Graphic Design

Week 1

Week 1: When I started taking these photos, my initial thought was to just take my doorknob places and photograph it in different environments. I quickly learned that this was most definitely NOT the solution! It was boring and predictable and I felt like I was missing the point of the assigment. I decided instead to, in a sense, get to know my object, or look at the anatomy. All of my photos are close-ups of all the different parts of the doorknob. You wouldn’t believe this, but a doorknob is actually a fascinating object!

Week 2

Week 2: This is another close-up of my doorknob. The more time I spend with the doorknob and the more I look at it, the more there is to see and discover.  There are many different parts in a doorknob. This photo shows part of the underside of my doorknob.

Week 3

Week 3: This week I decided to start experimenting with different backgrounds and lighting. I took this photo at night in a room with a red wall and the light source is a small lamp. I didn’t do anything special- all  that happened was the red of the wall was reflected on the metal of the doorknob. The circular lines keep your eye moving through the photo and it has a lot of texture. I think it turned out really interesting, and I love that you have no idea what it is you’re looking at!

Week 4

Week 4: This week I decided to try some more experimenting with lighting. My previous photos were either darker or lit with natural light, and so I decided to try using a brighter light source. This gave the picture a different feel- the photos lit with natural light have cooler tones while a bright light source gave this photo a slightly warmer feel. Obviously week 3’s photo had a very warm feel because of the red background I used, but I wanted to try getting a warmer feel without using a background color.

Week 5

Week 5: This week I played more with different colored backgrounds and lighting. I think the gold metal with the green background reflecting on it work well together. I also tried to find new angles on the doorknob, which was a little difficult to do without taking it apart. I wanted to get every possible angle I could before I started taking it apart, and I think this angle was different enough from the others to look somewhat new.

Week 6

Week 6: After doing as much as I could with the doorknob the way it was, I started to take the doorknob apart, and I found a lot of interesting stuff about it. There are a lot of parts to a doorknob I never knew existed. In fact, a doorknob is a pretty complex object! In this photo I started to take screws out and partially removed the doorknob cover. I didn’t want to take the whole thing apart and then photograph the parts, but rather take it apart slowly and photograph the process.

Week 7

Week 7: This week I did more with taking my doorknob apart. I think what I love most about my doorknob is the variety of textures. The more I took it apart the more texture I found. I think that texture is perhaps the strongest element of design in my photos. I’ve also tried to pay attention to the composition with the frame of the camera. In a lot of my photos I try to use the rule of thirds as much as possible in order to create a focal point. 

Week 8

Week 8: This is the inside of the doorknob cover. I used a red background again for this photo. The dark post is a graphic directional element that leads to the focal point of the photo. Also, the outside circle almost traps the viewer’s eye in the photo. 

Week 9

Week 9: More of the inside of the doorknob. I really like showing the inside workings of this doorknob. I like that the focal point is defined by the blur around it. 

It’s amazing to think what the eye can see just by taking time and observing the world in which we live. Letterforms can be found everywhere and in everything! I had the option of finding letters in found objects or creating my own. I wanted my alphabet to be made with something I love, so I decided to create my own letters using scarves. 

I used three different scarves to create my alphabet.

Towards the end of the project, I realized people could relate to scarves since they are a popular accessory and would be able to enjoy looking at my alphabet.  Texture and color were my elements of choice to make my alphabet visually interesting.  I used three different scarves to add variety to the texture and color.  I hoped that having some variety would be able to keep the interest of the viewer.  I also decided to incorporate tying into my alphabet, so every letter is knotted.  It was a challenge to manipulate the fabric into the desired shape while it was knotted and to be able to create the letters in an uncomplicated way that showed movement. I wanted the viewer to see the scarves looking as natural as possible, maybe even feel as if they could be worn.

I believe this project has strong visual interest created by color, texture, variety, and movement of the fabric.  I achieved all of this by making conscious design decisions rather than default decisions.  

Learning Summary-

I learned a lot from this project.  Sometimes an idea you initially think is worthless or uncreative can turn into something good if you put the time, effort, and thought necessary into it.  Sometimes over-thinking can ruin your work.  I learned the simpler the idea and the way to execute that idea, the better it will be.  When I put too much thought into how I would create my letters, they didn’t turn out as well.  In comparison, when I thought quickly and came up with a simple solution, every letter looked much better.  I relearned that the best work comes from working with your hands.  Being able to do things digitally is great, but when you can use real objects and actually touch them with your hands, I think your work will have a quality to it that no digital program can give it.  If I could change anything it would be to change the composition of the page.  Honestly, I was so concerned with getting to the print shop that I didn’t design the page.  I made a grid and filled it with my images.  The images are too close to the edges and I don’t like the two letters at the bottom.  Also, the position of the images creates a pattern of colors that looks too organized and too contrived.  I hate that!  I doesn’t fit with my concept of the scarves having a natural look, and, I think, distracts from the piece.  I definitely want to change that!  Other than the problem with my composition, I am pleased with my project and really had a great time working on it!