Misty’s Design Blog

I really enjoyed the BFA show. There was a large variety of art works, and a lot of things to look at.

I found Kelly Lever’s mixed media art works especially intriguing. They were vibrant, exciting and fun. I loved the way she mixed paint, fabric, patterns and other found objects to create these exciting works. Her artist’s statement was interesting and vibrant as well.

I also found Brittany Laughlin’s stationary set interesting. I liked the way she used the cutouts and how they worked perfectly with what imagery was behind it. It was simple but extremely visually interesting.

Another series I really enjoyed was Erin Rice’s photography. All the photos were of doors and windows. It was one of those simple beauties that you don’t really notice until it is put right in your face. Her artist statement said that her work was all about balance and solid forms. She said the balance is like the balance and comfort she feels from her family and friends.

One last piece that I thought went perfect with what we are discussing in class is Ken Horn’s Laundry 101 website. This website was funny, interesting and above all informational. Although doing laundry is something that most people know how to do, it is still a cute little site for those who maybe don’t. It is also just fun to navigate, even if you are not reading it for informational reasons. I also loved the aesthetic of the site, with its chalkboard imagery and typography.

I read David Heller’s introduction to the book Becoming A Digital Designer. I chose to read the intro and summarize it because I really did not know much about what a digital designer exactly was and I felt like I needed to get an overview before going any farther into the book. Even though this is just an introduction, I thought it was very informative and raises many questions for further reading and observations.

The beginning of David Heller’s introduction to the book Becoming A Digital Designer, talks about that he remembers the day in late 1980’s when he was given a Mac and told to throw away all of his old design tools like Xacto knifes, rulers, and glue. He was told that because the future was all about digits and computers, all the conventional design tools were no longer needed. Unlike many old school designers, Heller had no problem trading in his old tools for new technological ones. I actually find it ironic that now, as a design student, we are being told that using the traditional tools are best and that the computer is simply just another tool, that does not necessarily have to be used or relied on at all. All my personal opinions aside for now, I want to get into summarizing the core of Heller’s introduction.

An overall theme of Heller’s intro is that it is obvious that the computer and this digital age have helped make designers more productive and maybe even more creative. There is so much more that can be done with software now than anyone could of imagined just a few years ago. The possibilities are endless and this is the main reason so many designers have been into these technological advances. Because “going digital” has become so mainstream and popular with designers and the general public, the industry demands more and more people to create new technologies and design for them. The term digital designer is a relatively new term, yet it is becoming extremely important. A digital designer, not only has to know how to design well but also how to design using new tools such as Adobe Flash and html. Being educated in these interactive advances makes the possibility of design and advertising never-ending.

Heller also discusses how important and essential “going digital” is to all areas of design, including editorial, advertising, and environmental. Because the web and digital technologies are constantly changing, it is important for designers to be open to learning these new technologies. This is where the term digital designer actually comes from. Essentially a digital designer is just a graphic designer who uses technology and digital tools. Heller uses an example to show the constant changing technology by saying that in the beginning, the main source of advertising was in print media. Print then changed to mostly television commercials and now things are shifting more and more towards the web. With the Internet, companies can advertise their products in a type of interactive space/setting. Also Heller notes that many magazines and newspapers are being supplemented for online versions, which adds a whole new dimension to a person’s daily experience. Young designers, Heller says seem to be more apt to jump on the digital bandwagon, although many older designer are learning and using these digital tools as well.

With all this talk of being a digital designer…what types of jobs are actually out there for those tech-savvy designers? Well it seems like any of the job titles that you can have as a graphic designer, you can also have as a digital designer, such as junior designer or art director. The ones that are more focused on completely digital work would be titles such as interface designer, site developer, flash designer and game designer. I think with the way things seem to be heading with so many new and emerging technologies, I don’t think there will be any shortage of jobs for digital designers.

I think Heller’s introduction was very interesting and informative. Although it was short and just summarized what was to be read next, I still found it helpful. I agree with the fact that because technology is growing so fast, with its constant updates and upgrades, designers have to learn to go with the flow in order to be completely successful. Although Heller defines digital designers as graphic designers who work with digital tools, I am not sure if digital designer should even be a separate job title. I think any designer, whether they are students or people who have been working in the field for years, are digital designers now. Because technology is moving so extremely fast, people do not have a choice but to go with it. I guess I just do not think that there is a clear distinction between the two or there won’t be in a few years. Because technology and the Internet are so important to everyday life, designers are just trained to be people who can design a space whether that space is in the form of a poster or of a website layout. I think in the coming years learning to use the interactive software such as Flash and Dreamweaver will be just as important as any of the Adobe programs for designers.

Even now as a student when I look at internship positions I see the criteria of having experience with interactive programs or basic html skills. So this is especially important matter for students and I think that Heller made this book at just the right time. Obviously what I read was just an introduction, but the intro gave me a good idea of what to look forward to in the book as a whole.

the grass is always greener on the other side…