Mini Art School: Effective Graphic Design and Design Layout

In the past, when creating a document, I have had some intuitive sense of what fonts are best to use for any given situation. Well, in my opinion, at least. When the document allowed for some creativity, unlike most of the stark professional documents I had to create, I have always enjoyed experimenting with different fonts. While I didn't necessarily analyze the details associated with my choices, I would often type my text and then change the font until I found one that felt right. The Word Portraits Exercise reminded me of this process.

I am not sure if my peers would come up with similar words that might be amplified or contrasted by a particular font, I did, however, enjoy experimenting with different combinations. Do you agree with the words that I have chosen to amplify and contrast with each font? What words would you have chosen?

My next experiment was to look at examples of layouts to determine how many used the rule of thirds and how many used the golden proportion. It seems like everywhere I look, I see the rule of thirds, especially in photographs. Or, maybe I should say, I see it in the majority of the "good" photographs that I come across. I remember hearing about the rule years ago and have since tried to keep it in mind when I take pictures. As for the golden proportion, I have a hard time recognizing it. I do vaguely remember being introduced to it as a kid, and I believe it was pointed out that the size of cereal boxes used the golden proportion. If that is the case, then I would argue that the golden proportion is everywhere around us, from the size of standard sheets of paper to the size of our smartphones, and everything that can be printed therein. What is your interpretation of the golden proportion?

Introduction to Rules of Design

I was excited to see that we would be getting some exposure to graphic design in this course. I have never had any training in this area and have always been curious about it. I have created many documents over the years, from newsletters to presentations, and have only had my instincts to guide me. I suppose that I did learn a few things in the writing courses that I have taken in the past, but I only remember vague references to white space and strict rules about what font can be used and when. And then there are the things that we get reprimanded for through our social circles, like using all caps, for example. Since I am interested in creating a website, I am looking forward to applying what we learn here.

I must admit, I had a hard time choosing something to analyze for this blog entry. I didn't know what to choose. Despite having done the reading, I still feel like a novice. I decided to go to Google and do a search for a flyer, particularly something that would be an example of what not to do, that might also have some obvious flaws that I could pick out. This was the first result, which can be found at http://santamariachambernews.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/bad-example-of-clip-art23.jpg:

My first thought was that this thing looks awful. Then I thought about how this flyer looked like something I might have created many years ago, when Microsoft Word was in its infancy. Then I began to recall what I had read this week. I noticed the use of several different fonts, which is not recommended. And the placement of each element makes the flyer feel messy. Then I thought about the margins, or rather lack thereof, and the use of bulky borders that was cautioned against in the reading.

It wasn't long before I started to realize why this came up as an example of poor flyer design. It includes so many examples of what we should not do. For example, the use of underlining to create emphasis is not necessary here. I also think that it would have been more effective to choose fewer images and to have utilized the grouping technique. I also think that the author could have chosen a more appropriate use of emphasis on more important elements and that attention should have been paid to the use of color throughout. And it appears that no attention was paid to alignment or trapped space.

I think that any of us, with what we have learned this week, could create a better flyer than this. I think that, if we did, our final product would not only follow the rules, but I also think that we would find a way to choose design elements that would relate to the subject of music. After all, this is a flyer about music lessons. Musically, this flyer sounds like a bunch of band instruments that have been dropped in a pile on the floor. I think we could make something that would sound better than that.

Learning through Online Communities

As part of step one in the procedure for my Multimedia Montage Project, I have joined the "Teach Astronomy" Google group and NASA's Center for Astronomy Education (CAE) Facebook Group. I am interested in developing a website that is in line with my mission, both personal and professional, which is to expand human understanding of the universe. My specific area of interest is cosmology, which is the study of the origin, structure, and evolution of the universe. However, this is a highly specialized area that falls under the broader topic of astrophysics, and even broader topic of astronomy. Since I would like my website to appeal to all ages, but primarily high school and up, I think that it is important to focus on the basics that would be most readily absorbed by the general public. Ideally, as I see it right now, I would like my website to serve not only as a source of learning, but also as a source of inspiration for further study. I envision it as an informal learning source that leads to more formal learning opportunities.

I believe that the communities that I have joined will help me to gain a better understanding of the current state of astronomy education in general. I would, however, like to find more communities to join that will help me with understanding how best to communicate the subject of cosmology with a general audience. (I am thinking that I may have to break the site down into areas that include something like a kids corner and other areas that provide more detail for advanced individuals.) The majority of the resources seem to be in the area of physics education, and there are some with regard to astronomy education, but few related to cosmology education. Also, in my search for astronomy education related communities, I came across some great multimedia resources. I am also wondering if there are communities related to astronomy related multimedia and/or web development. I am looking forward to searching for more communities to join and believe that they will continue to influence my work far beyond this course.

Media Critique

When I first saw the The Force: Volkswagen Commercial (https://youtu.be/R55e-uHQna0), I thought that whoever came up with the idea was brilliant. The commercial appeals to multiple generations. So many of us were Star Wars fans when we were younger and many of us continue to be today. When the commercial came out, I remember thinking about the timeliness of its release, as I believe it was around the time that Disney acquired the Star Wars "empire". While I am sure that the intended audience is anyone who may be in the market for a car in the near future, I think that they are also appealing to children, which in turn gets the parents’ attention.

I'm not sure if everyone feels the same way that I do, but I really relate to the kid that's trying to use the force. I remember trying to do something like that when I was that age. And his reaction when he thinks that the force is working makes me think of what it feels like to believe in magic. Clearly, the commercial's goal is to sell cars, but I think that there's more to it. I think that they want us to associate the brand with that feeling of magic. I don't think that any other medium could have conveyed that feeling as well as video does, although I think that the music plays an important role. I watched the video without the music, and it does not evoke the same sort of feeling. I find it interesting, though, that such a menacing soundtrack could convey such a positive message. I think it may have something to do with the music’s juxtaposition in relation to the kid, the flowing cape, and the oversized Darth Vader helmet.

I think that there is also an interesting parallel between a movie trailer for an upcoming release of some sort of blockbuster film and this commercial for the “All New Passat”. Did they employ the kind of director who traditionally works on movie trailers? Or were they simply trying to generate hype similar to what a movie trailer would? Whatever their motivation, the end result was an entertaining short that appeals to a large audience and, in the end, effectively weaves the car into the story and creates a positive association with the brand. It’s brilliant!