Carson Cole DTC 336

For the time and motion section, I think motion can also be used to move our eyes through a design. For example the flowing curves of the diagram on page 219 direct my eye from each name to the fields they inhabit. 

One thing I noticed about many of the diagrams in this section was their ability to connect and emphasize the important information. On page 226, the diagram uses orange and blue to represent electricity and water use, and color codes words that use those resources. Line is also frequently used, the diagram on page 222 connects a daunting amount of information about social media use with hundreds of lines. 

I enjoyed seeing how patterns, when reproduced on a large scale, created new patterns to the eye. For example, slight changes in color across a pattern created a gradient effect on page 205. The change in color on the bottom left pattern on page 205 changes the pattern from individual red ellipses to a continuous snake-like pattern. 

The thing that stuck out to me the most in this section was the importance of using the grid to establish pattern, and how it can help us view negative space as part of that pattern. I think I often look at empty space in my designs as something that needs to be filled, rather than an element in itself that continues a rhythm or pattern. I think using the grid would help me make better decisions when placing elements. 

What interested me in this section was the way constraints or limitations led to innovation. This seems like an oxymoron but by limiting our options, we are forced to come up with creative solutions that we might not have if we were given complete freedom. This is also an important lesson because clients or employers will likely give designers some kind of constraint for projects. 

This section made me think of transparency in a new way. The Macmillan Company Building example especially, where the breaks in the pattern of vertical columns revealed the horizontal elements sat deeper in the building’s facade. Typically I thought of transparency only in terms of opacity. I can definitely see the importance of this element in tandem with layers; breaks or changes in the opacity of elements can reveal the layers beneath. 

Layers are one of the digital designer’s most important tools. Because of the way the contents of different layers are kept separate from one another, they allow designers to continually make changes and edits to each layer throughout the design process. The arrangement or order of the layers can also be changed at will, and deciding which element goes on top or behind another can drastically alter the design. 

1950s Marketing Campaign

GIF exercise