This week was all about typography and texture. The first art activity I chose to try was based on typography. The goal of activity number one was to choose about 1 dozen fonts and type a few words that would correspond to the emotion or theme evoked by the font and then write a word or phrase that would go against the emotion or theme that the font represented. I had the most fun with this activity. I am big on fonts!! When I scroll through my fonts I always think of what they represent and when I am trying to choose a font I really try to choose a font that would contribute to the theme of my writing or the goal of my presentation. That is one of the reasons why I enjoy creating presentations so much. It is the one time in the academic world that you can get away from boring and old Times New Roman. So take a look at my fonts and tell me what you think. Did I do a good job at representing and misrepresenting each font that I chose?
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| Activity #1 |
The second activity was also from the Design Basics Index. This was a textural composition. The purpose of this activity was to take a simple shape and use that as a focal point. Twelve identical shapes needed to be created and placed around the original shape. Each shape had to have a different texture and by the end of the activity a "visually pleasing and interesting overall composition" needed to be created. I had some trouble with this exercise. It was difficult to find textures that would coordinate, when the instructions specified that they needed to be different. I tried to keep some in the same color family and to use complimentary colors to help balance things out but I am not sure it worked so well. Positioning the shapes in a more organic pattern was also difficult since the shape I chose was symmetrical, but had curved lines. I wound up using what I like to call an improvised griding structure to arrange the shapes. Overall, I am not pleased with the final results. It is not organic looking and I do not like some of the textures I chose. The wrinkled paper bag texture is my favorite and I think it visually pleasing next to the pink and denim textured hearts.
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| Activity #2 |
Hi Jen! I enjoyed reading your font phrases. I especially laughed at Alcoholics Anonymous, Chess Team Tryouts, Speed Bump, and Core Curriculum Standards ... because there is nothing in the world further Curlz than CCC! I really got the message in your font exercise, espcially with the Greek gods/goddesses, and the Varsity font ... Yay for Friday Night Lights! Potentially my favorite show ...
ReplyDeleteAnyways, I think you did a great job conveying your message and manipulating your fonts. Did you use a standard word processor?
For the second activity, I can see how it was difficult to create a balanced, unifying design. For some reason I have a tough time envisioning what they book is asking, so it's good to see what others have understood the directions to be. I like the heart with the crinkled paper the best -- you can really see (and "feel") the texture. What program did you use? My only suggestion is to not put so many "heavy" textures on one side, such as the red bricks and the dark purple. I was drawn to that side as opposed to the lighter hearts on the right side that kind of blend into the background.
Great job, though!
Johanna
Thanks for the feedback Johanna! I can see how the heavier textures on the left have an unbalancing effect. The brown paper bag texture is my favorite too. I used word to do both projects. I have the Mac version of Office on my computer, not that that makes a difference, but I know I have access to different fonts and textures in comparison to the PC version of Office.
ReplyDeleteJen,
ReplyDeleteI really liked the heart design you created. It's perfect for Valentine's day and it looks like something I'd see someone blog on Tumblr. I think you did a good job picking complimentary patterns and colors. I really like the asymmetrical look of it. I think I'd like it a little more if you cut out the surrounding white space a bit. But, I also realize this is a working piece. You should think about designing greeting cards! I'm also floored by the fact that you used Microsoft Word. I'll need to experiment.
Great work!
Susan