5.19.2011

the year in review

Check out my behance portfolio for a look at all of the projects I have completed in my first year graphics and typography studios, including my final speech in motion. More photos of my projects will be up soon, so check it out!

5.10.2011

typography journal 14

My first year as a graphics student is slowly, but surely, coming to a close. I have learned so much this year, and especially this semester, about both myself and myself as a designer. For one, I learned that I can push myself a lot farther than I had originally thought was possible. The late nights, the stress, and the procrastination of first semester taught me quite the lesson, and second semester I had only two all-nighters and did not wait until the last minute as I had previously, though the stress level only increased. However, I have learned to manage my stress and found ways to relax and calm down while I'm working. I also learned about my process and the way in which I go about accomplishing a project. Throughout the year I have been somewhat slow to get to the idea that will end up being the direction in which I choose to take my final piece. This is mostly because I often do not do enough process work and preliminary research as I should, though I do the required amount expected of me for each project, I feel like I could do much more and look at designers on my own time to search for more inspiration and therefore, more ideas. I think this would help my work improve faster so I have more time to improve upon a great idea, than spending time finding a good idea and making an okay final result.

With as much as I have learned and improved upon this year, I'm looking forward to further improvement and developing my design identity. I still feel as though my style could be more sophisticated, refined, and individualized, which are all things I hope to improve upon in my remaining years as a student. Finally, I hope to work on making connections with my peers as well as my professors so I have connections to other designers and feel comfortable asking for feedback and/or help.  Overall, this year has been so eye-opening and interesting, despite the stress and non-stop hard work. If anything, this year has only further confirmed my aspirations of becoming a graphic designer.

typography journal 13

What I found interesting about Larry Lessig's speech on laws that choke creativity was this push/pull that is created because of the new technology that is available to us. On one hand it could "choke" our creativity, because it is so helpful that it may eliminate certain methods and ways of creative process that we lose originality or take the easy way out, creatively. On the other hand, this technology could allow for new doors to be opened up that allow us to take some of our wildest ideas and realize them through the sophisticated technology. Finally, he says that we cannot kill the instinct technology produces, only criminalize it.

typography journal 12

Hillman Curtis Artist Series:

1. Paula Scher: I love the way Scher incorporates typography into the buildings she is hired to create signage for. Her use of typography is interesting and well reflects the atmosphere of the architecture and the designated business or area. What stood out most to me from her video were the ways in which she arranges type to make it more active or engaging, and though it may turn or flip several times, it never becomes too confusing or illegible.

2. David Carson: What I liked about David Carson was the way he overlaid typography onto images. There is a kind of balance, yet a hierarchy with his designs, and I find that fascinating and engaging. What I learned from Carson's video is that the starting point for his work is never the final outcome (pretty, ugly, etc.), but to be engaging and interesting.

3. Mark Romanek: The raw, emotional, and carnal aesthetic of Romanek's work is what I find to be so interesting and intriguing. I find it interesting that he makes his films very detailed when he films them, but when he cuts it together, he cuts out quite a bit because it doesn't work and then embraces accidents which can turn out to be very beautiful. I found his method of working so inspiring, don't plan, just embrace. I would ask Romanek what his favorite video he's ever shot was, as well as what musical artist he would most like to make a video for.

5.02.2011

Speech in Motion: Draft 01

The following is a VERY basic and skeletal outline for my speech in motion with no animation applied to it, yet. This is just the first in what is sure to be a series of rough drafts, but I thought it would be interesting to show my progress as I continue on. The poem is "Totally, like, whatever, you know?" by Taylor Mali.


Kinetic Typography Animatics from emily austin on Vimeo.

4.27.2011

typography journal 11

The Design Talk I chose to listen to was with Dave Eggers, an author who writes about art and music for magazines, though his design work has been featured in periodicals including Print and Eye, and in 2003, his design work forMcSweeney's was featured in the National Design Triennial at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York, and in the California Design Biennial.

Debbie Millman is an extremely important and admirable figure in the design world. She is President of the design division at Sterling Brands, one of the leading branding firms in the country. In addition, Millman is President of AIGA, while also maintaining chair of the School of Visual Arts' master's program in Branding. She is a well-known author, an editor for Print magazine, and finally, hosts the podcast "Design Matters".

According to the Sterling Brands website, "Design Matters" is a design podcast hosted by Debbie Millman that is host to a stimulating point of view on graphic design, branding, and cultural anthropology. Millman and her guests explore challenging and compelling topics found within today's design world.

What I found most interesting about her interview with Dave Eggers was that he constantly felt like his work had fallen short and rarely liked anything he ever did. Considering what an amazingly talented person he is, I found this to be pretty fascinating. Though I hardly compare to his talent, I do find myself disliking a lot of what I create, as well. Regardless of how he feels about his work, Eggers still claims he has a strong sense of what is good and what is bad, also interesting.