Classie Design

Art, Design & Life

[classiepowellulhitegd-blog]

Podcast 12

99% Invisible: Thomassons

Urban leftovers turned into a treasure by being maintained. Things in our world aren’t often purposeless. Akasegawa Genpei noticed these purposeless things that people actually put effort into maintaining instead of taking them down and decided to start photographing them and called them “Thomassons.” I feel that this is a great way to experience art. Finding hidden or unnoticed things is an artists favorite experience. The interesting thing about Akasegawa’s Thomassons is that they are hidden, useless things that people are caring for. How odd is it that us humans actually care about something that is completely purposeless? It is amazing that something that no longer has purpose has so much meaning to us. They are like those old broken trinkets and momentos from trips that we can’t use anymore, but we have a connection to them and we want to keep them in good condition.  A city’s Thomasson are the treasures and momentos of that place and what makes it unique with its hidden quirks.

[classiepowellulhitegd-blog]

This process image sums up my whole week. My sucker stick is not my xacto knife. It’s fine. I’m fine. At least I didn’t get my paper sticky. 

[classiepowellulhitegd-blog]

Podcast 11

Design Matters with Debbie Millman: Massimo Vignelli

Massimo Vignelli said he only uses four typefaces.. I love when designers only use a few typefaces. It is the funniest thing. However, I love Univers and all the fancy typefaces! Vignelli is  also apparently horrified by type deformation! Haha, Meena, did you listen to this one? I can’t even count how many times I’ve had an assignment that I’ve had to wreck a typeface.  on the other hand…HE LOVES FRUTIGER. Vignelli is cool, I approve.

He talks of the bleak future of ignorant corporate clients who think they know everything. I am not looking forward to that level of frustration, but we all must do it. Meaningless design is a crime now. Designs shouldn’t have swashes and strikes of color for no reason, because everything a designer creates must have meaning or it looses importance. Forceful and limpy design, sounds very similar to the words we were making up in class last week, like spew. Hehe. Anything not meaningful to the situation is meaningful design. Vignelli believes that decoration should be done by subtraction instead of addiction because subtraction adds to the work. He also thinks that marketing men are destroying the world one logo at a time, which could totally happen. 

I think its great that he donated his archives to Rochester and that they’ll be in a building that he designed. That would be amazing to go and look at his work, I mean 650 boxes of stuff. Massimo has now become one of my new favorite designers. “If you can design one thing you can design everything.” - Mossimo

[classiepowellulhitegd-blog]

Just a little experimentation on some flow elements. Frank, you're just so cool, can my squiggles live up to your expectations?? Honestly, these squiggles have been the funnest thing I've done today.. 

[classiepowellulhitegd-blog]

Podcast 10

99% Invisible: Person In Lotus Position

I had no idea emojipedia was a thing! I didn’t know emojis came out in the 90’s either though. After listening to Bramhill’s podcast I have wasted a large amount of time researching emojis, thanks Meena. Unicode is like the police of the internet. As a day to day user of technology, before today, I was completely blind to the fact that there was someone out there standardizing  text and emojis and all the other elements that allow things to be seen on the screen. Unicode has a lot of power, I mean they get to decide which emojis make the cut! By the way, emojis do go away because we no longer have a gun; we have a water gun. 

When he was talking about how his emoji needs to be unlike anything else and should have a degree of longevity, it really struck a cord for me. I want my Frank Tjepkema look book to be unique and to be something that isn’t just fleeting. I don’t want to create it just for this project, but I want to do it to a level that I could be proud of it later on. This has given me the little push I needed to get past the rough patch in my project. Also, let’s be real about how bad ass this guy is for having his own emoji. So. Cool. Maybe I’ll try designing an emoji. It’s similar to designing a set of symbols, maybe...

[classiepowellulhitegd-blog]

Process Image 8 I wanted to share my spread on my jewelry artist Jos Jonkergouw because I am obsessed with the textures he uses. This one and the other two have already changed from Wednesday and will change again over the weekend. My reading for this week taught me a lot about color and its ability to separate, balance, and relate objects. I thought this was pretty ironic because I was helping my boyfriend with his homework that focused on this same thing last week! I really want to use color as a way to either separate or relate the information for this current project. I am really excited to see where this goes now.

[classiepowellulhitegd-blog]

Podcast 8

Design Matters from the Archive: Anil Dash

Politics, technology and culture. 

I have never heard of Anil Dash and I am somewhat surprised since technology and social media is such a large part of my life right now. He touched on love, bullying and some of his life story for a moment and that was very sweet and personable. I find it humorous how he tried to get people to pay him for what he loved and it did not work out too well for him. That is everyone’s goal, isn’t it? Anil mentioned how people that would make fun of him for liking technology began to get into it and that is so relatable! Humans are just sheep that follow the tide. It’s interesting to think about the technology our generation uses and what the future generations will think about these prehistoric devices. He spoke on how technology has a heavy impact on society and that most people don’t realize the ethical or unethical decisions they are making. We as a culture choose convenience over an option that is better for us almost every time. It’s also interesting how involved and influential technology has become in the political sphere through things like online petitions on the whitehouse.gov website. Anil thinks that the best way to combat fake news is to unroot them by speaking to their values that could remove them from that group. We all want to belong to something larger than ourselves. However, many people see politics, culture, and the environment as abstract things that don’t affect us. I think we may need a lifestyle change.

[classiepowellulhitegd-blog]

Type Hike Catalog

Frustration. Fun. Confusion. Joy. These are just a few of the feelings I had while working on Type Hike’s exhibition catalog. Honestly, I love my little catalogs so much. This has been the largest project, in terms of information, I have had so far and holding that book in my hand is so satisfying. At first I was trying to eat the whole cake at one time and I was drowning.. Then Meena told me to just take a little bit of it at a time and everything got so much better! I went through who knows how many iterations and changes. I think that I still want to change a few things now after receiving feedback from my friends, but I am still happy with it. However, getting them printed was a nightmare. I am going to have to find a new printer, preferably one who knows things. The most satisfying part, other than having it as a real thing, would be the paper. I used French speckle tone paper for the cover and I am pretty sure I am in love now. The way the laser printer prints the ink on it was perfect for the project and it made me so happy. Even though the catalog was stressful and challenging, I would do it again.

[classiepowellulhitegd-blog]

Process Image - Messing around with my cover collage, I’ll pick one eventually. I finally got my paper from French Paper and I am SO STOKED.

PODCAST 6: On Writing Well Michael Bierut + Jessica Helfand

Beirut and Helfand discussed how good or bad design affects how consumers view a product. They brought up Dan Brown’s ugly book covers and how Double Day offered a cover contest for a limited edition of Brown’s book. The contest created a question on compensation for the cover. We all do free work for our friends, but limited editions are more revered and is having your name next to it really enough? Double Day most likely chose to do the contest because good design sells. It brings consumers in. If there’s a book with the best story in the world, but it has an ugly cover, we will never open it especially as designers. Beirut and Hefland talked about buying wine based on how good the label design was and that is 100% true for me. My wine purchase depends on if I know the brand and how cool the label is! Good design is important because it’s what gets us the money!

Our hosts also discussed the importance of good writing. As graphic designers we should be able to understand words and their meanings and be able to marry them with images. Being able to write well is just impressive for us designers. It’s like wow. It takes us somewhere we weren’t expecting and allows us to have a deeper connection. We try to make a harmonious image from the awful chaos that we are given from clients. The secret to writing well is that if you have something to say, say it in the most straightforward way. Perhaps this is why I have such difficulty writing long essays…kidding, kidding.

[classiepowellulhitegd-blog]

Podcast 5: Design Matters with Tina Roth Eisenberg

Tina was talking about how much she loves having her own studio close to her house that she can bike to it. One day, I aspire to have my own studio like that!… A little square one, not too far from my house. I’m a night owl and I don’t think a studio far away will work since I hate the dark! So many people ask artists when they started being creative and I find this so curious. We’ve been creative for as long as we can remember. We were the kids obsessed with crayons and markers. I love that Tina is Swiss and creates lovely Swiss inspired design. 

I am really inspired by Tina’s project of dealing with the ordinary. The ordinary is often more intriguing and beautiful than the extraordinary. They are the things we are comfortable with and don’t even realize the cool stuff that we just look past. I would love to carry my camera around and take pictures of ordinary stuff all day. It sounds so satisfying. 

Crowd sourcing is an interesting factor in the modern world. You can get a lot of good answers, but sometimes it ends up as a mess or less than kind results. I use crowd sourcing every now and again when I can’t decide what to wear or what to choose. I defiantly wouldn't put anything too personal out there, but it’s a free world. I am both cringing and relating to the fact that Tina doesn’t plan what she is going to post on her blog. I love design and my design classes. I am a procrastinating planner. I may not have a solid identity in my work or as a person, but I am still learning. Nothing can stop me now.

[classiepowellulhitegd-blog]

*Process Image: Welsh’s Print Shop - Cool place, lots of paper. 

This weeks podcast is The Logo Show with Dan Stiles and Billy Baumann. They’re gonna be talking trash and taking names on bad logos. Natty light is the nastiest beer on the planet. It is fitting that it is in the most hideous can ever. The design isn’t great, but I doubt the people who are buying it are actually paying attention. At this point in my design career I can’t imagine how difficult it must be to have to hurdle all the approvals and okays from the clients. I think that we should listen to the clients ideas, but make it good and help them understand why its good and how it connects with their brand identity. Just because the product won’t break the bank that doesn’t mean it has to be met with bad design. 
This guy, Billy decides Philz Coffee’s logo could be better, and all designers run across things where we are like, I could do that better. So this guy rebrands it. The rebrand for Philz coffee feels very modern grunge. It isn’t as friendly as they are describing Philz Coffee, but the logo is great! It has great hierarchy and the unfinished circle is my favorite. I was unsure what the drop above the “i” was until he said it was a coffee drop, but that is cool. The “z" is wonky, haha, I love how it’s one of those things where you're like “It needs to be fixed but I have NO IDEA how to fix it.” Is it possible to design a logo that can fit in this century and maintain itself through time? That is the real challenge for us.

As for the book, it was all about space in your grids. The Type Hike project has a ton of imagery to work with and that can make it difficult to use white space effectively. I occasionally catch myself playing Tetris with my information, so this reading was a great reminder that my white space is a friend not an enemy to be smashed.  

[classiepowellulhitegd-blog]

RESPONSE 3 - Design Matters with Debbie Millman: Steven Heller

Look at how GIANT my typefaces are! I have to bring this down. The grid book I have though is pretty rad. I should have bought it instead of renting it. 

I often wonder what it would be like to have lived in the time when design was transitioning from traditional to technology. I adore working in the old methods, but it takes so much patience that I do not think I would be able to work without the computer. So what is the difference between a review and a critical analysis? Reviews are heavily emotional and personal responses to a work and if you want to criticize, be snarky, and hurt someone’s feelings that is uncool. However, as designers rise to the top we are exposed to critics that don't like our work and that is just life. 

Typefaces are inherently neutral because they are expressions of the meaning of the piece. They basically enhance the meaning. I’m not so sure how I feel about alphabets telling time. That idea is going to be a stretch for me. Yes, the alphabet transforms as humans and technology advances, but so does everything else. Right? 

POSTERS HAVE ALL THE POWER. Posters will always be around, because they are semipermanent. It is an image that is there, not flicking on and off of a screen. I am heavily biased in favor of posters. Side note: Podcasts follow such a simple line of progression in their discussions. My train of thought is not this smooth when talking. 

This guy really does not like Trump. I like this Steven guy less now. I feel somewhat insulted that he said people who voted for Trump are dumb. Trump’s branding is pretty solid, he just hired a designer who can’t make attractive type. This interview just jumped from Trump being bad to Steven enjoying working with historical pieces because they are geometric. The end of this as he talks about looking beyond and not dismissing things is my favorite part. 

So now, is this a rant or a rave?

[classiepowellulhitegd-blog]

My first project this semester will be to create a catalog for the Type Hike project. So we gathered examples of catalogs to share and I chose Variations on a Rectangle from Pentagram. 

My first every podcast is on Jessica Walsh and Tim Goodman’s Forty Days of Dating. Let’s see how it goes. I am so laughing my butt off at how they just “decided” to start dating as an experiment! It’s cute how Tim and Jessica say they were one of the couples where opposites attract. I’m wondering how their previous dating experiences were so awful. They aren’t unattractive, but this Tim guy seems kinda like a playa. Twelve dates in a year does not seem like a lot there, Jessica. Perhaps her relationships weren't working because they weren’t meant to be. She was destined for Tim. Haha. HE WAS DATING MORE THAN ONE GIRL AT ONCE. This dude is wild. 

This experiment sounds like a struggle, because their friends didn’t approve and they have some rocky stuff going on. Trying to seriously date your friend as an experience is so interesting and definitely different. They had to commit to this. Why was she so shocked that she interpreted the date differently than Tim? Guys see things through a different filter, of course it was different haha. I want to read this book now. The fact that they started dating without Tim knowing what his intentions were with Jessie definitely makes it an experiment. 

I love that they pushed through all their struggles and made it through their timeline even though they wanted to quit a couple times and I respect their perseverance. I can’t even imagine my whole dating life going viral. That would be so overwhelming. Oh it is so typical of a guy to chase a girl he broke up with when she is with another guy! I don’t know that I would do an experiment that would send me to therapy… Well that wouldn’t be my first choice for a podcast, but it was entertaining and pretty comical.

[classiepowellulhitegd-blog]

I want to go to @YALLFest to be a @FierceReads VIP and meet Marissa Meyer! #jointherenegades #sweepstakes

[classiepowellulhitegd-blog]

Classie Powell

Classie Powell

This is my last blog post for web design 576 and oh how (bitter) sweet it is (Marvin Gaye lol).  At the beginning of this class I knew nothing, and I mean NOTHING about web design. Today, I can say that I can do a little coding, can create a site that reacts properly when switching from web to mobile, create a cohesive design across different platforms, and put up a real portfolio site. I did not think I would like this class at first because I am drawn to print design, but I must say that I kind of loved it. Thank you, Meena, for everything you taught me this semester!

[classiepowellulhitegd-blog]

This last project has been my favorite in my web design class. The funny Blue Laws and the lighthearted approach of the Ad Council is what made it so enjoyable. I chose the Ohio state law that is is illegal to fish for whales on Sunday. Designing a witty, cute website was challenging at first, but once I got a hold of some punny saying and created the whale mascot I was really excited about it. The project included three billboards, and a website for desktop and mobile. The transition from billboard to desktop was awkward. It was as if I had a all the of puzzle pieces, but wasn’t sure where the pieces went. When I transitioned to the mobile site, I had a few issues with overcrowding the last page. Overall I am pleased, but I want to make some more adjustments!

[classiepowellulhitegd-blog]

As I approached the redesign of activeheroes.org, I felt somewhat confident as a I am part of a generation that was raised with the internet and spends a good many hours on it. The research and previous projects prepared me for this project, as they furthered my understanding of what creates a website. 

Since the site was for a local non-profit it came with its own challenges of reaching, understanding, and remaining sensitive to the intended users. Early on, I felt that maintaining consistency and achieving a simple look was the most difficult. I learned many things from my peers, professor, and our guest, Brian about how to design an effective website and especially how a carousel on a website should properly be used. 

Overall, I am happy with my progress and the design I created. I look forward to making the suggested changes in critique and making it even better!