RockBlog

I have noticed a lot of morphing in advertising these days. I like it because it catches my eye as well as keeps my attention. And with all of the technology we have these days, it is nice to see it in action.

I stumbled across this while looking for something that related to our visual culture. i thought that this was a great representation of just how far our visual world in terms of technology has zoomed to great heights. Looking at this image of the girl amazes me because of the great detail and how life like it really looks. Our culture really enjoys this type of technology and is constantly asking for more and more. And then we produce movies such as finding nemo and all the animal movies you see and shrek. people love that stuff! In terms of observation we have come along way in this department and i think that is what i have noticed the most, is the rapidly increasing improvement towards our computer technology. it amazes me!

I have been noticing how much billboards and advertisements have changed. The billbords are becoming digital that flashes different advertisements every few seconds on one board. Then there are also the billboards that have 3-D objects projecting out and off of them. There was one billboard for coors that had a real waterfall flowing off of it. I really like how the objects just really pop out at you and grab your attention. It makes them really intersting and fun to look at.

first of all I'm not 100% sure this is the right class section, but anyways one thing i noticed in the design world was something i saw when i was looking in a book about conceptual furniture designs and i realized that a lot of the furniture designed in the early 20th century looks a lot like the furniture you could buy at a store like Ikea today. It seems to me designs go through cycles and tend to repeat themselves over the course of time, which i guess makes sense because designers look at other people's past work for inspiration.

The one thing I noticed really caught my eye. I was walking downtown with some friends and noticed a "Volcom " (clothing company) sign in a window. I went onside and asked if I could purchase it and they let me. I thought the design was very catchy and interesting. I'll be able to show it in class on Wednesday.

I went shopping at ragstock a few days back, and saw, among the many, a sticker that really caught my eye, it was a stencil of a man, throwing a boquet. I really liked it. I looked around the internet for a while, looking for that kind of style, and finally found the artist. "Banksy" Among many of his spectacular pieces, I found one that caught my eye even more than the rest. It is a painting on a thirty foot tall wall that is supposed to separate isreal from palestine. What he painted appeared to be a window into paradise.

I don’t watch a whole lot of TV, but when I do, it is hard not to notice the many various kinds of advertising, but for some reason, the target ads really catch my eyes. I think that it is a mix of the music, the flashy colors, and the creative style of the ads that really draws people, me for instance, to them. I think that one of the only ways to get through to people today, it either have naked people walking around in your ad, or o have something fun, flashy, energetic, and eye catching, and I think that the target ads do just this.

last night at a friends house i picked up National Geographic's Pictures of the Year, opened the very first page, and it caught my attention immediately, which was extremely impressive to me because I was super excited to get to the actual pictures in the magazine.
Its a hp ad for a printer. A giant "YOU" and then smaller "HAVE MILLIONS OF WAYS TO FILL IN THE BLANKS." The whole 2 page spread was gridded and within the grids are color photos that continue and change into hand drawn pictures in black/grey and white. It uses lots of red/warm colors in the YOU part. There is lots of repetition of fragments of faces, nature, and objects from everyday life. Also, repetition of plus signs which were taken from the phrase "you + hp" which was in small point at the top. There is so much to take in and my eyes just jump all around the page endlessly. I'm sure if i looked for lopng enough I could fined a process or pattern used to put this together but at first glance it all appears random - a pleasurable jumble of images that make up one, unified image.

So on the first day of class, i said that I have noticed a revival of older styles in the fashion world. In the textures, fabrics, colors and patterns as well as the style in clothing ingeneral. But I would also like to elaborate, I think that there has been also a revival in some of the culture and fads, like the popularity of hot rods, and in music such as Johnny Cash and Reverend Horton Heat. I myself am a huge pin up girl/ Betty Paige fan, and I like to collect various books and stuff, which are becoming more and more available as they get popular again. I am brining in a few things to show to class.

One out of the many things that i have noticed in graphics culture is the revival of classic tattoo graphics. Where ever you go you see these almost cliche designs. Whether it is the star of texas (usually red), diving sparrow, skulls, dagers or pin up girls. These images show up on clothing in most retail stores. I've noticed this at Kohls and Target. In a more direct example you can notice this at http://www.tattooedkingpin.com/cgi-bin/store.cgi?subcat_id=12 or http://www.sailorjerry.com/store_start.php .
Even though this imagery isnt anything new, the upswing has produced some more complex and defined variations of the art. I believe the revival has happend because not everyone is turned on to tattooing, however this nostalgic art form is appealling to alot of us.

Ashley Grossoehme
Sec. 3
Noticing

1. The mummy

The most noticed image that I’ve seen lately was in National Geographic. The image is intriguing in many ways. For example, the whole mummy is not photographed, only part of it is. There is really nice negative space between the mummy, the arm, and the edge. Depth is shown with the shadows/ lighting. This image gives me an eerie feeling and peaceful.

2. Fabric

This image is interesting because it is so simple yet makes me slow down and really look at it. Even though, it is all the same color there are many values shown by lighting. Fabric but organic feeling.

3. Pill

What is this image trying to portray? I honestly do not know and that is probably why I like it. A pill with a lot of other pills; or perhaps a pill filled with candy. Is this ad telling me that I should do drugs? Hmmm. Once again I enjoy the simplicity of it.

4. Girl about to kick some ass?

I do not know what place this was taken in. And when I first encountered this I thought it was a girl about to kick some ass. Suddenly, a feeling of pride came over me, as I thought, “good for her.� But today I realized that it was simply a girl playing baseball. There is a little square mat thing on the ground next to her. I am confused about this photo and that is why I like it. With the play of light and the girl’s expression it makes me uneasy.

5. Baby

This picture strikes me because it is a baby fighting for his or her life. I know that this situation happens but it is never really thrown in my face like this. Immediately, I notice that the face is framed. This makes me look more. The use of blue and green in the back ground almost gives me a feeling of hope and peace.

Something that has really caught my attention and interest lately is the new furniture designs that continue to be produced. Furniture is no longer your grandma’s rocking chair or your everyday sofa. Instead, designers have found a way to bring furniture to life with color and expressive shape. The new designs look like they could be the new waiting room designs or replacements for your everyday straight-back chair. This may not deal entirely with graphic design, but it has definitely sparked an interest in me.

As i look around at my surroundings there are so many things that are catchy to the eye but the one thing that i have noticed the most is t-shirt designs and clothing designs. I know that the retro look is coming back into style...... Not knowing what to think of it i took a "THAT'S DIFFERENT" approch. I have found that many designers have taken to the clothing outlet. T-shirts and clothes are no longer just that but also a canvas for art. There are many really intricate designs and line movement.... not only that taking faces and marking them up to make them look more pop artish..... I have noticed this mostly at Target, Pac Sun and Zummies stores.

I looked around at websites of retail merchandise stores. I found some interesting art that IKEA has for sale (under IKEA art event). The particular pieces of art are like posters but put onto canvas's like a piece of art to decorate the home. One canvas in particular shows a urban city setting with a sky of black and white geometric shapes. The background is called Op-art. It has the optical illusion of the shapes going into the center. The background and landscape are very contrasting. You would think that a nice blue sky would be there in the background, but instead you see these bold black and white geometric shapes.