Category: Uncategorized

What is a portrait?

Portraits are photos that capture identity and personality. A good portrait conveys a clear and compelling message.

Portraits can range from as focused on a specific facial feature of a person to focus on the background a subject is in.

Photo by Mark Galer

Photo by Alessio Albi

Portraits can be a single photograph as well as a set of photos. Moreover, portraits do not have to include humans, still images can also convey strong messages about a person, as can be seen in Simon Evans’s Everything I Have.

Mind Map

Mood Board:

Statement of Intent:

The title of this project is Desires. In this project, I will explore the social issue of societal standards, specifically how they are designed to make people feel less-than and worthless, causing people to lose themselves in the pursuit of these impossible expectations. I want my audience to resonate with the experience of never being enough and constantly trying to meet up to certain standards; moreover, I want my audience to feel a sense of relief knowing that many societal standards, whether it is beauty standards or intellectual expectations, can be toxic and destructive. I will be taking inspirations from photos of human faces in the style of collage.

Contact Sheets

Yellow pictures:

In this stage of elimination, I filtered out all the photos that were accidentally out of focus or had unintentional mistakes such as over-exposure. During the process of taking this set of photos, I also tried experimenting with color filters and lights; however, after looking at the results, I decided to not use those photos due to the lack of uniformity in the background that I intended to have. Therefore, I also deleted those pictures in this process.

Green pictures:

At this stage, I deleted all the repetitive photos (choosing the best one from 2-3) and cropped some photos to the desired size for my collage project and determined whether they were worth keeping. I determined whether a photo was worth keeping by two main factors: 1. Whether the photo effectively conveys the message I wanted to convey (for example if I needed a picture of someone laughing, which laugh is the most genuine and real) 2. Whether the photo fits well with other photos that I know I want to keep for a fact.

Red pictures

These are the final pictures that I will be using in my collage. These photos embody the message that I ant to convey and I believe that when put together, they will successfully convey the message of always desiring more.

I plan to use this image as a part of my final product, specifically the “emotions” collage because this photo is extremely raw, capturing the details of the model’s facial expression. Her eyes are visibly watery, her facial muscles are relatively tense, and her brows are slightly furrowed, all of these details in her facial expression suggest sadness.

All of the photos are taken under the same lighting and background; thus, when collaged together, there is a sense of uniformity despite the facial features coming from different peoples’ faces.

(Right first, left second)

Caption: Desires 

Blurb: Desires. Desires come in all shapes, ways, and forms. From “I wish I had her eyes” to “I wish I had her personality “, these are all forms of desires. However, where do desires come from? How are our desires shaped? Who taught us what to desire? I aim to discuss this theme in my identity portrait photography project.

Analysis: My final product is two pictures of face collage. The first picture represents the superficial objects that people desire (someone else’s eye color, skin color, body shape, etc.) while the second picture represents the deeper things that people desire, such as someone else’s talent or personality.

For the first picture, I took pictures of the model with a straight face since I did not want any emphasis on their facial expression and the possible emotional implications. By having the models pose a straight face, I can focus on their natural features such as eyes, nose, mouth, etc. I also made the decision to keep everything in focus for the first set of photos to keep the rawness of the facial features to show that everyone has imperfections, even those things that we desire. The uniform green background was to prevent any form of distraction from the subject itself.

For the second picture, the models were asked to make different facial expressions such as laughing, crying, confused, etc. The different facial expressions represent different personalities. Rarely are people content and happy with their own personality, often wanting to be kinder, funnier, smarter, or more popular. However, it is important to acknowledge that nobody’s personality is perfect, it is a matter of which side we choose to show to society. Thus, the pursual of a “perfect” personality is impractical and toxic. In the process of trying to camouflage our true selves and fit into societal expectations, we lose who we really are.

The uniform green background in both pictures keeps the focus of the picture on the facial features and emotions of the models.

Overall, the purpose of my project is to convey the idea that these desires of us that are generated from societal expectations are shackles over our journey to finding our true selves.

Over the five classes, we were able to create motors that react to sound. In the process, we learned how to program, how to connect motors, microphones, and experienced an engineering process.

Overview of the design process:

Step 1: Research

Article 1

Article 2

We looked over a wide range of websites, tutorials, that creates similar products to our initial idea. After evaluating the pros, cons, and doability of the examples, we decided to use an Arduino Uno board, a microphone, and motors to create our final product.

Step 2: Microphone -> Arduino

Our first step was to connect our sound sensor to the Arduino board. After asking teachers and doing our own research, we were able to understand the relationship between the microphone to successfully connect the two. We coded the Arduino board so the built-in LED light lights up when a sound is detected from the microphone.

Step 3: Motor -> Arduino + Car Build

During this step, Sophie and I split up the work. Sophie worked on building the car model and working on how to connect the motor to the wheels while I worked on connecting the motor controller (motor shield) to the Arduino board. After trying with different materials, we decided to build a lego car as it is the strongest and most convenient. Our initial idea was to use gearwheels to move the car (See picture above). We were also able to generate a code that allowed the motor control to react when a sound is detected from the microphone.

Step 4: Debugging and refinement

When we were putting the two parts of our product together (The car and motor + Microphone Arduino), we immediately realized many issues. First of all, a single motor was too weak to move the car, the gearwheel easily gets stuck. To resolve this issue, we decided to add another motor to power the front wheels and changed the code so the motors are at their highest speed. Secondly, the microphone detects the sound of the motor; thus, it never stops. We tried alternating the sensitivity of the microphone and changing parts of the code. Ultimatley, we chose to ask Mr. Beatty for help, where we changed the input from a digitalRead to an analogRead.

Step 5: Finalizing & Reflection

Disappointingly, we were unable to get the car running as we did not have enough time remaining and some parts fell apart last-minute (wires fell out), which was the major weakness of our product. However, our final product was a sound-controlled motor where someone can speak into the microphone and the motor will run until the sound is no longer detected. If the opportunity is given, we would like to fix the small errors and test whether the car is movable. We were unable to meet our initial design goal that is to make a “sound-powered car”. Our final product shows energy conversion from electrical energy to kinetic energy that is triggered by sound. The Arduino Uno board is powered by a energy source such as a laptop or a charging bank whilst the motors are powered by batteries.

Our final product can be used to create many other toys such as a sound-controlled windmill or fan which can have a targetted audience of children above the age of 7 and under the age of 16. Despite the fact that we were unsuccessful in creating the product we initially had in mind, I was proud that we challenged ourselves to make something creative and different.

In the past three classes, we were able to create a motor that reacts to sound as well as a prototype of a car. However, we have encountered many difficulties that still need to be resolved.

1. The delay function in the code for the motor does not seem to be functioning. Once the motor turns on after detecting a sound, it does not turn off despite no longer having sound around.
2. The motor is too weak to move the wheels of the car
3. The motor control + Arduino Uno + Battery + Microphone is too heavy to be carried by car

To resolve these problems, we plan to take the following steps:

1. Do more research on the Arduino coding system and seek help from teachers
2. Considering adding another motor (We might also discard the “car” part of the final product)
3.  Construct a larger car or discard the “car” part of the final product

Feedback:

1. What can be done to finalize the product?
2. What can be done to achieve your initial goals?
3. Decrease the sensitivity of the microphone so it does not pick up the sound of the motor

Process documentation:

 

In the summative discussion, I was able to express my ideas, opinions in relatively concise language. I was able to improve on my ability to include others in the conversation by allowing others to finish speaking without interruptions. Furthermore, I was aware of my body language such as having eye contact and leaning forwards.

In future opportunities, I would like to work on inviting others into the conversation by asking for their input on the discussion.

Overall, I appreciated this discussion and am very happy with the insights I gained from other students.

We wanted to create something that is creative at the same time effectively serves the purpose of this project (representing energy conversion). We evaluated the doability of both our plans and settled on a design that reflects both a decent level of difficulty as well as originality.

We want to create a car that is controlled by volume. There will be a sound detector on the car that is connected to the motor that detects volume. The car will then move depending on the level of the volume around. We have encountered some difficulties in coding

Plan:

1. Connect a code to the microphone to ensure the Arduino Uno reacts when sound is detected (Class 1)
   1. Learn the basics of C++ (coding language in Arduino)
   2. Research the connection between a microphone and Arduino Uno
2. Connect a motor shelter to the Arduino Uno and the microphone so motors are activated when the Arduino Uno detects a signal from the microphone (Class 2)
   1. Research connection between motor control and Arduino Uno
   2. Code for Arduino Uno that activates the motor
3. Construct a car that holds all the components

• What is the purpose of your device/toy, how does it function, and who is your user?
  • The purpose of the toy is to entertain younger children. The toy I aim to create in this project is a voice-controlled car. The car will move when it detects a voice, and its speed will vary depending on how loud the voice is.
• What is the environmental impact of your product and is it durable and safe?
  • The project will be relatively environmentally friendly as it does not release harmful waste when functioning.
• What precedents inspired you? What did you take away from them & how did it inform your choices?
  • The main inspiration for this idea came from voice-controlled lights where sound energy is transferred to light and heat energy.
• How are you making your product original and/or using creativity?
  • I wanted to slightly twist the concept and create an item that converts sound energy to kinetic energy. The unique concept of this car is that it will not only move when it detects sound, but its speed will change when the loudness of the voice changes.

• What did I do well in the formative Socratic Seminar?

I actively contributed my analysis of the novel at a decent depth

• What do I still need to work on?

I need to work on engaging others into the conversation more as well as making deeper analyses of the novel. I also need to work on the pacing of the Socratic seminar to ensure discussion time is evenly distributed.

• What goals do I have for next time?

I wish to ask more compelling questions and contribute more thoughtful insights to the book.

• What steps will I take to achieve these goals?

I will spend more time on analyzing the chapters and do research on potential symbols and allusions.

1. What did you do well?

I did a decent job analyzing the message of the poem as well as maintaining an appropriate tone throughout my essay.

2. What do you still need to work on?

I need to work on organizing ideas in my essay in a more connected and coherent manner. I also need to work on selecting textual evidence that covers the entire poem.

3. What goals do you still have for next time?

Next time, I would like to take a step further in analyzing the poem, demonstrating a deeper and more complex understanding of the poem. Furthermore, I would like to hone my organizational skills by improving the transition between ideas in my essay.

4. How will you work to achieve them?

I will be more aware and selective when it comes to choosing evidence to support my claim. In addition, I will be more careful when transitioning and connecting my ideas in my upcoming writing projects. I will also practice regularly on IXL to improve my vocabulary and vary my sentence structures.

Client name: Bass Wave Records

Basic Information: Bass Wave Records is an ambitious new record label that is a brand of music recordings and music videos. They recruit music artists and manufacture, distribute, and promote their music. Bass Wave Records believe in creativity, innovation, and uniqueness. They are looking for a symbolic, simple, yet memorable logo that can represent their values well.

Audience: Bass Wave Records has artists in different music genres and despite being located in the US, they recruit artists globally; therefore, they are popular among music lovers of a variety of ages, gender, etc. The audience of Bass Wave Records come from diverse backgrounds and has a variety of music taste.

Context: Building logo, website, business cards, and documents

Keywords: Wave, music, ambitious

Definition of the project:

In this project, I aim to create a logo for a company of my choice. The logo should represent the company well and should effectively communicate the purpose of the company. By utilizing design elements and principles we learned in previous units, I want to create a simplistic yet memorable logo. My goals for this unit/project are to familiarize myself more with design elements and principles to be able to use them effectively and appropriately.

20+ quick drafts:

I selected four designs from my brainstorm to develop on affinity. I selected these designs based on their simplicity, flexibility, and communication. I wanted to create a design that clearly communicates the purpose of the company at the same time remains memorable and clean. I also wanted the final logo to be adjustable and have a number of variations that can be used in different contexts, which is why flexibility is one of my standards for selecting logos to develop a step further.

2021. 12. 13 Create & Revise

How effectively have you addressed the criteria of the brief? Have you responded to the keywords? Is anything unclear or missing?

I think my logo reflects the company decently as it incorporated the music element and the wave element. However, I think I can incorporate the name of the company in a more creative way.

Is your design aligned with this advice? What needs to be improved?

My logo has a relatively geometric design and I applied my knowledge on negative space effectively to create compositions of the logo that represent the two major elements of the company. It is relatively easy to recognize the name of the company as well as their purpose just by looking at the logo, which is my biggest goal. However, I can still improve on making the logo more recognizable when it is in a smaller size.

What specifically do you need to improve to refine and complete your design? 

I should generate more combinations of the graphic logo and the name of the company as well as and consider adding color to the design.

Design Process:

Initial Designs:

These are the development of some of my initial designs in Affinity. However, my favorite one was the first one where I utilized negative space to communicate “wave” and “music”.

Variations + Refinement of design:

I made variations in color and arrangement of the letters. However, I stuck with black and white to

Feedback:

• Emphasize the vinyl more
• The wave is not as obvious and can be mistaken for a flame, the wave is unclear.
• Experiment with a larger variety of logo and company name combinations, changing the size, the font, the arrangement, etc.
• Use black and white first
• Apply the logo in different scenarios (mock-ups)

What was altered based on feedback:

• Before I arrived at a final design, I only used black and white
• I added water droplets and altered the shape of the wave to make the wave shape more obvious
• I experimented with the text on the side, on the bottom, as well as a variety of fonts to arrive at my favorite one (Arial black).

Font Selection + Variation process

 

Mock-ups:

• The mock-ups put the design in real scenarios
• I selected mock-ups such as business cards, merchandise, record covers, and studios to see what would the logo look like on real-life products.

Final Design Presentation:

• What creative decisions did you take and why?

I decided to combine the shape of a wave and the shape of a CD to make my logo for a record label. I based the wave element on the name of the company “Bass Wave” and the CD element on what the company does： produce music. I also intentionally selected a heavy font (Arial Black) to align the “Bass” element in the name of the company.

• Which design elements and principles have you emphasized and how does this make your logo effective?

I utilized negative space and type to create my logo. Using negative space, I was able to combine two shapes that reflect the name and purpose of the company. I also used type to put further connect the logo to the company. Furthermore, the arrangement of the text is flexible, which means it can be changed depending on the different scenarios it will be used in.

• What did you do well in this project?

I think I did a good job generating ideas and applying my designs to different scenarios. I also did a good job creating a design that communicates/represents the company well.

• What would you improve/do differently next time and why?

Something I would do differently next time is making bigger variations of one logo. Although I made black and white as well as some colored variations of the logo, I would love to experiment with different shapes and arrangements of the icon of the logo to develop more ideas.

I am doing well on my speaking/listening and writing skills in terms of understanding the use and effects of literary features.

I still need to work on my writing skills in terms of grammar and editing and the employment of accurate language.

To improve the above elements, I will read a wider variety and extend the time I read. I will also practice more grammar skills on IXL.