In looking at the three design artifacts, I have very different feelings about all of them. The first artifact, So-Cal Wildfire Poster, gives me a very affective response. Having driven through some of the areas hardest hit, the poster gives a message of the devastation the fires created for so many. However, I feel that this poster gives a sense of re-birth and hope. A bird perched on a burned out tree, the sun burning through an ashen smoke filled sky, sends a message that what once was, can be be again!

The second artifact, EndSuicideNow.org poster, gives a very strong affective and psychomotor response. I'm sure the response is very different depending on the individual and their own unique situations dealing with such a difficult subject. I have to admit that my own personal experiences with this issue play a big role in my responses. Personally, the affective resonse is the first that hits me. How can you not feel something about this? I also have a strong psychomotor response and am compelled to action to to do something about this. I think there is even a cognitive response the more I look at it, that to me conveys a desire to learn more about the issue itself, because without that knowledge, efforts to help might be in vain.

The third and final artifact, UN Millennium Development Goals poster, has has very different feel to me. First of all, I have to admit that my personal opinions of the UN as a whole, greatly effect the way i look at this. I will try to keep politics out of my evaluation and be as objective as I can. Having said that, I think it is very interesting to note how feelings, attitudes, and pre-concieved notions can play a huge role in the outcome of various projects.

I think the whole collaboritive effort is incredibly creative. The use of font in this artifact is every bit as important as the image itself and sending the desired message. The variety of colors and images work well in cooperation with the text to send a three-fold response. To feel, to learn, than to do. The layout is simple and very easy to follow in conveying the intended concepts.

I really enjoy each individual artifact of the eight in this UN project. Very creatively and thoughtfully done.

The last automobile brand I chose to use and evaluate is Alfa Romeo. It has always intrigued me and been one of my favorites over the years but ironically enough, one of the auto makers i know the least about.

The history behind there emblem is was created much in the same way most of the European auto makers created theirs. They seem to all have some historical value behind the design. Alfa Romeo was no exception. I never knew how much history there was behind these emblems. The American auto makers and even the Asian auto makers just don't have the same name recognition. Europe has time on its side while the American auto makers seem to be totally generic. Perhaps Detroit could learn a thing or two from the Europeans.

The second, Porsche, is another name brand that is synonymous for speed and performance. The use of a coat of arms and, ironically enough, a prancing horse at the middle that is very similar to Ferrari, although there seems to be no connection between the two that I am aware of. The whole idea of the Porsche emblem came from the founders son who used the coat of arms from a local German province I assumed he grew up in. There have been few changes to it since that time. The logo is without a doubt, one of the major hallmarks of the company.

As for the first part of my final evaluation, the three automible brands that I chose to use were pretty easy picks.

The First, Ferrari, has a name that just says it all for me. It is very easily recognizable the world over. The bright yellow on the red with the black "Prancing Horse" as they call it, have given Ferrari incredible name recognotion. For me personally, when I think of the brand Ferrari, I think sports cars, speed, power, and high performance. I discovered that the symbol of the prancing horse actually came from a great Italian ace fighter pilot from World War II. He would paint this symbol on the side of his aircraft before going into battle. He died young, as most fighter pilots of that era did, but history says he fought fearlessly to the end.

For my communication artifact I have chosen to follow up on the same theme as my story board, homelessness. I have tried to address all three of the primary communication effects ie. affective, cognitive, and psychomotor. Affective, how can you look at the photos of these individuals and their living conditions and not feel something? Cognitive, to see is to learn and to learn means to recognize that this is a real issue that affects literally tens of thousands of fellow citizens in every major community across this "Great" country of ours. Psychomotor, make a difference in the life of another human being by giving more liberally of yourself in time given or monetary means to someone else much less fortunate than ourselves, or simply down on his/her luck. The design concept behind this PSA was and is to bring about greater awareness and a sense of desire to learn more and get involved or in other words to comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable. In an imperfect world sometimes the biggest crimes against humanity are crimes of ommision rather than crimes of commission. Complacency, apathy, and indifference are the biggest hurdles to overcome to raise the overall level of awareness and individual community involvement.

Living In Oblivion

Living in Oblivion

Unit Interactive

I had the chance to look at all of the web sites listed and actually enjoyed the site "ThoughtLab" the most. I also see that it is the most written and critiqued site listed so I have decided to use "Unit Interactive" as the site I critique.
At first glance, the site uses the principles of quiet structure very effectively. There is nothing very complicated about the layout of the site. They make very good use of the way they wish to communicate the sites structure using a very strong grid that displays the rule of thirds throughout the site.
They have used affordance icons to give the visitor to the site a better indication of what's in store, which would seem very appropriate coming from a company that designs logos, web applications and web sites. These same affordance icons are displayed in a downward angular fashion that seem to guide the visitors eyes downward toward the rest of the page.
The site is easy to navigate and does have a intuitiveness about it that makes it easy for a first time visitor, like myself, to surf through the site. It has a very simplistic approach that allows you to navigate the site and know where it is you are going and what you will be presented with.
For example, you see a tab labeled "Have a look at some of our work" that takes you to another page that displays a series of logos that they have either designed or worked with. It is very clearly layed out and you are able to click on each logo that is displayed to get a little more info behind the design concepts used in each creation. I believe this is a very powerful and compelling sales tool that they have used in a way to display their expertise and set them apart from other competitors in the industry.
The overall ease of use and navigation throughout the site makes it appealing and aesthetically pleasing. The structure and simplicity of the site adds to its appeal. A good use of Gestalts Law of Pragnanz where less actually becomes more.

Ok, so the secrect is out! I didn't draw/write my own font. It was, however, created and designed (for the most part) right here in the USA, and the actual layout and production was outsourced to a third party.

I'm simply following the corporate American model, work smarter not harder. I can assure you that there were no third world countries involved and no children were exploited in the creation of my font. Although, I must admit that I have been told my font looks like it was done by a 13 year old girl. This is only half true. Yes, she was a female but well beyond 13 in terms of years and creative ability. Not to mention I happen to be related to her, my older sister, bless her soul!

This was truly an inspired, collective effort. The meeting of two similiar, yet very different minds to come up with such a truly unique piece of work. A corroborative effort with very satisfying results shown below for your viewing pleasure!

My Font

After looking through many sites on fonts, I decided to spend my time looking into Fontstruct. A very well put together site with a myriad of design options to play around with. The options are seemingly endless. After taking a brief and informative tutorial, I was on my way.

I worked with several differnt font designs before coming up with the one I used. The reason behind my particular font is simple, very uniform and symmetrical. This is appealing to my eye and sense of style. Patterns are repeated over and over as you look through the letters and even with the numbers.

I didn't really know where I was going with it in the beginning and the first few letters seem to take the most time to create. Once I had established a pattern the rest was much easier as I tried to remain consistent to my original font concept. Although there may be inconsistencies noticed, I believe that the perceptual influences involved in the font's character remain true.

This is very subjective depending on ones own sense of design and personal taste. Personally, consistency and uniformity are things I'm drawn to. I like the balance and symmetry and followed these concepts throughout the design and creation of my font.

MY NEW FONT

Design Presentation

                                                                                                                                                                              For my design presentation, I have chosen to use "G Scale" Trains. "G Scale" is the largest, and far and away the most popular series for long time collectors and first time buyers alike.

This is a hobby I've recently been more involved with in large part because I have an 11 year old son who enjoys then even more than his dad!

I have used two different examples to compare and contrast. The first, and better example, is the LGB brand. LGB is a company that began back in the late 1800's in Brandenburg, Germany. They were the manufacturers of mechanical toys which quickly gained world wide recognition for their exceptional quality. That reputation has carried through to the present time making LGB the designer and manufacturer of choice by virtually any collector.

One of the first things you notice about LGB is the bright red packaging with the green horizontal stripe running through it. This has been their signature for many years and has made them very recognizable in the industry from novice to expert. Each package has been individually crafted to fit the product it is showcasing. Simply picking up an LGB package, and you know it's something substantial and the great detail becomes more obvious. The German design and manufacturing are second to none. If you have ever owned anything that was designed and built in Germany, than you know that they have a reputation for very high quality. LGB trains are certainly no exception.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               The second manufacturer I am using to compare is an American company, Aristo-Craft. They have been around for a little more than 70 years, but have only been in the train business since the late 80's. Thats 1980's in comparison to the 1880's with LGB.

Aristo-Craft trains are all designed in the USA but the big difference comes in the manufacturing, all outsourced to China. This really comes as no suprise as the majority of products we now use are manufacture over seas in China. The connotation is that products made in China are usually of lessor quality. In the case of Aristo-Craft trains, in my opinion, the same could be said.

Aristo-Craft uses a simple yellow package that when picked up does not give the same substantial feel as the LGB. The packaging also has much more print on the front than LGB, which ,to me, seems to be more of a distraction than informative. The old addage "Less is more" would apply here.

Now, as with many products manufactured in China, there is an upside. That upside is a cost savings, the reason most things are manufactured over seas. It's a good product for the money but as you becomes more familiar with the various manufacturers of trains, it becomes clear that the LGB products are superior in almost every way.

                

  

This is an example of an LGB engine and caboose, 1940's circa.

This image, although obvious, is a great example of the Law of Closure. Your eyes want to complete the sphere that we know the moon to be even if most of it is hidden from view.

This photo offers an interesting perspective to the Law of Continuity. Your eye wants to follow the easier path straight down this gorge but in direct contrast, we see this serpentine roadway that traverses downward back and forth.

This photo is a great example of the Law of Pragnanz. Your eye wants to look for recognizable shapes although there are other less obvious, and more complicated shapes if you look more closely.

This photo demonstrates the use of the law of proximity as these various shapes have been intentionally grouped together although they are adjacent to each other.

The law of similiarity. The leaves of this plant, although different, are very similiar in pattern.

Using this photo as the premise for the rule of thirds helps to be able to recognize it in all of the following photos.

Radial Bayonets

An interesting shot showing radial symetry in the way all of these bayonets have been placed side by side.

This picture shows the rule of thirds as the headshot has been purposely been kept to the right of center. It also offers some nice balance and contrast with the dark, almost black background.

Fun and creative photo showing asymetry. The way the picture has been laid out does offer the viewer some balance with the silverware and beater. The syrup and the glob of pancake batter help create the balance.

Another image showing obvious symetry.

A very unique shot depicting balance through symetry.

A very cool photo that shows some great texture and color. The outward sloping rock seems to hover over the frozen lake below. The various colors of moss and sediment on the face of the rock. The texture of the grass and rock below seated up against the shoreline. The shadowing of the mountain in the backgroung in contrast with the sun on the sloping rock in the foregroung really seems to make it pop out.

A fun shot that gives us many elements to look at. The bright colors of the face and trunk paint on the elephant almost appear mask like. The size and orientation of the man in the basket versus the large mammal he sits on. The jungle in the background and the paved road they travel.

Interesting contrast between these bloomed tulips and the early snowfall that seems to gently blanket them. Contrast of seasons as is the bright colors of the tulips set against a mostly white background.

I love the texture of this photo. The incredible smoothness of the sand in contrast with the coarseness of this mushroom. Its orientation in contrast with the plant life behind. Where no life seems possible it seems to defy that!

This shot gives a very interesting perspective of the side of this office/apartment building. The sizes and shapes of each window and the difference in color. The way each is highlighted by the darker contrast of the building its self.

A incredible shot of a snow peaked mountain top with the rolling green meadows below. The flowers seem to be shooting out of the ground like fireworks. The shadowing of the clouds as they cross the range and the texture of the grass and the pine trees.

A very simple, yet, beautiful image. The orientation of the lifeless tree in the foreground against the vast unforgiving desert behind. The texture of the sand on the desert floor and the gnarled tree and the rolling mounds of sand behind.

Color is the first thing that jumps right out at you. As you look closer, there are so many more elements of contrast. The shadowing of the insect onto the flower pedals below. The textures of the flower pedals. The symmetry of the beetle and its position.

A really awesome photo that has some wonderful contrast to it. The orientation of the dragonfly and the closeness in proimity to the young boy. Size, shape, and shadowing are also very apparent. The setting sun in the background really adds some interesting dimension.

This is a fun picture that illustrates a lot of elements of contrast. From the size of the infants foot in contrast to the size of the thumb. The textures of the newborns skin. The shape of each toe and foot and its orientation and position between the larger fingers.

There are obvious contrasts between the old and modern in this photo. This Roman Arcitecture in the foreground is very distinct and recognizable versus the modern building behind it with its sleek lines and smooth glass.

Get the Glass!

Get the Glass is a new twist on the complex world of advertising. The internet board game both entertains and educates as one learns about the many health benefits we get from having milk as a regular part of out healthy diets.

As you weave through the maze of the board game there are various obstacles and challenges that the characters in the game would be able to navigate with ease if they only had milk to promote better health, stronger bones, and of course, to help with those awful PMS symptoms!

As you tackle the game and overcome the challenges you eventually make it to your goal, Fort Fridge. You break in in get the highly coveted glass of milk and all is well. Fail in your attempt and you will likely be spending some time in Milkatraz, life without milk.

The designers have obviously put a great deal of time into the creation of this idea and into the execution of it. It's pretty clear they had some fun doing it. As you get deeper into the game, particularly the crime files, we see that the designers have a very specific profile for each of the games four main characters. All are suffering from some form of health ailment because of the lack of milk in their diets. They have even included actuall x-rays to show some of the ill affects.

It was very entertaining, I even had my 11 year old son get online without telling him who was behind the site and what the message was. I didn't take him long to figure out that, along with the entertainment value, they are really trying to educate you to the many health benefits of milk in your diet.

There is a link from the games website to another website, gotmilk.com, that attempts to deliver the same message. It would appear that it's the work of the creators of Get the Glass. Again, they try to educate while entertain about the many benefits of milk and the potential health risks without it.