vis lang :: poster directions

sound&motion:: storyboards

vis lang:: rhetoric - mindmapping

vis lang:: rhetoric - audience

although initially hesitant about choosing this demographic, i've decided to go with chinese americans for our current project. specifically, the younger generations - a thoroughly modern group, but still very much grounded in the teachings and traditions of their parents and ancestors. and although chinese americans share a high socioeconomic status in american society, they are inactive in politics or local affairs. thus, it is with this project that i hope to explore some of the reasons behind this political apathy, find an entity that many could identify with, and encourage more political activism within this demographic.

1. what are some predominately shared values of this group?
education and family values, tempered with a sense of tradition, respect, and not a little bit of honor.


2. what political policies/issues are particularly important to this demographic in this election? why?
immigration, health care, education, etc

3. are there any cultural references your demographic identifies with? what?
amy tan, margaret cho, b.d. wong, stephen chow, etc.

as with any demographic, it is not without its fair share of stereotypes; and they range from the endearing to the downright derogatory. one in particular that i remember well occurred in an episode of scooby doo, when two of the main protagonists evaded the bad buys by pretending to be chinese. how? by putting on robes and having buck teeth. enter the hideously stereotyped chinese waiter.
there are many things in our culture which are supposed to evoke an "asian" feel to them, whether it be chinese dresses (cheongsam) or chopsticks in ones hair (which is actually a major faux pas), etc

4. what does their graphic landscape look like?



5. including the aiga document and other sources, what are the issues cited for this group not voting?
there's definitely a cultural gap between this demographic and the candidates running. numerous other reasons have been cited as well - too busy, out of town, voter registration problems, etc- but political apathy is definitely a major issue here.


sources:
"why do chinese-americans avoid politics? a study of social isolation" - all academic research.com
"chinese americans" - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_American
http://www.hyphenmagazine.com/

vis lang:: semiotics final

vis lang:: possible directions

vis lang:: sketches

vis lang:: matrix

type III::baskerville poster

sound & motion :: process documentation

vis lang :: Analog gradient

Index

Symbol

Icon

vis lang :: object selection

I am definitely inspired by designer/vinyl toy industry - and decided to use one of the new Peskimo Bamboo Zoo figures I bought: Captain Fritter!

"Captain Fritter" (Peskimo's Bamboo Zoo, 2008)
An original created by


Designer/vinyl toys such as these are often targeted towards art enthusiasts and toy collectors, but appeal to a wide range of people of different ages.
Designer toys definitely evoke a sense of unique artistic aesthetic, and are not surprisingly one of the centerpieces of a new growing artistic movement.
Toys such as these are distributed by companies such as Kidrobot, whom commission artists and designers to design the toys. They are produced in limited runs, ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Thus, once they're sold out, they're not available again.
Additionally, the MoMA acquired 13 Kidrobot toys in late 2007, which are now part of the museum's collection - in the "Just In: Recent Acquisitions from the Collections" installation.

Index: grafitti artists, spray can, sharpie, plastic mold(?), display shelf, etc.

Summer projects.

DIY Munny Dolls!

A little project I've taken up between work and studying this summer.
I've completed two so far:

[original working sketch]

[original sketch]

Prang Air-Hardening Clay
Model Master Enamel Paint
Black Sharpie

_"look this way."

Statement:
What are these people pointing at?
Everything in our world is united by a single, vast sky. With Photoshop, I just shortened the space between points A and B. So when you point up at the sky, you could be pointing at virtually anything.

_end of semester statement

I’ve definitely learned a lot over the course of this past semester – many things which both supplemented as well as challenged the lessons set down last year. I learned to push in numerous different directions here – even if I had my own reservations about something. Doing so helped me to learn to experiment, step outside my own comfort zone, and not be afraid of failure. From each direction I tried, regardless of whether they resulted in success or not, they all contributed to my decisions made, eventually coming to a final solution. But what was definitely the most stimulating thing these past few months was the assimilation and implementation of ideas across the classes.

While we did work on sometimes very different projects; each with varying concepts and problems to contend with – there were still numerous levels of learning and parallels being drawn between the three. Things I learned from Michaels could very well translate into tasks in Jamie’s – or vice versa.

In Michael’s Image Making course, I learned to develop my own image-making skills, which would carry over into projects undertaken in my other two studios. With assignments such as the Seven Deadly Sins or the Six Degrees Project, I learned to look at different angles and such when photographing my subjects, or conveying an idea through its indexes or symbols, rather than the literal depiction. Lessons here easily translated over to other assignments such as the Placards done in Visual Communications, or the Lecture Poster in Typography 2.

In Jamie’s Visual Communications course, it was a challenge to establish my own cohesive, legible and working visual language; especially one that could appropriately convey my chosen subject matter, and be applied to different types of media. I had to learn to understand things such as the subtleties between revealing complexity, and removing complexity. These things and much more factor in to all that we as designers need to contend with. For the work that we produce shouldn’t just be a piece on the wall – they’re large working ecologies. Lessons learned here often paralleled, such as in the Placards and our Type+Image Books.

And finally, in Michael’s Typography 2 course, aside from trying out both analog and digital means of exploration, I was able to work with typographic hierarchies, and type’s ability to influence meaning. We did a substantial amount of research in this course as well, and thus I had to familiarize myself with how to control this info through hierarchies – and then implement them in things such as Magazine Spreads. Things I learned here were adapted into things such as our 6 Degrees Project, or the Placards.

All three courses taught me the importance of creative problem solving, exploration within defined parameters (whether it be our own or someone else’s.), and the importance of exploration – And it is a blend of the three courses that I hope to take with me into future projects.