Wrap it up, B.

As this semester comes to a close, we are asked to summarize the class. I would first like to say it has been awesome. I have gained quite a bit of knowledge not only from Grant, but from the whole class. As we venture into the “junior” year of the good ol art program, I have never felt like we, as a class, are more of a team. We all work well together, and everyone donates his/her own perspective which exponentially extends the potential to create awesome art. Im looking forward to continue into the next semester, hopefully holding on to the momentum we have picked up. I have taken alot from this class in the way of letterforms and the properties that define page layouts. It is extreamly intersting to me, so much that I have developed a strange fascination with the letterpress and setting type. I hope to explore that further this summer. Im exploring an internship at yeehaw printing in knoxville. thanks everyone. Im really excited that we all get to stay together the rest of our career in the art program.
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page layout

Sweet Swiss Style Posters

De Stijl

Pronounced (de Steel), This movement is also known as neoplasticism. De Stijl is Dutch for “the style.” Piet Mondrian, Theo van Doesburg, Bart van der Leck among others are seen as originators for the movement, stressing the importance if artistic purity and denounced individual subjectivity, thus producing abstract linear work based on straight lines, right angles, and primary colors. This stemmed from analytical cubism, by which Mondrian was known to be most influenced.  Frank Lloyd right was a major influence as well as the constructivism movement, and De Stijl would later influence The Bauhaus and Art Deco. This movement was also influential for architects because of the emphasis placed on straight lines and right angles providing a Utopian feel.

“… this new plastic idea will ignore the particulars of appearance, that is to say, natural form and colour. On the contrary, it should find its expression in the abstraction of form and colour, that is to say, in the straight line and the clearly defined primary colour.” – Piet Mondrian

On (Design) Bullshit

When it comes down to it, there is alot of bullshit in the world of design. It occurs in the interaction between the client and the designer. It is important to please the client with the initial ideas, but as a designer, it is important to incorporate one’s own style into the design. The trick is to convince the client that the designer’s personal touch helps the composition instead of hurts it.

This composition is aimed to be simple and abstract. I wanted the viewer to be intrigued by the text and not frightened by the mass ammount of text. Simple circular forms are paired with organic lines, which interact with eachother creating a consistant flow from one page to the next. It is very important to keep it simple when it comes to page spreads because it is easy for the body text to become overwhelming, which in turn pushes the viewer away instead of drawing them in. The result is a clean layout with a simple sans serif font that is quite inviting to the viewer.

Innauguration Poster

From Woodrow Wilson’s first  innaugural address, This quote decribes how the lack of attention the previous governtment had given towards the well being of the United States, created waste and corruption which supercededed its growth. On this poster, the word “waste” is bolded, is dripping out text, which are accented by words like “corroded” and “evil.” From the bottom, words are hilighted to express the anguish of the society, however from within that text, organic forms extend opposing the dripping text. The background I wanted to push as far as I could. What I decided was appropriate was text overlayed on different transparencies creating interference amongst the other elements. The green background gave a good contrast with both the black and white text, but also created an organic connection with the opposing vertical text.

greed

Greed is a word that describes one’s mental desire for everything. It is a mental state that goes beyond obtaining necessities. The word greed in this photograph is placed above the power outlet full of plugs. The fact that there are no empty sockets helps suggest that the equipment plugged into the wall is utilizing every watt of energy. The need for more energy is a sensitive topic, especially with today’s economic standing. It is very important for the point to be conveyed that greed has a negative connotation.  It is a deadly sin after all. This photograph is a subtle suggestion that as a country, the United States, as a whole needs to find within its self a less greedy, more humble approach to coexisting on this earth. The United States is obviously not the only country on Earth; however, we live like we are the only humans in existence. The greed materializes from taking luxuries for granted. The luxuries have become, and are continuing to become necessities, which ultimately fuels the greed that already exists. Hopefully the United States will learn a lesson and become more precautious when it comes to taking resources for granted. I have faith, however it is going to get worse before it gets better.

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