Group Project

Our group decided to make over Jordan's dad's company, The Marble Factory. I was in charge of logo design, and this is what I came up with.

I then came up with an identity package to go along with it. I decided a cleaner, more streamlined look while still maintaining a lot of the old identity would work best.

I wanted to keep the logo one color for legibility purposes and for a sharp use of contrast, with a bold typeface to offer stability and a sense of command, which I feel will lend towards it's straightforward business practices. I enclosed the entire logo in a rounded rectangle so that it felt contained, offering closure to those who see it, which allows for a feeling of safety from the company. They will make sure the job is complete and contained. I wanted to communicate that in a simple, streamlined logo. 

Mis-En-Scene Presentation

Our group decided to report on "the barf scene" from The Sandlot (1993).

My role in the group is Art Director, who was Marc Dabe.

The art director manages the entire art department, from the set dressers to the prop masters to the entire look and feel of the movie. They stimulate emotion and help the audience connect to the film.

Marc Dabe worked on such films as Prancer and Toy Soldiers before The Sandlot, which was only his seventh film of his career.

After The Sandlot his work became varied. He didn't stick with kid movies or even period pieces. His work became highly varied, with a lot of TV movies and shows. In 2008 he worked on Pineapple Express, and since then he has been working exclusively in television shows.

Composing my Frame

The photo I chose for my frame is one I edited from my wedding. The diagonal lines created from cropping it on an angle create a sense of whimsy, and the line created from my leg leads the eye to my bouquet.

I like this photo because it carries a sense of fun and mystery, and is also an interesting photo, regardless of how many times it has been done.

Package Designs

My example of bad design is the Morton Salt container.

I understand that it is iconic, and it has been the same forever, but I have a number of reasons to dislike it. First and foremost, I hate that stupid spout. It is metal and salty, and it gets under my fingernail, both creating a wound, and adding salt to it. It's a tiny torture device. I realize that's not a Gestalt principle or an aesthetic thing, but it is a practical thing. I also don't care for the overall boredom of the packaging. The color choices bore me. I know salt just isn't an interesting product in and of itself, however, navy blue and a little white girl in a tiny yellow dress in the rain is a little dated.

My example of bad design is the Help Medicine Company line of products.

The colors are fun, they are straightforward and streamlined, and their exact purpose is clearly stated. I don't need to peruse the medicine aisle to find something I need when I am sick and miserable and want to spend as little time as possible in the store looking for something to make me feel better, and they travel easily. They are everything I want when it comes to medicinal remedies.

Contrast, Harmony, & Balance

The composition I've chosen for this particular post is this:

It is a perfectly-timed shot of a sunset under a pier. Very cool. As far as the contrast goes, I think the dim color of the pier helps highlight the brightness of the sun, despite it almost setting. Also the contrast between the blues and oranges really makes this something special. It is almost perfectly symmetrical, which means of course it is balanced. The colors, the balance, and the overall feel of this photo make this a very harmonious work.

I scoured the internet looking for a work that I could use and this was the first one I saw that I didn't hate. I think subconsciously symmetry just soothes me.

My Visceral Response: Hot Air Balloons

This is a hard thing to post about. Finding one thing that moves me time and time again is hard, because a lot of things move me. Early mornings in the fall and spring when the sun is almost blinding due to its brightness, something magical happens. The sky becomes dotted with elaborately colorful hot air balloons. Since I was a little girl I was always completely enamored with them. I have been awestruck at the sight of them as long as I can remember.

It's hard to quantify why something moves me. How do the lines or shapes or colors of something speak to me more than something else? Why? The colors and patterns on the hot air balloons were initially what got me as a child. It turned into something more as I got to be older. Now it's something that I can't even describe, but I still have to stop and stare anytime I see them.