Vice Versa

Just little music experimentation for my extension studies class. I've been slacking to put all my work up here because I don't think anyone looks at it [still]. It sucks feeling like the school you go to has forgotten about you.

Credit in the UK

Loren Cook, Sara Fowler, and Michael Perez all designed a series of two posters for the fundraising event named 'Finger Bang' for the level 5 fundraiser. The fundraiser goes towards an account that the students will use the money to pay for their final show cost and location in London.

Printed at Parliament of Feathers in Brighton; check it out here.

My Second Eurotrip

Fellow designer, Loren Cook, and I visited Krakow, Budapest, and Berlin. Among our travels I was blown away by all of the different vibes in each city. Every time we 'conquered' a new place, I was like putting on a different pair of shoes and polishing your eye glasses to look around and study your surroundings.

The point of view and the things I've seen with stick with me for the rest of my life. More immediately, I will be able to incorporate all of these things and have them inspire my design as each problem comes my way. Seeing things in black, seeing the opposite side in white, and designing the prettiest shade of grey this world has seen. I'm mixing up my chocolate and vanilla and it's never been better.

Research and Inspiration

Working on the next brief, I've been reading, listening and talk to figure out what good or bad design is. After exploring some TEDtalks, blogs, books, etc. I'm starting to word and form my own [very formal] opinion – with the freedom of speech and format.

Documenting for YCN Submission

These are pictures of Jak and I setting up for our Chaos Emerald Energy Drinks in the photo studio at the University of Brighton. The facilities are huge and are all set up for very professional photos (as you can tell from the lights, table, and on monotor preview).

Hopefully Sonic likes what they see but not only that but a very proper proposal for the rest of the marketing plan and reasons for the success of the launch of out drink, in order to be given a chance to have our product launched in the 'real world' by Sega.

Our final photos will be released on this blog after submissions are made.

Typeface Design

Here's the beginning works of a typeface design brief. I'm in the process of making the typeface not only a modular typeface but for readability and legibility. Quick question: has anyone read my blog since I've left Kansas City? Testing 1, 2, 3.

Quick shout out to my parents – because I know they have. Haha!

Letterpress Work

Today I finished up my letterpress work, in the letterpress studio. The facilities here are huge and they have more typefaces in one place than I have ever seen. They have three electric printers, which allows more people to print at once. I never realized how much fun I could have printing and setting type. The facilities at KCAI are very limited, which is a shame. Such an old technique is coming back into 'fashion' among the design world and I would love to have the same use of type when I go back to Kansas City. Fortunately, my personal project will have the opportunity to branch out to the use of the letterpress.

Brighton Art Map: Redesigned

YCN Brief: SEGA Final Round

These photos aren't the best quality images, there will be more up and the final pictures will be posted. Better lighting and some final design tweaks are needed to finish the final product for the live SEGA brief. Word on the street is that whomever wins the competition gets to work with SEGA to make their idea and design put out on the market. Fingers crossed.

CHAOS EMERALD ENERGY
Gold cans with designed sticker label seal. The background of black, on the cans, are made up of designer black and regular black to add a holographic level to the can when it's in light or hits the light.

THE BOX

The box carries all four flavored cans of the Chaos Emerald Energy drink for a limited edition Sonic Pack.

Sonic Update

So far, Jak and I have created the cans and are now working on the box case for this limited edition Sonic beverage. There has been a lot of research involved to design these packages due to the fact I have not a clue what Sonic is all about. Truth be told, I haven't played the game since I was 4 years old, back in 1994. Here are some screenshots of that two side of the box will look like and the uncompleted label for the can.

Right now, printing is taking it's course and the registration of the black on top of the design black is giving us some trouble.

Scans of the sketches to be posted soon.

YCN Brief: SEGA

For one of the next briefs, I have the option to pick from a number of briefs on the YCN website. This is a competition for student work. I have chosen to do a brief about Sonic, brought to YCN from SEGA.

My idea for the brief, after brainstorming and mind mapping, is to create packaging for an energy drink. It was perfect! A drink that can be consumed for the typical 'gamer' and the audience of 28-44 in age. Sketches and screen-shops to come. I have decided to go with the old school sonic. Not the new, smooth, fancied Sonic. I'm keeping this classic.

Oh, and did I mention I have an English partner by the name of Jak Hornblow? Partner's voices over here are so much cooler than the ones I had back in America – haha! Just kidding, guys.

Blue Plaques

Here is another revision on my Blue Plaques mapping poster. The poster size is A1 is measurement.

Personal Project

Throughout this term, we were assigned a project that will be on going throughout the whole semester. This is kind of my idea.

PORTRAIT OF SELF AND OTHERS
Through using collections of images, projects, epiphanies, etc. that I’ve had I want to combine them and the same of others in a monthly online magazine. To make sure printing costs aren’t affecting my pocket, there will be one printed and scanned to put online for all readers to view for free. I also want to send up a file sharing system so people can share videos, music, etc on the site.

Contextualizes and supports my care to speak and “be heard” as well as any others who attribute to the magazine. It will demonstrate people’s talents or scope in on what they would like others to see. Instead of working for a project or a final outcome, this is a place where people can submit their work and challenge me to work with things on a grid other than square pictures and my own edited phrases.

People are affected by what sorts of information and data they consume on a daily basis and because my physical voice isn’t very loud, I want to make it very apparent.

Help make connections between people through an online community. Creating this creative population will add volume to the voices of people and the people around them. Coming to a new school, I have been forced to “start all over” in a sense and the feeling of being uncomfortable has really got me to notice and get stressed about impression. I know what I want to say; I just need a “megaphone” to get the point out. I want to help others do the same.

MTV Cribs UK

Loren and I turned a very short video of a tour of our new flat into a little bit of a silly situation. Have a look, hope you enjoy.

Blue Plaques: Post Critique

Before the critique, I knew there were a number of things that needed to be refine. After listening during crit, I formulated (self and through others) a sense of what direction that needed to be. A list is as follows:

- It's visually interesting but all of the layers could be combined into other forms or all into one. With that being said, there could be a tint of the pie chart over the map.

- The key is too large; a total hierarchy error on my part.

- Also, the typeface choice, and format could have plainly been a circle.

- Change up the color, a bit.

- Makes the dots smaller, they could be like 20 places and not just the one I'm meaning.

- Put the dots on the left side of the information.

- Maybe look at other ways to layer the location, profession, and names (not just different typefaces).

With this all being said, I have a clearer picture of how to reorganize the format and the elements on the poster.

Blue Plaques

Just finished up the almost finished version of my blue plaque mapping. I'm unhappy with a lot of it right now but the project was taken almost like a warmup for me, for the year, and also a chance to get used to how to use a lot of the tools around the school and the Brighton area. Printing is in a different building, about 13 minutes away from the school. So testing printing didn't happen this time. I'm crossing my fingers to make sure that things turn out okay. Also, getting used to the paper size threw me for a spin as well. I hope it turns out. Here's one of the versions.

Mapping Out the Region

BREIF FOR PROJECT 1

For the first project, the brief reads as follows:

Mapping is a principal used in cartography and information design it is: 'the visual documentation of data translated or transformed into the visual presentation of information'. The task of collecting and recording material documenting data subjecting it to analysis, developing an order and a sequence which determines the form of presentation are skills which will help as you begin to consider the direction of your individual work.

You are to document through photography, video/film, drawing, text or symbols the category of information you have drawn form a hat. [I chose "blue plaques".] All area you gather information from must be within a two mile radius of the 'Clock tower' in central Brighton. Try to record all the details of the data category eg numbers, variables in the form of the object, type, classification, size etc. Attempt to find a link between each of the data elements eg bus stops are linked by route. Consider variables in relation to the nature of your presentation, eg speed, time, distance, concentration, quantity, frequency. Can you develop new visual narratives between the data entries.

Present your final work either as a large format folded map sheet, chart, interactive piece or short film.

GETTING STARTED

After collecting my information, I started with the first basic step. This was figuring out what this two mile radius looked like. Not being from the area, I have no concept of how far around two miles is. Below is a map pieced together, which will, I think, eventually become a vector of sorts.

First Project, New School

The first project I have come across is one that strongly intercepts and pushes the idea of gathering data, around you. When Loren and I came to school yesterday [our first day] we had a bit of a private meeting with our instructors. The learning style here can be explained as what I would like to call "open ended teaching & learning". This type of learning seems to be more embracing of the creative output of the student. Instead of being told what to produce, as far as ideas, format, medium, scale, etc. I can do basically anything I can think of. This opens barriers to anything, anything. It's quite incredible. It is making me feel a little more "free" than the curriculum at KCAI. Some projects are very open ended but there still seems to be a "stilt" that we need to use. It's kind of hard to put into words at this point but when I come back, I'll have a keener of an idea as to how to state this fact.

Once fact is that we have a lot more time to concentrate on a single project. Instead of pushing out 3 projects (some of which are due on the same day), I can put 110% to one project to really test and [more importantly] show the results of my learning and knowledge of design.

More on this specific project later.

Happy New Year

Entering the year of 2011, I have had the most amazing opportunity to travel abroad to the University of Brighton, UK. Following my departure, I have setup a tumblr account to keep track of the sights and journalings, if you will, step by step by Loren Cook and I.

Click here to check it out.