My overall experience of this
project was an enjoyable one. I am satisfied with the final product and believe
the design brief was met. My working process was quite hands on as I decided to
dive straight into creating the poster. From the first session I had a rough
idea of what I wanted to do, which was to create ghouls from various obsolete
media forms. I started by drawing sketches of these ghouls and then went into designing them on flash. My aim was to
start with the technical work by getting the animations, buttons and coding
working smoothly as I thought they would take the most time to do. Creating the
animations was a difficult process as It was challenging to make the animations
look smooth and as realistic as possible. Once this was completed I began
experimenting with design styles. My aim was to go for a minimalist style to
highlight the bold characters. I also didn't want to create any noise from a busy
background. I began this by searching for minimalist posters on the internet
and found various inspiring designs. I felt like all of these processes,
although challenging, went well. After the poster was laid out with the buttons
and animations I began working on sound design. This was the most challenging
process as it was hard to find sounds that not only sounded clear, but also fit
the theme of the poster.
At the end of this project I am
happy with the final design and I believe the interactivity of the poster works
well and is enjoyable to use. As well as this I believe the design is
aesthetically pleasing. If I had more time I would have spent longer on the
ghoul designs in order to make them sharper. Also if I was to do anything
differently next time I would have used masks in flash to create a moving
spotlight that swings with the light bulb.
The top two designs are the final products for the Undead Media poser (minus the blue highlights). I decided to extend the posters length to prevent the text at the bottom being cramped. The bottom image was the first attempt to prevent it being cramped, but I felt the large paragraph removed some of the posters interactivity. This led to the top two designs which still allowed text and information to be displayed, however if the user wanted to find out more, they could play and work for the information. The blue highlights indicate where the hidden rollovers are.
I ended up settling for the top right image as the cross where the characters stand didn't fit the design of the poster as it is quite scruffy. I decided to indicate the floor with a small ellipse which I felt was more fitting to the design style.
I have also made a decision to not include any kind of web link or hyperlink as I feel that referring the user to an external webpage will bring them out of their current poster experience, and detach them from the initial poster. It is this reason why I want to keep my interactive poster self contained.
Current progress on the un-dead media poster. During today's session we had time to work on our projects independently, which gave me an opportunity to ask my lecturer's on how to make my poster look better. After adding the texture, I was recommended to add more information to the poster. I done this by adding a roll-over over the title. It isn't immediately obvious where this information is, however I want to add a more playful aspect to the poster. What I found when testing the poster on my family, is that after pressing the four obvious buttons, people poked and prodded other areas of the poster to try and see 'what else' it does. The idea then, is users will do the same and play with the touch screen, work for the information and eventually prod the title, leading to the information being revealed.
I also added the V&A Logo to the poster. This itself added a problem as I couldn't find the logo on the internet with the correct resolution. Every time I imported it into flash, the image became pixelated. I overcame this problem by downloading the 'Bordoni' typeface and re-creating the logo in flash after creating the text into a symbol.
The light bulbs has been changed slightly to incorporate a slight flicker every few seconds. However, looking at this picture with three light bulbs all swinging has made me think it may be a cool idea to add another light-bulb to the design, but I'm not sure if I like the idea.
Current development for the undead media poster. I decided to change the layout and have the buttons framing the 'stage' for the monsters to walk on to. The buttons have also been changed to incorporate different symbols representing each monster.
Rough mood board for the feel I want my poster to have, I want to include the cute characters on a rough textured background to represent the 'Undead' Theme. I also want a clean, modern font to appeal to the minimalist inspiration.
Whilst looking at arious posters I found that posters (in very broad terms) come in two main designs. They are either very text and image heavy with lots going on, or they are quite empty and use subtle text and imagery to get across the message.
My inspiration for the poster is from the latter, a minimalist design. I like the idea of a minimalist poster as it allows the image to do the talking and doesn't require a large amount of text to get the point across, I would like to re-create this in my design, with the user knowing that the theme of the exhibition is 'undead' at quick glance.
Also, as my poster will be interactive with characters bouncing around the screen, I don't want to create 'noise' by confusing the reader with text crowding the screen. I feel a minimalist design will help to reduce this confusion.
I also like a minimalist design as I want the user to play and work for the information rather than it being already in place.
After researching further into traditional poster design I have also found key design features in all of the posters I have looked at, such as leaving a space round the edge to 'frame' the picture. I have also noticed that careful consideration is used to select colours for the audience and product. For example a coffee poster is unlikely to have red/pink/yellow colours as they are not appropriate. It is more likely to have brown/green/blue colours to relect the colour of the drink, and cool, calming moods associated with having a hot beverage. I intend to use this framing idea in my interactive poster, and I also intend to careful consider colours to get certain moods across.
Fig. 1 Karate Kid (n.d.) [Image online] available at: http://brickhut.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/min121.jpg [last accessed on 18/11/2014]
Fig. 2 Dirty Harry (n.d.) [Image online] available at: http://coolmaterial.com/wp-content/gallery/minimal-movie-posters/moss-dirty-harry.jpg [last accessed on 18/11/2014]
Fig. 3 Skyfall [Image online] available at: http://pixelvulture.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Skyfall-Minimalist-poster.jpg [last accessed on 18/11/2014]
Here is the first working version of the poster. The poster will be much more aesthetically appealing towards the later stages, at the moment my focus is getting the buttons and rough animations working.
Its also great that my laptop is touch screen so it adds a sense of realism to the poster.
Current Ideas for my undead media ghouls. They need a little bit more detail added to them, but for the time being these will do. Detail can be added after the animation process.
Here are a couple of ideas I have for my 'Undead Media'poster. There are a couple of rough designs for the monsters, some rough layouts for the poster and also some thoughts on sound too.
Apologies they haven't been scanned in.. my scanner decided to give up on me.
So as we begin the 'Undead Media' project, my initial ideas are to have various different forms of dead media such as VHS tapes, Floppy Disc's, old NES controllers all turned into different stereotypical ghouls. I.e the 'VHZombie', the 'Franken Floppy' etc. The stage for the poster will have a space free with buttons surrounding the space. Once the user presses a button, a different undead media character will walk onto the screen, pose, then walk off (like a modelling shoot). This is to reflect the fact it is an art exhibition and each of these media forms will be actually be on show.
The art style I'll more than likely go for is simple bold colours with a 'cutesy' feel much like 'Kawaii' characters as I want the poster to mainly appeal to kids and young teenagers.
Fig. 1 Kawaii Gameboy (n.d.) [image online] available at: http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/236x/32/99/27/329927b7fa1cb46301134e88b99bd3c8.jpg [last accessed on 18/11/2014]
This week's task is to research into and find out some interesting things you can do with sound.
In basic terms sound is a vibration that occurs through mediums such as air or water and is heard by an animal or human. Although it it used for primarily communication, entertainment and is often the by product of other activities, sometimes sound really is something to shout about. So here is a short list of interesting and artistic things people have achieved by making a lot of noise.
1) Levitation
Yes, really. Sound waves create compressions in the air when played between two or more plates at the correct frequencies. When these compressions meet, it creates an 'interface' and this interface can be used to make things hover.
2) Ultrasound (Ultrasonic Imaging)
Although many people know the name, not many actually realise that ultrasound images actually are produced through the use of sound. The ultrasound machine transmits high-frequency (1 to 5 megahertz) sound pulses into your body using a probe. The sound waves travel through your skin & tissue and device called a transducer then receives the sound waves as they bounce back from inside your body. The sound waves are then used to produce images.
Fig. 2 Ultrasound www.belizeportablexray.com
3) Electrostatic Bell Choir
The Electrostatic Bell Choir (Darsha Hewitt) is a piece of art that uses the static produced by old televisions to physically push lightweight pith balls into the adjacent bells.
The Televisions are automatically tuned to varying channels of white noise which causes them to build up increasing amounts of static. This then agitates the bells causing them to lightly strike the bells, creating sound.
Fig. 3 Electrostatic Bell choir www.creativeapplications.net
From the Darsha website: "The Electrostatic Bell Choir is an electromechanical sound installation that plays with the static electricity emitted from discarded CRT television monitors. This static (that can be felt when one places their hand on the screen when the TV is turned on) is gleaned for its potential to generate subtle movement and is used as the driving kinetic force in the artwork."
A Theremin is a music instrument which allows the user to create sound and music with their hands by physically interrupting a magnetic field produced by each antenna on the instrument.By interrupting the magnetic field, a sine wave is fed to a component which is then amplified to make sounds.The user can then adjust the pitch and volume of the instrument depending on what position their hands are in relation to each antenna.
Fig. 2 Ultrasound (2010) [image online] available at: http://belizeportablexray.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Ultrasound.jpg [Last accessed on 18/11/2014]
Fig. 3 Electrostatic Bell Choir (2912) [image online] available at: http://belizeportablexray.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Ultrasound.jpg [Last accessed on 18/11/2014]
Video
Randy Gerge, (2013) Super Mario Bros. on the Theremin [video online] available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcTPRjiCs6s [Last accessed on 18/11/2014]
落合陽一 (2014) Three Dimensional Mid-Air Acoustic Manipulation [Acoustic Levitation] (2014-) [Video Online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odJxJRAxdFU [Last accessed on 18/11/2014]
Darsha Hewitt (2013) Electrostatic Bell Choir 2013 [video online] available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9srgjQrs4U [last accessed on 18/11/2014]
Expert Village (2008) How to play the Theremin: How does a Theremin work? [video online] available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEM8Ka7eKTc [last accessed on 18/11/2014]
Web
Hewitt, Darsha (n.d.) Electrostatic Bell Choir 2012, [online] available at:
http://www.darsha.org/?cat=18 [Last accessed on 18/11/2014]
Freudenrich, Craig, C (n.d.) How Ultrasound Works [online] available at: http://www.physics.utoronto.ca/~jharlow/teaching/phy138_0708/lec04/ultrasoundx.htm [last accessed on 18/11/2014]
Fig 1. Proun N 89 (1925) www.poulwebb.blogspot.com
El Lissitzky was a Russian artist, photographer, designer, typographer, polemicist and architect.
Lissitzky was well known for his work on suprematism, an art movement focused on basic geometric shapes.
Lissitzky believed that an artist is an 'agent for change' which can be seen in his propaganda works for the Soviet Union. A great example is his work "Beat the whites with the Red Wedge". During Russia's civil war the 'Reds' (Communists and revolutionaries) and 'Whites' (Monarchs, Conservatives, liberals and socialists) are represented in this art by the red triangle smashing the white form.
Fig.2 Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge (1920) www.designishistory.com
Born in 1890 he originally studied architectural engineering before spending time in Europe teaching himself about fine art and sketching. Lissitzky also had a passion for ancient Jewish culture which lead him into a career illustrating Jewish children's books, trying to promote Jewish culture as Russia had just replaced its anti Semitic laws.
During 1919 Lissitzky was invited to teach graphic arts and printing in Vitebsk by Marc Chagall, Chagall also invited Kazimir Malevich who began developing his ideas on suprematism, which ultimately lead to Lissitzky also subscribing to suprematism.
During 1920 Malevich and Lissitzky formed a group called Molposnovis, a proto-suprematist group of students, professors and other artists. This group later re-emerged as UNOVIS and all credit for works of art created by the group was shared between them. Members also wore a black squares as chest badges, which was also their group signature. The group split in 1922.
Lissitsky went on to develop his own suprematist style which consisted of geometric paintings he called 'Proun'(s) which Lissitzky defined as "the station where one changes from painting to architecture." (Design is History, n.d.) The full meaning was never revealed.
Suprematism was mainly expressed through 2D shapes, however Lisstzky went passed this and incorporated 3D shapes into his work.
Lissitsky continued along this artistic pathway for many years, also sticking to his roots in Jewish illustration by occasionally adding Jewish symbols into his pieces.
Lissitzky also developed architectural ideas such as 'Horizontal Skyscrapers' which was only ever used one building.
Lissitsky continued his work until his death with his last work being a propaganda poster for Russia during World War II.
Design is History, (n.d.) El Lissitzky [online] available at: http://www.designishistory.com/1920/el-lissitzky/ [last accessed on 18/11/2014]
The Art Story (n.d.) El Lissitsky Biography [online] available at: http://www.theartstory.org/artist-lissitzky-el.htm [last accessed on 18/11/2014]
Fig 1. Proun N 89 (1925) [image online] available at: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP_C4Om27_TkgWkAYKNYaEiD5RgISgh3KR93jUKkmlImC4kQXSa0ig6tJANYTzjjTtklsZhkE_4KLwJEYMm1Et__gwsjSFCWjXICKM6uTMDarN7ntNdzhSf_HCBF9b9zGI-GSUw42JCfXO/s640/1925+Proun+N+89+collage,+tempera+50+x+65+cm.jpg [last accessed on 18/11/2014]
Fig. 2 Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge (1920) [image online] available at: http://www.designishistory.com/images/lissitzky/BeatTheWhites.jpg [last accessed on 18/11/2014]
Guglielmo Marconi was an electrical engineer and shared Nobel prize winner (1909) often credited for being the inventor of the radio.
Marconi was a privately educated student, who reportedly has an interest in science and electricity from an early age and was known to study the works of Maxwell, Hertz, Righi and Lodge. Marconi experimented in his fathers laboratory with the goal to create a practical system of "wireless telegraphy." He eventually succeeded in sending wireless signals over one and a half miles.
In 1896 Marconi brought his work to England and was given the worlds first patent for his system of wireless telegraphy. In July 1897 he formed The Wireless Telegraph & Signal Company Ltd. and in 1899 he established wireless communication between England and France over the English Channel.
He continued to develop and patent new inventions throughout 1902 - 1912 including transmitting the first complete messages to Poldhu from Nova Scotia.
Further significance of Marconis invention can be seen with its involvement on the RMS Titanic. Radio operators aboard the Titanic were employed by The Marconi International Marine Communication Company. During the sinking, wireless communications were reportedly maintained for 72 hours between the titanic and the rescuing ship. Britains postmaster General stated "Those who have been saved, have been saved through one man, Mr Marconi...and his marvelous invention".
In 1923 Marconi experimented with communication between his yacht and the Poldhu station which led to the establishment of the beam system for long distance communication.
Author Unknown (n.d.) Guglielmo Marconi Biography [online] available at: http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1909/marconi-bio.html [last accessed on 18/11/2014]
Isted, GA (n.d.) Guglielmo Marconi and the History of Radio [online] available at: https://11bab91939e1120aa3c84de29125e7936127385c.googledrive.com/host/0B-UggpdTDpJEWnpUdGc5Tkw2aU0/p45.pdf [last accessed on 18/11/2014]
Fig. 1 Guglielmo Marconi (n.d.) [image online] available at: http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/Radio/marconi-spark-gap.jpg [last accessed on 18/11/2014]
CloudBiography (2012) Guglielmo Marconi Biography [video online] available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBM4oXboZBA [last accessed on 18/11/2014]
Konrad Zuse (1910-1995) was a German civil engineer and is regarded as the inventor of the modern computer. The first 'computing machine' he developed was known as the Z1. He built the Z1 and a further three machines the Z2, Z3 and Z1 between the years 1936 and 1945.
A further accomplishment was the development of one of the first programming languages 'Plankalkul'.
Zuse was born in Berlin in 1910 and was labelled as a creative student, often paintings or making structures such as cranes. Zuse was torn between studying art or civil engineering, but decided to study the latter. Being a civil engineer, he learned how perform repetitive static calculations that were necessary to build bridges and other structures. These repetitive calculations are what inspired Zuse to develop his machines as he felt these tasks needed to be automated to make engineers and scientists lives easier.
He was also completely unaware of other computing developments outside of his home country,therefore he thought of and developed these ideas in isolation.
In order to go about this, he first asked "what mathematical problems should a computing machine solve?" he answered with "to build new specifications from given specifications by a prescription" Zuse set about developing his first computer, the Z1.
Fig 2. Z1 Computer www.hnf.de
Z1
-First mechanical computer designed by Zuse
-Constructed the Z1 in his parents apartment
-Freely Programmable
-Worked via a mechanical calculator by reading instructions punched from a tape
-Contained many parts from a modern computer such as a control unit, memory, micro sequences, floating point arithmetic and input output devices
-Was destroyed in Berlin 1943 during World War II
-All construction plans were also destroyed
You can read more about his life and other inventions here and here.
Author uknown (n.d) Konrad Zuse Internet Archive [online] available at: http://zuse.zib.de/punchedTape [Last accessed 18/11/2014]
Zuse, Horst (n.d.) The Life and Work of Konrad Zuse [online] available at:
https://web.archive.org/web/20100430201756/http://www.epemag.com/zuse/default.htm#index
Fig. 1 Konrad Zuse (n.d.) [image online] available at: http://www.kerryr.net/images/pioneers/gallery/zuse_z3_lg.jpg [Last accessed 18/11/2014]
I found this piece of dead media particularly interesting because of the way personal music players are taken for granted in today's society. People seem to feel it's a god given right to have access to their own choice of music, when just a few years the thought of having a personal selection of music in your hands was ludicrous.
Nowadays you can't go anywhere today without seeing the vast majority of the population with wires hanging out of their ears.
Could you imagine if having access to your own music wasn't as easy?
Enter, the Multiphone. This piece of kit was designed by Kenneth C. Shyvers in 1939 as a way to have access to your own music whilst in food and drink establishments. The Multiphone was set up in cafes, bars and restaurants and gave people the ability to play their own music at their table if they paid the right amount of coins. After the coins were inserted, the Multiphone was connected to a team via a telephone connection, who would manually select the song and play it though the line.
Not as easy as sticking your iphone on shuffle..
Although it is a now obsolete form of media, the Multiphone is an important stepping stone into the personal media players we have today, and even more so into streaming sites such as Spotify and Youtube.
In effect it's the same principle, but rather than paying coins and listening through a telephone line, when you want to listen to a song you don't have readily available, the most common thing to do is to stream the song onto your mobile through a 4G connection.
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