Collaborative Design - Brian Head Sled

For our project we chose to create a shuttle bus service for transportation up to Brian Head Lodge.

Our style guide:

Product Concepts:

Ski/Snowboard Shuttle: Brian Head Sled

Style Guide Ideas:

fonts:   Arial (body)

Arial Bold (headers 1)

Broken Glass (headers 2)

Projects (logo)

Brian Head (actual Brian Head Logo font)

Color Palette Resources:

http://paletton.com/#uid=1000u0kllllaFw0g0qFqFg0w0aF

http://www.colourlovers.com/palettes

http://www.color-hex.com/color-palettes/

Font Resources:

http://www.1001fonts.com/

http://www.dafont.com/

Website Creation Resources:

http://www.wix.com/website/templates

I created the website, and from the beginning I knew I wanted simplicity with it. As you can see from the designs above, our main colors were blues, greens, and purples. The buttons that Michael designed also had red. A lot of the designs have slashes or splatters, and a decent amount of texture in some of the font. 

The font I used for the website was primarily one called Raleway. It came with the template that I started out with (although I changed the look of the template so much it didn't end up looking like a original example much), but we also included the broken glass font which Michael converted into images for me to put onto the site.

I wanted the colors to stand out but not blend and get too busy. 

One each page I kept everything related and simple, but each one slightly different in the way it was laid out.

Our black and white logo keeps the continuity between pages, but the way the images and text are put together on each page separates them. 

I tried to keep everything compact, in the sense that you can see all the information you want and need without scrolling down. I personally don't like to do a whole lot of scrolling when I'm trying to find information on websites. I also kept in mind the mobile application and how I wanted users on their phones, which is much of our demographic. 

In terms of layout and placement of everything, I wanted things close, but not so close you couldn't separate each part. I think my favorite page was the "Reserve a Spot" page. The shadow of color in the back ground separates the page but in a way that it still flows well and isn't completely cut off.

Mis-en-Scene - Fight Club

Fight Club, chemical burn scene

Edward Norton:      The Narrator

Brad Pitt:                 Tyler Durden

Directed by:             David Fincher

Art Director:            Chris Gorak

Costume Design:      Michael Kaplan

Key make up artist:  Julie Pearce

Cinematography:      Jeff Cronenweth

Production Design:  Alex McDowell


I acted as the director of photography, or cinematographer, for this scene.

One of my favorite things about this scene is the fact that both characters are in most shots together, even if it's just an over the shoulder view. I like to think that that has something to do with the fact that the characters are in fact just one person (spoiler? It's been 15 years since this was made - if you don't know the twist by now that's a shame).

The shots in the beginning with the stove and soap making products (fat. It's fat.) establish the situation and scene they are in. It's grungy, dirty and full of chemicals. It's slightly dangerous. The light comes from randomly placed lights, and all the lights are different.

Everyone has the ideal version of themselves in their head. Tyler Durden is that for the narrator. This scene is not just a fight between two people, but an underlying fight of man vs. himself. Norton's character fights physically and mentally - both struggles shown in the shots when there is a shot of under the table as the two slide further down, pushing the soap making out of the way. This signifies that the physical does not matter in this situation, as shown by the almost subliminal cuts to the forest, flames and dictionary cut outs of the words Norton is trying to not think of as Tyler brings him back to reality. Well, his reality, so to speak.

These quick cuts signify his thoughts: scattered, unfocused and choppy. They contrast in color and feel with the darker, dirtier reality that he cannot control. His mental fight against the pain is the hardest one. His mental fight throughout the movie is what he is to overcome in the end.

The shots quicken as the scene progresses and as the climax builds. Before the actual burn the shots are a bit slower and move around the room. As soon as the chemical burn ensues the shots are back and forth between the two characters and speedier. Once Brad Pitt's character yells "Look at me!" the shots move to close ups and become more focused, as does the narrator's mind and thought process as he fights the burn/himself.

My favorite part is the end when the shots themselves establish dominance between the characters. Even after the fight of man vs. himself, Norton is still the weaker of the two. Once he lies on the floor, the shot is from above, showing that he is the lesser, while when Pitt is shown the shot comes from below - a shot that has established dominance of characters since Orson Welles in "Citizen Kane."



[edit]

Something I thought of after was Tyler's clothes vs. the narrator's clothes. Norton is dressed like the surroundings. He blends in and looks like the room around him. Pitt is dressed in a button up with leaves on it (possibly to go with Norton's alternate forest reality?) and he stands out. He's bigger than the reality that surrounds him.

Still Composition - Compose Your Frame

I took this in New Zealand circa new years 2012, somewhere about 6km outside of Queenstown at Moke Lake.

It uses the rule of thirds with the subjects that are in the foreground, and also shows a diagonal line with the mountain line in the back ground. It's not a third of the way from the bottom, but from the top with the contrasting bright blue negative space just above. The open space where the tall grass is on the right side helps with the balance (non-balance?) of the rule of thirds.

As far as vectors, or indication of motion, the line of the path and the direction my two friends are walking in implies a sense of direction, or motion vector.

Design - Lifting Shoes

Inov-8 FastLift 370 BOA

Reebok CrossFit Lifter Plus 2.0



Most great products, in my mind, have both good form and function. There are other aspects, but in order to make something appeal to the consumer audience these two things are key.
There are so many different kinds of shoes: running, spikes, basketball, skate, casual, sandals, etc. I specifically chose lifters to compare designs. The overall purpose is the same with both examples: lifters, no matter the brand, have a high heel in order to support the foot position and control body weight movement from the bottom up. The extra lift gives your legs that little more push of comfort they need to perform with heavier weight.
The function of both is probably great. I've never used either one, though the lifters I own and use are another style from Reebok. And I can honestly tell you I was attracted to them because of what they look like.


I chose two with similar color scheme to show that both are simple, but the Reebok has the extra accent of color in addition to the plain black. It's eye catching. It's plain, but exciting, especially compared to the Inov8 in boring all black.
The shape of each shoe makes a difference. The Reebok is more rounded, having much smoother lines. The lines that move across the top of the shoe on the straps give a more arched and rounded feeling, whereas the Inov8 has lines and shapes pointing in several directions. It also has a longer look, skinnier. It has a running shoe feel, but when I think lifter I think toe room. The rounded front of the Reebok gives off a roomier and more comfortable impression that the Inov8.

I feel like the top is more stern and the bottom is more fun. Older and younger. Harder and softer. Cold and warm.
Even the smaller size of the laces on the top shoe is off putting to me.
Even though form and function are separate here, I think the function effects my impression of form. I want comfort in a shoe that I'll be lifting a lot of weight in, so I transfer that into sight: I look for comfort.

The top example is too heavy to feel comfortable in my mind, I'm not going to want it on my foot.

Harmony

I personally think the human body itself is harmonious. I used to go through Da Vinci drawings in high school and just look at them for hours. Dancers and athletes bodies memorized me, and do still to this day. It's always baffled me that Americans are so obsessed with body image for that reason. Because regardless of whether you're fit or not, a body is still going to be interesting in it's own way.
Anyway, I digress.
Edgar Degas is one of my favorite artists, mostly because the majority of his art is ballet dancers.

The Ballet Rehearsal on Stage

It's not their faces; most of the time you can't depict the face of the people in his paintings or drawings anyway. It's the movement. Which is ironic, because obvious there is none — it's a painting. Completely still and set forever and onward from the time it was painted 100+ years ago. But the desire to see movement is still there.
I think each of Degas' paintings has a distinct color pallet, which is generally where I see and feel harmony at first glance.

The Dance Foyer at the Opera on the rue Le Peletier, 1872

Compared to "The Ballet Rehearsal on Stage", "The Dance Foyer" is much brighter, but the focal points of both paintings are the dancers. They are all the same colors, but some shaded with different lighting than the others. Despite that, they seem to be the brightest in most of his paintings of dancers. The contrast of the top painting compared to the bottom is more extreme, but it still exists in both.

The blues and grays within the bright white in the dancer's outfits pull them away from the yellow design of the room. The shadow gradually grows darker on the back wall, and in some cases over the dancers, but they still stand out.

During this time period especially, most of the dancers were all similar in shape and size, and their lack of facial detail from Degas makes them lack individual identity, yet they stand alone from the rest of the painting. 

The balance between those contrasts is almost perfect to me, though. The balance of color is what creates the harmony, especially in the top one. And now that I look at it further, I think the grouping of where the dancers are has a great affect on the balance in terms of color as well. 

Often I envision harmony as a bright and warm color, but I think it's better portrayed in the top painting, which is a bit darker. It's still warm from the yellows throughout it, but the green and shadowy background gives it a cool contrast. 

I think I like the bottom one because of the lines. They are primarily vertical, except the bar on the wall and the molding at the top of the room (which is also a nice color contrast to the overall brightness of the piece).

I chose two mainly because I couldn't decide, but also to show how diverse Harmony can be. 

Visceral Response

This is Lauren Fisher.
Fisher was the youngest of all 43 female competitors at this year's CrossFit Games. She attends San Diego State University, weighs in at 135 pounds and is cleaning 170 pounds here as fast as she can, after having just cleaned 155, 160, and 165 pounds within the last 30 seconds. Her max effort clean and jerk lift is 242 pounds, and she competes in Olympic Weightlifting at the international level.
She is a rookie among fitness gods, this was her third day of grueling and taxing functional exercises, and she is smiling at the bottom of her squat.

As a fan of functional fitness in all it's forms, I watched the CrossFit Games religiously during the week it aired online and on television. I rooted for Lauren Fisher (who ended up in 9th place after 5 days of events).

This photo captures all the moments that I watched the Games and felt inspired and moved by the strength and mental aptitude of every athlete who competed. Society sees strength as masculine. I see strength as beauty. These women, with the utmost support of the men doing all the same movements and functional fitness techniques, are challenging society by being beautiful in the best way that they know how. Who else will young girls rely on to show them that it's okay to lift heavy things and pull themselves up and above a pull up bar? The athletes of functional fitness can be the role models to everyone (including myself) to show society that being strong is gender neutral.
I would have never known I was as strong as I am until someone told me that I could be.

As for the photo itself, Fisher's smile is the joy that tells the world that all the suffering and pain she is pushing through is worth it in this moment. The moment when you realize you've succeeded, even if it's only for a fraction of the workout, that's the moment when you smile and continue to gain strength to keep pushing.

The elements of line and color are most prominent here. The parallel blue and gray horizontal lines in comparison with the barbells, as well as the vertical pull up bars in the background, both sets of lines in repetition. Blue seems to be the color that draws my eye into the image the most.
If you zoom into the photo you can see texture in her muscles, in the chalk on her legs, hands, and shirt.
The repetitive circles of the weight plates represent shape, although form isn't as prominent. I suppose the shadows on the plates and ground help. As far as space, Lauren herself is the focal point, therefore positive space, and everything else can be argued as being negative until you look more closely at it.