SOU EMDA & Art

Blog for Art 351 and EMDA 201 at SOU.

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ART 450: First Assignment Idea

Concept: Multi-channel Advertising Campaign for Midgard Mobile Gaming

This campaign would be for the mobile phone/handheld gaming hybrid manufacturer Midgard Gaming and their product. The campaign will feature a series of print ads, a video ad showcasing features and benefits, and an interactive internet advertisement or many. This project is based on my School of Business capstone project featuring Midgard Gaming.

Concept sketches are shown below.

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Final Portfolio

What are your greatest strengths?

My strengths in graphic design as used in this course are probably in composition more than anything. I know how and where to position as well as which colors and designs seem to mesh best. There is still a lot I will need to learn in order to be more effective at graphic design however.

What are your goals? Speak in terms of what you learned in this course and how you will apply it but don't mention the course by name.

My goals are to become the head of a marketing department for a large company. I feel that this will allow me to have a stable and successful career while still exercising my creative mind. By learning the methods of graphic design, typeface analysis, rule of thirds, and additional lessons from this course I will know how to properly analyze and decide which advertisements should be used or edited.

Describe a project from this quarter that related specifically to a career goal or introduced you to something that has become a new interest or path for you. Describe the project in terms that somebody who's not taken the class can understand.

One of the projects we were tasked with was to create a series of eight images that must have a unified visual language and be thematically coherent. This project could've been done as a book, a series of posters, a children's book, a comic, a photo series, or an advertising campaign. I chose to create an advertising campaign, a series of eight print ads that lead into each other to bring the message of the company. Each of the first six ads featured a collage of imagery in a similar style and a single word, the final two featured three of those words and a collage of the collected imagery. 

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Final Project

Above is an ad campaign for Midgard Gaming. The ads would be run in a magazine, they would be full page ads, and would be evenly spaced throughout the magazine. The idea is that as you read through the magazine you see the ads. The first gets your interest, and each subsequent one draws you further in until the last two which bring the message together and include a call to action at the bottom. 

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Blog 6: Interpretation

This poster was likely printed during some of the most difficult times in the war, when unity was very important to victory or even survival. The colors are clean and bright, however the soldiers on the right side of the poster appear to be shaded. This seems to create the idea that these soldiers in the shaded section (likely the groups already heavily fighting) are facing the worst of the war already, and that the soldiers more lightly colored are fresh, ready to "back them up", considering they are literally placed behind them in the poster. This shows the darkness and light opposition discussed in class.

There is also something to be said for the importance of each soldier as considered by the artist or commissioning officer. The British sailor is in the front, implying he is the most important, whereas each consecutive soldier could be considered either less important or lower in status. British, to Australian, to Canadian, to perhaps Irish or Scottish, to India, and finally Africa as probably considered the least status. During this time, people from colonies were still looked down on quite heavily by the English. 

The flag in the background waving in the light air and the large word "Together" seem to represent the unity that this poster, the positioning of the soldiers, and the realities of the war at the time needed to convey. The flag is large and unmistakable, and the word "Together" is also large implying that the overall theme of unity is the most important message of the poster.

Source : http://metro.co.uk/2010/03/14/world-war-ii-propaganda-posters-go-under-the-hammer-166424/

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Blog 5: Description

This poster ad was printed by the British War Propaganda Ministry during the second World War. It features seven soldiers from different British nations and colonies standing together, in uniform, at attention, with their rifles over the shoulder as if preparing to march. The soldiers featured appear to be a British sailor in the front-right, an Australian army soldier in the front-middle, a Canadian airman in the front-left, two soldiers in the center I can't seem to identify, an Indian Colonial soldier in the second to rear, and an African Colonial soldier in the far-rear. Behind them is a light blue sky, and a British flag waving in the wind. Beneath the soldiers is a dark blue background with the word "Together" emblazoned in yellow on the background. The word is a Sans Serif font, appears most closely to Arial and is in all capital letters.

The British sailor appears young but tanned, with an open smile and squinted eyes. The Australian soldier appears middle-aged or older, with dark leathery skin. The Canadian airman appears young with lighter skin. The first of the two soldiers I can't Identify appears middle-aged with darker skin. The second of the two soldiers appears middle-aged and light skinned. The Indian soldier appears in his 30s, with a well-trimmed but thick beard and mustache. The African soldier also appears in his thirties, with light colored lips and very dark skin.

Source: http://metro.co.uk/2010/03/14/world-war-ii-propaganda-posters-go-under-the-hammer-166424/

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Final Project Pitch

I'd like to create a series of 8 print ads. They will be unique in that they are supposed to be placed in the magazine or newspaper in a series to increase impressions and drive curiosity. I haven't yet decided on the product to be featured, but I know it will be a gaming machine of some sort, either the Xbox One, PS4, or a fictional console.

The series will run an image, the first being a number of action shots blended into a collage with the word "play". The second would be a similar combination of shots with the word "to". The third would be a triumphant shot with the word "live".

The fourth would show more action shots, with more serious characters and themes with the word "play". The fifth would be an even more somber tones combination of shots with the word "to". The sixth would show a set of eyes set in determination with the word "win". The seventh will show the console itself framed in the center of the ad with a darkened theme to the rest of the image and a lightening toward the center. The text one that page will be the name of the console and information about the console in the lower corner of the screen as well as the company logo, etc.

The final ad will feature the console again as well as the tagline "Play to live. Play to win". It will also feature the additional information but will have a mix of all the collages surrounding the console which is centered. This ad will be separate, not part of the series ad but a separate one for smaller publications meant to evoke the same concept.

The combination of imagery, placement, and the tagline is meant to evoke excitement and invoke action. It is meant to drive the customer's pulse up, get them psyched about the product, and drive them to purchase immediately by featuring information on the retailers and websites who carry the item.

I will iron out the details as I begin work on the project, but I'm sure I can create something that will look both professional and enticing.

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Blog 4: Ethical Analysis

Rolling Stone Magazine created a controversy by posting a stylized image of the bomber who struck the Boston Marathon, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. This image featured the bomber in a pose similar to the famous Jim Morrison picture with soft lighting creating an image that seems meant to evoke a more positive reaction. This created controversy because many people felt like Rolling Stone was insulting the memory of those who died by glamorizing, or even glorifying the bomber.

The cover, shown below from the iMediaEthics article by Rhonda Shearer, seemed to take the "side" of the bomber so to speak. By calling him a "popular" and "promising" student, they try to engender him as a victim by blaming his family for his radical turn and subsequent violence. This seemed to enrage many people close to the incident, people who have the most stake in this issue as it would feel like a slap in the face.

Of course Rolling Stone sees it differently. According to the article from Joseph Fisher of PopMatters, the editor of Rolling Stone believes that because the bomber was young, in the target market for Rolling Stone, and shared many of the same societal issues as many young Americans, that they needed to examine the tragedy. More likely, Rolling Stone saw this as an opportunity to sell a ton of their magazines by putting the face of a bomber that people would recognize on the magazine, and apparently it paid off as they sold a great deal more of the magazines according to the iMediaEthics article.

iMediaEthics, who felt that the cover was tasteless, made many mockups of their own versions, as well as one proposed by another site, EveryJoe.com. These mockups are featured below.

Personally, I feel inclined to agree with EveryJoe.com. I feel that while Rolling Stone's decision was effective short-term, they took a huge risk for potential backlash, and likely lost some long-term customers in the same process. It was a foolish risk for not enough gain for it to be a reasonable business or public relations decision. EveryJoe.com has the right idea, if Rolling Stone had featured their cover featuring the triumphant picture of a victim and his story of trial, they likely would've still sold more copies without the risk of losing public support.

Sources:

iMediaEthics Article: http://www.imediaethics.org/News/4045/Nyt_says_boston_bomber_not_idealized_in_rolling_stones_tsarnaev_august_cover_four_alternatives.php

PopMatters Article: http://www.popmatters.com/post/174270-the-sound-of-silence-coverage-of-rolling-stones-bomber-cover/

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

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Blog 2 Uncanny Portrait

Write about the aspects of this project that you found pleasurable, or, uncomfortable or not pleasurable?

For pleasurable aspects of the project, I found the general ability to control the image very interesting and fun. Additionally, I felt that creating the "strange" portrait allowed me to create a fantastical image that let me use my creativity but also didn't require me to create something from scratch, which I found easier and looked better than if I had created from scratch.

As for the uncomfortable, editing my appearance for the "better" was by far the most uncomfortable. It felt odd to change myself to more closely meet social considerations of attractiveness, almost like the idea of getting plastic surgery.

Of the two portrait modifications that you did, which felt more uncanny, the one where you made yourself look "better" in accordance with cultural norms of beauty, or the one in which you made yourself look "strange?

The "better" one felt more uncanny, I felt more false because the changes were intended to make me look "better" but I felt that the "strange" portrait was too ridiculous to be taken remotely seriously. I felt that the changes weren't fitting, even though in theory they should be. The "strange" portrait was completely abstract and so the strangeness was expected.

In school it's not unusual to critique the unrealistically idealized images of men and women we see in the media. What was it like to wrestle with those ideals as you made your own face look "better"? Was it a pleasant experience? Did you feel the force of those ideals of male and female beauty more strongly when you were modifying your own image than if you were critiquing an photoshopped image of a male or female model?

I believe that when trying to make my face look "better", my views of traditional ideals were only amplified. I am very critical of my own looks but altering them falsely felt somehow... wrong. I've always felt that plastic surgery (unless reconstructive) and photoshopping to make people look "better", was unpleasant, maybe bordering on wrong to me. But, I understand why people do it. I still believe that I have more of a problem with women's looks being altered, but that is probably because they are more heavily altered in media and surgery than men are.

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Blog 3 Aura

1)      What was lost when you took one of your photos of an artwork? Were there aspects of your experience your photograph could not convey? What aspects of that experience?

The photo I can think of that seemed to have lost the most is the bottle chandelier, in which the scope is lost. While it was very large and imposing in person, it appears flat and small in the image, not presenting the same sense of forboding.

2)      Conversely, what kinds of things can your image do that the pieces sitting in the museum can't do? How might they inspire people who see them on your Tumblr, for instance? What sense might be added to the piece when people see it in terms of their own experience and cultural context? What sense, for instance, might a young person in Tokyo make of it? In a contested part of Afghanistan? In a remote African village?

The images can convey what can be conveyed through the flattened medium to millions and perhaps billions of people online. People who could not travel to Ashland to see them have a chance to view and appreciate these works of art even though they may be separated by thousands of miles or even years of time if the works are moved, destroyed, or simply purchased by a private collector. People will view this art differently than I do because people simply see things differently. For a young person in Tokyo the images might be interesting, not so foreign because they convey concepts common to most civilizations, including love, recycling, and evil. In a contested part of Afghanistan it would likely be seen as waste, or a sign of affluence when they are merely fighting to survive and we have the luxury to play with paints and leftovers. In a remote African village it might seem very foreign, as they may have never seen a gas pump, a water bottle, or a building such as the ones that house the art.

3)      What is a form of technology (such as a video game, cell phone, twitter, instagram, Facebook, or something else) that has created a new form of social experience that you participate in? Are there things that you and people with whom you interact using this technology could not have done, or done in this way, in the past?

Video gaming is probably one of the big ones for me. It allows me to experience what I consider art, a brilliant and vibrant world wildly different or hauntingly familiar to our own with characters who represent the great goods and evils of mankind. Through this I feel more comfortable meeting people, because they can be more honest with me, their personalities come through because they are not trying to hide who they are to meet some idea of whom they should appear to be. However, there are problems in that people see no consequences for their behavior and can be so exceptionally honest that their cruelty and rudeness generally shows through. Also, this allows me to meet people from all over the world, and interact with people who have differing beliefs, understanding, and viewpoints.  These people, just by knowing them, allow me to see the world without having the money to visit it, and through the eyes of a local which presents a type of understanding I'd be incapable of when visiting in person.

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Photos taken at the Schneider Museum of Art at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, Oregon on 10/28/2013.

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Klean Kanteen

Sales pitch by Susan Burnette, Nelly Delmatoff, Richard Martinez, Roger Reeves, and Kristiana Wright

The Brand:

Klean Kanteen is a brand that understands today's youthful and active communities. They develop products that are convenient, easy to use, and environmentally safe. With bottles made of stainless steel, they are reusable, manufactured in a "clean" way, and contribute to a general shift to responsible consumers.

Target Market:

Klean Kanteen targets mostly the active and environmentally conscious consumer. In addition, they target those who fall into the "metal bottle" fad, whether or not they are active or environmentally conscious. This mostly consists of teenagers and young adults who feel the need to fit into this group.

The Product:

With a focus on being convenient, large enough for the necessary amount of water, and capable of keeping cold drinks cold for hours, the bottles target the active because they provide an all-in-one solution to the runner, the cyclist, or any other active individual. This is also effective for the environmentally conscious because it cuts down on waste, and serves multiple roles as there are attachments that allow it to work with coffee and hot drinks.

The Team:

We've assembled a team of creatives to help us build the ad campaign:

Copywriter: Brandi Herrera

Site: http://www.brandikatherineherrera.com/

Experience and reasoning: Brandi Herrera has experience with athletic clubs, postal service, additional experience with other industries. Her experience with athletic work will help in our print ad.  She also has worked on “green living” products and campaigns.

  Photographers: Pete Stone and Chris Ryan

Sites: http://www.petestone.com/, http://www.chrisryanphoto.com/

Experience and reasoning: Pete Stone is a more experienced and professional photographer who has worked for many major international corporations and large ad campaigns, however, he is inexperienced in motion and activity photography. Therefore, we bring Chris Ryan in as a secondary as his experience is more in that direction, to have both photographers bring their experience and talent to the product.

  Videographer: Jared Cruce

Site: http://jaredcruce.com/

Experience and reasoning: Jared Cruce is an experienced photographer and videographer who has worked for several national clients. While doing mostly outdoor photography, he does videography work with clients mostly for outdoor and activity based companies.

  The Message:

We're sending the message that Klean Kanteen understands its target market and has crafted its products specifically for them. Therefore, we have three proposed marketing objectives.

First, we'd like to run a print ad that features the product backed by a park scene with active individuals going about their business and some text describing Klean Kanteen's commitment to an active population and the environment.

Second, we'd like to run a video ad which features multiple active individuals passing each other, each with a bottle, and finally ending with the first individual meeting the last at the end of the loop with a backing of modern music.

Finally, we'd like to propose a design for the company website which features a streamlined layout, but also a wealth of information and transaction systems similar to web merchants.

  The Goal:

This campaign will increase awareness of the brand and drive additional sales. What we'd like to do is help make Klean Kanteen a household name and do our best to keep people aware of its benefits well into the future.

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Color Harmony Analysis: The photo is of two trees outside a building on campus.

Base: The base is the light blue of the sky and the blue present in the gray of the metal and stones.

Accent: Deep red of the trees and the near white of the building and walkways.

Color relationship: Complementary, although the colors are not directly across, the majority of the colors are from two groups, reds and blues.

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Color Harmony Analysis: The photo is of a building on campus.

Base: The base is the light blue of the sky, the building windows, and the blue present on the stones and walkways.

Accent: Dark blue of the building windows, trim, and shadows. Green of the foilage. Red of the tree on the left.

Color relationship: Analogous with the most dominant colors in blues and monochromatic because the different shades present for the primary colors. Triad can also be present in that you see red, greens, and blues.