Seeing Color

Michael Bierut Talk Recap

I found this video to be one of the best design videos I've seen thus far. Not only was the video very informative, but I really enjoyed how he went into details about specific projects he worked on. One of my favorite things he talked about was the MAD logo he created. He made this logo he was really excited about, but his clients were not. He stated that he pushed this idea of a blocky single line logo (A+D) for a long time, all because he liked it. He finally gave up and decided to go back to the drawing board, even though he invested a lot of time and energy on the previous logo. He finally came up with a simple solution, a logo created of simple shapes, circles and squares, that spelled out MAD. He not only stopped at the logo, but created a full alphabet using these simple shapes. He created a brand, something the company can use anywhere and people would recognized as being MAD. This really caught my eye because it shows how sometimes you have to move on from the design you like the most and start all over. It also shows that a solution could be really simple, yet effective. Another item I liked from this video was the idea of how important type can be in design. During his New York Transportation project, Micheal remade the Helvetica typeface to Helvetica DOT. The only changes made were the dots on top of the lower case i's. This shows how such a small point has such an important meaning. Details matter. I enjoyed how he used the typeface and its shoulders, descenders, and other parts, to make his icons. This gives a congruent feeling when the icons and type are next to each other. All in all I really liked this video and how Micheal presented his work. I gave me inspiration and a different outlook when looking at my own personal projects.

Language of Color Recap

I really enjoyed watching this video in class. Not only was the video very informative, but the speaker broke down why color is important and how it works. I knew a bit about the color wheel and how it was made, along with how you can find complementary colors, but was not informed on how important colors were. I learned that colors are chosen for psychological reasonings, not because the client like that color. I thought it was interesting how in theory, some colors are known to work great together (like red and green during christmas), but when put into actions, they really do not go well together. I liked the idea on how lightening a color (tint) or darkening (shade) makes a big difference in a design. All in all I really enjoyed this video and learned a lot.

Color Interaction

AIGA UNITE

I attended the AIGA Unite event at the Urban Discovery Academy. I really enjoyed the event for numerous reasons. One reason that made this event so great was the fact that almost everyone there was a designer (either student or professional). This was really interesting because everyone had a common interest, design. This allowed the conversations to flow nicely and created a nice comfortable environment where we could network and learn. Another reason I really liked the event was the small workshops. This allowed everyone to join a workshop that they were interested in, while getting the intimate teachings from a professional in a small group setting. I really enjoyed this, because as a junior graphic designer working inhouse, I was able to choose the inhouse workshop and talk personally to Angelo about my situation. This also allowed me to ask specific questions to the lead of the workshop, which was very useful. A final thing that I really enjoyed about the event was the people running the workshops. They were all very helpful and willing to answer any questions, either pertaining to school or professional career. This was really nice because I was able to talk to them and get the information I was looking for. All in all this was a great event that made me thankful I found a community like AIGA.

Color Wheel

Typographic Texture

Texture

Scale Depth Motion

Title Case Summary

The video was about Jessica Hische and Erick Marinovich and their studio, “Title Case,” which is in San Francisco. They are both are typographic artists, who specialize in custom lettering. Their studio is custom built to best suit their needs. Jessica has a desk specifically made with sketchbook holders, while Eric’s desk includes a roll of tracing paper. The shop is an extension of their homes, creating this comfortable work environment, which is an extension of their life at home. They take part in certain traditions, such as changing into their moccasins when arriving to the studio. Even though they are very similar, their creative process differs from one another. Jessica sketches examples in her sketchbook, while Erick writes his examples on tracing paper. They both are passionate about typography and the details/excitement in every character, letter, and word. They explained some of their work, the banners and the book covers, along with some of their workshops and how they run them. After watching the video, I felt that their work with the studio was very interesting and inspiring.