Discovering Jessica Hische and Louise Fili:

Jessica Hische is a typographer and illustrator. I was suprised to hear that she works entirely in Adobe Illustrator because some of her work looks so hand-drawn. She talked a lot about how the design field works and gave me a lot of insight into having a job in the design world. She brought up the issue of legibility a few times, which is understandably an important aspect of lettering. The fact that a self-authored project launched her into fame is so awesome, and it really shows how much passion she has for what she does. Her daily drop cap project helped her stay motivated and allowed her to work on type every day even when the work she was doing didn't. In general she seems like an amazingly self-motivated individual. I was amazed to learn that she had designed so many things I have seen and am familiar with, such as the Barnes and Noble leather-bound classics. I was also amazed by how young she is and the amount of success she has had with her career. I personally love her style everything she has made.

Jessica worked under the graphic designer Louise Fili, who specializes in logo, package, and book design. Her lettering is so clean and beautiful, and completely legible. I can definitely pick up a different style than that which is in Jessica Hische's work. Louise Fili's design is less youthful and fun, but more subtle, elegant and refined. I found a quote by Louise from an interview that I think sums up her work well: "I proved that one does not have to shout to be noticed. A design can be quietly beautiful and still grab attention. I prefer subtle and elegant typographic solutions to more boisterous graphic displays."

"This Means That"

This Means This, This Means That: A User's Guide to Semiotics by Sean Hall

This is a very interesting reading about semiotics, which is the study of signs and symbols. It talks about how semiotics is really about understanding meaning in different ways. Symbols are important because they mean something other than themselves. An apple can mean a variety of different things, one example being sin or temptation when viewed in a Biblical context. When we read messages, a lot is dependent on the context; all signs are created within the context of a specific society and many symbols depend on extensive background cultural knowledge in order to understand. 

I really liked the way this reading was set up, presenting images and posing questions followed by explanations. It was relatively simple and very understandable. I think it's amazing that symbols can have such powerful influence. For example, Hall mentions the symbol of the Nazi party which, while originally a Hindu symbol for luck, changed and came to be powerfully associated for people today with murder and genocide. I liked the section on similes and metaphors, which are very often used in visual communication. I never realized how central metaphor is in advertising. Overall, it was a very worthwhile read.

Moodboard:

Here is a link to my moodboard for my book cover redesign of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams:

http://pinterest.com/joberry93/hitchhikersredesign-moodboard/

Journal: Kidd and Rand

Chip Kidd is a graphic designer particularly well-known for his book covers. He did a talk for TED which can be found here:

If a bit silly at times, this talk is a great introduction to book cover design. Chip teaches us to ask this vital question: 'what do the stories look like?'. He brilliantly sums up his job with this simple statement: 'a book designer gives form to content', and he emphasizes the necessity of a careful balance between the two. Chip tells us the importance of not treating your audience like morons— you either say the thing or show the thing, but never both simultaneously. In his talk, he walks us through some of the covers he has designed, and the stories behind them, all of which are solutions that derive their origins from the text. He says that a book designer is both an interpreter and a translator. Chip gives us an example of how looking at a book cover can be an experience, seeing the spine and picking it up off a shelf. He also expresses his very firm opinion that books are meant to be interacted with on a physical level, and not viewed on a screen.
I really resonated with the depth of meaning behind his mostly simple designs. Every element is intentional and has a purpose.

The School of Visual Arts did a special lecture series by Steven Heller about the famous graphic designer Paul Rand, which can be seen here:

Paul Rand made book covers around the late 50's and 60's, which could be considered a bit radical for that time. Rand was interested in abstract expressionalism. Heller claims that his covers have a timeless look that can't be dated, but I don't necessarily agree with that. Rand put his signatures on most of his covers, suggesting that they are more than just books, but rather art. Heller says that Rand's covers are not about telling the whole story, because that can be done on the book's back cover, but rather giving an impression of the book. Paul Rand's design was about considering all the elements and then making the right decision. His covers have a definite recognizable style, simple yet brilliantly designed.

Motion Graphic Final:

Here is my final animation and one example spread from my final book of Charlie Chaplin's speech from his film The Great Dictator.

My video maintained a relatively simple approach to representing the speech visually, with mainly quick fade-ins and fade-outs. The speech begins slowly and works to a more dramatic middle and finish, which I think I successfully represented in my animation and book. I used scale change to indicate change in Chaplin's tone and to emphasize the same words visually that he did with his voice. The book and video are very similar, but I think the big changes in weight and color work more effectively and are more surprising in the video. 

Expressive Type Storyboards:

Below are some storyboards, mapping out ideas for the way my speech will translate into a video.
It seems like I have a lot more text then most of my classmates. Chaplin speaks quite quickly, and says a lot in a short time. It is a little difficult for me to visualize the way the words will move by just writing on flat paper, but I am excited to get started in AfterEffects.

Movie Intro Inspiration:

SAUL BASS:
North by Northwest--
     The text works in an environment here, becoming part of its surrounding space by taking on the perspective of the high-rise building behind it. When we see the busy streets with people walking past, the text moves onto and off of the screen in the same hurried manner. His exciting and upbeat choice of music also reflects this hectic, bustling city.

Psycho--
     The music very much sets the eerie sort of scary tone for this movie, before any image or text even appears. The text comes onto the screen in a disjointed manner, coming apart again as it exits the screen. This disconnected typography gives us the idea of it being cut apart, fitting in with the horror/thriller tone.

Oceans Eleven--
     I have not seen this film, so I don't already know exactly what the mood or tone is like with the other two films. However, the big, bright numbers and text made up of smaller dots immediately gave me the impression of Hollywood because they look like lightbulbs. However, gathering from the cards and dice, I think it may be Las Vegas. Saul Bass does an amazing job of integrating image and text. In terms of similarities between all three, he seems to incorporate a lot of simple shape, particularly rectangles.

MARLENE McCARTHY:
I Shot Andy Warhol--
     The music immediately starts out very tense, and the text echoes this as it seems to oscillate and vibrate. The typewriter font used seems purposefully messy.

Safe--
     Once again, dramatic and tense opening music sets the tone. I like how the type and image play off of each other, as the text reflects the light from the car's headlights.

American Psycho--
     I think this opening is really clever. The dripping red liquid immediately resembles blood, and the music starts out a little slower and a bit creepy, but it flows into something a little more upbeat and classy as it becomes clear what the red liquid actually is. Also, the music and image are really cohesive, as the music starts each drip appears at the same time as the staccato note. The type itself is sort of simple and understated but elegant and clean.

I think the intro to the movie 300 (designed and animated by yU + Co.) is an inspiring opening sequence because it is so extremely dynamic. The font has a sort of graphic novel comic book vibe. I particularly like how as the view changes and the camera moves, the text stays where it was and you can see the dimentionality. It makes the text become very much an integral and cohesive part of the sequence. I like that the text is not just static and stationary, but becomes part of the imagery in the way it moves into and out of view, like the blood that spatters over each scene.