BP: Oscars

Every year, I always look forward to watching the Oscars. Hollywood considers Oscars Sunday a holiday! Design can be spotted in a million different things and from a mile away on the Red Carpet or in the Dolby Theatre.

The first place I spotted design was on the beautiful Oscar Red Carpet. The way that the Oscar Red Carpet design team places each and every thing is so professionally done. It's really incredible.

The second place I spotted design was in the stunning gowns that celebrities were wearing. A few of my favorite pieces were worn by Lady Gaga and Brie Larson. How gorgeous?

The third place I instantly spotted design was in the Dolby Theatre seating. The number of seats is unbelievable and the design of the seating is a true work of art. Everyone has a great seat in this joint!

                           

The fourth place I saw design was in the Oscars themselves. The trophy is a simple, yet classic design that is very easily identifiable. The design of the Oscar is portrayed on the Red Carpet everywhere and all throughout the Dolby Theatre.

The fifth place I spotted design at the 2016 Oscars was on the Oscars stage in the Dolby Theatre. The thousands upon thousands of lights shining made the stage look simply glamourous. I was in awe of how remarkable it looked, especially during the final award where Spotlight was named Best Picture and confetti started falling to celebrate their win.

Image sources:

http://www.oscars2016awards.com/554-oscars-red-carpet-empty-images-1.html

http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/02/lady-gaga-oscars-performance

http://www.today.com/style/oscars-red-carpet-2016-see-best-dressed-celebrities-t75946

http://denver.cbslocal.com/2016/02/28/in-an-upset-spotlight-wins-best-picture-at-oscars/
http://www.vulture.com/2016/01/who-will-win-the-2016-oscars-our-predictions.html
https://www.goldstar.com/venues/hollywood-ca/dolby-theatre-at-hollywood-and-highland-center

BP: Social Media

Design and social media connect in many ways. Social media is all about design and how it functions. Our generation is all about advertising ourselves, but it has to be made easy for us. Back in the day, MySpace was a hit! But if you can remember, you had to create your own profile by using different codes to create different fonts, colors and page designs. Everything was DIY (do it yourself) on MySpace. Social media today is automatically set up for you.

I have been using Snapchat a lot recently and they incorporate design changes nearly every day. With their goofy filters, your snaps always look different! Social media constantly has to change to keep up with society today!

The entire class uses some form of social media and we all want the latest and greatest update of it. It is crazy to think that the internet really hasn't been around long and it has such an impact on all of our lives. Image what it will be like years from now!!!

BP: Media Impact

My artifact (Volkswagen Beetle) is not the typical, every day artifact. Volkswagen Beetles tend to have a stereotype attached to them including: cute, girly, gay, slow, unprofessional, kiddie and small. It could very well represent all of these things or none of these things at all. To me, my car represents who I am as a person. I am bubbly, girly, small and fun.

Media portrays Volkswagen as a top-selling brand. The Volkswagen Group is also responsible for Audi, Bentley, Bugatti and Ducati. Anyone in their right mind wouldn't identify any of the cars in those groups as cute, girly, gay, slow, unprofessional and kiddie.

The media has really blasted these stereotypes and portrayed Volkswagen Beetles as highly-rated, affordable cars. In fact, in 1950 the Volkswagen Beetle was the best-selling car of the decade.

The Volkswagen Beetle is a CLASSIC! Everyone knows what a Beetle is. There were even road games (Slug Bug Game also known as Punch Buggy) created because of this car. Everyone loves to spot them and the Volkswagen Beetle are arguably the most identifiable car on the road today!

BP: Noupe.com

Sweeney Todd: the photo and the entire movie is in a very gloomy color, because it is representing the evil mood of the movie. The colors are very dark and muted. The only bright color used in the movie is the color red which represented blood. These colors do a great job of representing the mood of the movie.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: the designs used the flooring and a pop of color to draw the viewer's eyes in the scene. The way the wood was laid out in the scene makes the viewer look from left to right of the picture. Then the three men in the picture are all dressed in black, but Doloris is dressed in all pink which draws attention to her.

Water For Elephants: the designers had to pay close attention to all the outfits that were worn in the movie. Jacob was a hand laborer so all of his clothes had to be rough-looking. Marlena was a performer so her clothes were nice, showy and a step above Jacob's.

For my movie: these will help me by showing what I need to do to not make the movie cluttered and try to use contrast to help viewers understand the movie. I want to set a very positive mood for my movie, but also make it appear very professional. 

BP: Storyboard Final

My storyboard focuses on my Volkswagen Beetle Convertible!!!

As I strolled through my classmates storyboards on their blogs, I noticed a large array of focus points. My favorite storyboards that some students did were of places. You can really go into detail about places backgrounds and uses. It is also very cool to see the different pictures students have pulled from those places and when they added their own opinions/experiences of those places. When students can add their own experiences to why they love certain places it really grasps your attention and you feel like it really is a story, not just a project! My favorite storyboard was about Cincinnati City Hall. It was SO well done and went into tremendous detail on every slide. I definitely will be adding more details into my Volkswagen video after viewing that students storyboard! My video will go more into the history of the car and the popularity of it.

BP: Prown Worksheet

For my artifact, I chose a coffee mug.

Description: It is made of ceramic, and glaze. It has a shiny outside so it was probably fired in a kiln.  It is a vessel, or carry liquids, but the material it is made out of can keep hot things hot for longer.

Deduction: While this artifact is carries the support of many human's addiction: coffee, it is generally replaceable. There are many made just the same, and while it is present in very intellectual positions, this is just spurious correlation.

Speculation: Most cherished items such as coffee mugs, they are often given as gifts. They are more geared towards emotional use, because in they end, they are all still replaceable. I can speculate that while one could be better than the other, I would not enjoy the coffee, or tea, any differently.

*Image taken of my iPhone 6*

BP: Postcard Process

As I began preparing to make my postcard, I brainstormed what I wanted it to look like. I wanted it to be based around fashion, but more importantly the ways I see design in my every day life.

Step one of my postcard was to search for the perfect quote. I went to brainyquotes.com.

After I found my quote, I went on my Tumblr to look for pictures I wanted on my blog. Some of the pictures I used were my own pictures. Some were just pictures I reblogged on Tumblr for my followers to see.

I went on Pages, made a 4x6 inch square then scattered my pictures where I wanted them and added my quote. On the flip side of my postcard, I needed the traditional postcard address lines and stamp space. I googled what these looked like then imitated this look on my 4x6 Pages doc.

This project taught me how the postcard process works. I realized I can now send my own postcards because I know how to create them! I loved seeing how much work you have to put into them to create a cute little piece of art. It was very interesting to see the rest of the class's postcards. Some of the postcards were so well made and they blew me away! I loved this project and I will definitely be making more postcards in the future with tons of different designs on them.

BP: artifact selection

My Volkswagen Beetle Convertible

*Image taken on my iPhone 6*

BP: Place

There are so many places in the world that have special character in terms of design. I grew up near the area where the Battle of Fallen Timbers was fought in 1794. I actually run near the battle site every day when I'm home. Everyone in our area has visited this area at one time or another. It is a beautiful area with a beautiful and simple memorial of the battle fought on the land. The memorial has been designed to commemorate all who had fought and died in the battle. The design is not an overkill on history and has simple pieces of the battle scattered along a gorgeous trail made for runners, bikers and tourists.

Turkey Foot Rock was the location where Me-sa-sa, an Ottawa Indian chief, died during the Battle of Fallen Timbers. I have been running past this rock for over 5 years and it always gives me goosebumps when I stop in front of the rock. It's almost like you can feel spirits around it. It is said that at night the spirit of Me-sa-sa lingers around this memorial. Many people have seen his spirit!

Image source:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g50621-d260105-i89203040-Fallen_Timbers_Battlefield-Maumee_Ohio.html

BP: Building

The skyscraper, the airport and the the house are three examples of design on the building scale. These are iconic for the twentieth century because these are three things are all American lives revolve around nowadays. People are constantly traveling so airports are always jammed. Skyscrapers can be found all over the United States, especially in downtown areas like Chicago, Boston, New York City and Los Angeles. These cities have very iconic skyscrapers, like the Empire State Building in NYC. Skyscrapers represent business and, in the twentieth century, your career is everything! Houses surround us everywhere we go. They come in all different shapes and sizes, but is the one of the most important things to own if you're pursuing the American dream.

Another great example of an American character building besides a house, airport and skyscraper is a library!

New York Public Library

Image source: 

http://intelligenttravel.nationalgeographic.com/2012/11/07/i-heart-my-city-annie-fitzsimmonss-nycafitz/new-york-public-library/

BP: Postcard Final

This is the final front and back image of my post card. I screenshotted both of these images off a Pages document. 

I loved this quote by Issey Miyake because I am a mega fashionista! I wanted to display design in ways that I see them through my eyes. When I first think of design, I think of clothes. Every day you make a choice of what you want to wear…I call this self art. You pick out clothes that have a certain design, pick out shoes that show off and go with your outfit and then you merchandise your outfit up. You create a design yourself! The next place I think of design is in building, rooms and manmade outdoor areas. We are surrounded by buildings and homes designed for all different reasons and in all different ways. Outdoor areas, manmade and natural,  can be designed in so many beautiful ways. Anytime you visit a house, their landscape has been designed for their likings. Outdoor weddings are also beautifully designed manmade places that I love looking at. You also will notice design in parks. Parks are not manmade, but the sidewalks, trails and playgrounds are all designed for anyone to enjoy.

Design doesn't just have one type. It comes in millions of forms and it surrounds us everywhere we go! It's in the buildings we walk by, the cars we drive and the people all across the world. DESIGN IS FOR LIFE!

BP: House

Houses throughout the decades have changed drastically. Nearly every neighbor in America looks different. Some cities have much older homes, where other cities are growing and building new residential areas. I have always thought older homes hold such history, but I only liked these houses when they were kept up nicely. Older historic homes have much different looks if you go from time period to time period. In today's day, you can build a house and make it look drastically different from another house that was just built. There are so many different styles of houses, but they all reflect this time period. When I think of modern day housing, I always picture celebrities houses. They always have a very different look to them and they stand out from anything else you may see. I feel like people are really trying to go for this type of look when now. Everyone wants their house to stand alone. Whereas it used to be so different and everyone wanted that clean, cookie cutter house.

My house in Toledo, Ohio stands out from all the other houses in my neighborhood. It is brown brick and has two giant white pillars that frame the entrance of the house. White is accentuated throughout the outside of the house to break up the brick look. The inside of my house looks much different from the outside. The outside gives a very proper look. The inside is very Restoration Hardware-ish. It is full of fake fur rugs, pillows, leather chairs and glass decor.

Today you see SO MANY different designed houses. This says a lot about the ever-changing design culture. All in all, I do think the majority of people still demand for that contemporary look because it never goes out of style. Plain is timeless. It's the different looking styles that may be in one day and out the next day.

(MY HOME)

*Image was taken on my iPhone 6*

BP: Postcard 1

"Design is not for philosophy, it's for life." -Issey Miyake

Quote source: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/i/isseymiyak395029.html?src=t_design

Photo sources: *all from my personal Tumblr blog* http://carrieburkett.tumblr.com