Kismet Arts Tangent

I purchased a self-healing mat. It is made out of a certain kind of material that apparently negatively affects the users reproductive health. There was a warning label on the package saying so and to wash your hands immediately afterward… Ehew. You’d think there’d be a better alternative at this point, disposable ones? Better orgnization in cut-making? You-tube videoes on how to coat your cutting board with a thin protective layer (cutting board condom?).  Anyways, art involves risk. I was cutting up my paper and felt like a true graphic designer, using a cork-backed metal ruler and standing over my desk as I made each incision. No final product today. I have that queasy unsure feeling, that little bit of fear a person has when she is trying something new. Right now, my poster is a pile of shards.

Today, I submitted this word art for the assignment of making the word like the word and my teacher said and I quote “It is very sucessful.” I don’t know how art can be sucessful in the sense that the best art is (in my opinion) done for it’s own sake and external influences, and things like sucess trivialize the angst and alienation in the art I like. But, yes, this time, I am very pleased that she was very pleased. One student said it reminded her of bubblegum. Score! I hope a candy company likes this and buys up a lowly first-year’s design.

Today’s in-class assignment: Make your name inspired by the word assigned. At my table, there were words like “chamelon” … you know, I can’t remember what else, it was so long ago. Mine was acrobat. The worksheet has a rectangle for your design captioned with “My name is… and I am an acrobat.” Or whatever. I brainstormed, first clicking with the circus element and making the three A’s in my name circus tents, but then I thought, the high wire would be an excellent baseline for my letters. I thought to make the letters actual silhouettes of acrobats, but after reading the instructions for the assignment again, I saw that wasn’t the intention of the assignment. What can placement, scale and additive elements imply without being to literal or icon-based? So, my final design has the victorian tear-drop finial, serifs for feet, and a bicylcle wheel for the counter.

Today in class, the teacher talked about Ed Fella and Paula Scher. This video is really inspiring. A point pointed out: Sure, her design for citi bank only took a few seconds after the concept meeting. Oh, and thirty-four years. When someone does something fast it doesn’t necessarily indicate that it’s a bad idea. It perhaps means that they are just that intuned the particular assignment. We take all that we have with us, intellectually, when we step into a classroom or a studio, and that work produced there is because of all the points, the infinite number of points that one must pass through in a line to get to that particular terminus. I love looking at graphic designers’ work that is just for them. The teacher showed “slides” of Scher’s personal work, and there is an element of play and an element of craft that shows that the artist wanted to make it because it’s fun.

This is my word (and a specific font I’m leaning towards). Already, I have questioned if I spelled it right and I am wondering if I should be more literal and find a font with connected twig silhouettes. (Get it?) Why do I have a word? This assignment:

“Type has it’s own voice and personality. Choose an appropriate typeface for the assigned adjective or noun. Adapt, distress, deconstruct or personalize the typeface chosen to create a visual representation of the assigned word. Incorporation of icons and/or images within the visual representation is permitted but try to limit the use of imagery to a minimum. You can start in pencil, xerox, construction paper cut outs, etc but the finished work must be in black an white on an 9” x 12” sheet of white paper. Work will be due 9 a.m. in the next class for review and group discussion.”