Art Institute of Chicago

Recently, I was able to visit the Art Institute of Chicago where this painting entitled “Acrobats at the Cirque Fernando” by Pierre-Auguste Renoir caught my attention. I was so intrigued by the painting that I went home and looked up information on the painting. I learned that this oil on canvas painting was completed in 1879 and captures sister Francisca and Angelina Wartenber. The pair were actually members of a German acrobat troupe and performed at the Cirque Fernando in Montmartre, Paris - which happens to be where the painting is set. Renoir used excellent colors to depict the girls bowing and gathering oranges following their performance. I really likes this painting because the girls seems so young and innocent, dressed in white and gold. This picture was so beautiful hanging in the museum. I honestly think I could spend days at the Art Institute of Chicago and never get bored; I still have many paintings to really take in. If you get a chance, I think you should travel to Chicago and visit the Art Institute - you will not be disappointed!

Key Lime Pie: A Slice of Heaven

Ahhh! Nothing says summer to me like key lime pie. It truly is a little piece of heaven every time I bite into this delectible little treat. I love the look, the taste, and the memories that go along with key lime pie. But onto why I am currently obsessing over key lime pie! Each summer Chicago has an Air and Water Show that is absolutely amazing -- I really am stunned every summer at the beauty of the planes tearing through the sky. The Air and Water Show gives my parents a reason to throw a party in our condo each summer, full of friends, family, and good food and drinks. It also gives my mom and I a reason to make a key lime pie. I love the process of making the pie because the end product really is a design. The crust, the tart, and the whipped cream and lime slices on top all go together to make a really delicious, and not bad looking, pie. Just look at the picture above, a slice of key lime pie is truly a piece of art. The whipped cream and lime, in my opinion, really make the pie look beautiful. Okay, enough talk about pie! My mouth is watering for just a bite of the ever so delicious pie that is key lime... yum!

Lovely Bedroom...

Considering the fact that I will be moving into an apartment in just under two weeks, I find myself eager to find designs of how I want to decorate my bedroom. When I came across the picture found on the left, I suddenly began dreaming for a bedroom like it. I absolutely love the design of the bedroom, from the color scheme to the slanted windows. The color orange in this room is inviting and relaxing. The white rug, walls, and floor contrast the orange bedding in a harmonious way. I feel great vibes coming from this room, allowing the person who it belongs to be happy and at ease. I love the plan that is next to the bed as well, because I always love a nice plant to spruce things up in a house. I simply love this bedroom for all that it has to offer: the space, the design, and the color. I know I would love to go to sleep in this room every night... and wake up to breathe in the beauty that surrounds this spacious room.

Blogs: Time Consumers!

Just like many Americans today, I log onto my computer and have to read a few blogs before I can do anything else. Unfortunately, many of the blogs I follow have no real impact on my life or the lives of people around me. My favorite blog can be found at www.theskinnywebsite.com -- and the blogger posts pictures of celebrities and comments on their bodies. I am aware of how superficial this website appears to be, but I believe it is more than that. It is a good way for me to see what celebrities are doing to maintain, and in some cases let go, of their health; and it is also a great way for me to see what the latest celebrities are wearing and doing. Other than this blog, I follow many others. Some on design, some on culture, some on the lives of people I have never met but still enjoy reading about their daily activities and emotions. I feel that the blogging community is such a vast one that I have not even had a chance to find blogs that would really move me, motivate me, or connect with me; but I continue to search the net for one that inspires me to be the best I can be. Below I have included summaries on two of my favorite design blogs. I hope you get a chance to check them out and I also hope you enjoy them as much as I do! Cheers!

http://veerle.duoh.com/: This blog mixes design advice and views with a great variety of tutorials and interviews. The blogger addresses design in a brilliant way, because she is an engaging writer that is sharing web design with the vast Internet community. She focuses on CSS and web standards, but also includes other blog entries that deal with all sorts of design -- even home design! The blog's philosophy seems to be that sharing tips on design with the world is a good idea because it will lead to many more creations in the world.

http://www.markboulton.co.uk/: This blog, written by Mark Boulton who resides in the United Kingdom, is a must read when it comes to design. Since Boulton is a designer with many years of experience under his belt when it comes to the fields of print, advertising, multimedia, and web design, you would be missing out on tons of great advice if you skipped over his blog. The mission of his blog is to offer the public guidance on many of the elements of good design -- typography, color, CSS, and even information design. The blog's philosophy seems to be that in sharing design advice with others, good karma will come to Mark Boulton.

Hillman Curtis: Artist's Video

Milton Glaser is an artist with his own philosophy on design. In the short video created by Hillman Curtis, Glaser says, "I've always believed that the life of a designer is a life that is very much between two sets of beliefs -- that of the businessman and that of the artist. And everybody kind of has a sense of where they fit in that spectrum." He then goes on to speak more of his beliefs, "My belief is that if you like Mozart and I like Mozart, we already have something in common. So the likelihood of our killing each other has been diminished. That art performs this pacifying function in culture." This belief goes hand-in-hand with Glaser's other belief that art creates commonalities between people. In order to further explain that art brings people together, Glaser quotes a man named Louis Hyde, "This is what artists do in culture: they provide this gift to the culture so people don't kill each other." Overall, Glaser believes that art brings people together and creates a sense of harmony in order for people to get along -- or in his words "not kill each other."

Something neat about Milton Glaser is that he teaches art. When asked why he teaches, Glaser answered, "Fundamentaly I teach because it makes me feel good. It's helped me certainly clarify my own objectives." He loves seeing people change through art and design. He believes there is a responsibility to create good citizenship and you can do this through graphic art. He believes "you want to do things that have some relationship to your community, your family, your country, the world." And he believes you can do this through art. I completely agree.

Glaser also believes that people lose their astonishment for the world, and he feels blessed that he still has that astonishment when it comes to art and his profession. He really feels passionate about art and design, so passionate that he teaches others the passions art and design can bring to this world. Milton Glaser has a unique and fascinating philosophy on art and design, one that many of us could learn a thing or two from.

I found the video on Milton Glaser at this website: http://www.hillmancurtis.com/index.php?/film/watch/milton_glaser/.

Obama Propaganda

After searching the Internet for propaganda posters, advertisements, and web pages, I came across this Obama propaganda poster that moved me. There is a picture of President Barack Obama behind these words: "I'm asking you to BELIEVE not just in my ability to bring about real change, I'm asking you to to believe in YOURS." Of course, this was an election poster for Obama, but I believe it covers all the bases of the presidency as well. President Barack Obama's main tag-line throughout the election was to "Believe in change" and seeing that he won the election, America did believe in change [and still do]. This example of government propaganda does an excellent job at portraying a man and a message to the general public, the words are cast over the picture, therefore bringing more attention to the words than the man. The word "YOURS" is bold and white, ultimately contrasting the rest of the poster and screaming out to the audience that "you are important too!" And, if you ask me, that is what propaganda is all about: sending a message to the public, a message that they want to hear. Today, we see that President Obama's propaganda poster can still convey an important message to the American public: Believe in yourself, and believe in your President--that everything will turn out okay.

Ahhh! Propaganda, propaganda, propaganda... what would we do without you? We have always, and will continue, to be swayed by propaganda. The art side of designing propaganda posters is interesting, because an artist or designer makes the decision on where to place the words, the pictures, and ultimately the message of the propaganda itself. I think this example of a propaganda poster shows that the artist behind it was brilliant.

[I found this excellent example of propaganda at the following website: http://www.flickr.com/photos/greysheepduo/2473559487/]

My Very Own Design Mind Map

Below is the mind map I created for the word design. I believe there are many things that contribute to the word and process of design and this is simply my opinion on what they are. Enjoy!

Fabulous

At the Tokyo premiere for her new movie "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" Sienna Miller was wearing this fabulous Gucci suit. Accessorizing with peep-toe platform booties, Miller wowed audiences with her flawless skin and fit physique. How is it possible for a suit so heinous to look so good on Sienna? Honestly, I think any other celebrity, or even ordinary person, would look like they were in a bad 80's music video; but Sienna has this unusual fashion sense [and a killer body to go with it] that makes people go wild. I would never dare to wear such an outfit, but good for Sienna that she can pull it off! Now I think it is time for me to go work out...


I found this picture of Sienna Miller at: http://omg.yahoo.com/photos/2-hot-2-handle/3098?nc#id=1.

Typefaces

Prior to today, I was unfamiliar with the actual definition of the word “typeface.” I have always known what a font is [I actually have a knack for pointing out the exact name of fonts located on signs and posters] but really have never known what a typeface is. Thanks to the always handy http://www.dictionary.com/, I was able to grasp what a typeface actually is. According to that resource [www.dictionary.com] the word “typeface” is “the size or style of the letter or character on a block of tape,” “the full range of type of the same design” and lastly it is “the surface of a block of type that makes the impression and the impression made by this surface.” After gaining a clear understanding of what a typeface is, I could not wait to plug in “typeface” to my Internet search engine. I was able to find some really neat typefaces—and even some really lame ones. After gazing at just over one hundred typefaces, I found one that struck my fancy. It is the image shown above. In my opinion, this typeface is simple yet engaging. If I were to design a typeface that contrasted the words “light” and “heavy” this is exactly what I would come up with. The words each appear to fit what I imagine in my head, light appearing, well, light; and heavy appearing heavy [duh]. The word “light” appears as though I could pick it up off the page, yet “heavy” just lays there looking too massive for me to handle. The idea that the words “light” and “heavy” are tangible—that I could pick them up off the page—says a lot about the typeface, ultimately creating the meaning of the typeface itself: light is light and heavy is heavy.

I found the image above at this website: http://z.about.com/d/graphicssoft/1/5/2/A/scaleeffects3.gif.

Design, Culture, Language...

DESIGN: In my opinion, the term design means to create art in an imaginative manner. To design is to choose specific elements of something and communicate a message with what you have chosen. To design is to let your heart wander, to let your imagination run wild, to let your inner soul and thoughts appear in your creations. To design is to let go of what others think and simply create images, sculptures, anything your heart desires. Design ultimately means to unleash your imagination and create new things. There are different types of design, such as two dimensional and three dimensional. Design may inform, persuade, or express a specific idea to audiences.

CULTURE: The word culture means so many things to me. A website I found defined culture perfectly. This is what the website had to say: Culture is a shared, learned, symbolic system of values beliefs, and attitudes that shapes and influences perception and behavior – an abstract “mental blueprint” or “mental code.” Must be studied “indirectly” by studying behavior, customs, material culture (artifacts, tools, technology, language, etc.).

1. Learned. Process of learning one’s culture is called enculturation.

2. Shared by the members of a society. No “culture of one.”

3. Patterned. People in a society live and think in ways that form definite patterns.

4. Mutually constructed through a constant process of social interaction.

5. Symbolic. Culture, language, and thought are based on symbols and symbolic meanings.

6. Arbitrary. Not based on “natural laws” external to humans, but created by humans according to the “whims” of the society. Example: standards of beauty.

7. Internalized. Habitual. Taken-for-granted. Perceived as “natural.”

LANGUAGE: According to www.dictionary.com, there are fourteen different definitions of the word language. After reading all fourteen, I came to the realization that what language means to me can be simplified in one word: communication. We use language in many different forms—verbal, body, art, writing, signs, symbols, etc.—and they each communicate what we want to express.

Now, here’s the tricky part: how do the words design, culture, and language influence each other? There are actually many ways they influence each other, and it all begins with [in my opinion] culture. The culture that surrounds you influences the types of designs you will create and the language you will communicate. I believe this because the core of what defines each of us as individuals is our culture. Our culture makes up the attitudes and values we possess, and ultimately who we are. All three words—design, culture, and language—are an example of intersection. What is an intersection? One definition, according to www.dictionary.com, says the word intersection means a place where two or more roads meet. I think in this case, design is one road, culture another, and language is yet another road. All three meet up to form an intersection; and each word defines one unique way to get to that intersection.

Chained to Your Cell Phone?

When I saw this picture, I immediately let out a giggle. Then I sighed because I realized I am addicted to my cell phone -- I am constantly texting and if I am not, I am waiting for someone to text me. Or call me. That is why I felt this picture represented a visual metaphor within a photograph; and that metaphor is we are chained to our cell phones. So often we look around and people are glued [or chained] to their cell phones, unable to focus on what they are doing at that exact moment. If we are with one friend, we are calling or texting a different friend. If we are at home, we are on the phone with someone from work or regarding work. When we are at work, we are on the phone with friends and family. It is a really awful habit, but so many of us just cannot seem to put our cell phones down -- again, as if we are chained to them! I found this visual metaphor to represent the evolution of cell phones, and the fact that everyone today is unable to put their cell phone down. So next time you reach for your cell phone, think twice: it may be handcuffed to your wrist soon!

I found this hilarious picture at http://www.adventuresinstockphotography.com/images/cellph.jpg.

"25. Don't clean your desk." -Bruce Mau

After reading Bruce Mau’s “Incomplete Manifesto for Growth” I found my new favorite website to look at for motivation. I found all forty-three points Mau made to be useful in my life. The one point that really stood out to me was number twenty-five: “Don’t clean your desk.” It is actually very ironic that this is my favorite point considering the fact that most people who know me consider me a neat freak. However, I think that is why I chose number twenty-five to be my absolute favorite advice from the manifesto, because it could really change my outlook on things—or help me, according to Mau, “find something in the morning that you can’t see tonight.” Maybe my tidy ways are keeping me from letting my creative juices flow in my designs and projects; maybe my imagination is too neat and I just need to stop being so darn clean. I am going to take Mau’s advice and not clean my desk tonight, hopefully I wake up to find something I forgot about last night.

I found Mau’s “Incomplete Manifesto for Growth” at this website: http://www.brucemaudesign.com/incomplete_manifesto.html.
Check the website out! I am sure you will find some inspiration for yourself - I know I sure did.

Simplicity

The picture above is one I took when I was in Venice, Italy a few weeks ago. Although it is not my best photography, I fell in love with this picture for a few reasons. I love the contrast between the empty tables with the people bustling in the background; I feel this is exactly how many of us live our lives today. We are all too consumed in ourselves that we forget about the little things in life. The empty tables in the picture symbolize the innocence of life that we walk past each day. The bold, yellow chairs are a reminder that if we all just take time to sit down and collect ourselves we can live a better life. The pure, white table cloths symbolize the future we have when we remember that it is indeed the little things in life that count, and we have to remember that, because we all forgot.

That is just how I viewed this picture and why I love it. I, too, get consumed in the chaotic schedule of my daily life that I sometimes forget to simply sit down and collect myself, my thoughts, and breathe. But, that's just me. What do you think?

Song of the Moment

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-YhlfCq1AM

The song I cannot get out of my head lately is "Swing Tree" by Discovery. If you click on the link above, you can listen to it to. The wonderful thing about this song is the feeling of happiness that overcomes me each time I hear it. If the feelings I feel in the summer could be conveyed in a song - this is it! The upbeat rhythm is relaxing and happy, emotions that I feel when I am laying out on a hot summer day. I especially like the fact that the vibe of this song is not only Indie, but also a little reggae; two genres of music that are not usually combined. I enjoy the words to this song as well, because they are so free and convey the freedom I feel in summer. I absolutely love this song and I hope you get the same enjoyment out of it that I do.

Happy Summer!

Looking Beyond

"Design in art, is a recognition of the relation between various things, various elements in the creative flux.

You can't invent a design. You recognize it, in the fourth dimension.

That is, with your blood and your bones, as well as with your eyes."

D. H. Lawrence

I came across this quote in an old design magazine my mom had. D.H. Lawrence was an English author and poet, earning many enemies with his controversial opinion on matters. His quote regarding design, however, does not feel controversial to me; instead, it feels complex. I was instantly boggled by the quote, I did not know what to make of it; was D.H. Lawrence trying to say that a design is felt with every bone that makes up the human body? Because I for one have never looked at a piece of art and had my entire body react to it. In fact, I have never even gotten shivers looking a piece of art. I really think Lawrence was trying to say that we must look closer at designs in order to truly recognize what they are. The first impression of a design is a false interpretation of what it truly means, because art is a fourth dimension, and most of us only look to the third dimension of it. In order for one to truly achieve the feelings the artist tried to convey in their design, we as people must breathe the painting in... and then exhale.

Begin

"Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it.

Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it."

-Goethe-