year old recent retiree, looking to get out more. He has been a model train enthusiast since his father had passed it on to him as a boy, but is interested in getting outside a little more. With a hip and knee replacement in his past most physical outdoor activities are difficult for Hal, even giving golf a try, which he found far too frustrating. A man who prides himself with his patience, Hal considered hunting as a hobby, but found that killing for fun wasn't something he was interested. At his local Shriner meeting, a friend of Hal's mentions a bird-watching tutorial he found on CD-ROM at the library. Something that fits the description of what Hal is looking for, he borrows the disc. After learning about the hobby, and what it requires, Hal falls in love. The ultimate test of patience, while enjoying the outdoors, Hal creates an extensive life-list, which he plans to start working on immediately.

AUDIENCE PERSONA | Lucy Blue

Lucy Blue is an 9 year old girl in the third grade. She loves being outside during recess but tends to not be as active as most of her classmates. She likes to sit and enjoy nature, but finds herself apprehensive to group games like dodgeball and foursquare. Lucy, a big fan of "I spy" games on long car trips with her parents, wants to find something similar to participate in during recess. Her mother and her are surfing the internet one day when they run across a like for bird-watching. Something that is similar to her favorite game, and something she can do by herself or even with friends, they clean on the "learn how to" tutorial. The charming and classic design of the tutorial has both mom and daughter interested so they continue on. After learning about the leisure and entertainment bird-watching provides, you can frequently find Lucy Blue and her friends with a pair of binoculars searching for some new friends amongst the trees.

TO SUGGEST | COMMUNICATION OBJECTIVES

to suggest a feel from the past.

to suggest the ease and entertainment in bird-watching.

to suggest the individuality and personality of each bird.

to suggest an appeal to all ages

to suggest that bird-birdwatching can be fun

to suggest the charm and classic appeal of retro/vintage design

to suggest the leisure of bird-watching

KEYWORDS | DEFINED

retro (adj.) Involving, related to, or reminiscent of things past; retrospective.

interactive (adj.) interacting with a human user, often in a conversational way, to obtrain data or commands and to give immediate results or updated information.

universal (adj.) of pertaining to, or characteristic of all or the whole. Applicable everywhere or in all cases.

personality (n.) the visible aspect of one's character as it impresses others. An entity as an embodiment of a collection of qualities.

stylistically different (two parts)

-style (n.) a particular, distinctive, or characteristic mod of action of manner
of acting or designing.

-different (adj.) not alike in character or quality; differing; dissimilar

collective (adj.) different parts assembled into or viewed as a creative whole.

cohesive (adj.) cohering or tending to cohere; well-integrated; unified.

ASSOCIATED WORD LIST

retro
textured
worn
old school
vintage
decorative
informational
easily navigated
ornamental
kitschy
intriguing
interactive
motion
nature
personality
knowledge
professional
friendly
transitional
action
personal
creative
stylistically different
cohesive
variety
unique
nostalgic
classic
collective
era-specific
universal appeal
dated
antiquated
charm
charisma

project three | ideas for topic

How to Look at a Leaf

Each tree has a unique and special leaf. Identifying an unfamiliar tree by its leaf means peering closely at its leaf, making not of distinctive features, consulting a good tree identification guid, and narrowing down the options to match. With over half a million species of trees in the world, and seven hundred in North America alone, you'll need to find a guidebook that is specific to your region. The following questions will speed you on the way to noticing details, like the difference between needles that always attach to a secondary stem, as in our illustration of an Eastern Hemlock, and needles that attach to secondary stems and to the primary stem too, like those of a Dawn Redwood. Spread some leaves out before you start navigating your way around the incredible world of trees.


Bird Watching

Bird watching might seem difficult (or even boring), but we can assure you, it is not. Birds are everywhere–easy to spot and fun to observe. Most birders keep a life-list journal, a kind of bird diary, by writing down the birds they see. As you begin to bird you can use a small spiral notebook to make a life-list journal for yourself, writing down the names of the birds you find, or sketching their distinguishing features so you can look them up in a bored identification book once you're back home. All you need to go bird watching is a pair of binoculars, a good bird guidebook, comfortable clothes, your life-list journal–and some patience. Bird watching demands a certain kind of presence on the part of the birder: You must become a part of nature rather than stand outside of it. Here are eight common birds to start you off on a lifetime pursuit of bird watching.

DIVE STSC FINAL

divestsc.com FINAL CLICK THROUGH

homepage | style three

homepage | style two

I tried to couple the black and white image of above the water with the vibrant below water image to reference that "underwater/scuba diving is the place to be."

homepage | warmer...

more sketching...

homepage | warmer...

better, closer warmer (to what I am trying to achieve...)

homepage | design exploration

Still a little lost, will keep exploring...

reading | question

Although unorthodox, do you think that Michael Worthington's way of ordering his CD's (by the color of the jewel box spine and its place in the spectrum) should be considered good design system?

(personal opinion, I think that it depends upon the amount of people using the system, so in this case, it's his personal CD collection, so he understands how it works, but it might not work on the scale of a larger audience.)

| project two: reading |

Recipe for a Successful Website

-Most often, Less is more ("Tastes great, less filling")
-Sometimes, more is often more (high-quality and appropriate information)
-Focus on what you've have, don't try to fancify lame material
-Don't be objective, be sure your site has a voice


The Order of Order

-Unlikely pairs can be drawn together. (CD's arranged by color of the spine vs. title of artist)
-The choice of order often speaks about the person arranging them
-the phrase "jostle stuff into submissionjostle stuff into submission" makes me laugh


*the other two readings wouldn't load, will try again later.

project one | progress

| delicious design league |

Here is the website and an example of another "firm" I worked with this summer, everything they do is out of their basement in Humbolt Park, Chicago, IL but the stuff they turn out is bad ass, and they're cool guys too.

deliciousdesignleague.com

TO SUGGEST...

56 years since an election has been incumbent free? That's a pretty long time...

to suggest...

a limited choice
freedom from the past
the past not effecting the present

more to come...

Something fun I did this summer.

CAMP FIREBELLY.

FIREBELLY DESIGN.

Design Humor

TUFTE, HOLMES & WURMAN respectively.

project one | keywords

DISASSOCIATION

HISTORY

TRANSITION

project one | word list

incumbent
history
time
unity
stagnant
choice
similar
past
present
future
free
freedom
different
same
opportunity
transition
reflect
initiative
inform
spread
local
universal
current
prevail
alternative
selection
option
succeed
prospective
incoming
exiting
association
disassociation
affiliation
union
unification
relation
connection
voice
represent
representative
vocal
vocalize
devoice

Edward Tufte

An American statician and retired professor of statistics, information design and interface design at Yale University, Edward Tufte has been discribed as "the da Vinci of Data." Tufte's writing covers the fields such as information design and visual literacy, focusing on visual communication of information. Often accused of being "merciless towards the misleading" Tufte feels that time is wasted by "deciphering bad designs" when "the wonder of data" could be being explored. And to those who say statistics and data are boring, well Tufte has a response. "If the statistics are boring, then you've got the wrong numbers."

Nigel Holmes

An illustrator and graphic designer, Nigel Holmes was born in England in 1942. Receiving his degree in illustration from the Royal College of Art in London, Nigel is most heralded for his work with explanation graphics. Working on anything from charts, diagrams, maps icons to motion graphics Nigel breaks down complex information into easily understandable graphics. Having worked for clients such as the BBC, American Express, Chase and Timberland, he has built up a large portfolio of clients on both sides of the pond. Also an author, Holmes has written many books, and has also collaborated with Richard Saul Williams in two chapters of the book Understanding USA in 2000.

Richard Saul Wurman

An architect and graphic designer, Richard Saul Wurman was born in Philly in 1935. Considered a front runner in the realm of making information understandable, Wurman has written and designed 80+ books and was the creator of the famous TED conferences. Coining the term "information architect," Wurman was fueled by a society that creates large amounts of information with lack of care and order. His ACCESS travel guide books used simple colored text, allowed for the separation. location and evaluation of restaurants, parks, museums and other destinations.

project one | stories

STORY ONE

Over the past 80 years lots of things have changed. Wars have been won and lost, alliences have shifted and even the Royals have won a World Series. But this biggest lack of change is one that isn’t oblivious to most. Among all the things that have happened for the better part of this century, one thing that hasn’t changed is the previous election effecting the present one. For the past 80 years, incumbents have had an effect on each election, whether it be a presidents second term, or a vice president running for office. Well this year that is all going to change. For the first time since 1928, the presidential election will be imcumbent free. Free from influence, carried over policies and the future being the same as the past. So you don’t like how our countries been run over the past 80 years? Well according to history, 2008 is the election for change.

STORY TWO

Think you can spend thre trillion dollars? Better yet, think you could spend three trillion dollars selfishy? Go ahead and give it a try. The Iraq was is expected to cost close to three trillion dollars. One cause, and a huge addition to our debt. With this amount of money you could solve the United States dependency on foreign oil, solve the worlds climate crisis, or educate 20 milion students at the college level. But not each one individually, all of the about could be accomplished with 1.9 trillion dollars left to spare. You’d still have enough money for universal American health care, a nationwide switch to solar energy, and treat yourself to a vintage 1958 Fender guitar while your at it. Countless ways to benefit the general public with spoils thrown in for yourself. Now does three trillion dollars on one cause seem right?

project one | objective

The purpose of this project is to engage the viewer. When using motion graphics as a tool for communication, it’s easy to depend upon the medium to make it interesting. Using this type of medium requires just as much attention to concept, thought process and final creation as any other. With this project it, is our job to take a statistic concerning voting and the upcoming election, and make it a visually pleasing experience. Using motion, scale, color, sound, transitions ect., we as designers can methodically engage our viewer into experiencing the statistic concretely. The statistic chosen should have relevence to this years up coming election. Using non-partisian information about current issues regarding voting or lack there of, our videos should create an engaging call to action. This experience should let the viewer sense or feel the data, creating the want to vote, or at least investigate the situation at hand.

graphics III

Hurray for passing the review!

Question.

Which BEAR is best?

theGRANDfinale.

GD and TYPE? These two subjects, if that's what you want to call them, these crafts, they are something that I dedicate A LOT of my time to each and everyday. From the late hours of the night to the early hours of the morning, I sit and brainstorm, design, comp, cut and paste, glue, mock up, everything, and I often don't find myself unhappy doing it which is something that I am very excited about, because I now know it is something that I love and enjoy.

RESPONSIBILITIES? To dedicate myself to my craft, schooling and future profession. Because without that, there is no point in continuing if I am only going to be half ass. I'll be honest I half ass a lot of things but never in design.

More VALUABLE? To NOT worry about passing some review and to just create quality communicative design. If that is achieved then the passing will come easy.

CHANGE?

It's hard to say that the answers to the questions have actually changed rather than my knowledge base has grown and so has my answers to these questions. My first answers were very typical, lame and to be honest, they might have been just bullshit. But then I realized that the way I viewed these questions each week was based off of the knowledge I had acquired over that week. To be honest it was a good feeling. To know that I am learning, what to do and what not to do, it's good for me. I don't know how many more things I need to find out what I am doing wrong but I actually look forward to them, cause that can only make me better, and that is definitely something that I am eager to strive for.

BRING THAT REVIEW ON.

LARRYlessig.

Larry Lessig

"How creativity is being strangled by the law"

"For the love, not for the money"

A very minimal part in Mr. Lessig's speech but something that is very important to me. Don't get me wrong, money is important and something that I wouldn't mind having a lot of but honestly, I want my job to be something that I do solely for the love of what I do. Money will come and go, but when you actually love something, when you actually wake up each day and are ready and excited to work, it isn't work anymore. Life will be way more enjoyable if you're doing what you love, and not for the money. I can't imagine what it would be like waking up each day and just hating what you have to do for that day, thinking, I need to make that money. That is definitely not a life I would be thrilled to live, and I know now that I chose the right career path.

"(re)creativity"

I am on the fence with this idea. I can argue for both sides and will. Creativity is something that should never be suppressed. It's all around us and it changes our world for better or for worse, but is vital in the advancement of society. But I can see where the taking of other peoples materials and work and having it edited could not be appreciated. The way I see it is that it's based off of your ego. Yes, the persons EGO. It can and does go one of two ways. Lets take music sampling for example. Lets just say my song was taken and mixed up with someone else's to create a very attractive sound. If I was humble I would be appreciative that someone liked my music enough to re-create it and give it a new sound, that being for the love of music. But now if I am only in it for the money, I could find myself upset because that is profit that I am not seeing, and money that someone else is making off of my music. It comes back to what you're in it for, for the love or for the coin. Are you interested in the advancement of your craft at the risk of something of yours being improved, or is the only think your interested in filling those pockets with hundred dollar bills?

What I am saying and what I see is that examine yourself and decide if you are doing what you're doing for the right reasons. It may take a little searching but it can only benefit you in the long run. And if your only in it for the monetary compensation, the by all means make that dough, but realize that you've spent your entire life doing something that you don't care about.

Oh and if what they did with your work is shitty, then I say it's a whole new ball game...

What is GD? Is what I love, plain and simple.

What is TYPE? Something I am willing to commit the rest of my life to, and that says something cause that doesn't happen very often.

RESPONSIBILITIES? To do things for the RIGHT REASONS. Moneys great, but I don't want to spend the rest of my life doing something I don't love

More VALUABLE? Examine myself now, and decide if this is what I want to do for my life, cause if it's not, I want out right now.

DESIGNmatters.

Design Matters Talk
Stefan Sagmeister - Encore.

"Most difficult thing is just thinking"

This wasn't a big part of this chat with Stefan Sagmeister but it was something that I grabbed onto. So thinking being the most difficult thing in design I can absolutely agree with. And for me, its more of thinking and finding a direction to go in where I find myself in the most trouble. I feel as though I get a lot of good ideas from my brainstorming but I think at times I think WAY too much. So the thing is is that Sagmeister feels like the most difficult thing for him to do is to think, but for me, I feel like the hardest thing for me is that I do indeed think way to much.

I don't know if that is something you turn on and off, or something that you can avoid but I think it's something I need to manage. A lot of my time is spent trying new things and experimenting which I know is important, brainstorming and experimenting are vital to my success as a designer but its very time consuming as a student. So instead of getting all the experimenting out early and then just refining and tightening up the final product, sometimes the pieces are solid in terms of thinking but not solid in terms of technique.

"Design has to work, art does not"

Another good point that separates artists from designers. The only reason you design is basically to solve a problem. To clear something up, to fix something that wasn't working. But with art there is none of that. What problems does an piece of art solve? It's a purely aesthetic and is only meant to be easy on the eyes, and some times not. But with design your only challange is to make it work, make it read, make it communicate. With out that it's no longer design, it then just becomes art, and trust me, I want to be a designer, so my stuff better work.

What is GD? It comes back around, GD is thinking about how to solve a problem, and not letting your work become just ART.

What is TYPE? It is communication and another way to breath life into your work. It's a place to experiment with endless possibilities.

RESPONSIBILITIES: To better the communication through the world. Some how and in some way I am to help clear up communication in the world today.

More VALUABLE? To experiment but in a timely fashion. To stick to my deadlines and not procrastinate.

DESIGN observer.

“Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Typeface”
by Michael Bierut

Before reading this article, I often found myself stuck when deciding to choose a type face. It was ALWAYS Univers 57 Condensed for body text and 67 Condensed for sub heads and call outs. But then once it came time to choose a tittle and subtitle font, my imagination went wild. Combining fonts left and right, cropping them, linking them, I did it all and often with no regard for how well they coincided with the task at hand. The font combination workbook assignment helped to widen my body text choices, adding Helvetica, Trade Gothic and even Futura, but I couldn’t stop coming up with unique title and subtitles. But in reading this article, I found out that there needs to be a lot more thought put into a font choosing process.
For the first project ever, I was stuck a form of number six hell. “Because they made you” is the reason, and for that I have fallen in love with Univers, and have despised ITC New Baskerville ever since. Univers provided so many opportunities for me, thick thin, condensed to wide, it worked for just about everything. But with ITC New Baskerville, I just couldn’t enjoy it, for what reason I don’t know but to this day ITC New Baskerville and I are not on good terms.
Some of the things I am now going to try and practice are “because it reminds you of something” and “because it’s boring.” In practicing these in the construction of my titles and subtitles, I feel like I can still express my imagination, but link the choice of font to the subject at hand. For instance in my Chicago Blues book covers, the fonts Rockwell and Memphis for some reason really remind me of the city, there is just something about them that screams “I represent Chicago.” So in my final design I choice Memphis, and in the end I felt that it was the most successful cover. I have never really considered the principle of using a typeface because it is boring and Bierut describes Tibor Kalman’s fascination with boring typefaces. “Anything but a boring typeface, he felt, got in the way of the ideas.” It seems goofy at first but in some ways it makes sense. Soethimes when the material is fascinating or interesting, you don’t need fancy typography taking away from what the actual text is trying to say.

“Type Means Never Having To Say You’re Sorry”
by Jessica Helfand

I don’t know what to say each time I read an article and realize that I do what they often preach as wrong. Should it be a learning experience and from that I can increase my knowledge of the career I have chosen and better myself as a designer, or should I take it as a sign. It has happened all too often in this past year that I am assigned an article to read, or read on voluntarily and find that the topic of the article is about something that I do when I design. This article, with the principle of choosing a type face “because I like it” is something that yes, I am guilty of.
It’s not that I solely chose it because I like it, but I make an attempt to chose typefaces based on how they work with a certain layout or concept, but I do choose them because I am familiar with them, and when it all boils down, it’s “because I like it.” Helfand preaches the importance of Design and Typographic History, something that I am not yet familiar with but will be taking next year. And it being a design student at the University of Kansas, I am glad that it is something that they find necessary and stress in the major. Between the requirements of Art and Design History along with term papers covering everything from specific typographers to typographic and graphic design movements, the core of my design history knowledge grows with each and every class period.
So in reading this article I am not going to look at it as a chance to better my skills and craft. The only thing it’s a sign for is that I have a lot left to learn if I want to succeed in this field, but it is something that I am eager to do. It makes sense, of course I make mistakes like this in college, that’s why I am here, for trial and error, and to learn from my mistakes to overall increase my knowledge of design.

GD is? DEFINITELY NOT "because I like it." It is based off of choices and considerations with the product at hand and what helps to make it more successful.

TYPE is? Staying tight while being yourself. There are reasons for type choices, and one of them is definitely about following he rules. But without being yourself in your work, everything will be the same.

RESPONSIBILITIES? To address the situation or project with its best interests in mind, not my own. What I like and find successful may not be the best option for the success of a project.

VALUABLES? To make mistakes NOW. Reading these articles and seeing what I do wrong is important to find out now rather it be when a client is unhappy with a finished product.

TYPE: the walk.

HELVETICA: the search

I think I have this on lock, but don't hate me if I'm wrong.

But it really is just about everywhere.