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.