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Journey Through Visual Arts Computing with Isaiah Freeman
The Poster Isaiah F.
My quote was “choosing the lesser of two evils is still evil” and I thought of a man choosing his demons. I wanted to show the option of choice so I picked tattoos to represent the demons literally. After getting critiqued I picked to display the tattoos on his chest so his face would be visible as well. The face was an interest decision since it would be showing which demon he chose, signaling that a choice of evil was made. I planned to not illustrate anything in this piece but rather to edit photos already made. I’m glad I challenged myself to that despite the fact that ended up drawing the head for this pseudo-demon.
Choosing the lesser of two evils is still choosing evil. -Jerry Garcia
Sagmeister Response This was an interesting interview. I have heard of artists who take longer sabbaticals than sagmeister for different reasons , usually they are comic book artist or something else with similarly tight deadlines. Yet this is the first time i have heard of an artist taking a structured break and leaving everything to their colleagues. Another interesting point is almost obvious, his first card. I’ve heard of crazier but the fact that this joke attracted more clients to him rather than being a controversy and cause people to distance themselves from him and his studio surprises me. I’ll also take away what he said about talking about things he has not done yet. “ the act of talking about it removes some of my desire to actually do them.” I can relate to this but I’ve never actually done this myself, and I know it has affected my desire to do many different things.
“The act of talking about it removes some of my desire to actually do them.” -Stefan Sagmeister
Credit: Becoming A Graphic & Digital Designer: A Guide to Careers in Stefan Sagmeister Austrian graphic designer, storyteller, and typographer based in New York City. Founder of his own company, Sagmeister Inc.
Design by Steven Heller & Véronique Vienne
Snippets Isaiah F.
For my first snippet I immediately thought of something a friend said to me, which was “I catch vibes easily”. I tried to capture the essence of a vibe at first by experimenting with an unseen connection between two people. I then realized that a vibe is more mystical and a third eye is always seen as a mystical symbol for seeing what can’t be seen easily. This led me to just making a mystical three eyed woman having some kind of vision at the moment. The second snippet was inspired by a song lyric that I shortened, “I see through you”. I wanted to show that the inside of someone in many different ways so I went with X-ray like sections in her face. After hearing feedback though I realized I could add emotion to the anatomy I was revealing so I added cracks to the skull and an emoji and tears to the eye, but I also added a “fake” smile to the full side of the woman’s face. For my final snippet “only you” I went simple and left my comfort zone somewhat. I gained inspiration from the California forest fires, which meant making an impactful red sky on a somewhat normal looking day. Although my final ends up nothing like my sketches I believe that I conveyed my intention well in the snippet.
Beirut Response Isaiah F.
After reading this interview I feel inspired again. Hearing about a professional’s experience, from beginning to end, made me remember why I got into art in the first place. Just to explain a little, I started because I had a family member I looked up to, and just like Beirut my family nurtured it by getting me supplies and books. This makes his interview more relatable for me since I understand his motivation somewhat. I can also relate to his enjoyment of this profession after our first project. It was fun taking word and creating an artwork and giving form to someone’s vision or experiences. Hearing his humble beginnings after reading the list of accomplishments is like watching a success story happen in front of me and being told “you are doing the same thing”. Although my goal is not to be a graphic designer, it is refreshing to hear someone else’s origin story
Credit: Becoming A Graphic & Digital Designer: A Guide to Careers in Design by Steven Heller &
Logos Isaiah F. My process for the logos was very simple. I started by of course watching Matilda to figure out the characters I would choose. I enjoyed the thought of giving the two very contrasting and opposing characters, Trunchbull and Matilda, very contrasting logos. So, when trying to depict the two I tried giving the energy of old and stubborn to Trunchbull’s design, which led to the thought of a black and white bull-shaped triangle and a stacked typeface. When I moved onto Matilda’s design I went for childish innocence and intelligence, which led me to create a stack of bright blue books wrapped in her iconic red hair ribbon. I also feel the need to mention that I had to recreate the assignment. A piece of hardware storing all of my works died leaving me to start all the way over. I found that the skills needed to create the logos a second time were already beginning to solidify since I recreated them quicker than the first time.
Fox Reflection Isaiah F.
After reading Mark Fox’s interview I felt relieved since I am currently in his shoes. He dedicated his degree to fine arts and I am majoring in Art Studio, which is a fine art major. Since this is what i am doing currently, it is comforting to see that if I do decide to change my path, which is highly possible, I can still find work and build a career. This interview was more about becoming intentional with decisions. Especially when it comes to logos/icons, since they will be conveying ideas, purpose or associations. Also I wish that i had read this earlier since I am coming up with logos for myself and occasionally others. Before i only concerned myself with what looked good and if it matched the purpose of the project. Now i hope that I will remember to use forward thinking and consider the elements mentioned above, ideas, purpose or associations, as well as making the icon visually pleasing. This reading will stick with me as a creator.
Credit: Becoming A Graphic & Digital Designer: A Guide to Careers in Design by Steven Heller & Véronique Vienne
Mark Fox, Cincinati born New York artist.
Syntax
This project was one of the easier ones to complete, the difficult part was the mindset I had to be in for it. The portion where we had to describe the item without telling the reader what the item was most difficult. I tried my best to describe the items with correct terminology and using common names for the specifics parts of the shoes. So instead of soles, I would say the bottom, or I would specify the material, for example “the rubber”. This kind of thinking was probably the most tedious part. On the other hand, everything else was much simpler. Presence was easy considering that I just had to think of the opposite situations of where the item belonged. Of course I also understood where the shoes belonged. Connotation was also easy since it’s what I felt when I saw the item. This project was good for my thinking process since I do not normally describe things this way.
Draplin Video Response Isaiah F.
After watching that video all i can say is impressed. The creativity and efficiency that he showed is what wowed me the most. I know that i am new to illustrator but seeing how quickly he used the software to create was impressive. Every Iteration took him a minute or two to make, if i were coming up with any of those it would have taken me at least fifteen minutes. Seeing how he worked inspires me a little. I wish to be as adept with any program the same way. Also his process was and thinking was very impressive to see. Seeing him mess around with the sketches and translate that into an entire design for a company blew my mind. It was really how quickly he came up with concepts that surprised me. I take a long time to visualize something so seeing how he kept things loose helped. This video and thought process could help me out in the future.
Credit: Becoming A Graphic & Digital Designer: A Guide to Careers in Design by Steven Heller & Véronique Vienne
Aaron James Draplin, American Motivational speaker author and entrepreneur based in Portland, Oregon
The Magazine Isaiah F.
My process was very loose when it came to creating this magazine. I took inspiration from those around me when I saw something I thought I could use well. A lot of this, I believe, was executed nicely. There were some hiccups where guidance was needed but over all I enjoyed this project. Considering that my magazine pages were just mashed together bits of inspiriation I do wish that I had given this assignment an overall theme to connect each page.