Cut & Paste, literally (Typography)

This is what I have been doing for most of my day.

Grid Layouts

I'm trying really hard to "fall in love with the grid," as my professors suggested...but it's really difficult to "love" something that requires cutting out word by word, placing it on a gridded paper, maybe moving it if you feel like it could go somewhere else and then scotch taping it in place.

We're supposed to come up with 15 different layouts that contain all the information provided, focusing on varying the hierarchy, emphasis, placement, etc.
The 16th layout we create is supposed to be intentionally, the worst layout we can create. Hopefully, mine don't all look like I've purposefully done a poor job.

I've completed 7.
Welcome to typography.

All Things Cats (Principles of VISCOM)

For our first project in VISCOM 204, we were encouraged to come up with some word maps to describe the visual and emotional characteristics of an animal of our choosing. I chose my animal to be the cat, because I felt as though I have observed the animal enough to have a good understanding of the animals personality, behavior, and temperaments.

This is an image of my cat, Hank, to give you an understanding of cat personalities.

In all his glory.

Since I had chosen my animal, I started building word lists.

25 WORDS PEOPLE THINK OF WHEN envisioning CATS (VISCOM)

1) ASSHOLE
2) INDEPENDENT
3) SELF-SUFFICIENT
4) SLEEP / NAP
5) EATING / HUNGRY
6) LAZY
7) PLAYFUL
8) SPASTIC
9) BEAUTIFUL
10) DOCILE
11) CUNNING
12) DICK
13) MISCHIEVOUS
14) LITTER BOX
15) CAT NIP
16) HAIR BALL
17) CONTEMPLATIVE
18) KITTEN
19) GUILTY
20) VOMIT
21) GARFIELD
22) SNEAKY
23) ALOOF
24) LASERS
25) FLEAS

I asked a few people at work for some help with this list. Their input, especially when giving the first word that came to mind when envisioning cats, really expanded my vocabulary.

25 WORDS THAT DESCRIBE THE noises THAT CATS MAKE (VISCOM)

1) chirrup
2) chatters
3) purr
4) growl
5) hiss
6) snore
7) square
8) meow
9) mrah
10) murmur
11) caterwaul
12) lurps
13) trill
14) yowl
15) hum
16) yelp
17) asthmatic breathing
18) howl
19)

I couldn't finish this list without creating onomatopoeias...

50 WORDS THAT emotionally DESCRIBE CATS (VISCOM)

1) playful
2) temperamental
3) lazy
4) particular
5) loving
6) friendly
7) rude
8) shy
9) proud
10) curious
11) mysterious
12) serene
13) independent
14) bi-polar
15) asshole
16) angry
17) sleepy
18) intelligent
19) funny
20) needy
21) comforting
22) clever
23) meticulous
24) content
25) happy
26) indifferent
27) laid back
28) low maintenance
29) easy going
30) ADHD
31) territorial
32) unassuming
33) intense
34) diva
35) adventurous
36) eccentric
37) sporadic
38) crazy
39) confident
40) proper
41) sly
42) reckless
43) needy
44) impatient
45) docile
46) pristine
47) desperate
48) paranoid
49) surprised
50) scared

 

50 WORDS THAT visually DESCRIBE CATS (VISCOM)

1) furry

2) elegant

3) fat

4) striped

5) large

6) balanced

7) strong

8) big eyes

9) flexible

10) limber

11) soft

12) active

13) sleepy

14) long

15) domestic

16) tidy

17) hunter

18) stalker

19) predator

20) scratcher

21) biter

22) whiskery

23) fluffy

24) curious

25) feline

26) ginger

27) black

28) stretch

29) purr

30) slinky

31) arched back

32) yawner

33) puker

34) cuddly

35) nimble

36) quick

37) vocal

38) slithery

39) athletic

40) alert

41) energetic

42) clean

43) climber

44) jumper

45) quiet

46) kneader

47) yoga stretch

48) zen

49) pissed

50) statue

First Day of PLAY (Typography)

We watched a surprisingly interesting video in class today about typeface recognition. I say the video was surprisingly interesting, because sometimes, most times, videos shown in class are snooze fests or horribly outdated. But this video made me really think about how I look at objects and what they can be transformed typographically. Andrew Byrom was giving a TED* Talks at UCLA about the different object inspirations and processes he used to create different typefaces. Face Recognition or Typeface Recognition is a methodology of finding letters or faces in every day objects.

 Do you see the face?

If you care to listen to his talk, here is the link
Andrew Byrom - UCLA TED* Talks

I'll give a few examples of Andrew Byrom's font creations.

We were then asked to get in small groups of 3-5 to explore the world for objects that could be also interpreted as letters. Feeling inspired, my group wandered outside of the Art and Design building until we discovered the metal yard. After rummaging and moving rusty, dirty, somewhat heavy objects, we built the assigned word, PLAY.