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.

Expressive Typography Book:

Here are some screenshots of my book from our last critique on February 6th:
There isn't as much blatant visual language as some of my classmates' speeches, but I tried to bring drama to the words by the extreme weight and scale changes, as well as inverting the color on a few of the more powerful parts of the speech.

Expressive Typography

Last week in class, as an introduction to our project, we began looking at expressive typography.
While we see expressive typography all the time these days in commercials and advertisements, I was impressed by the simple and intelligent way Chermayeff and Geismar were able to manipulate words to show their meaning more clearly in their book, Watching Words Move. 

I went in search of more examples on-line and came across these that I particularly liked:

http://blog.corporatelogos.ws/meaningful-typography-logos

I think this is a good example of a simple but effective was to visually portray a word. Just by altering the letter 'A' slightly, the designer was able to add an additional layer to the viewer's understanding of the word. I am drawn to the simplicity and how changing one small element can make such an impact. 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dornickdesigns/6644761385/

The introduction to Watching Words Move mentioned a few early examples of expressive typography, among which was A.A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh. While I was unable to find many good images of his original 1926 book, this particular page I think shows some expressive type in the simple way that the elongation of the text highlights the height of the tree. 

http://www.tdc.org/archives/2174/

I also came across Saul Steinberg, whose work I had never seen before. I thought this image showed type with a lot of expression. The artist is able to send his message so clearly, that behind all the man's fancy talk, the real underlying subliminal message he is sending is no. 

http://www.behance.net/gallery/Guimares-JAZZ-2009/327267

I particularly like the way this set of posters uses movement of type to express the flow of the jazz music it advertises. I think it makes the text connect better on an additional level to the meaning of the posters. 

The Great Dictator's closing speech:

For our newest project, we were to choose a powerful speech in order to learn about and work with kinetic and expressive typography. 
I chose the famous speech from Charlie Chaplin's film "The Great Dictator":  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dX25PDBb708

After choosing our speeches, we did some research in order to better understand their meaning:

_ Who is speaking?

Charlie Chaplin is speaking as the character Omler, the protagonist, in the movie The Great Dictator.


_ Why was/is the speech important to society?


The speech makes the point that the human spirit and what makes us human is of upmost importance. Chaplin chose to conclude his film with this speech, looking straight into the camera and professing his personal beliefs and political views. The speech condemns fascism and the Nazis and those who take power away from the people.

_ Why do you feel it is important or interesting?


I think it is a reminder of the importance of humanity, what it means to be human, and how important it is to hold on to our humanity in spite of everything. But ultimately it makes the point that we are innately good and have the potential for freedom and beauty and happiness.

_ What is the emotion, mood, tone, personality, feeling of the speech?

I think it has a tone of optimism, that despite our struggles, we the people will ultimately prevail against all odds. It feels hopeful, offering encouragement.


_ What is intonation, emphasis, what is loud, stressed, or soft. Where are there pauses?

The speech has quite a build-up, beginning in a softer tone and becoming very impassioned. In terms of pauses, they are frequent but very short, with only a couple long ones.


_ What do you FEEL should be loud or soft, long pause or rushed?

It is overall an urgent speech and therefore it makes sense for the oration to be loud and fast-paced. It carries a powerful message, so the delivery should be equally as powerful. 


_ Is there a call to action? When listening to it what are key/emphasized words?


I think there is a call to action, because the speech is ultimately a plea for democracy, rousing the people against tyranny. Some of the most heavily emphasized words are men, liberty, you, and people.

_ How does it make you feel?


It makes me feel proud of the fact that we have defeated those dictators and gives me a feeling of gratitude that I have freedom and liberty. It also gives me a feeling of great hope when he says that each and every person has the power to make life beautiful.

_ How do imagine that the audience felt?


This film was met with some controversy when it came out in 1940, and was even banned in many parts of Europe. The United States was still formally at peace with Germany at the time of the film's first release. I think people listening to this speech at that time would have had a very different reaction to it than we do today. They were still in the midst of war and had not yet become fully aware of the atrocities committed by Hitler, so Chaplin made a bold move with his strong statement against dictatorial regimes. 

_ Could there be another interpretation of the speech?


The film is described as 'a satirical attack on fascism'. I think the message is fairly clear, though some might take the message and put it on a new level by applying it to our modern times, which would not have been Chaplin’s intention. Near the end of the speech Chaplin criticizes those who have risen to power who lie and don’t fulfill their promises. He was referring to the rulers of his time, but some might find this applicable to modern politicians. The speech drew significant debate at that time for its overt preaching, and continues to attract attention today. 

_ Write/find a short bio of the person giving the speech

Charles Chaplin was born in 1889 in England and died 1977 in Switzerland. His working life in entertainment spanned over 75 years. Chaplin became a global icon and was one of the first international film stars. He is most recognized as an icon of the silent film era and is considered one of the greatest filmmakers in the history of American cinema.