rvrubinic

[rvrubinic]

NOVAos is a new operating system I designed in my Intermediate Interactive class at Youngstown State University. The concept for NOVA came from the definition of the word itself: A nova is an is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star, that slowly fades over several weeks or many months. With this new operating system, I took the idea of old rotary phones for the unlock screens and the home screen to hold the apps. I thought this was a nice contrast - the old with the concept of new. Here are some links to try out my new OS.

https://xd.adobe.com/view/fbd7986b-4842-463d-ba8b-6618eb8f7d2a/

https://xd.adobe.com/spec/2c648325-e187-440b-98dd-3ceabb396111/

https://xd.adobe.com/spec/97a874f7-89b1-46a2-bd33-2c32991f6745/

https://xd.adobe.com/spec/4efba7f1-5954-4efd-8193-52b8f37bbb01/

[rvrubinic]

        One movement that has recently inspired me is the equality for women. The equality of women has always been a topic of discussion; however, I feel that recently it has really been brought to the public eye since November of 2016. In January 2017 there was to be a women’s march in order to protest the equality of women in Washington. Once word got out, people all over the world were holding their own women’s marches. It was incredible to see how not just women, but men and children could come together to support such a big issue.

        The protest was held to advocate for legislation and policies regarding human rights and other issues, including women’s rights, immigration reform, healthcare reform, reproductive rights, the natural environment, LGBTQ rights, racial equality, freedom of religion, and workers' rights. This turned out to be the largest single-day protest in United States history. The Washington march alone held over four hundred and fifty thousand people. There was an estimated five million participates around the world. At least 408 separate marches were planned to be held just around the United States, and around 168 marches around the world. After it was all said and done, there was an estimated 658 separate marches worldwide. This protest turned out to be the biggest protest that was held since the anti-Vietnam War protests.

The women’s march was first created when a woman named Teresa Shook from Hawaii started a group on Facebook invited people to march on Washington after Donald Trump was elected president. If you can remember, before the election, footage was leaked of our great president making extremely derogatory and explicit remarks regarding women and how he treats them. This video, and countless other remarks that were made by Trump were apparently disregarded by the majority of the United States population, who then elected him our 45th United States president. Soon after Teresa started her facebook group, other began to pop up. Bob Bland, a New York fashion designer created a group and used his reputation to get the word out about the march.

The Huffington Post wrote an article entitled The Poster Art At The Women’s March On Washington Will Be Powerful written by a woman named Katherine Brooks. In the article she writes about how the Women’s March aims to be one of the biggest inauguration day demonstrations ever. Then she talks about how the organizers of the Women’s March teamed up with an organization called the Amplifier’s Foundation to create a call for entries for poster art designed by women both identifying and non-binary people from all over the world. The winner would be awarded a five hundred dollar grant. Amplifier ended up receiving over five thousand entries. The winners were chosen from panel of judges from both the Women’s March organization and the Amplifier’s Foundation. The had originally planned on choosing only five different works, however they finally decided on eight different pieces.

Five of the eight posters were free to download and print for those who wanted. It was encouraged for those to bring those posters and march when the day came. Brooks quotes the organizers of the march from their website saying, “The Women’s March on Washington will send a bold message to our new government on their first day in office,” [...] “and to the world that women’s rights are human rights. We stand together, recognizing that defending the most marginalized among us is defending all of us.” This quote in a way describes the artwork created. Bold.

The five posters created were all beautifully done. Each one shows flat colors and simple designs, but they are extremely effective. The first poster was designed by Jennifer Maravillas and it is called Our Bodies, Our Minds. The poster is very straightforward at first glance. There are three flat colored flags with the words ‘Our Bodies’ ‘Our Minds’ ‘Our Power’ written on each flag. The background is a dark navy blue with a grid of small symbols overlaid. Each symbol represents a different ethnicity, a different race, different gender. The message of equality is very subtle, while the message of women empowerment is great. This poster is very effective.

The second poster shown on the article is designed by Kate Deciccio and it is called Embracing Each Other. This poster is my favorite by far. It shows a rendering of a woman, who obviously doesn’t follow social norms, holding a sign that reads ‘Achieving our full selfs by fully embracing each other. - Women’s March on Washington 2017” The bright colors on the poster really create a boldness to the message. The reason I like this poster so much is because of the message. This message shows that this march was not just a protest, just to protest and to cause hate. This march was done to show equality and love for all no matter what gender, race, sexuality, etc. In the end, we all come together.

The next poster was designed by Liza Donovan entitled Hear Our Voice. This poster shows the iconic ‘raised fist’ image, but manipulated.The raised fist is a well known symbol of solidarity and support. It is used to show unity and strength.  The fist is in the center of the poster with three different colored hands holding on to it. At the top of the fist is a flame. The whole thing is created to look like the Statue of Liberty’s hand holding the torch. This poster design concept is genius. What says ‘freedom’ more than the Statue of Liberty? By putting the different skin toned hands around the raised fist shows not just solidarity and strength, it amplifies the message of unity and equality.

The Women’s March organization now has its own website. The website is very organized and easy to use. The colors are very easy to look at, bold pink with dark navy and a muted tan. The font used it very modern, a san serif in all caps makes it easy to read. The site is mobile responsive. Very clearly at the top of the page is a button to donate to the organization. The site has an option to change language if needed, since this movement is worldwide now. The website gives a list of current campaigns and things that are happening along with past actions.

The protest art that has come out of this event could have gone in many different directions. There are many different ways to convey power and boldness, but It is very hard to convey power and humility at the same time. I think that the women’s march was an incredible event that was extremely successful, and will continue to be successful. The art that has come out of this movement is beautiful, and there is still room for more.

[rvrubinic]

Rachel Rubinic

Hist &Theory of GD

RJ Thompson

4/25/17

The Future of Design

Like everything, design is always evolving. There really is no way to predict what the world of design will be like in ten years. Most believe that we will be completely digital like in the world of Tony Stark. I do not doubt that this will eventually happen. We are often told that history is constantly repeating itself. Although I do believe that technology has become an immense part of our world today, and it will continue to evolve, I also believe that there is some part of our human nature that will not let us forget the past. Design on paper will always be a part of our society, and if it does die out and everything is completely digital, then Y2K really did happen.

If I were to create the next big design movement, I would call is Subsumism. To subsume is to consider or include. I think that our society is making great strides with the equality of every human compared to years ago; and although we have a long way to go before there is true and complete equality, I like to believe that one day we will achieve equal rights for all. From growing up with social media, I have noticed a difference in the way people are treated. When this whole idea of ‘social media’ was created, there was a lot more ignorance of difference in the world. People didn’t know how to react to the fact that when they saw something on the internet that they didn’t like, they would shame that person or idea. Over the past few years, I feel like I have personally noticed a difference in the way that humans react to differences in other humans. There is a lot more acceptance in the world today compared to years ago. I see this in how women are standing up for each other with the women’s march, with the legalization of gay marriage, and so forth.

The reason I chose to name my next big art movement Subsumism, is because I hope that the barriers that we have broken with equality continue. Equality and consideration of all to not only what humans are doing, but what they are creating. There is no right answer when it comes to art. Thus, its appeal to so many around the world. Art is freedom of expression, freedom of rules. Art is freedom to be and create anything that you choose. With this freedom of expression comes the ability to subsume. To consider other ideas that maybe you wouldn’t necessarily agree with normally, or to consider a concept that you would never think of yourself.

The reason I chose this concept for the next design movement is because with the resources we have now with all the new technologies, there will be so many different things that we as designers can do to create art. I have heard many times that people do not believe that design is art. ‘Art is art and design is design.’ I personally believe that everything is art.

With that being said, I do think that technology will be a big part of the future of design. I think that we are currently focused on things that are more minimal and functional as a design standpoint. In the past, people were always questioning what was happening. Art movements were created by people who dared to challenge what they saw happening around them. New technologies that are being invented still will help to create that next big movement by allowing different ways for art to be created. Though I do think that we will still be creating art on paper, I think that most of design efforts in the future will be put to designing online. Every day we are becoming more and more addicted to our technology. Every operating system, every app, every ad on twitter has been designed by someone. The future of design is going to include so much room for different designs. Soon we will be using technology for every aspect of our lives. The world of interactive design is going to keep getting bigger.

One art project that I can think of that fits this category perfectly is a blog on Instagram called Humans of New York. This blogger uses social media as his canvas. He goes all over New York and photographs random people he meets on the streets. The captions of the images he posts are always a short story about that person, or a story that that person has to tell. He stops and talks to these people. He gets to know them, and gets these strangers to tell him things about their lives, about what they are feeling, and then he shares it with the world. He connects with these people, and then shares their emotions, their stories with the whole world.

People rarely stop to think about how their phones were created. To me, a phone in itself is a work of art. Think about it, someone had this crazy idea to create something that could allow humans all over the world to connect to each other within a matter of milliseconds. Then from there, they had to think of a way to make it so that one human could understand how to use the device. Then, someone had to sit down and think of an easy way to allow someone in Japan to understand a software the same way that someone in Texas does. The art of technology design is complex. To have one idea to connect millions of humans with one simple device.

The fact that someone could create something so impactful as a cellphone creates hope for the future of technology. Humans keep getting smarter, and we are inventing new things every passing year. The world of design has so many different doors opening with each new invention.

The future is impossible to predict. We have ideas, we guess. But ultimately the future is what we create it to be. If we strive to create better, and to consider all options, Subsumism will be the next art movement.

[rvrubinic]

Massimo Vignelli

Massimo Vignelli was designer that lived and primarily worked in New York. Italian born, he moved to New York in 1966 with his wife Lella after visiting America for a fellowship for three years prior to his move. Massimo was an extremely influential part of the design world. Millions of people will look at his work, and most will not even think about who the mastermind behind all of it was.  He is one of my personal inspirations.

           After his move to New York, he and his wife Lella started their own design firm called Vignelli Associates. This firm became one of the largest in the world. Vignelli would be honored with over twenty different awards throughout his career.

           One of the reasons that Vignelli is do inspirational to me is for his logo design. Logo design is one of my favorite parts of graphic design. A logo is the first thing you see when looking at a certain company. Logos essentially define the brand. Some of Vignelli’s most famous logos have been for American Airlines, Ford, Knoll, Bloomingdales, and more. The reason I personally love his work is because of the simplicity. Vignelli is quoted saying “A designer should use only these five typefaces: Bodoni, Helvetica, Times New Roman, Century, and Futura.” This quote speaks to me. There is something about the idea of the font as the design that is so extremely elegant to me. Fonts in themselves are their own form of art, and the fact the Vignelli is able to take such basic fonts and create such iconic brands is incredible.

           Arguably, one of his most famous works in corporate identity is the identity for American Airlines. Vignelli Associates designed this original logo in 1967. The identity system was so iconic and original at that time because of its simplicity. The logo consisted of the words ‘AmericanAirlines’ in Helvetica typeface - “American” in red, “Airlines” in blue. The color choice was an easy one – red, white, and blue for America of course. The pictoral element of this identity system is two capital ‘A’s, again, one red one blue, with a simplified eagle in the center. This logo is simple, yes, but it is also effective. The font choice is important because professionalism is crucial to this type of business. Helvetica is professional. Helvetica is safe. When choosing whom to fly with, one tends to choose the safest, most reliable company. This logo was created to present professionalism and as it had been to logo for over forty years, it also presents a sense of reliability. Massimo is quoted from an interview: “We proceeded by logic, not emotion. Not trends and fashions.”

           Another one of his more famous works was his identity system for Bloomingdales. This was one of the first works that the company did after moving to New York. The Bloomingdales Graphic Program was designed in 1972 and consisted of a rebranding – new logo, new packaging, and new signage. At the time, Bloomingdales was one of the high-end department stores in New York. These designs are still used today and remain one of his more iconic works.

The design of the identity system is very simple. He used a very modern, sleek typeface similar to a font by the name of Avant Garde Gothic. For the logotype, all he did was write out ‘Bloomingdales’ and moved the two o’s together so that they are overlapping. Bloomingdales is most known for their ‘Little Brown Bag’. The packaging was also designed by Vignelli and is just as sleek and simple as the logo. Vignelli created a line of bags and boxes that were very minimal. The idea is to show modern minimalism. Originally the bags and boxes were produced in eight different colors. This was done to show the liveliness of the store. They then moved on to the more organic looking brown paper bags with the same style and type. These bags have become iconic in themselves. When you see a little brown bag walking down the street, you know where it came from. This is particularly smart of Vignelli. The idea to keep the font of the logotype and the font on all the packaging creates a very cohesive system. When you read “Little Brown Bag” in that font, you will think Bloomingdales.

Vignelli was most known for his work with the New York subway maps. He took a very confusing and busy map of the subway system and organized it. He created a different system and was able to lay everything out in a neat, color coded grid. Many people complained about his new design, saying that it was inaccurate and confusing. A lot of people loved it for its aesthetic. The map as an image is very beautifully laid out. It is organized with colorful lines that lay on top of a beige background. He created a whole new system that would be the face of New York subways for years to come. It amazes me to know how many people walk by his design every day, not realizing that Massimo Vignelli is responsible for almost everything they see in subways.

Vignelli is such an inspiration to me mostly because of his versatility. Vignelli believed that if you could design one thing, you could design anything. He designed everything. Not only could he design corporate identity systems, he designed packaging and signage, transportation graphics, books and magazines, and posters; but, he didn’t stop at paper – Vignelli also designed interiors, furniture and dinnerware. He could do anything. I love this about him because I believe that design is a different kind of art form. Design is everywhere.

Massimo Vignelli would also design interiors. His design for the Saint Peter’s Church in New York is truly amazing. His design for this church is very modern. He designed Saint Peter’s in 1977. He had the idea to create these pews/benches that when they are not being used to sit on, the backs fold down and they can be used as steps. This is both convenient as it is a space saver. The idea was that the pews could be rearranged for different types of services or depending on how many people are there, in an easy and quick matter. This was because the church holds different kinds of functions, such as concerts, theatrical plays, and conferences. To come up with something like this takes a lot of thought.

Vignelli also shows his versatility through his design of dinnerware and furniture. His ability to design in the round is incredible. People do not generally think of design when they see a cup, however, there is reason for every curve and shape. His work in dinnerware design really resonated with me because of my sister. My sister works at a company called Steelite International – this is a company that makes and sells high-end dinnerware to large companies all around the world. Ever since she started doing their design work and sharing the work with me, I have found a new love for the different designs and reasoning for different kinds of plates and cups.

Massimo is very easily at the top of my list of idols. I can relate to being able to find design in everything. His work is iconic and I aspire to be like him. His impact on the world of design was immense.

[rvrubinic]

Sabrina Ward Harrison is a Canadian artist and illustrator. She is also an author of five published books of her journals. Harrison is very expressive in her work. All of her work is her own illustrations and her own handmade type. Personally I do not like her work. Its very messy and all over the place. It feels almost like collage work. 

[rvrubinic]

Massimo Vignelli is an Italian design who has done work in multiple different types of design. His work ranges from package design, houseware design, furniture design, showroom design, and different types of public show. His work is awesome. He uses color and type to create variety in his work. He has designed a few well known logos such as Bloomingdales and American Airlines. His work really interests me due to his use of san serif type and geometric shapes and flat colors. 

[rvrubinic]

Rudy VanderLans is a Dutch designer and cofounder of Emigre, an independent type foundry with Czechoslovakian-born designer Zuzana Licko. The work that comes from Emigre is very expressive. Some of it doesn’t appear to have a focal point. I don’t really respond well to his work. Some of it seems all over the place. A lot of his works deal with overlapping shapes and type.

[rvrubinic]

Jan Tschichold is a German designer and typographer. Tschichold was known for his anti- san serif ideas as well as establishing typographic hierarchy in design. He spent most of his career designing for Penguin Books and oversaw the design of nearly 500 books published in the late 1940s. A lot of Tschichold’s work is angular. His posters are mostly type and geometric shapes. His work with Penguin Books are iconic. They are all the same design with varying colors and small changes to keep the brand cohesive. 

[rvrubinic]

           Design is everywhere. Most people don’t realize how big the design field is – and that the need for design is growing every day. Almost everything that you look at has been designed by someone – Advertisements, books, logos, etc. People often ask me, “What can you even do with a Graphic Design degree?” and I usually say “Just about anything.”

           My sister, Stacy Rubinic, recently graduated from Youngstown State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts focusing in Graphic and Interactive Design. Not long after she graduated and had applied at a few different places, she was hired at a place called Steelite International. Steelite International, based out of New Castle, PA, is a world-leading manufacturer of award-winning tabletop solutions for the international hospitality industry. “Steelite International aims to be the hospitality industry’s preferred source for all things tabletop. Steelite is a manufacturer of dinnerware and the company partners strategically with other factories in order to offer our customers a wide range of products including dinnerware, glassware, flatware, hollowware and accessories and even so that they can get everything they need to run their business from us.” Some of Steelite’s most well-known clients are the Radisson hotel and the Atlanta Falcons football team; but, they also sell to restaurants, casinos, etc. Around 90% of Las Vegas business have purchased from Steelite.

           Never did she think that she would be working at a company that essentially, sells plates and silverware; but, like I said graphic design is everywhere. She was hesitant at first, thinking, what could she have to offer to a place that sells plates? But after being there for a little over a year, she has grown to love the company. She works with her partner, Mike, and the marketing team to produce brochures, product books, powerpoints for presentations, emails, advertisements, and the website. Working at Steelite International has provided her with many different traveling opportunities. They have sent her to New York, Washington DC, New Orleans, Chicago, Cleveland and everywhere they have showrooms to help with photographing and marketing their product. Last year she helped set up, and give the idea for the photograph that would be on the cover of the product guide that would get sent to all of Steelite’s current and prospective clients around the world.

          Stacy’s work has always been very expressive - she has always been extremely good at drawing. She also does work in photography, painting, and printmaking. While in school she liked to use these skills with her graphic design work. She still uses different medias in her work – although, the design done for Steelite is quite the opposite of what she has done. Steelite is well-known for their product. They are professional, clean, and classy. “We thrive on subtly. The product that we supply is used by the most prestigious chefs in the industry, who plate with painstaking precision. Since we do not sell directly to end users, our advertising is limited to events within the industry that we sponsor. We are able to get away with ads that feature photography prominently, with a looseness to play with typography.” The work tends to be very minimalistic and straight to the point – as to show off the product.

             Steelite is growing, and with that, more and more people will be seeing the work that she does. How has Steelite International been able to thrive in this area? “Our business has been able to thrive in this area because of our network of sales people, relationships with distributors, hospitality management personnel and chefs across the country, and the entire North and South American continents.” The professionalism of the design promotes a high-class aesthetic. The design work that she does is what keeps the company thriving. “My work is at the top of the hospitality industry. Both the product that we sell and everything we do to promote the product is the top of the chain.”

            Graphic design is a newer part of the art field with a plethora of room to grow. Every day there are new possibilities and new doors opening for upcoming graphic designers. New technologies are creating opportunities for designers to do innovative things. Stacy doesn’t work with the client directly, she works with product managers to get literature together, and then she works with sales managers to customize presentations for customers. Based on this, she says she sees the design industry going into a very customized direction. She believes that these days, everyone wants things to be personal. Most graphic design students want to go out in the graphic design world and do things that they like, rather than what the client wants. Most think that when they graduate, they will be doing work that makes them feel good, but it isn’t always going to be that way. Most graphic design these days is focused around the client’s needs.

           From working with product managers, Stacy has learned that it is very important to be able to collaborate with others and be able to put aside your opinions to put the ideas of the clients first. She has also learned that it is very important to be flexible with your schedule. Right now she is under pressure to finish designing a four hundred page book that is to be sent out to print by the beginning of March. This book was just started less than a month ago.

          As a designer, you are a problem solver. You are not just solving the problem of how something is going to look, but how you're going to get all of the content to a manageable state. Having interests in disciplines other than graphic design is important. Stacy is really into other types of design and different medias as well – things like interior design, keeping up on famous chefs and the food they make, as well as cooking shows. These things really help her when it comes to designing for a company that produces kitchenware. She thinks things like that give you ideas that change the way you might see something. She says that to improve her knowledge of graphic design she tries consume all types of media – she thinks that looking at things that are not directly about design and paying attention to how they are made is how you continue to gain knowledge after you've already learned from books in a classroom. She says, “Those things are incredibly invaluable, but looking at good design in different use is another layer to your knowledge.” It is very important to become knowledgeable in the field that you work in

          Depending on the type of design you end up working in, you have to also be an editor. With the work that Stacy does, it is extremely important that everything be perfect. There are hundreds of important people that will be seeing the work that she does. The other day, she almost made a mistake that would have cost hundreds of dollars to the company; however, she was lucky that it wasn’t sent to print yet. They have a large yearly budget board printed for the office, and every month they have the new sales amounts printed and added to the board. She updated the design and thought that by making everything evenly spaced and sized to help the design, but it ended up messing everything up. She didn’t account for the precision of the printer. This type of graphic design work that she does requires being thorough with your work. It requires precision, and knowledge of pre-press and other things like paper choice and size perimeters. All of these things are factors that decide design. It is incredibly crucial to double check work and to make sure that everything is correct before sending to print.

         Design in the next few years to come will only continue to grow. There will be more and more opportunities opening up for new designers. The societal aesthetic is always changing which means that businesses are always looking for new ways to appeal to their clients. Whether you decide to do freelance work, or work for a big company, there will be work.

[rvrubinic]

Neville Brody is known by his record cover design and he work with The Face magazine. He is accredited with changing the way that magazines communicate with the readers. Brody has also design a few different typefaces.

A lot of his work deals with type. He uses type as image. I really enjoy his work because he finds ways to showcase how type is its own shape.

[rvrubinic]

Alexey Brodovitch

Alexey Brodovitch was a Russian born artist who did a lot of important work in graphic design.

If you look at his works, it is clear that Brodovitch is focused on shape. In his magazine pieces, Brodovitch manipulates type to mimic the form of the human figure in the image next to the body copy. These pieces are my favorite of his works. The images are in gray scale, and he does not use any color in any of the spreads. This shows that what is important to him, it shape, form, and also repetition.

In most of his work, images and shapes are repeated.  By doing this, Brodovitch creates symmetry in his work. Everything he does is very clean and organized; therefore, to me it is very pleasing to look at.

[rvrubinic]

Saul Bass

Saul Bass was a very well known American graphic designer and filmmaker. He is most known for his poster design and his work in movie title sequences. Saul Bass is also known for logo design for a few different well known companies such as AT&T and Continental Airlines.

Saul Bass uses a lot of different shapes and lines in his work. Some of his work is very minimal. Most of his work includes abstracted shapes and lines. His work is mostly flat colors. He likes to play around with type, image, and  color. I am very drawn to his work because there isn’t a lot of detail in most of his movie posters. 

[rvrubinic]

Planned Parenthood

For my non-profit I chose PP. Overall I give this site 10/10. This website has a great composition. Though above the fold line it seems that all that you see is a slideshow of pictures, but there is a ton of information given in the links. 

The donation link is clear, at the top right of the page. The site also gives an option to change the language to Spanish if needed. There are also options given above the navigation bar to check out Planned Parenthood on other social media sites, which is a great way to keep our generation connected as the demographic for this site is mainly young women.

On the ride side panel are more links to different ‘facts.’ Also on this side bar is a convenient way to find a PP in one’s area. They have other links as you scroll down giving more information about different things. They have also provided a way to ‘chat’ with someone from PP 24/7.

Overall I think this site is great, I wouldn’t really change anything about it. There’s a clear link to donate. The site is also mobile responsive. I give PP an A+.

[rvrubinic]

Hubbard, OH

The City of Hubbard’s self-service government site is not as bad as I had assumed it would be. The main page is mainly a picture with some background information about the founding of Hubbard. Very easy to understand, the links to the different departments are at the top of the page along with the date and time.

Aesthetically, not too bad. The main color scheme is blue and white, the city’s colors, however the background fades to white as you scroll down which to me, feels a bit dated. The focal point of the main page is the picture below the links. There are two buttons to press on this picture that almost read as a link to an ad, which might confuse some people. 

All the links at the top of the page are pretty self-explanatory, although when looking through all of them I found that when clicked on, the ‘community’ link does give you an error message. 

The site is not mobile responsive and I have yet to find out when trash pick-up is, unfortunately. Overall it does seem very simple and easy to use for the small town that it is.

[rvrubinic]

NPR

Initially looking and NPR’s news mosaic one can see that there isn’t very much color used, not including the pictures used and the headlines and links being a light blue/periwinkle color, mostly white and two different gray colors in the header.

The focal point above the fold line is the big picture of Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton at the democratic debate. Next to that is a link to a recording. At the top of the page are links to different categories. I believe this is very convenient for anyone who comes to this page to look for a specific story. Beneath these links is another link to choose a specific date to find a story.

On the far right side of the page is a column of the most viewed stories at that moment. This column conveniently slides up and down with you as you scroll down the page. Another good think about this site is that it is mobile responsive.

When you scroll down you get more links which also give short descriptions of each story. As you get to the bottom of the page the stories keep loading to older stories, kind of like a twitter or facebook feed. Overall NPR seems to be a very convenient, easy to use site. 8/10, Would visit again. 

[rvrubinic]

Hi, my name is Rachel. I’m a Graphic Design student at YSU currently in my third year. I’ve grown up around art, my mom being a painter and sister a designer so naturally when I decided on YSU, I decided to major in Integrated Math Education.

Lord knows why I chose education, due to my lack of ability to be around small children; however, math was what made sense to me all through out school - until the horror that is college level calculus was introduced to me. it was then that I decided to do what I’ve always secretly wanted to do, but was too afraid of society telling me I would never find work - graphic design.

I’ve always loved photography and according to my family I’m pretty good at it. But I’ve never really thought of myself as an artist. My father always told me pursuing a career in art would leave me living in a gutter eating dog food out of the can.  Since I’ve decided to accept my life as a designer, I’ve never been happier. Design makes sense to me. I love the idea of creating something that people will see. I’m very interested in packaging and poster design.

I am currently the assistant manager at Shenango Valley Cinemas in Hermitage, PA and I practically live there working about 40-45 hours a week. My spirit animal is a cat. I am a middle child of 5. I have a twin, who is my best friend. I am a very anti-social person and I hate talking about myself so writing this is making me feel very uncomfortable.