thejessumms

[thejessumms]

Most of these photos are from free lancing, undiscovered photographers. What attracted me to these photos in particular was that most of them feature seemingly insignificant parts of everyday life, like passing a street sign or rainy traffic. I noticed that I tend to gravitate towards oranges and yellows when it comes to color photography which I think just elevates any photo with warmth and life. Also a common theme in my choices is focusing in on a certain point, like the front most object.

My favorite photo out of this bunch is the twirling skirt photo. I absolutely love the vibrant colors for starters. I also admire how Hansen was able to capture the elegant movement of the fabric and the dancer. The emotion and expression of the photo is what attracts me to it, it just looks fun and happy.

Photo credz: Hansen Bursic, Cameron Knight, and Costea Ionut.

[thejessumms]

Travel Websites 

My own desire to visit Boston is what prompted my specific tourism search for this assignment. One of the things I look for first in “good” design is a logo; and this website did not disappoint. I like how the font is not strictly horizontal and allows for the letters to “move” and interact. The font combines Boston’s patriotic history with a push to the contemporary vibe of the city. Overall, this website is very user friendly, with its bold type and clear category headers. 

I also really like this website’s use of photography. The stunning pictures are the first things you see when visiting this website. The shear size of the photo reel makes the destination very appealing because it nearly consumes the whole web page. This makes the purpose of the website successful because (for me at least) it evokes an urge in the viewer to see the sights pictured, for yourself. 

[thejessumms]

Designer Spotlight pt. 2 

Jennet Liaw 

Kathy brought young designer Jennet Liaw to my attention, and I am so happy she did. After scrolling through her Instagram, I quickly got a good sense of her style. She tends to stick to a pretty neutral color pallet but adds a flare to it. For example in her Uber gift card design (the “Explore Dream Discover”) she uses a brush-like feature and blush color to give the type a creamy, organic feel without distracting from the words themselves. My favorite piece of Liaw’s is her collaboration of the 2020 Olympics with Coca-cola. I think it was very creative to cut the design in the middle. I also like how seamless the combination is, it’s not focused too much on either part but equates them. 

I also admire the fact that she uses her art for a purpose, to spread positivity. The “Louder” piece is her take on the ever-growing Women’s movement (that voices are getting louder). 

[thejessumms]

Designer Spotlight pt.1 

Chip Kidd

Not going to lie, until this project I had no idea who Chip Kidd was. Turns out, he’s a pretty big deal. After researching him and his work particularly with book covers, I can see why Chip Kidd is so successful. He plays with the unexpected in his work. For example, his “A Kidd’s Guide to Graphic Design” book cover is so counter intuitive with “GO” written on a STOP sign. It goes against everything you'd expect that sign to stand for, which catches the eye and beckons further inspection. Similarly, I think Kidd’s cover for “The Mind’s Eye” is equally as eye catching (sorry I had to). One would expect a sight chart to be crystal clear, but in this case there are blurred and out of focus spots that again, make you look twice. Apart from his unique perspective on the intuitive, Kidd’s use of typography another thing that drew me to his work. Sometimes type and font can seem so insignificant to a design, but in the world of cook covers, it’s essential. I particularly like the “Geek Love” typography. The font is a good combination of book worm and hipster. It looks robotic without being boring. I feel that it is a good fit for the cover (even though I know nothing about the book itself.) That is what impressed me about Chip Kidd; balancing the expected and unexpected for a unique design every time. 

[thejessumms]

the Barnes Foundation

I still have yet to actually visit the Barnes Foundation in person so I am glad to have to familiarize myself with their social media presence beforehand. I do not have a Twitter so I am going to focus on their website and Instagram. For starters, I really like their logo. I think it is brilliant to merge the type with squares that aim to represent the hanging paintings/ picture frames that they house. Another interesting feature of the logo (on their website) is that the colors change as you scroll down the home page. At the top of the page currently is a black and white painting so the logo is black and white. However as you get to the bottom of the page and land on a brighter image, the logo changes to its usual white and orange. This creates a recognizable and cohesive front between all their accounts. 

As far as their Instagram goes, it does not seem to serve a clear purpose other than informing. I realize that their exhibitions are always changing and are always different but to me posting about all the different pieces makes their account look a bit disorganized. However, I was surprised to see that they take advantage of the “Stories” feature on Instagram. This seems to be targeting the younger (high school and college age) audience which should be pretty successful. Over all, I feel the Barnes Foundation social media presence is pretty typical as far as museums go. They are informative and serves its purpose to attract visitors by posting about upcoming exhibitions and enhancing their usual displays. 

[thejessumms]

LIBRARY 

The book that stood out to me the most during my library visit was “The Beautiful- Illustrations for Fashion and Style.” To be honest, I didn’t really understand what this book was for at first glance; opening it made me even more confused. With that being said, I really liked the overall layout of the book. Each section (2 or 3 pages long) opened with a large illustration of a particular artist in their own art style. Each artist’s name was incorporated on the page in the book’s main typography. Under the illustration was a short bio of the artist’s life, career, and how they developed their particular art style. The continuous delicate but bulky font is what unties all of the sections together. However, there is not a bunch of text in the book to begin with; it is mostly illustrations. I really admire how the book features basically the same layout throughout (4 pictures to a page) but still keeps your attention by subtly switching up the orientation from section to section. 

[thejessumms]

FASHION DESIGN

While exploring the articles of Vogue and fashion boards on Pinterest, I noticed that I began to gravitate towards the same kind of style: glitzy dresses and gowns in particular. When it comes to fashion, (apparently) my girly side comes to the forefront of my decision making. I kept coming across two main designers: Elie Saab and Zuhair Murad. From the collections that I viewed, they seemed to have a lot in common. Both Saab and Murad tend to stick to (for the most part) neutral color palettes but amped them up with embellishments and sparkle.The embelishments add texture and dimension to the underlaying fabric. Their designs give off an air of elegance and luxury which in my opinion, is what makes their designs so successful. I also like the fact that the designs aren't TOO crazy, like you may be able to picture someone actually wearing them in public (to a really formal event but still). 

In contrast, designer Brandon Maxwell aims to keep his designs simple yet edgy i.e. simple color with high slits and interesting cut outs. While his design differs greatly form those of Murad and Saab, I think this dress in particular is still quite elegant and successful. 

[thejessumms]

Design and Explore 

For this term’s Philly excursion Kathy, Lauren, and Sayana went to explore Chinatown. We met up at the 34th street subway station and took it to 11th street (?? I think). It was a very chilly day so once we decided where to eat we quickly arrived at the destination, Dim Sum Garden. We were seated right away and Kathy led the ordering of food since I had no idea what to get. We shared every dish: soup dumplings (delicious and fun to eat), beef pan fried dumplings (soooo yummy), scallion pancakes (basically seasoned bread so how could you go wrong), and chicken on a stick (not my favorite). Eating with chopsticks was an interesting experience for me but I managed. Overall, I would definitely go back to try more of their menu since everything was modestly priced. 

After our meal, we walked around looking for interesting design/branding and took a lot of pictures. We found a cute bubble tea cafe that was definitely designed with Instagram posts in mind (very aesthetically pleasing). We each ordered a different kind of tea (I ordered peach oolong tea with salted caramel cream). Once we settled down to wait for our drinks, we noticed that this cafe had a board Game Center. So we grabbed Jenga and played a couple rounds, making all kinds of noise in an otherwise quiet room. We drank our delicious tea  for a bit and then began our journey home. One of the last things that we did was find a mural on the side of a fire house. We were attempting to take a picture beside it but at the same time, a fire truck was trying to back into the station so we almost died trying to get a picture! Fun trip though!!

[thejessumms]

tImE mAnEgEmEnT

I procrastinate so much. I told myself that I would “get it together” in college and so far I think I have made some progress. For this winter term in particular, I have started keeping a bullet journal in addition to a sparingly used weekly planner. Drawing/designing my own layout for To-Do lists, calendars, and important things to remember makes organizing my life a less tedious and gloomy experience and more of a motivational pass time. In my bullet journal I begin every month with a calendar in which I write all known due dates, social/ family events, and other school activities in different colors. This helps me keep track as well as visualize my plans for the month effectively. Week by week I usually make multiple lists (sometimes daily) for all the school work I need to get done for a certain day or before a certain event. I include everything I need to do (I even include showering and or laundry) just so that I can have the satisfaction of crossing it off my list (and to feel more productive that I actually am). I still need to work on my time management a lot but every little effort helps. 

[thejessumms]

THE BEST OF 2018

2018 was a busy year all across the board. From movie premiers and album releases to rebrandings and book publishings; there was a lot, especially from a design aspect.  My personal favorite is Janelle Monáe’s album cover “Dirty Computer”. First of all the color scheme is stunning. The deep reds, yellows and purples complement her skin tone and the jeweled veil perfectly. The overall cover is seemingly simple (it’s just a unique headshot), but there are a few elaborate details as well. Her eye makeup stays true to the color scheme but still manages to hold its own despite the veil. The veil itself is beautiful and eye catching without being overpowered to the rest of the design (it stays in line with her head). The colors, her centered crop, and her facial expression, all emit an air of power, confidence and almost royalty. Not to mention the literal golden halo around her head. Monáe was striving for respect and admiration with this album cover and I think she definitely achieved it. 

[thejessumms]

Philly Interest 

Ever since I can remember, I’ve had a love for makeup and all things beauty related. However, going to Catholic school for 10+ years never allowed for me to express that passion of mine. Now in a completely secular college, I am free to dress, do my makeup, and hair, however I like. Knowing this, I recently have been turning to a number of fashion and beauty blogs for inspiration. One in particular that I discovered (and is also a Philadelphia based blog) is called “Empowering in Heels”. The creator of this body positive, inspiring blog is Arizona born, Julie Davis. She regularly posts seasonal look books, beauty must- haves, and my personal favorite: local boutique recommendations. It’s like having a personal assistant scouting out all the cute new places for fashion finds for you. I am still relatively new to Julie’s blog, but I can tell it will soon become my go- to for everything Philly fashion.

https://empoweringinheels.com/beauty/

[thejessumms]

Advertisements

Most of these ads are on the simpler side. They draw the focus to usually one central object to hone in on their message. However, what caught my eye was that to understand them or get their wit, you had to look twice. The “Text and Drive” one is quite off putting; but I think it’s pretty clever once you realize that it is an ad for a funeral home (obviously don’t text and drive though). The eggplant one is also very clever because it’s so unusual until you read the bottom that tells you it is meant to represent how accurate their colored pencil hues are to the real thing. 

My two favorites are the Band-Aid one and the kiwi one. The Band-Aid one is meant to be ironic and humorous in that, even someone as strong as the Hulk gets hurt and trusts Band-Aid for all of his wound needs. The kiwi one if I have to be honest, I didn’t understand at first. I literally laughed out loud when I realized that it was an ad for floss. It dramatically emphasizes how precise and tactile that brand of floss is (if it can get the seeds out of a kiwi, imagine what it could do for your teeth.)

[thejessumms]

Typography 

[thejessumms]

NORTHERN LIBERTIES!!!

Adventure with Saif and Lauren

Our eat and explore assignment took us to the little neighborhood of Northern Liberties. To get there, we met up between our two dorm buildings and walked to the subway station (Market- Frankford line) at 34th street. The closest stop to our destination was the one at Spring Garden street which took us right to the heart of the neighborhood. We walked down the main street towards the restaurant, Spuntino. The street was full of little shops, bars, and locally owned businesses that gave the neighborhood its homey feel. When we got to Spuntino, I was surprised that we were the only people in the restaurant at the time. The menu was full Italian style with some hints of Philly weaved in of course (ie ”Philly style” pizza) We ordered right away and I convinced Lauren to try white pizza for the first time. Me and Lauren devoured our pizzas when they came; both of us pleasantly surprised at the quality of our food. 

After our meal, we decided to walk around (despite the cold) and check out a few little shops along the strip. We walked into an organic health store called Penn Herb Co. The shop was filled with spices, organic supplements and medicines, and even some healthy snacks. I was tempted to buying try some raw honeycomb simply because it looked fun to touch but I eventually decided against it. After a good 20 minutes of walking around this store, we decided it was time to head back to school. We walked back to the station and waited on the open air platform for our train. During this period, it was very cold and windy, to the point of blowing Lauren’s hat off of her head and onto the tracks. She was ready to jump down onto the tracks to retrieve it but I had to stop her. We tried to find a worker at the station for help but no one was around. So until our train came we just watched other trains continuously run over her cute red hat. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this trip. I got to know Saif and Lauren in ways that a classroom setting would never sanction and I got to explore a new part of Philadelphia. Plus a really good meal never hurts either!

[thejessumms]

Abstract 

I really liked this episode of Abstract with Paula Scher. I never thought that one person could design so many globally famous logos. From her early album art, to her ongoing projects with the Public theater, Paula is an inspiration. She is able to take a product or brand and make them globally recognizable with a blink of an eye. Things like her Citi bank project, I thought it would've taken so many trials and ideas to come up with a clever logo like that; but for Paula it was an obvious design that meshed the two companies seamlessly. 

I saw a lot of myself in Paula, especially with how she works both on her own and as part of her team. She is constantly moving through her office, getting ideas from her environment, and collaborating with her colleagues. Like Paula, when I design or need inspiration I have to get out of my bubble and engage my surroundings. I also really admire her for for always going back to hand painting rather than getting stuck too much into the digital design world. Her painted maps are incredible. 

Overall, I found this episode very informative and interesting for anyone, not just design students. 

[thejessumms]

Color Combinations 

I took all of these photos (except for one) both recently and over the summer. My favorite picture is probably the Christmas tree one. What interests me about the colors in the photo is the repetition of the light blue from the plate, to the garland and ornaments, and finally in the background. It gives the photo a sense of balance and harmony without dulling down the other colorful elements. Also the yellow lights/place mat brings out the blue even more since they are color complements . 

[thejessumms]

WESTPHAL ASSIGNMENT

(Sorry for the weird photo but they were having some technical difficulties at the start and I wanted to ensure I had time to get a pic)

I went to the advanced screening of Wreck It Ralph 2: Ralph Breaks the Internet. I attended this event thinking that it would simply be a free, full showing of the movie with a director and writer Q&A at the end. However, when the presentation began I quickly realized what was in store. Rich Moore and Phil Johnston, the directors of the movie, took us through the sequel’s storyline and their thoughts before, during, and after the making of the film. This presentation included multiple sneak peaks of the movie without giving too much away. 

I learned that their reasoning for making a sequel stemmed form the way that the first movie ended. They noticed that by the end of the first movie, Ralph came to a concerning conclusion about himself: that as long a Vanellope liked him, how bad could he be? The directors felt that Ralph still needed to reach his full self acceptance in order for the story to truly come to an end, thus the sequel was born. As far as the design of the movie goes, this presentation just affirmed for me that you hardly ever reach the design’s full potential on your first try. The directors said that one driving sequence took 25 attempts to make it just right because of how innovative the animation techniques were. They also went the extra mile by consulting a professional driver to look over the scene and make sure it was an accurate car chase. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this presentation. It gave be a better understanding of the film -making process and a new respect for everyone involved in the process. I already had an interest in seeing the sequel prior to this showing and now I can’t wait until it comes out in a few days.