My color sensibility usually runs towards bright and saturated (I live in a home
with vivid, multicolored walls, and have a colorful sleeve tattooed on my arm) so I was
surprised to see how much my tones for my Vision Board ran more towards the neutral
and subdued. I attribute it to the winter, a season of rest and reflection, and the general
gloom I have been feeling in the wake of current events. I see a fixation on calm and
clean images when I look at my board, a search for quiet.
I really enjoyed the evolution of this assignment. As a newcomer to graphic
design, I felt very overwhelmed by the idea of creating 3 separate posters using only
text when I first glanced over the project. However, as I began the creative process, I felt
that each step served to deepen my understanding of what I was trying to say.
First, by creating and selecting images, I was able to ascertain what message and feeling I was most wanting to express. Because my images told me I was seeking peace, in the form of a sparse, neutral aesthetic, I felt that the Einstein quote was most fitting. Simplicity was the goal.
Pulling from my neutral palette, I wanted each poster to correspond with a
different color in my scheme and adjust the mood accordingly. My first poster, done in a
creamy yellow, underscores the academic feeling of this quote. This poster felt very
classic and sparse, which I thought complimented the quote nicely. I enjoyed playing
with the weight of the page itself here as well, which added some gravity to the lighter
font. With blue tones, I hoped to convey a more peaceful tone, of how sweet simplicity
can be. I enjoyed the pattern making in this poster especially- I am quite fond of
exclamation points, both in message and in appearance, so I enjoyed highlighting it
here. I wanted to convey more energy with the burgundy focus, as I thought this quote
had a sort of motivating message as well- to strive for the most perfect form of a thing
simplified to its essence, but no more. I liked the retro vibe from emerged, and the Art
deco likeness that was achieved through font and arrangement here.
I was surprised at how much emotion and detail I was able to imbue the posters
with by only working with text. I have no prior experience in Apple Pages (which was
the only platform I worked with here) but was glad to have it as a resource for this
project, and look forward to working with it more. I felt some frustration in navigating
the new software, but am overall pleased with the outcome.
This project was a welcome opportunity to go inward, and find new ways of
distilling emotion into form. I was reminded of the Bauhaus documentary in that I felt I
was developing a different visual emotional vocabulary through this new electronic
form. This was one of my first experiences utilizing machine as artistic tool, which is
new in exciting and frustrating ways alike. I was certainly taken aback at just how
cohesive my ways of seeing are these days. I am seeking simplicity, both inward and
out.