#sicdesign

[sicdesignsicily]

SIC design nasce dalla passione per l'arte, crea magliette stampate in serigrafia e dipinte a mano SHOP ONLINE 

[clmilesconsulting-blog]

Out of Gas

Today I’m multi-tasking! I’m listening to a marketing webinar, working on my new t-shirt venture, and getting this blog out. I had another blog planned next but this morning I’ve been reflecting on the last 24 hours. In the wee hours of the morning yesterday, I was starving and wanted something filling. I opted for nachos and headed out of the house. I saw my gas light on but was like I’ll get gas later (for the third day in a row). I was off so I knew there wasn’t any pressure. I get my food, go home, turn in and begin to back up. All of a sudden my car turns off. I try to start it twice and then I realize I’m out of gas. I only have two issues: #1 my car is under a huge tree and #2 its raining hard. I say a quick prayer get out and run in the house. I think no problem I’ll use my other car to get a gas can and put some gas in there later. I get up exhausted and go about my day. I get a call my new t-shirts are ready to pick up. I get dressed, get my keys, and head for the door. It’s still raining really hard. I go to start my other car with gas in it and it won’t start. The rain got even harder. I make a car service request call via an app. I get notification from the app I need to actually call. I call, they confirm the service request went through and I explain I really only need gas. They call the tow service while I’m on hold and the tow service arrives. I explain to the guy I need gas and he says he has a small gas can and he can go get gas if I have a larger one. I tell him I don’t but my other car needs a jump. He does that and remarks that I have a good backup car and offers to buy it. I go about running my errands and spend the rest of my day working on my website, creating a Facebook page, and taking pictures of my new product. Long story with a short message. I’m usually exhausted 40% of the day. My job is demanding, I’m trying to branch out so I can work for myself, and I usually opt to put things off that can wait until I absolutely have to leave the house. Yesterday I felt like I had an important thing to do that couldn’t wait. That thing motivated me to keep going until the wee hours of the morning even though I was exhausted and it was raining all day. I have been out of gas physically for months. It wasn’t until yesterday I realized I’ve been comfortable out of gas instead of feeling like I have to get things done today because it’s important and can’t wait. If you have any goal you want to accomplish make sure you don’t let a temporary inconvenience become a long term distraction! Be your best :) 

[martha-sic10-blog]

#sicdesign #art #chillout #nostress #doyourbest (w: 's-Hertogenbosch) https://www.instagram.com/p/BuXQUNMDgBQ/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1ax23r6x4qbg2

[francisca-borzea-blog]

I decided to create a last-minute logo for my blog title. This is the process:

I hand-lettered it, then traced it in Illustrator.

I still have to work on the alignment, but it’s fine for now.

[martha-sic10-blog]

#diy #denim #denimjacket #muerte #roses #handmade #sicdesign (w: Limburg, Netherlands)

[francisca-borzea-blog]

The game is very versatile and can be played on a number of devices.

It could have its own domain and be on its own or it could be an ad on a website.

[francisca-borzea-blog]

Process

Because I did not want to say too much at the end, I chose one of the most poignant statistics regarding education in rural areas. Too much text could’ve lessened the impact of the game on its own.

After viewing several humanitarian TV ads, I noticed that the call to action text is usually a Sans Serif font laid out in a minimalist way. Consequently, I did the same with my game outro, but felt something was wrong. I asked Phil and Martin for their opinion and they recommended keeping the font that I used in the game instructions (Skinny Caps).

AFTER

You can immediately see an improvement. The video now has its own identity and the handwritten font reminds you of the writing of a child and thus reinforces the message of the cause.

After reading the logo guidelines and symbolistics, I removed the white background and placed it in the up right corner. I could’ve made it smaller, though...

[francisca-borzea-blog]

After the suggestions of a few tutors, I sent my game to World Vision Romania and asked them for feedback. I was surprised to hear back so soon and in English, no less! (I wrote the email in Romanian) I am very glad they gave me positive feedback; making connections with the industry seems less daunting now.

[francisca-borzea-blog]

School Starter Kit is live

My game was on one of the four Mac’s inside the pop-up shop.

Because I forgot to add a PLAY button in the beginning, the game started with the intro directly. So, I had to leave it at the end frame so people could press the START OVER button and see the intro as well. However, that meant people could see the catchphrase before playing the game, which was unfortunate. 

I asked quite a few friends to come to the Private view and play the game, but also saw strangers interacting with it. When playing it, first people felt like they were doing something wrong. Then, when dragging the second or third object and observing the jump to the “good box”, they caught on the concept behind the game. A few Romanians played the game as well, however, I did not see a difference between their reaction and other people’s reaction, which I think is great because my target audience was not Romanian people specifically. That means it impacted the audience equally regardless the nationality and, hopefully, raised awareness for the cause.

[francisca-borzea-blog]

Walk in my Shoes

Some photos I took on the first day of the exhibition. I’m definitely not the greatest photographer..

I feel like, regardless of how little time we had, the exhibition was a success. Quite a few people visited the area and engaged with some of the pieces.  I think the downside was that more people looked at the posters than entered the Pop-up shop, where all the motion pieces were, including my game. Maybe it should’ve been made clearer that the room was also part of the exhibition space. 

The exhibition had a lot of quality pieces that could be very well be part of official campaigns for the respective charities and it was a great opportunity to gain experience in showcasing your work. 

[francisca-borzea-blog]

A demonstrative video of the game. This is the final version of the game, the one from the exhibition. 

[francisca-borzea-blog]

Handwriting effect on After Effects

In the video intro for the game, the School Starter Kit text above the boxes seems handwritten. I did the animation in After Effects, after watching a tutorial. I’ll post the steps here so it’s easier to find them in case I want this effect again:

[francisca-borzea-blog]

A plan for the shooting I was about to have

[francisca-borzea-blog]

A storyboard for the intro to the game

[francisca-borzea-blog]

Box measurements and list of what to include in each one

I had to modify the size a bit when I realised my paper was not big enough

[francisca-borzea-blog]

Intro test

Another gif showing the intro after I have edited around 35 frames, adding the objects as well. The process was long as I had a mask for every frame, making sure the lid and the objects don’t overlap.

I prepared the frames for the After Effects video intro and made the gif as a test to check if it’s flowing properly. I also tried to make the camera shift at the end a bit smoother.