Monica Gonzalez

For this project I had to create a field guide consisting of a set of similar things in the Austin environment. I chose to create a field guide to the best bakeries and desserts in Austin. I made a book that contains illustrations, photographs and designs created by me. This field guide contains 12 different bakeries where you can get the best desserts in town.

I chose to redesign the Vanity Salon website. I visited the salon and created a website that represented its environment. I designed a simple and easy to use website. This project was a challenge to me because it was my first time working with Dreamweaver.

A Concept Map is a specific kind of information graphic that explains a topic by connecting its major ideas and terms through a series of "linking words", making up "framing sentences". I chose to research and to make a concept map about the spread of a particular kind of illness. I created a concept map about the spread of the illness called "Malaria". I included information such as its cause, transmission, symptoms, treatment, and prevention.

For this project, we were given the content and we were asked to organize and design a book for the TASA conference. I created a book that contains a fold out with information on the schedule and organized the large amount of information given to us. I added style and design to it.

For this project I was asked to create a timeline about all the topics discussed in class during the semester. I designed a vertical timeline that is easy to read and to understand. I included photographs that relate to the event in history on the left.

In the second part of the locating place project, I created a book with the street art theme.  I used cut-outs in certain spreads to highlight the typefaces. I designed and learned the technique to bind this book.

For this project, I chose to photograph the N. Lamar area in downtown Austin. My theme was street art. I photographed graffiti, typefaces, stencil, paste ups, and creative art and created a motion piece to represent this area.

I designed this symbol to create awareness on human trafficking. The hand represents the need to stop this serious problem as soon as possible and the bar code on the wrist represents how human beings are traded for the purpose of slavery or forced labor. 

Lisa Rodriguez and I worked together to redesign the YouTube website in a medieval style. The first photograph is a screenshot of our design. We kept the original layout but we carefully selected the typefaces to make it look like if it was from older times.

I created the representation on top based on the Gestalt principle of "proximity". Proximity occurs when elements are placed close together. They tend to be perceived as a group. The representation on the bottom was created by my group. In this group project, we used different pieces of art and design and organized them by color. 

For this project I chose the International Movement theme to create a set of buttons and a poster for the Blanton Museum of Art in Austin, Texas. I designed a set of buttons that contains the work of several designers from the International Movement. Each day, visitors can choose one of the three buttons offered on that day.

For this project I had to create a weather report animation to help people choose where to go at the end of the week. I designed a weather report that compares the highs, lows, and the projected climate conditions of four cities over a 3 day weekend. We were asked to use 3 information structures from the L.A.T.C.H. concept (location, alphabet, time, category, or hierarchy) . My animation transitions from location to time and from time to category.

For the "Instructional Project" I was asked to design a new and innovative instructional experience for a user.  I chose "How to make sunny side up eggs" and I created an instructional design booklet that goes inside of a plastic box of organic eggs. The target audience for this line of eggs is women from 18 to 28 years old. My design shows how to make sunny side up eggs in an easy and simple way. The color palette that I chose is friendly and the purpose of is to call the attention of the target audience.

For "The Kitchen of Meaning" I was assigned the word "nonlinearity" through a random selection process. Based on this word, I was asked to design a poster that thematically translates, interprets, and makes a connection to the meaning of the word. First, I was asked to create/make 30 studies to experiment and to better understand the meaning of my word. From all the different meanings that the word nonlinearity has, I chose to illustrate the meaning "not in the same proportion" to make a poster. After getting familiar with my word I created my poster showing 3 objects in different proportions.

For the "material studies" project, I was first asked to make letters using different materials. I made several letters out of the carton of a box of cereal. After having the letters, I created a poster using those letters. I chose to make a poster about recycling since the letters were made from a recycled box of cereal and the tree with tabs from soda cans. I used Photoshop to play around with the colors and filters of this poster.

I was in George's Image Methodology and we didn't do this project. 

Poster 8: What is art?