dsdn 101 | 48 hour challenge - update

I have been working on the Illustrator file for our 48 hour project because I have decided to use the logo for my clip. While reviewing the submission I have decided I would like to change the word 'create' to 'make' because I think it is a better fit for the overall message which is simple and direct. It will also work better with my animation.

My review has led me to think through ways of improving it.
So, in the same way that I would accept feedback from a client in a commercial setting and use it to produce a better proposal, I have taken the advice and information I've received since we submitted on the 16th of May and used it to put together an improved proposal.

Therefore, if I could, I would:

• resubmit the logo on a car that better matches the intentions of the client. If Caritas aims to make the world a better place then what better car to carry their logo than the Prius.

Logo on Prius

• change the wording of the slogan to 'build make unplug play':

NB I may also slightly change the look and feel of our logo as I work on the animation but overall I think the child friendly colours and font of the present logo are a good match for my planned animation.

dsdn 171 | project 5 - hand-in

Often copied, why has the Eames Lounge and ottoman produced by Herman Miller and Vitra continued to uphold its popularity among twenty-first century furniture/design collectors?

Figure 2.VINTAGE EAMES LOUNGE and OTTOMAN - rosewood shell with soft black leather 

 

Since the Eames lounge and ottoman were released in 1956, they have continued to enjoy a high level of desirability among collectors and design enthusiasts alike. This is perhaps due to the highly considered yet accessible design, combined with the enduring high level of craftsmanship upheld by its licensed manufacturers.

The uncompromising design ethic of Ray and Charles Eames adhered to a code that did not bow to fashion and yet represented a far more humanist (Kirkham, 2000, p.15) version of the Modernist ideal than movements such as the Bauhaus had been able to offer. Technological advances allowed Herman Miller and Vitra, their United States and European distributors respectively, to build the furniture using contrasting modern materials such as curved plywood and polished aluminium (Piña, 2005, p.123) in a way that had previously not been possible, which has in turn inspired generations of imitators.

The construction which includes the use of neoprene shock mounts (see Figure 2) to brace the plywood shells at the back takes into consideration the chair’s aesthetic as well as the flexibility and therefore its comfort (Piña, 2005, p.123).  Irregularities in this detail as well as in dimensions, materials and even numbers of feet are among the many ways it is possible for a replica to fall short of expectations for the serious collector. 

 

Figure 2. die-cast aluminium back braces with neoprene shock mounts

The Eames lounge has today become a ‘classic, representative of an eternal style’ (Fitoussi, 2004 p.15). Its continual manufacture since its release confirms that this has been well understood in the collectors' market where it is regarded as a good example of successful modern industrial design. 

Bibliography

1. Fitoussi, B. (2004). Eames: furniture 1941-1978. New York, NY: Assouline.

2. Kirkham, P. (2000). Humanizing Modernism: The Crafts, “Functioning Decoration” and the Eameses. Journal of Design History, 13(1), 15.

3. Piña, L. A. (2005). Fifties furniture (Rev. and expanded 3rd ed.). Atglen, PA: Schiffer Pub.
4. Figure 1: Photographer unknown [photograph of Eames lounge & ottoman]. (ND) The Address. Retrieved from http://www.theaddressinc.com/Misc/eames_lounge/
5. Figure 2. Photographer unknown [photograph of back of Eames chair]. (ND) The Address. Retrieved from http://www.theaddressinc.com/Misc/eames_lounge/ 

dsdn 101 | critique hand-in

DSDN 101 | Project Three

Critique of Keith Thurlow’s work so far 

By Helen Williams

Review of:

The 200-300 words

This is a concise plan of action – because I have talked it over with you I probably know a few more details than you are giving away here but as an introductory proposal it reads fairly well and is therefore easy to judge from a client’s point of view. Maybe a few more scraps of information (for example you might want to give a hint about the audio you’ll be using) would round it off and give you the 200 word count.
I have also made a couple of grammatical and spelling adjustments and reworded the sentences that just needed a slight change in word order – I couldn’t help myself - I hope you don’t mind.

The storyboard

My first reaction was that I really like the colours and the hand-drawn squares – it lends itself well to your plan to keep the animation basic. I was curious to know if there was a hidden message behind the colour placement but maybe I am trying to read too much into it. I was also wondering about images 21 – 23... is the idea that the stick images will form the cross logo? Maybe some explanatory notes would be helpful.

The Snapshot

I really, really like the angle and focus of this clip. And you’re right about the frame rate you want to work in if this test is anything to go by. 20 fps was too quick - 10 fps would nail it.

 

Original Proposal

 

For this Project, my intention is to raise awareness about Caritas. Specifically the Caritas Challenge; an event targeted at New Zealand school age students. This challenge offers four different options that are designed to help those involved develop an empathy for the conditions of the less fortunate in the Pacific Region.

To achieve this I will be creating a video that compares the conditions of the target audience, to the less fortunate in an entertaining and simple manner. This video will be comprised of a basic animation that switches between two people, displaying their daily actions and tasks in an abstracted, yet readable manner.

I intend to develop empathy and a feeling of responsibility within this target audience.. Because the aim of the video is to attract interest, I will not explicitly describe each of the four challenges and instead entice the viewer to visit the Challenge website to find out more.  I intend to create simple abstracted drawings in illustrator and animate them in flash at a slow frame rate, 8-12fps. The final clip will be approximately 60 seconds long.

 

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Rewritten Proposal

For this Project, my intention is to raise awareness about Caritas. Specifically the Caritas Challenge; an event targeted at New Zealand school age students. This challenge offers four different options that are designed to help those involved develop empathy for the conditions of the less fortunate in the Pacific Region.

 To achieve this I will be creating a video that compares the conditions of the target audience, to the less fortunate in an entertaining and simple manner. This video will be comprised of a basic animation that switches between two people, displaying their daily actions and tasks in an abstracted, yet readable manner.

 I intend to develop empathy and a feeling of responsibility within this target audience. Because the aim of the video is to attract interest, I will not explicitly describe each of the four challenges and instead entice the viewer to visit the Challenge website to find out more. (Note 1) I intend to create simple abstracted drawings in illustrator and animate them in flash at a slow frame rate, 8-12fps. The final clip will be approximately 60 seconds long.

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Note 1: I thought the sentence commencing 'I do not intend...' could be stated in a more positive way – clients might read the original as a little negative.

dsdn 101 | inspiration

This stop motion animation is really inspiring it almost made me want to drop everything and make my clip completely differently... really amazing.




The story of its making:

dsdn 101 | storyboard hand-in

My storyboard thus far for project three..

I have presented my storyboard as a book for several reasons. Firstly I wanted to remain true to the theme of child's play that is crucial to my animation’s message. Sixteen pages long, it presents the story in the style of a young child’s colouring or activity book while still giving the client the key information such as frame-by-frame action and technical information which can be found on the last page. I also wanted to create a point of difference for my hand-in without sacrificing ease of use.

Views of handed in storyboard/colouring book



Here it is frame by frame...



 













dsdn 111 | process

We've been asked to create an abstract, tectonic, multi-material object inclusive of two physical actions. We have begun by researching a joint within the human body... 

Mine is the jaw

These iterations and models illustrate my progress over the past couple of weeks.

I commenced with a sliding move with this relatively simple, clunky and (admittedly) literal contraption:


sliding jaw

There's something I like about it though so I will store it away as a possible idea for the future.

I then thought about the video (here) that explains the movement of the jaw.... I thought about how the jaw, once it moves out of it's inert/resting position, is able to rotate freely. I created a card model that expressed this:



card model

This movement is best shown here:

I then started working on the idea of making a small container with a lid that needs to be connected to the base in a way that provides a means for locking the container (using the above movement).

Box

I feel ike this might be better made in a cylindrical form so I have experimented with foam to see how this might work:

I will using Sculpy to shape the smale holes on top so I have been experimenting with this material as well.

Sculpy test

Storyboard

dsdn 101 | inspiration

A little inspiration - I love the work of Kirsten LePore who is an artist and filmmaker who works with different animation techniques, including stop-motion animation and claymation.

Here is her stop motion film 'Bottle' which is the most lovely, bitter-sweet story of an unexpected connection between sand and snow you are ever likely to see. Her sense of whimsy is exactly what I would like to express in my own animation...




Bottle from Kirsten Lepore on Vimeo.

dsdn 101 | test stop motion animation hand-in

I have hand-drawn 50 frames of a sequence using a drawing (of a mermaid) by my daughter as my jumping-off point. This is the type of animation style I would like to use for project three.

test 5fps from luckiest_woman_alive on Vimeo.

The film @5fps looks the best but the required 10 fps and 20 fps files can be seen here and here

I think the style works really well and will be useful in communicating my ideas so I will be using illustrations inspired by the drawings of my three year old daughter.

A small unicorn (and the sun) ©2013 R Williams

Mermaids ©2013 R Williams

Pony ©2013 R Williams

Dolphin ©2013 R Williams

More characters ©2013 R Williams

dsdn 101 | project 3 - design intentions

Project three:  design intentions for the Caritas Challenge

In this project I will create an inspiring visual message for Caritas that will represent the organisation’s ideals and aims for the Caritas Challenge taking place in April 2014.  

The outcome of the project will be a 40 - 60 second stop motion animation that will promote and encourage participation in the event to children within the eleven to eighteen year old demographic.

Through my research I will gain a clear understanding of the cultural issues and perceptions that apply to the client’s place in the local and international community. Using a strong but simple narrative I will use the resulting information to explain who my client is and what their aims are in organising the Caritas Challenge.

I will promote each of the four options as a unique opportunity to inspire children to challenge themselves. I will achieve this through themes of imagination and role-play. I will demonstrate to the target audience that they will not only take part in an enjoyable and rewarding activity but also experience solidarity with both their peers and with those enduring poverty throughout the world.  

I will research precedents of stop motion animation and use my findings to apply fresh approaches to the medium. I will use the 40 – 60 second time-frame to send a succinct message about the Challenge and its aims.  

dsdn 101 | 48 hour challenge - hand-in

Slogan:

for the Caritas Challenge that encourages participation and demonstrates the aims and ideals of the challenge

t-shirt - slogan

Logo:

suitable for letterhead, business cards and application to a vehicle

t-shirt - logo

car

Team:

Our group is: Vijay Ranchhod; Peter Setterfield; Neal Redward and me - Helen Williams.