It's doneeeeeeee!

Round 1: After Effects

BARE WITH ME PEOPLE! :) 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RozYjuM38dY

Inspiration with a sexy accent.

TED website, I feel, is laid out better than Good.is. I think it is easier to navigate through and understand the concept as a whole. Though it doesn't have as many interesting inputs, the structure makes more sense to me.

"Yes, design can make you happy!"
"I know it's incredibly boring to hear about other people's 'happinesses'." -Stefan

What is your inspiration? I never really sat and thought about utilizing things that make me happy as inspiration within my projects. Examining a simple experience with an abstract and open mind can open up creative elements that never crossed your mind. I dig Stefan, he knows what he's talking about & I really want to try the empty conversation bubbles and see what people write in them.

Comedy keeps me intrigued.

"Can I do more of the things, I like, in design & do less of the ones that I don't like to be doing. . . "
This is so true. I find myself striving to do certain project and ideas and it's hard to break out of that norm. This is something I'm working on. I'm also big on changing up the scenery. This After Effects project might be tough because I have to work in the lab and this will be a great task for the A.D.D. student.

"Everything I do always comes back to me."

P a u l a S c h e r bugs me. I can't pin-point why, but I couldn't watch the whole video. . . sorry!

How Good is Good?

"Strong Design for bad causes or products can hurt us even more." 

This article really focuses on the designers utilization of their values and happiness in designing. If it is going to harm someone, is there a point? Also, all the different aspects that design brings upon itself: to remember, to unify, to simplify, to evoke safety, to evoke happiness, to inform, to raise money, etc. All in all, having a great design paired up with a great cause creates the most successful pieces. 

Flash Website

www.people.ku.edu/~addz18/index.html

Poster/definitions

Oh, James Brown. This poster holds great emotion. Automatically I am drawn into his beautiful white teeth and the the way the typography is manipulated to illustrate the curves in his face.
This poster caught my eye. The utilization of typography and image interacting really work well. This iconic symbol (James Brown) has a denotation of his lovable and interesting facial expressions. This poster could reveal a connotation that James is a man of many words or that his personality is full of many many things. The poster is exaggerated with the colors and extreme facial expression. It is altered as it doesn't depict his actual picture, but a rendering combining both text and graphics (could be considered a simile). James Brown represents soul power, strength, comedy, music. Metonymy, using the name of one thing to stand for another, is presented as all the type describes him and his career while creating a visually appealing layout.

Good. Great. Awesome.

Exploring Good.is. . . 

F i r s t I m p r e s s i o n: 

At first glimpse I notice the clean cut lines and organization this website utilizes. Very sophisticated. The establishment of hierarchy is easily identified and the lines are simple with great readability. It has a personal feel as it greets you with "hello!" I like simple but if I didn't know exactly what "good.is" was, I would be a bit perplexed on where to start or what the concept was. After identifying the concept, I find the incorporation of many medias and ideas into one to be quite a task to take on. I think they have successfully created common ground for all the differences. 

Another flaw that I find annoying is advertisements on a website. I hate when they're cluttered with ads that take away from the beautiful designs of a page. I know it is necessary but it's quite frustrating.  

C o n s i s t a n c y is key! 

V i d e o s:

After watching some videos I realized that timing is everything. Some videos utilize the negative space (when nothing is being said) to highlight specific things, while others utilize the speaking by emphasizing the type and layout. I watched many series of  the Good News video with sexy Roger Numbers and really liked the loading icon! It adds a different touch to the video. It's interesting the the way that it incorporates both live actors and animated characters with the whole anchorman plot. The usage of black and white to colors also gives it a comical interaction mimicking the idea behind the whole scenario. This video, unlike others, don't rely mainly on the words you hear. They use more images and scenes that overlay the voices.  

The "Hidden Cost of War" video is very intriguing. The way the typography is brought to the screen makes me really excited to do our project. I would of never thought of many of their transitions. And at first it made sense to me to have the text appear on the screen as the actual words were being said but now, after watching this video five times, I realize that it kept me on my toes as the typography appeared at different times. I love it. The music helps as well. The graphics and typography work so well and really utilize the fore and background. Can they do my project for me? :) Please! THESE VIDEOS MADE ME EXCITED FOR THIS PROJECT! 

G r a p h i c s/M a g a z i n e: 

The graphics AREN'T overwhelming! I like it a lot b/c I have realized that many websites or blogs have "icon throw-up" The placement of everything seems to be very thought-out. In many videos they do a fabulous job of using both typography and graphics to represent what is being heard. This is smart because it kept me more interested in what was being said because it forced me to create the iconic connection. 

The magazine layout is also very simple and consistent. Allowing the viewer to comment is something that I feel makes or breaks a website. I usually find the comments on an article more important than the article because people identify ideas that I would of never created.