Final: Bear Bones System

Bear Bones Systems is an extraordinary company that brings the vision of a light weight trailer to the towing industry. In order to provide the company with a better marketing strategy, my group and I created a brochure, edited video footage, revamped the website, and changed the logo. I was in charge of redesigning the logo for the company.

The logo located in the upper left hand corner is the original logo and it can be found on each trailer. I first analyzed the logo and was impressed. I believed the logo was not a bad design choice but realized it did not incorporate the idea of a trailer in the design.

The image located in the right hand corner in the design I created. Initially I had some trouble putting my vision onto paper or craft my vision in photoshop. I wanted to somehow incorporate either the name of the company or the concept of a trailer into the logo. I believe the "bear claw" on the right incorporates both the trailer concept and the name of the company. The picture on the right brings a gestalt feeling of simplicity but also brings forward the companies concept; a powerful trailer that can be hauled with only one tire. The picture to the left does nothing for me and I feel as if the audience has no idea what the logo represents. 

Art Direction: Mad Max Fury Road

    

Mad Max Fury Road has multiple artistic elements that come together to create one high speed action packed adventure. For this blog post, I will be introducing you the lead art director of the film and analyzing specific tasks she must complete and commit to in order for the film to come together. 

Jacinta Leong is an art director and she works under Colin Gibson. Jacinta Leong wanted to make everything as real as possible without using CGI, but in order to make the film more realistic they used CGI in post production. Leong is in charge of creating the visual concept for the movie, determining design elements that get incorporated into the film, and develop the overall look or style of the movie. Jacinta Leong is also in charge of the supervising the design teams, which include costumes and makeup. The link below holds an interview that explains the design concept Leong wanted to achieve. Leong wanted to push Fury Road 45 years into the future and create a different world from the previous Mad Max films.

Every Mad Max fan was more than enthused when the first chase scene began because the "post apocalyptic" design elements carried throughout the costumes and props. The law of similarity plays a key role in this film and design, because each and every car or costume has some sort of steam punk element attached to it. All-in-all a positive gestalt feeling was taken away from this film because of the design elements and the CGI that was placed in post production. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8p7U6GMWeQ

Compose Your Frame

This picture was taken form the balcony of the Holland building that outlooks the grass field and baseball/softball fields. In this picture, the rule of thirds follows both the horizontal and vertical lines. The red square tiles act as the vertical lines while the chrome beams act as the horizontal lines. There is also a movement vector that leads the eye downward through the chrome beams. There is also movement cause by the diagonal rule as well as the center chrome beam. The diagonal rule is applied by the shadow the the chrome side beams that lead the eye downward as well.

Axioms of Web Design

It was difficult choosing a website to critique, but I thought "Out of Africa" would be relevant to my own personal timeline. I recently visited this wildlife habitat on my birthday last week and it was a wonderful experience. I visited the website before leaving for my trip and it was an easy website to navigate. In order to make sure this website is effective, applying the axioms of webdesign is crucial. 

First, the mission of the "Out of Africa" park is clearly stated underneath the "About the Park" tab. They clearly state that the conservation of the animals and making sure each and every guest has fun, yet walks away with broader knowledge of the animal kingdom, is their mission. Secondly, I believe the habitat uses a strong page design. What I mean by this is that each corner is properly aligned and even the boxes within the larger navigational boxes are aligned. Symmetry is very important when it comes to structure and drawing an audience into a websites homepage. The third axiom of web design consists of a strong picture in the lower right hand corner. The habitat does not follow this rule, but I do believe the large picture advertisements that is off centered is also effective. Also, I do believe the background for this website is relevant and effective. This background leads us to the fourth axiom of webdesign and that is leading the eye through an angle. This website is predominantly led by a diagonal line, because of the background and the horizon. 

Design Evaluation: All Shook Up

 Maybe I'm a little bias or maybe I just like a poster filled with great sketches, but the poster to the left is a great design while the poster in the bottom right hand corner is simply plain.
Lets begin by talking about contrast. When looking at both posters you can not help but to be drawn by the title of the show "All Shook Up." They both will stand out on a bulletin board because of their bright choice in background colors. The font choice for the poster to the lefy is very plain in its color and also its font style. The choice in font for the bottom poster is in an array of colors and also feature a font style that is off balanced and whimsical. The font color and style can either attract someone to the name of the show or show them that this musical is upbeat and energetic.
The reason why I am bias about the poster to the left is because of the positive gestalt that it brings. I performed in the musical to the left as my last show on the Faith Lutheran stage. I received the "Center Stage" award shortly following this performance and it was the best way to wrap up my senior year. Each and every person sketched on this poster are all my friends who performed in the musical as well. These self portraits were hand drawn by an art student who participated in our phenomenal art program. The Gestalt Principle also has many laws talking about similarity and proximity of the items within the poster. The law of similarity is shown in the poster on the left with the guitars and the rectangular shapes being clumped together to form a backdrop for the title.

The poster to the left shows the law of continuity well because each minor character follows the path of the bike being driven by the leads. This can also be called proximity, and where the motorcycle is placed compared to the other characters. The law of closure is also shown in the top left poster when the rectangles, guitars, and title are grouped together by the eye.
I wanted to end the discussion talking about the font in both of these posters. First, the font in the upper left poster is bold and states exactly where the show is being performed and where tickets can be purchased. The poster clearly states the musical is made entirely of Elvis songs but with a news twist. The poster to the right does not explain much but leaves the mind to wonder where this musical is being shown and how someone could acquire tickets. Of course, one is a high school show and needs more help and funding than a broadway musical, but again, I am bias and love the musical regardless.

Contrast, Balance, & Harmony

When I think of harmony I think about peace and absolute serenity. Personally I have never been able to find absolute peace in our own human species but I have found peace through animals. The picture I chose exudes the Gestalt Theory because of the positive feelings that come from this picture.

Not only does this picture bring about positive feelings, but it is also symbolic in a sense. The white horse seems to portray a leader role and the horse's color symbolizes peace. The other two horses bring about contrast because of their darker tones and position stemming from the center horse. I believe color is the main component in this picture that draws the eye to the stark white center. The color contrast between the shrub and the horses draws the eye towards the center of the picture. Also, the blurred backdrop makes it easier to follow the line of the horse's body instead of focusing on the distant shrub.

I find harmony coming into play because all three horses are staring in the same direction. It is also important to note the number of horses photographed. We as humans love to group things into threes and for many religious individuals the number three is very harmonies. Personally, the colors and numbers are symbolic to the Holy Trinity. This brings about another great feeling out of this picture. Overall, the Gestalt theory can be applied to this picture in a number of ways to bring about a positive and harmonious feeling.

My Visceral Response

The Light In The Dark

My Visceral Response

The reason why I chose this picture is because it stimulates me psychologically. Sunflowers personally symbolize the light that surrounds a dark world. I believe even thought the world is not perfect and is filled with a lot of cruel and evil people, there are still people who will surround the world with peace and joy. This image heightens my psychological response because of the contrast of colors and lines created by the sunset.

The colors have a certain contrast between the position and color of the flowers. The contrast between position of the sunflowers causes the eye to be drawn to the sunset and the horizon. As your eye is drawn to the horizon the color contrast between the yellow/pink and the blue sky causes a peaceful ambiance. There is also a distinct line being drawn through the center of the picture. The mountains cause your eye to either focus on the sunflowers or the sky. The polka dots in the filed are caused by the circular shape of the sunflower; this polka dot pattern also causes the eye to be drawn to the horizon because of the depth and  movement. The picture has movement that is caused by the position each sunflower takes within the field. Overall, this picture creates a "stupefying" feeling because of the line, depth, color, and shape.