Design Brief 5

One thing I am worried about is the topic. I know extremely little about microbiology. I am not a science person. But since it is an intro class, my lack of knowledge could be very helpful in understanding the target audience. Although the brief makes it sound somewhat simple, I'm sure there will be a lot of details to pay close attention to considering all the information we have accumulated over the semester. But as always, I am ready for the challenge.

Queen of the Sun

Queen of the Sun Rationale


I hope that my poster sparks curiosity in those who view my poster, and that they leave actually pondering what the bees could possibly be telling us. The close up of the bee is meant to enhance that, showing the complexity of the creature that we normally miss. Many people find bees a nuisance, so I picked light, pleasant fonts to try and overcome that negative connotation.

I learned a lot of little lessons related to visual hierarchy doing this brief, not only from my designs but the class as a whole. I paid attention to how each student reorganized the text and from there worked out a hierarchy that I hope is as logical and easy to follow for others as it is to me.

I noticed in many layouts that the photo and the title text were almost fighting for the attention of the viewer. I tried to balance the two with this layout- the bee comes out of the left margin and points us in the direction of the text. The text is organized within the span of the bee’s wings, creating a unified feel between the picture and the text. The bee and text are surrounded by white space, making it clear that this is the only place you need to look.

While working on my various drafts, I developed a logo for the film series incorporating the UWM logo. In some of my earlier drafts I struggled with what to do with the title of the film series and UWM. If I could do this brief over again I would definitely break down and organize all the necessary elements sooner, which would allow me to design much more efficiently.


-Erin Meulbroek

Design Brief 4- 11/7/11

My apologies, I completely forgot about this post until now. Creating a brochure will definitely be a challenge, but one that we are all ready for. I'm excited for the possibility that one of our brochures could actually be used for the Spring semester. The brief calls for the use of repetition, and I can already tell that will be very helpful in organizing the brochure. One concern I have, which we discussed in class is mounting the brochure which will without a doubt be awkward given the nature of the brochure. I'm sure by the time the brochure is due I will have worked something out.

Visual Hierarchy

The tip I found most helpful was the "squint test", which came from the second reading, about half way down the page. The test is to simply squint and note which design element catches your attention first, as well as how everything else follows. With that knowledge you can place your information accordingly in order of importance.

Although it was about web design, I found the first reading the most helpful. Because we view web pages more often then printed documents these days, it is much easier for us to understand using web pages as examples. I liked that the example for white space was not literally white space, emphasizing that the term means something closer to unfilled space.

I feel that alignment will be one of the principles I pay most attention to. It's more than just left, right or center. When working with multiple sections of text each individual sections alignment as well as the alignment of the piece as a whole can make a huge impact with the littlest changes.

One thing that bothered me was that the readings didn't practice what they preach. How am I supposed to trust the information when its presentation contradicts its content? I find that great motivation to produce quality, well thought out design in every situation I find myself in.

Design Brief 3

I am excited to move on and learn new software and techniques through creating a flyer. And, as always, I am excited to see all the different interpretations that the class creates.

One thing I am nervous about is finding photos to use for the flyer. I'm nervous that I'll have a great idea in my head of a photo that I cannot find online or produce myself. I am also worried that my photo might lose some of its persuasive power when converted from color to black and white.

Designing for multiple contexts/audiences is always a challenge as well.

10/4/11- Designing Forms Readings

I found the first reading, Visual Communication for Forms Design, to be the most helpful of the articles I read and the bulk of the information in this response will come from there. I found it really helpful that the ideas weren't just listed, but followed up with an explanation of why the idea works. It was thorough without being boring- a very well thought out piece.

One very helpful section was How We Identify Letters and Words. This explained a little about how our brains read and recognize letters and words as well as design tips that help us design accordingly. For example we learn that writing in all caps messes with the our ability to recognize outlines, which is an essential part of reading and comprehending.

The following section, How We Read, shares similar ideas, but on the paragraph level. We learn that too big of leading can confuse us when moving from line to line, and the "Alphabet and a Half" theory which states that "that a line of type should be no shorter than one alphabet (twenty six characters), and no longer than two and one-half alphabets (sixty five characters)."

Finally, the article discusses caption styles for forms. Everyone will agree, the one thing that turns an easy form to a pain in the ass is when the space where you are supposed to fill in your answers is unclear. The pros and cons of a couple different options are discussed.

Psychology and Design may not be traditionally linked, but and understanding of both can really give you an edge. It is one of those things that initially surprises you a bit, but after a second though makes perfect sense.

9/29/11 Typography Readings

In the "11 Essential Tips For Good Print Typography" it was listed first, and I found it the most useful out of all the tips on the list. Its so obvious that we often forget how useful it is.

Another reading I found useful was the reading on "Choosing Type Combinations." Its main point is to "follow the Holy Font Guideline #1 when choosing different typefaces for a piece: Concord or contrast, but don’t conflict. That is, either stick with different styles in the same typeface family (concord), or choose completely different faces (contrast). Do not choose typefaces that are similar (conflict)." This of course only makes sense if you know your font families (modern, sans serif, etc.), which the reading includes in the explanation of font guideline.

The "Five Simple Steps to Better Typography" discusses the relationship between measure and leading. A simple rule they propose is "Small Measure, less leading. Wide Measure, more leading." So far, I think this will be the most helpful in fine tuning my typography skills. They also discuss hanging punctuation, an example of which might be when all the texts from a bulleted list starts at the same margin. It is something that always bothers me when making and viewing layout that I haven't been able to put a name to. I would definitely recommend reading that whole series.

There really is a lot more to typography than just picking fonts, aligning them and sizing them. I really am excited to fine tune these skills and learn more about this aspect of design.

For my design example, I chose this poster about conserving water by Maxime Delporte of France. I really like the mostly monochrome color scheme, as blue is the color mostly associated with water. Even though not all water looks blue, it is the color most positively associated with water. The left aligned message uses a bold font and unusual line breaks for emphasis while not overshadowing the background figure. The background figure uses shading to give 3 dimensional depth the the h's and o's that make up the two human figures. Many of the letters in the figure are cut off to make the shape more clean, but you can still tell which ones are which. All in all its an eye catching, well designed piece with a great message behind it.

Design Brief 2

I really don't have too many concerns about Design Brief 2. I have used InDesign for many other classes and have become comfortable with the software. I learned from Design Brief 1 to expect a lot of variety, and I am excited to see how my classmates interpret the assignment. I hope to learn more about typography through this assignment- how font choice, line spacing, sizing and so on created a tone for the piece.

From A to Z

Initially I had listed a variety of possible audiences, from businessmen to the homeless to tourists. Though very different, all these people have one thing in common- they are going somewhere.
My first designs were very modern looking, and I realized I wasn’t designing as much for the people as I was for the city setting. My final design aims to incorporate both. I kept the thick, modern capital A’s and incorporated motion. By stretching and angling the A’s a zig-zag motion is created. I also threw in a double meaning with the letters themselves. The A’s form a Z, subtly telling the transit riders that they can take them anywhere in the city from A to Z.
As mentioned before, I learned the importance of designing for an audience rather than a location. People react to design, not concrete.

Fountain

Initially, I had not planned on creating a tile for a fountain. This tile was created under the context of a transit station- modern and geometric to appeal to urban citizens. When we shared the tiles in class this ended up on the fountain table and it made a lot more sense there. It has a fountain feel to it, rotating from a central point. But because it still has the thick, blocky letters from its transit roots it is has an interesting feel to it. Some might find it has a Native American with the star-like pattern in the middle, or even find that it resembles the sun.
From the creation of this tile I learned a second (or third) opinion can be extremely helpful. The artists vision can be very different from the audience’s perception. From now on I will definitely seek out the opinions of others before finalizing any work.

Two Audiences, Two Images

My blog entry for this section was not very detailed. I listed children, their families and various hospital workers. As I got to thinking about the similarities and differences of these groups, I really just needed to focus on two audiences- children and adults.
I came up with a very simple looking design that can be perceived as two entirely different images and evoke entirely different emotions. A child looking at this picture would see the Q’s as balloons or lollipops, both very happy objects. Adults on the other hand can pick out a more complex scene. The smaller Q is meant to represent a child and the bigger Q and adult caring for them. That adult could be a nurse, doctor or family member. The picture is meant to calm the viewer, remind them that the patient is in good hands.
From creating this tile I learned that simple images can be powerful. I learned that the slightest change in positioning can completely change the message of an image. If I had realized this sooner I could have saved myself a lot of time.

Figure and Ground

The simplest way to describe figure and ground is a foreground and background relationship. Figure being foreground and ground being background. But there is a lot more to it than that. Describing it in fore/background terms gives the impression that figure is more important that ground, which is absolutely not the case. You can not have one without the other, and good design work makes every decision with that in mind. A classic example of this relationship is the vase/kissing faces graphic. Each picture plays the roll of figure and ground depending on how you focus on the object.

I have already noticed myself using this idea in my work, making arranging my letters to make shapes and patterns with both the letters themselves and the surrounding white space.

Design Brief 1- 9/13/11

For my first context I chose the transit station. I liked the idea of creating work for a space that would have a wide variety of viewers... business people commuting to work, students of all ages on the way to school, the homeless, transit workers, as well as people visiting the city.

For my second context I chose the zoo. When I think of the zoo, the first thing I think of is an elementary school field trip... so teachers, their students and parent chaperons are a major audience. But these children might also visit the zoo with their families on the weekend, which brings in children older or younger than elementary school aged, as well as parents and grandparents. Let's not forget people of any age who just love and are fascinated by animals... these people might work at the zoo, or just visiting. And of course the animals themselves, they're smarter than we think.

My last context is the children's hospital. The obvious audience are the children and their close families, but doctors, nurses, janitors, and other hospital workers would see the tiles as well.

Here are three tiles I made with the transit station in mind: