Some Design Stuff

Just assignments and stuff for my Uni101 class

[kathrynerogers-blog]

Last Assignment Ever (Activity Follow-Up)

Last week we got to interview a few juniors and seniors, and I’d have to say it was really fun! The most helpful advice I got was probably on the co-op questions. The information they gave me made me feel a little bit better on the subject and less stressful about any ambiguity with it. I mean, it’s still a little iffy (since I’m not really at that stage yet), but I’m less nervous about it than I was before. It’s kind of nerve-wracking knowing I’m going to be that stressed later on, but the advice everyone gave was that you learn how to deal with that kind of stress and just work with it. And I think that was the best advice of all.

I’m really glad I got to take this course--it was so much fun and I learned a lot of stuff that I probably wouldn’t have been able to know all on my own. I’m glad I got to be a part of it, and hopefully I’ll be able to remember everything for next term!

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Skyfall Opening Credits (HD)

We just wanted to upload an HD video of this. We own nothing from this video. In no way are we making money from this. This is purely for entertainment. All ...

When I saw Skyfall in theaters, I was absolutely blown away by the opening credits. The way the visuals are able to show every location and feeling felt (starting from the bottom of the sea, moving to a graveyard, then a Chinese festival, then ending back at “Skyfall” manner, in pieces) throughout the movie through a minimum color pallet is incredible. It’s all variations of reds, blues, blacks, and whites, and the colors are able to flow into one another from scene to scene flawlessly. Also, all the figures are shrouded in nice dramatic lighting, which adds even more to intensity of the movie. All in all, it’s able to summarize the movie well in a sleek and artistic way, and is under five minutes long!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrItOm3FHHo

Unfortunately,I wasn’t able to get a video of only this intro cut scene, which really sucks since this is the coolest and kind of scariest way to describe how a game’s going to go. To see the scene, skip to 1:05. It ends at 2:04.

This scene/opening (as you see it right before the prologue begins) is from the game Until Dawn, and I have to say, it is one of the coolest and scariest little cut scenes I’ve ever seen. First of all, it does its job well. It tells you how exactly this game is going to work: as choice-based system where everything you do matters to the story. Also, the fact that it’s able to accomplish this with just the butterfly is amazing. Splitting up the butterfly to smaller and smaller pieces shows how even the smallest of details in the game are important to how it will end. Not to mention how the eerie background music adds so much to the atmosphere, as it kind of just starts immersing you into the game.

[kathrynerogers-blog]

I never really paid it much mind before, other than being one of those free apps that you can never delete; but since my time here at Drexel, I find myself using more often than before. And I must say, it looks as well as it works. It gives the most import part of the weather right in the middle, nice and big for anybody to read. To see what the rest of the day will be like, users can just scroll the horizontal band to see what the weather will be like every hour. If you want to see the specifics of exactly what every aspect of the weather will be like, from the time sunrise and sunset will be, to what the temperature will actually feel like with added wind chill. The coolest aspect of this app would have to be how the background will change to actually show what the weather will be like, as seen by the three screen shots in the top row. Ultimately, it is a very useful little app that I appreciate now more than ever!

[kathrynerogers-blog]

Printers that Read Color?! NCC Visit

I had a wonderful time at the National Constitution Center last week, and I learned a lot about working in the environmental design field, especially all the technology that gets used. The most intriguing equipment I learned about was the program that could let a printer read colors from a printed out piece and then find all the hues/colors that could match that color. It was so neat to see every single possible color that looked so similar and yet so different. I think that it’s so cool to get so many possibilities that you wouldn’t first be able to see while working on a screen. Plus, it really helps to compare variations of a color in a print format verses a digital format!

[kathrynerogers-blog]

I happened upon Barnbrook Bible while I was trying to find some books on graphic novels, and it was not at all what I expected. The book is basically a compilation of all the works, fonts, and ideas that contemporary graphic designer Jonathan Barnbrook (the book happens to be written by Barnbrook as well). Every single page is covered in bright colors and designs, and even has some of Barnbrook’s studies and processes with each work. However, the book falls somewhat flat in its readability, as some of the pages are so over-crowded it becomes a bit of a headache when trying to make out words. One particular section I want to point out is the chapter known as Priori Font and Heathen. Barnbrook had worked with David Bowie to design an album cover for Heathen. I’m sure at the time,it matched the thematic idea of the album, but now it just has this somber, surreal feeling to it with Bowie gone, especially with the various vandalized religious images, including the angel and an image of Mary, and the halo around Bowie’s head.

[kathrynerogers-blog]

If there’s one thing I desperately need to work on, it’s time management. It’s not that I haven’t got a plan that’s already implemented; I find that writing things down (especially more than once in different places) really helps me out not only in keeping all my assignments and activities organized, but in helping me remember them as well. That’s why I’ve got the agenda and the blackboard as well. The planner is more helpful when it comes to scheduling as I go along, while the board helps me organize my day (remembering what assignments i have for each class and ranking in order of importance of what needs to get done.) The board especially helps when it comes to accomplishing/finishing things probably because of the satisfaction I get from erasing one of my tasks with ease, which, in a way, makes me feel the weight being lifted even more.  The biggest problem I have with this plan is that I keep forgetting to actually write things down. For some reason, it always slips my mind while I’m in the gist of what’s going on, whether it’s class or back in my room. Either way, one of my goals this year is to be able to be more organized with my time, and one way I think I could accomplish this is to actually stick to my plan!

[kathrynerogers-blog]

Ashlyn, Rob, Anne Marie and I went to the Italian Market together for our cultural excursion. We took the Eastbound Frankfort line to 8th street and then walked all the way down to the Market. 

Our original destination was the Villa de Roma; but because we had arrived bit early, we ended up walking around a bit more and waited for either the restaurant to open or until we found another place to eat. While we were walking around, we found this neat vintage music store with a lot of old, vintage records. We also found this used book store that had an entire set of original copies of the Lord of the Rings. We also saw this really neat, sketchy looking mural next to a semi empty parking lot. 

Eventually, we got pretty hungry and the restaurant hadn’t opened up yet, so we ended up wandering into this little coffee shop called Anthony’s Italian Coffee House. We had nice little brunch with coffee and paninis. I had the house blend with a breakfast panini made of bacon and some kind of Italian cheese on a bun. It was delicious and absolutely filling. But then we figured out that the coffee shop also owned a chocolate shop right next door. The place was packed with so many sweet treats, including truffles, toffees, chocolate covered fruits, chocolate treats, and two rows of house made gelatto (there was a even a biscotti flavor!) We helped ourselves to some chocolate (and paid of course) and found out from one of the workers that the coffee house had been owned by Anthony’s family for over 100 years. It was a wonderful happy accident with a delectable end, I would most certainly go there again!

[kathrynerogers-blog]

Sometimes I like to look through high fashion sites, like Versace and Hermes, just to see what kinds of designs and ideas are being tried out. I don’t typically like this particular style, the geometric modern look, but for some reason these really grabbed my attention. I think it was how well they applied and mixed the ground and background with cut-outs and color. My personal favorite would be the third one down, the blue and black short one. The way the pattern mirrored itself and combines the black fabric pieces with the small cut-outs (the ones where you can see skin) just makes the dress flow so well, almost continuously. Plus it’s an equal usage between black and blue, and the small amounts of cut-outs is just the right amount to contrast those dark values.

[kathrynerogers-blog]

I really appreciate the style and design behind White Dog cafe. The basis for the kind of food that’s served is a type of modern,farm based food, putting an emphasis on local organic produce and animal products. The traditional, natural feeling from the way the outside of the restaurant appears, with the over-grown vies and the old looking stone and brick, adds to the aesthetic of the food. The interior, however, adds a more modern flare through the different, whimsical dog themed rooms, tying the restaurant back to it’s name. Overall, it has an inviting and exciting atmosphere that adds to the overall dinging experience.

[kathrynerogers-blog]

Best of 2015

The Mad Max movie poster incorporates a well put together and contrasting palette to create fantastic dept, as well as dramatic implied line. The pole vaults and high-rising cars pull the eye down to the center towards the title and to the person standing at the bottom. Furthermore, it also correlates to some of the story’s elements as well; the focus and size of the background (including the cars) and the minuscule size of the guy (Max) shows the importance of the environment and it’s effect on the characters.

[reliabels]

I want a cute person 2 take me 2 art galleries nd coffee shops and paint w me & give me lil kisses and snuggles when I’m sad

[kathrynerogers-blog]

Assignment 1

I am looking forward to our field trip to the National Constitution Center, and learning more about the Graphic Design field in general! I would like to know more about illustration part of the industry and what kind of opportunities it could create (whether it’s album covers to posters to storyboards, i think it would all be interesting!) In terms of neat things going on in Philly, there’s this amazing exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art that has a huge collection of American art from the beginnings of exploration to the Post-Modern movement. It’s just so neat to see how styles have changed through just four centuries!!

[kathrynerogers-blog]

While finding and recalling some of my favorite ads, I looked for ones that were able to use tactical color play, were humorous, or both. Colors can be used to draw a point or create a mood. Depending on what shade the ground and figures are, how intense the contrast is in parts of the image, or even trying to create transparency can help elicit feelings from the audience, mostly towards buying whatever product or following whatever cause is being advertised. Humor can assist in this aspect as well by presenting the product as light-hearted and, in some cases, memorable. There are many ways to create or provide humor visually, such as puns and ridiculous imagery and/or typography. One really well executed example of both the color play and humor is the Always Pads ad. Every last bit of space in the picture is white, save for the woman’s dark red hair and the little image of the package of pads. This shows the ability of the pads to keep everything clean no matter what, which is also part of the amazement of the pads, as seen from the woman’s surprised face (which has been cleverly framed by her contrasting hair.) The humor comes into play with how she is bent up in the box, showing that no matter how or which way you bend, you will still be covered by the pad.

[kathrynerogers-blog]

Some interesting fonts and typography!

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Out of all the pictures that I compiled, my personal favorite has to be the lava one. I usually hate purple and red color combinations; it just feels so tacky to me (probably because of a bunch of novelty shoes I see in stores or something). But in this photo, instead of clashing and being loud, they subtly compliment each other, and give this amazing whimsical image. The hints of yellow in the lava part easily contrast with the purple shades, creating beautiful neutrals. And this also makes it easy for the warm tones to blend easily with the cold ones, adding to the flow of the picture.

[kathrynerogers-blog]

Ever since I was little, I've loved comic books. My dad used read them to me until I was old enough to read them myself (and eventually I stretched out farther from just the typical American comic and into manga). After looking back at some of my favorite comics, and the artists behind them, I've noticed that I have a general taste that I adhere to, best seen in the top right. It's complete, but still has a sketchy feel to it, and the background, while overall solid, also has this fuzzy touch; the type has huge impressionistic overtones, which adds to the surreal aspects of the comic. Also, the way Yuumei handles values and contrast is astounding, the way she is able to conceptualize lighting, and color coordinations are able to make significants, adding to the tone and situation in each scene.

From my time on Tumblr, I have also found some amazing illustrators. All have unique, colorful styles, but my favorite would have to be Viria. The top left illustration is one of her practice sketches of one of her favorite characters. Her style is also quite impressionistic, with soft, simple lines, and typically flat colors with simple cell shading. She also frequently uses warm and pastel hues, which adds to the soft, flowing style. 

These art pieces are the property of their respective owner. In order of appearance, each belongs to:

Wenqing Yan (Yuumei)

Viria

Abigail Larson

Ishida Sui

Bryan Lee O’Malley

Madeline Elizabeth (madelezabeth)

Yana Toboso 

George Perez, Geoff Johns, Scott Lebdoll, Mike McKone, Judd Winick

Rebecca Sugar

Jong-Hui Lee (SIU)

[kathrynerogers-blog]

For our Philadelphia excursion, we went to Rittenhouse Square. It was a bit chilly, but not too cold for the most part (I still wish it was warmer). The most scenic part of the trip was probably the garden. It had a strange assortment of animal statues (from a goat and some horses to a lion with some kid) that created a whimsical atmosphere, and seeing that more than half the flowers are in bloom was pretty amazing. As we walked down to lunch, we passed multiple charming and precious apartments, no doubt at least twice the price of Drexel’s 4-year tuition. Waffles and Wedges, the restaurant where we decided to eat, used to be a food truck that sat in the same space as the Happy Sunshine and NY’s Famous Halal food trucks. The interesting combination of waffles and thick cut french fries were absolutely delicious, particularly the loaded wedges; just the amount of savory, cheesy goodness was spectacular. Overall, I absolutely enjoyed the trip; some of the shops and food places were a bit expensive, but at least it had a quaint feel to it all. And I definitely would come in the spring!