Personal Geography - Cognitive Map

The goal of this project was to successfully use symbols to communicate something. In this case we were to create a map from home to school (or school to work or any one path during our day) and explain this path using a cognitive map.


The first version of the map:

What made this map unique was the fact that it was user interactive; a user would slide the tabs to reveal what they would do in the morning. From that choice, they were sometimes limited on the next choice they could choose (e.g. if I sleep in, I don't have the option to eat breakfast).

The final map:

The final map has the tabs laminated to allow easier slide-ability as well as preventing unnecessary bending of the paper from use. Because there was such a large empty space on the tabs, I added a little phrase:

Advance through my thoughts, a map of my mind. To follow the path move down then side to side. If the path chosen has a spotlight of color, follow it down and connect it to the other. No path? No problem! Choose one and keep going. If "the end" is reached, admire your choices and go back! And begin again.

I created each section in Adobe Illustrator before printing them and assembling them. The tabs were laminated at Kinkos.

Personal Geography - Perceptual Map

The goal of this project was to successfully use symbols to communicate something. In this case we were to create a map from home to school (or school to work or any one path during our day) and explain this path using a perceptual map.


The first version of the map:

I used pure color with this one, and I liked the idea of having ray-like senses expanding from one point. However it was pointed out to me that the radial progression didn't make sense, so I took my idea in a different direction.

The final map turned in:

This map had a definite start and stop point and the senses were not only clearly marked by color, but also with symbols that helped identify what the sense was experiencing at the moment. This map helped me reshape the first map and the final map - cognitive.

I created both images in Adobe Illustrator.

Material Studies

     The goal of this project is to "study the creative possibilities of materials by creating a typeface from some material of your choice" I need to find 3 types of objects that can be molded into typefaces and then choose the best one to showcase the typeface.

This picture is the final product. I chose the word "Twang" for my rubber band typeface, and tried to mimic someone playing with rubber bands at work/home when bored. The yellow rubber bands contrast against the blue rubber bands and allow readability when tweaked in Adobe Photoshop. The above photo was printed on an 18"x24" sheet for the final.

 I used Adobe InDesign to create the PDF for the Process Book in which I document the process of creating this final image.

Personal Geography - Artifact Map

The goal of this project was to successfully use symbols to communicate something. In this case we were to create a map from home to school (or school to work or any one path during our day) and explain this path using an artifact map.

The first artifact map I turned in:

In this map, because the distance between school and home is so large and boring, I tried to explode the school and home sections of the map. 

The final artifact map I turned in:

In this map, I decided that exploding the sections didn't add the appeal I wanted. By the time I edited this map, I had also figured out the color palette I desired for all three maps and used that palette to help give my map definition. I created both maps in Adobe Illustrator.

Critical Mass

  The object of this project is to build up, through creating and experimenting, a large amount of material and piecing them together using After Effects skills. Then, we are to create a 45 second HD movie (or less) that is an allegory of a science concept: earthquake, volcano, photosynthesis, climate change, reproduction, or evolution.

11/3: finally finished the movie! Using play-doh, I made a stop motion movie representing reproduction in an allegorical way - i had the colors of play-doh mix to create a third color (or a child). I also added in some vector art to give it another dimension, and the soundtrack is all thanks to Mike McNeil. It really adds another dimension to the movie and it wouldn't be nearly close to what it is now without his help. The video was taken with a camera and then the images and audio were pulled together in Adobe After Effects to create the final composition above.