Fashion Je T'aime Fashion Show

So, this is a month late, but on March 5, 2011, my designs were showcased on a runway for the first time. I volunteered at the UC Davis Student Fashion Association Fashion Show last year, but I never got to experience the production that is backstage.  As a designer, I was tasked with making sure my models were ready to strut their stuff down the runway when it was their turn.  Even though I wasn't in the show, I found myself almost being more nervous than my models, who had to walk in front of almost 200 people on their own.

Exhilarating moment over, here are some pictures of my models and the dresses.  Pictures by Sean Chae

Univers

For my Visual Communications design class, I was assigned the font Univers.  At first I thought it was typed out in a random, boring font, because the name "Univers" typed out on the little slip of paper I had was so plain.  After figuring out that the boring font that I saw was the actual font, I was hit with sadness.  I wanted to create a typography poster with a more exciting, more showy font!
Our instructions were to come up with a typography poster that uses only the font to tell the viewer about the design of the font and what it is used for.  The only words we are allowed to include are: the font's name, the designer's name, and the date it was released.  In each poster, we needed to include: all the upper and lower case letters and numbers.
Since I was challenged by a font that I really hated, I found myself being extremely reluctant to create something that could showcase the font's characteristics and design.  In the end, however, I think I was able to come up with something successful.  I have also grown to to tolerate Univers as a font.  Who knows, in the future, maybe I will grow to like it!

Here's my poster:

What do you guys think?  Do you think it does a good job of portraying Univers as a font?

Silly Coincidences

My housemate stacked these five figures and said, "The Incredible Hulk is so strong!"

Needless to say, I could not resist taking a picture and blogging about it!

Design is Dangerous

Design, while also thought of as being helpful to society can also end up being dangerous to society.  The design of knives can be thought of as dangerous, because the edge that cut things are very sharp.  As a tool, the knife is very helpful to society because it aids us in cutting things that we wouldn't be able to cut without its help.  For example, the knives used in the kitchen are very useful for cutting up food into smaller pieces.  It is dangerous, however, because if one were to slip with a knife, the consequences can be painful.
At the same time, I think knives were not intentionally created to add more danger to the environment, but only to be used as aids.  Because of this, many knives have warning labels attached to them in some way, either in the packaging or in the box.  In the same way, the danger that knives carry as a design is increased by the intent of the person holding the knife.  Obviously, someone with murderous intent would be much more dangerous wielding a knife than someone who just wanted to cook dinner.  In that way, knives are only as dangerous as the person holding them.

Design in Society

The trashcan is something that probably is not generally thought of as a design that improves society, but I feel that it is, because the presence of a trashcan encourages people as a society to make the effort to throw their trash in the trashcan instead of littering on the ground.  As a design, the trashcan is very simple because it is merely a usually round container that is open on top so that items can be dropped inside.  The design is utopian because without the trashcan, people would be more tempted to leave their trash on the ground, or in places less conspicuous that would end up leading to further pollution of our planet.
I never realized how much I expected there to be a trashcan in public areas until I found myself in a situation where I had trash to throw away, but no where in sight that I could throw it.  I found myself fighting the temptation to dispose of my trash on the ground, arguing to myself that, "Other people do it, why can't I?"  In the end, I didn't litter, but I did end up realizing how important trashcans really are.  Without them, people are not as inclined to "do the right thing" and throw the trash away in its designated area, but are more tempted to just leave the trash behind since many other people do the same thing.  The trashcan is also a societal pressure, because if one were to be caught littering on the ground when a trashcan was clearly in sight, the people around them would greatly frown on the person "too lazy" to walk a few feet to the trashcan and throw the trash away properly.  As a result, the trashcan is a design that improves society because it pressures us to throw away our trash properly and "do the right thing".

Color Transforms

The design of dresses is very different.  Each dress has the same basic shape, with a bottom skirt part and a top part.  Dresses can be very different, however, because the color of a dress can greatly influence what kind of image the dress will help highlight to the viewers.  For example, the same dress in many colors can change the overall picture the dress embodies.
In white, the dress is gives off the idea of a wedding dress.  The color white is representative of innocence and purity, so it was the perfect representation of a girl on her wedding.  On the other hand, as a black dress, the dress gives off the idea of mourning, because black is a color that seems to emanate sadness and despair.  The darkness, which is often noted as "black as night", makes the wearer seems more hopeless and unhappy.  At the same time, in red, the dress seems more bold and almost "risque", because the color red is associated with standing out and bordering on improper.  In green and blue, the dress becomes more calm and neutral, because blue and green are colors that are connected to the ocean and the sky, the grass and trees, which are things that are very peaceful and quiet.  At the same time, in orange and yellow, the dress makes the wearer seems happier and more friendly, because orange and yellow are often used to depict the sun.  In this way, color can transform a single object from representing one thing to many other things.  Just a change in the color of a dress can transform the image the wearer wants to portray to the audience.

Free Book?

Today, as I was walking to my psychology class from the Olson building, I was confronted by a man who was handing out free books.  Being familiar with the many free bibles that people pass out on campus, I felt myself acting wary as I was asked if I wanted a copy of the free book.  He mentioned that the book came with a musical accompaniment.  In the end, I was inclined to take a copy.
Walking away, I glanced at the back cover of the novel.  I was reminded of Brian Fies' talk, when he said that he liked drawing comics in which the image and the words worked together.  The book, titled Wild Animus, was described as being like "...climbing, skiing, or intense adventuring, " by Mike Libecki of Climbing Magazine.  The author, Rich Shapero was said to have "...crafted a new art form that intricately interweaves book and music...[that] experienced as a whole, the music expresses the emotional core of the story and the novel serves as its narrative shell."  Since the book uses music to accompany the story-telling, I felt myself intrigued as to how it would feel reading a story with music.  Does the book tell you when to listen to the music? Or is the music merely a reading of the novel with background tunes inserted at certain parts?  I haven't had a chance to experience reading the book with music yet, but I hope that I will have time to see how it feels to read a book with music that is made especially for the novel.