Another Video-filled day. (11-4-09)

On 11-4-09, we watched some interesting videos the whole class period.

The first two videos were actually the best ones, since the speakers were much more captivating.

I actually got the most out of John Maeda, who spoke about The Laws of Simplicity. His presentation was very comical and engaging, which left me with a lot to think about. He demonstrated how simple things aren't so simple, since it just depends on the way we view it.

Adjectives:

1. Capricious

2. Recondite

3. Yielding

Game Sketches (11-02-09)

On monday, we came in with 20 concept sketches for a new game (well at least some people did). Some of the sketches were awesome, and they outlined the game's idea quite nicely. I came up with some very simple games which didn't seem to please the audience since the games seemed to be painful (A color mixing game? No thanks). But hey, some people are still traumatized by the color theory class.

After all that, Jimmy started talking about dealing with clients. Most of the lecture leaned towards our presentation skills. Jimmy is completely right when he mentions that good communication skills are needed in the design industry. My presentation skills are in dire need of improvement, and hopefully some of my future classes will aid me in improving them.

Adjectives:

1. Noxious

2. Macabre

3. Kaput

Game Maps / Design Videos (10-28-09)

For homework, we had to create a map that dealt with the one of the board games we played on monday. I created one which described the "Sorry!" game. It turned out to be quite simple, but it outlined the game rather well. Some people did an amazing job on theirs, especially one that actually popped out of the paper, filled with Mexican Lottery cards.

After that, we watched a few videos, which dealt with designers and companies.

I remember watching the video describing what Charles and Ray Eams did during their lifetimes, and an interesting quote stuck to my head, "Toys aren't as innocent as they appear." There was a second part to the quote which basically stated that toys represent larger and more meaningful things. I actually agree with this because if you stop and think about it, toys are derived from things that are connected to adults. For example, a Barbie doll represents a woman, whom you can manipulate when it comes to looks, crucial to most women.

Adjectives:

1. Silly

2. Sparse

3. Crooked

Gaming Day! (10-26-09)

On this day, we had to come to class with a game to play in class. People brought games such as Monopoly, Sorry!, The Game of Life, Dominoes and such.

Surprisingly enough, we were asked to play the board games during the whole class period. I thought it was awesome of Jimmy to let us do so. Of course, it had a purpose, being that we had to think about how the game was developed, since apparently the game was well designed.

I played Sorry! and Mexican Lottery, which was quite awesome since I thought my "playing games in class" were over.

I started thinking about the development of the games, and to be honest, I couldn't imagine myself composing such games on my own. Some of these games might be simple and easy to learn, but their creation surely wasn't simple.

Adjectives:

1. Panicky

2. Sparkling

3. Scrawny

The Power of 10 / Why Man Creates (10-21-09)

On wednesday, we watched two very old capturing videos.

The first one, which I enjoyed most, was called "The Powers Of Ten". This documentary-type of short film was viewed by Mr. Moss long ago, and luckily he decided to share it with us. The film, although very simple, had a tremendous message and would open anyone's eyes to how every SINGLE thing in our universe is just as important as the other. At first, the video just simply zoomed out from a couple laying on grass, to the outermost known part of our universe. Then, the video zoomed in, eventually reaching the couple, and surprisingly, it started to zoom in deeper, reaching the tiniest part of a cell. My mind suddenly opened, and made me realize how everything we see and analyze is seen such way through it's surroundings.

The second video, which wasn't as interesting as the first was titled "Why Man Creates."

The video stated 7 sections, which were:

1. The edifice

2. Fooling around

3. The process

4. The judgement

5. A parable

6. A digression

7. The search: Work in progress on new ideas

Adjectives:

1. Obnoxious

2. Crooked

3. Colossal

Making a story (10-19-09)

On this day, class was steered towards the creation of stories through the most random items we could find. Jimmy asked us to empty or pockets and backpacks, then we formed small groups and started the story-creation process.

My partners were Pauleen and Jessica. Some of the items we had were a compact, ipod, credit cards, a Disneyland pass, and car keys. We came up with a story that involved us getting our car stolen at Disneyland and eded up in Downtown Los Angeles to watch a Broadway musical. It was actually one of the most interesting stories (according to our classmates). The other stories were actually alright, some more interesting than others, but in the end, it was all pretty much fun.

Adjectives:

1. Plain

2. Frail

3. Dull

Milton Glaser/StimuLatté

With a joyously positive attitude, Pauleen, René, Eisen, Isacc and I began our adventure to Hollywood to watch the Milton Glaser film. Traffic was horrible, and we were obviously going to be late. It was about 7:30 pm (movie was suppose to begin at 7) and we were on Sunset about two blocks away. I received a call from Jessica, which wasn't filled with good news. Apparently, the DVD was nowhere to be found and the event was basically cancelled. We quickly looked passed it, and headed out to the StimuLatté which was being held in Silverlake. I guess having two AIGA events in one day had its benefits. It was awesome to see a good amount of familiar faces and new faces.

Apparently, GAUGE will be making some awesome valentine's day cards, thanks to an idea we got at the StimuLatté.

We made a circle (10-14-09)

We made a circle and presented the 10 words/phrases we came up with, which related to a simple image. A lot of people had humorous words to give meaning to their photograph, which was very entertaining. I noticed that adding humor was much more common and easier to do since one must deeply analyze a photograph to give it a very serious and effective meaning.

We also watched a speech given by Sir Ken Robinson. Not only was this man funny, but he was also very right about things.

He spoke about the education system the US provides people with, and according to him, it wasn't the greatest. I must agree. Unfortunately the standards are being lowered, and almost any teenager can graduate from high school without doing much. Even though there are a lot lazy people, we cannot forget there will always be those awesome over-achievers. Even with higher standards, we wouldn't be able to force anyone to want an education. People eager to learn and better themselves will always be present, and those people are the ones who will keep this country motivated.

Adjectives:

1) Cumbersome

2) Assorted

3) Curvy

Simple isn't always just simple. (10-12-09)

On that monday, we had to come into class with 10 simple photos. My images weren't all photos since I thought anything simple would do.... later realizing that Jimmy only wanted photographs. Also, I didn't know what Jimmy would consider as simple. I searched through em' fashion magazines, and all the images were not so simple. I viewed them through a "photographer's perspective" since I kept the lighting conditions and composition in mind. I realized that Jimmy was referring to the photo's content.

So we split up into groups, and analyzed a selected photo. We had to come up with a word of phrase that would fit the image, but greatly change its meaning.

The exercise was very stimulating since it made you think "outside the box". It was also interesting to see what people came up with, and how the photo's meaning was either sabotaged or improved by a simple word.

Jimmy stole my photo of a cool and shinny tomato.

Adjectives:

1) Deranged

2) Combative

3)Divergent

DREAMS by Akira Kurosawa (10-7-09)

The movie "DREAMS" by Akira Kurosawa was one interesting flick. Composed from various dreams, dreamt by various people, it helped to stimulate that brain of mine. Overall, the movie did have some very abstract representations to things, which caused some confusion.

The movie had eight mini-stories which were:

1) Sunshine Through The Rain

2) The Peach Orchard

3) The Blizzard

4) The Tunnel

5) Crows

6) Mt. Fuji In Red

7) The Weeping Demon

8) Village Of The Watermills

Sunshine Through the Rain dealt with a little boy who runs into the woods and sees a sacred dance/ritual which gets him banned from his home, and must search for the "Rainbow Foxes". Being the first story in the movie, it did boggle my mind a little. Since Jimmy didn't say much about the movie, I didn't know what to expect. This first clip broadened my understanding of the movie's concept, which kept me interested.

The Peach Orchard was filled with beautiful imagery, and had a great representation of the concept, which to me was "nostalgia". The boy seems to be upset since the peach trees were chopped down, and his deep feelings toward the orchard allow him a final glimpse at the beauty they once were. This clip was definitely one of the best since it left you with a feeling of sorrow, giving you deeper understanding of the boy's feelings.

The Blizzard was a clip which had a very abstract meaning. The travelers/hikers were obviously being threatened by the raging blizzard, and at one point, compacted within the snow. A ghost-like woman appears to help them, whom has a very interesting dialogue. She says "The snow is warm.... the ice is hot". That portion was very inspirational. This clip can easily symbolize people's fight in life, which becomes easier to manage with a little inspirational assistance.

The Tunnel was a very sad, and interestingly inspirational part of the film. The main person, who was obviously a Commander, encounters his army, which unfortunately died in battle. This "dream" seemed to be more of a nightmare since his obedient, strong-willed army is now dead. The whole concept of "loyalty" really struck me as I watched the film. The one thing I had trouble understanding was the crazy dog's role; a crazy dog appears from the tunnel, with explosives tied down to it's body. Weird.

Crows seemed to have a good amount of humor, luckily enough, since that's what the film was missing. This clip dealt with a man's search for Van Gogh. He finds him and follows him around. Some quotes that were quite fun were "I work myself like a locomotive", "The sun compels me to paint", and " If you look closely, everything can be a painting". This clip seemed to steer into a whole different direction from the other clips since it had information we could actually analyze, seeing that it dealt with a famous artist we all know about. To me, this clip tried to convey the phrase "don't give up".

Mt. Fuji In Red was another clip which seemed to be a nightmare. This clip was not as abstract as some of the other portions of the film since it dealt with something we're dealing with now: the destruction of human-kind by humans themselves. Basically, Mt. Fiji erupts, releasing toxic chemicals, causing the inhabitants to seek refuge in the ocean, causing them to drown. This clip metaphorically portrays human's negative impact on our planet, shown through a very realistic and horrid series of images. This clip was definitely did stick.

The Weeping Demon was a little crazy. The man from some of the previous clips, meets this "demon" who weeps about the destroyed land and its past life. This clip was certainly difficult to understand, and seemed to have many metaphoric references. In my opinion, this was another nightmare.

Village Of the Watermills was definitely the best clip, and could fall under the "the best was saved for last" category. This clip represented a simple life, without technology, filled with natural ways of doing things. The traveler meets an elder, filled with wise words. He comments about life outside the village, "dirty air, dirty water, polluting the hearts of men". This clip can relate to the Mt. Fugi clip, since they both speak of how the natural ways of living have been butchered through the use of technology to "make things better". I liked the message of this clip, since unfortunately, it speaks the truth.

I think to better understand the film, one must watch it a few times. I'm sure something new will come up with every viewing.

Adjectives:

1) Memorable

2) Plain

3) Melodic

Mappin' fun

On monday, we dove into the world of Mind-mapping (aka idea-mapping).

Jimmy put on a slideshow, where the first slide contained this phrase:

"The easiest path for a fresh idea is through an open mind".

What exactly does it mean to have an open mind? In my opinion, it means to free one's self of intellectual bigotry and grow tolerant to new ideas and opinions. With that comes a desire to listen and understand people's stand on things. I try to keep an open mind by hearing someone out, and not rejecting an opinion and/or argument before hearing it, since unfamiliar things tend to automatically land on our "rejected" pile.

Without any restrictions, a mind map can do wonders. Sometimes we tend to feel confused and incapable of keeping our thoughts organized. By ACTUALLY writing them down, we have a reference to our previous thoughts, which is why mind-maps are awesome!

Adjectives:

1. Quaint: attractively unusual or old-fashioned.

2. Erratic: not even or regular in pattern or movement.

3. Cynical: believing that people are motivated by self-interest.

Crazy Wednesday

Wednesday's class was kinda nuts (in a good way). The topics discussed were quite different, but in some crazy way, they seemed to relate to one another, keeping me interested.

A big topic we covered was "time". Interestingly enough, the complex invention of how time is taking place has come up in a good amount of my classes. In most of my "time" related discussions, it is concluded that time is in fact non-existent. I actually agree that the concept of time is manipulated by mankind. Sometimes I seem to believe that time, or something of the sort does in fact exist. Why you ask? Well, if two people arrange a conversation at let's say 4:00 pm, and they in fact call each other at that time, wouldn't it mean there is a way to calculate how quickly things develop, or at what phase things are moving? There's something plausible about the concept of time, but we might just be looking at it incorrectly.

Adjectives:

1. Standard- used or accepted as normal or average.

2. Lugubrious- looking or sounding sad and dismal.

3. Inchoate- not fully formed.

4. Ruddy- having a reddish color.

3x3: Graphic Design Off the Page

Last night's 3x3 at the Art Center was inspirational since it reminds all designers of what goals they're working towards.

It's great to see how design is applicable to all kinds of things in the real world. As of now our skills are pretty much limited to smaller and common things such as posters and t-shirts, but with hard work and dedication, our skills WILL develop to be something people will hopefully talk about.

The three guests who spoke had very interesting ways of manipulating design, not all three were equally interesting, but they are obviously good at what they do.

One question seemed to be very difficult for them to answer, which went something like this: "What qualities and type of work do you look for in someone's portfolio?". Most of their answers were very open, and different. I basically understood that they cannot specifically look for something within someone's portfolio; they're basically looking for something that will instill interest in the person's abilities.

First day in Art 220

Triggering one's creative thought is very important, and this concept development class seems to head into some awesome creative triggering.

The "apple" experiment seems to bring up a lot of "what if" or "would this work" type of questions, making it excitingly interesting. Although the same apple might be represented throughout our "sketches", it will most definitely NOT look like the same apple in any two of the sketches. This makes me realize that the whole point is to understand how ideas are created, since the result you might be expecting might actually, or most definitely will not be the one you will end up with.