Type: Artifacts

Identify the artifacts you plan to design in the next 3 weeks and post to your blog. set realistic goals and prioritize the pieces. in your writing, discuss what interactions are happening that create a need for your particular artifacts.

The artifacts that I feel like are more important to me consists of:

A notebook that will give the attendee the ability to take notes as well as reference their schedule, and it might have additional information like a map or even a place store additional paper that they might receive. (practical)

A mock up website that will give the attendee the ability to sign up early, to see what will be happening throughout the conference, this can be a place where the artist bios may sit and give reference to that. The website will be there also to give a countdown to the conference, and provide a Q & A for the attendee if need be. (practical)

A nametag to give each attendee the opportunity to network throughout the conference and give the ability to represent themselves. I want to create a nametag where they can create something on the back, as well give them the opportunity to erase what they created (the idea of laminating). I feel this will be the emotional piece since it is trying to get the attendee create something. (poetic and practical)

A postcard to try to convince a person to come to the conference, and to give them an idea of what would be happening there. (persuasive and poetic)


The timeline I'm looking at to do these all:

This weekend try to get the notebook in a good area, so I could start on either the nametag or website next for during next week, and then the following weekend work on the postcard so that way I can focus on the week before due date to refine all together.

notebook
nametag
website
postcard

Info Arch: Information Graphs Sketches

So before I started my sketches, I did a brainstorm of about 20 ideas that I could possibly do an informational graph. here is my list of ideas:
1. Top 10 t-shirt man. in US
2. Tour dates
3. How many tickets sold during certain tour dates
4. When they were bought
5. How they are manufactured
6. Progression of logotype changing
7. How much shirts were then to now
8. How much concert shirts usually cost compared to store bought
9. Geographic bio of artists
10.Time to set up stage/break down stage
11. The different instruments throughout the years
12. Albums sold for each CD
13. Comparison of all the tour places
14. Concert survival kit
15. Tool CD date of come outs
16. Alex Grays work throughout Tool
17. Something with the music videos
18. Different retailers distributed
19. The different type of people that would go to TOOL Concert
20. Chart records
21. Length of CD
22. How shirts can be made

From there I choose 9 of these ideas and sketched out what I thought is a good range for infographics. After doing these I feel I could take some different approaches to each of these to represent the idea better now that these have been done. I did want to do the different type of people that would go see see TOOL in concert, but I felt like I didn't have an idea of where to start as to representations like clothes, or having a full image of a person, or breakdown of what they could wear, but I'm thinking and it might come out soon.

1. Top 10 T-shirt manufacturers in the world
2. How the logotype changes over time

3. How many albums were sold in the first week of being out
4. What I bought and when
5.Length of Playtime on CDs
6. Geographical Bio of the original 4 artists of TOOL by where they were born
7.How Distribution Works
8. How to make a silk screen shirt
9. Concert Survival kit

Info Arch: Classifaction system of TOOL Ephemera

Here are some ways of organizing my collection of TOOL Ephemera.

1. Year and Logotype and how it changed through time
2. color by percentage of black, white, gray, and other colors
3. image on back, front, side, or both
4. where I got them
5. size

Type: Designing Brand Identity

While browsing through this book, I pull some random things that I found interesting or funny to me. One of the first things that came across while browsing was Heidi Cody's American Alphabet of letters used on consumer brands like the Y from the york peppermint patties. I felt that Heidi's Alphabet gave me a new idea of how I could create my identity of the conference. Then by page 8, I came across on scenarios that demonstrate brand identity that experts may need, like when starting a company, you need someone to come up with a website, business cards, and so on. This page opened my mind that a graphic designer, we have many opportunities to look for work.

Further in to browsing, I came across some nice work like the Wave poster that is trying to add dimension to a flat surface. Also seeing Wolff Olins's Tate poster that was considered to have dynamic and futuristic feel, reminded me of Katerine McCoy's Gag 5 poster.

I flipped through a few more pages and read that perception leads into behavior where behavior leads into performance. And Tom Watson's quote "Good design is good business." I felt that these two things that you can have an idea, but on the way it is taken in will answer if it is the design is good.

One of the things I learned about branding was that there are some naming myths. Like naming a company is easy, like naming a baby. We will know the name when we hear it. We'll just search for the name ourselves. And lastly, We can't afford to test a name that doesn't work, is the way I took this one. Also making a brandmark, can be an abstract mark that uses a visual form to convey a big idea.

Overall, I felt like we could have used this book in the process of making our concept maps because I could have used more ideas in some areas, like instead of shirts, why not vests for the works, just as an example.

Type: Activity names

Creative Thinking
Comparative communication
examination theory
group think
discourse reasoning
dissertation among others
memoir of revolution
modulating mind
build foundry
mix it up laboratory
think tank

*I will give more info later today of explaining these

Type: Concept Map/Timeline

I have been working to revise from my original concept because it didn't necessarily show relationships between the four categories. I did add more information and tried to give an understanding of the breakdown in the categories that made sense. I implemented a color change in the four ares to identify the change as well as putting the timeline next to it as a whole. As a whole, I feel this concept map is a very controlled chaos that could have gone wrong, which I think it is understandable.
close ups:

User Ex: Almost done

So here are my designs before being put together. My three different sizes are a compile of one pound, 2 cups, and 2 tablespoons. I decided to have the 2 cups in an container that could be reused for food, money, or any essentials. I am still toying with the smallest design to where I might change the form to an expandable envelope that can be reused for change or a scrapbook. I'm still thinking If i should have a copy on the small package so that way the users can grab it on the go, if they know what they are making. I feel that if these were right next to each other on a shelve, the user would understand the abbreviation. I also feel that when they are next to each other, they will brighten the dullness of the other competitors as well as get the attention of the user.

Type: Revised Conference Theme Brief

Every designer goes through the phase of learning the fundamentals of typography, and this conference will allow everyone the opportunity to learn many different approaches from the components to making and how to apply typography. With the right designers in typography and communication, they will help with understanding and using the components of typography. This experience will help designers explore something new if they haven’t already gone down this road, or even share their experience. The purpose for this conference is to learn many ways of approaching a project and not being set to only using one to two typefaces.

The workshops will give designers the opportunity to open their eyes to what they already use in type, try to explore more, learn new aesthetics and logical techniques, and to see if the exploration will either help or hinder the message. There will be keynote presentations and lectures to explain everything from the basic to the complex ideas of making a typeface and how these could be used in real life. The importance of this field is not only to learn, but also to understand that this conference can be introduced anywhere that people can see, but also knowing how this conference can be used as a key factor to every designers’ mind.

As a designer, would you pay money to attend this conference? why or why not?

As a designer I would pay money to go to this conference because I would like to hear how other designers approach choosing the typefaces in their work and what other approaches are out there in typography.

Does the theme invite multiple interpretations and an interesting range of possible talks, workshops, etc?

I feel that this conference can have a wide range of possible talks, since the conference will be geared towards anyone that it interested, but having the help of older designers at the conference will enhance the views and possibly teach others what they know.

Is the theme suitable for contemporary and forward-looking design practice?

This can be very contemporary and forward-looking as to how the participants view influences them. And at this conference, a designer will be able to come up with many new ideas to approach their work.

What could improve the theme?

Specific examples how this conference can be broad in range within the context, and if there is a specific program out there that isn’t confined to the usual building of letterforms.

Ideas towards Theme names/titles

Type Revolution: Making and Breaking the Grid

…: Looking at Type and Making Something New

…: Decoding the Typographic Structure

…: Making the Raw New

The Makeshift of the Typographic Grid

Some words I could play with:

Unconventional

Untouched

Pristine

Recreated or Recreate

Fragment

Bio:

In Salem Valley, Germany of 1941, a designer was born named Wolfgang Weingart. Weingart is well known internationally for his design and typography. In 1964, Weingart moved to Basel were he sat and begun to study typography and teach his ways of knowing to the students. Weingart retired in 2004 from teaching, but continues to teach summer programs through Basel. He is categorized a part of the Swiss typography, but he was the one to become first at breaking the grid as well be called “Swiss Punk”. Weingart is most famous for his experimental, expressive work that broke that grid that the Swiss are well known for.

It was when Weingart started teaching at Basel when people started to ask the question ‘what is Swiss typography?’ As designers, we know it is based off of grid systems, which helped with placing type and image on a page. Also the Swiss worked along with sanserif typefaces because it was a clear way of getting the message out there. Weingart on the other hand feels that his experimental typography is also Swiss because of the ‘natural progression’ from how we know the Swiss typography. Weingart explained that his experimental typography was grounded, which were on his understanding of semantic, syntactic, and pragmatic functions.

As we know it, Weingart’s inspirations were mainly drawn from his experience in the processes of typesetting and reproduction, where he is able to push the limits of the outcome. Weingart also believes in that all you need is four typefaces to any typographic problem. With his experimentations, it expanded over three different typesetting technologies. Weingart wasn’t so enthralled to the computer technology because he felt like it was too ‘illusive’. As AIGA would say, ‘Weingart is making the young generation nuts’.

Wikipedia
Archive
Keith Tam
AIGA

David Carson(brief copy/ idea of him)

Like Neville Brody, typographer and graphic designer David Carson became influential in the late 1980's and 1990s for experimental typeface designs. David Carson's designs were featured heavily in surfing and skateboarding magazines.

A tribute to other self-taught designers, David Carson broke most of the rules of design and typography, a process that was made easy with the use of desk top publishing programs, such as Pagemaker, QuarkXpress and Illustrator. He experimented with overlapping and distorted fonts and intermixed these with striking photographic images.

http://www.designtalkboard.com/design-articles/famous-designers.php

User Ex: The many trails to the end

Type: Conference theme

*define/describe the depth and breadth of your typographic focus as well as its importance to the field.

Type Revolution: Making and Breaking the Grid

Every designer goes through the phase of learning the fundamentals of typography, and I want everyone to learn the many different approaches to making their own typography. With the right designers in multimedia and communication, they will help with understanding the components of creating a typography. This experience will help designers explore something new if they haven't already gone down this road, or to share what they went through. The purpose is to learn many was of approaching a project and not being set to only using one to two typefaces. The workshops will give designers the opportunity to open their eyes to what they use already in type, try to explore more, learn aesthetics and logical techniques, and to see if the exploration with either help or hinder the message. There will be lectures to explain everything from the basic to the complex ideas of making a typeface and how these could be used in the real world. The importance of this field is not only to learn, but to understand that this idea can be put anywhere that people can see, but also knowing how it can be used is key in every designers mind.

*will be edited

User Ex.: Screen grabs of possiblies

I'm working with the idea of the periodic table since the materials I'm using are made up of elements that can react on purpose (i.e. baking). I originally started off with combining the letter forms together but the forms lost the meaning and clarity. Now I'm working with the separate letter forms and trying to figure out the right thickness of stoke weight, so I'm looking at typefaces: helvectia, universe, folio, and futura. The other object I'm struggling with is my logo because I want the sense of the element being there and have it simple, but I don't think the atom with the neurons being around the word is working. I need to figure out a way where it works. I am on the other hand really enjoying my idea and explaining it. I also feel my colors are working since I wanted the goal of people being able to be drawn to that area instead of walking past. I hope my goal will be achieved when I try to see if it stands out compared to the others in the store.

Oh the idea of having the image as a focus behind the type, I feel isn't working right now, but I hope I can find a way.

Type: timeline

So this isn't my digital form yet, but that will be put up after class.

Type: Conference

So here is just the start of my concept map of the type conference, and it based off of participants, artifacts/objects, interactions, and settings. Then within those four I have some break downs of what could/can be contained.

Info. Arch.: Design from Wed.

So here is the main page of what you would scroll down on the main page. This idea is a cleaner look at looking all four areas that I'm presenting. Some of the changes I need to work on:

-the background timeline needs some much needed work
-take out the extra timeline of additive information to make everything else clearer
-add more images for the thumbnails
-add some full images to the readings so there is a nice break
-work on fixing the type within the articles (ie spelling, extra blurbs, make it more interesting)
-fix the hyphen or fix post modernism to look like modernism
-fix the pop up windows for images so that they are a fixed object
-add the back to top arrow too....(DON'T FORGET :) )

Overall I have come a long ways from where I was before, and I like the simplicity of how the color interacts as a whole.

User Ex: Panels

Consumer:

My consumer is the everyday person, so both male and female. Anything can be something about my person(s).

Comparable:


Found that my competition was the things that are out there in the stores and the fact they have a history to them because most of them had been dated long ago, so creditably was their key, but my key to get it noticed.
Visual Research:

From my research, I want my design to be simplistic, yet bold. I also want the consumer to be able to see what is in the package too, so a 'window' is key as well.