BP: it's FONT-amental

Verizon Wireless Sign: Versailles

I think that the marketing board for Verizon Wireless chose this design for the sign on their buildings to hint at how powerful their cellular service is. The red check mark and the "z" in Verizon both share the same design. The check mark could be used to illustrate that Verizon receives a check mark for quality of their service. The "on" in Verizon is underlined by the red of the "z". This could indicate that their service is on no matter where the user is located. Also the "Verizon" is in what appears to be be bold while the wireless is not. This could be done to draw detail to Verizon's name. I do indeed think that the design of Verizon'a font does provide onlookers a sense of approval mainly due to the red check mark indicating that they have a strong cellular network.

http://ackermannpr.com/cellular-sales-opens-new-locations-in-nashville-tennessee-and-versailles-kentucky/

 Lowe's Home Improvement Sign: Nichols Park Drive

I think that the marketing board for Lowe's chose this design for the sign on their buildings to illustrate that they are a home improvement company. The background of the sign is a resemblance of a house or some type of building. The perimeter of the sign is outlined red which looks similar to painters tape. The letters are also in all caps with equal spacing between them. The sign is also symmetrical. I do indeed think that the design of Lowe's font does provide onlookers a sense of creativity because of the building like design of the Lowe's sign.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/lowes-of-south-lexington-lexington

Tolly-Ho Sign: Bolivar Street

I think that the marketing board for Tolly Ho chose this design for their sign because of its simplicity. Tolly-Ho is a well known establishment to students at the University of Kentucky and this shows in the design of the sign. The canvas is blue and the letters are white which are the same colors of the Kentucky Wildcats. The text is also written in a script font to make the restaurant seem fancy. The slogan of Tolly-Ho is "a UK tradition since 1971". Even though the sign is simplistic it shows onlookers that this is a must visit for old and new students of the University of Kentucky alike.

http://www.kentucky.com/news/article43928088.html

Goodfella's Pizzeria/Two Keys Tavern Signs: South Limestone

First Goodfella's Pizerria. I think that the marketing board wanted to capture an Italian theme while designing their sign. The font is simplistic with a block design. Also the colors of the Italian Flag are present under the font. Also I noticed that there is the hand of a puppet master above the "fellas" portion of the text possibly indicating that once you are inside the staff is at your control. I believe that the sign attracts onlookers due to its indication of authentic Italian Pizza.

Second is the Two Keys Sign. I think the marketing board wanted to create a rustic look and feel. I say this because the sign looks like it is made of wood with two old style keys at the top of sign. "Two Keys" looks like a type of calligraphy which is an older style of writing. The "Tavern" portion of the sign is written in a modern font similar to Helvetica. These two fonts could indicate that Two Keys design theme features a mix of old and new. I believe that this sign attracts on lookers due to its phrase "The World Famous" and because of how the sign is mounted which has the sign hanging by two chains just like old shops would have. The design of the sign represents the theme of Two Keys exceptionally well.

http://www.aceweekly.com/2012/06/where-to-eat-in-lexington-kentucky-campus-university-of-kentucky/

BP: Movie Discussion Summary

            The movie discussion in class helped me further understand and ensure that I was on the right track with explaining how the three movies connected with design. My group discussed Wall-E. We said that it was interesting how there were two different spectrums of design featured in the movie. One was the Wall-E class robots who were square, clunky and rustic. On the other hand, there was Eve and her fellow robots who were sleek, shiny and extremely high tech.

            Also we found that it was interesting how technology could make our lives better while slowly destroying it at the same time. The movie illustrated this by showing Earth covered with garbage and completely devoid of life which caused the human population to live in space aboard a spacecraft. While onboard that spacecraft the humans were waited on hand and foot by robots. The humans didn’t have to lift a finger and this eventually made them extremely overweight and helpless. 

            The main takeaway I received from this movie and its connection to design is that technology can be and is extremely useful but we have to be careful because it can take over our lives and destroy the world around us. We have to find that fine balance between the use of technology and preserving the world that we live in. Wall-E connected to the other two movies (Helvetica and Everything is Illuminated) by eventually finding a resolve to our journey through life and its hurdles.

BP Movie Review 7/8

DES 100 Informance Movie by Nathan Allen

This video looks like it was professionally created. I love how the video includes people having a great time at Copper Mountain. The video clips that Nathan used in his informance fit perfectly but at times could be distracting while you are trying to read the text. The text is easy to read but it comes and goes very quickly. I think it would help by keeping the text on the screen a little bit longer so that all the information that is trying to be conveyed can be read. Also I noticed a single spelling error but other than that and the duration the text aspect of the video was perfect. The video laid out the five principles of design in a unique format which I really enjoyed. Also the music fit very well with the theme of the movie. Overall the video was designed extremely well. Good job!

http://www.usaprocyclingchallenge.com/cities/copper-mountain

DES 100 Informance Movie by Rebekah Schertzinger 

Rebekah made her informance movie about Pointe Shoes used for ballet performances. I enjoyed that she included video of the shoes flexibility right at the beginning of the video. She did a great job narrating her video, her voice is clear and easy to understand. She provided extremely in depth detail of the shoes and the associating diagrams of the shoes were also very useful in explaining design. She provided clear transitions which helped me keep track of what aspect of the artifact she was discussing. The video of professional ballet dancers explaining what they do also made the video great! She highlighted and explained all the principles of design. I would focus on proofreading the text, the Consumerism portion of the video was labeled Communism. The video was overall well put together, easy to follow and understand and interesting to watch! Just make sure that you proofread before calling it complete. It will help you in tremendously in the end! Good Job!

http://www.theballerinabirthday.com/blog/category/pointe-shoes

BP: Consumerism

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Film)

My group was assigned the Harry Potter Franchise so I decided to focus on the the movie that started it all.

How and Where the Product was manufactured

The film featured many different creatures and objects such as goblins, talking hat's and transforming cats so to make these creatures and objects appear on screen CGI or computer generated images were utilized in the film. These creatures and objects are designed so well that they seem extremely lifelike. The special effects crew utilized different rigs as well as special effects to create the best movie for the audience.

The movie was filmed in the United Kingdom due to the design of the location. They needed a castle to serve as Hogwarts as well as train stations, city streets etc. The United Kingdom matched these requirements perfectly and so the entire movie was shot on location in The United Kingdom.

How and Where the Product was distributed/sold

The movie was released and made available to audience members in The United Kingdom and The United States. The product was initially only released in movie theaters, then sold on dvd for consumers to view at home and then it was formatted digitally to be watched online using sites such as Amazon or Itunes. Having these various levels of distribution allowed for the highest profit to be acquired.

How Does Design Factor In Each Stage

In the first stage design is implemented in the looks of all the different creatures and objects. With the advances of modern technology the computer generated images looked so realistic that one could hardly tell they were created using a computer and were not actually visible on set.

The movie was filmed on location in the United Kingdom so access to everything from enormous castles to small city streets could be accessible. The design of various castles and streets had a old gothic feel to them which fit the movie perfectly.

In the second stage design had a role in marketing by figuring out where to distribute/sell the movie. The two main locations of distribution (The United States and United Kingdom) were determined most likely by the popularity of the books. Also I am assuming that the film's marketing team organized several events or rallies to promote the film.

To ensure that the most profit possible was acquired, the movie needed to be sold anywhere possible such as physical copies or online digital streaming.

http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2453052928/tt0241527?ref_=ttmd_md_nxt

BP: Movie Review 5/6

Informance Movie by Donovan Nesbitt

Donovan's informance movie describes the design of the Beats Pill XL. The very first thing I liked was the background music Donovan chose. I feel like it complimented the Beats Pill XL extremely well. I also thought it was interesting that he made the title using the same color scheme that is featured on the Pill. His transition's were done extremely well. He had music fade out when he began to speak about design characteristics of the Pill and the music fade back in when he finished speaking. To compliment the music during the transitions he featured photos of the Pill that he took and implemented a Ken Burn's type effect which I thought was well placed.

He included and explained every aspect of design in an organized fashion that was easy to read and understand. His individual slides of information were also timed well to allow ample time to read every piece of information. The slides had just enough detail/photos to benefit the movie without being too distracting.

The only thing I would look out for is consistency. Donovan had every header except the "Process and Product" header red. Also the portion of the video that covered the media, the Ken Burn's effect was used here also but the "M" in media was initially cut off (later came into the frame). Only small errors, but overall the video was very well put together. It was easy to understand, ample time was provided to read the text and transitions/music were original and well put together. Great Job!

http://www.macworld.com/article/2930358/got-a-beats-pill-xl-speaker-apple-recall-will-get-you-325.html

Informance Movie by Dana Caruso

Dana's informance movie describes the design of the Fibit Charge. She starts off her movie with what seems to be a commercial for her Fitbit that briefly explains the main features of the Fitbit such as the ability to link with a mobile app and provide caller identification. This video was placed appropriately because it provided the viewers with a basic introduction of the main features of the Fitbit. The pictures used were a little blurry, we would be able to see the details of the Fitbit better had the pictures been a little clearer. The voice over was recorded well but it sometimes got a little quiet and hard to hear. Also I think that the addition of text would help the viewer stay on track with what was being explained. 

I enjoyed the portion of the video that explained how third party companies have created different skins for Fitbit's so the wearer can truly make the Fitbit their's.

I really like how in depth she got about the Fitbit mobile app and all it's features. It turns workout from a laborious task to a fun task to conquer with friends. It provides group leader boards that promotes friendly competition toward a healthier lifestyle. 

Toward the end of the movie I really like the second Fitbit commercial she used. It shows the viewer the many different uses of the Fitbit.

The video was overall done well but I think that clearer photos and text headers would make it even better!

http://i1.expansys.com/img/p/268450/fitbit-charge.jpg

How they connect

Both the Beats Pill XL and the Fitbit are modern pieces of technology and they both are evolution's of an existing product. The Pill is an evolution of the boombox, it has better sound in a smaller, easy to transport package.

The Fitbit is an evolution of the pedometer. Instead of clipping it to your clothing you wear it on your wrist just like a normal watch. The Fitbit also has more features than a pedometer such as caller ID and the ability to provide your heart rate.

Also these devices connect because they may be used in tandem. One could be exercising and wearing their Fitbit while listening to their favorite workout playlist on their Beats Pill XL.

BP Movie Review 3/4

Informance Movie by Connor Laramore

Connor created his informance movie on the Adidas's line of shoes titled "Boost". The video initially explained the technology that is incorporated into the shoes which are tiny energy capsules created in partnership with companies based in Germany. There are roughly 2,500 of these tiny energy capsules in just one shoe. Connor included a video of a test that compares the boost technology to the traditional EVA technology that is used in other shoes. The test consisted of dropping a metal ball on concrete with no padding, concrete with the EVA technology and concrete with Adidas's Boost technology. Right off the bat before the video even started I noticed that the Boost padding is much thicker than the EVA padding. Once the metal ball is dropped on the three surfaces it is surprising how much longer the ball bounces on the Boost padding. The test is a good method of describing the design of the Boost technology. Connor also included Kanye West endorsing the shoes. He explains that Kanye had a music video in which he and others in the video were wearing Boost shoes. The music video is too small and it is difficult to see what is going on in the video. I am not a fan of the text boxes within the video, they are too big and I find myself distracted from the image behind them. Maybe the image could have been shown then taken away and then bring up the text boxes or vice versa. The way the video is setup now there is too much on the screen at one time. Also I couldn't really pick out the five principles of design. A useful method to solve this problem would be to label the five principles then show the respective corresponding snippet of the video. Overall the video was good, just a few little errors here and there that once fixed would make the video a lot better!

https://www.sportsshoes.com/adidas-ultra-boost/

Informance Movie by William Mathias

William created his informance movie on the Fitbit Charge HR. The HR stands for heart rate. 

William starts the video out with a commercial for the Fitbit essentially stating that it can be involved in every aspect of the users life. Once the video is completed the first thing I noticed is that the scroll speed of the font is too fast. I had to go back and read the text because I missed it the first time. All of the principles of design (Process and Product, Human Experience, Business, Social as well as Cultural practices, Media, Consumerism and Design) were examined. William explains that the Fitbit provides details on heart rate, calories burned, steps taken, Miles/Meters walked, flights or stairs climbed as well as sleep activity. There are many color options for users to choose from as well as different display options to further customize the Fitbit. To ensure that profit keeps flowing in Fitbit needs to step up its design to outmatch competitors such as Apple. Fitbit's are sold in 45,000 stores. Fitbit also has a smartphone app that lets you connect via bluetooth and review the information gathered by the watch. The slogan of Fitbit is "Find Your Fit" which indicates that their is a fitbit for everyone. The credits once again scroll way too fast which makes them unreadable. 

http://fitbit.expertproductinquiry.com/Force.aspx

How the artifacts connect with each other

These two artifacts have an extremely strong connection to each other. They are both tools used by athletes. A marathon runner for example would wear Adidas's Boost shoes to enjoy a comfortable run while at the same time wearing the Fitbit to track their workout information to be looked at post run. This information will allow the runner to learn from their run and determine ways to improve.  Both these artifacts incorporate technology to make being athletic feel more rewarding.

BP Movie Review 1/2

DES 100 Movie Highlands- Lydia Walker

Lydia's informance movie was about the Highlands which is located in Louisville, Kentucky. She highlighted how there are several shops which ensure that everyone who either lives or visits the Highlands will have something that they will enjoy. She explains that people gather in the Highlands all year but two events really attract the crowds. The first event is the Bardstown Road A Glow which is a festival around Christmas time and the second is a zombie walk which involves participants dressing up as zombies and walking the streets to mimic a zombie apocalypse. Lydia also explains how there is a mix of corporate chain businesses and small businesses. These large businesses attract consumers which in turn allows consumers to learn about the small businesses. Also similar to what occurs in Lexington consumers are encouraged to buy local to support local businesses.

Social media in the Highlands is not used as heavily as it is in larger towns. Instead information spreads through word of mouth communication. Consumers talk to other consumers about what is happening in the town and that is the main form of advertising for current events or shops.

Lydia's video is overall designed well but I do wish that the pictures would have a longer duration so that they could be analyzed further to truly see what the Highlands has to offer. The voice over is easy to understand and she speaks clearly so there is no communication errors. She highlights all the major points of design and explains the Highlands extremely well. Overall the video is great but I think that the photos could be on screen a little bit longer. Well done!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/sethw/5193088164

DES 100 Movie Nike Kobe 9 Basketball Shoe- Jackson DeGregorio

Jackson's Informance movie discussed the design of his Nike Kobe 9 Basketball shoe's. He began by defining what a basketball shoe is. He explains that the main purpose of basketball shoes allow players to run faster and jump higher while on the court.  The first basketball shoes were plain with only one or two colors to choose from and they were impractical due to lack of support for the player. More recently he states that basketball shoes allow for the players to express themselves by being able to customize their shoes to their exact specifications thanks to online customization tools which could include the shape and size of the shoe as well as the colors and text. Basketball shoes today also have more support for the player, the heel and sole is designed to be stiff and strong while the base of the shoe is flexible to move naturally with the players foot instead of against it or not at all.

I like how Jackson illustrated these key points instead of just explaining them. He illustrated how the heel of the shoe is stiff and doesn't have a wide range of motion. Also he illustrated how the base of the shoe is softer and has a wide range of motion once again to naturally move with the foot of the player. He illustrated the idea of user customization by showing different angles of his shoes which he customized with faux paint splotches as well as blue and yellow colors.

Jackson sounded very comfortable with recording his voice for his informance movie. I did pick up his explanations of consumerism and human experience but I am not for sure about the other principles of design. Maybe adding text transitions to keep the viewer aware of what you are explaining could have helped. Overall good informance movie.

http://news.nike.com/news/inside-access-kobe-9-elite-low

Both the artifacts can be linked by the idea of scale. If you visit the Highlands you may see someone walking around wearing Jackson's Nike Kobe 9's. These artifacts are intertwined with each other, the Highlands contains the people who wear the Nike Kobe 9's.

BP: Informance Movie

BP: Target Observation

            I paid a visit to Target while I was back home with my family this weekend and it was actually quite interesting the amount of design that was incorporated into the items located inside Target. I took photos of five artifacts in which the design really popped.

            The first artifact that I came across was a Nate Berkus Wall Décor Palm Leaf. I decided to photograph this object because of the unusual design that it displayed. It was not the average decorative piece that you would normally see inside the home. The design consisted of several strips of tan material placed in an unorganized manner held together by black braided string. The design of the object reminded me of a dream catcher type artifact. It implemented design elements in a very unique manner. Another interesting point of this artifact was that even though it was most likely created by machine there are subtle differences in each one that make each one unique.

Photo by Cody Cioffe

            The second artifact that I came across was a lamp. This lamp was not a normal lamp and this why I took a photo of it. There are two main pieces of this lamp. The first is the lamp shade. The lamp shade is nothing special, it is just a normal white lamp shade. The second is the base of the lamp which is what attracted me to the lamp itself. The base of the lamp was constructed of several pentagons. Some were right side up and others were upside down. Within the polygons contained several engravings that resembled flower like objects. It was a neutral piece of décor but the design was very unique.

Photo by Cody Cioffe

             The third artifact that I came across was a clock. This clock was not your plain jane clock. The main part of the clock was located in the center and it was surrounded by thin wooden strips with different puzzle piece looking ends. The font of the clock numbers was a sophisticated type font and they as well as the wood strips were a color similar to gold or dark brown. The background of the actual clock itself was white which drew emphasis to the center of the entire clock. The hands were black which created contrast to the numbers. It was a very unusual design which captured my attention.

Photo by Cody Cioffe

            The fourth artifact that I came across was a poster for the Apple Watch. The poster had two of these smart watches facing each other. One of the watches had a pink face with either a white or light pink band. The other watch had a light tan face with a dark blue band. My guess was that Apple was showing that they had watches designed for both males and females. The background of the poster was bright white with negative space that brought emphasis to the watches. The blue watch had an image of the user’s activity which illustrates that the watch tracks fitness. The pink watch had an image of a white flower which illustrates that the watch can be used to view a photo gallery with rich detailed photos.

Photo by Cody Cioffe

            The fifth and final artifact that I came across was the mascot for Target named “Spot”. He was placed on a bench that said “pose & post”. This encouraged shoppers, most likely young kids and teenagers to post pictures of themselves with Spot on social media. Those who post the photo may just think it is a fun photo but Target may be hoping that more people will see this on social media, come to the store to get their photo with Spot and hopefully buy things from the store. Also, Spot has the Target logo on his right eye as well as on his collar. Spot is one of the most well-known store mascots and he is designed to match the color scheme of the store and help the store in their advertising campaign on television and social media. 

Photo by Cody Cioffe

BP: Connections to other artifacts

My group had 2 common themes when it came to our storyboards…

1.      The first theme that we came up with was technology. This included a GoPro camera, a fitbit and a Nintendo 64.

2.      The second theme was that our artifacts were mainstream. They were artifacts that everyone knew about. Everyone knows what a fitbit is, what a Nintendo 64 is or what a GoPro is so we concluded that our artifacts were mainstream.

Our artifact storyboards had many diverse and unique strengths. One of the artifacts that one of my group members had was a Nintendo 64. We came to the conclusion that this artifact’s strength was that it was vintage. Another artifact that had the strength of being vintage was a city titled The Highlands. It is a very old city yet is still a famous city. The Highlands because of its age also has the strength of being historical.

We considered some of our artifacts to be durable. Examples of these durable artifacts are the GoPro, the fitbit and the ugg boots. These artifacts can withstand daily wear and tear (ugg boots and the fitbit) and some could withstand the most extreme aspects of life (GoPro).

Also we concluded that our artifacts catered to specific lifestyles. For example, the GoPro catered to athletes and extreme filmmakers, the fitbit catered to athletes, The Nintendo 64 catered to gamers and The Highlands catered to artists or architects.

The last thing we considered is that our artifacts covered all lengths of the spectrum. The Highlands is a city which contained the remaining three artifacts (the GoPro in the hands of filmmakers, the fitbit on the wrist of marathon runners and the Nintendo 64 in the living room of the avid gamer). 

BP: The Oscar's

1.      The stage

a.       The stage is a very important aspect of design. The stage at the 2016 Oscar’s featured two sets of staircases with a circular platform in the middle for the winners to give their acceptance speeches. Behind these objects is a giant screen that allows the audience to see the movies, actors etc. that are being nominated. Also the main color of the stage was gold which is also the color of the award that the winners receive.

2.      Special Effects- this aspect of design can be broken down into two parts

a.       The first is the minions that were featured as presenters of nominees. Three minions walked on stage and began to introduce the nominees using their own unique language. One of the minions went flying up in the air while the other tried to catch him as he was coming down but was off course by a long shot. These animated characters provided the audience a bit of comic relief and seemed so realistic that I almost forgot that they were animated.

b.      The second is fan favorites of the most recent Star Wars movie. At one point during the Oscar’s C-3P0, R2-D2 and the newest little droid BB-8 came out to give a brief speech. This speech essentially consisted of C-3PO yelling at the two droids which fans of the movies are familiar with. Once again the special effects were executed flawlessly. I have never seen this done before on the Oscar’s and it definitely made the 2016 Oscar’s an event to remember.

3.      The Logo

a.       The logo of the Oscar’s once again features the color gold. Gold is definitely a common color of the Oscar’s. The individual letters of the logo also have what seems to be light reflecting on them which symbolizes the spotlight being on whoever is on stage. Also the logo features the famous award that is presented to winners.

4.      Wardrobe

a.       There is a strict dress code at the Oscar’s. Wearing lazy Sunday’s sweatpants and a t shirt won’t go over well. Audience members take the way they look very seriously. Kevin hart is one of my favorite celebrities and while he was on stage for a brief moment he even pointed out his suit to the audience by talking about how it had shiny things on it.

5.      Social Media

a.       The last aspect that I will discuss is the connection that the Oscar’s had to social media (mainly Twitter). During the show the #Oscars 2016 was being tweeted nonstop. You could have not even watched the live show and still know exactly what was happening just by refreshing your Twitter feed. I personally checked Twitter after Leonardo DiCaprio won his Oscar and I saw tweet after tweet about it. The topic of Leo winning the prestigious award was trending on Twitter just seconds after he gave his acceptance speech. Social Media was heavily involved in covering the events of the Oscar’s which further increased the viewing audience.