Assignment 20: Research and Inspiration

A Brief Biography of Shepard Fairey

Shepard Fairey started off as a street artist.  He would design stickers and posters and post them all around big cities.  He later gained more notoriety when he design the infamous Obama HOPE poster.  Since then he has had exhibitions and worked as a designer for organizations.  He is also known for his OBEY campaign.

Famous Works

 

 

Research

Social Issue

I have decided to do "bully cops" as my social issue.  With the recent killing of Kelly Thomas, I feel it is a problem that needs more light shed on it.

Colors, Trends, Words etc.

As these posters seem to typically glorify the subject of the portrait, I'm thinking that I'm  going to do a Fairey style  of Kelley Thomas with some kind of word like "abuse" under it.  Or maybe I could flip the switch and have a picture of a cop and the word "bully" underneath, to show that they're bad bad people.  The logos on these posters seem to be real simple too, I'm thinking maybe a police badge with some kind of unexpected symbol inside.  For colors I might stick with the red and blue of the Obama poster just to juxtapose that familiar look with a different tone.  If not though I would definitely use red, to symbolize the passionate response that these events have caused

 

Color Psychology

Assignment 19: Research and Inspiration, continued

 Research
 For Stationary package research, see post titled: "Stationary Package"

Inspiration
I like the unity/variety in this package, you can tell that the designer didn't just copy the same graphic over and over, but created a specific, yet consistent graphic for each piece

This ones cool cause of the different ways they used the logo as a watermark and such

Assignment 19: Research and Inspiration

What is a business card used for?
Typically a quick way to give the idea for your company, and some basic information

Spa Design Research

• I've found most designs are very flowy, lots of script utilized
• lots of cool colors, very sea like, 
• abstract human images often used

Color research- as in the last one, i plan on using cool colors again, as in a spa one is supposed to be in total relaxation, an cool colors have a calming effect.  I do want to use a little bit more bold colors though, to set this apart from other spas.

Visual Hierarchy

Stationary Package

-Printed pieces that a company uses for communication purposes-

• Basic Stationary Package is a Business Card, Letterhead, and envelope designs

Business Card:

• Should form an immediate opinion of company
• has information, but also shows mission, culture, and goals through colors fonts, texture etc.
• Includes, in this order: logo, company name, employee name, title, phone number, fax number, e-mail address, company address, web address
• MUST be 2 x 3.5 inches
• Horizontal or Vertical
• unity
• typical margin is a quarter inch

Letterhead:

• A printed piece of paper used to send letter, invoices, memos etc.
• Should include: logo, company name, company address, phone number, fax number, web address
• logo and company name should be the focus with
• other info less prominent
• must be 8.5x1,vertical orientation
•  leave mostly empty for body type

Envelope:

• The packaging that contains the letter/form 
• We will be creating a standard #10
• Typically includes just one logo, company name, and company address
• Must be 9.5x4.125, horizontal or vertical
• must leave room for recipient stamp and address

Assignment 18: Research and Inspiration

What is a wordmark?
A standardized, text only, visual representation of a company. It should be representative of the company.

What makes a good wordmark?
-Good wordmarks should be memorable. This can be achieved through emphasis and contrast.
-Simplicity.  The least you can do to the company's name, while sufficiently conveying an appropriate image, the better it will be.
-Memorable

Photography Industry Trends:
-Depending on the type of photography the company is taking, their wordmarks seem to be either very modern, or very conservative
-All are very very simple though, almost no out of the box flourishes

Color research: use cool colors, photographers should be personal, and cool colors are welcoming

Inspiration

I like this one because it breaks the mold of having no visuals on a wordmark, the small flash is still simple, but very effective

Ignoring the symbol on the left, this is a perfect example of a simple and modern wordmark, it also uses contrast perfectly

Assignment 17: Research and Inspiration

I've chosen to create a logo for Spin Records.

As music is always fresh, i've decided to create a more trendy logo. Through research i've found that this means:

• It should look modern
• It should be very, very simple
• For a more trendy look, I should use a color or two, most old record labels use only black
• Some symbol of music should be used
• circles are very commonly used 
• Bold colors are often used, to pop

This modern record player could be modeled, in contrast to the multitude of companies who just use records

I enjoy the simplicity of this logo

Nice figure groun in this picture

 

Logotypes

Definition- a mark or logo used by companies (mostly) to brand

What should they do?
-Be recognizable
-Convey the right image
-Simple

How did modernism affect logos?
-Logos became more clear and simple, opposed to the complex visuals before the 50s

5 Principles of effective logo design:

1. Simple- more effective for the quickness with which an audience looks at a logo
2. Timeless- will it be effective in 10 or 20 years? make sure it can
3. Versatile- your logo has to look good on any kind of media
4. Memorable- keeping simple and appropriate will make people remember it
5. Appropriate- design for your audience/client, not for yourself

Spot Color
-Method of specifying and printing colors, which each color is printed in its own ink
-Good for only up to three colors
-Uses Pantone Matching System to find colors

Choose Color Wisely
-Color plays an important role in logo design
-Color can illicit different feelings from your audience
-Different demos have different interpretations of colors
-Colors follow trends
-Keep to 2 or 3 colors, for complexity

Combination Mark
-Includes text and visual
-both are integrated

Iconic/ Symbolic
-Abstract
-Extremely simple
-Symbol for company, not what company does
-Visual only

Wordmark/ Lettermark
-Stylized company name
-Typography
-Utilizes only text

Assignment 16: Research and Inspiration

 Research

- An infographic is a means by which one can communicate information visually

What makes an infographic?

• Quick clear information
• Things that would require too much word explain are told visually
• Be concise first, add broadening infromation later

What are infographics used for?

• Maps are considered some of the first "infographics"
• other current common versions of infrographics are things such as graphs and time lines
• Infographics are commonly used for education, in the news, and by activist and other non profit organizations to  disseminate knowledge effectively

Inspiration

I particularly like when infographics incorporate the thing that they are explaining as the information like this.  I also like how simple it is

I like this timeline because it feels very dynamic. It has great rythym and feels like its coming atchya

Early Computers | 1930s - 1980s AD

What is an abacus?
device used for simple calculations

In 1936,  Zuse invented this type of computer?
first freely programmable computer

Post a photo of the 1944 Mark Computer.


In 1944, Aiken and Hopper designed the Mark Series of computers to be used for what?
for ballistic calculations for the US navy

Post a photo of the UNIVAC Computer.


In 1951, Eckert and Mauchly designed the first commercial computer for whom?
for the census beaureau

What does UNIVAC stand for?
 Universal Automatic Computer

In 1953, IBM enters the scene. What does IBM stand for?
International Buisiness Machine

What is FORTRAN?
First successful high level program language

Post a photo of the first mouse.


In 1964, how did Engelbart change the way computers worked?
he invented the mouse

What is the significance of ARPnet?
Helped protect information between a network of military computers around the world

In 1971, Intel introduced this? Post a photo of it.
the intel 4004


In the same year, IBM introduced this? Post a photo of one.
the floppy disk


In 1973, Metcalf and Xerox created this?
the ethernet computer network

During the next several years, the first consumer computers were marketed. Post photos of the Altair, Apple I, Apple II, TRS-80, Commodore PET. Label each.

Altair

Apple I

Apple II

TRS-80

Commodore PET

In 1981, Bill Gates and Microsoft introduced this package?
they introduced the MS-DOS

Post a photo of the Lisa computer.


In 1983, who introduced the Lisa computer?
Apple

What is GUI?
Graphical User Interface

Post a photo of the computer mentioned below.

In 1984, a more affordable home computer was introduced. Name the computer and the company that marketed it?
the apple macintosh

The commercial only ran one time. When?
that was that superbowl commercial that referenced Orwell's 1984, cool commercial

In response to the Apple GUI, Gates and Microsoft introduced this?
Windows OS

Two men are known for their development of the Apple I computer. Who are they?
Steve and Steve, Jobs and Wozniak, respectively

When was the internet that we know, world wide web, developed and introduced?
Nov. 12 1990

Over the years, Apple has included "easter eggs" within their software. What is an "easter egg"?
an easter egg is a hidden joke, or message inside things like games, movies, books, and in this case software

Search for easter eggs in Photoshop and Illustrator. List a few in this post ... and try to find them in the applications.

Where do you think computers will take us in the next 10 years?
they're just getting crazier and more omnipotent, they'll probably just take over the world.

Photography | 1839 - 1960s AD

Until the 1880s, how were news stories illustrated?with engraving prints

What is a camera obscura?a device that projects its surrounding onto a screen

Post an example of a camera obscura.


How did scholars and artists utilize the camera obscure?artists used it to trace images, and scholars like astronomists used it to safely view solar eclipses

From where did the photographic camera develop?the portable box version of the camera obscura

Who first used the term "photography"? Where was is derived from?John Hershel.  Photo, meaning light, and graph, meaning writing

Post an the first photograph. 


Who is credited with making the first successful photograph?Joseph Niepce

Post an example of a Daguerreotype image.


Who invented the Daguerreotype process? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the process?Daguerre.  It was able to create perminent photos, and was quick, but it was expensive and photos could not be duplicated

Post an example of a Calotype image.


Who invented the Calotype process? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the process?Fox Talbot.  Unlimited amounts of duplicate images can be made, but the images were not as high of quality as the daguerrotype

Post an example of a Wet Collodion Process image.


Who invented the Wet Collodion process? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the process?Frederick Scott Archer.  Exposure times were lower and it was much cheaper, but the plates needed to still be exposed immediately

Post an example of a Dry Plate Process image.


Who invented the Dry Plate process? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the process?Richard Maddox.  The negatives did not need to be exposed so quickly, but it was still way too complex for the average person

Who is George Eastman? What company did he establish? He is known for making photography able for all.  He established the Eastman-Kodak company

Post an example of The Kodak Camera from 1888.


In 1888, he produced a camera that use his flexible roll film. How did he make this camera/photography accessible to the public?His company would do all the work for the people.  Also, he invented the Brownie, which was cheap and therefor accessible.

What is Edwin Land best known for? What company did he establish?Patenting polarized light film.  He founded Polaroid Corp.
Post a photo of the first Polaroid camera.


How long did the first Polaroid camera take to produce a photo?60 seconds

What was Eadweard Muybridge known for?he paved the way for motion pictures

Post a photo of the Zoopraxiscope.


What is the Zoopraxiscope?a device that project a series of images of the same thing in motion

Post a photo of Muybridge's horse in motion.


How did Muybridge settle the debate and photograph a horse in motion?
He used a series of cameras in a line that were triggered by the horse itself

In 1880s, the development of the motion picture camera allowed this?individual images to be stored on a single, consequent film reel

Post a photo of a motion picture projector.


What is a motion picture projector?
it projects these images of motion from a reel onto a screen

The Linotype Machine | 1886 AD

Who is credited with the invention of the typewriter? Christopher Sholes

What is a "stenographer"?somebody who records the transcript of official events

Post an example of Shole's typewriter.


Why did Sholes send a prototype of his typewriter to Clephane?because Sholes knew stenographer's would be a large user base of the typewriter, and Clephane, being one, was the perfect tester

After the typewriter began production, why did Clephane pursue another machine?it still took a lot of time to actually print the pages

Who spent a year redesigning Clephane's typesetting machine?Ottmar Mergenthaler

What is meant by "typesetting"?it is when the molds are set to produce a whole page at once

Post an example of Linotype Machine.


How does the Linotype Machine differ from the typewriter?it mechanically sets the type, and prints whole lines at once

How did this machine change the newspaper industry?allowed for more type to be set more effectively

Post an example of a Linotype keyboard.


How did the keyboard of the Linotype Machine differ from keyboards that we use today?it was arranged by most frequently used letters, as opposed to qwerty, and had no shift key

Post an example of a Linotype slug.


What is a slug?the entire line of type that a linotype machine casts as a single piece

Post an example of a person operating a Linotype Machine.


Why is the Linotype Machine the greatest advanced in printing since movable type?
it, like the invention of movable type, allowed for easier, quicker, and more widespread dissemination of words, but on a larger scale of course

The Gutenberg Press | 1450 AD

What is Johannes Gutenberg credited with?inventing the technology of movable type

Post a photo of the Gutenberg Press.


How did the printing press work? ink would be rolled over the raised surface of block letters that would need to be hand placed. That form was then pressed against a sheet of paper

What motivated Gutenberg to find a better way of creating books?his love of reading and work at a gold mint

Why did Gutenberg experiment with metal type versus wood type?wood cuts were not durable, and a new block was needed for each new letter

Post an example of movable type in a type case.


What is moveable type?the system of printing in which individual compenents are moved to create type

What is a matrix?a the copper alloy that Gutenberg used in his letter making process

What ink did Gutenberg develop that he used specifically for the printing press?it was oil based and more durable than traditional water based ink

What is paper made from? Where did paper originate?a substrate made from wood pulp, in China

What is a "substrate"?it is the outer layer of "skin" on a plant

Who did Gutenberg seek to help with the invention of the press? Close to the end of the 5 years, what happened? Johan Fust, who was a businessman, if after 5 years he did not pay loans back, the press would go to Fust, but, though Gutenberg was successful, Fust sued

What was the first book he printed?
a two volume bible

Post an example of this book.


How did the Gutenberg Press impact communication?perfected script, and it became easier to read. Information became more current and it increased literacy

Who introduced the printing press to England?William Caxton

What was the early form of newspapers?Trade newsletters

When was the first news weekly published? What was it called?The Boston Weekly in 1704

What kind of press was built in the US in the mid 1800s?A steam powered press

Post an example of a 1930s printing press.


By the late 1930s, presses had increased in efficiency and were capable of 2,500 to 3,500 impressions per hour. What is meant by "impression"?
An impression is a whole page of movable type

Which printing process is the Gutenberg press an example of? Briefly describe the process?relief printing, it was the process described in the earlier question

Post an example of an intaglio press.

What is intaglio printing and how is ink transferred? it is when etches are filled with ink and the ink is transfered by adding pressure to damp paper

Post an example of a screen (porous) printing press.


What is porous printing and how is ink transferred?it is basically a stencil on mesh on which ink is pushed through

Post an example of a lithography printing press.


What is lithography and how is ink transferred?it is printing on a flat surface by ink being attracted to grease as opposed to water

Post an example of a offset lithography printing press.

What variation of lithography is used by the commercial printing industry today?offset lithography

How do printing presses used today compare to the Gutenberg Press?they are much more efficient and create cleaner prints

Describe four-color process printing using CMYK?
an image made only out of each color is made, and then they are all added together to create the final product

The Codex and the Illuminated Manuscript | 1st century AD

Post an example of a scroll.



What were the drawbacks of the scroll?

they would only allow for sequential reading
Post an example of a codex.


What is a codex?a covered and bound collection of handwritten pages

"Codex" is derived from the Latin meaning "block of wood". Why?

What is the difference between "sequential access" and "random access"?one can go to any point to find info

What were the advantages of using the codex?it was more portable, and could be opened at any point

What helped spread the use of the codex?christianity

What replaced papyrus? Describe the process used to create it?parchment which is made from smoothed animal hide, certain ingredients were then added and it was stretched and then dried.

What is vellum?a parchment made from the skin of young calves, more expensive

Name several examples of current technology that utilizes the format of the codex?
newer books, and e-readers which imitate the book format

What led to a period of cultural and economical deterioration?fewer books being created as a result of the fall of the roman empire

Post an example of an illuminated manuscript.


Who began creating books by hand, taking the creation to an art form?monks

What does "illumination" refer to? What was included in this ornamentation?the illustrations that adorned the pages of these codexes created by monks, initials and paintings

What tool was used for creating the illuminated manuscripts?natural quill pens

Why were these manuscripts reserved for religious purposes?because it was so hard to make

What is craftsmanship? Why is it important?
it is the skill that is used to make things, because the good craftsmanship allowed these documents to last longer