These magical huaraches, modern-day descendants of Hermes’ winged sandals, have the ability to fly SCCA students to alternate realities during critique, when they know it’s going to be bad. Escapism at its finest (and most fashionable!)

Insta stories to follow.

It is Friday. Time for tequila! Here is my “little world.”

I added some saturation to bring out the red and green, added some clarity and grain to make it feel a bit cinematic (or something), upped the exposure and the contrast ever so slightly. Experimented with slightly different editing treatments, and with shifting camera focus- ice cube, hands, label, lime.

I used an earth-toned, heart-shaped rock to give a feeling of love for the art of making tequila drinks, as well as hinting at a warmer dry climate, alongside a succulent plant that adds to the feeling and balance of the composition. I went for a classic tequila pairing and pop of color with the half of a lime, and then a red drink for color, contrast, and a way to update said classic margarita. I like the geometry of the circular lime cut, paired with the square surface of the ice cube. I tried to capture the way the base of the glass catches the light. I chose various stone elements (marble counter, heart rock, pebbles at the base of the plant) for the way they complement one another. I like how the human interaction in one of the images adds momentum and tells a story.

That’s all I have. Cheers!

I got inspired to do a second round of these, when I had a bit more time over the weekend.

I had some wilted roses left over from Valentine’s Day, as well as an ancient wine bottle (from 1884!) that was found in the wall of my childhood home, both of which I thought could be fun to use in a second shoot. For both the clock and the perfume, I aimed for something in the realm of Miss Havisham/beauty-meets-decay/romance/TIME(LESS). This camera is new to me, and I was struggling a little bit to get the brand names perfectly in focus. However, I think my staging turned out pretty well. I messed around with different approaches to editing my images, playing with blur, warmth, vignette effects, slight saturation, fade, light and shadow. See results below:

Ah, the Super Bowl. One of my favorite events every year! I could barely wait to sit down with my rabid-football-fan friends and watch these modern-day gladiators destroy one another’s bodies on the field, over a stuffed pigskin, while scantily clad women on the sidelines wave pompoms and perpetuate sexualized stereotypes, doing nothing to improve the lot of women at large, all while stuffing my face with chips and pizza and beer, having some all-American couch potato fun plus a side of blatant consumerism, as the media distracts us all from pressing issues that profoundly affect peoples’ lives! What’s not to love?? Shall I keep going or can you tell I’m full of sh*t?

(This was kinda funny though.)

Anyhow, as I’m clearly not a close follower of anything football-related, I tracked down these ads online after the fact. Here are the ones I watched:

Cardi B’s D*ck Plumper for NYX Cosmetics UNCUT VERSION lol

Arnold gets lost in translation for State Farm

Unfunny celebrities being unfunny celebrities for Uber Eats

Hellmann’s waste of Kate McKinnon

Google’s refreshingly sincere “Faces in Frame” spot

Let’s start with Cardi B:

WHAT WORKED:

I learned that the racy NYX ad was only partially-aired, due to NSFW subject matter, with a QR code to see the rest of it.

The latter half of the ad is precisely what gives it a punchline/purpose, and I’m curious how intentional all of this was. Did execs know ahead of time that at least part of it would be rejected, hoping that there would be enough buzz about content in the latter half to get people to watch it after the fact?

Regardless, I thought it was successful in poking fun at typical football-dude-frat-bro advertising and consumer culture, instead centering this very demographic in the ad as the hapless bros who misread the lip gloss label and applied the product in hopeful, yet ill-advised ways: “They put it where??…Why?”

The pink/orange color scheme and vaguely Britney “Oops” meets the Teletubbies early aughts vibe touches on a current advertising trend that’s a little bit nostalgic, a little bit cheesy, a little bit sexy, featuring throwback colors and a well-recognized celeb as the face of the brand. See here for another strong example of this.

WHAT DIDN’T WORK:

I don’t find Cardi B to be a particularly compelling actress, despite her entertaining sass. Her parting words, while well-scripted, sounded wooden, to my ears, leaving the viewer with a weaker impression than it could have been. Star power doesn’t always translate into effective casting and/or storytelling.

IN CONCLUSION:

I think the ad is successful, overall. It’s saucy, silly, and fun, while being a little bit subversive in the right ways. It lands much better than some of the others.

Moving on to Google “Javier in Frame”

WHAT WORKED:

I thought this ad was well done in terms of realistically conveying a different kind of user end experience than most of us generally consider, which is an especially useful reminder in terms of designing for accessibility. I did a little research and learned that they achieved the blurred vision effect by applying petroleum jelly to the camera lens. I appreciated that the filmmaker is, himself, blind.

WHAT DIDN’T WORK:

Call me a cynic, but the emotional sucker punch ads just don’t quite get me like they used to. Maybe because I scored so many ads like that while working in the music industry. All with similar creative briefs- passage of time, people fall in love, family members grow up, touching moments between parents and kids, watery piano with a slow orchestral build, landing on the important chords at the right moments to match visual cues, etc etc. The music production house I worked for in NYC actually scored this Google “Parisian Love” spot, which ends almost identically to the “Javier in Frame” spot, only this one uses the AI Pixel “face in frame” feature, rather than the Google search bar, to illustrate the near-identical story ending. If I had to pinpoint exactly what kicked off this trend, I might suggest it all started with this scene, which has been endlessly recycled with slight variations (and less catchy music), ever since. Frankly, at this point, I’m bored. So what might have worked better, you may be asking? I think of the surprisingly emotional moments that cut through the noise of “Everything Everywhere” and how effective that was- pausing the chaos of modern life long enough to remember what matters. Maybe taking that angle more often in advertising could fill the “touching life moments montage” space that feels pretty played out at this point, idk. Does make me curious how the Daniels might have directed a different version of the Google ad. Maybe next year.

Personal projects! For the oodles of free time in my life. Nah but really, these are important, in terms of mental/creative reset. Here is the list of possibilities I compiled:

1. set of 10 cards or postcards w/simple illustrations, using color palettes from 10 of my favorite films
2. complete children’s book that has been years in the making, see it through to publishing
3. create an original music theme and score for a favorite movie scene, then create an animated version of the scene
4. brand redesign for a product I like
5. 15-min daily design challenges for 3 weeks, using designercize or chatgpt or prompts from Marc Salverda
6. “meals for menus” 5 menu redesigns for local restaurants in exchange for lunch/dinner
7. ask 5 friends for their favorite jokes or cartoon captions (don’t look at any imagery), and illustrate them using simple graphics
8. check out a new camera and take a series of 10ish (final) forced perspective photographs
9. create a series of 10-20 emojis that capture regularly-occurring frustrations of creative professionals
10. mural designs for 2 local building facades, including going through the approval process, organization, funding, and execution of the projects

Out of all of these, I’d like to do the cards/postcards. I think they might be the most useful and easy to reproduce, maybe even give away as gifts, plus a fun excuse to revisit some favorite films and draw inspiration from them. Sourcing color palettes from the chosen movies, I’d do some simple (perhaps digital or mixed media) illustrations, related to certain scenes. Could even be abstract artwork- colorblock, geometric shapes, simple outlines. I think it could be fun to either tie in the illustrations to the mood/overall feeling of the film, or to depart completely from it, while retaining common colors.

If they came out well, they would make a visually appealing addition to my creative portfolio, showcasing illustration skills and effective use and understanding of color. See moodboard below for some possible directions/scenes/illustration inspo:

Background

I feel a little foolish about this, because this assignment is not actually due for another week and I mistakenly completed it early instead of the one that is due today. AND I still have changes to make, in order to incorporate other tools with which we have been working in our After Effects module. I don’t know what to say, other than that it was an especially difficult week, full of unforeseen personal life challenges. THAT SAID…

We were tasked with the following in Erik’s After Effects class:

“Create a Promo, Advertisement, or Kickstarter style video for something new. It can be made up or real. Like a new service, product, band or game. The video needs to be 15 seconds or more with at least:
– A Logo
– A Title or Name
– A Call to Action at the end (this is some sort of text that tells the viewer what to do i.e. “call now”, “visit”, “post” “subscribe” etc)
– The use of green screen, masking, blending mode or track matte (pick two of these, not all three whatever works best for your video) You are free to use more if you feel like it. :)Use as many shots as you need to create your video. You don’t need audio, but it may help.
I’m looking for the skills from all the lessons that were taught in class to be applied to this project. Be creative, have fun, and let me know if you have any questions.”

Actions

This project was especially interesting to me, as someone who has done a fair amount of advertising work on the audio side of things. This was my first real attempt at editing and animating video footage in an advertising format. I enjoyed the process of lining up visual elements with audio cues from the footage I was using, just as I have done the opposite when scoring music to match visual cues:

I recently started working on typography and packaging for a soap product called “Omni” for Jill’s class, and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to take that project to the next level with an accompanying video promo. As far as branding and storytelling, I wanted to tap into that “holistic beauty/wellness” style that I have noticed in places like the hair/skincare sections of Sephora stores, Aveda, Aesop, Benefit cosmetics, etc. I incorporated colorful geometry (mostly triangles), along with curated stock video and imagery and simple typography to convey the playful, clean, sweet, fresh, and natural feeling of the product. While I have a few more changes to make before submitting this project next week, I’m pretty happy with the direction it’s going.

Results

I’m pleased with where I landed with this project, and I look forward to continuing to dial it in, perhaps with masking and green screen elements, before submission next week. There is an attention to detail and polish, a unity of audio and visual elements, as well as a consistency of branding, feeling, color choices, and storytelling that makes it successful. See results below:

In the interest of expediency, I condensed my review to a series of bullet points. I chose the *UPDATED!* game of Scattergories as the focus of my review. I was playing and gathering feedback with friends Chelsea, Bob, and Cole. Images and observations as follows:

1. Chelsea: “I LOVE everything about it”
2. Effective new design/rebrand- book spine concept, logo
3. Pads of paper should be printed on both sides- we wound up using the other side anyway
4. “keeping score doesn’t matter” says Bob- Chelsea disagrees, saying she loves keeping score. I don’t give a rip about keeping score. We all decide it is personality-dependent.
5. Timer sound is distracting and exciting at the same time. *see my face, above*
6. Rebrand is great, inspires collecting the full set of similarly branded board games
7. There is an interior decoration component, not just a game: meant to look good on a bookshelf, in a zoom call/instagram background shot
8. Aesthetically pleasing
9. Typeface fits Harry Potter collection on the bookshelf
10. More likely to be prominently displayed on a shelf, not tucked away somewhere
11. Pieces fit very well in containers

Who might be interested?

1. airbnb hosts
2. Mormons
3. vacationers
4. families
5. ages 10+
6. people who have some trivia knowledge

Specific thoughts on the manual timer component:

1. “I was trauma laughing from the anxiety resulting from that timer.”
2. mechanical vs digital click is slightly variable, adding to the tension of timer countdown
3. we experimented with phone timer instead of ticker
4. ticker was preferred by Chelsea, as it “kept my energy level high”
5. Bob liked the quiet with phone timer, helped improve concentration without adding agitation
6. I agreed with Bob

Childhood camping experiences with my dad remain a vivid memory; the red Swiss Army knife with which I first learned to whittle by the campfire symbolizing a world of potential and discovery through successful use of a variety of tools. Just as that knife felt weighty in my hand and pocket, particularly in proportion to its size and shape, the breadth of both hard and soft skills, mixed with boundless creativity, required for success in the creative world (particularly with my eventual goal of Artistic or Creative Direction), require metaphorical “weight” and depth in terms of ability, experience, and creative vision, put into practice daily, over time.

I draw parallels between the shiny, new, somewhat stiff and reluctant unfolding tools in that red Swiss Army knife and the revelation and gradual acquisition of my skill set as a creative. How the repeated opening and closing of the knife mirrors the continuous refinement of my technical skills. This unfolding journey feels akin to the transition of this object from a captivating toy to a highly useful tool and vehicle for creative expression, where each skill becomes an essential piece of the whole, communicating a vision that would not be possible without mastery of all the tools in my arsenal.

I consider proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite as a well-crafted blade, slicing through visual challenges with precision, while the understanding and effective application of graphic design fundamentals functions as a screwdriver, tightening elements of a composition and ensuring a seamless result. My previous experience in music and sound design becomes useful when bridging audio and visual aspects of design, branding, and storytelling across mediums. Experience with web design is yet another tool that opens up possibilities, enabling cross-discipline understanding, communication between designers and developers, and types of work that span the entire scope of the design process from start to finish.

Some tools are more intuitive, such as the way my natural empathy helps with understanding a wide range of user experiences, and/or enables effective communication in a team setting across disciplines and work styles. While I have much to learn about the language and techniques of UX/UI, I look forward to applying my intuitive understanding to concepts and skills I have yet to learn.

I think back to whittling those sticks, learning to apply consistently firm pressure to gradually shape and soften the edges of the wood with my pocket knife, turning it into something beautiful- how that compares to the supportive and soft-skill-infused communication style, coupled with consistent and firm conviction of vision required to lead a creative team and work with a client to achieve an effective, innovative, and inspiring end result. While I obviously lack experience here, the path forward feels both achievable and exciting to me.

I’d like to think I’m a bit more useful and interesting than a pocket knife, but the metaphor is a useful lens through which to consider how far I have come, and what my creative future may hold.

Pet-Friendly Interstellar Vacation lol

• I went for an ironic interpretation here, thinking it would be fun to recreate the Sigourney Weaver “Alien” chestburster scene, but with a cat.
• Here is my sketch:

• For image generation, I went with NightCafe
• Prompt 1: “make a simple cartoon resembling this photo, except it should be featuring a cat lying on its back making a silly expression of pain, replacing the main character in this photo. An alien is about to break through the cat’s belly.” *I included with my prompt a reference photo of Sigourney Weaver in this scene
• Result:

• My reaction: wow, the woman is clearly more of an alien than whatever is inside her. Cat companion= cute version of Puss in Boots made creepy by strange expression and added appendages. Ok, on to the next one…
• Prompt 2: make a pen sketch resembling this photo, with a cat (instead of a woman) lying on its back and screaming, as an alien is about to break through the cat’s belly
• Result:

• My reaction: this woman is clearly deriving too much pleasure from this experience. this image feels voyeuristic, with the combo of her expression and the vicious cat img on the wall, telling the viewer to back off/go away. ok, next:
• Prompt 3: make a cartoon sketch with a cat lying on its back, making a ridiculous face while screaming, as an alien is about to break through the cat’s belly
• Result:

• My reaction: I was so disappointed with this weird, straightjacketed, chicken-legged, angry cat-alient with a white elephant trunk outgrowth, that I tried one more, using my own sketch as a source image
• Prompt 4: make a cartoon sketch with a cat lying on its back and making a ridiculous face while screaming, as an alien is about to break through the cat’s belly
• Result:

• This was a little closer to the end result I was after, but still pretty weak, overall.
• Takeaways from this process, Using NightCafe:
• 1. I liked that you could add some specificity to the image generation process by using a source image, but in this case, the source image seemed to frequently add confusion to the process of image generation.
• 2. The minor adjustments that could be made in the side panel- prompt weight, refiner weight, noise weight, etc- also made for a more customizable user experience, giving a greater sense of control, though you don’t necessarily get the outcome you would expect by making those adjustments.
• 3. Overall, I can see how this AI could be useful in helping generate some initial ideas and/or visuals for projects, but there are quite a few issues with it, keeping it from achieving a polished, curated, refined result that would be acceptable as a final product or project.
• TL;DR- yet another quasi-helpful AI tool, but without the vision behind it and a lot of attempts and adjustments, won’t be terribly helpful.

How did I come up with this BRILLIANT idea, you ask? I am strangely fascinated by my son’s favorite stuffed rabbit, Archibald, and the lifelike and at times, humanistic qualities he seems to possess. I took a series of still images of the rabbit moving across my keyboard with dim lighting, exaggerating the somewhat haunting and spooky nature of this small, stuffed creature. I used Photoshop for the gif clip and Illustrator for my poster. “Boop boop boop” came from me trying to use some original audio with my gif and the clapboard sound with a strange echo at the beginning of the audio clip was the only piece of audio that would pair up with my visual elements. Both processes of creating the clip in Photoshop and adding the audio were somewhat challenging, but I feel ok about where I landed. Finally, I pieced it all together in Eyejack. Project results below:

Here is the gif:

For this project, I chose to design a birthday card for my twin brothers’ upcoming birthday this January, using an animated gif of a movie clip from “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”- a family favorite that has spawned endless dorky inside jokes over the years.

Here is the gif:

I used Adobe Aero to bring this inspired vision to life. I found the software and process to be counterintuitive at times, but it was a good exercise for me, continuing to step out of my comfort zone with AR creations.

Below is the result of my bday card experimentation in Aero. I was unable to get my animated gif to perform the way I had hoped, but otherwise, elements seemed to work ok: