Tyler's blog on educational technology: February 2012

Sunday, February 26, 2012

reflection wiht multimedia

This was a tough one. I used music, written messages, and varied videos to create this refelction on Asbury Park. The house you see in the last shot is my house on Central Avenue is Asbury Park. My video was exactly 60 seconds but when I put it on youtube it added a second for some reason. I may lose some points on this but I tried! (I used a Flipcame and that program to make it - this is where it indicated it was 60 seconds).

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Storyboarding

In the six storyboard images you see many rules were considered. For example, Krause discusses the quality of the images. While it was difficult to storyboard my multimedia plan because I felt it was so computer based, it presented the challenge of creating images that viewed working on a computer differently so that they were images that were “informative and relevant” and “aesthetically and emotionally pleasing” (Krause, p. 189). I’m not sure if the use of dialogue or thought “bubbles” are a typical part of story boards but I needed the viewer to get better insight what was going on in the image. This also essential became an exercise in cropping. Krause notes that good cropping “eliminates the unnecessary,” (p. 192) something that I was trying to do in images 2 and 4 and do well, I think, in story board image number 4. Golombisky and Hagen discuss the POV or point of view. This also came into consideration with my storyboarding. At times a capture a camera angle that is from the side, the back, or the front, and, in one instance (image #5), it appears that the camera angle is from above. Golombisky and Hagen note that shooting form above can create “symbolic insignificance and powerless” and that shooting from below creates and “opposite effect” (p. 173). However, I wasn’t sure how to capture a groups working a round a table by shooting form a floor angle. Not being an artist, I struggled with drawing some of the angles that I wanted. In image one I wanted to do a 45 degree angle which I did with the computer screen but could not do with the person, hence the awkwardness of that first image. I also realized when I scanned the images I drew they were empty of any shading, except for the plant. This resulted in a lack of “dramatic effect” and an absence of the principles of “contrast” (p. 176). I certainly learned how storyboarding can bring together many of the key principles of graphic design and the use of multimedia.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Book Cover Design p. 303

This was a fun assignment to do as a (previous) English teacher. I liked how the assignment asked you to basically pull in everything you learned from the text. I thought a lot about my images, the use of color and black and white and how they contrast one another (thinking that the desire for the bully contrasts her typcial choice in men [or teenagers if it is an adolescent novel]). I also thought a lot about the font. I like contrasting the first letter of the font and I feel the black and white font provides some "darkness" that may acoompany the story line. In the end I feel it looks too "simple" but I like this. I do not like book covers that are too busy and end up saying nothing. I am hoping this cover refelcts a darkness that I feel would be in a story with a title like this one.

Blog Post Add Design page 221

This was an interesting excercise because of its progression. Moving from using black and white only to infusing more colors and finally adding a background showed nicely how a graphic design can or may develop. It makes me think of the "thought process" associated with design. Do I start with the image first? Do I start with the saying first becasue this may impact the type of image choice? Or, do I start with colors that I feel represent the company, message, etc.? I feel like how I start a design is going to greatly impact how it looks in the end. I know this sounds obvious but I wonder what the great designers start with? Perhaps it doesn't matter becasue it is fluid in nature. The image chosen may be completely changed by the end if font and colors work their way into the project and there becomes no "flow" or focal points get thrown off, for example. It's like writing, what do I think about before the pencil hits the paper or my fingers hit the keyboard. It is interesitng to think about the mental aspect of design. Progression projects like these I think help develop the mental process for design development.

Image Cropping 6

This blog, and the next five that you see when you scroll down, represent my attempt to work on cropping. This was one of the more enjoyable exercises, from finding the images to cropping them. It truly is amazing to take the same picture and have it tell a completely different story based on what you choose to make the focus of that picture. One of the better ones you will scroll down and see is the "war horse" picture (you have to go to "older posts" to see this). When cropped narrowly, the history and prideful connection found is lost, for example. The other pitcure that stands out for me is the picture taken at Woodstock. In the big picture, a couple is seen, though not centered, they are truly the focal point. It is as if the picture is about their relationshop or their love. When the focus is shifted to the left side of the picture, then I feel it speaks more to the event itself. The change in focus seems to be telling two different stories in history. As a designer, the focus point seems to be one of of the most important decisions made when arranging images or creating messages. It is great to have this kind of control of a picture and, therefore, control of the message or theme being sent to the audience.

Friday, February 10, 2012

Word Portrait Excercise

Thursday, February 9, 2012

My shapes and color excercise p. 133 Design Index

Sunday, February 5, 2012

It was interesting to think about design rules as I did this excercise from the Design Basics Index. I numbered the order in which I did them and feel like you do see some evolving.

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Ok, these are my two designs from the excercise from page 82 - it was fun!

Friday, February 3, 2012

Web design review

Tyler's blog on educational technology