Final Statement- Taxonomy

Taxonomy of the sea was composed from many different marks that were made for my haiku. Out of all the projects this one I collected all the learned skills and applied them.

"Perfect craft is essential, if it is not perfect it is not worth doing." Terri Nemer

Out of all the projects I suffered most with craft. My craft improved in this project but still needs to be worked on. For example with this project I learned how important craft was with my images. It was once suggested that an employer will not want to pay a designer for something that is not perfect, or that does not have perfect craft, and I agree with this

statement. Once I scanned them in with a higher resolution, my marks were easier to work with. It was easier for them to work with in photoshop as well.

I wanted the front cover to help give a peek into what the viewer will see. By showing the waves and the text in the lower part of the composition it gives the illusion of the sea as well.

Sea Creatures

The ocean is filled with different animals, plants, and groups. Sea creatures are put into harmonious groups that humans are attracted to. The Denotation is the creatures as themselves. The Connotation is the symbolic or metaphor that they represent in the oceans society. These creatures hold our attention because of there parallel similar characteristics to our society. They form different marks of physical appearance as well as a deeper meaning to the ocean. In the end, these creatures form a harmonious nature that humans can only understand from above water.

This is my introduction to my book. I wanted to give my reasons why I choose Sea Creatures. I think that this theme has great Denotations and Connotations. I also wanted my introduction to help the viewer to be able to read th

e book. This part of the project was very important. As designer's it is our job to help navigate and communicate clearly. For example making one the typeface of Denotation in regular and Connotation in italic. This helps the reader to be able to tell the difference between the two. To also carry on the same layout of the text through the whole book helps the viewer concentrate on the text as well as the images.

One of the main requirements for project one was to take a word and communicate it through dot compositions. In this project, it was even tested further. To really interpret the Denotation and Connotation it was important for me to be able to communicate both clearly. In the dot composition this was something that I had the most troub

le with. By taking one word and communicating a deeper meaning through an image is a difficult task, however once it is a success it is rewarding. One of my main objectives is for the viewer to make the connection between the Denotation, Connotation and the mark/ image. Through the Dot Project, I learned how important it was for the viewer not to be confused by the composition and typography.

Sea Weed Nutrition

Since many sea creatures use this resource as nutrition I thought that it would be appropriate. I wanted this pair to be the first because I felt that it wa

s the most versatile to all of the other pairings. The idea was to show the organic flow of the Sea Weed. I think that this composition is successful because it gives off great contrast between negative and position space. However, the more I look at the composition as a whole I think that it is believable but more Sea Weed should be added. An idea that I have is to look back through my marks and see if something can reference a sea bottom. The figures seem to be grounded but nothing is grounding them, this might confuse the viewer. Even to play with scale more, perhaps making some grouping of the sea weed plants.

Clams Sacred

These small creatures create something that humans hold as sacred values. The A-Symetry between the empty clams on the left helps to imply the greatness of the big right side that holds a pearl. In this composition the implication is to think of something precious that only one in however many can make. By using contrast between both sides and scale this composition is successful in its connotation.

Sea Horse and Maternal.

One interesting facts of Sea Horses is that the male sea horses carry the babies. With that fact I wanted to make this pair for Maternal. With this composition I wanted to concentrate on the proximity of the the two marks. For them to be interacting in space is what helps to communicate the Connotation. Even the left page gives off the sense of distance as the right gives the illusion of closeness. However, this pair is lacking more information. If there was baby sea horses, it would help the Connotation of what maternal really means. By using scale with the baby Sea Horses, and placing them in the composition, this pairing will be more believable.

Shark, Strong.

The shark is usually the feared creature of the sea. In this pairing I referred back to project two with juxtaposition. As I tried to apply to all of the pairings, it was especially important in this pairing. The texture of the impact of the right page helps to bring out the left part of the shark. By moving past two separate pages, I started to look into two page spreads. Looking at both as a whole composition only makes the impact of the shark stronger.

Fish and School

The fish work in a team together to travel. I thought that this was a good idea to show. The connotation of school of fish the viewer will be able to understand as well as relate to. The proximity and scale between the right page and left page divides the two sections. Even though they are not only divided by visual they are also divided by the seam of the page. By using the seam of the pages to divide the two groups of fish only further feeds to the deeper meaning of moving together in a team.

Eel Mysterious

Using the mark to guide the viewers eye across the page is useful in this composition. The Eel is a creature that people are uncertain about, as well as sneaky. I wanted the illusion of the Eel moving across the page seamlessly. I also wanted the eyes to seem if they are glowing and lurking. The marks smooth texture is also implied for the mysterious quality. However, I would like some suggestions to further improve this pair. I believe that the image is believable but should be pushed further into the connotation.

Dolphin Friendship

People tend to use Dolphin's as metaphor for friendship. In this composition they appear to be joining as one group. When I think of friendship, a group is something that I think of. However, I wanted this composition to seem to be different than school. They are jumping together and across the page, once again using juxtaposition. I wanted the viewer to look close into the marks as hands as well. The slightly mimic hands being pressed together. This helps to bring out another aspect of the dot compositions, how to imply feelings or emotions into these marks.

Jellyfish Mindless

Born without a brain, the Jellyfish floats around mindless. I wanted to refer to an ink blot, the idea of not thinking. This is one of my favorite ideas, however I do not believe it is executed that well yet. The idea that I have is to have the Jellyfish floating around with no purpose. It seems that this composition does not have enough use of scale yet. I think making more of the Jellyfish and making them difference sizes I will be able to give the illusion of depth into space, as well as floating around mindlessly.

Waves Harmony

To end the book I wanted to pull all of the compositions together. Waves can act like a calming effect to people. Below the calming waves are all these different groups that these creatures can fall under. This helps to conclude the book because it is where the creatures live. The pairing that I conducted was to imply this flawed group into something that interacts in a balanced way.

I decided to make an accordion booklet so the viewer is able to stretch the spreads out and see all the groups together.