VISC 204 Process Book by Ethan Schreiber

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Sam Yates

Process Book Principles of Visual Communication Ethan Schreiber

October 14-December 16

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Sam Yates

Warm-Up 10 Principles of Design

October 14-October 21

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Sam Yates

October 14 Day 1

Warmup Project | October 14

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Plans In Class: New Class Intro Warmup Intro

Warmup Project | October 14

Sam Yates

In Class Notes

EXPLAINATION OF PROCESS BOOK: Sizing- 16:9 or Tabloid horizontal Running journal of designs from the semester POINT, LINE, PLANE LESSON: Point- Marks position in space, (When in 2D it becomes a point) Line- Infinite series of points (When in 2D it connects 2 points) Plane- Flat surface extending in height and width (When in 2D, closed line forms a plane) DESIGN PRINCIPLES: Symmetrical Balance- Same elements on each side Asymmetrical Balance- Used to achieve not literal balance but compositionally. Relying on organic interaction of forms. Rhythm- Strong regular repeated pattern. Emphasis- Special importance on one thing Scale- Refers to literal dimensions or the correlation between items

Emory Douglas: Minister of culture for Black Panther Party Spike Lee Netflix film Was arrested for his work Sister Corita Kent: Pop artist Former nun Makes everyday art "Art makes you aware" DIETER RAMS- 10 PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN: Good design is innovative Good design makes a product useful Good design is aesthetic Good design makes a product understandable Good design is unobtrusive Good design is honest Good design is long-lasting Good design is thorough down to the last detail Good design is environmentally friendly Good design is as little design as possible

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Assignment

Warmup Project | October 14

Sam Yates

Homework Process

Warmup ProjectCreate (10) socials posts for each of the "10 Principles of Design" created by Dieter Rams. 2 colors max. including Black and White 500 x 500 pixels (1) typeface, can use weights The set of posts should work as a system Use the the design principals discussed in the lecture Be able to discuss how you used point, line, and plane Seek feedback Creativity and exploration is encouraged Illustrative, photographic, what about a combo?

CRITIQUE-Type does not fully express the ideas -Is there a way to incoorporate another element to better express the concepts? -The leading line is a positive element -Too many font sizes, do I need "is"?

SOLUTIONS-Incoorporate graphical elements -Could I use the objects from the actual explaination video of the principles?

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Assignment Reading Response 1: Read pages 1–48 and write a response.

Warmup Project | October 14

Sam Yates

Homework (Cont.) Reading Response

The first portion of the text emphasizes the history of design and notes the change in design from past to present. Coming into this program, almost every class I have taken in this program has also emphasized these same points, and I have found that this knowledge does make specific rules and theories about design make sense. This includes almost always starting designs without the use of technology. Most projects I have done have had a required sketching of ideas before even opening the computer, and in instances where I feel I have a grasp of what I want to do, I often hate this and don't want to do it. Looking back, however, it extremely benefits me when I feel lost going into a project, and even when I don't feel lost, it has never impeded the process, only made it stronger. Sometimes even the things that aren't fun or overly interesting are what creates a design with the best solution. The portion of the text about how point plane and line play into typography is actually extremely applicable to my

current typography project, in which we've moved vectors into Glyphs and are now having to work with the curves and the points and lines that create them. While I would never organically relate a period to a point ending a line, or a block of text creating a path, I do see where the author is coming from and can see how that applies to how a text based design is perceived when you are simply looking at it, and not reading it. I personally just think about application of concepts, and rarely consider the theory behind the concepts, so some of the theory explanation in the text seems like a stretch to me at first, but when you go further into it and see the explanation behind the theory, they start to make more sense. In Alex's portion of the class, the idea of "Formstorming" and moving past easy solutions toward ones that use a little more brain power was employed heavily. In our first animal project, I drew close to 500 versions of the same animal, just to whittle that all the way down to 12 final

ideas. While during the ideation portion of the project, this seemed ridiculous, looking back now, I don't think any of my final ideas were created within the first half of the ideation process. Everything interesting that I created was thought of after I thought I had already exhausted all my options. The section on Formstorming makes clear the theory behind the process I have done on every project in the program.

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Sam Yates

October 19 Day 2

Warmup Project | October 19

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Plans Due: Reading Response 1 10 Principals of Design – Process In Class: Small group critique 2D recap

Warmup Project | October 19

Sam Yates

In Class Notes

RECAP OF 2D DESIGN PRINCIPLES: (Wucious Wong) Line- A point in potion, a series of adjacent points, a connection between points, an implies connection between points. Shape- Flat enclosed area, implied though boundaries defined by color textures, value or directional variations. Form- Actual or implied 3D shapes Texture- Element of design that defines the surfaces of shapes and forms Types of Shapes: -Format or picture plane is defined by positive shape (figure), Negative shape (ground) figure/ground reversal -Expressive types of shapes, expressive shapes communicate though rectilinear and curvilinear shapes, geometric and organic shapes, high and low definition Texture definitions: -Surface quality (exists in all art) -Types of texture: Physical (actual local or tactile) can be felt -Visual (implied illusory trompe) -Descriptive simulation -Interpretive or invented: symbolizes or

depicts the essence as opposed to imitating. -Value: Lightness or darkness reflected from a surface (context) -Value scale: series of graduated value -Contrast and value distribution: full range, high key, low key, high contrast DESIGN PRINCIPLES: Set of rules used to combine elements of design to crate composition Unity-Gestalt Grouping- Group by color, similarity, value Containment- Looking thorough a frame Repetition- Grouping plays a part in grouping Proximity- Plays into implied line Continuity- Implying movement and gesture through arrangement, how to imply connectivity Closure- How to imply existence of a non visible element Combining gestalt principles: Pattern: Visual elements systematically repeated over an extended area Grid Balance: a sense of equilibrium among compositional units

Weight and gravity: The inclination of shapes to float or sink: the relative importance of an element Symmetrical: mirrored imagery on either sider of a central axis Approximate: similar imagery on either side of a central axis Radial: images are mirrored both vertically and horizontally Asymmetrical: imagery is not mirrored Scale: size relationship between two separate objects Proportion: comparative or relative relationship between the parts to a whole within one image Rhythm: sense of movement created y repetition of multiple units in a deliberate pattern Emphasis: special attention given to some aspect of a composition (focal point) -isolation -placement -contrast

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Assignment Warmup Project (Refine)Thinking about how your type, color, and elements relate to the rule. How can you dive deeper to effectively communicate the principals with as little extraneous items as possible? Think about intention and how you can take your time to evaluate each principal. Does your typeface relate? Are the colors legible? How are use of point, line, and plane evident? Remember Rule 10: Good design is as little design as possible

Sam Yates

Homework Process

Warmup Project | October 19

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Sam Yates

October 21 Day 3

Warmup Project | October 21

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Plans Due: Warmup project In Class: Warmup presentation and verbal critique

Warmup Project | October 21

Sam Yates

In Class Notes from class

Notes from Sam

-The incoorporation of the graphic elements improved the overall message and made the design more enticing.

"Great job talking through your design decisions. I think you had some lovely elements and great contrast in the compositions."

-The line looked a bit like Morse Code, I could have played with that idea a bit to exemplify the idea that design is useful and thorough. -The font sizes are better than they were in the previous version. -The line seemed a bit heavy, if it was thinner it could be a bit less attentiondrawing.

Grade: 13/15

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Assignment Reading Response 2: Read pages 48–80 and write a response.

Warmup Project | October 21

Sam Yates

Homework Reading Response

Balance, scale, and texture have been a prominent focus of mine for the past couple of days. In typography, while putting together a Behance post, I have been having to take measures to convey those ideas throughout a long, scrollable post. Not only is finding a good rhythm important, to keep someone enticed enough to scroll through the full post, but figuring out a way to keep balance continued all the way down. In a post like this, you are only going to be viewing small portions of the entire design at once, so it is important that each individual portion have balance within it, as well as the post as a whole have balance. Using a grid has been helpful in this, as I can see exactly how much of a post is using negative or positive space, and how exactly balanced things are. What I worked for a long time with yesterday was working it so my content was evenly distributed. The entire top half of my post had been type and the bottom had been imagery, which led to the entire bottom of the post feeling way heavier than the top. A lot of this had to do with problems with scale as well.

When designing for web as opposed to print, it was difficult to understand how things would appear on the screen, and this was exacerbated by the fact that I was working with a font of my own creation that I had no clue how large or small it could go without becoming illegible. When I figured out that it would be pretty hard to read at a small size, I ended up having to increase the size of things around it to make it feel like it was a much more dynamic design. When making a post with multiple sections, it was also extremely important to figure out good sizing for each section that conveyed its importance while also being able to be fully viewed and stay legible on a computer screen or phone. This same concern about designing for web viewing has applied to texture as well. Most assignments of mine have been printed, and have an inherent texture from the mix of glossy and matte from the paper/ink combination. Looking at my work yesterday, it felt extremely static. Remembering this reading, I thought

about texture, and applied a faint film grain texture. It helped to subtly emphasize the vintage mood I was trying to achieve. Additionally, with using the correct blend modes, I was able to make it appear like white specks on the black background, which was reminiscent of stars, which was thematically in tune with the name of my font "Starlight".

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Sam Yates

Project One Qualitative and Quantitive Posters

October 26-November 11

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Sam Yates

October 26 Day 4

Project 1 | October 26

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Plans Due: Reading Response 2 In Class: Project 1 Intro Qual/Quantitative Lecture Route Choosing

Project 1 | October 26

Sam Yates

In Class Notes

QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVEWhat is design? -Art that people use, a usable creation, not just beautiful. -Design is a service, we create solutions -Solution driven -Problem solving Simple design: Easily understood, presented with no difficulty Effective, thoughtful, legible Stop sign is simple design Critical thinking: The key critical thinking skills are Analysis Interpretation Inference Explanation Self regulation Open mindedness Problem solving

QualitativeUsed to understand concepts, thoughts or experiences This type of research enables you to gather in-depth insights on topics that are not well understood. Interviews with open ended questions Observations described in words literature Reviews that explore concepts and theories QuantitativeUsed to test or confirm theories and assumptions. THis type of research can be used to establish generalizable facts about a topic. Experiments observations recorded as numbers Severus with closed ended questions

Nicholas FeltonA designer, entrepreneur and artists whose work focuses on translating data does a yearly report on himself. Lance WymanDesigner of the 68 Olympics logo Does research into culture and significant visuals in order to incoorporate it into his work. QUICK RESEARCH OF ROUTES AND CHOOSING ONE: -Ethan Allen -Keystone Service -Maple Leaf

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Assignment Route Research: Create a PDF of research reflecting both qualitative and quantitative research. Keep in mind you will create a total of (2) posters. Gather research supporting both approaches. Think about the stops, the scenery, the topography, soak it all in and gather as much data. As you design your presentation of research begin to think about the colors and typefaces that come to mind. Take breaks, take notes, sketch, and feel inspired by your chosen route.

Sam Yates

Homework Process

Project 1 | October 26

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Sam Yates

Project 1 | October 26

Homework (Cont.) Process

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Sam Yates

October 28 Day 5

Project 1 | October 28

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Plans Due: Route Research In Class: Hierarchy lecture Research workshop (Matrix) Create (20) quick thumbnail sketches of your poster in the appropriate scale during the research workshop.

Project 1 | October 28

Sam Yates

In Class Notes

HIERARCHY LESSON: Pairing type and image for effective hierarchy Swiss was inspired by four different design movements. The international typographic style Minimal color, type and image are independant WEB Du Bois- American sociologist, socialist, historian, civil right activist, and author 1900’s-Paris World's Fair WEB was asked to share expereinces of AA life in the US, created a series of posters “Exhibit of American Negros” Almost didn't make it to Paris 24x36” posters, screen print Used data from students at Georgetown Data works with and reflects back to the content “Land owned by Negros in Georgia” Visually express their experience and make it interactive. use of color, plane, hierarchy, looks like typographic swiss style

Four critical relationships Separation, fusion, fragmentation, inversion Separation- Type and image operate independently Type ignoring the space around it and allowing for more convention Can be accomplished by layering, border or frame, compartments or windows Fusion- Type and image come together to make unity When type works with the space Can be achieved with optical effect, shared surface or texture, motion or gesture, metaphor Fragmentation- When type and image disturb each other Can be used with irregularities, displacement, interruption, exaggeration Inversion- When type becomes image Accomplished with hyperrealism, displacement, interruption Separation- Aaron Draplin Fusion- Dan Padavic Fragmentation- Micah Smith Inversion- Two tone press

Activity Using a 5x4 grid, the four types of relationships, and route research, quick creation of ideas for the posters. (Larger picture on next page)

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Plans Due: Route Research In Class: Hierarchy lecture Research workshop (Matrix) Create (20) quick thumbnail sketches of your poster in the appropriate scale during the research workshop.

Sam Yates

In Class (Cont.) Activity

RESEARCH WORKSHOP (MATRIX): Using a 5x4 grid, the four types of relationships, and route research, quick creation of ideas for the posters.

Project 1 | October 28

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Assignment

Sam Yates

Project 1 | October 28

Homework Inspiration

Thumbnails & BW Rendering: Once in class thumbnails are complete, review your top (10) sketches, (5) Qualitative, (5) Quantitative. Render them in BW (grayscale is allowed) at full scale, you may use Adobe illustrator or InDesign OR procreate. Think about craft.

These posters were found up in the Science City Museum in Kansas City. A couple different versions of them were scattered throughout the museum and I thought that the art style and subject matter were a couple things I could play off of in the design for my posters.

What research can you pull? What elements can you extract to create a meaningful product? Use a combination of your visual principals and elements of design as well as effective hierarchy principals from the lecture.

Though the idea for going fully "postcard" for my posters wasn't chosen because of these posters, they certainly led up to that idea.

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Sam Yates

Homework (Cont.)

QUANTITATIVE

Process

QUALITATIVE

Assignment Thumbnails & BW Rendering: Once in class thumbnails are complete, review your top (10) sketches, (5) Qualitative, (5) Quantitative. Render them in BW (grayscale is allowed) at full scale, you may use Adobe illustrator or InDesign OR procreate. Think about craft.

Project 1 | October 28

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Sam Yates

Homework (Cont.)

QUANTITATIVE

Process

QUALITATIVE

Project 1 | October 28

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Assignment Reading Response 3: Read pages 80–140 and write a response.

Project 1 | October 28

Sam Yates

Homework (Cont.) Reading Response

In almost all of my projects this year, I have been asked to start with black and white first, then introduce color further into the project. I feel like this shows off the author's point of designers using color purposefully, as we take time to build out the design first and fully understand the intent of it, then add in color to enhance the meaning and bring it to life, rather than using it to decorate. While I haven't instructed specifically to use optical mixing since last year, in my first project this year, creating book covers in typography, I spent a lot of time seeing how the colors I was layering affected one another using a limited color palette and black and white. Then I had to change it all and try again when they all printed the opposite of what I had expected.

it beyond recognition. With some effort though, it was totally possible to read because some elements of letterforms are so distinct that no matter how misshapen they are, our brains will put together the pieces. Our entire modular typeface project addressed that, with some typefaces coming out of the project being extremely abstracted.

The idea of a typeface being interpreted through Gestalt was very forwardly addressed in my typography class when we read about Wim Crouwel's "New Alphabet", where Crouwel had taken every letter of the alphabet and simplified

The current project I am working on in VISC 204 has me working with both framing and hierarchy in my renderings. They both play a role when trying to fit educational information about a train route as well as logos, route names, and

For every process book I have done this year, framing played a big role. It takes a bit of effort taking sketches and rough drafts that were made on 8.5x11 paper, or randomly size sketchbook pages, then trying to fit them onto a page in a coherent manner. Every page has a different amount of content and yet it all has to end up formatted nicely on a grid and made clear.

imagery all into the same poster. For most of my posters, the information sits on top of a single image that bleeds off of the page. This required me to find the negative space in the image and fit the content into the spaces, while still having to focus on the hierarchy of information. The most difficult part with that has also played into color, as working with black and white at first has restricted me from layering some specific content that I felt would’ve made sense, but do not translate in black and white.

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Sam Yates

November 2 Day 6

Project 1 | November 2

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Plans

Project 1 | November 2

Sam Yates

In Class Critique

Choices

Due: Reading Response 3 BW Thumbnails

QUALITATIVE: Boots are most unique, feel different than all the other ones.

BASED ON CRITIQUE: Follow through with the waterfall and the flying ticket posters.

In Class: BW Thumbnails Critique Color lecture

People liked the waterfall because it was the least "shout-y" with the name. Waterfall title conveys well as a train on its tracks. Overall the general favorite from classmates. QUANTITATIVE: The ticket posters aren’t very clear with what the data is. Replace the tagline on the ticket with the name and put info where the name is. Not a lot of reception, a couple of them just felt overall bland.

Will have to work on making the quantitative information on the tickets more clear. Work on rendering and make them a bit more refined.

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Plans Due: Reading Response 3 BW Thumbnails In Class: BW Thumbnails Critique Color lecture

Project 1 | November 2

Sam Yates

In Class (Cont.) Notes

HIERARCHY RECAP: Separation- When type and image exist separately, the viewer interprets both messages. Create a series of posters with unity. Being serious. Fusion- Optical effect, shared surfaces or textures. Blend two or more things that aren't customarily related. Can strengthen existing content. It can create a reality that challenges the audience to reevaluate the subject. Fragmentation- Type and image displace each other. Animate or energize a message. It can implicate passing time. A state of flux. Break down into what we want them to experience. Create surreal scenarios. Inversion- Type and image trade roles. Hyperrealism. Create harmony between image and text by blending them. Generate a visual or verbal pun. To create an environment that doesn’t exist.

MATERIAL STUDIES: Express- highlight tool capabilities (Highlighting tools capabilities) Scan vs photograph vs trace Diversify- Address the needs (Does it make sense to use this for this project) Does the solution need grain, texture or clean strokes Reality- Determine real world restrictions Does it make sense to create a scene or find one COLOR LECTUREContrast- Legibility (most of the time). Creating balance. Basic color (color wheel)- B&W, CMYK, ROYGBIV Secondary colors- Mixed primary colors Complimentary colors- Across the color wheel Split complementary- Split pathway, find colors AROUND your compliment. Analogous- Close to each other on the spectrum Triadic- Using three angles on the color wheel

Color+American Associations: White is pure and clean, black is ominous and sad, blue can be clean, purple and navy can be strength, warm colors are dangerous, earth tones are brown and oranges, happiness is yellow, nature is green. These are associated specifically in America, they can be different in other places. Tools to use- Color contrast tool (contrast-ratio.com) “On color” with Eddie Opara: -Color cannot be fully controlled. There’s no correct color. -In graphic design you have to see how the color makes you feel and how they react with each other -Any color is good in the right context. -Start in black and white and use it until you are comfortable to add color. -The transformative aspects of color are big

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Assignment Chosen Directions: Begin applying color to your chosen directions. Consider hierarchy and color lectures when determining a color palette. Qualitative Poster Direction (emotion based): Needs (1) analog element Quantitative Poster Direction (info based): Needs (1) information based graphic

Sam Yates

Homework Process

Project 1 | November 2

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Assignment Material Tests: Create (10) material tests of your (1) analog element.

Sam Yates

Project 1 | November 2

Homework (Cont.) Process

MATERIAL: Coffee stains on paper, scanned into the computer. RATIONALE: I wanted to play into the fact that my qualitative poster is stylistically inspired by vintage postcard designs. With these materials, I can do a full page stain to create an overall “vintage” look with blending modes, I can use a coffee cup stain to give the effect that when printed at full scale, it feels like a postcard scaled up, or use just general splashes and vingettes to make it look weathered with age.

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Assignment Reading Response 4: Read pages 140–200 and write a response.

Project 1 | November 2

Sam Yates

Homework (Cont.) Reading Response

Modularity has been at the forefront of my mind for a couple weeks now, as the project we just finished up in typography was the creation of a modular font. Almost everything this text said about the concept was entirely applicable to the work I did for the project, especially the information about how many different creations can be made using similar modules but in different organizations. When looking through the body of work that the entire class had created, none of the fonts looked remotely similar, despite the fact we were all given the exact same instructions and many people even used similar individual modules. The act of construction and the vast amount of ways to organize modules gave people the freedom to create something entirely unique. Additionally, the use of modular design made the project a bit easier. With the knowledge that every letter had to be build out of the same building blocks, it gave me the freedom to take shortcuts such as flipping the M to become a W, or reusing the body of the O to make G, Q, C, and pretty much any

rounded letter. The grid also played an important role in that project, as we used multiple different styles of grids as the base for the creation of our modules. We then continued to use it for the Behance presentation and the process book. It was instrumental in creating a clear layout. While layers and transparency both play an important role in the work I do in school, one of the more interesting ways I have used those recently was in the creation of a prop for the musical I prop designed last month. The musical, Carrie, takes place in the 70's, and for one joke in the show, the director wanted a newspaper with our main actresses face on it. To make it appear straight out the 70's I had to take the photos I was using, pull them into Photoshop, remove any modern items that were in the photo, as well as color correct it and break it down into a halftone to give the impression of newsprinting. All of these things in Photoshop are very layer involved, especially while trying to do it

in a non-destructive manner so it could be edited in the future. While I did not use transparency in the typical "transparencyslider tool" way, I did have to play with the text's idea of "graphic transparency". The newspaper prop was printed onto sheets of very bright white paper, and this didn't appear very realistic from the audience. To solve this problem, I took a can of black spray paint, sprayed it into the air directly above the paper, and allowed paint to fall downward onto the paper. This left tiny black specks spaced out all across the surface, giving the illusion from the audience that the paper was a dull gray, like real newsprint. It had the same effect as if I had gone into InDesign and put a partially transparent black box over the design, but used much less ink so I could print it for cheaper.

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Sam Yates

November 4 Day 7

Project 1 | November 4

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Plans

Project 1 | November 4

Sam Yates

In Class Notes

Due: Reading Response 4 Chosen Direction

START OF CLASS: Quick recap of Reading Response Quick explaination of tile printing

In Class: Small Group Critiques

SMALL GROUPS FOR CRITIQUE ON COLORIZED POSTER: Qualitative- Route stops aren’t too clear, see how better to incorporate. Make texture more clear on the border. Could I use the texture on the waterfall? Could I do something more to make the name look like a train? Quantitative- Can we get any more colors from the palette onto it? Numbers stick out too much, fade into back?

QUESTIONS FOR SAM: Do my posters have all the requirements? I feel like I didn’t go deep enough with what I included. Should I put the words back onto my qual poster? SAM RESPONSE: Concepts are fine, no need to restart. Blue on quan. poster is not eye catching, is there another color that would pop more? Graph on quan. poster is a distraction. Information could be moved onto the ticket and refined more. Hierarchy on qual. poster can be improved, move the title and the logo.

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Assignment Get ready to tile print: Continue to refine poster. Tile printing in next class, break up poster into tile printing sizes.

Sam Yates

Homework Process

Project 1 | November 4

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Assignment Reading Response 5: Read pages 200–260 and write a response.

Project 1 | November 4

Sam Yates

Homework (Cont.) Reading Response

I really enjoy the idea in the text that all patterns can be broken down into three different categories– dots, stripes, and grids. Looking back at when I made patterns for the Modular Typeface project in typography, this kind of changes my perspective on what I was doing. At the time I was just kind of moving pieces around until they made something pretty, but with the knowledge from the text, I can see that I was unknowingly building up those three categories throughout my ten or so patterns. I had started by taking unique modules from my typeface and just making a dot pattern with them, then as I moved on, I took full letterforms and connected them end to end, creating a stripes pattern with semi-recognizable letters within it. For my last few patterns, I blew up the letters, overlapping them in multiple directions, with many different sizes. The result was a very textured and detailed pattern, with almost no recognizable letterforms left, that still visually related back to my typeface. I really did, exactly as the text says, "subvert the identity of the separate elements in favor of a larger texture".

The current Quantitative and Qualitative Poster project has had me thinking a lot about diagrams made of data with my quantitative poster. I agree with the text in the rejection of Tufte's ideals. While straightforward information does have its place, in a situation such as our quantitative posters, where we need to provide statistics while still making something attractive to the eye, designed data is important. In my first drafts of my poster, I had my data written down over a line, then moved it to a line that was the shape of my route. While these were "designed," they were still pretty straightforward with the information. After further critique, I removed the line completely, and incorporated the data into the imagery of the poster. Not only did this clean up the design, but it also made the entire piece feel more cohesive, as if the data and image had something to do with each other. In both of my type classes at KU, I have at one point or another been asked to create an animated aspect for a project we were working on. We have always, as referenced

in the text, used storyboarding to lay out the animation before fully rendering it. This has allowed us to understand the movements we want and how better to incorporate them visually in order to add the to project. In the same section, I found myself relating to the text with its acknowledgement that you have to pay very close attention to animated type. It was difficult for these projects trying to figure out the balance of keeping images moving at a nice pace, while also keeping type legible and on screen for long enough to read. The solutions to this problem were usually limited to reducing the amount of text or leaving it on page for just a little bit longer than you wanted to. I have also addressed rules and randomness in some capacity in my typography classes. In our first project, the entire layout was mostly built for us. We were given a specific grid, specific font choices and sizes, and a very long list of restrictions. In this situation, I was on the receiving side of the rules, and not the creation side. Despite not creating them, I was able to see how many different solutions could be created that all felt similar in nature, without being identical.

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Sam Yates

November 9 Day 8

Project 1 | November 9

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Plans Due: Reading Response 5 Posters printed in tiles In Class: Tile printing and final critique Workday and 1 on 1s

Project 1 | November 9

Sam Yates

In Class Critique

CRITIQUES FROM TILE PRINTING: Qualitative: "What if the water bubbles at the bottom came out of the frame?" "Really like the postcard/vintage border texture you added" "Love the vintage feel to it" "Maybe smaller Amtrak logo" Quantitative: "Align 'Starting at $12' text with bottom of 'Cheaper'." "Maybe try more pastel yellow to match the blues" "Missing a pop of color, maybe in the title" "Make main ticket brighter, background ones darker"

Both: "Match beige or vice versa" "These are both clean + eye catching, maybe use the same colors so they look like a set" "Love colors + overall look is so good" "Simply beautiful, the different whites on [quantitative] throw me off a bit, cozy postcard feel, very well done" "I have no notes, everything about your two posters are great" "Love the attention to detail in both" "Match color pallete" "Having same yellow [on qualitative] or a few blue tints on [quantitative]"

Takeaways With the critiques, I worked a bit on hierarchy, adjusting the placement and size of some of the words. I adjusted the size of the logo on both posters. I wanted to keep the yellow, as Sam and I came up with the idea to change it to that color together, however, I did understand the desire to have them work together as a set. I adjusted their colors to work together better and added the texture from the qualitiative poster onto the quantitative poster. I did significant amounts of refinements to the artwork on the qualitative poster and a bit of refinement to the quantitative artwork.

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Sam Yates

November 11 Day 9

Project 1 | November 11

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Plans Due: Final poster, printed at 18x24 In Class: Hang posters, present and critique

Sam Yates

In Class Presented

Project 1 | November 11

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Sam Yates

Project Two Non-linear Timelines

November 16-December 16

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Sam Yates

November 16 Day 10

Project 2 | November 16

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Plans Due: None In Class: Intro to Project 2 Non-linear timelines Lecture

Project 2 | November 16

Sam Yates

In Class Notes

NEXT PROJECT- Non-Linear Timeline: -18x24, only two typefaces -Exemplifying qualitative and quantitative -Using previous research, pick a topic that relates to your route -Think about how to present chronological information without a line -Think about interesting ways to lead someone through a story -Each timeline needs 10 touchpoints NON-LINEAR TIMELINE LECTURE: Non chronological narrative is a way to tell a story outside of chronological order Instead of starting at the earliest point, you may jump around or go backwards. (The Watchmen, Pulp Fiction, 500 Days of Summer, The Last Five Years) -When you create a narrative, you create an experience, unique perspective -Think about how to shape a narrative around your timeline topics -What unique perspective do you want to bring life to? -Unknown historical event, unsung hero, miraculous event, what speaks to you?

Giorgia Lupi: Italian data visualization designer “The data that we don't see”- Visualization of a genetic disorder that a child had Charles Joseph Minard: French Civil Engineer “The fall of Napoleon Bonaparte”- Tracking of number of men in Napoleon’s army Resources-typewolf, pinterest, adobe font kit, fonts in use, coolors,

In-Class Assignment Come up with 3-5 topics and the 10 touchpoints for each topic While working- watch video Turn in what you can by the end of class Continue to work if not completed

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Assignment Timeline ResearchWas there something that stood out that you want to explore a little more? Take this opportunity to dive a little deeper into your route and the history that surrounds it. After taking a wholistic look at your research determine 3-5 potential topics. For each topic determine your 10 touchpoint/historical event. This information is what you will use for your non-linear timeline. Each touchpoint/ historical event will need a title & brief description of the event. While you research begin to collect reference imagery. Let your wheels turn. Begin making sketches. Listen to music. Let your creativity begin to flow.

Sam Yates

Homework Process

RESEARCH IDEAS: Murder at Cherry Hill -Timeline covering the events that lead up to the last death sentence via public hanging in Albany. Ripley Opera House Fire -Timeline covering the events of a fire that destroyed a pillar of the arts community in Rutland, VT. Wyndcliffe Mansion -Timeline covering the families that moved into, renovated and abandoned a historic mansion in a forest in the Hudson Valley. History of Hudson River/Valley -Timeline covering the long history of the Hudson Valley, starting with the Native Americans who lived there all the way to the notable plane landing in the Hudson. Saratoga Race Track -Timeline covering the creation and important events that happened at the pillar of Saratoga, the Saratoga Race Track.

Project 2 | November 16

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Sam Yates

November 18 Day 11

Project 2 | November 18

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Plans

Project 2 | November 18

Sam Yates

In Class Notes

Critiques

Due: Timeline Research

TECHNIQUES FOR SORTING DATA, HOW TO PICK OUT THEMES, ETC:

FROM SMALL GROUP CRITIQUES:

In Class: Techniques Lecture Small Group Critiques Start 50 Thumbnails

Things to collectDates, Locations, Statistics, Landmarks, Symbols, Anything reoccuring in your data Basic sorting Color change, Size, Orientation, Distortion Key Visual Elements Elements that help bring consistency to the design. Image used to enhance brand recognition -Logo/Placement -Typography Styles -Color/theme -Imagery/type/treatment Karel Martens- Dutch Modernist, one of the best known graphic designers “Making work is all about trying and discovery, there are no truths” Watched video on Karel “Absence in design is very important”

Saratoga Race Track: Fun idea and easy to trace back to my track. It is a little anticlimactic though. I don’t care much for horse racing, it was just an easy idea to use. History of Hudson River/Valley: “Big ideas” like “History of…” are very broad, and there is a LOT of information to whittle down into a manageable amount, and there is no great focus here. Wyndcliffe Mansion: Could be interesting. Even though the people who OWNED the house were pretty interesting, and there are some fun facts associated with it, most of the actual timeline of the house is “this person owned it then this person owned it then…”. Probably shouldn't pick unless others are bad.

Ripley Opera House Fire: Very zoomed in point of view is interesting, could make for a fun timeline. Much easier to come up with a visual for. Limited information about the subject makes it a bit hard to find out details though. Murder at Cherry Hill: Same problem with limited information, however the “zoomed in POV” is interesting as well. The actual story going on is the most interesting to read about.

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Plans Due: Timeline Research In Class: Techniques Lecture Small Group Critiques Start 50 Thumbnails

Sam Yates

In Class/HW Process

Project 2 | November 18

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Sam Yates

November 23 Day 12 (No Class Meeting)

Project 2 | November 23

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Assignment At this stage you should have (50) thumbnail sketches for (2) different concepts. Over the weekend seek feedback from 2 colleagues outside of this class. After careful consideration of your feedback and using your design eye determine (1) chosen concept. From that concept narrow your (25) thumbnails down to your most successful (5) directions. Use the weekend and class to build out to-scale aka 18"x24" posters in grayscale. NO color! Think about contrast but also begin to get your brain thinking about value, lightness, darkness. Halftones are acceptable for rendering contrast. Develop your (5) concepts and submit a PDF of the directions OR your most recent progress to canvas. Remember, no color and to manage your time.

Project 2 | November 23

Sam Yates

Homework Choices

Process

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Sam Yates

Project 2 | November 23

Homework (Cont.) Process

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Sam Yates

November 30 Day 13

Project 2 | November 30

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Plans Due: None In Class: Visual Cue Lecture 1 on 1s Worktime for coloring and refining

Project 2 | November 30

Sam Yates

In Class Notes

VISUAL CUE LECTURE: Visual Cues- Concrete objects, pictures, symbols, or written words that help a reader understand a message. i.e.- Map (You have dotted lines to represent a trail, little animals to signify wildlife, etc) Wayfinding- Encompass all the ways that people orient themselves in physical space and navigate from space to space (Popular example, Massimo Vignelli, designed the NYC Subway map. Massimo reinvented the way that people navigate this difficult city. They didn’t simply take the maps and make them pretty, they had to do detailed analysis on the way that people used the subway. They made maps that were easy to understand and beautiful.) Things to think about for the projectThink about the ways to organize the information in new ways that incorporate many elements, not just placing the dates.

TV Test Pattern- Each element on the pattern had a purpose, like checking resolution, brightness and contrast, focus, frequency, and height. Method for visualizing non-linear storytelling- Determine timeline of events, find themes and reorganize accordingly, chart out your findings, assign visuals, illustrate findings. You can focus on a central event, then start explaining what people’s reactions are, then explore how you got there, etc. Saul Bass- Designer and award winning filmmaker, best known for his design of motion picture title sequences, film posters, and corporate logos. Annie Atkins- Graphic designer for films. Designs for props on films. Keeping her work in mind, recognize that there are little details in our work that will make it real. Does it need a texture? Some new element? You can go deeper than a computer.

Notes from 1 on 1 Immediate draw to spiral-ish poster. Interpretation was not perfectly clear. It could be something like "trying to escape in a maze but there are things (the touchpoints) in the way". Push that idea. Second instinct was toward the isometric angled poster. The idea of playing with perspective was interesting, there could be something there. The smoke poster should be scratched, it is extremely linear. No thoughts on flat icon drawing. Front-face view had an interesting concept with the picturing the multiple stages of the building. Could be rendered out well, but not the most conceptually sound. Sam's final thought was that I should go with one of the first two listed.

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Assignment Determine your chosen direction based on your BW sketches. Test out 2–3 color ways and themes. Begin to determine a direction and color palette. Revise and edit your work with a critical eye. Think about what color makes sense. Refer to our color theory lecture and everything you learned about contrast in your readings. What reads the best? What colors will vibrant too much? Seek feedback and interpret.

Sam Yates

Homework Color Palette Inspiration

Project 2 | November 30

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Sam Yates

Project 2 | November 30

Homework (Cont.) Process (Chosen Direction/Color Palletes)

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Sam Yates

Project 2 | November 30

Homework (Cont.) Process (Design Refinements)

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Sam Yates

December 2 Day 14

Project 2 | December 2

VISC 204 | Spring 2021

Plans Due: First Draft of P2 Process book check-in In Class: Hang posters up Explainations and group critique

Project 2 | December 2

Sam Yates

In Class Tile Print Poster

Critiques Too cluttered, what is unnecessary information? The firetrucks do not read as firetrucks. What can be done to the headline to make it more readable? Can I focus the color hierarchy in a better way? It needs more focus. Could the poster go blue to read as a blueprint better? Pull everything in, give it some breathing room. Not enough white space.

VISC 204 | Spring 2021