Chapter One
What are aesthetics?
Aesthetics are "a branch of philosophy concerned with the beautiful in art and how the viewer experiences it." Basically, its how something makes you feel.
I chose this advertisement to explain aesthetics because as a graphic design student, advertisements that are pure graphic design creativity catch my eye. This artist used a photo of a highly tattooed model and created an almost exact replica of her using Adobe Illustrator.
Aesthetics are "a branch of philosophy concerned with the beautiful in art and how the viewer experiences it." Basically, its how something makes you feel.
I chose this advertisement to explain aesthetics because as a graphic design student, advertisements that are pure graphic design creativity catch my eye. This artist used a photo of a highly tattooed model and created an almost exact replica of her using Adobe Illustrator.
What are the three elements to the model critique?
Description- A verbal account of what is there.
Analysis- A discussion of how things are presented with an emphasis on relationships.
Interpretation- A sense of the meaning, implication or effect of the piece.
Thinking, Looking, and Doing.
My personal design process involves a lot of thinking. After learning what it is that I need to create, I sit down and take anywhere from a few minutes to a few days to contemplate possible design schemes. After that, I do. I jump right into the process and work straight through it. I hate to stop while in the middle of a project because I tend to lose my creative train of thought. Afterwards, I sit down and look at what I've created, if I'm pleased with it, thats the end of the process. However, nine out of ten times, I find things I'd like to change. When that happens, I sit down, rethink the design and jump right back into it until its perfect.
Description- A verbal account of what is there.
Analysis- A discussion of how things are presented with an emphasis on relationships.
Interpretation- A sense of the meaning, implication or effect of the piece.
Thinking, Looking, and Doing.
My personal design process involves a lot of thinking. After learning what it is that I need to create, I sit down and take anywhere from a few minutes to a few days to contemplate possible design schemes. After that, I do. I jump right into the process and work straight through it. I hate to stop while in the middle of a project because I tend to lose my creative train of thought. Afterwards, I sit down and look at what I've created, if I'm pleased with it, thats the end of the process. However, nine out of ten times, I find things I'd like to change. When that happens, I sit down, rethink the design and jump right back into it until its perfect.
What Part does the audience play in the design?
The audience plays a large role in a design. The designer must use their design to reach out and appeal to any audience. For a graphic designer, the audience will be the one seeing their posters, product labels or bill boards. How the designer lays out their design or even how they choose to color it could attract or completely turn off an audience. When creating any design, the designer must keep in mind that form follows function. What are icons and how can they be used?
An icon is "a symbol or sign, especially one with strong emotional power." Icons are everywhere in our world. Peace signs, traffic signs, restroom signs, handicap signs, and so many more. We use all of these symbols to quickly relay messages to one another without having to use words., Icons can be powerful tools for a graphic designer if type is not appropriate for the piece of art, or simply for the clients needs. What are symbols and how can they be used?
A symbol is "an element of design that communicates an idea or meaning beyond that of its literal form." Icons are all around us. Possibly, if your reading this from a computer, you can just exit the page and see numerous icons. Icons now-a-days are used for everything. Our phones and computers are loaded with them, e-readers and some print books are having icons pop up more than normal, and even some kitchen appliances are being to only use icons. Using an iPhone for example, most users rely on the icons on the screen more than the words that follow them. We've became reliant on these images to make the time we spend looking for something much shorter. Graphic designers get thrown into the world of icons simply because they tend to be the ones making them for us, whether it's a photo or a logo, we use anything anymore to save a little time. Why are doing and redoing key to the design process?
Doing and redoing are important because it gives a designer the chance to put their thoughts down and revise them to be better. In graphic design, going and redoing can allow the designer to make their work more accurate to what the client wants. |