Method to Madness

 Click to enlarge? Yes, you can. Go for it. Follow your dreams. I believe in you.

It's not strictly part of my graphic design classes, but this handout I designed for a schizophrenia presentation in Psychology class is pretty fancy.

Kinda makes me wish I was doing the OCD presentation so I could change the order of the last set of icons. Or change fonts midway through. Or make the whole thing slightly askew. Or stop brainstorming ways to torment those with mental illnesses.

The title font is Quaver Sans by TippleType, and can be found at LostType.com, an awesome site for donationware fonts.

Let It Out

Oh punny titles, when will you stop being amazing?

There's a lot of grain in this one, because when I was printing it I needed to bump the contrast way up. But I like it. It makes the plastic feel rough and the torn wall paper feel gritty. It's a good feeling for this kind of photo.

Significant Form

My most recent project in photography, setting up staged shots of objects and using light to bring out interesting aspects of their shape.
The meaningful qualities of their appearance.
The notable parts of their figure.
Their substantial construction.
Their compelling framework.
Their suggestive model.
Et cetera.

Crazy close-up and extremely contrasty hammock. The construction reminds me of a fishing net, and the fact that all the crazy vibrant colors didn't carry over adds to that association. There's so much motion in this one with that one simple twist.

I tied some rope around a bottle and put a flashlight at one end of that bottle. This whole set would have a very nautical feel if it weren't for all that branding on the cap.

Low Relief

We've been moving right along in Design 3D, with all sorts of paper engineering stuff. I don't have any of those to show you yet,but here's a bunch of little fluttery thingies arranged in a diamond shape!

The project was to take a single form, make it into a cell, and repeat it into a grid. So I did that. Yup.

Monochrome Photo Week! Day 7: Jericho

The title is a little grandiose, but I think it contrasts well with the cinder block 'n gravel aesthetic. And speaking of contrast, I love the shadow detail in this one. All the subtle cracks and crumbles.

This is part of my final portfolio project I'm working on, documenting functional decay: things in a state of falling apart yet still doing what they're intended to do. I chose to make my portfolio on this specific point in the lifespan of a functional thing because it's a weird concept but one that kinda fascinates me and that I already have a bunch of prints of it.

And with that, Monochrome Photo Week comes to a close!

Monochrome Photo Week! Day 6: The Road Not Taken

An overgrown path! This was one of the first projects we were allowed to crop, and I decided that a 1:1 ratio suited the composition better than a 4:5. Highlights have been blown out to give a coarser feel to the texture of the weeds.

Monochrome Photo Week! Day 5: Bursting

Lots of interesting imagery going on in this one. Trees reaching up and over the fence, overgrown flowers casting shade on an old dusty path. And a gate, broken off its hinges, leaned up against the fence, making the garden at once open yet obstructed. The highlights have been toned way down to give it a soft, twilight feel.

Monochrome Photo Week! Day 4: Sparks Fly

A little more abstract today. This was one of the first extended exposures I tried. What you're looking at is a little clockwork toy that shoots sparks as it rolls around. In this photograph, it created a neat little trail of sparks moving in and out of focus.

Monochrome Photo Week! Day 3: Closing

An aerial shot of a local library just before it closes down for the day. A couple folks, some cars, a suburban skyline. Feels very hometown.

Monochrome Photo Week! Day 2: Old Rubber

Don't ask me, I'm just as confused as you are.

The Cat's Meow

Excellent news, folks! One of my designs has won the Jinx Unsung Heroes Contest in no small part due to everyone who supported this design by voting, who I'd like to thank profusely. Honestly I was under the impression that this was one of my weakest designs. It was the last one I put together, and I actually had a full redesign planned for it. I don't have the file on me, but I'll have this post edited later on to show what I had in mind.

The fact that it was selected as one of the top ten grand prize winners is still difficult for me to believe, in part because of all the other incredible designs that won. But I'm not about to complain about the outcome, so hooray!

Monochrome Photo Week! Day 1: Up in the Rafters

I'm sorry, blog. I've been ignoring you lately. Things have been happening so fast that I lost track of the time. But I'm gonna make it up to you. We're gonna have us a Monochrome Photo Week! Because I've got all this black & white photography! That I've been hoarding! Instead of attending to your needs! I am the best blogger ever.

These are rafters. Have I earned back your trust yet?