Ferment

Here is the iterations for today. I still have a lot to work on. I re-drew the map and used those branches in my other spreads. Once blown up the branches do not look refined nor "branch" like. I also need to develop a key for the activities and sculptures. Through this tried to look at all the angles that the Nelson provided for us. This family day is meant to welcome Roxie Paine's new sculpture. My concept is centered around branching and the connections that the children can have with the sculptures. After the testing with the children, I got some great feedback on the size of my paper. I then reformatted my fold-out into a booklet. This way the scale is smaller for the parents but the attention to the five sculpture is precent.

My next task is to really pay attention to the typography. I want to develop a grid so that it is clear where the child identifies information. The color pallet also needs adjustments. This event is taking place in the summer, and my color's do not reflect that. I find myself reflecting back to the readings as well as our sub- cultures. I want to tailor my who design around a child.

Overall this project has given me such great insight to how a client might eject their idea. As designer's it us up to us to take that idea and imagine new ways of executing.

DIY Bargain Spree

Bargain Spree is an app that allows for people to post up coming yard/ estate sales for the

DIY culture.

When designing for the iphone app it was very different than the last two projects in our Information Architecture class. In those projects we focused on how the user can have a non-linear experience through the web. When developing an iphone app the content is condensed through scale and information. In the web there are roll overs and the space to extend the information as needed. In the iphone I have found quick and to the point is the best option (while being clear). When doing the collection site, there was the option to make a page developed to details of the site, while also having a home page. In the app that is a bit different. The user needs to be guided through in a clear way, but the information that the designer gives them should be slimed down. In the iphone app there is a level of interactivity that is much different than developing a site. By letting the user become accustomed quickly to how the app works is crucial. In a website or printed piece the attention span might be slightly longer than an developing an app. People want their information accurate, and clear in a quick way. Before this experience I never realized how much I use my iphone. I also never realized how I use it in a timely manor. Another component would be the difference in scale. In print, the general scale is nothing less than 10 pt( if that), and in web nothing less that 14 pt. Finding the right point size was an issue that I had at the beginning. Another issue I had was how to clearly identify where to go, and what information is available in the app. Personally, I find that when designing it is easy to just go accordingly to what I think would be natural. However, when designing for anyone else, let alone a tailored design, even if it's non-linear it needs to have a clear direction for where the user needs to go next.

In the last week I have had issues with my design. These issues are both aesthetic and the experience for the DIYer. Since the scale is much smaller the graphic elements must be limited. Such "fun" qualities for example underlining, or a busy patterned background. These were graphics that I thought might be nice but ended up being unnecessary or unledigable. There is still a lot of work I need to do with making the type legible to see.

The tailoring aspect to this project has been relieving. Since there was a problem to help and try and fix it was fun to investigate this culture. I have found through Ian and Brandon's research that DIYer's are beyond just home improvement. Trying to narrow down the basics of what they might be looking for in yard sales was difficult. This was one of the design challenges, to narrow down the content. I read through the information and picked out key components that I thought they could relate to in the "interest" section.

The next step is to find a unified way to connect to the DYIer's(painter, builer, baker, etc). My background image needs the most work. Although some DIYer's might be into gardening, not all are. So finding the visual language that speaks to them will be the next exciting challenge.

Branch into Ferment

Second Round

First Round

Roxie Paine

Type Experiment

Through my type experiment I have learned a lot. My concept is centered around analog( type in front of video) and digital type (text edited in the computer) , to see what kind of relationship they can have. When I tried to do a test for the first time, it was a mess. The analog type was look poorly crafted and the digital type seemed to just be placed on the video. Although it was a failure it opened up my eyes to how type can be anchored to "planes". Usually when arranging type, designers will come up with a grid system in which they anchor the type to sit comfortably around a composition. When dealing with motion, there is the lapse of time. This may seem like very basic typography rules, but when adding motion, I began to understand this concept in a deeper way. With the way that the camera moves is how the analog type will be displayed, by panning in or using zoom, the analog type is put into motion. Once the digital type is added I had to try and visualize where it would go. Going back to the typography basic rules of a grid system. I have found that the digital type has more of a "animation quality" and does not always need to be set in a locked system, like the analog. The digital type can be arranged to help the analog type fit more comfortably. This can be done by completing a thought :where does type.....exist. Or by having the digital type try and conform to what is going on in the footage. Certain ways that I have tested to see how the digital type can be placed within the environment comfortably would be motion tracking (which I am still trying to master), using masks to imply spacial boundaries, or putting it into perspective by using the XYZ axis. One thought that keeps coming to my mind is the ratio of different planes that the digital and analog type can be in. Almost referring back to geometry and trying to understand the differences in space.

One part of the experiment that I did not realize how important was, would be the perspective of type. We are accustomed to viewing text on a 2-d surface. But what happens when the word is panning around to grasp motion, it can become distorted. Or when just a little bit of wind in the film blows at the letters, they move but are in slightly different perspectives. When I was filming I kept reminding myself to allow negative space for the digital type to be placed in. What I did not realize was that with time I was making the analog type be distorted in space. Once again this may seem obvious, but once I added the digital type and it was trying to "conform" to the footage, there was a different relationship. One good point is how hierarchy can be developed through perspective and scale. It could be a close up of the analog type, word for word, to another set of frames that is digital text appearing through a mask and becoming bigger. As we know hierarchy is the most important point, thought, concept, idea really. However, when there is a series of frames with the analog or digital type, I feel like the hierarchy can be shifted. The film can started off with, word for word zoomed in, that is the starting point, to panning outward to see the whole saying, and then adding the digital type in. In my test it was interesting to see how I could grasp an "idea" and with motion.

Timing is a big issue with video. The way the camera moves and displays the analog type sets the tone or content for the video. One part that I have started to notice is how with analog footage time can be slowed down at a more graceful pace. With the digital type and the way that it is usually displayed, it tends to move faster (even when the content is slower). Even looking at entertainment commercials, trailers, interviews, and reels. I think there a level of patience we have with raw footage, because we understand that it is "reality". In the digital world, with intros to movies, or youtube videos graphics and text seem to be at a much faster pace. This is merely an observation, but when dealing with both ends on one screen it is interesting to think of that user experience.

Going off of what I have learned there are many different tasks that I would like to fulfill. Now that I am deeper into the concept I feel as if I have more questions than I did at the beginning. Like, because it is in motion, can the user understand the relationship, without putting both sets of type on screen at the same time? Does that defeat the purpose? (of looking at the arrangement of both set in motion) If a figure was to be added could that help to join the two, or divide them? In the beginning of the experiment I tried to recite a poem, and ever sense then I've wondered how I can combined the analog and digital so that they tell a story.

I have ideas on where I would like to take this experiment. First to really clean up the craft. I though when filming I was allowing for enough time for the digital type to enter, and there was enough time for the text to enter, but now I need to allow myself more so that it can be animated more diversely with the analog text. Also I need to really sharpen my after effects skills, to make a seamless video. Second, I want to take two different typefaces, by now I have just used avenir in both. Third, this would take a lot of planning, but to take the analog and digital type and multiply it. By this I mean filming digital, analog, digital, analog, etc in a seamless matter. I think that by almost overlapping the two ways they would retain a better connection. I believe this would be because it would be in a linear patter, and that is exactly what video is.

Untitled from Janna Johnsrud on Vimeo.

Untitled from Janna Johnsrud on Vimeo.

Untitled from Janna Johnsrud on Vimeo.

Dainty Hankie Site

Its Real!

Final Reflection

The Concept:

In project two we discussed bigger problems that are related to our sub-culture. They like to drink too much caffeine. From this, "Active Booter" was developed. I took what was discovered in the book, and used that language to determine the function for Active Boot. This site is an online source for them to enter in their caffeine intake and not only see the results but to give options for other ways of getting energy. Within my concept I had to remind myself of the environment that they are in, what their schedule is, and what language do they relate to. For example by using an ad on engaget.com, this is a site that they would usually be on and hopefully get their attention.

The main concept for the site was to be quick and easy to use. In the beginning I had problems with cramming too much information about caffeine. From what I have learned from this sub-culture is that they are very busy, and throwing too much information at them would most likely make them loose interest. To fix this problem I narrowed down the content to "caffeine+ body reaction= unhealthy". From critiques in class there were problems with how long it would take to get the results. To resolved this issue I replaced some of the drop downs with bullets that the user could just click.

The language that the female coder's use is very unique. By using words like decode, thread, and boot time, it helps to tailor towards this culture. Not only was verbal language used but the coding symbols were applied as well.
jjohnsrud_Final_pro2

Dainty Hankie

These are from last friday but I still wanted to show the process
Hankie Presentation