Concept Map: The Iterations & Variations

Project objective: to research and further understand your given topic with your partner. Once research was completed, the partner team was to create a concept map to illustrate and organize the information that was found.

The word was "lawn." My partner was Ian O'Saben. Initially we split up the research and then came together with what we had. Then, we looked over the information that we had and looked to see where the information was lacking; where the holes were in the map. At each stage of the map, we continued to research small parts to add onto the map. We kept our focus of specifics such as lawn laws and grass types to local Kansas City, because our research showed us that different counties or towns had different rules or laws set up.

Concept Map: "Lawn" take number one. Our original focus was to get the information up and decide how to visually split up the different categories of information.

Concept Map: "Lawn" take number two. Our focus was more visual with the use of specific colors for each layer of information.

Concept Map: "Lawn" take number four. Our focus was on clarity and space. We refined the colors more to follow a clean layout and spread of color throughout the map.

My Iteration 1.

My Iteration 2.

My Iteration 3.

My Iteration 4.

My Iteration 5.

Ian's Iteration 1.

Ian's Iteration 2.

Ian's Iteration 3.

Ian's Iteration 4.

Ian's Iteration 5.

We ended up going with my color scheme of greens and Ian's DIY/interactive feel, which is a good combination of the two that will portray the message that we're going for.

Bibliography of where information was found:

History of the Lawn Mower. http://thelawnmower.info/history.php

How to Aerate. http://www.allaboutlawns.com/lawn-maintenance-care/aerating-and-thatch/how-do-i-aerate.php

Flymo, Lawn Mover invention. http://sixties60s.com/1963gadgets.htm

History of the American Lawn. http://www.american-lawns.com/history/history_lawn.html

History of Aeration. http://www.rpi.edu/dept/chem-eng/Biotech-Environ/AERATION/aeration.htm

Leavenworth, Kansas lawn laws. http://www.lvks.org/department/division.asp?fDD=15-74

Lawn Be Gone by Gabriela Worrel

Really Useful: The origins of everyday things by Joel Levy

Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things by Charles Panati

Illustrating An Idea - Plots + Themes

We were to choose from four different short story writers and find three stories written by them.  Then we were to write down major themes for each story as well as a brief summary.  The result is this blog post.  The author that I chose was Edgar Allan Poe.  The stories that I chose were “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Pit and the Pendulum,” and “Silence – A Fable.”

“The Tell-Tale Heart” is a told through the eyes and thoughts of the narrator.  The narrator is living in the same house as an old man who has an eye that was like a vulture that always watched him.  The eye was bugging him so much that he decided that he needed to kill the old man to be rid of the eye.  Every night the narrator would come down the stairs and stare at the old man as he slept.  One night the old man heard the narrator watching him and started freaking out so the narrator kills the old man.  The police come and investigate the narrator who ends up confessing because he thinks that he can hear the old man’s heart beneath the floorboards where he buried the body.  One of the major themes is time.  More specifically it deals with how time can be manipulated through events; easily skewed.  Although the man kept repeating checking on the old man every night, it was almost as if he was obsessed with a schedule.  So, the story could be pushing people away from schedules; stating that the best way to live is without strong guidelines, more so on the whim.  Another theme is how that no matter how right you feel you are in any given situation; you’re most likely wrong.  A third theme is if you ever commit a crime, bury the body far away and brainwash yourself to forget it.  If you don’t do this, it will eat at you.

“The Pit and the Pendulum” is a story about a man who is brought to trial and found guilty.  So he is taken into a dark room.  The story follows the man as he continues to randomly wake up and fall back asleep.  Throughout the story as the narrator wakes up, he tries to figure out how large the room is that he is in, because he cannot see anything; it’s pitch black.  Also as he wakes up there is good and water next to him, which he always consumes.  The narrator is then tortured for the rest of the story as the pendulum slowly gets closer and slices into his stomach.  One of the major themes in this story is torture; more so it is a combination of mental and physical torture.  Mental manipulation is another theme in this story.  A third theme is suffering/depression.  

“Silence – A Fable” is a story follows the narrator who is a Demon.  In this story, the Demon talks about how he tortured a man.  The man sat on a rock throughout the weather changes that the Demon inflicted.  The Demon made it thunder, pouring rain, and the man still did not move.  Then the Demon grew angry and stopped all weather and sound.  It was when the silence encompassed the whole area that the man got up and ran away.  One theme is solitude.  There is always a time and place for being alone and just thinking it out.  Another theme is overthinking and how that can harm more than help.  A third theme is that nothing that we deal with in life is our own doing; someone else is always flicking the switches.

Reading Response to Jean Baudrillard

There are parallels between Jean Baudrillard's "The System of Objects" Introduction and class projects, Jones' hierarchy, current information age and design profession.  Baudrillard begins the introduction speaking about how humans have been unable to name and classify objects since the Encyclopedia was created.  It is stated that even more so due to the time that we are living in that it is difficult to name and place objects in a system because the objects are being rebuilt to handle the completion of two different activities.  Basically with the information age as we are in, we are curious with the possibility that one object can have multiple uses.  This fits in with the current project that we are doing, through the research of the concept map for the lawn; Ian and I have been able to see what brought about the standards of a “good” lawn.  The standards of a good lawn were established after the invention of the aerator, lawn chemicals, and the garden hose; and each of those objects was not just created once.  There were multiple inventors at various times and places that were striving to make it easier on the consumer by giving one product more than one purpose.  The first home fertilizer and chemical, two in one, was invented after fertilizer and chemical weed killer was created.  In order for one product to exist, the other two had to be created first.  According to Jones’ hierarchy, we cannot establish a system or community until objects have been interrelated or became one – so it makes sense that at times there is an inability to figure out where words or objects should go in the classification system of objects.  Luckily, we are currently in a time where new objects are being created and old objects are being remade cheaper, more environmentally friendly or easier to use.  In the design profession we are currently in a time where designers often look for inspiration at past design and find a way to redo and change the way old designs worked.  Designers often use a bit of inspirations for designs from a variety of locations and bring together to make the outcome more cohesive and impactful, which is the same thing that Baudrillard was mentioning when he talked about how parts on cars were starting to have multiple purposes, making it easier for the objects to relate to one another.

Reading Response to Hugh Dubberly

Hugh Dubberly's article "Creating Concept Maps" helped to reiterate how to start map making.  Prior to reading the article I was still unsure on how exactly to create a concept map.  I knew that it was similar to a mind map except a lot more research went into it.  I really liked the symbolism that Dubberly use with a concept map, "a viewer can see both the forest and individual trees," whereas the phrase is normally "see the forest through the trees."  The article gave a nice strategic approach to developing the map word list by brainstorming, editing, re-brainstorming and reworking the map.  This is basically what we are doing in class right now.  We put together our temporary, mock up of our concept map for homework based on the research that we had already done, and then went and expanded on.  Then, after we got some feedback from the professor on what we had that was good and how to improve; we were sent back to the drawing board to reorganize, re-brainstorm, and research.  Our next step, which is what the article also mentions, is deciding on the best terms to use then agree on the best phrases or sentences to connect the different categories and terms together.  Then you're supposed to rank the categories in order and place them on the map, which is one of the main things that we're been trying to figure out.  We have been trying to figure out the best way to list the information on the map, without it being confusing and least cluttered.

Hierarchy Excercise

The in-class assignment was to create 20 variations of using leading, indent, weight/style, and scale. This was a bit of a challenging assignment for me because I am still trying to get used to the Tabs menu in InDesign, plus in the past I just used multiple text boxes when I wanted a different location or style of text. But I forced myself to only use one text box per variation; so it took longer than expected. Also, I did not realize how difficult designing of text can be when one is limited to how the text may be manipulated. It helped to show me that emphasis can be put on design with minor changes such as leading, indent, weight/style and scale. Shown below were my four favorite, below each prompt is my favorite variation of what I designed. I was not a huge fan of what I designed due to time restraints, but I feel that I learned enough during that time that I can accept not having created the best designs.

1. Leading (vertical relationships): Using one text size with a right reading, flush left, ragged right alignment, explore hierarchy through adjustment of the vertical space between lines of text (leading). Choose the left edge where the text begins and keep that same placement through all 5 compositions.


2. Indent (horizontal relationships): Using one text size and leading with a right reading, flush left, ragged right alignment, explore hierarchy only through indentation of text using “tabs”. Choose the top edge (y-axis) where the text begins and keep that same placement through all 5 compositions.


3. Weight/Style Using one text size, explore hierarchy through the use of bold, italic (oblique) or roman (normal) styling. You can freely apply leading and indent throughout the compositions.


4. Scale Use three type sizes to explore hierarchy. You can freely apply leading and indent throughout the compositions.

Project 2: Constructed Image Final

This is my final poster for Project 2: Constructed Image.  I felt more confident going into my third photo session, but I also felt very nervous.  As in the past I had not been able to replicate any of the set-ups; I was nervous that I would not be able to have a successful session.  This was mainly due to the fact that for the last critique I ended up using a photograph that I took during my first session, even though I had done two sessions.  I was pleasantly surprised that during my critique on Monday in class that there were not many changes for me to do before I sent the composition to be printed.  In this final composition I chose an image that focused on the replication of the clock in the various mirrors, almost giving the illusion that there was more than one physical clock.  I ended up using a piece of white foam board to reflect into the mirror with Vonnegut pasted across it.  I thought it helped to make the white in the clocks pop as well as create a larger circular focus in the image that leads the viewer's eye around.  I kept the background behind the clocks black to help the clocks and name Vonnegut pop.  I placed the mirror with the phrase towards the bottom, because although it is a key component to the composition, it is not the primary or secondary focus.  It also helped to frame the name Vonnegut and the clock on the bottom of the composition.  

Project 4: Choose a Quote

Assignment: Choose 3 quotes, state who said it and why you choose it.


"You can't wait for inspiration.  You have to go after it with a club." - Jack London, 1876-1916, writer, journalist, social activist.
I was a bit put off by this quote when I started reading it, because I was not sure where it was going to go.  But by the end of the quote, I had a slight laugh and smile.  I thought it was a clever way to describe how a designer, writer or anyone gets inspired.  I can't tell anyone the last time that I waited for inspiration to come and it was what I wanted and needed; if inspiration does come, it's not the final idea that I run with and it often puts me further behind in my creation process.  It also goes with a philosophy that I've been slowly coming to believe; that if you want something enough and work for it, you will get it.  


"The good thing about bad taste is you don't know if you have it." - Sam Becker, current designer.
This is another humorous quote and is a statement that I never thought about it.  It's a very true statement though, because even though you think you're a successful and good designer, you aren't to everyone else. Often when design initially starts to change, people are often not open to the changes, but slowly it grows on then.  This is something I associate with bad taste, because as you grow, so does your taste in design and everything else.  So I thought it spoke to how open and closed design is, where all designers do not design the same, yet many designers create a following of loyal customers.


"The difference between closing or opening your eyes is the choice between the imagined vs. real.  Blinking is only human." - John Maeda, current designer.
I like this quote because it makes me think.  There is definitely a literal and figurative meaning behind the statement.  The literal is saying that your eyes being closed is the imagined, so basically when you're sleeping.  When your eyes are open, you're seeing what is real.  Figuratively though, this is saying that if you "open your eyes" and look past our already conceived notions, there is the possibility of seeing how others see.  Then if you close your eyes to what everyone else thinks then you'll really be able to let your imagination run.  He then makes the statement connecting all ideas stating this is what makes us human, being able to move back and forth between what is real and what is imagined.

Create Own Typeface Final Iterations + Final

The version of Broke on the top was the more popular set up from the last critique.  So I moved from there, trying different iterations based off of the feedback that I received in class.  I tried out a new B that fit most of the style from version 1.  I created an O that was more in unison with the use of wood pieces and squared off without it being a circle forced into a square.  I ended up with only the original E being used from Version 1.

The text on the top was what I was reworking, trying to redraw out more smooth.  Once I had a set size and quality I was doing to work with color and style.  I started to try different weights to the K legs.

My first thought was to make the typeface look a lot more like wood.  So I tried using a variation of browns to outline and color in the typeface.  I thought that the individual pieces of wood were not standing out enough was my main problem with this one.

The main difference between this one and the last image is there is a black outline around all of the pieces of wood.  I still was not pleased with how this looked; I felt that it looked like too much was going on.

I wanted to see if more of a basic color scheme would be the best for the typeface.  So I stuck with just a dark black border, black nail heads, and light brown grains in the wood.  I felt that this was the most successful without being overpowering.

Final spread for the book that is to be created.  I didn't quite know what I wanted the large image to be on the page on the left.  I decided that it might be a good idea to do a zoom in on Broke from the right.  My thought was to bring emphasis to the imperfect and illustration of the typeface itself.  I named my typeface Amiss, because it is imperfect, not extremely symmetrical but has character.  I tilted the image to give it movement as well as bring emphasis to the harsh angles that the wood pieces make.

The Real Final Spread is below shown below.  The "OK" of the last layout was too much and it competed with my text on the other page, so I took the suggestion of a classmate to zoom in on one of the letters.  I chose the K for its interesting combination of wood planks and angles.

Through this project I learned more about much went into a single typeface, let alone a family.  I had heard before that years went into designing a typeface and type family, but did not really understand why it took so long.  But now I am starting to see why it takes such a long amount of time to make a typeface; there is quality and elegance in design when you give it the time that you need.  Yes, there are tons of typefaces uploaded to free websites of people just trying to get their name out or trying to be the first for some specific style.  But it is the typefaces that last longer than a style craze that are the true pieces of art to work with.  I learned just how difficult it is to make a typeface where the letters go together and are not forced together.  I ran into problems with although my letters all involved pieces of wood, angles were different or they were evoking a different feeling.  Type by hand is a very difficult thing to put together and as that is what mine was I cannot imagine having sat at a table for hours designing letters like type designers in the past have done. 

Create Own Typeface Iterations 1

Based on the feedback that I received in class, I knew that I should go ahead with the wood look typeface. My main emphasis on the three iterations was the use of line weight and color.  Originally I had thought about trying different words along with the change in stroke and color, but figured there would be too many variables at play in order to effectively choose which option worked best.  So I stayed with the same word and just did small changes between the options.  I wanted to keep emphasis on the object through the color and line weight.

This is the scan of the original outline that I did.

This is the scan of the original outline with a change of color to brown to give it more of a wood/two-by-four feeling.

I went back to the original drawing and did a harsher outline for each individual two-by-four piece of wood to help emphasize the individual pieces that came together to make the whole.

Feedback: Go with the darker outlines around individual pieces of wood or go with the brown.  Make sure to find a way to put emphasis back on the nails (maybe a different color).

Project 2: Mock Up Poster

I ran into a bunch of problems while attempting to take this photograph.  I ended up doing two different photo sessions.  I failed to take into account how difficult it would actually be to take a photograph with 15 various sized pieces of mirror, reflecting me, chairs, carpet, or whatever else was in the room.  I had initially thought that light was going to be the difficult part of the shot, when in reality it was simply all of the reflections.  I ended up with one photograph that I really liked (which is not the one below) but there were a couple different reflections of chairs that were in the room.  So I decided against that image and went with the one below.  

My problems with the photograph below is that it was from my first photo session.  I was hesitant on using the tripod because I did not have much experience with a tripod.  It was only my second occasion of using one, and I felt very limited.  When I don't use a tripod I feel that I have more flexibility and can move however and wherever I want, but I understand how the shakiness of my hands add to the visible motion blur on photographs.  And I could definitely see that when I printed the photograph out large.

Feedback from class:

• More depth of field, longer shutter speed
• Use a tripod
• Nice composition
• Clean the mirror
• Good use of repetition with the clocks
• Nice curve of mirror and clock reflection

How-To Bury a Body: Final Product + Reflection

My idea for this How-To was based off of a mindmap of the word “lawn.” What I wanted to choose was an action that: I did not know, had a lot of style options, would not necessarily be associated with the original word and had some humor. There is a very elegant way to portray humor within a piece that does not need to be fully overwhelming, just subtly there to help understand the piece and remember it. Some of my favorite art pieces have themes or visuals that I had not seen before or ideas that simply contrasted with what I had initially thought. So when I design, I try to keep that in mind – although I think that the artistic style is normally what I focus on when I design and sometimes I am able to instill humor in my pieces.

I chose to go with bright colors in my final pieces to add more humor to the How-To. I figured that I could reach a broader audience and attract more attention if the bright colors were not normally something that was associated with burying a body. I chose different clouds in each scene to help show how it is no quick task to bury a body, thus the clouds and sky would not be the same as when one started and ended the process. I was also attempting to create a range of blues in the sky throughout the day; it is a bit more difficult to read because of the not too extreme range of blues, but I wanted just enough to make a difference, but not too much to be distracting. I chose red dotted lines for an additional aspect that I wanted the viewer to look at, for the main purpose in each scene, a way to show the motion or action to be taken in the step.

The major thing that I learned from this project was how important images are, specifically how they can replace words. Although I knew that words and text went together to create a visual design, I had never thought about just using images to represent words let alone statements or steps. This project was difficult for me, because I was pushed into a direction that I had not really thought about or had much experience with prior to. It is a lot more difficult to express your ideas when you are limited by how you demonstrate the idea. I was never good at pantomiming or acting out anything; I always relied on my words. I was a writer first, and then an artist and designer; so that’s another reason that I always fell back on words when all else failed. But through this project I started to see just how important images are – although the images may not say EVERYTHING that we had intended, they can say a lot more than one may give them credit for at first.

I would say that I am more comfortable and a bit more cautious when it comes to the images that I will associate with my ideas. Although I may have subconsciously in the past brought connotation into a piece through my choice of imagery or text, I had not actively thought about it before using certain parts of design. I also learned how important the process is in creating a piece of art/design. I knew that it was important in the past; especially the exploration of the number of ways that a design can go, but I was able to actually see that progress in this project. Through each “test set” or group of iterations or variations; I was forced to push my design and myself into different places or themes that I may not normally have come across. I tended to design based on what I was told, or really what came out that I directly linked to the subject. If I would have done that with this project my how-to would have become mainly morbid, dark, and unappealing to many. But my thinking longer on the project, I was able to add some humor to my piece to help the relation factor and broaden the possible client range.

Final collection of six steps in the accordion style book.

Step 1: Choose a location that's away from your door in case the body or oder arise(s).

Step 2: Dig the hole 10 feet deep.

Step 3: Dig the hole 1 foot wider and 1 foot longer than the dimensions of the body's container.

Step 4: Wrap the body in a heavy plastic bag or container.

Step 5: Drop the body in.

Step 6: Cover with dirt.

Pin up from final critique in class.

How-To: Pull Out Aspect

There were a few aspects that are present in most if not all my steps.  One aspect that was present throughout all six steps that I was also most proud of was the use of a white iconic symbol.  Other than keeping the overall design simplistic, I wanted to keep a similar pattern of colors to help guide the viewer to the to the important pieces of information.  I used the white iconic symbol to draw the emphasis to the main part of each scene.  My white iconic symbols were: a fence, shovel, body, and X.  The use of the iconic symbol as white against the other colors used in the piece all the emphasis to go directly to the symbol then fan out in each step to the other bright colors.

Step 1: the fence

Step 2: the shovel

Step 3: the body

Step 4: the body take 2

Step 5: the X

Step 6: the shovel take 2

Create Your Own Typeface Preliminary Sketches

Create your own typeface.  I was assigned to create a typeface by hand.  We were supposed to choose three objects or themes and to create an A, N, B, G, Z, h, p, i and o in each object in two different ways. I did not vary the difference between the two variations of each object, so I just uploaded one copy of each object.

Project 2: First In Class Set Up + Sketch

This is the "in class" set up of our poster proposal including the sketch.  I did not remember my black cutting mat, so that is not in the photos but will be in the final.  I know that a few of the photographs have me in it, but I was trying to figure exactly what angle I wanted.  If need be, I can set the timer on the camera and jump out of the mirror shot.  I know that taking the actual photograph and setting up the lights will take quite a bit of time because of all of the mirrors.  When I am done, the image will be awesome with a reflections of the clock, as well as no shot of me.  I also need to make sure that the text that reads "Vonnegut" is set in a reflection of the white clock face so "Vonnegut" gets more emphasis.