The Big Picture

I like the big picture.

I’ve always been interested in ideas and strategies, and I think that it comes through in my design work. It’s the understanding of the design process and overall product/brand vision where my strength resides. I’m still a young designer and I still have so much to learn in this area, but I think that this is my “niche,” so to speak.

At Kimberly-Clark, this was something that emerged. I was told that I had a good understanding of process, and was actually asked to give a repeat of my final presentation for another business team. I was also commissioned provide a copy of that presentation with a voice-over, for the purpose of having it as a company resource.

For my second term with KC, I had an idea for a commercial that would match the brand vision for the product line. I ended up writing a theme song and recording the video footage, and I got to work with Witold Tulodziecki to make a final recording of the song and do some of the video editing. It was a great opportunity and an awesome experience, and the end result was received very well by the business and marketing teams involved in the project.

It says a lot about Kimberly-Clark that they were so willing to give me opportunities, and that they were so invested in my professional development. I’m grateful to have worked there, and I think I’ve benefitted significantly from my experiences during that time.

But the next step is to strive for the next level. I still need to develop my other skills, and work to become a better-rounded designer. I think I’ve been leaning on my strengths, but afraid to challenge and develop my weaknesses. I suppose that learning to do so is a part of maturing as a professional and as a person. I just have to grit my teeth and work hard. There’s no short cut for time and effort.

Right now my visualization is okay, but not up to par as I wish it was. So this is what I want to develop. I think once I bite the bullet and dig into it, I’ll feel a lot better. And if I can successfully fuse good process insight with good visualization… well, perhaps that will be a force to be reckoned with.

One Word

My favorite approach to design is something I think the design firm IDEO has mastered. One word: INTERDISCIPLINARY.

Consumers don’t happen in a vacuum, and neither do products. When consumers go to the store to buy something, they typically consider multiple factors: How does this product work? What is the cost? Do I like it—does it make me feel good about myself? Is it cool? Etc.

In order to satisfy these different desires, products can’t address only one problem and hope for the best. They have to address many problems simultaneously, and that takes teamwork between people of different professions. So like I said, product design—good product design, that is—should be interdisciplinary.

Even though I’m still a student, I try to live this out as best I can. In our current HP sponsored project, I’ve been seeking the help of some of my IT/Engineering friends. They’ve cracked open computers for me, shown me the parts, explained the systems, and given me suggestions for how, and how NOT, to improve the product.

I really appreciate their help, and I will openly admit that I’m not an expert in those areas. So talking with people who know what they’re doing gives me an idea of where to go.

Someday I hope to have access to more professions, bigger and broader teams, and consumers themselves in order to get that feedback that is so valuable. Ultimately, I think design is as much about listening as it is about visualizing.

To Paint Nightmares

Andrew ‘Android’ Jones is an artist who has embraced the digital age wholeheartedly. His work has a gestural quality, and is thick with layers and subtle details. The scenes and figures are highly emotive, conveying a sense of energy and tension.

I like the “techno” elements especially. These are usually symbols which have been treated as background information, but they accent lines of motion or centers of light. His use of color is also striking against a wash of monochromatic forms.

Something about the work seems unfinished, but this lends itself to the imagination. The vague borders and shadowy backgrounds have a certain mystery to them—it makes me wonder what’s just out of my sight.

But there’s also something I don’t like about his work. So much of it seems nightmarish and ominous—seemingly celebrating ugliness, death, and darkness. These are places I don’t want to go within myself. Yet I see more and more of this sort of imagery in pop culture and video games and concept art. What ever happened to beauty?

It makes me think of Lord of the Rings when Gandalf talks about Saruman’s study into the ‘arts of the enemy.’ Gandalf concludes that a study of that sort—when done too deeply—can eventually lead to becoming the enemy.

I wonder if the principle is the same for everything. What if envisioning the twisted and ugly figures of our ids causes them to frequent our minds more often? What if dwelling on nightmares makes them more prominent? What if ruminating on darkness makes us dark?

I think it matters. And I think that our imaginations and dreams are things too beautiful to waste on nightmares.

Exploration

This project has been an interesting learning experience, and I’ve really enjoyed exploring my own “style” of visualization. It was helpful that there weren’t too many constraints or restrictions, because I felt free to experiment with methods I probably wouldn’t have tried otherwise.

I learned how to do some cool effects using a Cintiq tablet, particularly with line-work and part-line details. The overall character of the final result is something I think looks pretty cool.

I especially liked the “mixed-media” approach—using Alias and Image Studio to get the basic forms made sure that the perspective, reflections, and shadows/highlights were all accurate, and then finishing up in Photoshop gave the images a sketchy and spontaneous feel. I loved the fact that I could choose what to render, and choose what to draw. The freedom to move back and forth between the two mediums really got me thinking about how to most effectively (and efficiently!) get the task done.

This is definitely a strategy I want to continue exploring as my design education progresses. I think it’s a great opportunity to visually communicate, and to express a little of my personality along the way.