Why I Want to be a Graphic Designer

Life has always been an undecisive path. There is always an uncertainty on what decisions to make, why and what consequences come from that decision.

I find that i have never been a decisive person and that my own mind is more creative then logical.

The reason I want to be a designer, is that i want to live a life that doesn't follow logistics but follows creativeness and that is what i want to do the rest of my life. I agree with Elizabeth and Sir Kent that you should do something that you are passionate about. Why pick a career where you are going to be unhappy in but pick something that you are going to enjoy EVERY minute off. That is how i feel about graphic design. Whether painting, drawing, computers, i feel like by putting down my ideas to the world that somehow it can make the world a better place. Through my designs I can express my message through the work and people can look at it and relate to it.

Elizabeth Gilbert and Sir Ken Robinson

• Elizabeth Gilbert
• · American writer
• Her way of conquering fear is to take away from herself
• · But it won’t work if you don’t do anything about it
• · You need your brain to be in that alpha state so creativity can come to you. Your subconscious mind – when your creativity comes to you
• · Most of what she said had a use of humorous metaphors and most serious subjects lighter.
• · It is best to stretch your creativity by getting out of your comfort zone.
• Comedic with a lighthearted look on life
• concepts on the creative mind are quite accurate
• states that the assumption that creativity and suffering are somehow inherently linked is a dangerous one
• promotes separating creative genius from the human artist (to remove the pressure and responsibility from their work);
• both prevents narcissism and failure
• view that individuals are afraid to be wrong; of failure.

Sir Ken Robinson

• British author
• Comedic
• doesn’t seperate creativity from the human;tries to unite them to be more functional and beneficial
• doesn’t value education for the impacts it has on the creative mind
• wants people to prepared to be wrong; not be afraid of being wrong (mistakes is where true creativity comes from)
• humanistic approach that humans do not use their talents to the best of their ability; becoming educated on how not to be creative
• calls for an education revolution, not evolution
• He suggests theories on creativity:
• § Fear of making mistakes
• § Admiring logic too much
• § Avoiding ambiguity
• § Wanting to be practical
• § Thinking play is frivolous
• § Thinking thats not my area
• § Not wanting to be foolish
• § Deciding you are just not creative

Sir Ken Robinson

• British author
• Comedic
• doesn’t seperate creativity from the human;tries to unite them to be more functional and beneficial
• doesn’t value education for the impacts it has on the creative mind
• wants people to prepared to be wrong; not be afraid of being wrong (mistakes is where true creativity comes from)
• humanistic approach that humans do not use their talents to the best of their ability; becoming educated on how not to be creative
• calls for an education revolution, not evolution

He suggests theories on creativity:

§ Fear of making mistakes

§ Admiring logic too much

§ Avoiding ambiguity

§ Wanting to be practical

§ Thinking play is frivolous

§ Thinking thats not my area

§ Not wanting to be foolish

§ Deciding you are just not creative

How Art Made the World

• Greece is very different today then years ago
• They had many different gods
• Ancient greeks were very fixacted on bodies
• Men took shameless prides on their physiques
• Wherever greeks settled they built temples
• They wanted to see images of their gods that were unrealistic
• They needed their statues to see their gods face to face
• Temples were filled with many life like statues and greeks would often think that it was their gods in person
• Statues were small figurines which later on turned into large sculptures
• It is told in a small bit in a greek/ egyptian history book. Greek sculptures decided to change their sculptures from small figurines to large because of the Egyptian change.
• It sparked a history revolution
• They studied every detail in the human body to reproduce the human body.
• Very first sculpture of a detailed man was made by the greeks. It was the perfect imitation.
• Another sculpture of a human being was of a female figure. The curves are exaggerated
• Egyptian drawings were all done sideways. Feet, face but the eyes face forwards.
• They were dissatisfied with the sculptures and wanted more
• How could they adapt the human body into a sculpture they would be satisfied with
• Wanted to show the physical body of an athlete but look relaxed. The perfect posture and body.
• It was finally then that the greeks created something more human than human
• They are known as the rinacho bronzes?
• Unknown to the world at large
• No where you can see sculptures than can compare to the skill and execution of these sculptures.
• They were made 2000 years before the Italian renaissance
• At first at a glance they appear realistic form but when you look closer, it is not possible for a man to look like this.
• Their body forms have been exaggerated
• They
• They have no coxic bones at the end of their backs
• Impressionist bodies were exaggerated
• Today, bodies are exaggerated through photo-shop. Erase of blemishes and exaggerated features of lips, breast, etc..
• Horses are seen all over historical arts
• Cave walls show many historical events. The first ones found has been considered as one of the most beautiful art.
• The authenticity of the art was questioned because it was too good.
• Prehistoric animals were obsessed with animals
• Cave paintings needed to paint in the places were people could see them but like in France it is placed in a narrow cave. Can be inexcessible.
• Archaeologist still find it hard to understand the paintings in caves.
• They should be trying to solve the mystery of how to draw in the first place
• How do you come up with the idea of a picture in the first place?
• How did our ancestor discover that lines, dots etc could create a picture?
• In South Africa, Cave paintings have been found and feature large animals and hunting scenes
• Unlike European paintings which were painted thousands of years ago, these South African painting were painted a few hundred years ago.
• The key to discovering the paintings in the mountains have been lost forever
• In the village Chunquay, they have a special tribal dance. “Trance dance” and as the presenter was watching the dance, the guy dancing fell into a trance and lost consciousness. How can this help to solve the mystery of the paintings done by their ancestors?

Milton Glaser and Frank Gehry Class Exercise

Milton Glaser

• 
  
• "I Love New York" design is his most well known
• Loves referencing movements from the past within a modern context
• One of the artists that have renewed the manifesto of 1964 to "First Things First Manifesto 2000", that called designers to be more than commercially driven
• Aiding to change the idea that the world has about graphic designers,
• thinks conceptually with a new view on every situation
• An American designer
• Involved with creating several iconic logos and designs

Comparing the Opera House and the Disney Hall

The similarities between the opera house and Ghery's Disney Hall both contain:

• Both contain abstract shapes throughout the building. Roof top and walls
• They both have pointed and curved roofs out of the base
• The colour scheme of the building are monotone
• Structures of the building are done on purpose

The difference between the two, is the Ghery's Disney Hall uses different shapes along with the ones that are already there.

Week 7

Post modernism

What is Postmodernism? it is the contemporary culture in which rebels against the logic of modernism. To this definition and everyone has their own version of the truth where there is no rules.Postmodernism has influenced other fields including architecture, visual arts, music, sociology and also literary criticism. Designers of this movement chose to break the rule of form follows function. They were interested in challenging expectations and unconventional ways of breaking rules.

Week 5 and 6

Late modernism was inspired by European Avante Garder. Everything of that time had what it each needed to work. The simplicity of all designs, in which form follows function. This went through the American Kitsch period in the 50's.

Frank Lloyd Wright, known for achitecture, interior designer, writer and teacher.

His designs were influenced by the “The Praire Style” of architecture. It consisted of very rigid geometric shapes and was meant to create a truly North American fashion. Inspiration also came from Europe and the Arts and Crafts movement . Colour played a huge role in Frank’s designs, as it was suppose to convey the feel of nature. By doing so, he used autumn colours, warm shades of red, yellow- green, gold and brown. These colours were aimed to create a peaceful, serene and harmonious environment for the climate. His designed used organic shapes, colours and lines.

The 1950's graphic style, "The International Typographic style", originated in Switzerland and is also known as the "Swiss" style. It's known characteristics were:

• Based on pure geometry
• Refined style
• Cleanliness in style
• Objectivity
• Clear communication
• Functional typography

This was often used in asymmetric layouts, San Serif typeface distinguished the very designs of modernism.

The Swiss movement originated and grew out of Bauhaus and the New Typography movements, in which had similar characteristics as well.

Richard Paul Lohse, used this style in his overlay magazines which featured the Bauhaus architectural design elements. Helmut Schmid, also another designer did a remake of Die Neue Gesellschaft and was well known for the use of the International typographic style.

http://www.aisleone.net/categories/international-typographic-style/

Designers who came out of post modernism were strongly against the Swiss modernism and style, based on the slick and clean characteristics.