Mimiking a Design and the Prosses

Today Halloween is about mimicking someone or something that your not, just for day. As we decide upon an idea of what to be for Halloween it seems easy to just flock to the stores and grab a costume right off the rack. By selecting a costume from some rack that has multiplied and not an original seems pointless. Isn’t the preparation of the costume one of the greatest parts about Halloween? Although it is time consuming and tedious at moments, just to wear it for one evening it’s the effort that counts. To be able to redesign yourself into anything is the best part about dressing-up.

Well this Halloween Ashley and I had two things in Mind, Thing One and Thing Two. Do you remember Dr. Seuss and the Cat in the Hat? As we grow up we sometimes seem to lose our selves in everyday life, forgetting about our childhood memories. Although we can Google costumes for Thing One and Thing Two, it’s not the same feeling to dress up and portray these story book characters. In Dr. Seuss’s story books we stumble upon many strange and peculiar characters however Thing One and Thing Two are quite the eye-catcher. As we can see they are drawn wearing plain red jumpsuits with only a circular shape on the chest presenting their names Thing One and Thing Two. Another symbol that represents these to is there vivid blue hair, creating a contrast in colors by using blue and red within the same composition.

While thinking about how we were going to portray these unique characters it became apparent to Ashley (Thing Two) and I (Thing One) that the original Thing One and Thing Two were a little boyish. So we decided to design a more girlish look incorporating all the visual elements of these things. Because jumpsuits seemed too frumpy we used little plain red dresses that zipped up the front. Along with the dresses we choose red and white striped socks playing off of the iconography of the Cat in the Hat. But the costume still seemed too plain and incomplete; a plain red dress did not emphasis Thing One and Thing Two, we could have been anything. Now that we had our items of clothing it was time to mimic the famous icon that represented the main focal point of the characters. We placed a large white circle with the letters T-H-I-N-G and either the number 1 or 2 on the chest area of the dresses. Almost done we were missing one aspect to our reinvented Thing One and Thing Two design, BLUE hair. Even though the original characters in Dr. Seuss have wild bed head hair we were looking for a more modern look such as, bright brilliant blue bob wigs (Say that five times fast), thus bringing Thing One and Thing Two into the 21^st century.

After all of the thinking, designing, planning, and preparation of Thing One and Thing Two we were finally the complete package. By redesigning Dr. Seuss’s story book characters it seemed as if we were the real Thing One and Thing Two asking everyone, “Would you like to shake hands with Thing One and Thing Two?” (Dr. Seuss).

Quilting

It is said that no two snowflakes are exactly alike. In comparison this also can be said about the quilts that are displayed in the Nelson Art Gallery at UC Davis. These hand made quilts all express uniquely different feelings and emotions when viewed. Their illuminating arrangement and organization of colors and patterns is by far breath taking. As one looks at the quilts it becomes apparent that they more than just a combination of fabric, they are crafted carefully expressing different passions throughout each one. Because these quilts are crafted from scrap materials and textiles they are not perfect or exactly precise in measurements. But isn’t that what makes them unique and exuberant? While closely examining the quilts it is easy to pick up on certain pattern schemes such as repetition of block patterns and the placement of certain elements. However the use of contrasting colors is what really gives these quilts a sense of rhythm. By using wide arranges of value colors combined with contrasting and complimentary colors the quilts display movement and structure throughout the composition. Although the quilts are symmetrical creating an over baring repetition, the color schemes and difference in pattern structure is what brings them to life. Thus, keeping us captured within the design of them. Even though manufacturing perfect produces is the way our society functions and hand made quilt are a dyeing pastime, does not mean that we should look at their flaws. Instead we can learn from the craft of using only scraps to create a masterpiece. With this in mind by producing original patterns and fluidity of expression, in the end will be more personal and a creative design in general.

Sweet Tooth?

Inspiration can be found in many different places from nature to everyday items including food, sweet sugary foods to be precise. While our society idolizes over movie stars and singers, one face reocurse throughout art, more than anyother. Marilyn Monroe was sculpted and then finalized with an exoskeleton of jelly beens. This famous sex icon is made out of 254,093 jelly beans ranging in a variety of flavors, from tuti fruti to buttered popcorn just to name a few. Marilyn Monroe's statue produced out of jelly beans can be located at IT’SUGAR store in Universal CityWalk. This unique method of using jelly beans to portray her every aspect through one element is by far a fascinating design technique. By sculpting her to be curvilinear the fluidity of her design becomes more realistic grasping the viewers interest. Also by tying in Monroe's signature posse it is hard for anyone not to recognize her right off the bat. Famous hollywood icons play a large part in our society from how we act, how we dress, and even how we represent art. This fascinating technique of using candy as the main element has many flocking to IT'SUGAR just to see the 10 foot sculpture. By displaying Monroe's sculpture made-out of jellybeans creates a new mouth watering sensation for the customers that come to the store, inspiring all whom consume these delouse treats.

Popular Icons

While words or objects can mean different things in different context a description of cultural studies does just that. To some it is simply learning and understanding diverse ethnical communities and their behaviors. Although this is logical cultural studies is interpreted as academic research on society as a whole, examining the influences that media has on consumers. While being bamboozled by hundreds to thousands of advertisements a day we give up our individual identities, generating a specific standard of social collaboration. As the main factor in attracting an audience, manipulation and understanding the consumers desires within a design must be integrated as a complete package. Although publicity of Hollywood stars, brand names, and new trends have a large impact on society the design aspect of how to advertise is essential to marketing products. To have a greater impact on the viewer, creativity and innovation are essential to advertising encompassing a majority of consumers rather than targeting a small cliental. Because fame and perfection is admired in our society the generalizations that one must imitate a celebrity’s ideal life style creates an open door for product design through celebrities. For instance, Jessica Simpson is scene in all pro-active advertisements increasing sales. Because her image is everywhere and many can identify with her by also having acne, we fall into the manipulation and deception of the product. Since Simpson is the representative for pro-active uses her image within marketing to trap consumers into buying the product before trying or finding out details about it.
By using multiple design strategies through media to target groups rather than individuals, manufactures have discovered was to produce images that numerous individuals can measure up to. While using popular culture icons such as Hannah Montana and The Jonahs Brothers, close to all children can create a secret identity and admiring these stars. By generating popular icons into design the manufactures and producers target the society into consuming lunch boxes, clothing, and many other material objects. When the media presents trends in fashion, glamour, and popularity we view it as if we could be on top of the world if we fallow all the trends. But in reality of consumer products it’s about manipulating the viewer and creating stimulating designs of famous icons to capture the attention of our culture.

Pop Art

While media took over traditional art and its beauty artist embraced the change creating a new style of design. Around 1955 during the post war in England artist started a new movement, known as Pop Art. Artist such as Richard Hamilton created collages consisting of only mass-produced imagery. Media such as popular icons, specific brands, and house held appliances were mounted together creating an over all combined efficient. Because art tends to echo the period contained by its style the modern mass culture of advertising is portrayed within Pop Art.

By using widely known imagery the viewer becomes personally connected with the collage. Techniques of using what society is socially aware of set the emotional tone for how Pop Art is portrayed. By using images such as a tootsie pop, canned ham, and popular shows Hamilton draws in the viewer by means of understanding modern comforts. Although each individual element is of a different media image, the placement of how they are laid out generates a successful design. Because Pop Art was directly connected to society media elements, Hamilton was able to produce real world imagery through his collages.


Image and other information provided by :

Eighteenth to Twenty- First Century Art. 3rd ed. Vol. 6. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, 2009. Print. Pg 1151

Piet Mondrian: 2-D and 3-D

The non- representational paintings created by Piet Mondrian are by far amongst my favorite works of art. His abstract designs are created solely by imaginative focus where as most designs are derived through natural objects. Mondrian’s two-dimensional canvases consist of three fundamentals, vertical lines, horizontal lines and colored or neutral rectangular shapes. Within his paintings Mondrian employs the same technical style consisting of the three primary hues red, yellow, and blue along with the three neutral shades black, grey, and white. By combining all of these elements Mondrian achieved stability and balance through defined placement of color, size, position, and grouping.

While Mondrian’s ability to create visually stimulating designs through perpendicular lines and rectangular shapes, his imaginative format indicates harmony and minimalism. Although Mondrian’s work was solely on canvas however other designers have taken this method of abstract art applying it to three-dimensional objects such as, architecture, fashion, and other types of design. In society we look for the new “it” item and as designers our objective is to produce stimulating essentials for the everyday consumer. By utilizing mesmerizing design one can reprocess similar configuration into different mediums, creating an everyday representation of art.

Focusing on Societies Demands

It’s too much, use less, and make it "new". When do we stop and how much is too much? As a designer we must keep this all in mind. We are here to provide for the society, they are the consumers. By being a designer our goal is to focus on the needs and wants of consumers. Because they are the target audience , it is the goal of the designer to create solutions to the world of design dilemmas. Being a designer does not mean that we are the only ones in control, guiding the society. The society also plays a large role in the process of design; they are the one that must respond to our product making it fully affective. Although elaborate decor and ornamental features were popular in previous decades, the modern era is upon us meaning minimalism and simplicity.

By living in a fast paced society surrounded by a world of technology we don’t take the time to appreciate elaborate and detailed designs. We live in a world of large businesses and advance manufacturing, allowing quick production in significant amounts of objects. Although we can not predict the future, our objective as designers is to provide for the society staying one step ahead.