digital media

Evaluation

2009-02-12T07:45:00.000-08:00

1. What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?

In this module i have learned how to plan and organise my work, as to me, this is the most important part of design for digital. I planned my story boards and timings before i went to the computer and i feel that this forward planning helped me achieve my designs as i had changed my idea towards the end of the project. If i hadn't planned the times and scenes then this process would have slowed me down and i might not have finished the changes i wanted to do. I have also learned how to use illustrator files effectively in After Effects. I think i have used my skills that i have developed quite effectively in the time provided and my subject matter. I think if i would have had a different subject matter that i feel related more to the E4 audience than i could have been a bit more experimental and extreme in my animation, but i feel that with my chosen subject matter i have used appropriate effects, transitions, timings, colours, fonts, imagery and music. I think i effectively carried over the visual language used in my animation to my website as i kept everything simple and clean while using appropriate fonts, colours, layout and imagery.

2. What approaches to generating work and solutions to problems have you developed and how have they helped?
When generating work i have looked towards visual imagery that is known to be mathematical, such as numbers, patterns, equations and fonts. I think this solid visual imagery has helped me to focus more on experimentation with my idea/concept instead of spending all my time thinking of what colour, font or image to use i can actually focus on transitions, timings and concept. When faced with problems such as my idea not conveying maths appropriately, i went back to story boarding and planning my idea before i went to experiment in After Effects. I think this helped focus my idea and organise my thoughts about what i want to achieve instead of playing in After Effects until i find something appropriate. I have also developed a more regimented approach to organising material, for instance when creating my website, i duplicated relevant material for each page which saves time and i prepared all my files for importing to iweb before i started my design of it.

3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?
My strengths in my digital work are my organisation and planning, as these developed strengths are what has helped me to finish my project on time and to a good standard. I will capitalise on these strengths by taking them into other projects, not just digital projects. I think another strength would be the creation and presentation of iweb. I found it easy to navigate and control and

4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how could you exploit these more fully?
I think my weaknesses are my technical skills using After Effects. I think i had a good concept to convey my subject matter but i feel i didn't have the technical skills to carry out my idea as professionally as i wanted. I could use these weaknesses to help me develop my digital skills more by experimenting more with the programme, but personally i feel i know enough to get by, as i feel my skills and interests lie more in traditional tools and materials rather than digital media.

5. Identify five things that you will do different next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?

1. Stick to one idea and try to make it work so i wouldn't need to have a huge change and feel as though i was starting the project again from the beginning.

2. Not really work related but..... i wouldn't move house halfway through such a big project as it causes unnecessary stress!

3. I would start to look for music from the beginning instead of waiting to see what i think would fit my animation so i could gauge my timings more accurately, to fit my music.

4. I would choose a different subject matter that i feel would be more appropriate to E4's audience as i feel this would have let me be more experimental in After Effects and with my choice of music.

5. I would experiment more with what After Effects has to offer. I feel i used a limited amount of the programme and i would like to see what else i could produce.

6.How would you grade yourself on the following areas:

Attendance = 5
Punctuality = 5
Motivation = 4
Commitment = 4
Quantity of work produced = 3
Quality of work produced = 3
Contribution to the group = 3

Final Opening Sequence

2009-02-11T06:55:00.000-08:00

Stranger than fiction opening titles.........again.

2009-02-11T06:17:00.000-08:00

I know i have posted this about twice before for different reasons but i thought it was really appropriate for this project (for the opening sequence and for the maths type elements)

Here ya go...enjoy...again!

Cadbury Website

2009-02-11T06:02:00.000-08:00

I might hate the adverts but i think the website is pretty interesting!

Here are some screen shots of it:

The page moves around with the mouse and when you hover over certain items text pops up and takes you to a different areas. If only iweb could do the same.

Adverts i hate but remember.....

2009-02-11T05:33:00.000-08:00

I really don't like the advert below. It has nothing to do with the product but yet its so memorable. you will probably remember the Cadbury advert with the gorilla and another one with the trucks, but this advert brings a new weirdness...

(check out the Sunday night projects version here, its funnier!)

The trucks......are just as relevant as the other adverts

Another, not by cadbury though...

WIP Update 2

2009-02-10T05:44:00.000-08:00

Think of a number

2009-02-07T05:56:00.000-08:00

NUM3ERS

2009-02-07T03:57:00.000-08:00

Black Violin

2009-02-07T02:00:00.000-08:00

I wanted to look for music that had a classical element to it and had a bit of a twist. I thought that the classic element would relate to my subject of maths and the 'twist' element in the classical song would be something that would appeal more to an E4 audience. I found a group called black violin and they use classical music with an urban/hip hop twist twist. This video is what inspired me to want to use their music:

(the transition from the madame butterfly opera to the black violin music comes in at 44 seconds)

after looking through some of their songs i thought this song below would be ideal to edit for my final animation: (Black Violin - Dirty Orchestra)

Crit

2009-02-06T04:31:00.000-08:00

After having a crit yesterday i received feedback saying i needed to make my animation more refined and interesting. Some people recommended using my Spirograph imagery more and making it more obvious and relevant to maths. Also people said my iweb needed to be tweaked a bit so that all the links work effectively and just to put more things on it. With all this feedback i got to work on my opening sequence and my iweb. I changed my idea for my sequence as i wasn't too pleased with the context and content of it. I decided to add more animation of my Spirograph images, more mathematical imagery and tweak the timings and speed of transitions. I also changed my iweb by incorporating my Spirograph's into my design more by using it as a button to click on to navigate through my visual and contextual research. Below is a video of my progress so far with my new sequence:

and another with slight changes (i have added some music to test it with time and to see if it is appropriate, also i have tried to change the transitions between things)

Title of Title Sequence

2009-02-02T02:13:00.000-08:00

Screen Shots of iWeb Content

2009-01-28T08:13:00.000-08:00

WIP Update 1 - Test experiments for E4 Opening sequence

2009-01-28T07:41:00.000-08:00

iWeb Schematic

2009-01-28T02:10:00.000-08:00

This was my initial idea for my iWeb schematic. This helped me to understand the order the pages and link would need to be in.

Countdowns

2009-01-27T10:44:00.000-08:00

After looking at the brief again due to so much confusion between different tutors telling different people things about the countdown brief and whether or not to include numbers in the opening sequence or not, i have decided to change my opening sequence to include a countdown. I have looked at a few countdown sequences on youtube to see what is already out there and i have chosen a few that i think will are quite relevant to my projects content and some i have chosen just because i find them interesting.

Math talk!

2009-01-24T01:52:00.000-08:00

I can't believe this was on T.V in 1995! it looks so much older!! The only bit i was really interested in was the beginning transition from the telephone numbers to the equations and maths visual language.

I Ching/RNA Descending sequence

2009-01-24T01:46:00.000-08:00

This video looks similar to what i want to do with my spirograph design in my animation. It goes on a bit long but i like how they transition from one pattern to another.

Ongoing Evaluation

2009-01-20T01:14:00.000-08:00

Have you looked at the competition/existing work? How has this informed your decisions/design direction?
I have looked at competition and others existing work in relation to patterns, maths patterns and animation for ads, stings etc. This has informed my design process as it gives me a bench mark to aim for with my own designs and it has inspired and influenced my ideas.

How broad is your range of ideas and how thoroughly have you developed them?
I have designed my initial idea and then i have developed it to make it more relevant. I have committed to this idea and will try to develop it further to make it work to my advantage.

Have you considered colours/reverse out, weight of marks?
I have considered colour, and i chose red and white because while creating my 'mood board' i generated imagery i thought was associated with maths and this was things like white squared paper that you have in maths books or red marks when something was correct/incorrect. I wanted to create a quite educational feel to my idea and i thought these simple colours would portray this.

What are your aims and objectives? What are you trying to communicate and to who?
My aims and objectives are, to effectively communicate 'maths' 'patterns' and an educational feel to designs. I am trying to communicate that my programme is an educational programme with a bit of a twist, using patterns to show that maths really is interesting and useful.

Is your design work meeting your aims and objectives?
At the moment i think my design work is not meeting my aims and objections fully, but i intend to include more visual imagery to my idea that will hopefully remedy this.

Do you completely understand your message, product, target audience? If so, how has this affected your design work? If not, how can you address this problem?
I completely understand my message and target audience (12 - 16 year old children at high school and don't find maths interesting or relevant) This has effected my design work as i have been designing with educational programmes in mind. I wanted to try and get the feel of an educational programme for an uninterested viewer from my target audience, and to capture their attention to want to know more.

Have you thoroughly explored the potential and tested the possibilities in your research and development before committing to a final resolution?
At the moment i don't feel i have fully tested my idea enough and developed my idea enough to commit to a final resolution. I need to do this ASAP.

How well have you planned your time so far/Have you made the best use of the facilities/staff and studio time?
I haven't made the best use of the facilities available yet and this is what i need to do to test my ideas and see how they work.

What time have you set aside for technical problems, testing etc??
I have set aside a few days before the deadline to test everything and resolve any issues with my animation or iWeb. (even though i have been testing things like my iweb, every so often so i don't do a massive amount and find out it doesn't work)

E4

2009-01-18T15:45:00.000-08:00

Top 10 Maths Patterns

2009-01-13T09:56:00.000-08:00

Final Spirograph 0-9

2009-01-11T15:38:00.000-08:00

Sanna Annukka

2009-01-11T15:37:00.000-08:00

Fashion/Brand patterns

2009-01-11T15:35:00.000-08:00

While looking into patterns how could i not mention fashion designers patterns such as gucci, Louis Vuitton and the good ol' favourite burberry (yes, that's sarcasm!) These patterns have helped brands become easily recognised and have become what most people find attractive from the brand. Wearing one of these patterns could even influence peoples perceptions of you, either good or bad....

GUCCI

LOUIS VOUITTON

TAKASHI MURAKAMI FOR LOUIS VOUITTON

BURBERRY

You even have patterns like tartan and houndstooth which are classic patterns that most people would recognise.

Some of my repeat patterns...

2009-01-11T15:34:00.000-08:00

Below are repeat patterns that i have created using some of my Spirograph inspired patterns.

The images below are some really simple designs using cyan circles.

Moving patterns - Modular Origami

2009-01-10T15:31:00.000-08:00

I haven't done any origami for ages, but i got bought LOADS of origami paper for xmas so i decided to incorporate it with my current brief. I decided to make something called an origami firework, which is an example of modular origami (origami that incorporates several identical pieces to make a whole model) to show a 3D pattern in motion. Below are the images of the firework i made, I'll try to make them into an animated gif later to show the movement better or upload a video of it.

An amazing little toy

2009-01-10T13:43:00.000-08:00

click HERE to play.

Kaleidoscope patterns

2009-01-10T13:21:00.000-08:00

I found this video of Kaleidoscope patterns and i thought it would be good to reference as it could be something i could adapt and use my illustrator Spirograph patterns to do something similar in After Effects.

After Effects Pattern movement

2009-01-10T13:00:00.000-08:00

I really like how the video below shows movement and how the argyle pattern is built up over time. I would like to try and experiment with this using my Spirograph alphabet or Spirograph inspired patterns.

Spiromania

2009-01-10T12:34:00.000-08:00

Spirograph Adverts

Spirograph advert from the 1960's

Spirograph advert from 1973

Spirograph advert from 1992 - Oh My!!

Spirograph Animation

2009-01-10T12:20:00.000-08:00

I found this video on Youtube and thought it was quite interesting in relation to my pattern research as it shows how Spirographs can change and the variety available from a the same shapes.

of paper and thread

2009-01-09T15:30:00.000-08:00

I have followed of paper and thread for a while now (a blog by a west-Australian based designer) and i found some of her patterns that i find quite interesting in relation to my pattern research. I love the colourway of gray and yellow together and i think the circles made of circles are quite interesting too.

print & pattern

2009-01-08T15:29:00.000-08:00

I contacted bowie style of print&pattern, a blog i regularly read, and i asked her what/who her favourite 10 patterns/designers were of the moment and to explain why. She replied quickly and even included images of the patterns she mentions! Thanks bowie style! Below is the reply she sent me:

"im not too good with words but ive chosen 10 designs i really love at the moment....

1. orla kiely stem print
"an absolute classic, simple yet colourful, perfect geometry, no fuss yet busy"
2. caroline gardner
"i love the use of bold colours set against dark backgrounds"
3. petra boase's love prints. (on mugs in this shot)
"the perfect mix of vintage pattern and typography that set in the right way looks contemporary"
4.helen dardik
"helen's patterns have a spontaneous hand drawn sketchy look even though they are digital"
5.michelle romo
"one of my fave designer/illustrators - i was amazed to learn she draws everything with a mouse !"
6. ecojot
"there have been owls of every type and size over the couple of years - and these were the best example i had seen"
7.lotta kuhlhorn
"what i seem to like about a pattern is geometric shapes and unusual colours - this has both"
8. sukie alphabet
"the handprinted gocco look, and i love decorative fonts and type - good colour combo too"
9. designers guild
"one of the few patterns i love that isnt digital - its hand painted yet still v.contemporary"
10.julia rothman
"julia is one of the best new pattern designers in the US, she has a slight vintage feel but sells to cutting edge shops like urban outfitters."

hope this will be useful for your project : )

good luck with everything and thankyou for reading P+P !

regards
bowie"

Book Layout design, Composition and Number Patterns

2009-01-08T15:28:00.000-08:00

As well as looking at patterns using imagery i have looked at the Fibonacci number sequence and how it relates to the golden ratio. In the Fibonacci sequence the first number of the sequence is 0, the second number is 1, and each subsequent number is equal to the sum of the previous two numbers of the sequence itself, yielding the sequence 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, etc.

The Golden ratio is a way of laying out composition and ordering things in art, design and nature. In mathematics and the arts, two quantities are in the golden ratio if the ratio between the sum of those quantities and the larger one is the same as the ratio between the larger one and the smaller. Many books produced between 1550 and 1770 show the proportions of the golden section exactly, to within half a millimetre.

Zeising wrote in 1854:
"The Golden Ratio is a universal law in which is contained the ground-principle of all formative striving for beauty and completeness in the realms of both nature and art, and which permeates, as a paramount spiritual ideal, all structures, forms and proportions, whether cosmic or individual, organic or inorganic, acoustic or optical; which finds its fullest realization, however, in the human form."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Sewing Experiments

2009-01-08T15:27:00.000-08:00

The following images are experiments using thread and paper to create a mathematical pattern. I can't remember what its called but i bet you all did them at school, i know i did! I tried them on graph paper but i wanted to see how they would look 3D and i think they create even more interesting patterns.

The image below is a larger version of the sewing experiment using A2 paper and teal thread:

Want to create your own Spirograph pattern??

2009-01-08T15:23:00.001-08:00

Then visit this website and have a play! Heres one i did:

Fractals?

2009-01-08T15:23:00.000-08:00

The image below is a fractal. It is a pentagram made up of pentagrams which are made up of pentagrams etc. you could zoom in on this pattern and it would be made up of the same pentagram and would produce the same patterns.

I don't know what these patterns are but i think they look like fractals too (or sections of them) . They look like ink squirted into water or really fine roots growing out, whatever they are this is another pattern formation that i think is really interesting, as fractals have a shape that is repeated numerous times within that shape to create more interesting shapes. Here is a video to explain it better.....

17 wallpaper groups

2009-01-08T15:21:00.000-08:00

I really cant describe this theory or method of making patterns but if you asked me to do it i could. This website is really useful to help understand and create your own patterns. If i have enough time i will try and create some patterns using the info from this website. It has some really easy to understand animations that are quite an interesting easy way to show how to make the patterns and how they look once completed. Obviously you can choose your own shape or design for the patterns, these are just used for simplicity and ease of viewing. You can rotate by 180,120,90,60 degrees, reflect horizontally or vertically, glide horizontally or vertically and change where you do all this from: either the center or a corner for example.

Xmas Brief Update

2009-01-07T15:19:00.000-08:00

For my Xmas brief i have decided to focus on patterns. I have wanted to look into how to make patterns for a while now, and as Lorenzo said, I should choose something I'm interested in but don't know a lot about so i can learn something new. I have started researching into patterns on the internet and websites that keep coming up all mention 'The 17 wallpaper pattern groups' they seem pretty simple to understand but are explained in really confusing mathematical ways and strange diagrams. Once I've created my own pattern for each of the 17 patterns ill upload what i think are the best. The brief is about the best/worst and i would like to focus on the best patterns but i don't know in relation to what or how to judge what is the best or what makes a pattern the best....anyway...

Ive been exploring Spirograph designs that I've always been interested in and below are examples of illustrator patterns I've created that have been inspired by Spirograph. I also have examples in my sketchbook from an actual Spirograph toy but for the patterns below i have taken various shapes such as triangles, squares, circles and variations of pentagons, hexagons, heptagons etc etc....

As i am also interested in typography and my new favourite font is times new roman, i thought i would try and create spirograph inspired patterns using this font.

(the reason they are a light cyan colour is because when i started experimenting with the Spirograph patterns i did them on graph paper and that was the colour of the lines on that. I thought it looked interesting and i kept the colour when i took them into illustrator!)

Xmas Brief

2009-01-05T15:19:00.000-08:00

I thought it was time to upload something from my xmas brief but i will just give a sneak preview before everything is complete. Here is what I've been working on...

interactive media

2009-01-03T11:36:00.001-08:00

Interactive media is a really interesting fun way to involve people in the action of design. While in Japan on holiday i came across a huge wall like this but it was like a huge white board in the business district and it projected patterns created by peoples movement and speeds infront of the screen. The wall below is similar.

Xmas work

2008-12-24T14:55:00.000-08:00

Now its Xmas and i have time off from uni i can actually start some of my own work which ive been wanting to experiment with for ages!
Here is some inspiration for my experimentation that i would like to try with paper.

Jen Starks Website
Jen Starks Blog

This image below is by jen stark and i think its amazing that its just paper that has been hand cut!! Its called "over and out" and this is a close up of it:

I would also like to make a start on a blank book that I've been wanting to make for a while now, some paper and sewing experimentation and some work on illustrator that i would like to do also. I will probably try to incorporate some of this into my Xmas brief so i can kill two birds with one stone.
Well Im of to go and plan everything!

CR Blog - The Seed

2008-12-24T03:11:00.000-08:00

I really like this animation. I think the simplicity of it is really interesting as it just shows the movement for what it is.

Seed Film by Johnny Kelly

Silent Movie Brief - Final Movie

2008-12-17T02:54:00.000-08:00

Well here is my final 10 second animation in AfterEffects. Im quite pleased with it and now ive used it once and got to grips with the way it works, i can experiment in my own time with no restrictions! I think i will be experimenting with more type as i think ive only just scratched the surface of its capabilities and my experimentation. Enjoy!

Little Big Planet

2008-12-07T03:56:00.001-08:00

Ive only played this game a few times but i think the variety of costumes and objects available to be manipulated is amazing. You can design your own Levels to play, design your own costumes and then you can post them online and other people can play them. This audience generated content then opens up the game to be something quite interesting. This variety keeps the game alive and as time goes on things such as extra costumes become available free to download from online. I also love the whole handmade low tech aspect of the designs for the backgrounds and the costume materials. All in all, quite a good interactive, varied game that the audience can fully control and generate!

Its also got quite a cool website which can be found in the links at the top right of the page. Here's a screen shot of the interactive homepage....

Viva Piñata

2008-12-07T03:20:00.002-08:00

This is another amazing game that just never gets boring. The aim of the game is to grow your own garden (desert, ice, long grass, water or short grass) to attract certain Piñata to your garden. This in turn levels you up and you get more objects, money and experience which makes different Piñata visit your garden. Each Piñata can 'romance' another Piñata of the same species to make babies and you can evolve certain Piñata and create new ones by doing specific things, like feeding them different flowers or plants. I love the Piñata colours and the character designs. This game has so much potential as it goes on for HOURS and you have so many variables that you can control. I think this kind of freedom in a game is what makes it playable for a long time and you always find something new to do and your always having fun as its so interactive. You can take screen shots of anything you want while playing and then you can upload them to the internet, as well as play in other peoples gardens online. So all in all i think the interactivity, character design and the HUGE variables available and controllable to you, as the game player, are what make this game so successful.

Anyway enough rambling, here are some pictures of the Piñata.......

Loco Roco

2008-12-07T03:20:00.001-08:00

One of my most favourite games EVER! its so simple and easy to use, while looking really slick and having good background music and sound effects. I think the way the characters have been designed is really effective and interesting as the simple detail really gives you all you need to enjoy the game.

Loco Roco

First play in AfterEffects

2008-12-04T02:41:00.000-08:00

My first real attempt in AfterEffects, after playing around with shapes and squares anyway. As soon as i saw the way basic movement was created using this software i immediately thought of the good ol' game Pong. So here it is.....

E4 Stings

2008-12-03T11:47:00.000-08:00

Sooooooooo many stings so little time!

There are so many here

Ghost in the Shell - Stand Alone Complex Title

2008-12-03T11:22:00.000-08:00

I've only ever watched bits of this anime but i think the opening credits are interesting and always watch them if im channel surfing and i see it. Yet again i think the music helps create the certain mood that this anime has {It is watching all the T.V, anime, films and playing games that is where my obsession of soundtracks comes from} So here it is...

Ghost in the Shell - Stand Alone Complex

Silent Hill Series

2008-12-03T10:58:00.000-08:00

I have loved this series of games for the Playstation 1,2 and soon to be 3, since it first came out. The credits for them aren't that amazing, but the music and 'feel' of the opening credits creates a good atmosphere for the start of the games. The music is so atmospheric and plays a big part in making the feel of Silent Hill. For more info visit Silent Hill on Wikipedia. Here they are in order:

Silent Hill 0rigins:

Silent Hill 1:

Silent Hill 2:

Silent Hill 3:

Silent Hill 4:

Title Sequences

2008-12-03T01:06:00.000-08:00

A favourite T.V title sequence of the moment is:

True Blood

Silent Movie

2008-12-03T01:02:00.000-08:00

The first brief for 'DESIGN FOR DIGITAL MEDIA' (DFDM) is called 'SILENT MOVIE' and for this brief i have to create a 10 second animation, using Adobe AfterEffects, to represent three words. The words i chose for this brief are: BOOM, TRANSFORM and CONFUSED. As this is DFDM I will not just be creating things on the computer as most of the work is preparation for digital media, using such methods as story boarding, illustration and photography to create a narrative for animation. I will be uploading my attempts of animation from AfterEffects and my storyboards that inspired my ideas.

What is Design For Digital Media?

2008-12-02T12:23:00.002-08:00

This is my specific blog for the the second year module:
Design for Digital Media

I will be using it to record my research and my work in progress from the module, while also trying to answer 'What is Design For Digital Media?' I've never really considered looking into digital media as a career interest, well, my current perception of it anyway, so this should be a really interesting module as it will change my views of digital media and how to go about creating designs for it.