Month: January 2024

I’m going to start this blog with a confession. For most of my life, I didn’t like cats. I thought I was allergic for the longest time. That is, until I went to a friend’s house and he asked if I wanted to take home the cat that had been loving all over me. I said yes immediately. My cat O’Malley is now 5 years old and he’s as sweet as can be. 

So now that I’m certified “Cat Crazy”, my husband shows me a game where you can play as a cat. You can run around, climb on buildings, and meow at robot people. How cool is that? We bought the game and started playing together. 

We begin our journey with Stray on my husband’s PC. Instead of playing on keyboard and mouse, I prefer to play with a controller because it’s more tactile and I don’t have to remember too many keys. Stray controls from a 3rd person perspective, which means you’re basically looking at our cat buddy’s butt the whole time. You can run by moving the left joystick forward and jump by pressing “A” on the controller. That’s honestly most of the controls. There are more controls, but they’re very contextual, meaning they pop up to let you know to press them. You can meow by pressing “B”. That’s my favorite. 

Stray has a very unusual way of telling its story, but that’s what I love about the game. There is no spoken dialogue, so most of the story is conveyed through “speaking” to our little backpack robot buddy and talking to other robots. There’s a bit of reading, but that’s never bothered me. They do make little squeaks and noises when they’re “speaking” to you, so that helps from it being monotonous. The environment also tells its own story. It’s a fantastic, decaying, almost sewer like city that never really gets old. As cute as this video game may be, it does have a dystopian atmosphere. Playing as a cat makes you think of all the dangers that could arise in the wild. Oddly enough, any dangers that occur makes you feel extra protective of your little buddy. There’s plenty of things to play with and do. I loved playing as a cat. Running around, jumping on stuff, knocking things over onto robots, scratching carpets, and taking naps.

As we finish playing, I think of the last question of who this is for. It’s for people who love silly indie games with a wonderful story. It’s for people who like a shorter game, or just like to run around as a cat for a while. You could say it’s a game for everyone, really. It’s a fun game with easy controls and a great story. If you like to play games casually or seriously, I highly recommend picking up Stray.

I’ve always admired graphic designers in the film industry like Annie Atkins, who blends her practical knowledge and deep appreciation for historical authenticity. The graphic design field requires various tools in order to be successful. They may not all be literal tools, but starting with a mindset of preparation for the future requires a thoughtful analysis of one’s strengths and weaknesses. A combination of specific skills, continuous learning, a deep understanding of employers demands, and a willingness to adapt to different director’s visions are key to success. 

Researching history can be a really successful asset in your tool belt. It’s important to know how to research for a project. I want to work in the film industry and produce work that is compelling and accurate. If I am working on a period film, having in-depth knowledge of the importance of convincing graphic design from that period creates a better illusion for the viewer. Some of the best work I’ve ever seen are in Wes Anderson’s films. His films give the illusion of effortless designs.

Understanding the industry you are working for can really saw off the competition. The integration of graphic design with set design and storytelling is particularly important in the film industry. Knowledge of how visual elements contribute to storytelling in film is essential. Designers must understand the narrative and how their work fits into the broader context of the story.

Creating a tailored portfolio can really sand away the imperfections. Create work that showcases your ability to design in a style similar to that of your employers. This could include mock movie posters, book covers, or any other materials that could be part of a film’s overall design. While it’s important to understand and emulate the style, bringing one’s own unique skills and perspectives is equally important. It’s beneficial to showcase work that feels authentic to one’s creative voice and technical abilities.

Building technical abilities brick by brick. With an ever changing graphic design world, adaptability is important. Staying relevant and up to date with programs used by hiring companies will allow more opportunities to unfold. Learning more motion graphics and video editing software, like Adobe After Effects, could be relevant for title sequences or in-film graphics. It could open wider possibilities in the graphic design industry. 

Increase your adaptability with a multi-tool of your choice. Designing paper props for movies requires a great deal of adaptability. Depending on the film and time period, you need to create convincing designs that fit not only the time period, but also the location. Every region has its own graphic language that convinces the audience that the setting and place is authentic. Being able to adapt to a change in style and graphic preference is key to survival.

Perfecting communication skills on the job site. Well developed communication skills can be used as a tool to help articulate visual ideas. Developing interpersonal skills builds confidence with clients and team members. Collaboration helps create more visually compelling work for a client. 

Tie your boot straps and develop Storytelling abilities. Stories evoke emotions and can make work memorable and relatable. Emotionally engaged clients are likely to form a lasting connection. A well thought out narrative can not only simplify complex information but it can also be much more engaging. Building a brand identity benefits from a well developed storyline and conveys a brand’s values, mission, and personality.

Begin networking to drill it all home. Establishing connections within the film industry as a graphic designer can help your chances when working on graphic design props for filmmaking. Attending film festivals, workshops, joining relevant online communities experienced in film-related graphic design, and by studying independent films, commercials, or theater productions. 

 The image above is a quick sketch I drew for the AI project.

I began this journey with a simple prompt.

“I would like an image generated by AI with the following characteristics. A woman in a purple dress throwing a red frisbee to a gray cat at the park. The cat is in the air attempting to catch the red frisbee. The entire image has a style of golden books from the 1950s.”

So far The AI program did really well and representing a 1950s Golden books illustration. The only problem is that it still has a dog in the background. Upon further look it was probably a cat but I asked AI to create another image without the dog in the background.

To my surprise it kept the dog in the background. I have no idea what else is back there. I think it’s some guys in a canoe. I directly asked it to delete the dog and it responded with this message.

“The image created does not include a dog in the background, as per your request. It features a woman in a purple dress throwing a red frisbee, with a gray cat attempting to catch it, and the scene is styled like Golden Books from the 1950s. There are no dogs or other animals in the scene.“

After getting gaslighted by an AI, I decided to ask it to make another image only with trees in the background.

I was optimistic. I wanted to give the AI one more chance so I asked it to generate another image. The frisbee was a little weird and the girl in the picture looks different than the woman we were previously seeing.

It generated two responses and both were hilarious to try to study.

What is that guy in the background doing? Is he even wearing pants?

Now that I have worked with AI for a little bit, my final thoughts are as follows. AI is very fun to work with and I love that I can create an image that looks similar to what I would like, but it’s obvious that AI still has a long way for it to be a final solution for employers. The execution is still not perfect. As I stated before, proportions and depth are still not accurate. It also likes to add elements that you’re not asking for and no matter how much you zone in on the problem, it will keep making new problems. You would still have to generate more images. I feel more secure about my place as a designer after using AI. I do feel that AI is a good tool for anyone who wants to generate ideas for sketches.