Mixing with Reality
Having only just seen this movie whilst babysitting, the thing I found interesting was the merging of reality with computer generated imaging. Obviously the parts with the singing and dancing penguins were computer generated but they merged the reality images effortlessly in some parts with the dancing penguin.
I still haven’t completely decided whether this was beneficial to the film or not. With the target audience being children, I think that it is a good thing as it stimulates their imagination more-perhaps seeing real people mixed in with the computer generated would make them see it in a more realistic light.
Thursday, 27 September 2007
Gender
Recent Futurebrand Brief
In light of the new Futurebrand brief that we have been given, I came across a book called ‘Why men lie and women cry’ about the differences between men and women.
I found it interesting that they state that women’s brains respond to nurture, nourish, love and care whereas men are more interested in protecting, providing, chasing and problem solving. This is due to how the different sexes have evolved – women evolved as child-bearers and nest-defenders whereas men evolved as hunters.
Thought this could be an interesting theory to consider when coming up with a solution to the brief.
‘Why men lie and women cry’ by Allan and Barbara Pease
In light of the new Futurebrand brief that we have been given, I came across a book called ‘Why men lie and women cry’ about the differences between men and women.
I found it interesting that they state that women’s brains respond to nurture, nourish, love and care whereas men are more interested in protecting, providing, chasing and problem solving. This is due to how the different sexes have evolved – women evolved as child-bearers and nest-defenders whereas men evolved as hunters.
Thought this could be an interesting theory to consider when coming up with a solution to the brief.
‘Why men lie and women cry’ by Allan and Barbara Pease
Tuesday, 25 September 2007
Typography as design
Travel
There are certain things that require text as the bulk of their design feature, for example TV Guides and more famously, the London Tube Map.
There are certain things that require text as the bulk of their design feature, for example TV Guides and more famously, the London Tube Map.
Harry Beck produced the famous London Tube map in 1933 and it is still going strong today being a globally recognised piece of design work. An example of timeless design.
Comprised of simple linear representations of all the tube stations supported by the London Underground, the London tube map supports the power that design has on people, with its ability to change how we view things. Many people thought that the distances between each stop on the map represented the relative actual distance between them but in order to achieve clarity, the designer had the power to distort the distances in order for the diagram to be at a size that people could deal with.
It is an example of how simple can be effective. The map is shown just by coloured lines yet is such an influential piece of artwork. Criticisms of the design have included the fact that there is one line; the Northern Line represented by a black line with the text of the stations is also displayed in black. Designers have tried to rectify this problem but the reality is it is always going to be hard to create a perfect piece of design when you have so much textual information to be displayed.
The beauty of this design is that it is so well recognised and people have used imitations of the layout to display other things on mockery posters etc. It also works at various scales and with the amount of information contained on the map it is amazing how it can just work on so many different scales and still be legible.
This tube map replaces tube stations with band names throughout the years. An interesting piece of media for The Agriculture.
http://www.theagriculture.com/images/time_sensitive/underground.gif
Nature as Art
Andy Goldsworthy
As I am interested in using natural found objects to create art I thought I would revisit the work of Andy Goldsworthy. He uses many different natural materials including twigs, leaves, flowers, pine cones and stones in order to create his works of art.
Goldsworthy works with a motto that ‘an artwork too has a natural life that eventually must end’. Like Julian Beever, an artist I referred to earlier, Goldsworthys work only has a limited time span so you have to make the most of his creations whilst they are there. I’m still not sure how I would feel seeing a piece of personal artwork that a lot of thought and effort has gone into just decay and vanish after a limited period of time. Maybe people can be a little too protective over their work and should just value it in the short time span available.
It is work like this that emphasises the importance of photography as a means of documenting our surroundings and our work.
http://www.hainesgallery.com/Main_Pages/Artist_Pages/AGOL.bio.html
Goldsworthy works with a motto that ‘an artwork too has a natural life that eventually must end’. Like Julian Beever, an artist I referred to earlier, Goldsworthys work only has a limited time span so you have to make the most of his creations whilst they are there. I’m still not sure how I would feel seeing a piece of personal artwork that a lot of thought and effort has gone into just decay and vanish after a limited period of time. Maybe people can be a little too protective over their work and should just value it in the short time span available.
It is work like this that emphasises the importance of photography as a means of documenting our surroundings and our work.
http://www.hainesgallery.com/Main_Pages/Artist_Pages/AGOL.bio.html
Love Stoned
Justin Timberlake Music Video
Thought this video was really interesting when I saw it, combining the sound of the music with image.
The video consists of sound waves creating images with I think is a really simple but effective idea. The waves move in time with the beat and morph to create images of Justin Timberlake.
It effectively uses two colours which I think adds to the overall effect of the video. It’s a simple idea combining the minimalistic look of linear images with a basic two colour tone.
Eventually the video ends in actual images of him but I enjoyed the uncomplicated effect of the video. Too many music videos attempt to tell a story or use the idea that ‘sex sells’ whereas this stayed away from the norm of this type of music video.
Watch the video at:
The video consists of sound waves creating images with I think is a really simple but effective idea. The waves move in time with the beat and morph to create images of Justin Timberlake.
It effectively uses two colours which I think adds to the overall effect of the video. It’s a simple idea combining the minimalistic look of linear images with a basic two colour tone.
Eventually the video ends in actual images of him but I enjoyed the uncomplicated effect of the video. Too many music videos attempt to tell a story or use the idea that ‘sex sells’ whereas this stayed away from the norm of this type of music video.
Watch the video at:
007
Casino Royale Opening Credits
I went to see this film on the day that it came out and still the main thing I remember about it were the opening credits.
It was a great introduction to the film, using the film name as a literal theme to the entire credit sequence. It is amazing what can be done when limited to four simple symbols; hearts, spades, clubs and diamonds.
It incorporated the expected action theme of the Bond series using the symbols and other linear objects associated with casinos, for example the roulette wheel.
I thought it really did set the scene for the remainder of the film, immediately making you engage with the casino theme with action scenes right from the very start. Simple things like villains being shot and the blood seeping out creating and morphing into the shapes of diamonds, hearts, clubs and spades. It didn’t once shy away from using the linear symbols to create violent images, even spades being projected from a gun shot and diamonds being thrown to result in stabbing the villains in the chest. Perhaps not a scene you would associate with something as simple and innocent looking as a suit symbol from playing cards.
Transactions between the different ‘scenes’ of the credits were done so smoothly with shapes constantly morphing into other objects. The elaborate patterns with which playing cards are associated with on the picture cards are also bravely incorporated into the credits. Thankfully this is done in a way which works although I fear that it could have had a negative effect if used too overtly in that the designs would appear too garish and look a little tacky.
Particularly effective elements also include the dramatic shooting of a guy who then shatters into hundreds of diamonds, hearts, clubs and spades which then disintegrate into the background. Another example would be the sinister target elegantly changing into the recognised roulette wheel. There are even parts of the credits that use the fractal concept which we looked at in our design theory module.
The credits are ended with a 7 of hearts into which two bullet holes are shot in front of the 7 creating the infamous ‘007’ image without which Bond wouldn’t be complete. Overall I think that the credits successfully set the scene and mood for the rest of the film.
It was a great introduction to the film, using the film name as a literal theme to the entire credit sequence. It is amazing what can be done when limited to four simple symbols; hearts, spades, clubs and diamonds.
It incorporated the expected action theme of the Bond series using the symbols and other linear objects associated with casinos, for example the roulette wheel.
I thought it really did set the scene for the remainder of the film, immediately making you engage with the casino theme with action scenes right from the very start. Simple things like villains being shot and the blood seeping out creating and morphing into the shapes of diamonds, hearts, clubs and spades. It didn’t once shy away from using the linear symbols to create violent images, even spades being projected from a gun shot and diamonds being thrown to result in stabbing the villains in the chest. Perhaps not a scene you would associate with something as simple and innocent looking as a suit symbol from playing cards.
Transactions between the different ‘scenes’ of the credits were done so smoothly with shapes constantly morphing into other objects. The elaborate patterns with which playing cards are associated with on the picture cards are also bravely incorporated into the credits. Thankfully this is done in a way which works although I fear that it could have had a negative effect if used too overtly in that the designs would appear too garish and look a little tacky.
Particularly effective elements also include the dramatic shooting of a guy who then shatters into hundreds of diamonds, hearts, clubs and spades which then disintegrate into the background. Another example would be the sinister target elegantly changing into the recognised roulette wheel. There are even parts of the credits that use the fractal concept which we looked at in our design theory module.
The credits are ended with a 7 of hearts into which two bullet holes are shot in front of the 7 creating the infamous ‘007’ image without which Bond wouldn’t be complete. Overall I think that the credits successfully set the scene and mood for the rest of the film.
Friday, 7 September 2007
Black and White versus Colour
Black and White versus Colour
When I was doing the D&AD project, it was brought to my attention that there is an immense effect on how a photograph is interpreted if it is viewed in black and white compared to colour.
Black and white photographs have always appealed to me and I think this is down to the nostalgia that it evokes. This could be down to the fact that cameras had a level of popularity during the First and Second World Wars when families wanted them to take pictures of their loved ones before they went off to fight for their country. Of course, at this time photographs could only be developed in black and white and this is typically the period that people think of when they are faced with black and white photographs.
The dramatic change in mood when a colour photo is converted to black and white is so incredible considering the simple change that has been made and I think it really does change the way in which you engage with the picture. I think that because all of the colour has been taken away, it allows the viewer to concentrate on other elements of the image that they may not have been drawn to if the colour had been there. For instance, you may take more notice of the layout of the photograph, the textures involved in the image and the difference in tones as the image is explored.
I think black and white photography is underrated and could be used to people’s advantage. However, because the effect of black and white photographs is so great you would have to be careful HOW you use it by making sure that the tone of voice that is associated with black and white photography fits in completely with the tone of voice of the message that you are trying to get across.
Reference:
WELLS, LIZ. (2004). Photography: A critical introduction. Routledge
When I was doing the D&AD project, it was brought to my attention that there is an immense effect on how a photograph is interpreted if it is viewed in black and white compared to colour.
Black and white photographs have always appealed to me and I think this is down to the nostalgia that it evokes. This could be down to the fact that cameras had a level of popularity during the First and Second World Wars when families wanted them to take pictures of their loved ones before they went off to fight for their country. Of course, at this time photographs could only be developed in black and white and this is typically the period that people think of when they are faced with black and white photographs.
The dramatic change in mood when a colour photo is converted to black and white is so incredible considering the simple change that has been made and I think it really does change the way in which you engage with the picture. I think that because all of the colour has been taken away, it allows the viewer to concentrate on other elements of the image that they may not have been drawn to if the colour had been there. For instance, you may take more notice of the layout of the photograph, the textures involved in the image and the difference in tones as the image is explored.
I think black and white photography is underrated and could be used to people’s advantage. However, because the effect of black and white photographs is so great you would have to be careful HOW you use it by making sure that the tone of voice that is associated with black and white photography fits in completely with the tone of voice of the message that you are trying to get across.
Reference:
WELLS, LIZ. (2004). Photography: A critical introduction. Routledge
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