DSDN171_blog5_Locovisual

Blog 5: Locovisual

Art Deco is an electric artistic style that arose out of the 1925 industrial and decorative arts exhibition in Paris. Descending from the Art Noveau movement it sought to use and incorporate new materials into decorative patterns and was mainly "characterised by simplified ornamentation and an emphasis on geometrical decoration; the use of applied ornament creating an image of modernity"[1]. It was inspired through the streamline designs of locomotives, cars and ships, predominantly by designers such as Raymond Loewy. It aimed to enhance industrial design into fine art and has a universal application from furniture to interiors, jewellery to fashions and buildings.

During the great depression of the 1930’s and especially after the Napier earthquake of 1931 New Zealand architects began to explore the art deco style that was growing in popularity throughout Europe and America. In 1907 Penty and Blake designed the James Smith building, on the corner of Cuba and Manners street. However in 1932 architects King and Dawson supervised the refurbishment of the building, including a new art deco façade. In the Victoria University of Wellington research report of 1981, Stuart Gardyne states that;

“This Art Deco, or modernistic style, was, in retrospect, probably most successful of the pluralistic tendencies of the 1920’s and 1930’s which, simultaneously, provided a modern while still incorporating traditional standards of planning and composition[2].”

Although some of the original Edwardian character of the building can still be recognized, the art deco style is prevalent, with imposing facades that are commandingly similar in symmetry and ornament, its prominent vertical piers, stepped skyline and striking vertical 1930’s style lettering that runs down the central column are reflective of art deco’s stripped back, restricting style.

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[1]http://www.wellington.govt.nz/services/heritage/pdfs/artdeco.pdf

[2]Gardyne, S. 1981, VUW research report as citied in; Kemp, N. 2012, King and Dawson: an historical study, 1906-1981.

DSDN 101_group-project_iron-curtain

Iron Curtain




Iron Curtain is a company which sells the revolutionary product which aids people in "ironing out the creases" of design. This new product uses space age technology to transform different designs to design forms that suit the time. This iron straightens out older designs creating a new, modern finish. Our intentions were to try to sell our product in a cliche mid-morning advertisement, aimed at an audience, ranging from housewives to retirees. Through the use of stop motion with an increased audio speed we feel we have taken a humorous approach to a stereotypical genre. Through the use of voice overs, we have attempted to create an atmosphere similar to that of a home shopping channel. We showed our product's intended use to "wow" audiences into buying our product. "Iron curtain" being repeated in conjunction with the phrase "wow" reinforces the product in the viewer's mind. The slogan "ironing out the creases" and positive messages within the advertisement are deliberately slower and clearer than the negative side effects. We chose to do this because typical advertisements like this often pass over the negative side effects of the product in a hurried manner so the viewer is less likely to notice. Exaggerating this highlights the ridiculous nature of these advertisement's attempts to gloss over negative associations with their product.


Here is a link to our video... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=my7nJeXAs5Q&feature=plcp

DSDN104_project2

DSDN project 2

Precedents

My first precedent was this cardboard star model, i liked it because of its shape and form. 

For my second precedent i chose this spinning top, i liked the layers it showed but i also wanted to re-create  it into my model as being slightly like a toy. 

Sketches

 For my skecthes i drew up a rough idea, taking aspects from my precedents a couple of quick drawings of what i might create or turn into a sketch model.

Sketch Models

I made 5 sketch models using different materials to experiment what might work with our final laser cut model. Given we were allowed to use card or acrylic i used similar materials and created a varied range of models and experimented with how they could be held together as we could not use any glues or adhesives. I like the idea of my simple spinning top and the multiple layer of diamond shaped cut out the best, to me i could see they might combine well to make an interesting model that could be functional as well as aesthetically pleasing.

This is a screenshot of my illustrator file, which was sent sent to the laser cutter which made my cut outs.

3D Models

For my 3D models i chose to use card, because it is easily malleable and i wanted to add some character to it but painting it. My model is a series of cardboard diamonds of different sizes layered up upon each other but threaded through a 5mm bolt. This design meant i created a model that could be transformed into different shapes and forms by simply twisting the card layers( as i have shown in my two pictures, one is a star shape the other is spiraling.)  They also have a slight spin top like toy aspect to them showing its versatility as well as design.

Digital Model Render

 This is my final render for my digital model, my model is star shaped and also with the pin coming through it looks quite like a spin top, this is why i initially chose this model because looking at it i could see i could build a physical model from it. I also tried to capture the contrast of my model by using a black and white colour scheme as well as reflections and lighting to try show a spin motion.

DSDN_171_blog4_Curatorial

Curatorial_Fluid Form

DSDN111_Project2_FluidForm

A few images of my final DSDN111 Fluid Form model project

DSDN101_Group Task One_AshtonOliver_ClementineSmart_JulieDrake_RichardMunn

This poster represents Iron Curtain, the interior furnishing company. We specialise with the use of our revolutionary product- the iron iron, which will be sure to 'iron out the creases'. Our product raises the curtain to reveal straight line design. Ashton Oliver, Richard Munn, Clementine Smart, Julie Drake.

DSDN 101 Project 2 _ One world film. Brainstorming and process

One world film.

BRAINSTORMING AND PROCESS

Kerning.

In typography, kerning is the process of adjusting the spacing between characters in a proportional font, usually to a achieve a visually pleasing result.

For our first lesson we learnt about kerning, by cutting and pasting letters onto a blank page i tried to arrange them with even spacing so they didn't effect the aesthetics of the word. This gave me a better understanding of how to arrange my words for my brainstorms aswell as my storyboards.


                                                          Process

For my initial process i drew up a brief summary of words and arranged them as i though they could act in a flash movie. The heart could thump like a heart beat, life could grow(created by starting small like a baby then growing through middle age and up until old and frail). The word wave could move like a wave, forming a curve then crashing and feather could slowly, gracefully move down the screen as if flutters in the wind.

And other words like boss(which i eventually evolved to make my final movie from) to the word grow(the font got bigger and bolder as it grew up the stage) As well as by showing how drip could be re-created by showing the motions of a word as dripping tap and the word shrink by shrinking it down the word across the frames.

I then drew a quick brainstorm cloud comprising of different words and ways i could try create these in a motion flash. As well as jotting down different notes of how i could make my movie better and practical steps i could take to accomplish it.




                                                                 Brainstorming.

After trialing different designs and a various range of words, i came up with 8 that i felt i could expand upon for my brainstorming. It was important for me to find words that differentiated from one another so i could express the range of possible techniques i could use.

These were two i thought up very earlier on in my process, Boss could be big and bold to really represent the stature of a boss and i could morph the words to look as though a boss shouts if as he was angry, Or by stacking the word boss in a more hierarchic way to show a bolder B on top as the boss and the narrowing smaller font-ed letters underneath him as his employees.
And with shrink i could shrink the word across the frames and enhance it by using the contrast of the black and white to make the shrink even more dramatic. The weaknesses being it is limited in its movement and in a flash clip it would just be a simple word shrinking, with no emotion or reference to a character.

With the word grow it could start small and in lower case letters to represent a baby and then throughout the frames gradually get bigger and change to uppercase to simulate something growing bigger and older. I thought in a film though it would again have limited appeal in terms of movement or use of a character.
Bury was a word i used to show that by the use of kerning techniques and simply slicing (or burying) a word you could create an effect that looks as the though word is literally doing as it says and gets buried.

For heart I could show its movement by not only having the font change bolder and into capitol letters yo show the thump of a heart as it beats but also have it move through the frames like you would view a heart beat on an heart break monitor. I researched some images of a heart rate monitor and drew lines that corosponded to where they would appear on the monitor. The word "heart" could follow these lines whilst differentiating in beat across the frames.
With the word afro it could start short like a buzz cut and grow to a full afro of hair. I changed the font frame by frame to a more rounder, fuzzy looking half circular looking font.

I chose these two in my brainstorms and in my storyboards because i felt like they had potential. For moustache i started off small then drew changes throughout the frames to grow the word to represent the shape and the form of a moustache. I chose it because it was intriguing and people could relate to it.
With the word structure i could easily show the motion of a structure being built through replicating the construction of a structure which for me was a tower. It could be moved to look like bricks being stacked or falling, as well as i could make the font square or more brick like to bring an even more structural aesthetic.

DSDN101 project 2. Storyboards

STORYBOARDS.

1st storyboard : Boss. 

                                                          
I chose boss because straight away i came up with  a video in my head when i though of the word. After playing around and fine tuning these ideas i came up with this storyboard. I used a fat, large font for the letter B(stereotyping the persona of a boss), as in the film i would portray him as the boss. His size shows his stature and prominence as well as his authority especially when compared to the characters O,S and S when they are introduced. Using a smaller font i feel i captured what i was trying to do my making them the employees to the boss of the letter B. The storyboard plays out  as the B walking in from the right of the screen and yelling at at his employees, who rush to his attention frightened and anxious to what they have done wrong. The B then yells louder and in a haste the employees scatter off to do there job leaving the boss contempt and joyful in his role.

                                                     
                                                   2nd storyboard : Moustache.

                                               


                                                           
For my second storyboard i used the word Moustache. aI initially wasnt going to use the word in my brainstorms or storyboard but after looking at concepts and images online i gathered a process of a moustache thickening and being groomed into a certain style(parissienne). By using letters from the word i could made a movie aswell eg. the T as a shaver. So i drew up some brief storyboards and played around with different fonts and came up with this storyboard. It just starts off by having a clean shave then over time(shown by numerous frames) the moustache grows until it is out of control when finally by stretching the letter E to use as a comb to brush the moustache until it became a thick well groomed mo like in the final frame, shown by thickening up the font and enlarging it on the page.

3rd storyboard : Structure.

I used the word structure as my third and final storyboard.While brainstorming the word i came up with lots of different ideas but stuck with this one and fine tuned it. I used a kind of brick type typography because i thought it best represented my word and i could use it to build up my letters like buliding blocks in a structure. In my brainstorm i have shown this by slowly introducing the word on screen then once the whole word is on the page it starts constructing itself to make the word structure in a vertical form. Then the structure collapses and falls fast smashing into the ground before assembling again to form the word structure horizontally on the bottom of the frame. I wanted to use a slightly smaller sized font to show when i was vertically formed it looked like a building in a horizon but i also zoomed in a bit closer on the first three four frames to show the word prominently.
                                                                  
                                                             

DSDN 101 project 2_ Final video

My final flash video

The final part of the project was turning our words into movies by using adobe flash. Through the processes of my brainstorms and storyboards i had s good idea of what i wanted to do for my final movie but first i had to learn the program. I started off by doing some tutorials and making some basic flash videos on abode, The videos were quick and slow. By using less frames I could make the image move faster and by making them longer slow them down.Then create different paths for them to differentiate there meanings.

After learning how to use the program I chose the word boss to use as my final flash movie. I followed my storyboard and made a film that I feel really represents the word boss well. I gave the letters characters to appeal more and with the use of sound it becomes quite humorous.

This is a screen shot of my sound. I used garage band to record the vocals of the different characters and their movements and then by using Logic i made a backing track with some vocals to enhance my flash movie.


And finally my final flash video: Boss

I feel as though I have made a high quality film that meets the criteria and effectively portrays my chosen word "boss". I utilized all the techniques i have learnt throughout this project.