Reflections, Refractions and Reeeee-actions.

I've come away with a surprising appreciation for the skills taught in this course; not that it is surprising that one would enjoy BDC 101, rather I've just always considered myself to be more than a little computer-illiterate. However, in the end I found much of the material to be extremely interesting and comprehensive. Flash, especially, is an amazing program I'm happy to have gained experience with.

One element I would change about the process of this course is how the labs are orchestrated. I feel we should go through more of the materiel in tandem with the professor during the lecture at the beginning of the lab. So, while we see how something is done up on the board, we can follow along at the same time on our own computers. Trying to relate the quick, hazy processes I saw at the front of the classroom later at my own computer was something I found very difficult: the lesson often didn't seem to translate.

I learned AutoCAD by going through the material step by step with the professor who was at the front of the class while my I and classmates were at our individual computers. Through this process I retained an amazing amount. AutoCAD is a complicated program if ever there was one, and having Professor Mendes move through it with us, upon reflection, was the only way I understood any of the materiel.

My personal goal is to work in internet radio (soon to be the only real radio left, as far as I'm concerned) and because of this I hope to continue with Digital Media. While the music, personalities and production quality are understandably the most important aspects of radio, the packaging it comes in - its website - will in the end, make or break a station's success.

Acey

The Blogger/Journalist

The other day I was speaking to the guitarist of Royal Canoe, a band that had just played. I told him I wrote for a music website. He asked me if I was a blogger. I said no... but then wasn't sure if 'no' was the right answer.

This is the music website I write for: Toronto Music Scene

This is/was my music blog: My Frozen Headphones

Is there a difference?

Acey

Do Frogs Have Spines?

Interactive Media Assignment

My Concept for Do Frogs Have Spines? is a cheeky and stylized comic/game. My goal was to surprise the viewer, make them laugh and want to play the animation again. My target audience is young males, but also females, between 14 and 35. I imagine this animation being popular on sites such as E-baums World, for it is fashioned after that site’s popular The End of The World animation.

Do Frogs Have Spines? was inspired by a tree planter my sister once knew who didn’t understand that frogs had bones. Thus, thinking it wouldn’t hurt them he would catapult the animals with his planter’s shovel.

When I heard this story I was conflicted by both a sense of glee at its ridiculousness, and guilt at the sickness of the humour. To this day the story makes me laugh even while making my stomach churn. I wanted to inspire this same response from the viewer. Elements such as the puddle the frog turns into after being catapulted, and the subsequent “(splat!)”, I feel are effective towards this goal.

My favorite part of the telling of the original story was the way it built towards the ending: little hints that let you know where it was going, each making you want to hear the punch line more. I felt it was important for me to recreate this build, and it was with this in mind that I had the frog hop into the opening sequence to be followed by the play button that suggestively turned into a shovel.

Another element that was important to me was simplicity, both in visual images and in function. Concerning visual images: I had originally put a background in the animation, first as a drawing of grass, a lake and mountains, then as a photograph of the same. However, the bright colours made the frog disappear. I felt the contrast of the images against the white background was both more effective in the visual design, as well as for the overall simplistic intent of the animation.

Concerning simplicity of function: I wanted Do Frogs Have Spines? to be a very easy animation to follow so as to effectively tell the story. The ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ buttons are placed in the order I hope a viewer would select them for best comedic effect. Also, once the button’s responses are finished, the viewer is taken directly back to the “Do frogs have spines? Yes, No” frame. This way they aren’t interrupted in the story by having to search for the next option.

Likewise, I wanted the opening sequence to be accessible again with the idea in mind that a person would view the animation, laugh and call a friend over wanting to show it to them from the beginning. To make this option available, without overpowering the main image, I created the little fly button with its flapping wings.

For this process I redid each tutorial and referred to them throughout the process of creation. Slowly as the program became more understandable I became more adventurous with my ideas, resulting in efforts such as adding the Classic Motion Guide tween for the fly button’s entry.

However, some efforts would simply not take effect. I tried to change the ‘Play’ button- its colour and the result of down action- but neither directly editing the button or replacing it- would work. Any changes made button stop working, which was very frustrating.

Also, trying to create a tween for the shovel and frog simultaneously for the flip was very difficult. The handle of the shovel wouldn’t drop, and I was unsure of how to add two tweens to one object. Instead, I made the shovel a movie clip, and stop motioned it into position (while attempting to make the tweened frog match its movement). Though time consuming, I feel the result actually worked quite well with the rest of the animation.

The frog symbol would not shape shift into the splat, which was both disappointing and confusing.

Lastly, I did not like the sound effects I tried out. They seemed to make the whole animation too kitschy instead of simply funny. Instead I chose some fun, classic cartoon swing music. While this music matched excellently, the tutorial couldn’t help me to stop it from looping after returning to the first frame, and I couldn’t find an answer to my problem on the Internet. Some classmates tried to help as well, but none could understand why what had worked for their projects (methods they had been shown by Dwight) wouldn’t work for mine.

Overall I am happy with my resulting product, and proud of my accomplishment. All of my classmates who have seen my animation, and are essentially my target market, have had the desired reaction. I am very proud of how far I have come with this program that I once had thought I would never understand.

Acey

Tony vs. Paul: YouArt?

Tony vs. Paul

Ohbijou vs. Steinweiss

Steinweiss 1940's


















Ohbijou 2008


Acey


Images Cited:

Ohbijou: Swift Feet for Troubling Times. 2006. Web. .

Steinweiss, Alex. Haydn Budapest String Quartet Columbia. Web. .

End of Ze World, complete with a frog-a-pult

My concept for my Interactive Media assignment is a Flash video called Do Frogs Have Spines? It is a cheeky and stylized comic/game. Essentially, a frog will hop onto the screen, and then through a series of prompts the viewer will end up picking up the frog with a shovel, and flinging it across the screen. First, the question will be posed to them: do frogs have spines? If they choose “yes”, the frog will hop away unscathed and the screen will read “wuss”. However, if they viewer chooses “no”, splat goes the frog.

The story was inspired by a tree planter my sister once knew who didn’t understand that frogs had bones. Thus, thinking it wouldn’t hurt them he would catapult the animals with his planter’s shovel.

I imagine this animation being popular on sites such as E-baums World and Albino Black Sheep, for it is fashioned after the popular The End of the World animation, which made those sites famous.

Do Frogs Have Spines? is a little crass, and shares the same cringing, tongue in cheek, slightly sick humour as The End of the World. However, while The End of the World has an underlying social commentary, Do Frogs Have Spines? is pure, nonsensical fun. Aside from the feel of the humour, the two animations will also have a similar, childlike drawing style, and (hopefully) mine with inspire the same urge to re-watch again and again: I first saw The End of the World cartoon approximately 8 years ago, and still find it funny to this day. This is the value of its ridiculousness.

To prepare I will review the tutorials, specifically to master the process of tweening. The frog, to be enjoyably realistic, will have to hop properly, which will probably require a movie clip in conjunction with tweens. How to make the shovel tween so the blade picks up the frog, flings it, and has the handle come down, will be more complicated. I am not sure as of yet how I will do this.

Acey

The difference between funny and insulting - I'm working on understanding it ...

Artist's Statement:
My concept for the Virgin Mobile poster is a comedic and charmingly shocking advertisement. My goal with the poster is to make the viewer laugh, and then inspire them to see the company in a cheeky, youthful light. My target audience is females in the 18-30 age range and I imagine the poster on the inside doors of public female washrooms in universities, bars and clubs.

I wanted the main focus of the poster to be the contrast between the messy, half eaten burger and the simple typeface and almost point-form message. Yet, while it was important for the burger and the message to be in the forefront, I still wanted to create a setting for the food as a story for the advertisement. To do this, but not let the background overtake the main image, I used the focus on the camera to blur the condiments in the distance. I hoped this would make the “stay virgin” pun, and the “leftovers” metaphor, clear along with their necessary imagery, while still providing context. My goal was to make the conceptually layered advertisement easy to understand, thus easily entertaining, and therefore effective.

I used a basic digital camera to photograph the hamburger. I then cropped out the background of the image in Photoshop, leaving only the burger with the blurred condiments. I did this to create controllable negative space in which to later put the text. Then, to heighten the visual impact of the burger, I adjusted the colour saturation and contrast settings. This enabled the colours to grab attention.

For the background I used the eyedropper tool to insert the colour of the plate into the negative space. I then used the gradients effect to repeat the dark-to-light shading of the plate in the negative space in an effort to create unity and consistency. Using a solid colour had proven unattractive and inharmonic, and this alternative seemed satisfactory.
The proximity of text and background of the image to the burger and condiments was an effort to balance the image. By developing a ‘yin-yang’ like shape I hoped viewers eyes would easily drift over and absorb the relevant information.

I ran into difficulty when it appeared that the colours of the food, along with the gradients effect of the background and plate, were becoming chaotic. As I felt I could do nothing to remedy these issues directly without risking the clarity of the message, I hoped to use alignment and contrast (with specific attention to the text) to refocus the image.

While I feel that my use of text alignment was effective, finding a contrasting colour to ‘gradient grey’ proved difficult. The red of the words “Virgin Mobile” were eye-dropped directly from a Virgin Mobile advertisement, and were effectively both contrasting to the background and consistent with the re-made logo in the poster. But, to solve the issue of finding a contrasting colour to gradient grey, I chose to make the grey whiter and use black for the text. Then, to contain the image and its ideas, I used a thin black border as an outline to direct the focus of the viewer.

In my original idea contrast and alignment were to be the most relevant principles: I have always found them the most effective. Unfortunately, with this advertisement I had trouble utilizing these principles as I had hoped. However, I felt that the idea and message of my poster were clear, relevant, and effective towards my target audience, so I chose to explore these principles in a second poster.

My second poster, Run, focuses nearly entirely on the principles of contrast and alignment. With it I discovered the difficulty of expressing a layered message when confined in principles. In later projects I hope to strike a balance between my two posters, employing the wit of the first, and the punching simplicity of the second.



Reflections:
For the duration of the poster assignment the main train of thought I followed was, and I quote: "This isn't AutoCAD. AutoCAD was much simpler. OH, no it wasn't. You just think that because you eventually understood how to use it... so does this mean Photoshop will eventually be within my grasp? Fantastic! Now how do I ______...?"

I learnt that these programs are not all so different, and that having a technically inclined disposition can only get you so far- the rest is up to creativity, problem solving, basic willpower.

When I brought my posters to class I wasn't sure what to expect. I knew the final product wasn't quite as I'd hoped (visually), but I also knew it was far from a disaster. I hadn't expected my work, with this program that I felt fought me every step of the way, to hold its own as well as it did.

I was particularity happy that the elements that I thought were the most effective were noted in lab. Elements such as the gradient effect, the re-use of the eye-dropped red, and the circular motion of the image. It was a relief to see that my obvious effort could stand up beside the clear skills of some of my classmates, and now I look forward to trying some of their techniques.

Acey

Type me silly...

Hail to the Thief, Stanley Donwood: Radiohead Album Art.

Radiohead’s Hail to the Thief album cover was chosen out of 9 individual acrylic pieces, all designed by Stanley Donwood in Thom Yorke’s studio during the recording of the album. The series was created as a visual embodiment of the ideas and directions of the music.

The typography is truly hand written, and is warped, squeezed and stretched to fit into the coloured boxes. The typography is in all capitols, so the importance of each individual element can only be discerned by the size and prominence of its type, and not by the case of its letters (as we are predispositioned towards). Also, the typography appears in a variety of colours, thus statements are made through the contrast (or lack thereof) of the words against the background. Each element fits within a hierarchy of size and prominence according to its representative typography.

The dominant goal of this album was to draw the listener between political/social commentary and deeply personal thoughts and emotions. With this piece Donwood effectively does the same. He makes social/political commentary by juxtaposing clashing ideas (represented by typography in coloured boxes) through use of thier size, colour and proximity.

An example of his social/political commentary is seen between the “GOD” and “TV” boxes. The thought being put forward is that God, in our society, is arguably being replaced by TV, and that TV is of higher value to many people than God. The type of the word “TV” is the biggest in the picture. It is also the most contrasting with the white of its type against the red box, and is also in a prominent position, written near the centre of the image. Meanwhile, “GOD”, beside it, has comparatively smaller type and the red letters are barely discernible against the orange background. This parallels Donwood's social observation and creates and effectively controversial album cover though the use of typography.

iPod Billboard.

The only typography in this poster is the word “iPod” in a Helvetica font. The image of the dancing silhouette in black, and the iPod silhouette in white, against the glowing orange background is both modern and fantastical.

The message is simple: the iPod is a mystical yet attainable step towards modern happiness, and the simplistic typography makes the message all the more clear and powerful.

The product is aimed at the young, metropolitan consumer, and consequently anyone who wants to be seen as young and metropolitan, and the chique white colouring, and contemporary feel of the font make this typography effective.

Blue Steel, Dean Markley guitar strings.

The product packaging of Dean Markley's "Electric Cryogenic Activated" Guitar Strings has bold, and varying, typography that is only semi-effective.

The tracking between the letters of the words "electric", "cryogenic" and "activated" is so distanced that the words become very difficult to read. In fact, due to their spacing I did not register what the two words after "electric" were until I typed them out myself. If these words are important enough to put on the packaging, one would imagine they should be important enough to make legible. Since they are not I, as a consumer, could have overlooked this important element of these strings, making this example of typography ineffective.

The 3D shading and industrial-stamp shape of the words "Blue Steel", along with the condensation effect on the blue colouring, is effective in making the type of the words "Blue Steel" representative of the idea of 'blue steel', but nothing more. Through this typography the message of who the target market of the product is, is made no clearer. The message could easily be that the strings are crisp and clean, or sleek, or heavy duty, or for heavy music, or even for steel guitar. The typography, simply re-emphasizing the name, does nothing to clear upi the confusion.

Acey

Images Cited

Dean-Markley-Steel-Acoustic-Strings. Amazon. Web. 12 Oct. 2009.

Donwood, Stanley. Hail to the Thief. 2003. Cover Art, Album. Radiohead. Amazon. Web. 12

Oct. 2009.

Vyakman. Billboard. 2009. Photograph. San Francisco. Flikr. 17 Apr. 2009. Web. 12 Oct. 2009.

I'm medically observing your feelings. That's right, I have a Mood-Ring-Stethecope.

After being introduced to, and subsequently amazed by, Jonothan Harris and Sep Kamvar’s social explorationn project We Feel Fine in Lori’s Tuesday Lecture, I was left in two minds. I was impressed but apprehensive, touched but alienated: is this initiative the long-awaited proof of technology’s power to draw humanity closer together, or is it yet another case of technology’s ability to diminish the individual to nothing more than data? Is We Feel Fine simply a disturbingly impersonal route by which to take on the traditionally rejected role of voyeur? Has voyeurism become the expected norm?

The project’s mission statement, as viewed on the We Feel Fine website, does little to confirm either view. The statement opens with a description of the project as “…an exploration of human emotion on a global scale”, and goes on to explain in a distanced voice the scientific methodology behind the site’s operation. Terms such as “demographic slices” are tossed around in moderate excess, and promises to answer such pressing questions as: “Do women feel fat more often than men?” are offered freely. While not rude, exactly, the site’s description of its mission feels incredibly light and detached- like we are about to have the pleasure of watching cute little animals scurry about in a cage, free to toss them food pellets or tickle their bellies through the wires, only to go home in an hour never to think of them again.

It is the final message, however, that I feel overcomes all other voices:

At its core, We Feel Fine is an artwork authored by everyone. It will grow and change as we grow and change, reflecting what's on our blogs, what's in our hearts, what's in our minds. We hope it makes the world seem a little smaller, and we hope it helps people see beauty in the everyday ups and downs of life.

At first I was hesitant towards the initial science, the measurements and data, and the sometimes unfair analysis of the blogger’s feelings in this website. However, I see from this closing statement that We Feel Fine as an honest effort to show the amazing possibilities technology holds to explore, and connect us through, the human condition.

My own experience drifting though the feelings was pretty reflective of my daily interactions with those directly around me. Some I laughed with, pitied, or was irritated by, some I didn’t understand while some I understood completely… some I saw a lot of myself in and some I judged with eyebrows raised.

Acey

Las Vegas & CRAP ... quelle suprise ...

The CRAP principles: Contrast, Repetition, Alignment and Proximity, and the kooky little places I’ve found them since Laurie's lecture.

London Calling, The Clash: Poster.

The most prominent design principle in this poster is Contrast. The text in the upper left hand corner especially embodies this principle with its bold white colouring against the black background, and its sharp edges compared to the soft edges of the fuzzy images in the rest of the print.

This poster is up in my apartment, placed even more in contrast against a bright green wall. My eyes always are drawn immediately to the bold typeface, then lead down into the more abstract silhouette. I feel that this is the purpose of contrast here: to be a primary layer, leading the viewer subtly into the rest of the picture.

NYLON, March 2009: Magazine Cover.

The design principles that are most prominent in this magazine cover are Alignment and Repetition. The story line titles are split and aligned down each side of the page, making the surplus of words simple and clear to read, and leaving a clear space in the centre for the cover model.

Repetition is used in the typeface of the story line titles. The typeface becomes a consistent through line, as well as giving a clear indication that words with this typeface are associated: they all represent features inside the magazine.

Repetition is also shown through the pink, orange and yellow colour highlights found both in and around the text. These highlights create a bright, modern, dynamic and yet unified layout.

Tara McPherson: Graphic Illustration.

The design principle that is used creatively in this illustration is Proximity. I say that Proximity is used creatively, because with it the illustrator has made an element of her drawing that would otherwise feel totally out of place, seem a like a perfectly cohesive part of the story: the black balloons. By grouping these three, seemingly random characters together, a sense of story is given to the image. A living balloon does not make much sense in this setting (which I see as outer-space) but by placing these three related elements together, the illustrator creates a sense of organization that causes he viewer to trust her vision of the story.

I Changed My Name, 1988, Richard Prince: Acrylic, Silkscreen on Canvas

The design element that is used most cleverly in this contemporary art piece, while originally seeming to be Contrast, is in fact the artist’s use of Alignment. It is the off-centre alignment of the two canvasses that makes this piece so intriguing. Without the separation, or if the two canvasses were to be separated evenly and aligned at centre, the piece would be spectacularly boring.

What I find most interesting is that here, unlike with the NYLON Magazine cover, the use of alignment is more about the empty space than that which is filled. It is the empty borders that make this piece interesting: the elements outside the art that are the outcome of creative alignment which make this piece so deserving of note.

Final Observations

The CRAP principles are fundamental in designing for an audience. They are a simple and clear guidelines to creating a cohesive, attractive and captivating product that will make a decisive statement to a viewer-base.

The shortcomings of the CRAP principles lie in that they are largely mathematical and emotionless. They are blank guidelines that, in being intended for captivating an audience and keeping things simple, give no deference to a designer’s prerogative and story. Sometimes chaos is necessary to make a point, and the CRAP principles leave no room for this.

Math in art can only go so far, and the shortcomings of the CRAP principles are a perfect example of this.

Acey

The Japaneese have made many assumptions about us, most of them right...

In my ongoing battle against Blackboard I ended up reading through the course descriptions for first year RTA perhaps about 15 times. However, it was not until I was physically sitting in Laurie’s second period lecture on that first day that I actually realized that I had a class called Digital Media. “Digital Media, what the devil is that supposed to entail? Oh, I am DOOMED!” would be a more or less accurate account of my initial reaction. Something about the vague name, and the less than precise subject matter, must have left my eyes to glaze and my mind to pass over whatever little information there was about this course on the Ryerson website. I felt very unprepared.

However, throughout that first lecture my anxiety was slowly replaced with anticipation, and my bewilderment with realization: this course is about technology, communication and culture. It is about design and audiences, ideas and stories. My resources for this class are everywhere and have been my entire life: I am about as well prepared for Digital Media as I possibly could be.

My only remaining apprehension is that this is a constant on the horizon of my interaction with computers.

I’m working on it…

Despite my Death’s scythe hooked and hanging from my computer screen, the area of Digital Media that I am looking most forward to is web production. I am incredibly excited to learn Flash, which I’ve heard is both very difficult and VERY fun, as well as expanding upon my abilities as a blogger. I also hope to increase my understanding of HTML, which I first came across in 2004 when I, and I quote, “Pimped my Myspace”.

The one thing I’ve learnt in my various forays into the professional world is that anything you can do for yourself if of value. That is why a course like Digital Media is so important for a student in a program like RTA. The skills we will gain here will save us both time and money, and will make us invaluable contributors to any creative team. Furthermore, through increased knowledge we will have better control of all our endeavors, ensuring that everything we release into the world will meet our personal standards.

I am a musician, and through this course I am going to learn to design my own CD cover. When my band is ready for a website, I’ll know how to make it spectacular. I am a journalist who produces my own podcasts, which I subsequently release through my blog. With Digital Media I will have the opportunity to make a better-quality, more audience enticing blog, that will lead to a stronger following when I enter the professional market.

The worlds to be found in Digital Media are going to expand our experiences as public resources, and develop our understanding of our responsibilities as contributors to the information community. It is an awareness that we cannot do without.

So, was McLuhan right? Is the medium really the message? I haven’t decided yet, but I do know that while we are changing technology, technology is having no hesitations about changing us in return. A Multisensory Community is an absolutely accurate description of our modern North American lives, and if this weren’t true I’d probably still be sitting in RCC 204 ripping my hair out, unprepared, and out of communication.

Acey


Image: Sinead's pencil case, as scanned in class.