Alexandra Oliver's Portfolio

Creative Process

2012-02-06T06:05:00.001-08:00

Brainstorming:

Creative
Unique
something never done been designed in the class.

Inspiration:

get ideas from other designs

What I liked about this design was that you can tell three people had an entirely different idea of how they expected the design to turn out. This is also something you would not expect and it grabs your attention, which is another thing I admire about this piece.

This man makes me laugh with his oversized mustache, Buzz Lightyear torso, and hula skirt. When I look at him I cannot take him seriously and thats why I enjoy it.

Exquisite Corpse Research

2012-01-31T06:20:00.000-08:00

Research: The more you know the easier the project will be!

Exquisite Corpse: a method by which a collection of words or images is collectively assembled (Wikipedia)
old parlour game called Consequences in which players write in turn on a sheet of paper, fold it to conceal part of the writing, and then pass it to the next player for a further contribution.
Surrealists (movement of from an unconscious mind) created this.

Photo Composition

2012-01-06T06:01:00.000-08:00

Alexandra Oliver

Period: 1st

January 6, 2012

Snapshot or Photograph?

Snapshot: An informal photograph taken quickly, typically with a small hand-held camera.
Photograph: A picture made using a camera, in which an image is focused onto film or other light-sensitive material and then made visible and permanent by chemical treatment, or stored digitally. An image taken with care and thought.

Rule of Thirds: imaginary lines drawn, dividing the frame of your camera into thirds, both horizontally and vertically. NOTE: avoid the center frame

Place important subject or important elements of your composition where these lines intersect
Place the horizon lone at the top or bottom horizontal divider
Or fill up the entire frame with the subject for a close-up image

Leading Lines: use the lines created within the foreground or background of the composition to lead the viewer's eye through the photo.

Lines can draw attention to one or more intended subjects or a single focal point

Point of View: change the way your subject is perceived by changing the camera position. NOTE: don't make everything eye level get into your subjects point of view!

If you are photographing a subject that you want to seem very tall, compose the shot so that the camera is looking upwards... And vice versa.

Simplicity: keep your background simple and clear of clutter!

The mood and effectiveness of a photo can be altered by what is in the background.
A chaotic composition will cause the viewer to look away

First Semester Reflection

2011-12-10T16:41:00.000-08:00

This semester I learned that graphic design is not an easy job or class. Graphic Design takes time to master, and if someone wants to do this as a career it takes time and patience. There are so many terms and tools to know, and remember to do well in this industry.

Review Week 17

2011-12-10T10:58:00.000-08:00

Have you learned something?
I learned how to identify typefaces and fonts. I also learned that serifs are basically the curly things at the ends of letters. Serifs come from ancient Rome. Roman stone carvers would first paint on the letters and then carve out the letter, including the flares at the end of strokes. This created the serif. There are two main serifs; they are Adnate and Abrupt. Adnate though, is more organic than Abrupt. Abrupt "is squarer and more rigid, and doesn’t flow into the base letterform," according to ilovetypeography.com.

Steve Jobs

2011-12-04T15:17:00.000-08:00

Who is Steve Jobs? Creator of Apple
What company was he CEO for many years? Apple
What did he do for the computer industry? He made the computer easier to use and more fun.
How did this man impact the graphic design industry? It benefited the Graphic Design field greatly.

Review Week 9

2011-12-04T15:11:00.001-08:00

Compare and contrast vector graphics and pixel images.
Comparing: They help the graphics field
Contrasting: Vector images do not use pixels. Pixel based art is resolution dependent and should not be enlarged. Vector based art is resolution independent and can be scaled to any size.
What resolution is necessary to print raster images?
300 dpi (dots per inch)
What resolution is necessary to display raster images on the internet?
150 dpi

Review Week 8

2011-12-04T15:10:00.001-08:00

Why must designers pay close attention to how color is utilized within a composition? So it is balanced out and certain details stand out,

Why is the color wheel an important tool for graphic designers? So graphic designers can use the right colors for there designs.

Find an example of neutral colors utilized within a design (hint: google poster design). Near the sample, discuss why you feel the designer included neutral colors within the composition.

Briefly describe how we "see" the color of an object? We see what color stands out most. If there is a direct object the designer wants to point out, they usually use a bright, eye catching color.

Review Week 6

2011-12-04T15:05:00.000-08:00

What is the pen tool used for?
How can you manipulate a path/line in Illustrator? Discuss the use of the white arrow tool, pen+, pen-, and convert too.
How can you utilize the layers palette in Illustrator?How do you create a clipping mask in Adobe Illustrator?

Review Week 4

2011-12-04T15:02:00.000-08:00

Why/how can icons be used to communicate?
What is the difference between copyright and public domain?
How can you avoid plagiarism in this class? In other classes?

Review Week 3

2011-12-04T15:00:00.000-08:00

What is OSHA? What do the letters stand for?
How can graphic designers effectively communicate? In your own words, explain the communication process.
Understanding the history, culture and movements of fine and graphic arts will make you a better producer of visual messages. Why?

Review Week 9

2011-12-04T11:43:00.000-08:00

Compare and contrast vector graphics and pixel images.
Compared:

Both have to do with graphic design.
Both use mathematical equations to create a graphic design

Contrasted:
Vector: Vector Graphics geometrical primitives such as points, lines, curves, and shapes or polygon(s).
Pixel: is similar to a bit image, which also describes a screen graphic, but a pixel image has an added dimension, sometimes called depth.

What resolution is necessary to print raster images?

What resolution is necessary to display raster images on the internet?

Review Week 16

2011-12-02T05:43:00.000-08:00

How many points are in an inch? How many points are in a pica?72 PostScript points 12 PostScript points
Of the seven classifications, which classification(s) would best work as body type? Why?

Identify the lowercase characters that have ascenders?

Identify the lowercase characters that have descenders? g, j, p, q, and y

Classify the following typefaces and briefly explain why you believe it should be classified that way:

Review Week 14

2011-12-01T05:25:00.000-08:00

Identify 5 colleges that offer graphic design (or related) majors. For each, list the school name, location, graphics majors that are offered, requirements for admission.
1. Rhode Island School of Design in Providence

The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), founded in 1877, is one of the oldest colleges for art and design. RISD shares a partnership with the Rhode Island School of Design Museum and is located in Providence, near Boston and New York. This art and design institution offers bachelor's and master's degree programs in ceramics, interior design and photography, as well as other related undergraduate majors. In 2010 U.S. News and World Report ranked RISD as the top fine arts school in the country. The master's degree programs award a wide variety of specializations in art and design, including painting, learning in art and design, graphic design, sculpture and scriptmaking.

2. Yale University in New Haven, CT

Yale University, located in New Haven, Connecticut, was founded in 1701 and is one of the third-oldest educational institutions in the United States. The university's art and design degree programs were ranked second, while the painting and photography majors were ranked first in the country by U.S. News and World Report in 2010. Yale's School of Art and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences offer undergraduate and graduate degrees in graphic design, painting and printmaking, sculpture among other art and design fields. The facilities available to students in these fields include the university art gallery, arts library, British art center, digital media center and printshop.

3. School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Illinois

The School of the Art Institute in Chicago (SAIC) is housed within the arts and design museum, the Art Institute of Chicago. With almost 3,000 students, SAIC is one of the largest independent schools for art and design of its kind in the United States. Undergraduate and graduate degree programs, as well as post-baccalaureate certificates in a number art and design fields, including art education, art history, art therapy, studio, designed objects, arts administration and studio. U.S. News and World Report listed the School of the Art Institute in Chicago as the third best college for the fine arts and second best for colleges offering instruction the fiber arts in 2010.
4. Georgia Institute of Technology

Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) is a public, 4-year college with a main campus located in Atlanta, GA. Georgia Tech was founded in 1885, currently enrolls more than 20,000 undergraduate and graduate students, and has a 400-acre, urban campus in downtown Atlanta. Research is one of the university's most prominent interests; in 2008, Georgia Tech spent approximately $525 million on research. In 2010, U.S. News and World Reportranked Georgia Tech 35th among national universities (www.usnews.com).

The Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts includes the School of Literature, Communication and Culture. The liberal arts college was founded in 1990 and offers a variety of social services and humanities programs. Its faculty members specialize in interactive game design and digital information, among many other fields. Computational media is the most popular undergraduate major within the College.

Graphic Design and Multimedia Programs

Bachelor of Science in Computational Media

This program is offered jointly by the College of Computing and the School of Literature, Communication and Culture.. It focuses on computer history, technology and applications such as digital art, interactive design, graphics and sound. Students might specialize in special effects, game design or other areas. They are required to take courses in mathematics, programming and design.

Master of Science in Digital Media

Students take both seminar and studio courses that cover the aesthetic, technical and cultural aspects of digital media. The program is limited to approximately 25 students per academic year, and students come from a wide variety of educational backgrounds. Graduates may work in digital media production, design or analysis.

Doctor of Philosophy in Digital Media

Established in 2004, this program was one of first of its kind in the world. It is intended for aspiring practitioners and theorists in the digital media realm. Required courses include interactive design principles, visual culture, new media and at least one section of project studio. Students might choose electives in networked media design, experimental media, game design special topics and intellectual property law.

5. The New School

Ranked No. 139 in 'National Universities' by U.S. News & World Report for 2011, The New School has a storied, unique history. Founded in 1919 by a small group of innovative thinkers, the university was designed to emphasize free expression and hands-on educational experiences uncommon to the time. In 1933, a second division of the school dubbed the University in Exile was created as a sanctuary for the ideas and continued education of scholars fleeing Europe from the tyranny of the regimes of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. Building on its bold tradition, the university now maintains degree programs and continuing education courses in diverse fields ranging from the arts to public policy that aim to spur direct, positive engagement with the local and world community.

Originally begun in 1896 and later adopted into The New School system in 1970, Parsons The New School for Design is widely considered to be one of the best design schools in the nation. Ranked No. 21 in 'Fine Arts' and No. 12 in 'Graphic Design' at the graduate level by U.S. News & World Report in 2011, the school boasts accomplished alumni and faculty in fields such as photography, visual art, graphic design and architecture and was the first American fine arts school to ever found a campus abroad. Students in Parsons' School of Art, Media and Technology are encouraged to pursue careers in graphic arts, animation, film, game design and various other specialized options.

Graphic Design and Animation Programs

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Design and Technology

Creating a foundation of fundamental art and design knowledge as well as an understanding of modern media platforms and technology, this program allows students to delve into areas such as animation, computer graphics and interactive design. On their path to completing the program, students take such courses as culture and technology, creative computer art and history of design in addition to studio labs and collaborative projects.

Master of Fine Arts in Design and Technology

Further exploring the broader trends in modern design and its interaction with technological advancements, this program greatly emphasizes research and the practical application of design principles as they affect businesses, social networking and interactive communication. The program of study includes a series of studio courses that allow students to develop their own design projects and a series of collaborative studio courses that enable students to work side-by-side with real-world organizations to construct effective designs.

Certificate in Graphic and Digital Design

For those seeking to keep up with media trends and quickly-changing design formats and technology, Parsons offers this certificate program which may be completed online, on campus or through a combination of both. Coursework includes classes such as typography, color theory and digital design fundamentals.

Stephen Kroninger

2011-11-07T06:14:00.000-08:00

What kind of art/design does he produce?
Modern Art
In what publications/media studios has his work been featured?

PRINT CLIENTS INCLUDEThe Atlantic Monthly
Austin-American-Statesman
Bantam/Doubleday/Dell
Roger Black
Bloomberg Wealth Manager
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe Magazine
Business Week
The Chicago Tribune
Crain's
Dartmouth Alumni Magazine
Delacorte Press
Def Jam Recordings
DraftWorldwide
Esquire
Elle
Emerge
Entertainment Weekly
ESPN Magazine
ESPN The Life
Fast Company
Forbes
Fortune
Foote,Cone and Belding Direct
Generator Design
George
GQ
Harper's
Kaiser Family Foundation
Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine
Knopf
Margaret K. McElderry Books/Simon and Schuster
Los Angeles Magazine
The Los Angeles Times
Mad Dogs and Englishmen
Mademoiselle
Men's Health
Modern Maturity
Money
Don Morris Design
Mother Jones
My Generation
The Nation
Newsweek
New York Magazine
The New York Observer
The New York Times
The New York Times Magazine
The New Yorker
Nikkei Money
The Oregonian
Parents
Pentagram Design, Inc.
Premiere
Pro (Street and Smith's)
The Progressive
Reader's Digest
Red Herring
Rock the Vote
Rolling Stone
Scholastic
The School of Visual Arts
Smart Money
Spin
Sports Illustrated
Time
Times Books
United States Postal Service
Us magazine
Vibe
Viking/Penguin books
The Wall Street Journal
The Washington Post
The Washington Post Magazine
Wired
Wirtschafts Woche

ANIMATION CLIENTS INCLUDECBS News
Funny Garbage
HBO Downtown
Lifesavers
Microsoft
MTV Networks
Nickelodeon
Nick at Night
PBS
Public Enemy
Alan and Susan Raymond
The Red Hot Organization
The Chris Rock Show
Showtime
Sony Music
TV Land
U2 Zooropa Tour
Voyager
The Whitney Museum of American Art

Was this piece published? Where? This piece was published; in Rolling Stone magazine

What principles of design were utilized within the piece? How?
I think most of them were used. Balance was definitely used and so was emphasis.
What elements of design were utilized?
Balance. Emphasis. Unity. Rhythm.

Review Week 12

2011-11-07T05:49:00.000-08:00

How can you, as the designer, use principles of design to help compose a page?
You can use the principles of design to get the message to your viewers or target audience. You use balance to make sure you have visual stability in your piece. Proportion refers to the relative size and scale of the various elements in a design. You can also use rhythm, emphasis, and unity to capture any audiences attention.

What are the principles of design (define each in your own words)?

The principles are:

Balance- Balance help bring visual stability to the piece.

Proportion- Proportion refers to the size and scale of the range of design elements.

Rhythm- Rhythm is the movement and motion in the space.

Emphasis- Emphasis points out the the focus or the interruption in the piece.

Unity- The summarizes all the other elements together to make them work with eachother.

Podcast #3 Principles of Design

2011-11-02T05:43:00.000-07:00

Define principles of design?
Concepts used to arrange the structural elements of a composition.
What do the principles of design affect?
affects the expressive content, the message, or the work.
What is the principle of repetition?
repeating some aspect or element of the design throughout the entire document
Describe ways that the principle of repetition helps the composition/audience? Bold font, thick lining, certain bullet, color, design element, particular format, and spatial relationship.

What are ways that you can incorporate repetition into your designs? Bold font, thick lining, certain bullet, color, design element, particular format, and spatial relationship.
What should you avoid when working with repetition? Repeting to much that it gets annoying or overwhelming.

What is the principle of proportion/scale? The realative size and scale of various elements in a design.

What is the most universal standard of measure when judging size? The Human Body
How can the principle of proportion/scale be used as an attention getter? They are usually there to be unexpected or unusual.
What is the principle of balance? The distribution of heavy and light elements on the page.
Which kinds of elements/shapes visually weigh heavier/greater? Irregular shapes bear greater weight than regular shapes.

What is another name for symmetrical balance? Formal balance

Define symmetrical balance? This occurs when the weight of a compositon is evenly distributed around a central, vertical, or horizontal axis.
What is another name for asymmetrical balance? Informal Balance
Define asymmetrical balance? Occurs when the weight of a composition is not evenly distributed around the axis.

What is the principle of emphasis? Stressing a particular area of focus rather than the maze of details of equal importance.

What happens to a design that has no focus? It can make the page jumbled and have no meaning.

What is a focal point and how is it created? Focal point is the area where the eye goes to first.

How many components of a composition can be a focal point? One
What ways can emphasis be created in a design? It may be the largest, brightest, darkest, or most complex.
What is the principle of unity? Wholenesscomposition.

What three ways can unity be obtained?
1. Put objects close to one another.

2. Make things similar (similar textures, colors, or shapes)

3. Direct vision of a line.

What is the principle of variety?

What ways can a designer add variety to a design?

Why is it important to find the right balance between unity and variety?

What is figure?

What is another name for figure?

What is ground?

What is another name for ground?

When a composition is abstract (has no recognizable subject) what will the figure depend on? What does that mean?

Why must a designer consider the composition as a whole?

What is the principle of rhythm?

How is rhythm achieved?

What three ways can rhythm occur in a design?
1.

2.

3.

How does rhythm help a composition/design?

What is the principle of contrast?

How can contrast help a design?

What is wrong with having too much or too little contrast in a design?

What is the key to working with contrast?

What are some common ways of creating contrast?

Andy Warhol

2011-10-21T05:51:00.000-07:00

Within what art genre did Warhol work? Commercial

Define the genre? Commercial Art is art that sells something and is able to reach all viewers.

During what years was he alive? August 6, 1928 to February 1987

Post 2 samples of his art. Answer the following questions for each piece.

Title of the piece?

Skull

Describe the color that he utilizes. Does he use any particular color scheme?

I think he used a complementary scheme to make the art catch your eye. The electric purple and the dramatic red catch your eye instantly. And the brown in the back doesn't take away from the red and purple.

What do you notice about the artwork itself?
It is a skull that looks deformed.

Lips (Stamped)

Color Schemes

2011-10-21T05:42:00.000-07:00

This scheme is complementary.

This scheme is neutral.

This scheme is monocramatic

This is monochromatic

This painting is analogus schemed.

Review Week 5

2011-09-15T05:37:00.000-07:00

Line:

This Poster Design has a great use of line work. The flow of the lines shows the power and strength of a Nike athlete. It also shows speed, agility, and endurance to me. Without the lines it would lack purpose and meaning.

Space:

This poster design shows space being used to grab the persons attention. When I first saw this the purple and blue colors got my attention, then the man, and then the fly object he is looking at. Whoever designed this piece used their space wisely and used all of it well.

Value:

Value is shown in this poster design. The red shows love, hope, and also grabs your attention immediately. This design has a purpose.

Texture:

Mercedes Benz is known for there amazing and detailed poster designs . In this advertisement, for the G550, class the texture in the back ground, and on on the ground is superb. The texture in this design helps sell these cars and make them look better.

shape:

Shape is used in this poster design. You notice the use of shape in the sun, the kite trees, the shape of the book, etc. Not only does the color catch your eye but if you notice all the great use of shape, it really brings out the design.