hellohelo0709

[hellohelo0709]

Reflection 🧐

As the final presentation and also the last lesson for CD2, I will like to express my feelings and thoughts toward my project and experience during this 9 weeks. 

Firstly for the project, personally I believe that we still have many problems that need to correct and improve, but I will like to focus on the container as I really feel a bit shame for the final result of the container. Although I agree to present the container in a more formal way, which is on the newspaper shelf to express the idea that comics can be very historical and valuable, yet I think it is still lack of attractiveness for the final show out result as putting it in the newspaper shelf will be too discouraging for both our target audience, the teenagers and adults to read it. As teenagers won’t be interested in reading newspaper and the adults will not get interested in looking as a newspaper that doesn’t even look like one. Hence, if I am able to make some changes, I will add a cover of the comic magazines for our newspaper. Since, teenagers can be attracted by the comic magazine cover that is put on a formal newspaper shelf, the adults will also be interested to learn more about the colourful covered newspaper that being outstanding in between the traditional newspapers.

After my own comments for my project, I will like to express my feelings about the 9 weeks I spend for the CD2. Except for the pandemic that cause us unable to attend the face to face class, I really enjoy the lesson of CD2. Not only because the exercises and Interactions during the lessons are fun and interesting to do, but also the freedom that is given fo our project. I really enjoy the process of working a newspaper that is related to my favourite comics, and also gain more knowledge and informations I have never research before about them. Hence, I am very grateful to able to present my interest to others and show the attractiveness of comics. I am really happy during every Tuesday morning, even waking up early for lessons, I still enjoy very much. Hopefully, I may able to use what I learn inside CD2 in my future designs. Thank you very much ❤️😍☺️

[hellohelo0709]

Critiques

Today is the day for our newspaper critique, yet I am shame to say that we have not completed our newspaper. Eventually due to one of our group-mates has infected the covid-19, we can only hand in a page of the newspaper as a replacement for not able to show the whole newspaper. Hence, I decide to discuss about the pros of critiques to our work.  

We all know that critique is a process for creating something, and it is being very useful, but it is still meaningful to list the advantages of having critiques although most people may already know. Critique is especially needed when we are lack out of inspirations, as ours comments and opinions may often give you ideas that you may not think of before. As we always said lookers-on see most of the game, as the creator of the design, by just looking at our perspectives are too hard to discover problems and mistakes in our creation. Moreover, the critiques are often a way to let us to enjoy others’ art piece and on the same time but also encouraging ourselves. When we are giving opinions to others’ work, we can see the outstanding point of our pieces, which can encourage or motivate ourselves by praising ourselves. It is important to somehow learn how to appreciate our speciality to let yourself to feel happier and more enjoyable when working in other work piece as being strict is not a bad thing, but it is good to have a relax for a longer path to continue. 

Critiques maybe very hard to accept when they are being too harsh and cruel, but it is indeed a good way to improve our skills and knowledge when we are lack of other options or ways to work on. By this, I believe with my classmates truthful ideas and opinion, this critique can help me to gain more creativity for my newspaper design. 

[hellohelo0709]

A Container ?!

Our lesson has continued in online and has arrived to the seven lesson of CD2. This time, we have given a new mission of thinking about a container to fit in our newspaper, which makes me wonder, how to be determined as a good container?

A good container firstly must be practical, which means to be useful. If a container cannot contain the object that it is designed for, then the container itself is already a failure, or we even cannot call it as a container. Hence, except for fulfilling the most basic requirement of able to contain objects, to become a good container also need other factors to support. When we design a container for an object, we need to think that rather the container is suitable for the target object, or is the appearance suit the theme of it. Instead to design a good image for the container is not as easy as we thought. The environment of the container place, the object that will fit inside, the message that the object want to bring, or even as detail as the colour combination, everything needs to be include into the container design. With all those elements that we need to think, this mission of designing a good container is way more difficult than the word show. However, a good container can be very important to show the object or the project in the best look, as the container is a part of expression to the observers, for example if you put a plant in a ordinary pot, then it will only be a decoration, but than if you put it in a plastic bottle that is twisted, you may able to relate it with the idea of recycling. 

The container is a part of the project, or a part of the art piece, which it can’t be designed sloppy. Hopefully, our group can make a unique container that can express our newspaper. 

[hellohelo0709]

An Hour of Observation

I had once thought of spending some time to stay calm and watch detail of the view outside, yet I never spent the time to do it eventually. Hence this lesson offer me a chance of making my own field-note and record things that is interesting outside the window of my home. 

Being living in a high flat has its advantage, I tried to observe the shapes of the clouds, but the day was too foggy and I can’t even clearly see the shapes of the clouds. So I change my target to the windows of the buildings, unfortunately the window of my room is facing the mountain and there is not many flats can be seen due the very soggy weather. Eventually I decide to sketch the shapes and colours of the rooftop of tenement buildings. Unbelievably, there are many different shapes and colours of rooftop, which really give me many inspiration and ideas. However, when I think deeply about the background behind the exists of this rooftops, I can’t feel very pleasant about that. Small flats that are built on the rooftop, with the iron coating as the appearance of the house, it shows the problem of poverty in Hong Kong. These building exist for a verging period even before I was born, yet this is the first time I really observe them in detail. Instead of giving me inspiration for creating, it somehow provide me a chance to think of what kind of design I am aiming for.

I am not sure who I can be nor what can I create, but maybe it is time for me to think about the path I am choosing. 

[hellohelo0709]

All starts from a crappy speed drawing

How to draw a cat in one minute, my sample is really not a good try for that. Big head with ugly body, I am totally ashamed to call myself as an art student. Anyway, it is still the first time for me to try speed drawing. I once believe that if I have planned on how to draw the art, I can finish my piece on time for one minute, but it seems to be very obvious that when in reality, I screwed up. Really pathetic 🥲.

Well I am not only typing about my screwed up drawing, but to also talk about speed drawing. People often say that speed drawing is a way of reflecting what kind of person are you. When holding the pencil and start the drawing, you won’t even have time to think what kinds or what examples you have to draw the object, but just draw anything you can think of that moment, and that surely reflects who we are. Of course we cannot judge many thing from just one drawing, but at least we can discover some of the characteristics of ourselves. For example, in this crappy speed drawing, I used pen instead of pencil when I started to draw, that somehow shows that I like using pen more than pencil, or from the amount of side faces of the cat compare with the amount of front faces I have drawn, it can be seen that I am not good at drawing front face . Well, these aren't something big deal, but it really helps to understand a person and I think art is also the same. 

Art is a way of show ourselves to others, not only for exhibitions and decorations, but a way of communication. We use arts to express ourselves, let the public know more about as and let them to know more about themselves when they see artworks in different perspectives and have different understandings, that is the interesting point for being an artist. 

[hellohelo0709]

Who I can be

Although due to the pandemic, we have to have our lesson at home, which is pretty frustrating for me as it is hard to have online class for some of the subjects, yet I still enjoy my tutorial of the week 4′s CD lesson. 

Having showing my design to others, I realise the difference between me and my classmates as they also pay a hard effort to design and colour their symbols. However, except from getting more inspiration for my colouring of the symbol, I actually may have discover a little talent of myself. 

I use to think that I am not particually outstanding in anything, like compare to many of my classmates, they are really more professional than me. Hence, I really work hard to investigate and focus on different works and to point of their goods and bads, which may have helped me developed a good habit on being sensitive in detail parts. Even my opinions may not be interesting or very surprising, I find that the comments I give to my peers are often acurate or innovative, and I also not expecting myself to think out that interesting idea. Lack of the power to create my ideas to reality, I believe this still can be an advantage of myself that I can develop on, maybe one day I can use this to design something that no one has ever thought before. 

[hellohelo0709]

A interesting CD2 lesson during the pandemic

Due to the rapid increase of covid-19 cases, our classes has changed from face-to-face to partially online classes. Although having only seven people arrived for lesson, it turned out that the lesson is still as interesting as before.

Different from face-to-face, most of my group mates were having lesson in zoom, which it was harder for us to communicate with our symbols and the research classwork. However, the least amount of people somehow give me more confidence to speak loudly in front of my classmate as it was more like a discussion than a presentation. Looking at my classmate's design, I didn't only get a lot of inspiration, I also found the difference between me and them. Not only to skills of using Adobe Illustrator, but also their designs are unique and interesting, which somehow make me a little bit frustrating to see the massive works of my classmate. Yet, I know that I still have a lot to improve and I believe this will be a good experience for me to improve my designs.

Hopefully, the next time, I can show my design to others with proud and satisfied.

[hellohelo0709]

Symbols And their Symbolic Meanings

In the second lesson of CD2, we are showing our sketches of symbols that represent our chosen topic to the others and let classmates to vote the most interesting or outstanding designs from each person's work. In this process, I actually discovered many interesting and stunning designs from my classmates and gained a lots of inspiration from them. Instead I also feel the importance of images toward design.

If words are being the most efficient way to express emotions and expressions to people nowadays, images must be the best and obvious way to let everyone know the idea you want to show out in any generations. Images that are created with simple and interesting pictures can not only allow people that don't know how to read to understand the idea clearly, the stunning images can also let the people who have seen them leave a remarkable image inside their mind, which people will hardly able to forget them. In design industry, we often require cooperations between words and images, not only to simply present your imaginations to the audience, but to also let them hardly able to forget your work, to let your work become an icon. Hence, images that turn out to be more simple and clean are used as logos and symbols that can let people easy to remember.

While this lesson not only provide me a chance to expand my eyesight, I also enhance my ability to develop my observation, which will definitely be useful to my future designs.

[hellohelo0709]

Words and Design

In the cold Tuesday morning of the first week of the second semester, I started my Communication Design 2 with an article called Words as Material by Nicole Fenton. It isn't a large piece of article that has many complicated and difficult knowledges or ideas, yet it has raised my interest to learn the affect of words towards design.

The article has shown its idea of believing design is deeply linked with words, and I totally agree with that. Design is a way to not only express the creators ideas and thoughts, but to also fulfil the requirements of the consumers, which can actually count as a service industry. Hence, we must need communication to link a bridge between the audience and creators, which better to be as simple as possible. Maybe in the pervious ages, pictures can be a good way to promote the ideas to people who didn't know how to read. However, these years when most of the people are educated people, it is the simplest way to use words to express our ideas. Which this article not only show me the importance of words to design, but also how to use it in a suitable way is also a complicated but essential factor.