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Week 10: Graphic Design

I thought it was most interesting that there are so many different terms for the anatomy of  typography and the font figures. Not only this, but the history behind all of these font faces and how they came to be is quite amazing. 

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Week 7 – Architecture

The first principle of Universal Design I am choosing to discuss is “Flexibility in Use”. Flexibility in Use design accommodates a wide range of individual preferences and abilities such as the Summerfest Grounds on the lake front on Milwaukee. Here we see multiple uses for the grounds, such as  the obvious one of concerts and Summerfest, but is also used for much more such as many other concerts, large events such as Polish Fest and Italian Fest. These venues can all adapt to the to the certain festival or event that they have going on because the wide range of space that is offered. They accommodate the use of walk/run events because of the elongated walkways. The next principle that I will discuss is the “Simple and Intuitive Use”. Simple and Intuitive Use is a design that is easy to understand, regardless of the user’s experience, knowledge, language skills, or current concentration level. I would like to compare this to the Apple iPhone for his very diverse user group. The iPhone is the most popular cell phone on the planet, with 45 percent of the world owning an iPhone of some sort. The reason I believe that the iPhone is able to sustain these type of numbers is because of it’s simplicity to so many users. You are seeing the most advanced people in technology using iPhone’s, and at the same time you can see that same iPhone being used by your 80 year old grandmother. The iPhone provides a variety of techniques that eliminate unnecessary complexity. Another big reason that I believe it’s so successful is the user experience, the customer service and the overall feel of the brand. The iPhone could literally be the worst apple product ever, but because of the “Apple” brand that is established, it will be bought over and over again because of the prior knowledge of the other product that you also own that are made by Apple.

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St. Josaphat’s Basilica is a beautiful church on Milwaukee’s South Side in the Lincoln Village with very carefully measured brick and one of the largest copper domes in the world. The Byzantine first started elevated domes in 517AD putting round domes on square structures.    

The Milwaukee Art Museum is an incredible idea of architecture when you think of Milwaukee. The wings that extend in and out is a prime example of architectural.  

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Week 5

The first example of design that I would like to talk about that I see around me is the syle De Stijil done by Mondrain. I see his type of style of work in church every Sunday, that of the stain glass windows. The styles are very similar with the cubism ideas. The second example I was able to find from the text that I see in the world around me are similar of the Russian Suprematism and Constructivism poster. This poster during the avant-garde made me think of a lot of the popular 3 or 2 color poster that are always in coffee shops and in small craft beer bars. The focus on these posters are the simplicity of the colors and only focusing on the smaller detail and letting the not so important detail wash out.

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Week 4

Currently, being in Nashville, Tennessee for this weekend I was able to do a lot of site seeing and thinking about design while walking and driving around the city. Thinking about design was fairly easy when walking through a city that you aren’t familiar with at all. Thoughts came up a lot with design when walking through downtown at night. Looking at all of the bright lights and logos that scream at you at night, illuminating the whole strip. All of theses signs are sometimes the reason why people give restaurants and bars a chance of trying them for the first time. Me personally, when I see a logo the intrigues me, I will be more comfortable in giving it a try for the first time. If the logo is good, then the food and experience must be excellent as well. Personally the logo is the first design element I look for but for people with out a design background may look at the whole look and feel of the bar or restaurant. These establishments design not only a logo, but a experience to wrap everything up for the user. Making something memorable that you would want to spend your hard earned money on and come back another time. Having an experience with your food is something that I always look forward to and this is what will separate good restaurant from a great restaurant. For our experience this weekend, obviously we went into a lot of country bars that had a lot a very similar feels to them but what separated them was the more modern design and the more rustic design. I am more drawn to the modern feel and seemed to attract more of the younger crowd. Both were designed excellently to match the feel of the city of Nashville, designed mostly with guitars and music notes. Overall is what great to just think about all the great design in the city.

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Week 2 – Design Thinking

I would define design as creating something useful for a purposeful reason. Design can come in so many different forms or ideas, they don’t necessarily have to be something physical you view or use. For me personally, I’ve used design in graphic design, where I am able to create posters, books, website, apps, logos, branding and so much more. These items are created to attract and guide viewers and create a unique experience for the user. Most recently I was able to design an idea last semester for class that expanded to branding the look and feel of the whole experience. I created an app called Padl, that you would be able to download onto your phone and be able to conveniently rent a kayak or canoe to traverse the river, similar to the idea of Bublur Bikes, but with kayaks. This project may be in the beginning stages, but I think it can have a lot of potential to become a design that creates transportation via the water ways. With designing the idea, designing a logo and feel to wrap around the experience you wish your user to experience. Design is seen in so many places and is made to make things easier and more enjoyable for our everyday lives and defining design can literally be seen everywhere in so many different forms.

One particular bit I found very interesting from the “Design Thinking” article was the idea from IDEO called “Keep the Change” where it allows the user of the credit card to round up to the nearest dollars on their purchases and be put away to save you money without even knowing it. Instead of putting your change into a coin jar, it eliminates the hassle of taking your piggy bank to the bank and depositing it, saving Americans millions.

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Week 1 – About me

Hello! My name is Jake Paniagua and I am in my fourth semester at UWM, currently working in my final year of the DVC program, beginning my final capstone this semester. Perusing my Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design is a decision I made after graduating with an Associates Degree in Graphic Design at WCTC, where I studied there for two and a half years and decided I wanted to further my education at UWM. With transferring into a 4 year university from a technical school, there are a lot of GER’s that haven’t been fulfilled in order to graduate from UWM, so I am a little mixed in with Senior courses and level 100 courses. Which is completely okay with me because I am very happy to be a part of a school and community that cares as much as UWM does. I am looking forward to this class to learn much more about the history of design and why and how it came to be. A class I have taken previously touched on this subject for a few weeks but couldn’t cover as much material as a 16 week course can.

On top of being in school and learning design within the DVC program, I am fortunate enough to have completed an internship at Two 3 Design where I had the opportunity to work with clients in request for custom softball and basketball jerseys, that I was able to design for. I am currently working in Restaurant Operations at UWM, creating signage and advertisements for all the retail and residential restaurant units we have on campus here at UWM.

Something that inspires me are artist that use negative space in design to invite you into that particular piece. I am always amazed how successful many designs can be with just a turn of your head, you can see something completely different or something that you didn’t even realize was there in the first place.

When shopping, I am always intrigued by the package design and how well it is put together. They say not to judge a book by its cover but, when purchasing items, I am most often drawn to the quality of the package design. I think this is big reason why Apple is successful as they are in today’s market.