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.

Homework assignment 6

AdBusters Questions

1. What company does the advertisement represent/subvert?
2. What kind of product(s) is being advertised?
3. What imagery is used in the advertisement to subvert?
4. What message (text, copy) is used in the advertisement?
5. How are the elements and principles of design used to convey a message?
6. Who is the target audience of the advertisement?
7. Does the ad jam convey a clear and successful message?
8. How could the ad jam be improved?


Escape

1. This is directed towards no company in particular.  It condemns shopping as an activity modern society seems addicted to.
2. Shopping is being advertised.
3. The barcode is portrayed as the bars of a prison cell, and people are breaking free from the corporate mentalilty.
4.The barcode on the bottom of the ad is clever in it's use.  It says escape.
5. I can not see the elements of design at work in this picture.
6. The target audience is the middle class people who feel like they need more stuff to satisfy themselves.
7. Yes, it clearly indicates that we as a society must escape the mentality that shopping is a means of showing off.
8. If the numbers on the right side of the barcode spelled something clear, it would make the ad have more of an impact. 



Absolut

1. Absolut Vodka
2. Absolut is being condemned.
3. An IV in the shape of a vodka bottle is used to subvert the fun of alchohol.
4. The name brand is used in the ad, with coma beside it.
5.  Colour balance was used quite effectively.
6. The target audence is obviously teens who like getting right wasted, so much that they even drink to the point of unintelligence.
7. Yes, it does convey a clear message.  Do not drink yourself to this point.
8. It could have been put into context in a better way.



1. This ad is clearly aimed at McDonalds
2. Fast food in general is being subverted, though McDonalds in particular is being hassled.
3. Other than an overweight man, no real imagery is used except for half of a McDonalds logo.
4.McDonalds' slogan, I'm lovin' it, is used to show sarcasm; I am quite sure this man s not happy about the size he is.
5. The colour of this really catches the eye, and also goes with the theme of McDonalds with the yellow shirt.
6. The target audience is everyone who lives in corporate countries around the world.  They all have fast food.
7. The ad jam does convey a clear message: Do not eat at McDonalds, or you might end up looking like that guy.
8. The ad could be improved by giving an entire McDonald's logo on the shirt instead of only using half.



This ad is aimed towards Nike.
2. It is meant to subvert both the shoe industry and the way it uses child labour.
3. The imagery on Tiger's mouth, and in the background, show that Nike is the target.
4. There is no text in the image.
5. The principles of design are used in the athlete's face.
6. The target audience arepeople from ages 13 to almost 40.  Everyone wears running shoes.
7. The ad jam does convey a successful message because of the incredible distortion on his face.  It does not look natural.
8. This could probably be improved by words somewhere in the picture, even just a witty comment.

High and Low Key Photography

Sorry about the low key Mrs. George-Easton, I did not have time to model on accout of my holding up a dark backdrop.  So I found a corner of a picture that happened to include myself, and- Voila!- I almost made a beautiful picture.  I guess I used up all my photogenic-ness on the high key.

Apocalypse Meow

REFLECTION

Tech.

This piece began as a vision of the end of the world that was the most politically plauisble way it would happen.  I found the pictures I knew I would need, and began putting them together.  I made the cliff into a brush and layered several of them to get it to blend well yet remain 3-dimensional.  Then I did the same with the water, and added some grass on the top of the cliff.  Then I used poster edges on nearly everything in the image, and this added some black outlines, making it really pop.  Finally, I adjusted the colour of the explosion to make it appear like it actually was exploding. 

Idea.

The initial inspiration for this picture came from the volatile political situation in the middle east.  The threat from Iran to bomb the Western powers is by no means empty, the only thing they require to complete their plan is a nuclear warhead.  The inspiration for the water meaning safety in this picture came from the American attack on Hiroshima.  Many of the people who survived the bomb survived by seeking shelter in the river that ran through the city.  The radiation could not immediately penetrate the surface, requiring time before it could be absorbed into the water system.  The ideas I put to work did not change a particularly large amount.  I was planning on putting the explosion on the other side of the image but I could not think of a way to make it look good while doing so.

Influences.

No legitimate artists gave me any inspiration for this piece, and I do not think I ever will be inspired by any artists because I do not know any...sorry.

Comp.

I tried to balance this image symetrically, which as I know does not work particularly well.  The left side of the image is rather bland, which I did not have any ideas to fix it with.  The boat in the water is meant to slightly stand out and add some darkness to an otherwise bland background.

The eye is drawn to the house in this image, which is good because I was trying to put emphasis on the destruction of civilization as we know it.

Homework Part 5

 This portfolio has a creative feel to it because of the amount of images immediately available to the viewer.  The pictures are not under their own tab on the site, and there is no real description of what the artists specializes or enjoys doing.  However, there are some professional elements to it as well, the name and menu bar are in a dominant location on the page.

 I thought this page was creative because of the images that are immediately viewable, and the font used in the menu bar.  The font is somewhat like a graffiti font, but it seems childish at the same time.  Again though, the menu and artist's names are in a fairly prominent position.

 This portfolio is creative in almost all regards.  The artist's name is only at the top of the page, not displayed at the bottom, and it is very bright.  The design in and of itself is abstract, and the rest of the page continues downward with ever flowing designs.

 This portfolio is clearly not professional, and creative could also potentially be an understatement.  The page is very bright, with rather sporadic designs that really have little or nothing to do with the actually purpose of the page. 

This portfolio is on the edge of being creative, bordering on the professional side of the field.  The name is always displayed in the same place, and the menu bar at the top is well organized and fairly straightforward.  The only real indication that this is a more creative portfolio is that there are several bright colours to catch the eye on the page. 

Portfolio Assignment: Part 4

 This portfolio is professional because of the amount of colour it uses: almost none.  The viewer is not distracted by bright colours, and is directed towards the message at hand; Streamline does not mess around.  As they say, they are interested in creating some of the best websites in the world, and show this by having a well constructed website themselves.

 The name of the artist is in an eye catching and almost impossible to miss place, the upper left corner, where the eye is naturally drawn.  The balance and colours are soft and not distracting, the aim of any professional portfolio.  It is also easy to navigate to any part of the website thanks to the site's well constructed format.

 This seemed like a well made portfolio at first glance, and so nit is until you try to navigate the entire portfolio which apparently holds innumerable sub-menus.  Other than that, the portfolio appears professional with it's straight forward banner and the soft colours that are oftentimes trademark of a professional.  There were few to no grammatical or punctuational errors so far as I could tell. 

 Alex Buga's portfolio is also well made, if somewhat difficult to navigate, simply because there are symbols instead of words in the menu bar.  Again, there were no spelling or grammatical errors in the work, and the colours are not bright but rather muted and balances throughout.  The artist's name is in the prefect place on this prtfolio as well, in the top left.

This is a professional portfoliio for not one, but many artsits who work for a larger company.  It is not bight, it is straight to the point and there is a balance in colour that creates a less distracting format.  As with all professional portfolios, this contains less spelling mistakes than a dictionary. 

www.krop.com/mattman/

Part 1: Strategy

A) I think my friends and family are expecting to see some abstract art and a creative portfolio from me, and I think I might surprise them by doing a professional one.

B) I will do an extremely professional job on my portfolio, one that could legitimately be used to get employment somewhere.

C) My audience's world is likely filled with thought and logic, though I personally have never spoken to a person of managerial status about such topics.  I would like to convey a message of professionalism through my portfolio of equal logic, and business.  If I am looking for a business to hire me, I should lean that way on the spectrum.

D) I feel as though a balance of practicality and quality is mandatory, because without this balance the world would not be able to function in a way that is useful.

E) I think that any person who views my portfolio in a serious manner would be looking for professional work and ideas that will not fail.

Post Apocalyptic World

A)  The possible end of the world that I see most likely, and this is the most politically plausible theory, is that the end of the world will come with nuclear warfare, most likely in the middle east.  This means that many explosions, and poisoning from radiation coupled with the electric blackout caused by the E.M.P. waves will bring our destruction as a race about.

B)  I would most likely portray the darker side of what has come about, using explosions going off in the background and blackened trees and such.  The buildings people have lived in would be slightly run-down, and fires burning, perhaps.

C)  I think that many of the species that survive said apocalypse will be either dwellers of the oceans, or small insects.  They may become mutated, dwelling in houses instead of us.

D)  Something that could serve as a symbol of hope could be a sun that is rising through a nuclear cloud.  Another could be a bright fire in front of the house that is inhabited by the bug-people.

E)  I think that their hope is improbable at best.  If the world were to end in the near future there would not be a peace treaty that still was still in effect.  The civilized world as we know it will come crashing down to tribal warfare and bands of survivors sticking together.  I think their work is appealing to others because they hope for the best possible outcome.  Though positive, it is still unlikely at best. 

Elevator Pitch 2

 A)  I am a designer, one that specializes in abstract design.  The thing about abstract art, though, is that one must interpret it, and here is where special skills of communication, marketing and sales come into play.  I can effectively communicate messages through art, whether via poster, advertisement, or an entire website.  This being the greatest challenge one usually encounters with art and advertising, I consider myself to be one of the few people who possesses this gift. 

B)  Though the things I excel in are incredibly useful, there are still fields I must improve in.  I want to become more skillful in the area of using the full version of Photoshop and other design programs. Creating more complex flash animations is also on my agenda, though I am already somewhat proficient at creating the basic animations and movements.  The final and most important area that I am looking to improve my skills in are web and television formatting. 

D)  Through art and design, messages are conveyed on both television and the internet to thousands each and every day.  Achieve the potential.

Elevator Pitch 1

Graphic design, arts and music are my passions, with custom phychadelic designs as a specialty. 

3D Designs

CD Cover And Back, With Reflection

Technical

-The first step I took, after the obvious (taking the pictures) was to increase the contrast of the images, and make sure the microphone in the background did not look incredibly photoshopped.

-The second step I took was to put a cutout filter on the photos, giving them a relatively cartooney appearance, and less colours for the eye to take in.

-The third step in my process was to superimpose a photo of Mac Miller himself over the half of the cover, and turn down the opacity.  The money fluttering downwards on the other side balances the colours.  I then turned down the saturation to zero on each.

Idea

The original idea I had for the cover was  to do a country scene, but I almost immediately scrapped this because country is not only my second favourite genre, but also because it did not give tthe appearance of being handmade. 

On I moved to a rap CD cover.  And then the idea struck me: what do all artists do before recording any kind of music?  They work in an office for hours writing and perfecting each verse, down to a point where each line is perfectly harmonized with the others.  So I took a picture of some papers on a desk and played with the filters on GIMP at home.  After a short while, I had come up with the scheme that would eventually turn into the finished product.

Influences

The only artist that provided any real influence on the piece was Mac Miller.  During the making of the cover, I had my iPod on Mac Miller only.  After listening to Live my Life I realized that it actually takes effort to make the music he produces.  So I set to work, showing that “style comes with excellence and money makes benevolence.”

Composition

The only kind of balance I really tried to put to work in this piece is symmetrical.  The symmetry of anything is really key in my mind, so I tried my best to do that on the cover.  I put a picture of Mac Miller on the left side, and that gave the side too much weight.  So I again took a photo and  instead put it on the right side: Voila!  Both sides turned into something that looks nicely balanced.

Motivation

This was my only legitimate problem doing this assignment.  A lack of motivation is a sure-fire way to lead off to a lame and unproductive week.  The only real motivation I saw was a good mark and a pat on the head, but good marks are mandatory for a college acceptance.  I also very much am into the production of music, so this kind of assignment very much appealed to my tastes, though if it did not have to be handmade themed, I would have very much enjoyed creating it far more.

Critical Assessment

In my honest opinion, the most successful part of this assignment was the filtering I imposed on the images.  They give it a cartooney appeal that gives the impression of the simplicity of happiness, and how money helps you get it.   Money makes the world go round. 

There was one part of the project that surprised me, and it was the amount of work it took to paste photos in and make them appear as though they were actually there.  It was a challenge to make them not stand out with jagged edges and hard lines.

With additional time I would probably add more items to the desk, perhaps a lamp in the back left, beyond the crumpled papers.

Idea Board

Colour changing picture

Yearbook Assignment Mark 3

This is the art page of my Yearbook

The thing I like most about these designs is the contrast that is in all of them.  It brings out some contrast and lets other colours sort of sink into the background.  The stars in the background add a splash of contrast that makes the eye wander around the page.  There is balance of colours that work well with each other through each page. 

The thing I could have improved that I want to change the most is a lack of excitement on the page.  I want them to pop out a little bit more, and yet I don't know how I could have done this without adding extra colour and making it far too busy.  It was a challenge for me not to add in all the swirls of colour that I wanted to, but I knew you would disapprove, so I didn't do it, just for you Mrs. George. :)

This would be considered for the yearbook because it has a relavant theme.  Welcome To The World illustrates the potential that students have upon graduation, or even halfway through their journey.  It has an eye catching design, and I pesonally think it's beautiful.

Yearbook Assignment Mark 2

This is the second page for my yearbook, but I can for some reason only upload 1 picture at a time.  The next post will contain the art page, with a reflection.

Yearbook Assignment

This the cover page for my yearbook.  The oher pictures will be uploaded in my next post because Blogger is a dumb bum.

Yearbook Brainstorming

The theme I would like to use for this assignment is a kind of city scene with bright colours coming out of a smoke stack within the city, and it has a road heading into it.  The road dissappears into the heart of the big city, showing that the students are heading to their futures, some of which will be in the city, or at least outside of Bruce County.

It will be black with stars and circles, and perhaps some lines curving out of the ground of a hill in the background.