Two-point Perspective

I had never used two-point perspective until my BDS 103 class. I always just drew what I saw, and this usually caused the drawings to be unproportional. Using two-point perspective helps to cut down on this inaccuracy, and I've found that it's much easier drawing with this perspective. The only problem I had with two-point perspective was when the things I was drawing were too close, and I had to draw them really tiny so that I could fit my perspective points on my page.

Cross-Contour Tutorial Reflection

Today in BDS 103, we watched a tutorial on how to draw a cross-contour drawing of an apple. It was really easy to follow, and when I went home and tried it, it worked perfectly. At the beginning of the tutorial, the man draws a box for the apple and then lines for the bottom and top of the apple. I found this part of the video the most helpful. The box and lines help you draw the apple proportionally. I also found his shading tips helpful. My apple drawing turned out great because of this helpful tutorial. :)

Design Project 2 Reflection

The project overall was really good. There was only a one part that was difficult about it. The poster had a lot of elements that you had to put in it, which made it hard to make a design that looked good and brought them all together. I think the challenge was kind of fun, though. I thought it was really interesting learning how to fit all the pieces together. It was also interesting redesigning the fly swatter with my group. We found that a mind map worked best for us when thinking up ideas for the new swatter. I personally like word lists, but for this project, I think that mind map was the best option for us. It was fun narrowing all of our crazy ideas down into a one solid, realistic idea. It was pretty interesting finding materials to make our fly swatter out of, and I think by the end we came up with something that was unique and impressive. I’m very proud of what our group accomplished. We all meshed together really well and came out with a great prototype.

IDEO Reflection

Basically, what this documentary was trying to say is that design is all about being free and
letting your mind latch onto to every idea it has, no matter how stupid it may be. It also showed that there isn’t really a system of hierarchy in a design work environment. The people with the best ideas are the most important, not the people who have worked there the longest. In a design work environment, they don’t want you to ask permission, they just want you to just go with things, and if they work great, if they don’t so what. The point is that some of best designs come from designers who don’t ask permission, because if you ask permission someone might not like or get your idea, and then you’ll never do it. If you never try something, you’ll never know if it could have been great.

Project 2 Brief

For this project, we began with each of us finding five poorly designed object. We then were put into a group of four people. Each group consisted of a graphic designer, illustrator, industrial designer, and photomedia major. Every group had to choose one object from their poorly designed objects to redesign. We had to create a mind map and fifteen sketches each of our object to analyze what was needed in our redesigned object. After we narrowed down what was needed, we then had to make a preliminary prototype. While creating our prototype, we also had to be thinking about our poster. We had to create several thumbnails as well as make a preliminary poster. After all of this, we then had to create a final prototype and create a commercial. Each team member had to make three storyboards for the commercial, and then one was chosen from these. By the end of the project, we had to have a final prototype, a final poster, and a commercial for our redesigned object.

Exchange Definitions

1. to give up (something) for something else; part with for some equivalent; change for another
2. to replace (returned merchandise) with an equivalent or something else
3. to give and receive reciprocally; interchange
4. to part with in return for some equivalent; transfer for a recompense; barter
5. Chess . to capture (an enemy piece) in return for a capture by the opponent generally of pieces of equal value

Writer's Toolbox Reflection

I thought that this reading was very informative and helpful. I’ve tried some of the maps and writings that it talks about, and I’ve found that, for me, the word list works best. It seems to pull the most ideas out of me, and then I can categorize those ideas and see what I can find in them. I thought that the other maps were helpful as well. They all let you get every idea you have down on paper in a fast and easy way. I will definitely take the things I learned from this reading and use it throughout my design career.

Objectified Reflection

I thought this movie was really interesting. It was amazing to see the process of how things go from the drawing board to the store as well as how many things in our world are designed. Almost everything has been touched by design in some way. One object that they talked about in the movie was a toohtpick. I had never thought of a toothpick as being designed. It’s just a sliver of wood, but it was amazing how many aspects of it are designed; they can have different grooves designed into them or a piece at the top the breaks off so you can have something to sets your toothpick on instead of placing it right on the table. I think the toothpicks are what  really made me understand the movie when it said that design touches everything, because a toothpick is something so insignificant, you never think about it. If design can touch a toothpick, than it must be able to touch everything else.

Final Prototype Concept Statement

We found the design of the fly swatter to be uncomfortable and unattractive. The main problems that we wanted to solve were the insubstantial handle, the pliable shaft, the shape of the head, and a way  to dispose of the fly. We changed the handle to a solid rubber piece and we changed the shaft so that it wasn’t as easily bent. We also modified the shape of the head, making it a more interesting and less predictable shape. Lastly, we added a frame that flips up to curve the fly swatter into a scoop for picking up and disposing of flies.

Final Prototype Interviews

1. What do you like about the new prototype?
2. Is it an improvement from the original?
3. Is it understandable?
4. Do you like the scooper?
5. How much would you pay for the new fly swatter?
6. Would you change anything?

Stephanie (18 years old)
1. It's cool. If I saw it in a store, it would catch my eye.
2. Yes. It has a good grip.
3. The scooper isn't very understandable.
4. Yes
5. No more than $3-$4
6. No

Andrea (40 years old)
1. It's stylish. It has a good grip.
2. Yes
3. Somewhat
4. Yes
5. $3
6. No

Kelvin (40 years old)
1. It has a good grip.
2. Yes
3. Kinda
4. Yes
5. $3-$4
6. It should be a different color so you can't see the fly guts.

Seth (15 years old)
1. It's light weight, and it's a good color.
2. Yes, a big improvement.
3. There should be instructions for the scooper.
4. Yes
5. $3-$4
6. It needs slits or air holes so it's faster. 

Understanding Comics Chaper 2 Reflection

This chapter opened my eyes to what I see when I look at drawings and comics. It is completely true that when you look at things like comics you want to identify yourself with it and feel like a part of it. I thought it was really interesting when the author broke down the picture of the face until all it was was a circle with two dots and a line in it, and you could still make it out as a face, in fact you couldn't not see it as a face. The same thing occurred when he drew the shapes on page 32 and put dots in them. I instantly could not see them as anything other than faces. It's crazy how our mind is able to do that, how it can take something so unrealistic and make it seem real. I also like on page 35 and 36 how the author showed how we see other people when we are talking to them and how we think we look in our minds. It was really true. You never can get a good detailed image of yourself when your thinking of it, but when your looking at someone, you can see every little detail of their face. I think this is why we can identify with such unrealistic shapes as faces, because there are times when the only way we can see ourselves in our mind is like that.

Understanding Comics Chapter 5 Reflection

This chapter was really interesting. I never really thought about how the use of different lines can change the way we feel or see things. Take for instance page 126, all of the pictures on the page give you a different emotion and tell you a different story, and that's primarily because of the variations of lines used in all of them. If they were all the same kind of line, you wouldn't know what emotion was trying to be portrayed and the image and the message would be confused. I also liked on page 134 all of the different ways to show words in comics. Even without the words and just seeing the different lines, you could somewhat match up what's suppose to be happening. Such as the "bring!" illustration. I would know that something is moving or shaking by looking at the lines without ever having the words there. I think that's pretty neat that you can understand images just from personal experience. It makes you feel one with the artist, because they must've experienced the same thing that you did.