AED Project #3 Logo Design

1. Discuss what you thought about creating your logo.
Its an interesting idea to come up with a logo that represents myself and is something that would "sell" or appeal to others.

2. Describe the process: creative thinking skills and ideas you used in the logo creation?
While I was trying to come up with an idea of what I thought would sum me up. I started thinking about the times when I am the happiest. I decided I wanted to do a summertime beach theme. Summer time is my favorite time of the year. I love being outside and enjoying the sun everyday. My favorite things that make me feel calm and happy during the summer is the sunset, beach and palms tree. It was interesting to see how I would sketch one logo and then each time there were little modifications that I wanted to make. My first sketch is completely different than my final sketch however, you can still see how I ended up with my final logo. Its simple, colorful, and makes me dream of summertime and beaches. It makes me happy.

3. What was the most important discovery you made in the creation of your logo?
One discovery that I made while creating my logo is that I am more creative while coming up with new ideas than I thought.

4. What is the most important information you learned from watching the videos, powerpoint, and reading material for this project? What is your opinion of the videos?
The most important thing I learned from watching the video "graphic:What's in a Logo?" is the process for a company takes to create a logo. The long process of brainstorming their ideas and creating sketches and then go from there to come up with a final result that sums up the business and is appealing to others.

Art Material Exploration #1: Exploring Value and The Subtractive Color Theory

1. I found it more difficult to create the value scale. It was difficult for me to get the shades correct box to box. I enjoyed creating the color wheel and found it interesting, however I found it difficult to get the colors dark enough to make the black color. I did not know cyan, magenta and yellow were the real primary colors.

2. I enjoyed working with the acrylic paint the best. I haven't used paints since I was a little kid, so I enjoyed doing that again and it was simple.

3. I found it interesting to learn more about the color wheel and creating it. I always wondered why in my color printer it used magenta, cyan and yellow and how they made all of the colors possible, but now I understand how those are the true primary colors. I all makes sense now.

4. The videos were very helpful because I did not know or understand what was expected for this project. After watching the videos, I understood what the value scale and color wheel should look like. I also learned where the colors have to be placed on the color wheel and which colors make what color. For example, mixing cyan and mangenta makes blue.

Project #1- Elements and Principles Blog

Some of the pictures used in my slideshow are pictures of photos I have taken in the last couple of months. In October I had gone to the Toronto Zoo, and I took some perfect pictures to use in this project. The first picture is for Harmony I had taken this beautiful picture of a patch of overgrown flowers. It was just beautiful and peaceful and I feel is a perfect example of representing harmony. Another photo is for Balance, its of two owls balancing on a tree branch, totally at ease. Another picture is for Color, its of a group of flamingos, their different color pink feathers with the relfections in the water and the green trees and brush around them add so much color to this picture. For Shape, I chose a picture of jelly fish that I had taken, you can see the shapes of square masses "inside" them and their round bodies floating around. The last picture from the zoo is of the waterfall for Rhythm. The water falling over the edge in a constant rhythm and hitting the rocks at the bottom. For Movement, I chose a picture of Hydroplane boat racing that took place in August. The boats in the picture direct your eye to follow where they are going and you see the water behind them going into the air. For Space I chose a picture that I took while they were taking the Hydroplane boats in and out of the water. In this picture the boat was hanging in the air waiting to get put in the water. For Proportion, I chose a picture of me and my boyfriend sitting on a model of the Statue of Liberty Foot, us sitting on it puts its size into perspective. For Variety I chose a picture of Time Square that I took, there are many different things going on in this picture, however it all works and fits together. It an organized chaos. For Emphasis, I chose a picture from a Disney resort. The whole picture emphasizes the structure, it pulls your eyes to the top, where you then see the water and it pulls your eyes back down. For Form, I chose a picture from a cementary in New Orleans that I took. This picture shows the form of the wall and the details of cement and brick. For Lines, I took a picture of fireworks and when I loaded it into the computer it looks like the fireworks is indeed made of lines. I though this was a very cool picture. For Texture I had taken a picture of a very different looking tree. You can see the roughness and design of the bark and roots with the leaves surrounding it. For Value, I took a picture of my friends in black and white. You can see the glare of light and shadows in portions of the picture. For Unity, I took a picture of my grandparents celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. I feel this picture is a good reperesentation of unity.

Elements and Principles Slideshow

Blog #3- Colors and Emotions

1. Describe Color and it's effects on emotions. Use the appropriate vocabulary of color in your posting.

Various studeies have demonstrated that color affects a wide range of psychological and physiological responses. The color red is believed to increase appetite. Blue surroundings will significantly lower a person's blood pressure, pulse and respiration. The color "passive pink" has a calming effect on people.

2. What is a theoretical aspect of color that most intrigues/fascinates you? Why?

The theoretical aspect of color that most intrigues me is that the color red is believed to increase appetite and therefore food consumption. That is said to be why many restaurants will choose red as their main color. I had always heard that color may affect emotions and physiological responses but I never knew specifics about each color. After learning this, I had reflected on places I go to eat at and realized that most of the restaurants or fast food places I have been to, do indeed have alot of red color all around.

3. In the Color video, what made the biggest impact on you in regards to color and it's effects on emotions?

In the color video, at one point Junaw was back in London trying to paint what she saw in Venice, and she had used alot of dark reds and oranges for the building on the left with the man outside of it on the boat. When they first showed this, I felt like the left side of the painting was violent. I didn't feel good and I almost felt worried for the man on the boat in the painting. Right after that, June herself has said the same thing.

4. In the Feelings video, what made the biggest impact on you in regards to color and it's effects on emotions? 

In the feelings video, Goya's paintings jumped out at me the most. The paintings from when he was in his mid 40s and later were extremely dark and "devilish." They were very scary to me, the people within the paintings looked like they were dead and trapped. The freedom was completely gone and there was no light left. These paintings had a very heavy darkness to them, and seemed to be very violent. I could feel the misery of the people withint the paintings.

Blog #2- Video Reviews

1. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.
         The first video did a good job discussing all of the differnet theories on aesthetics. Before reading chapter three and watching this video, I have never heard of any of these men. Reading the book and how it defined asethetics, I did not realize all of the different theories on it, aethetics and art is not written out in black and white. It takes thought in order to try and understand it and I learned more about that by Plato, Francis Hutcheson, Leon Battista Alberti, Kant, Stendhal, and Tolstoy.
        In the second video, I learned about the science behind viewing art. The processes that our eyes, and brain go through in order to view art and then to try and interpret art, and then to formulate an opinion.


2. Which philosopher's theroy on aesthetics do you feel is most important? Be sure to mention the philosphers name, era (time in history), and contribtion to the aesthetic theory in your response.
     The philosopher's theory that I feel is most important is Kant who is a german philosopher from the 18th century. I really his view on art. He believes that artist is not a "skilled craftsmen" but a " exceptional, sensible superior individual." I agree with this because being a true artist is a special, natural talent that not every person possess.


3. What do you think about Changeux and Ramachandran scientific view of aesthetics and art? What was the most interesting fact you discovered from each speakers lecture?
       They both have an interesting view on aesthetics and art. I would have never thought about the science and biology of the human body in order to even visual and interpret artwork. I found it interesting that Changeux defined esthetic efficacy as "staggering effects on emotions and reason, mobilizing conscious and non-conscious processes." This is true in the scientific view, all of these things are happenening at one time and we do not even know it. Some of the though process we know we are doing(conscious) but then there is more to it and the brain is doing things on an unconscious level. They way he defined that, just really jumped out at me. For Ramachandran, I find it interesting that he came up with 8 laws of art/aesthetics, and they all explain how the human perspective works and the process behind it.


4. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?
     The first video deffinately related to the text, it went into detail on the different theories of aesthetics, and the philosophers, where the book does not go into alot of detail. The second video explained another side of aesthetics- the science behind it, which is just an interesting topic to learn about.


5. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the topics in your reading?
        The first film to me was kind of boring, it had good information and added to the text. It talked specifically about the different philosophers and their views on aesthetics. However it was hard to get through the video. The second video was more entertaining, Like I said above, it touched upon the science behind being able to visualize artwork and interpret it which is pretty interesting. I have taken alot of science classes for my major, and I am just amazed by the human body and our capabilites, and watching this video deffinately added to that. When it came to art I never thought about the biology of it before that even allows us to look at and try to understand art, and formulate our own opinion. Both of these videos did add to my knowledge of art.