Intro + Piece & Co. Trending

Hey Guys !

I'm Lindsay, I'm from Chicago. I'm majoring in Public Relations, and hoping for a minor in Communications Design. Last summer I was incredibly lucky to get the coolest internship with a startup company called Piece & Co. We partnered with fashion and retail brands in order to help artisans in developing countries find sustainable jobs. It was the best of both worlds: service and fashion/design. I had the opportunity to design mock-up and inspiration boards for companies ranging from Ralph Lauren to Alice + Olivia. Below are a couple different concept boards I created for Diane von Furstenberg Spring 2015 that promote the artisan fabrics at the bottom of each page. Check out http://www.pieceandco.com to see more about their amazing mission and impact. 

Word Maps

Word maps created in class to help with brainstorming for our sketches. Time to get rolling and finish up the many many sketches we have to accomplish!

Pita Chips: Shawn, Tyler, Dennis

For our project, we wanted to present the pita chips in a 3 dimensional space, so that viewers could observe them from various angles and perspectives. We put up three separate strings of pita chips at different depths to create perspective and spaced each pita chip apart so observers could look at each one more closely. The strings of pita chips were also hung at eye-level so the viewer could walk up to the pita chips and see/smell/touch/(maybe even taste) the chips; this took the pita chips out of a traditional 2D space and put them in an 3D environment where people could interact with them. The draft in the room, which tended to spin some pita chips around, accentuated this 3D aspect of the project. 

Class Project Tea Leaves; group members: Rachel, Nikoli,Jin

For our in class project we chose to observe the differences in tea leaves. Instead of focusing on the physical appearance of our items, we decided to shoot a short video of the tea leaves being soaked in hot water and their motion of sinking and rising in completely different ways. This simple motion illustrates the deeply imbedded differences in common mundane subjects that cannot be perceived by the naked eye. It led us to think about other such differences, such as what the same tea means in different cultures, and conversations or people that will vary for every leaf. As designers it is vital to observe and notice things that are not apparent at first sight but is significant on a deeper level, for it will help to create and mature our visions in our own endeavors.

Group project by Miranda, Nadia and Alice

Popcorn! (our first project in class: Claire, Morgan, & Maya)

This is our first project for Design Fundamentals 102. We took popcorn and dipped it in ink to make a sort of 3D collage, and then we photographed it. Then we took the photographs and made an iMovie, using the images for shorter and shorter durations to simulate the popping of popcorn. Enjoy!

Art Based Activism Opportunity!

Hi guys!
 
I'm writing this post on behalf of the anti-genocide coalition at USC, STAND Against Genocide. Our organization works to stop mass violence and atrocities that are occurring around the world by educating the community and raising awareness about ongoing conflicts, by advocating on behalf of affected communities and reaching out to elected officials and university administration, and by fundraising for related nonprofits.

Our organization is planning an exciting event called "Your Voice, Your World" for this spring that I thought might interest the members in our class because it has an art related component!

There are a lot of really great people and student organizations who are working on important global issues - but too often, these efforts go unrecognized and students who might be interested in getting involved don't even know these organizations exist. This spring, STAND is hosting an event where these students and student organizations can share their work and network with one another.

The event will feature a series of student presentations: short talks, modeled after TED talks, where students share stories of global activism, and presentations of art projects (music, spoken word, dance, art submissions, etc.) that respond to world issues.

Please take a look at the flyer and submission form if you are interested in submitting a proposed talk or art project for this event. Please share it with any friends who might be interested. Proposals can also be submitted directly via our online form.

The initial proposals are due on February 14th! We realize that this date is fast approaching, but the purpose of collecting the proposals so early is just so that we can assure that we have the appropriate equipment for each performance. Those who submit a project proposal will have until the event on April 4th to finalize their work!

If this sounds like something you might be interested in, please let me know so we can talk more about how the event will work!

Collaboration Project : Samantha Alpert

For this collaborative project, our group decided to work with collaging and creating a fashion look book with the use of art. Throughout this project I learned a lot of skills that not only will make me a better designer, but also will help me when I enter the working world.

After pairing up with our 402 partners and agreeing on the idea, we were begun figuring out a way to integrate everyone’s strengths and skill sets into the final project. Faye was very interested in the business and marketing aspect of the brand as she was responsible for creating the pitch and developing a marketing plan as to who are target audience would be. Marisa was very interested in learning about typography as she explored many different type -aces and fonts that would be good for our look back. Hemmie and I were both very interested in the fashion aspect of the book, as we wanted to be in charge of creative aspects such as the layout of each page, the collages, and the vision of the brand. After the first meeting I was extremely excited to work on this project but then things ended up taking a turn for the worst.

         When working on the project I felt as if the 402 students weren’t opposed to listening to mine and Marisa’s ideas. Throughout the entire project we were assigned busy work like coping and scanning pictures and searching for models while they took more charge in the overall project. Our ideas were always shut down and if they didn’t like they something they would simply say “no” and not explain what we could do to make it better. The end product was not at all what I visioned which not only was upsetting but somewhat embarrassing. No one wants to present a project that they aren’t proud of. The paper quality that they chose was cheap and sloppy looking and ending up looking like a prototype rather than a final product. As a result of this I decided to continue building this project and imputing my creative visions and ideas into the final look book, which I hope will look more successful.

          

A Thought and Experience

Hi again!

  I was just reflecting about my experience working in a collaborative project for Design 102. It was great to see what I would eventually be doing in higher devision classes and perhaps beyond this university and I learned some things along the way. The first is that if I have an idea, no matter if it's the first thought that comes to mind or something that I've drawn one hundred sketches for, it's worth mentioning. This was my first collab project and not to mention my first design class ever so I suppose it was natural that I was a little timid. However, once I became more comfortable with my group, I noticed I was able to speak out a little bit more and good thing because we ended up using a few of my ideas, even if they had to be tweaked but I liked that. I mean, that is the whole idea behind a collaboration. The second thing is that things aren't always going to work out. Compared to others, I wouldn't say my team had the easiest time getting things accomplished and I got the glimpse of rushing things to meet a deadline that people often talk about. No matter the situation, though, I learned I just have to do my best and be there for my team--even if it can be a bit frustrating. Along with that, I have to be happy with the end product because I don't want to put my name on something that I'm not completely happy with. Overall, it was a great experience and it showed me that this is something I might actually want to have a future in. I love the idea of creating and presenting work, I just have to make sure it's my best work always.

Marisa

"Come Together Right Now"

Working together is never easy--this project exemplified the roller coaster of collaboration.  In the end, it came together and I walked out of the room proud of the work I completed.  Our group decided to design our own beer label and in the process we each made our own bottle design.  My label and design was titled "Golden State of Mind" and it embodied my personal sentiments regarding urban culture.  Each member of my group made their own label, expressing their own message about urban culture and college life to make a complete collection of beer.  I believe my work showed how people strive to get what is new and "hip" whether or not that goal is realistic or worth while, that is for every individual to decide.  Overall, I believe that this was a great learning experience and I am happy that I was in the group I was in and had to overcome the bumps that I faced.  I would do this project again any day and I think this was the most beneficial and fun project of the semester.

Reflection on Collaboration Project: ONE DOLLAR A DAY

For the collaboration project, Derek, Danielle, Will and I crated a non-profit One Dollar a Day box that a person would receive after they had already committed to the non-profit. The Box included the logo on front and the "One Dollar a Day" title on the side flap. Inside the box, there was a pamphlet about the non profit organization, a card of the country which the child is from (that the person who committed to the non profit is helping), a thank you card to the person, a card to pass on to a friend to get involved in the non profit organization, 2 stickers with the logo of "One Dollar a Day", a key chain and a picture of  the child. The box itself can serve as a picture frame for the picture of the child.

Throughout this entire process, we all made decision together in terms of what colors to use, what to include in the design of the box, and much more. What was really good is that we constantly communicated with one another. We also met up on weekends to work on the project and made sure that we were on task with the assignment in terms of the deadline of the project. Overall  I felt that I could express my opinion or make any suggestions within the group and not be intimidated. I felt like I had a voice in the project.

Despite the final product not being as good as we had hoped, the process of this project made me really consider how designers work in the real world. It also made me consider a potential future in design and perhaps even take more classes to really enhance my skills in design. I truly enjoyed this group, the fact that we were able to all have a say, make final decisions together and work really well together was awesome. I really liked my group and this project overall.

Collaboration Project

For the collaboration with the 402 class my group decided to create a book that had all of our past artwork in it. We created our pages separately and then met together to try and find a way to unify the layouts. The most challenging part of this project was finding a way to group our artwork together. I feel if we could have found one or two set layouts and used it for every artists work the book could have been more successful. I think we could have also tried different color schemes and titles and looked at them sided by side to see if there was a better option. Overall I am pretty satisfied with our groups results and think it went well for a first collaboration design project. Below are the pages I made:

 

 

Reflection on Group Project

I worked in a group with Kathryn, Hail and Irene. Our plan was to create a collection of hats that could be sold at Urban Outfitters. Each of us made a style of hat that fit our personality and style. I created a beanie. My hat was outdoorsy/hipster, so I sewed plaid patches on the hat. I embroidered our company logo (NOHL) on the front of the hat. Kathryn made a flower crown, Hail made snapbacks, and Irene made head wraps.

Our group immediately knew we wanted to work together. We bonded over talking about Disney and immediately got along well. We were easily able to collaborate and talk about our ideas. One issue we had was thematically tying our hats together into one cohesive project. We did this by creating tags for the hats with our logo on them, as well as creating mood boards and by photoshopping pictures of our hats onto the Urban Outfitters website. I think the project could have benefitted from us pursuing this more and creating a complete look book.

I learned a lot from this project. It was great to work in a group that combined the creative and conceptual older students with those of us just beginning in design, and to work on a more "real life" project. I think this was a good opportunity to explore where I want to go with design, and gave me great ideas for future projects. It also was a good to network with the older students and learn from them.

Group Project Reflection: NOHL

For the group project, our group consisted of me, Brynn, Hail, and Irene. We all connected with each other from the very beginning after we expressed our interest in Disney. Hail and Irene had more experience working digitally, while Brynn and I worked with more hands-on design. Our techniques balanced out, but we still had some skills in common. 

Our goal was to create hats in different collections that we could sell to Urban Outfitters. Hail created a snapback, Irene made head wraps, Brynn designed a beanie, and I made a flower crown. Each of our personalities shown through our hats, but we needed a way to to make our collections cohesive. We created a brand, NOHL, and a logo to tie all of the hats together. We made tags that we attached to each hat so they looked like they could be sold from the same store. Each of us also had a "mood board" so our client could see where our inspiration came from and constructed those images into a look book. If we had more time, we would have added more pages to the book and make it seem more complete. 

I felt like I learned a lot from this experience. I was able to take on a real life project while also trying to collaborate with other group members. We worked together really well and we all played an equal role on the team. We all listened to each other's ideas and gave suggestions for improvements along the way. I really enjoyed this project and hope I get an opportunity to work with my group mates again in the future (Hopefully at Disney!) Now I know where my path in design will lead to and I cannot wait to continue that journey. 

Reflection on Collaboration

Working with the students in the 402 class was a blast! Not only did I get to obtain some insight into what I as future design student will be doing in the future, but my I was exposed to so many different styles of design that was individual to each different student. Seeing their past work and their design thinking processes as we worked really inspired me to develop my own style further.

Our collaborative project is The Say Thank You Movement (http://thesaythankyoumovement.tumblr.com/). In our world today, too often do we rely on technology to do almost everything we need. Our movement strives to bring back the power of personalization because we believe that such appreciation and thought can truly strengthen any relationship.

See more of our work on flickr here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/94458358@N02/sets/72157637885669513/

I believe that what made this project such a success was the incredible excitement and passion that all of our group members had not only for creating personalized designs for our loved ones, but also for the Thank You movement itself. We constantly supported each other and offered advice in areas where others may have been lacking. We learned that communication is key in the creation and development of a powerful project, and that criticism should not be taken to heart, but with an open mind. I've truly been inspired, and I'm looking forward to other projects that we will have in the future, whether they be collaborative or not.

--Winnie Q

"Hand Made" Collaboration With 400 Students - Joanna Lee

For this collaborative project, our group decided to work with typography. Instead of solely utilizing computer graphics, we decided to go back to the basics by also experimenting with hands-on, tangible material so that we could explore all realms of type and font production. The idea itself was very general from the start, which opened up all doors for every group member to bring fun, exotic, everyday items that would form letters and eventually pertinent, cute little phrases. During the first group meeting, we brainstormed the concept of our project; we all came to the consensus that we wanted a visual book (almost like something that could be found pleasantly sitting on top of a table at a coffee shop for passersby to stop by and flip through) that provided both the artistic and entertainment elements to its readers. 

Link to the E-book, Hand Made: http://issuu.com/michael_bermudez/docs/handmadefont_project

"Hand Made" book cover page

Doing so brought more life to the text, and showed me that not everything in the design world had to be computerized and technology-based; sometimes going back to working with materials with one's own hands makes the experience even more intimate because one can feel the textures and how the objects themselves physically function and create the piece. Personally, it was a good wake-up call because I had assumed that design immediately associated with only computer-made layouts, spreads, etc. But through the experience that I gained while working on this project, I noticed that you can do both computerized works with an integrated hands-on creative aspect to it as well. 

Previously, I had always seen typography with a very skeptical eye because it only appeared to be a very narrow-minded, tedious process of learning the intricacies of text. Working on this project definitely showed me how the letters of the alphabet have unique shapes and symbols that all hold certain significance. Physically forming them with my hands when tying the rubber bands from one pin to another created a tension that I as the artist could feel while creating the rubber band "strokes" to create each letter, and positioning the safety pins in a rational and artistically-pleasing technique was a very fun concept to learn as well. Other different media that were used included grass blades, which had a very sharp and pointy feel to it, the tea bags, which held a very strong and fortified feel to it, sticky notes, which signified playfulness, and pixy dust, which was a very soft medium to work with (which meant that it took a lot of time to form.) The creation of the alphabets took about 2 to 3 class work studio days, and the rest of the work (compilation of the e-book) was done in and outside of class. We decided to include little phrases that correlated with the material used to make the words and the alphabet letter themselves because not only would it be practical, but more engaging because it shows the functionalities and readabilities of the letters we made from the rubber bands, grass, pixy dust, wet tea bags, and safety pins. 

Not only did I learn the valuable art of different typographical creations, but I also learned how to work in a group with varying interests and emphases. At first, being grouped up with a pair of advanced level students was overwhelming to me, but it was great that they encouraged us to be free in our thinking and to include input into what kinds of materials we would want to use to make the fonts. It was also a technical project because we thought about how to place and space the letters and which witty phrases to incorporate with each font.

Overall, I really enjoyed participating in this project, and I would definitely want to try it another time if I were given the opportunity to do so because I know for sure that every group learned something valuable, worthwhile, and unique from their own experiences.

Wet Teabags

Grass Blades

Pixie Dust

Safety Pins

Post-It Sticky Notes

Rubber Bands and Push Pins

Rubber bands + push pins on the wall

Rubber bands + push pins on the wall

Rubber bands + push pins on the wall

Rubber bands forming the alphabet

The Handmade Project

For the Collaboration project, Joanna and I teamed up with Rayne and Michael to create a series of physical typography. They came to us with the idea in mind and since it sounded like a great project to take on, we committed.

We spent the first day gathering inspiration from Pinterest, Tumblr, behance, and Google Images as well as collecting and choosing which materials would be used to create our series which ended up being Post It Notes, knock-off Pixy Stix dust, rubber bands, safety pins, tea bags, and grass. I decided to work with the fake Pixy Stix dust that I took from the dining hall (thanks for the free candy, EVK) and grass due to the essentially-infinite supply I had of each. After all of these decisions were made, the team divided so that we could form the alphabet with the mediums we proposed. Rayne, Joanna, and I focused on the production of the letters while Michael documented the process and final products with his camera.

Construction was finished by the end of Day 2 and were able to move onto the creation of the book. I was able to propose ideas for the cover and layout of the book, but it was ultimately Rayne and Michael who made the final decisions regarding the outcome.

Given the chance to do this project again, I would definitely be more assertive in the decision-making process. I am confident enough with my skills in layout that I would have been able to improve the aesthetic of the book itself which I was, personally, a bit disappointed in. Similarly, I would have strengthened my push for a physical book because seeing everyone else's groups with a tangible product made me feel as though our was less, for lack of a better word, legitimate.

All in all, the collaboration was a great learning experience and I'm glad I got to be a part of it!

- Jackie Mayuga

Collaboration Project

For the collaboration project my group decided to create a series of post cards with an emphasis on materiality. The four of us individually made three postcards each based on our "seas" theme.

The first card I created depicts a mermaid's tail drawn with purple ink on a see-through sheet of blue plastic with green fake eyelashes for the tail and craft pearls as bubbles.

For the second card I painted a sunset on a thin piece of red velvet and hand-sewed two birds flying over a horizon line that says "thanks."

For my last card I painted a sheet of sandpaper white and cutout the sketch of a shell outlined with silver sparkles from it. Then I attached this to a background of tan paper via a piece of gray string I braided and a pink rhinestone.




I'm pretty happy with my final results. Having not had a lot of experience with physical, material based projects I had a lot of fun experimenting during my creation process. For the collaboration side of this project I wish my team had worked together more on creating a unified series of postcards which we all contributed to rather than each of us creating our cards completely on our own and simply sticking them all in the same box at the end. Still, I do think the final product turned out fairly well: