SPATIAL EXPERIENCE: Car Show!?

Practical:

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Practical reasoning as to why the 2010 Forte is a quality automobile. The aesthetics and the diagram drawings reference an  owners manual that you'd find inside the car after purchasing. Proof that they meet standards.

Poetic:

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This boombox striked me as poetic. In fact the entire Scion display seemed to be more connotative of a lifestyle or a sense of style. The videos on the boombox were of people making art really really fast, techno explosions, dancing bodies, and more techno. No real reference to the vehicle on the screens. Brand: The Scion Lifestyle.

Persuasive: 
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USA Today's telling me that this car is so good that it will shock me. The placard's authoritative voice is persuading my interests into the future ownership of one of their vehicles. 

DEGREE PROJECT: Midterm Process Update

I have decided to create a user–content generated publication with both a printed and online presence. The publication could potentially encourage a community dialogue and collectively narrate an ongoing documentary of Kansas City's cultural environment.

As of yet, I have begun thinking about how I can dynamically brand the experience. I've utilized the area code, 816, as the title of the publication to draw reference to the locality in which I am referring to. It's well recognizable to folks who live here and is universal in connotative associations. 

To the right is one of many prototypes I've been working with so far. I've been trying to reference the eclectic nature of Kansas City through the use of contrasting typefaces knocked out and in minimalist fashion. The star is a component I've been working with in earlier prototypes and seems to compliment the UltraLight cut of Helvetica Neue that reads "an urban journal".

I have also been working on wire-framing how the site will function for both readers and those trying to submit (below). I've envisioned a patchwork that threads together editorial text and submitted imagery. Site editors, would hypothetically, curate this work and frame it within that months issue. This kind of community dialogue could serve as a rich and interesting way of collectively documenting the city in its current state—to tell a story. My next task is to continue developing the brand and web wireframes and begin laying out dynamic page templates for the printed publication. 

REVISED TIMELINE
3/8: begin soliciting contributors about wrapping up their submissions, continue wire-framing web component, continue branding identity, continue page template structuring.


3/10: continue soliciting contributors about wrapping up their submissions, continue wire-framing web component, continue branding identity, continue page template structuring.


3/23: start finalizing identity, have page templates and wireframes complete, begin laying out pages with content and applying skin to the website.


3/25: have identity finalized, continue laying out pages with content and applying skin to the website, collect all containers that are still being filled by contributors, begin design on front and back cover of the publication.


3/29: start generating ephemera with the identity and continue designing front and back cover of print document, finalized web prototype screens (think about flash demo if time allows), continue laying out pages with content.


3/31: continue laying out pages with content, continue generating ephemera with the identity, and have front and back cover of the print document designed.


4/5: finish laying out pages and have pdf exported and ready for print, (if time allows, begin flash demo that outlines task scenarios), prep for first preliminary presentation.


4/7: prep for first preliminary presentation, craft a version of your printed artifact, prep task scenarios for web component.

SPATIAL EXPERIENCE: Rietveld | Schroderhuis

Above is a construction barricade design for Gerrit Rietveld's Schroderhuis in Utrecht, Netherlands. Reitveld designed the home for Mrs. Truus Schroder in 1924 shortly after her husband died. The design is aimed at reflecting the Dutch founded De Stijl, which translates simply to "The Style". The barricade was designed to tell the story of the house, forshadow the arrival of Rietveld's architectural depiction of De Stijl, and provide a unique spatial experience for the viewer. Check out the slideshow. comments are appreciated.

DEGREE PROJECT: Collaborative Documentary

I've been concepting a great deal about how I can push this idea of storytelling into more of a communal dialogue. I really think that in order for this project to be successful, it needs to maintain some "systematic" component that will allow it to potentially live on after its completion.

I think that an online collection site could be a possible direction to pursue. The idea being that the community has the ability to collective create a collaborative documentary of Kansas City via uploads (video, blogging, tagging, photos, stories, news, etc.). I've quickly produced a comp that outlines a potential visual aesthetic for the site, but I realize that I am still prototyping here.

The audience would mainly be folks who live here, but could also give insight to out-of-towners who are unfamiliar. I am also wondering whether or not this could be a platform for all "cultural hubs" (i.e.> big cities, unique cultural environments, urban focal points, etc.). Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

DEGREE PROJECT: Story Containers

I've crafted some more story containers in a slightly different manner. All the stuff within the containers act as "triggers" to encourage commitment and make the collection process more controlled. I'm hoping that the results will yield some interesting content. Check out the slideshow.

However,  I am still up in the air as to how I'll utilize the contents and create a meaningful artifact that does, in fact, give breadth to Kansas City's cultural landscape. I'm thinking about an editorial of some sort that could potentially have a lifespan or perhaps a site that looks within the sub culture of Kansas City through the lens of the citizens.

DEGREE PROJECT: Story Containers

I've been trying to collect stories in alternative ways. I had two people individually (man & woman) collect ephemera from around town in the plastic bags. A quick experiment to get an idea of the visual language within Kansas City's current landscape.

I also made a container that was a bit more open ended in terms of user participation. It will hopefully allow for a richer story with more meaning and or context. I posted a gallery on Flickr.

PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE: Revelations

I wasn't aware until after skimming through Graphic Arts Guild: Pricing and Ethical Guidelines by The Graphics Artists Guild, that freelance designers could price jobs so high. To think that someone could design a logo for something like $1500 is crazy to me. I guess it's such a shock because I'm still a student and used to working for nothing.

I also came to realize that an extensive and detailed written contract is an important piece to any design job. A freelance designer would need to know how to draft something like that up. I may have to go to law school after I'm done here.

While reading, I came to realize that dealing with clients will be equally as challenging as executing a seamless solution.