Video finally

My video   I made the video password protected for some reason. The password to the video is: Northerngyre

Last Day

The last day of class is upon us and I find myself feeling more relieved due to the fact that only a few days remain until final "celebrations". This class we talked about something that felt like a day one topic. The idea of what a "designer" really is. On this subject it was quite the conversation lasting well over an hour on trying to define and determine what a designer is or at least what a solid definition for a designer could be. In the end upon some sense of irony a student looking up the answer on their phones ended up with an answer literally describing the current situation. It did however open up the channels of thinking since we had to think of a definition for ourselves. The amount of time we had and trouble was the most entertaining once it became clear that our profession, no matter how it was worded or described, overlapped and fit into far too many aspects of other trades and professions. For the remainder of the class we reviewed some things but it was the first conversation we had that was truly interesting and equally funny once an answer, or a close enough answer, was found.

1 week reamins

The last week remains for this concept class, and now I'm some part excited and some part not looking forward to the last project. this class was quite fun and I look forward to seeing everyone again in the only available class next quarter. The several videos we watched were as usual helpful if not entertaining. These TED videos are quite impressive sheerness because they are so helpful and so full of creative insight even when not in relation to design or art at all. That day however we found ourselves out leaving early to work on the final project, so overall only the videos were played that class day

Its all coming together

This concept class was also another interesting experience. Our group activity was to assemble a 3 shot story in groups of 3's and using no words only images. While it was interesting seeing what people wanted to do, at least in the groups near me and my own group included, I was curious to see how and what stories people would be creating in the end. Our group was the sore thumb in the room at the end of the project due to the fact that our story resembled something out of a Tarantino film, while the other stories carried much more positive or comedic narratives. The goals for everyone's story were only partially met however it seems. Many people depicted very base and boring stories that, while well portrayed and rendered, simply were not interesting whatsoever. Some stories like my own groups were just not sequentially working in their favor, they could have been excellently rendered but it doesn't matter if the story cannot be found or determined. So it was unsurprising that our next assignment was to create a story from 3 entirely different magazine images. To better help us develop that ability to show a narrative or concept in a few shots. Another thing of interest is that the final project as announced to us, the creation of a video that brings together design and the concept of sustainability and saving the Earth if you will. However a very mediocre example of the project as shown to us in class, I can't help but feel the professor did that on purpose to perhaps trick people into making one just like it.

a who?...a who..Oh a who!

Today's concept development class was quite interesting, and by interesting I mean the almost the entire first half of class was spent on a game. However the game was fun/tedious, some how managing to be both. It was a good tests of memory and teamwork, and I was surprised at how many time we didn't lose/fail. Although the game was more for fun then that single lessons or two lessons technically. After going through the game, which left some people mentally burned out somehow, we moved on to a very important topic;project briefs. These briefs are a very important piece of design paperwork and they can help the designer and client in terms of goal accomplishment. The briefs track what is needed for the project, and many other logistics, the brief itself helps to consolidate the project and forms the essential backbone of the project due to the vital information on it;who, what, why, when, where, and the how of the project. This document is extremely important to design work, and I'm glad this was assigned as homework, so we could properly form one.

Game Day 2

Today the rest of the concept class finished presenting our game concept boards, I was among them. I volunteered first due to anxiousness as well as the critique, which I was looking forward too. I tried to cover everything but as usual many things are lost in translation but the critique, as well as questions, proved very useful. The information that the class and Jimmy gave back to me was very valuable. I saw that my board was not balanced and I needed a better sense of visual hierarchy. The attention to detail must also be followed and never ignored, because those small details make a huge difference. I can see why some people find critiques hurtful or unsatisfying but honestly these kind of critiques do nothing but improve your skills. They tell you what you need to fix and what should be changed. The information they reveal to you tells you how to become a better presenter and how to present with a stronger and more powerful presence. The other people after me had similar issues. Although there were still new lessons to be learned, presenting with a mumbled or monotone voice is unsatisfactory, as it should be. The next class we're going to refine our presentations and boards even further and make sure they are even closer to a perfected concept, ready to be made.

Game day 1

This class we all brought our "developed" concepts to class on our presentation boards,  in hopes that we were ready to present. Like my some of my other classes this presentation was merely a test of our concept and presenting abilities.  As we gathered in the room and began presentations it became clear that no one here would have a perfectly developed concept and presentation, at least not now. Many people had interesting ideas while others simply re skinned existing games or changed them ever so slightly, so as to reflect some amount of creative effort. However no one person that presented had a truly solid concept. Through critique we all learned a number of valuable lessons regarding the development of a board or game in general, as well as presenting. The importance of visual hierarchy and color was lost on many of us and boards were either empty or too lop sided with imagery. Nothing but important and valuable data came from the whole class. The importance of proper body language, as well as verbal language, can make or break a presentation. It also forced many of us, especially those who presented, to look even harder at our concepts and think about what needs to be fixed or simplified.