Made Ya' Look!

Design! Sigh...a personal confession here. I lust after the skills of a graphic artist. Sure, I can draw a picture of a house and it looks like a house. And not just a child-like representation - there's perspective and scale and detail that's representational. But the level of creativity involved in graphic art eludes me. I guess I'm just a literal kind of gal. When I draw a picture, I feel compelled to put the image on paper just as I see the subject. I have difficulty with distortion, vagueness, and illusion. It's sad.

There is, however, hope for me with graphic design. During my educational journey at NJIT, I am looking forward to developing my skills in graphic design. I doubt I'll ever be ready for the MOMA or Madison Avenue, but I hope to conquer the art of creating a visually appealing page...actually, many visually appealing pages. So, it's with considerable interest that I explore the elements and language of design through the use of typography.

Organic Letters

The following video is an interesting example of typography in design. It uses text, which is manufactured or mechanical, to create an image of something organic. Take a minute (okay, a little more than a minute) to view the video.



Elements of Design

There are several interesting aspects to this design. The format is very simple. It starts with a blank white screen with no borders (other than the edge of your screen and the control bar at the bottom). A row of text floats to the top and off of the screen as a guide or introduction of things to come. An asymmetrical design is then built from the bottom. It doesn't just shoot straight up. It moves up and across, drawing your eyes toward the top of the page and to one side or the other. Some of the text floats horizontally up in rows while other text climbs in columns that fall slightly into a lower position in a sinewy form as it collapses.

As the text compresses, drops, and fades, it morphs into the form of a tree. As would be appropriate for a tree, the figure is grounded at the bottom of the screen. Were it in the middle of the screen, or even a few centimeters from the bottom, it would look like it was floating in mid-air - an unnatural state for a tree. The lack of borders on the sides or top reflects the natural world; it creates a sense of openness.

The tree figure is created in a form described as "incomplete closure". The lines insinuate the form of a tree. Not every line is connected. Not every shape is fully formed. The contrast in the image comes mostly from the text against the white background.

The content of the text seems to be secondary to the overall design of the image. It's difficult to read as it moves across the screen and compresses; and, in parts, it's blurred. It appears to be a list of authors or artists. The theme could be growth through art. I was unable to find an interpretation from the artist. It would be interesting to know what he had in mind.

Language of Design

The design "speaks" to us using a vocabulary of visual elements. As I noted earlier, the image is asymmetrical. It's organic or natural, not controlled. Outside of an arboretum, deciduous trees, like the one depicted in the video, are rarely symmetrical. The colors are earth tones - mostly green and brown with some yellow and just a hint of red to create the contrast of complementary colors.

More organic elements are found in the lines. As the columns of text rise, twist, collapse, and fall, they morph into sinewy lines representing branches. Rows of text rise horizontally and stay straight across. As the image builds, the straight lines of text create the leaves. The random lengths of each line and the position of the text as it stacks one line on another define the crown of the tree. The text creates an edge, separating the tree from the sky, without drawing lines. It might be counterintuitive to have straight lines (something that appears mechanical) in an organic design. But the rhythm of the text creates an organic feel. Had the video continued, the negative space could have helped define volume for the crown of the tree.

Next Steps

Good design draws you in for a closer look. When you're creating any form of visual communication, it's imperative to capture your reader's attention. On a website or blog, good design is critical. There's so much out there whetting the reader's visual appetite. The competition is strong. I need to step things up a bit on this blog. I would like to take the things I'm learning (and relearning) about design and apply them here.

Ah, but first I have to figure out how to use the tools. This is when I yearn for a big paper user's manual. I know...blasphemy!