One World Flag

One World Flag, Matthew Zeinstra, Photoshop, Complete Friday December 6, 2012

Tech.

-The first technical step I used was to find a picture of the earth that was somewhat cartooney yet at the same time still accurate in its physical boundaries.  I used telephone wires around the world at first, until my incredibly bright teacher mentioned that not everywhere has telephones.  I promptly agreed.

-The second step I used was to add the time lines.  I realise that there is really no one thing that can connect every person on the planet except for time and war.  Seeing as the message is to be positive, I chose time lines to give the impression of togetherness.  The sun and moon I added also symbolise time and its relevance to life on the planet.  The sun is the largest timepiece known to man. 

-The last thing I did was to give each side a colour.  Blue symbolises night, when the moon is present, and the sun and it's orange symbolise a new rise of the sun, bringing the world a new day.

Idea/Concept.

-The underlying concept of this flag is time.  The Earth, no matter the events or disasters that occur on it, always progresses at the same speed.  It's progression cannot be stopped, in the same manner that time always continues.  An unrelenting force, it continues on to the end of days.

-The circles of the opposite colours on opposite sides of the Earth symbolise the mixing of the world's races and ethnic groups to create a world of unity and peace.  This shows that, though many different people come from many different places, we are all people and deserve to be treated as such.

Influences.

-The influences that helped me with project include other flags that have already come into existence, and a vision I had on the bus.

Composition.

-I balanced the composition symmetrically by putting a line diagonally through the centre, and made each side the same size and shape.  The only real difference is that of colour.  Even the sun and moon are symmetrical, and the dots representing people of other races are balanced.

-The eye moves around the Earth in this picture by means of those dots.  They encourage the eye to move around the flag in a circular motion.  They are also complimentary colours, which makes it all the more appealing.

Motivation.

-My motivation for this assignment was to create a flag that, though realistic in nature, it is idealistic in it's symbolism.  I thoroughly enjoy making things seem irrelevant but, upon reading my reflection, do make complete sense. 

-The idea I really wanted to explore in this assignment were really a way to make the world seem not quite as bad as it really is.

Critical Assessment.

-The elements that I feel are the most successful in the piece are the time lines and colour balance.  They work well for the image I created, and also go well with the theme I tried to utilise.

-The part of this that surprised me the most is the difficulty of the Earth and how to place it.  I considered spinning the Earth so that the Global South wasn't the South, but the North, showing the equality and fairness.  I tried this, but the Earth did not look good upside down.

-The only thing I would really improve in the flag I created is the graphic of the Earth (I would probably find a clearer, more colour-blocking image), and perhaps I would improve the symmetry (the spots representing different races are not symmetrical to a complete extent).

World Flag Brainstorming.

1- The average world flag generally contains around 2-4 colours, with 2 or three main colours with occasional splashes of colour elsewhere, in symbols and other small features on the flags. 


2- Together (The world with hands sprouting out of it)
    Connectedness (Telephone wires around the world)
    Blue (bLUE PLANET)
    Time (Timezone lines)
    Commerce (Telephone)

Interactive Classroom Reflection

Matthew Zeinstra, Interactive Desk, Photoshop and Flash, November 27, 2012

Tech.

The main technical steps I used in this piece began with photoshop.  I used photoshop to create the images, and saved different versions of the same image, with all the different screens that are included in the final animation.  The first step was to make the screen see through, and to make the words appear on the screen at different times, I did this using different layers.  I then saved those images and used them in flash.

In flash, I used the images in tweens.  I used the blank image as the background and tweened the other screens with the words in and out using the opacity.  The battle at the end of the tween is completely done in flash and rather cartooney and corny, but nonetheless it is entertaining.  Probably the toughest part of the tweening was to get the button and stops to work properly.

Idea/Concept

The idea I used in the final works of the project were not the ones I originally planned on using.  The idea of asking a student how they are feeling did not seem to me like something the school board would care about too greatly.  I changed my idea from that to something more productive to learning.  I feel as though a screen for every student is a more one-on-one learning experience, and more familiar to the students through the technology they are used to.  It is a bit like using a smart board, but instead of lessons for the whole class, lessons are slightly more individual and personalised.  I included a smaller touch pad on the desk as a kind of answer sheet.  Students would have a more difficult time cheating off of one another if the screen is placed the same as a test would be one a desk.  It could even be hooked up to a classroom central processor to enter marks from tests that were done from these pads.  It would also give the students an equal chance at success if the teacher set a speed for the questions to appear on the screens.

Influences

No real artists gave me inspiration for me project, but I did take some of the points from a smartboard like slide show abilities they have and devised a more individualised approach to learning using their concepts.  The only other people that gave me inspiration for this are the late Steve Jobs and his hardworking staff.

Composition

I did not so much pay attention to the fashion of this project so much as it's function.  I tried to balance the swirls on the screen, but other than those the balance in this assignment is virtually non existent.  The most balance I used was to have the British in their red coats fighting the French in their blue coats.  The French are led by Napoleon. 

The movement I used is limited to basically the literal movement between words.  The fade in and out is well done and smooth, but this is some of the only movement I used. 

Motivation

My biggest piece of motivation for this assignment was to create something both relevant and fun.  My biggest issue with school is that there is never anything that interests me.  This I feel would be interesting because it brings together cutting-edge technology and a splash of excitement that entices students into looking forward to class.  Through this view, the one from a student's eye, I can see that this would most likely increase attendance to classes that use this piece of technology.

Interactive Architecture Brainstorming

A. I believe the area of the school that could likely benefit the most by coming alive is a place we all must go every day, and it is a place few of us enjoy going; the classroom.  It is rather bland and not exactly stimulating.  I feel as though the classroom could benefit the student more if it interacts with the student's mood or emotions. 

B. The space could come alive by creating lighting that fits the student's moods.  This could potentially be measured when the students sit down.  The chairs could have body heat and heart rate sensors that could possibly determine the mood or overall feelings of the student.  Judging by these readings, the student would don a pair of interactive headphones that could play music that would vary, pertaining to their emotions.  Either those sensors, or perhaps a touch screen on the desk.  This touch screen could give them options about the type of background music that they would recieve through their headphones.

C. The message of this space would vary depending on the readings or the options the student chose.  It could be calming, or it could be promotional to the ork environement. This could legitimately make conversation with the user.  As the future generation of our planet, teenagers are important to the well being of society.  As our use of technology becomes more relevant to everyday life, our older generation becomes bogged down in the technological swamp.  As the rising generation of business owners and technology developers, we should be taught to use technology for it's proper purposes beginning in the classroom.  The Catholic portion of the technology will not particualrly aid the students, but the classroom would become more productive in the long run.

D. The viewer would be able to interact with it directly, specifically by pushing buttons on the touch screen.  The student would choose one of the options presented, and based off that choice, the student would be given an environment ooptimal for learning. 

Interactive Architecture

A. My favourite part of the interactive house is the mirror that delays your movements.  I think it is just interesting to be able to watch the way you mave like that.

B. The piece of architecture could be considered interactive because it draws the viewer in, making them feel as though they are that much closer to the unreachable cosmos.

C. The Coean of Light could be considered a piece of art because it really did appeal to my eyes visually, and it interested me.  Beyond making the viewer feel as though they are underwater, it is just beatiful. 

Corporation Deforestation

Corporate entities around the world have been forever pillaging the environment around them until their is nothing left to take, and then they would move.  Logging companies have been cutting entitre forests in recent years, and though the fresh growth it provides to wildlife is healthy, the companies are notorious for not even attempting to replace the old growth they removed, and allowing the scrub brush they leave behind to choke out young trees.  The forests of Canada have, in the past, been our greatest source of natural resources, and are still a major export from Canada today. But the trees are brought back eventually, in the form of tissues and other paper products.  I think I am going to do a mockery of a Puffs Plus advertisement, with a change in some of the words.  I will also add some trees to the background , with some cut down.

This is the ad I will be making some changes to:

Puffs Plus AdBuster

Matthew Zeinstra, Ad Buster, Photoshop, October 25, 2012.

Technical- The first step I used in altering the image was to use the spot healing brush to erase some of the words in the photo, and replace them with words different to the originals.  The biggest issue in this step was trying to find a font that would work in the picture.  I found one after a few minutes of searching, and I had to only edit a small amount of the curves on the letters.

                - The second step was to add the trees into the image.  I found the trees in google images and used photoshop to make them appear as though they belong.  After all the trees were in place, I found the ones that looked like the best to be made into a tissue, and cut them down.  By that, I mean I erased the tops and gave them a jagged trunk. 

                 - In the original image, there was also hearts coming off of the box of tissues.  Instead of hearts, I made the tissue box spill money and leaves of the dead trees that went into not only making the tissues, but the box itself as well.

Concept- The ideas I had originally were rather scattered and unorganised, but as soon as the original ad came to me, I had one of my more brilliant ideas.  I would make this happy child stand in front of a forest that was cut down for his "Forest in a box!"
              - The idea I had has changed many times in the process, until I saw the last advertisement. I had the idea in my head before it even formed in the way of words.  The words I used in the buster changed slightly, from words of less impact to ones with more weight and a deeper meaning. 

Influences- No artists influenced my opinion on this subject, however I did get some form of influence from the Ad Buster website. They gave me some ideas about issues in the world.

Composition- It is composed symmetrically because there is a person on one side, and a oval shape on the other side that gives the image balance that one can not achieve through asymmetrical composition.
                   - The eye moves on this picture from left to right mostly, with only some vertical movement.  This is mostly due to the long , low profile of the image.  However, the left to right movement is emphasized with the blue streaks across the sky.

Motivation- My only real involvement with the underlying issue is the fact that when I am sick, I enjoy having a tissue.  Beyong that though, I really only anted to edit a cartoon image.  I thought it was a challenge, and that is one of the things I my self enjoy greatly. 

Critical Assessment- I feel as though the message that is conveyed is probably the best part of the picture, however, visually, I like the trees that are both cut down, and the ones that are still standing. 

                             - The only part of this project that really surprised me was amount of ime it takes to get the logo for anything just right.  The Cutts logo I came up with took and entire 70 minutes to put in. 

                             - With additional time, I would probably take a few minutes to find a better font to add the word "Trees."  The font I am currently using is not excellent, how ever it is better than the word Vicks being there.