Process Book
Harshitha Visikamalla
Project 1:Snippets When I first heard of the art project, I was confused and excited because I wanted to do well, but did not know how to proceed. I recorded a lot of interesting snippets through family and friend conversations, dining halls, and classrooms. The hardest part was choosing the three snippets because I had a lot of interesting ones. I came up with ideas for each one before deciding on my final three. The one I wanted to do from the beginning was “I used to draw the same sunset over and over again.” When I think of an idea, I like to have an idea going in my head, and I change it and think it over before sketching what I like best out.
My original idea was to have four panels that each had a beach sunset in a different medium based on age level. So the first panel would have the sunset in crayon, the next one in marker, followed by colored pencils, and the last one would be using paint. The sunset design would also go from being more rudimentary to improving through each one. From that idea, I created a rudimentary sketch of what I wanted my final piece to look like. During critique, I noted what other people said and attempted to incorporate some of those ideas into my sketch. I used my original sketch, but the last planel would be blank with words to show the next sunset. I would also add new elements to each panel to show how we observe more things as we grow older. Once I thought out and sketched my final idea using color and dimensions, I was ready for the final one.
I cut out an 8x8 piece of white paper and measure out the lines before sketching how each sunset would look like. Once I did the crayon, I found that I wanted to change some elements of the colored pencil to fit my concept better. The biggest problem was with the painting panel because I knew the paper would not support the watercolor paints. So, I cut out a watercolor panel that is that size and did it on there before sticking it on. I also ended up outlining everything with a black sharpie to give it a cleaner look. I used this kind of process with the rest of my snippets as well. I would think of a design I liked and sketch it. During critique, I would listen to others and alter some elements. Then, I would play with the design some more before sketching out a more final one. During the actual process of creating the design, I would think of new ideas and make those changes as I go.
Project 2:Great Idea Poster
When we got this project assignment, I had sketches for three different quotes but I was mainly interested in two. One was “This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own mind is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.” The other one was “I have not failed - I have just found 10000 ways that won’t work.” So, I planned out some initial sketches that I took to critique. During critique, I was given a lot to think about how I should represent these quotes. With the one about religion, I realized that if I wanted to express this quote really well, it would have been time-consuming, and I did not know where to begin. However, with the other one, I was given some really good ideas that I could
Then came the hardest part of the whole project: actually creating the final piece in photoshop and indesign Since, I had never really used either of these tools, it took me a really long time to figure out how it worked. Once I was able to understand it a little I realized that I have to figure out how to actually create my design in these applications. I played around a lot with what tools I should use and how to use them effectively. This was easily the most difficult because I was learning how to use these applications while trying to make a kind of complex project in it. I first had to figure out how to make paper balls, and I was able to do that after the demos in class on removing the background. Then I had to figure out how to actually make the lightbulb shape, and I was able to do so by getting a lightbulb outline and using that to make the lightbulb with paper balls. I first used all yellow paper balls, but after the second critique, I realized that it looked too similar and I needed some variability. That’s when I was given the idea that the paper ball in the air should be yellow. So I made the lightbulb all in white and the thrown paper ball in yellow. When I tried that, the image seemed really random and out of place and I realized that I needed shadows to have a little depth. That’s when I met with my professor to figure out how to make a good shadow because my attempts were unsuccessful. After that, I was able to slowly piece everything together. I used my friend as a model and applied the same background removing technique to put her in the image. So the lightbulb, paper ball, my model, and all of the shadows were complete in photoshop. I got that image, put it in design, and just had to put the quote in. I put the actual quote on thereby playing with the fonts and making certain words stand out.
Project 3:Logos
This project was interesting because it was so simple yet so difficult. When I saw the options for the characters, I got worried because I had not heard of any of the movies except Matilda, which I had only read the book. So, I watched the movie, and while watching it, wrote some personality traits that stood out. Once I was done, I roughly sketched out some different ideas I had for each character and tried to figure out which ones I liked and had somewhat of an idea for. So, I ended up choosing Harry and Zinnia Wormwood from Matilda. For each character, I had one personality trait that describes their personality, and I based my logos around that quality. l For Harry it was his avariciousness and for Zinnia, it was her narcissism. These were the sketches I took to critique to get some advice from others on how to proceed. During critique, the biggest advice was to keep the logo more simple since mine was very complex and detailed. Then, I took this advice and played with logos by trying to reduce the content. This is when I had the idea to include some key points of their appearance because they correspond to their primary personality traits. For Harry, his unique mustache and pork pie hat were iconic while for Zinnia, her curly blonde hair, red lipstick, and red hairband stood out. So, I made these the primary focus for the logos. I took the basic shapes of these features and played with them to create a new product.
This is when we learned about typography and colors in class and how to incorporate that effectively into our logos. Because Harry Wormwood was money-minded, I knew I wanted to have green in his logo. That’s when I got the advice, to use the typeface of a dollar bill to subtly bring the money idea. So, I got the basic font used in dollar bills as well as the different colors used in dollar bills such as green and dirty white. I paired this typography with the previously made logo as well as added color to his physical features. I already had in mind what colors I wanted to do for Zinnia Wormwood because colors are vital to her appearance. However, I ran into the problem of making her hair because it was so curly. After messing around with it a lot and getting help, I was able to simplify it while still showing its curliness. Her font was decorative and curly because she loved to show off and look pretty.
This project was a lot of fun because I felt like we had enough time to really develop our ideas and learn the software. I can confidently say that I am the most comfortable with illustrator because I had so much time to understand it. The process was really helpful and I enjoyed working on the logos.
Project 4:Syntax & Semantics
This project was completely different from all of the projects we had done before because it was more about thinking rather than creating. I chose hats as my object because I would have a large variety to choose from and break down. I ended up choosing the magician’s hat, sun hat, cowboy hat, and bucket hat. Initially, it was really hard to just think of the form because I am so used to just knowing what the object is, not breaking it down. However, after doing the first open it got much easier since they were all similar objects. The semantics section was fun because I was trying to think of feelings for an inanimate object. At first, I did not understand the difference between little and lot, but once I did, it was interesting to think about where these types of hats would be commonly seen and where they would be out of place. Because we had used InDesign before, it was pretty easy to format everything. This project was definitely unique, but it made me use my brain in a different way.
Reflections
Reflections Reading Reflection 1: Michael Bierut As I started reading the interview transcript, I found it interesting how Michael Bierut knew he was interested in graphic design. I especially think how much harder it was for him because now most everyone knows what graphic design is, and there is a wide range of opportunities. Then it would have been a lot less famous, so even people who were interested in that kind of thing did not know what to look for. When he went on to describe getting a job with Massimo Vignelli, I had to look up who this person was and was surprised to find that he designed the New York City Subway map. I would have never thought of it as a form of art. I really liked how Beirut described his experience working with Vignelli as learning a lot, but finding that his style would not work for him and creating his own one. You can see the respect he has, but at the same time how understanding that Vignelli’s style won’t work for him and developing one that suits his work style. I think many people who are artists have that experience happen to them, and knowing that he also had it makes me feel better. As I continued reading, Beirut was talking about the company Pentagram, and I had no idea what that was so I did some research and found that they have high-end clients and create designs for them. I was looking at some of the projects they did, and some that Beirut specifically did and was amazed by his work. Keeping his second job for so long shows that he enjoys working there. My favorite part of this whole interview was when he described his strengths and weaknesses because I think those are both difficult things to talk about. His frankness surprised me, and it was interesting to know that he understands his personality so well. His experience also shows when he talks about how designers expect everyone to be “as visually sophisticated” as they are, but he tries to connect with his clients so they are both on the same page. Overall, I enjoyed reading this interview because I learned a lot about another side of art. Being a more fine artist, I am more used to seeing and reading about art that is extremely personal to the artist. In reading this, I found it interesting how communicating with clients and using their vision to create art is so important.
Reading Reflection 2: Stefan Sagmeister
As I was reading the interview transcript with Stefan Sagmeister, what I really noticed was his confidence. He seems sure about what he is doing and what his goals are and isn’t afraid to voice his opinion. I think that’s admirable because as an artist, you’ll face a lot of criticism about your art and your process, but that doesn’t seem like it fazes him. I was really surprised when I learned that he took every seven years to pursue new ideas. That long of a break doesn’t seem financially feasible, but apparently, his studio was successful which is crazy to think about. At the same time, he has a very modest studio, and his reasoning was really smart as to why. Also, the picture of him with the octopus seems really gross but also so aesthetic. It’s like every part of the octopus has been carefully placed in an exact spot to achieve the look. Interning at his studio seems like it would be very eventful because of his personality, but you would definitely learn a lot. I do not think I could ever operate like him if I was to become an artist because I need a lot of routine and control. Overall, I enjoyed reading this transcript and learning about an artist who is so confident and unpredictable.
Reflections Video Reflection 1: Aaron Draplin 1
When I first started watching the video, and he was showing his studio, he seemed like a collector because he had so many things. He gets inspiration from a wide variety of places. When he was given the challenge and this made-up story, I really like how he just kind of went for it. He didn’t think about what he was going to do, but just wrote the name in different ways until he got an idea with the letter “A.” I thought it was really interesting how he was able to come up with so many variations of just one letter by breaking it down into its basic components. Then when he started building it in illustrator, I thought it was smart that he made duplicates of every step, so he has a kind of record of everything he did and how he got there. I want to implement that process when I make my work. And when it showed how many different versions of that, I was impressed because I struggled just to make five decent ones. I also think that because he has been doing this for a while and knows how to use illustrator really well, he can do this much faster. It is also really smart to try it on where it will go, like a t-shirt. Because we are in an art class, we don’t have to worry about that, but in a professional setting, that is important. What stood out for me in this whole video is how unafraid and calm he was about making all these designs. I feel like when I work, I’m very panicked and confused, but he took it slow and started simple and made it more complex. That’s a quality that I really admire. Overall, I enjoyed watching this video because I learned a lot about one process of building logos and got ideas for my own.
Reading Reflection 3: Stefan Sagmeister
I feel like fine arts and design, specifically making logos are very different things. Being more of a fine artist, I definitely struggle more with designs, especially with logos because you want them to be simple and effective. Most importantly all of it is based on the client, but in fine arts, it’s about conveying your experience and emotion. Mark Fox’s dedication is admirable because he had to start from scratch with his portfolio. His definition of a logo, trademark, and symbol makes so much sense and he was able to define their relationship really well. When he was explaining what goes through his head when making a logo, I thought his questions were well thought out. So of those things, I would not have thought of but he was able to see it from really different perspectives. I think with a logo it is really difficult to tell when it’s right because it’s so simple yet so complex, so you could keep playing with it, but at some point, you have to just stop. Using just an image would be really nice, but I feel like having a word just helps it easier for the viewer to connect the image with what it is representing. I want to take one of his classes because he seems like an interesting designer, and it would be nice to learn from him.