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One of the most exciting moments ever in a class (I feel like that's saying a lot) came last week when our Design class was graced with the presence of Christine Gambito of the online sensation Happy Slip. I'd never heard of her productions before last week yet she still felt like a celebrity after just watching one video. Her videos are relatable and funny and have a special quirkiness to them; almost as if because she is a one-man team they feel like anyone can be inspired and creative and make their own videos as well. Gambito herself has this vibe about her that feels unrefined, is very telling through her facial expressions, and someone who is comfortable with herself. This shines through in her videos as she's not afraid to dress up and act out different and personal roles. Then there are the accompanying things such as her familiar 'Happy Slip' logo and the colorful and easily navigated layout of her website. All of these features come together to create the Christine Gambito personal brand; what people see and feel when they think of her. One of the most important elements to a successful career is branding yourself and creating this mental personal profile that is reflected from you and your work. A personal brand allows people to have an idea about who you are and what you can do. It's a professional (and often times personal) tool that portrays you and keeps people interested. With that, time to watch more Happy Slip...
pic credit: Happy Slip website
Currently featured in the Nelson Art Gallery on the UC Davis campus is a collection of beautiful, detailed, and telling quilts...
This piece is entitled 'Crazy Pockets' from 2008. In these modern quilting times it's becoming less common and not as necessary to make quilts completely from scrap textile pieces, which makes the ones that are a slightly rarer treat. 'Crazy Pockets' was created from old Levi's blue jeans, corduroy pants, and cotton for batting. It was hand quilted (another less common practice nowadays) by Mensie Pettway from Gee's Bend Alabama. What's comforting about this quilt is the familiarity, as many can relate to the materials, and the pockets add an extra dimension of interest and variance. The quilt's pattern comes from the un-dyed fabrics which create a natural value difference, and the rhythm also comes from these variances. It feels like a dark and light contrasting beat, altered and flowing with the movement from the changing stripe directions.
The piece here is called 'Slave's Popcorn Quilt' and is from the late 19th century. It was crafted by the great grandmother of Avis Collins in Wakefield Virginia. Based on the time period this quilt was created, it was most likely made from material scraps as not to be wasteful. Every little textile scrap was precious and saved to be used for another piece. While the ground of the 'popcorn' pieces is a lavender color, the figure (in the ground/figure relationship) ones are a variety of colors but still within a range. Many of the different colored and patterned pieces are used again and again throughout the quilt. This creates the rhythm. The Gestalt principles lead our eyes to see the solid lavender color as one, and then the varying yet unified squares in between add controlled variance which repeats in the rest of the squares.No 2 quilts are exactly alike, and they are amazing works of art that convey technique, history, rhythm, and pride.
Oh Halloween, we meet again. Every year some of the best costume designs come from the latest trends. Being the first one to have an idea makes the costume more unique and exciting. Sure witches, green monsters, and over sized character representations are tried and true, but some of the most memorable designs come from what's funny and now. Costumes each year can depict a slice of what's-going-on in present society. For example, on Thursday night the Halloween episode of The Office had characters dressing up at Octomom, Sarah Palin, and Facebook. Other popular costumes elsewhere include "balloon boy," Kate Gosslin, and interrupting Kanye West. Important elements to the designs are making sure it's recognizable and details definitely help. Similar to any design matter, the designer's "scientific method" can be applied for a truly exciting and unique costume.
1. Field research - Investigate what's out there; trends, jokes, news stories.
2. Understand the problem - What kind of overall costume do you want? Flashy or more simple?
3. Ideas - Design, accessories, weather, durability, all kinds of factors to take into account.
4. Prototype - If you have time to trial and error, it will help with the final result.
5. Feedback - Costumes are for showing off to others. See what they think.
6. Repeat - As with anything, the more times tried the more chances to get it right.
Design is everywhere; it's part of society, current trends, and even our costumes.
pic credit: pb pulse
Recently on the UC Davis campus, Professor Geoffrey Chase from San Diego State University came and gave a lecture about sustainability through school curriculum. He brought up the inevitable questions of how companies handle their waste including toxins, water runoffs, and other materials. Next he mentioned that there are 3 domains of sustainability: economic, social, and environmental. After the sustainability big picture overview, Professor Chase went on to say how students have such a key part in changing the future, and not continuing routines as they have been for so long. Our current trends and habits are what caused current situations and we can't expect things to get better without change. One example he pointed to was Hurricane Katrina, which was a disaster never expected.
"Don't eat your seed corn." (This is not sustainable) - Geoffrey Chase
"...education about the environment must be integral." - Tony Cortese
"Teaching students today is like teaching them to live on a planet we have never seen." - Mary Catherine Bateson
How can sustainability become integrated into classes? The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) has a goal of 10% of every American college students' curriculum be regarding the environment. A couple challenges they face are fiscal, needing multiple curricula, people not wanting to get involved in something that doesn't bring professional rewards, and unsure outcomes. Some solutions to these issues have been creating the environmental classes as GE, providing a new major, sustainability programs, and even a graduate school on the subject.
As a student, I feel my school has become more aware about sustainability and the education surrounding it has been showing up more and more in the form of class projects, guest lectures, and just general awareness. There remains plenty of growth that could happen (programs, more clubs, enthusiasm amongst all); it would be amazing to have environmental issues become a solid part of the curriculum. Professor Chase concludes his lecture explaining that sustainability is a responsibility and not just a program, and how many students already have a deep knowledge of what needs to happen.
Without even realizing it, our minds are trained in psychological tendencies. An example of this is the Gestalt principle, the psychology of our minds seeing unity. Visually the principles might be obvious, but defining and recognizing them took a work of brilliance. An element which stands out is the focal point and high on the visual hierarchy. This can be attributed to emphasis by isolation, placement, or contrast. Other Gestalt principles include repetition, proximity, and continuation to name a few. All of these are important in 2D and 3D designs because they create eye pleasing coherence. In 2D format this can be in the form of, for example, a website of consistent colors or a smooth connected banner and sidebar for the illusion of connectivity. Another could be a poster ad with the product being advertised isolated from the other products. Or a book cover with the protagonist clearly emphasized. 3D designs also utilize these principles. A dress with varying yet similar color values can be interesting and aesthetically pleasing. Or a building (pictured) with similar windows and uniformed gaps create continuation. The Gestalt theories assist designers as a tool for highlighting components in a way that's subtle and eye pleasing, yet effective.
Ever since the new IKEA font was announced this past summer, many in the design community have voiced their disapproval. The company's switch from Futura to Verdana (the same font you're reading now) was seen as an unnecessary marketing decision. Designers see Verdana as a body font meant for onscreen rather than a headline for-print material font. The characteristics of Verdana which justify this are its legibility, spacing, and obvious stylistic variations. While these are great legibility attributes, it makes for somewhat dull header font. IKEA has joined the crowd of companies who've recently changed their look. Burger King, Jack in the Box, and Tropicana to name a few have also changed their packaged familiarity. These design redesigns are for various reasons, mostly to keep up with changing times and for a fresh look. The risks this always brings is altering a look customers have grown comfortable and familiar with, as many tend to not like change. Another is recognization and making sure they know it's the same company and product, just a new look. Then there's the time and money invested into the change. A lot is at stake with redesign and consumers either like it, are turned off, or somewhere in the middle. As for IKEA, generally from the minds of the average furniture shopper they'll simply say "Who cares?". To view the 2010 issue be sure to check your local mailboxes.
pic credit: Shelter Pop
Sitting in textile history the other day learning about feather art, made me stop and think about how fortunate and material abundant we are. The Aztecs made beautiful feathered clothing from native bird feathers dyed with charred nuts and mud. They were limited to regional birds and dependent on corded techniques to construct their clothing and shelter. Today, it's amazing how much we have. Even just walking into a Michael's and picking up a couple dollar bag of feathers, dyed in an array of colors. Even plastic or synthetic feathers, just so many ways to get them. Package delivery allows for all kinds of global bird feathers; quails, peacocks, spotted, striped, all kinds of qualities. We're no longer restricted by local breeds' availability, or color, or quantity. The internet and catalogs, combined with the mail system and global trade agreements give people all over the world access to authentic and traditional bird feathers of all kinds. Science and dyes produce synthetic feathers for even greater variety. With access to such assortment, we're given the opportunity to observe and learn and become inspired by this natural art piece. We can visually appreciate the lasting iridescent nature of some feathers, and how some have traits on only one side. In today's society there are so many resources available to us; I'm very much in awe.pic credit: smart code
One of the most exciting moments ever in a class (I feel like that's saying a lot) came last week when our Design class was graced with the presence of Christine Gambito of the online sensation Happy Slip. I'd never heard of her productions before last week yet she still felt like a celebrity after just watching one video. Her videos are relatable and funny and have a special quirkiness to them; almost as if because she is a one-man team they feel like anyone can be inspired and creative and make their own videos as well. Gambito herself has this vibe about her that feels unrefined, is very telling through her facial expressions, and someone who is comfortable with herself. This shines through in her videos as she's not afraid to dress up and act out different and personal roles. Then there are the accompanying things such as her familiar 'Happy Slip' logo and the colorful and easily navigated layout of her website. All of these features come together to create the Christine Gambito personal brand; what people see and feel when they think of her. One of the most important elements to a successful career is branding yourself and creating this mental personal profile that is reflected from you and your work. A personal brand allows people to have an idea about who you are and what you can do. It's a professional (and often times personal) tool that portrays you and keeps people interested. With that, time to watch more Happy Slip...
