Exercise Three - Type as Shape

For this exercise we started to change things up, this is the first exercise that we did not do all the work on the computer. Yes, for the other projects you can, and honestly, probably should do some sketches and other work besides on the computer. Yet, I typically don't do that, or at least I haven't for the first two projects, and that is mostly because I didn't find it necessary. For the first two exercises it was all work that you had to be done on the computer. Why would I sketch out different typefaces when I have them on a computer? Or what would I really need to do outside of the computer on the second exercise? It's not like I am going to draw the billboard in black and white instead of just creating that in photoshop. 

So, for me, this exercise seemed like the breakthrough into something that I actually enjoy to do. I really enjoy working with my hands, no matter what that might entail. In this instance it was cutting out various forms of type that we found inside of a single letter. The only problem with this portion of the exercise is somewhere along the way I either got carried away or didn't quite understand the directions. Because I decided to cut up about three times as many shapes out of the letters than I was suppose to. At first I was a little annoyed with myself, because I had just wasted so much time, but after I got over that I had way more material to work with, which made it possible for the ideas to start flowing. 

When you have a bunch of cut out pieces it makes it a lot easier to quickly put a bunch of ideas together in a short period of time. After the actual cutting process it was really easy to put things together to see what I liked and what I didn't like. I came up with my first two ideas in minutes. If I would have done that on the computer I feel as though it would have taken at least double, maybe even triple that amount of time. I did however run into one other problem during this project. If I would have known how many and what I was allowed to cut out in the beginning I would have done that part differently opening up different combinations of shape than I had. See, I only cut out single portions of letter forms making it difficult to get a final solution that felt like it really fit together. I could making dozens of solutions, but non that were really great. It wasn't until one of my last attempts in making a design that I felt that it really worked. Even though, non of the pieces really matched at all, for some reason to me it just seemed like it fit. I took a "F" and three different parts of three different "Q's" and somehow I feel like it just worked itself out. I think it is because non of them really match up and they are not entirely unified, but at the same time they have a sense of movement throughout. It also is good that one of the Q's has a very heavy line weight to kind of throw off and at the same time balance out the rest of the pieces. 

After making this project I can't wait to do more things like this, yes, it's fun to do stuff on the computer in illustrator and what not. But, I really enjoy actually working with my hands and creating something out of something completely different or even better out of nothing at all.

Exercise Two - Billboard as Personal Advertisement

For the second exercise of the semester we had to go out and find or google a billboard that we would then strip it of its original contents and make a sign that told something to the world on the billboard about ourselves. Although this was only an exercise and one of first at that, it was still a bit difficult for me for a few reasons. The most difficult was for me to think of how I would represent myself. What would I say on a billboard to capture who I am? The reason this was so hard for me was because I never know how to answer any question about myself. I am honestly not sure how people do. So when it came down to it the way I picked what I said on the billboard was from a quote from a movie that I watched shortly before this exercise, I just couldn't get the quote out of my head. Partially because it is hilarious, especially in the context of the actual film ( The calcium kid). I also related to the quote, not only because the actual quote was funny, but the over all sense of humor is on point with my own. Even though the quote seems kind of dumb and silly, I also believe in the message. Nothing is out of reach if you try and have what it takes to accomplish a task. I am an optimistic person, I feel as though things will work out in the end, but even above that they will work out the way that they are suppose to. For whatever reason, this quote from this comedy conveyed that message better than anything else I could think of . 

When it came down to finding the actual billboard. That part was pretty easy, on my way home I always pass this one billboard on the corner of 27th and O street. This bill board sits on top of building, and for some reason I have always liked the position of it, so I thought this would be the perfect billboard for this project. The only problem with taking a photo of that billboard is that it's at the cross road of two busy streets so I was running back and forth to find the best vantage point. Every time I thought that I found a good one a bus or big truck got the red light and was in my way. After a decent amount of time I finally got the shot and was happy with the spot. 

The next step to the exercise was taking the photo of the billboard into photoshop and making it black and white. This is where the second challenging part of this assignment came into play. I've never used photoshop prior to this exercise, so I had no idea how to go about this. Good thing it really was not a hard thing to do and it only took me a few minutes to figure that part out. 

Then after making the billboard image black and white I then had to strip the billboard of its contents so I could then make my own design. This was probably the easiest part of the exercise. All that is needed to be done to accomplish this is to outline the billboard and then just fill white. 

After I whited out the billboard it was now time to create my own. A billboard that said something about myself. So, I put the quote "Nothing is out of reach if you have long arms." I felt since this quote is a little dumb and simple minded that it should stand alone. I also like the idea of a lot of white space. Then I just selected a simple sans serif type. After that I just wanted to place it towards the top side of the billboard to subtly introduce the idea that this is meant to be for a tall person with long arms. I also made it so the text is all one line to express the long arm. 

Exercise One - Expression with Type

For this first Exercise it was my first time really thinking about type. How different typefaces can influence different moods or thought processes. Before this class the only other graphics classes I took were during my freshman and sophomore year of high school. I learned a lot during those classes, we went over some history of type and also the different type classifications. Still, I never truly thought of how those different type variations conveyed different messages. 

It wasn't until the start of this first exercise that I really thought of what the typeface itself could say. By choosing the right typeface for something you cannot only insure somebody will read and understand your work. Whether it is for a sign or a large body of text a typeface can achieve either readability or legibility. 

A typeface is not just meant to be eye catching, logical or legible though. The type that you choose can also send the message to the person before they even start to read the message. At its core type is a graphic form, a form that can convey an idea or an emotion. 

For the start of this exercise I didn't know a lot of typefaces, and which of them would show a state of sorrow, anger or elegance. So, the best way I thought to go about this exercise was to simply type out the word and go through the font book one by one seeing how I felt when I looked at that work written in that state. Most of the time I felt nothing, if the type was simple or not very reactive. Other times I would feel a great pull towards the typeface and another emotion and other times I would feel as though that type and state would spot on with each other. In that moment I would not change a thing. Yes, this isn't the best of processes; it dragged on a bit as I went through the 800 or so different typefaces in the font book for the 8th time. Although it wasn't the quickest process it gave me a greater sense that I had picked the best typeface for that word and also helped me get familiar with more typefaces.