Kezia

Communication Design Studies Online Journal RMIT

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Portrait through Food

Craft class got something interesting going on last week. We were asked to create a self portrait using foods. At first I didn’t know what I can make and I didn’t think that I can even make anything decent by using only food as the medium. However, surprisingly I found it to be quite interesting and fun once I started doing the activity. It was as if I go back to my childhood, being free to explore without worrying and creating things that are just spontaneous. I don’t have to think much about what or how I’m gonna shape my head or my eyes or any other thing. I just simply do it. 

This activity also bring people in the class together (in my opinion). I feel like people start talking to each other simply just to laugh at what they’re making or just you know, talking about random things. So now, let me show you what I made:

That was supposed to be my ‘portrait’, fun and cringy fact: I found a worm-like insect crawling on the spinach, thank God it went away. Also, this activity really showed me how talking to other creatives will be beneficial for you. Now here is what my ‘portrait’ looked like after some people contributed and put some stuffs on it:

Now this green-haired girl got darker brows, lips, nostrils, a body, long hands, and armpits hair apparently. Well it was fun! This kind of activity really brings out the child side of everyone and personally for me it was enjoyable to once again feel like a child, being carefree in this ‘messed up’ young adult world. 

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My (Soup) Kitchen Rules

My Group’s Suggestions:

Spills happen

Everyone brings their own eating utensils (cups, bowls, spoons)

There is a tip jar on site for voluntary contributions

People should contribute to the Lucky Dip Recipe Box, thereby providing material for following weeks

Everyone who is involved in the event should assist with cleaning up

Voluntary cooking roster, week-to-week (contact Andy?); multiple soups can cater for allergies and alternative eating regimes

Allergies list

Recipes available upon request, to combat allergies and such

If spill occurs, do not assume the field position

Everyone should wear a hat

Class Suggestions:

Colourful cups

Recipes available, to cater for allergies and dietary requirements

One single soup

Feedback should be received

Should be mindful of waste

Soup is for everyone

Cannot be too hot or too cold (portable element)

Have a voting poll for next week’s recipe?

Seasoning avaliable at the event

Possible documentation of events (possible Instagram, with hashtag as communication method?)

Menu provided?

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The eggsies

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Egg first meet up / Bonbons cafe, Next to flinders station, 29 july 2016, 11.00AM 

So for some random reason (actually I think it's because of this japanese egg called gudetama), we called ourselves 'Egg' and today some weird word pop up to me; eggsies. Well maybe we can call each person in 'Egg' an eggsies (weird I know). It's our first meeting today and I reckon it went pleasant and well. Looking forward to another meeting with egg *as to why I have those crappy drawing is because me being me, I forgot to bring my sketchbook and so for the very first time I tried to draw in my phone

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And...... here we go! 

Studio 1 Communication Design start here!

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Reflecting on “Ask Me Anything!”

I’m not that confident at the beginning of this project, mainly because I feel like none of the creatives that I love will respond to my interview request. However, I found out that these people are really humble and in the end I got two creatives replying to my request. 

Other than that, through this project I actually realised that there are a lot more creative people out there that I haven’t discover yet. I saw my classmates creatives and I think to myself how amazing these people are and I haven’t even heard some of them before. 

After doing the interview, another challenge arises. I don’t know how to present the interview. This is really frustrating for me since I’m actually really excited to showcase the interview that I did with my creative. In the end I decided that the best way to present the interview is by making a zine. This is because I want to show Nikki’s (my creative) works. Not just one but a lot of it. I find that making a zine will be most effective. I created a zine with vibrant colours and style that I believe represents my creative both as a person and as an artist. 

Another challenge that I face was within the last week when I showed my work to both Andy and Bronwyn. I got a feedback that my zine is to safe whereas my creative is actually creating stuff that are not in the safe zone in what she’s making (cakes, etc). Due to this advice, I change the layout of my zine and I played with scale and more pictures. Bronwyn also told me to remember that this is not a cake catalog since my first work mostly contains of a few small pictures of whole cake. 

This comment really opens up my eyes to how I look at my zine. I tried to go crazy and be more open in developing my zine. In the end, I’m really glad I tried to fix it. The zine that I’m going to submit this Friday is looking a lot more similar to what I had in my mind since the first time rather than my work before. 

So I guess, another lesson learned is that I have to be open in creating a design solution. Sometimes it’s okay to go a bit crazy, it doesn’t always have to be a safe solution. 

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ZINE

So I showed my final product to Andy and Bronwyn at today’s workshop. I got a few advice to explore more and to take more risk in making my zine. Bronwyn also told me that my zine need to showcase the style and personality of the creative I’m interviewing more. Hence I decided to work more on my zine.

Here are some pages of the zine that I made after working on it some more:

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The final product! (edit: it’s not the final after all!)

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Often, I find designing three-dimensional things difficult, so I have to go through quite a significant process to make sense of it…. Here’s some WIP pics…

About halfway through, I realised I was making a mistake with how I was laying the template out; it was only after deconstructing a manually made zine, then creating a new digital template, and then printing out said template and putting it together, that I could clearly see how the template would work in physical form.

And I figured it out!! Sort of. I’m getting there. A few of the pages are upside down.

I have trouble processing some things, especially alternative forms of organisation, so I’ll just have to work at this slowly until it makes more sense in my head.

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This is what happened to me the first time I printed my zine for this project. In the end I tried to create a mock up of the zine using paper and tried to arrange it all. However, I found out that it's even easier if you just click print booklet on indesign. This way you just need to arrange the orientation (so that its not upside down) and indesign will arrange the page for you. Anw, good luck on your zine Kate!

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I was walking around Sticky Institute and found this zine (black and white on the top). I think that the binding technique used is interesting. I tried to bind my zine that way using clear strings and push pin. Luckily I did it well!

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Popular photo and video sharing platform Instagram has just unveiled a new icon on its blog. Inspired by the previous app icon, its new...

12/05/2016

Back on the topic of idiots…haha, no I’m kidding! But I’m not going to lie when I say I am very a little disappointed with Instagram over their new icon design. I don’t know about everyone else but despite the fact that Instagram has said they put “a lot of effort” and thinking into the new design it really doesn’t feel it. 

I don’t know, maybe it’s just me but I really hate their new design. It’s frustrating to think that Instagram would throw away such a unique, detailed, beautifully crafted and complex design with it’s memorable look and retro feel. I loved their polaroid camera inspired design, the newer, simpler design seems way to generic and overused. It’s no longer Instagram anymore. 

Simpler isn’t always better and in the case on Instagram simpler to me feels like a massive fail. Why do designers follow trend like this? Simple design? Gradient icons? Why can’t designers be unique and original? 

I fell in love with Instagram’s icon, the detail in it, the retro look they had, the realistic look they applied to that camera lens. It was just so lovely to see something that no one else had done. 

Now they have taken something I loved and admired and turned it into something I hate…they turned it mainstream.

I just don’t understand, why do designers follow in the footsteps of others? Why do they go designing in the style that everyone else is? Why is minimalism and flat, gradient design even actually popular in the case of icons and logos? This is something I’d like to know. Personally, I don’t want to be designing things that are minimal even if it is “popular”. I guess I am too fond of detail.

[worldingrids-blog]

This is exactly how I feel! It seems like they lost their ‘trademark’ with the new design and yeah it does become mainstream. When I first looked at the new logo today I feel that it has become too simple and I personally think that the colour choice is not really sophisticated or retro (as you said it). This is kind of a let down for me :(

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More progress

Guess I’m too excited about this to stop posting! :)

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Reflecting Tumblr

So this is probably gonna be my ‘last’ post before submitting my link to blackboard. I’m pretty sure it’s not gonna be my last post on this Tumblr though :)

This is my first time ever having to make a journal or online journal. It is true that everyday I documented my memories by taking photos, sketching, writing, etc. However, those things are not something that needs to be watch over. I can just take photos when I want, write when I want and the same goes with drawing or recording something. 

At first, I am not that confident about the idea of keeping an online journal. This means that I have to commit to post at least 4 - 5 posts each week and I am not the kind of person that can constantly post something. I am pretty sure that I will definitely forget to post at some weeks. Surprisingly, I find this activity fun! I enjoy putting my thoughts into my Tumblr, I like being able to reflect and share it with other people. Not only that, I also have the chance to understand how my classmate thinks and I am able to see their creative works.

Turns out I am not that bad at keeping an online journal. I am actually posting a few times in the duration of a week. I have to admit there are some weeks where I got other things to do that I completely forget about posting on Tumblr. But at least even during those weeks I managed to post at least 2 posts. 

Overall this has been a wonderful experience. I guess I’m gonna keep this online journal and keep posting about my thoughts and my works. Maybe I’ll also try to converse with other people more in the future! 

Also, you guys are all such an amazing creative and designer. Sometimes, when I scroll past your works I will stop and think “oh wait, this is my classmate!” Because you know, I thought it’s a professional’s work :) 

(gif source)

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Ask Me Anything Progress

Here are some sketches, brainstorm and progress on my final artwork to present my interview with Nikki Lee from Unbirthday. I’m going to make a zine to present it, the bottom left is a pattern that I make inspired by one of her cute tart and bottom left is an illustration I made of her. These are all gonna be a part of the final work! 

I’m having so much fun doing this! :)

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Sneak peek to my interview with Nikki Lee from Unbirthday

“A lot of creative I think, are impatient. They’re not very kind to themselves.”

When I asked her what advice she would like to give to young creatives that just started, this is some of the things that she told me. 

Nikki: I think that a creative expect a lot of themselves, they expect everything to be perfect and they are often impatient in their process. You got to just take it one step at a time and keep doing your work. I think it’s really important to keep doing your processes, keep experimenting. It doesn’t matter if it looks strange, odd or not what you pictured in your head. If you keep engaging yourself in that creative process, keep assessing it, and being positively critical of it then you will eventually get to where you want to go. A lot of creative I think, are impatient. They’re not very kind to themselves.

I’m really happy that I got the opportunity to interview Nikki Lee. She is such a bright and sweet person and I’m really glad to know that the person I looked up to is truly a great and humble creative in real life. She’s even a bigger inspiration for me now after I did the interview.

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This is amazing! Gerry Judah is also responding to my email and he is answering my interview questions. Guess I have 2 to choose from now!

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Sheilla Njoto

I still feel that I need to tell you about a friend that has become my inspiration not only with her work but with her ethic as an artist. The first time I saw her work was last year since we’re undertaking the Foundation Studies in RMIT. She is my inspiration because I feel that her work have a lot of emotions, I can somehow feel that she really give it her all every time she creates something. Something else that I admire from her is because she is always humble and her passion for what she does really shows.