I want to discuss my interest in illustration and how I see that fitting into the industry of digital design. Perhaps I’ll mention my thoughts/interest in web interactivity.

I’ll talk about my expeeeriment in revealing an illustration.

I’ll show the code I used and define what parts manifest what behaviors.

Finally, show my piece and walk through it.

* I think I’d like to evoke a hand-drawn style (possibly personal-journal-ish) with my slides; something abstract.

I like this quote because, well, it has truth in it. That applies to more than just design.
“We’re about getting rid of things that keep us from seeing the essence of something else.” – Jim Coudal. Jim also says that, “Clear, conversational writing is the sign of an organized mind, and is a vastly underrated skill in the design world.” Good talk, Jim.

Have I mentioned before that I CANNOT wait for digital displays to be a.) high quality, b) affordable, and c) everywhere? I think this is where most of my digital design excitement lies. Imagine, walking into an art museum, and the entire foyer has touch screen floors, ceilings, walls? How fucking cool would that be? Can’t you just get a glimpse of the interactivity that inspires? I definitely want to see more digital displays on buildings etc.

What a fucking perfect answer. Too bad the interviewers ruin it by pressing the issue in the next question. Jakob has some interesting and honest responses. I like how he suggests listening to jazz, like, really paying attention to it.

Print vs. Digital. The Ultimate Showdown. I read somewhere, it may have been an interview in this book, that print isn’t disappearing, but it is being forced to really define its role, its usefulness. I love printed books. I don’t see books disappearing until something BETTER comes along. And, it might. We’re close, maybe. I’m a huge fan of printed media. Especially when it’s perfect, the only suitable execution in it’s finality. I’m excited about digital displays. I see their potential to be exquisite. Plus, I’m really curious about this idea of ‘new’ and ‘obsolete’. What will it be like when a printed artifact is entirely antiquated?

I think these interviews were pretty interesting and full of agreeable info.

Been readin’ a tad about CSS. And some J-Query moves. Slick stuff.

Anyway. Some advice from the reading that I like: “I want to see that the designer has struggled with what to leave in and what to take out in their work.” / “…a fine eye for detail, evidence that the designer thinks problems through at small and large scales, suggestions that they understand what’s happening in the world of design right now, but also proof that they know how to resist the trends and styles that don’t make sense for them and/or clients.” / “Designers who can write are rare and very valuable.” / “…you have to do your part in making me understand your value…”

Reading all of that at once is certainly overwhelming. However, it absolutely makes sense to me, and I will definitely keep it with me as a progress as a designer. From looking at digg labs, I definitely want to do some experimental interactive stuff. Different ways to visualize and move information. I’m really excited to start working with things.

I skipped to the illustration chapter in the book, just to see what the authors of our righteous text have to say about illustration fitting into digital design. I really couldn’t be happier:  ”…the fundamental definition of an illustrator — an artist who illuminates a text or idea, interpreting it through metaphor, symbolism, or allegory, either in a realistic or abstract manner, remains constant.” REMAINS CONSTANT. Ultimately, I’d love to find a way to get into illustration. I plan on drawing and digital painting on the side, while I do other fun web stuff for work, until I’m good enough to make illustration a profession. A lot of contemporary designers that I like seem to be bridging a gap between illustration and design, bringing elements of each together to form powerful imagery. I believe that all of these digital devices we play with, along with digital signage, (and who knows what will happen to books…) will open up a lot of opportunity for digital imagery. I think it’s exciting.

I feel that Viktor Koen said something very important during his interview. “Being different or having a signature way of making pictures in a plethora of digital creators is simple. My traditional image-making process (digital or not), combined with my thought process and visual obsessions, make my pictures mine.” Exactly.

Here are some links to contemporary illustrators/designers I follow:

Si-Clark

Ashley Wood

Sam Weber

Emmanuel Malin

Alex Cherry

Philip Straub

Peter Jaworowski

Daniel Dociu

…and I could go on. Here are my pieces.

On the topic of collaborative filtering, I’ve found this method of marketing and monitoring to be spotty at best. iTunes uses Genius to send information about what I have in my music library and what I buy at the iTunes store to track my music preferences. But it’s awful. Music is difficult to categorize, or even describe in words. Rarely, iTunes will suggest a group or band based on a purchase that I will like. Rarely. Most of the music iTunes suggests is not similar to what I just purchased. Or, it’s similar, but I think it’s crap. I’m very picky. I’m consistently moody. Collaborative filtering doesn’t understand this. Amazon can offer helpful suggestions related to books, but not for any other item. However, I have found Goodreads to be useful. I can see what friends are reading, what my favorite authors are reading, and check out those suggestions. I guess my issue with collaborative filtering is that I can tell that the suggestions do not stem from human input. It’s obvious to me. But, I do absolutely find merit in people sharing what they’re listening to, reading, inspired by etc. Aside from music, I do not do a lot of online shopping, so maybe my exposure is limited. I’ve started purchasing mp3s from LaLa as well, because I can listen to an entire album first, and the overall price is cheaper. But, iTunes wins with ease of use. The backend structure, payment options, and reliability of service allows for an almost perfect experience. It works, very well. LaLa can be annoying to figure out when something goes wrong, and when I encounter bugs at Amazon, I’m forced to sit on the phone with someone I can’t understand.

Once again, the interviews mention being digitally indispensable, curious, able to solve problems, along with some other vague comments similar to ‘be ready for anything’. So, young designers need to be creative and generally awesome? I don’t think we have a class for that.

One of the greatest discoveries I’ve made as an individual is the importance of being adaptable. I find that change is inescapable and welcome. Change is also a great source of loss, when I move forward and beyond certain moments. At one point, the process of personal evolution revealed itself, and ever since I have aligned myself with this operation. I strive to grow and learn, to create an honest identity and expression through which my perception and understanding of the world manifests itself. I am dedicated to my passions and my conscious experience. Through creation, I attempt to translate my experience to others, in an effort to make connection, even if other people can never truly know my experience. I find connection to be the most meaningful when the encounter is shared equally, or very close to it. Regardless, shared experience is paramount. Loneliness cannot sustain itself, cannot perpetuate participation in existence.
Perhaps it is difficult or impossible to know, absolutely, what art is. Our desire or need to create and communicate, however, remains. Great ancient philosophers investigated the topic of aesthetics that we still seem unable to understand clearly, or universally. Maybe the common link among our separate conceptions or sensations related to art is the impulse to be creative. We share the impulse to create, and marvel at the different forms that impulse takes. Individuals may not be able to accurately share definitions, but we can share in a process that seems vital to human existence.
Even if we can’t agree to talk or not talk on the topic of aesthetics, we’ll never stop investigating the issue. For example, we cannot know how the universe was formed, but we will never cease contemplating the origin of our existence. In this instance, every person is able to choose the most acceptable theory or belief for him or herself.

I enjoy the creative lifestyle because it is engaging. I enjoy solving problems. I enjoy losing myself in a created piece of fiction. And I marvel at the difficult skill required to create work that endures. The End.

Time Management. At the Art Institute, semesters seem to pass, at times, at an incomprehensible speed. So much of my time is split between homework and projects, and my job. I get into these routines where I’m just making enough time to get school work done, and I end up spending very little time on personal creative projects. I’ve been a lot better with managing time over the past few semesters, but once in a while I still struggle with making everything fit. This week, I managed to read most of a book, digitally hand letter an updated logo for my photo blog, work on Eric’s illustration, go running, and keep up with course work. Here is that logo.

It still needs some fine tuning, but for now, I’m taking a break from it.