NARRATIVE | Understanding Comics reading

Understanding Comics, pgs 60-73

In the reading it discussed the importance of interaction between the viewer and how the viewer creates closure. Closure is key for the viewer and has great significance when using time and motion. Which is important when creating a narrative. There are many different transitions that create closure to the viewer:

Moment to moment

aspect to aspect

scene to scene

subject to subject

action to action

aspect to aspect

non-sequitor

These transitions are used between scenes of the narratives. These transitions in the narration help the viewer understand the parts that aren't actually shown.

The last one in this set is the one I chose for my full color. I feel they are all too busy. I have a layering problem. Ha.
I really like using the paper photos masked into the design behind the birds.
I had decided to fill the birds with a color, solely because you could hardly see the birds with only the outlines.
I really enjoy the colors, except the first one. I had placed that one up because I was showing another way I thought about rendering the background design. I really don't think it was working. And that yellow is just gross. Ha. You can also see where I tried to fill the birds with a transparent fill. I thought this would help not make them so solid, didn't really work.

TYPE III | Tender Buttons Book

Final photos of my Tender Buttons book.
I rearranged the poem by keeping the poem in a grid pattern and using vellum to break up text. This allows the viewer to change the words and phrases around by lifting and replacing the overlay.
I binded the book by perfect binding. It is a note flip book kind of style. Something to look up close and read.

NARRATIVE | Detailed Narative

Kibera TV; final video from Loren Cook on Vimeo.

NA Project Three Detailed Narrative

For my detailed narrative project I decided to use a stop animation video using visual images to create a narrative about Kibera TV. While building my narrative I had to create good imagery to stand in for the things I couldn't actually say (like if I was using a voice over) I had to think of simple imagery for things like "youth" or "filming", and projection of the Kibera films. All while creating an interesting, understandable, timely animation. I learned that in order to create a successful one channel of communication narrative you need to use interesting angels and imagery, making clear what you are trying to convey.

When constructing my story I tried to build on top of the images in a way, using on imagery and transtioning it into another. On example of how I did this was starting the beginning with simple human figures, scaling down to emphasis "youths" while then showing the youth filiming. These images work together to create a narrative. I also brought the youth aspect of KiberaTV with the "do it yourself" feel. Child-like.

Above are a few ideas for my Karrin Allyson poster for the Folly Theater. I need to post up my first sktches.
But these are the digital beginnings, many more to follow.
Have trouble with my typography, but  hope to get some feedback this morning at crit.

NARRATIVE | Kibera Poster

This screen shot is super small. I promise to get the full photo shots up soon.

After completing the 15 sec summery of my topic, KiberaTV. It's time for a 24x36 poster. This poster addresses the audience and states how and why KiberaTV was started. My poster includes images as visual language, incorporated with the text. I tried to use colors that would go ago with Africa.

NARRATIVE | 15 sec summery of KiberaTV

Kibera TV from Loren Cook on Vimeo.

Kibera TV

VIS LANG | F + S

Slightly cheesy. But I think it's a clever visual pun. This would be considered a pun because the word "can" is replaced with a visual picture of a soup can. This clever tee is promoting the Obama campaign "Yes We Can!"

Also pretty cheesy. This is an advertisement for a light beer. And it is also a visual pun. Because instead of showing a glass of light beer, they use a half of a light bulb. Same word (light) different meaning/object.

VIS LANG | Karrin Allyson Brainstormin' for matrix

Doing my best to think of some clever imagery.  I had started by breaking down Karrin Allyson and what she is all about and words that I think relate with her.  This is fun, but harder than it looks. My matrix is coming along. Slowly but surely.

TYPE III | Five explorations

Starting off type three with a bang! One of my biggest focuses this year needs to be typography. Last year it was seen to be my weakest subject. So fingers crossed I get the hang of this!
First assignment in type three was to use this paragraph:

born in amsterdam—a city that’s steeped in history, yet prides itself on being quite progressive.
a place where open mindedness always trumps convention. a city that doesn’t
know the meaning of status quo. a unique spirit indeed.

And do five compositions of experimental type, and this is what I came up with:

VIS LANG | Karrin Allyson

Karrin Allyson

Karrin (CAR-rin) Allyson is a three time Grammy-nominated American jazz singer and pianist. Allyson was born in Great Bend, KS and was moved to California, then returned to the midwest where she studied classical piano and sang at her local church. She attended the University of Nebraska at Omaha on a classical piano scholarship. Early in her career Allyson was lead singer for a rock band, Tomboy.

She soon developed a love for jazz, and performed in the jazz swing bad, and gigs around Omaha. She was inspired by Joni Mitchell, Norma Granz and Carol King.
After graduating from UNO with a major in Classical Piano and a minor in French, Allyson moved farther South to Kansas City. This is where she recorded her first self titled album. The album that would catch Concord Record’s attention. Becoming part of the Concord label Allyson would go to release 11 albums. These albums include a mix of jazzy tracks that incorporated genres of bossa nova, blues, soft rock, pop standards, and folk rock. These diverse albums also included her playing the piano. She recorded a number of pieces which she sang in English, French, Portuguese, Italian, and Spanish.
Allyson now resides in New York, staying with the popular jazz scene but enjoys traveling all over the world.
Descriptive Words:
Sexy
Fearless
Smokey
Dreamy
Diverse
Sensual
Curltured
Tender
Strong
Heart-filled
Grit

NARRATIVE | Semester Topic

For my semester topic I have chosen to do the Kibera TV.

Originally I was leaning towards non profit and I am totally interested in other cultures. I believe this will be a good fit. 

I think this will be a great experience and I thoroughly enjoy the idea of bettering our youth's education. 

Through Hot Sun Foundation, Kibera TV was created. This community channel is filmed by Kibera's youth from the Kibera Film School. I will be working with these students in creating an interface or branding for Kibera TV. The Hot Sun Foundation strives to expose the youth in Kibera to new ideas and possibilities by triaining and learning the world of film.

Final Refection

Reflecting on this past year has allowed me to make note of my accomplishments and failures. And that with the good and bad, there has always been discoveries and improvements from these realizations.

For my sophomore review I would like to state and show my process as a design. I would like to kind of show a before and after feeling. Possibly use linear processes or first iterations of project and relate them back to my finished pieces. Use these previous problems to show how I created a complete piece.

I think this will be a good direction for my review, solely because I have grown, realized and excelled throughout this year. All these changes were a process I went through.


I would like to include at least two project from each class this year.

VIS COM | Stamp collection

Museum Exhibit

These are going to be on a board scale between health care and cosmetic surgery, and surgery in general:

01. Face Lift
02. Tummy Tuck
03. Plastic
04. Making the Cut
05. Reconstructed Skin
06. Lifted
07. Transformation Operation
08. Skin Deep
09. Reformation of Health
10. Surgical Suture

I will continue to brainstorm. Not sure which of these I am leaning towards.
I was trying to stay away from the political parts though. I'd just prefer to stay clear from that route.

IMAGE MAKING | Book Cover Iterations

I did away with my amputee and replaced, creating the brain surgery book cover instead.
I think it flowed better in the long run. I have used Baskerville for my titles, which is used in my typography magazine layout.

VIS COM | F + S

I chose this infograph based on on of my iterations for my "United States Health Expenditures" graph. This infograph and my infograph both have a big image, and the breakdown of the statistic below. They both give meaning and depth to the main topic, and inform the viewer on the detail.

I chose this infograph because it relates to healthcare, which is the main topic I have been focusing on for my graphs. This also uses a map to show location and inform the viewer on where these statistics are taking place. I also have an iteration that is using a map to show the top deaths throughout the United States.

IMAGE MAKING | Seven deadly sins; Very late posting of final booklet

Title page

Pages 1 & 2; introduction and seven deadly sins definitions

Gluttony and Lust

Envy and Wrath

Sloth and Pride

Greed and Colophon

Sorry about the late post ;)

VIS COM | Infographic research

 IV FLUID BAG:
1-6) “Health Care Statistics in the United States.” 2010. http://www.healthpaconline.net/health-care-statistics-... (accessed Mar. 20, 2010).
    Health Care Statistics in the United States

• The United States is the only wealthy, industrialized nation that does not have a universal health care system. Source: Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences
• In 2006, the percentage of Americans without health insurance was 15.8%, or approximately 47 million uninsured people. Source: US Census Bureau
• Among the 84.2% with health insurance in 2006, coverage was provided through an employer 59.7%, purchased individually 9.1%, and 27.0% was government funded (Medicare, Medicaid, Military). (There is some overlap in coverage figures.) Source: US Census Bureau
• The primary reason given for lack of health insurance coverage in 2005 was cost (more than 50%), lost job or a change in employment (24%), Medicaid benefits stopped (10%), ineligibility for family insurance coverage due to age or leaving school (8%). Source: National Center for Health Statistics
• More than 40 million adults stated that they needed but did not receive one or more of these health services (medical care, prescription medicines, mental health care, dental care, or eyeglasses) in 2005 because they could not afford it. Source: National Center for Health Statistics
• Medicaid, which accounted for 12.9% of health care coverage in 2006, is a health insurance program jointly funded by the federal and state governments to provide health care for qualifying low-income individuals. Source: US Census Bureau
• Medicare, a federally funded health insurance program that covers the health care of most individuals 65 years of age and over and disabled persons, accounted for 13.6% of health care coverage in 2006. Source: US Census Bureau

SYRINGE: 
1-6) “Should I get the new H1N1 vaccine.” 2009. http://www.thevaccination.com/article/2/Should-I-get-t... (accessed Mar. 20, 2010).
    help the reader to make an informed decision about the risks and benefits of getting vaccinated.

• The CDC lists 5 group of people who should get the H1N1 vaccine:
  1) Pregnant women
  2) Caregivers and people who come into contact with children younger than 6 months of age
  3) Everyone between 6 months and 24 years old
  4) People between 25 and 64 years old who have existing medical conditions
  5) Health care and emergency medical services personnel
• The World Health Organization claims that 30-50% of people infected with influenza have mild or no symptoms at all. On the other hand, serious health complications, including death, have been occurring in 1% of swine flu patients. If you fall into one of the 5 groups advised by the CDC, you should probably give stronger consideration to getting vaccinated. But everyone's situation is different. 
•  The swine flu has claimed more than 5,000 lives as of early October, but the vaccine itself is not without risk.

STETHOSCOPE:
1-3) “World Life Expectancy.” n.d. http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/ (accessed Mar. 20, 2010).
    life expectancy throughout the world

• cause of death
• life expectancy throughout the world, comparing conutries

4-6) “Fit Buff.” 2008. http://www.fitbuff.com/normal-resting-heart-rate/ (accessed Mar. 20, 2010).
    Stats on your heart

• average resting heartbeat
• average active heartbeat
• heartbeats of different ages

LAMP :
1-3) “Hospitals Due for Energy Efficiency Overhaul.” 07 July 2009. http://www.environmentalleader.com/2009/07/27/hospital... (accessed Mar. 20, 2010).
    Hospitals and health care facilities are primed for a revolution in energy efficiency, achieved through changes as far-ranging as lighting, cooling towers, employee work flow and even on-site solar and wind.

• Hospitals use about 2.5 times the amount of energy as a similar-sized commercial building, because they are open 24 hours a day and have extra commitments on air filtration and circulation, air cooling and waste management, experts say. 
• "30-30-30 goal" That means increasing energy efficiency 30 percent, achieving a 30 percent reduction in energy consumption and deriving 30 percent of energy from renewables.
• As of earlier this year, Gundersen Lutheran had reduced energy consumption by 10 percent, which amounts to $409,000 in annualized savings, said Jerry Arndt, Senior Vice President of Business Services.

4-6) “Environmental Leader.” 21 Aug. 2009. http://www.environmentalleader.com/2009/08/21/100m-lig... (accessed Mar. 20, 2010).
    $100M Lighting Retrofits Could Save $350M at Hospitals

• The company estimates that based on a reduction of 10 lbs of CO2 emissions for $1 saved in electricity, the environmental benefit of saving $350 million in electric costs is equal to 3.5 billion lbs of greenhouse gases.
• Hospitals use about 2.5 times the amount of energy as a similar-sized commercial building.
• Because hospitals typically operate 24 hours per day every day, about 50 percent or more of their energy consumption comes from lighting as compared with other commercial buildings, according to LED Saving Solutions.

SCALPEL: 
1-3) Chapman, James. “Mail Online.” 29 Jan. 2007. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-432099/Opera... (accessed Mar. 21, 2010).
    Operations cut for lack of sterile equipment

• Nationally 41 percent more operations are being lost because dirty surgical instruments, or the wrong ones, are being sent to theatres.
•  In 2005/6 some 1,765 operations were cancelled because no sterile instruments were available at the 58 Health Service trusts who responded to requests for information.
• A total of 161,000 operations were abandoned last year. In 2002, the figure was only 130,000.

4-5) “College Grad.” 2010. http://www.collegegrad.com/careers/proft82.shtml (accessed Mar. 21, 2010).
    Physicians and Surgeon: Career, Salary and Education Information

• Surgeons in general practice with over one year in specialty saw median earnings of $282,504 in 2005. A doctor with over a year experience in family practice earns $156,010 on average. Anesthesiologists earn some of the highest salaries in the profession; those with over a year in specialty earn an average $321,686 yearly.
• More than one-third of all full-time physicians worked 60 hours or more a week in 2006. Many choose to work these long hours in small private offices or clinics, assisted by a staff of nurses and administrative personnel.

 6) “About.” 2009. http://healthcareers.about.com/od/physiciancareers/p/s... (accessed Mar. 21, 2010).
    Overview of Surgeons’ Careers and Surgery Jobs

• Most surgeons work 50-60 hours weekly, including on-call time, administrative duties, and other responsibilities. 
• Usually surgeons will have about 3 days blocked off for surgery and 2 days devoted to office hours for follow-up appointments or pre-operative consultations.
• The case load can vary, based on the type and complexity of surgeries performed, and can be anywhere from 150 per year up to 500 or more. The average is about 300-400 surgeries annually. 

CLIPBOARD:
1) BERNSTEIN, HARRY. “Prescription for Pharmacist Shortage.” Los Angeles Times (1990): 1-3. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/59973247.ht... (accessed Mar. 20, 2010).
    shortage of pharmacists, drugstores have raised their salaries

2) Rite Aid Reports Sales Increase for February. Business. http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-2266... (accessed Mar. 20, 2010).
    Pharmacy same store sales were up 4.9 percent, while front-end same store sales were up 0.4 percent

3) “A PRESCRIPTION FOR ERROR.” Wichita Eagle (2000): http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product... (accessed Mar. 20, 2010).
    PRESCRIPTION DRUG USE SOARS, PHARMACISTS FACE MORE PRESSURE AND A GREATER RISK OF MAKING MISTAKES THAT HARM PATIENTS

4) “Prescription error statistics.” 2003. http://www.1personalinjurylawyers.com/prescription-err... (20 Mar. 2010).
    According to the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, more than 7,000 deaths occur every year as a result of prescription errors

5) Fraser, Jessica. “Statistics prove prescription drugs are 16,400% more deadly than terrorists.” Natural News. 05 July 2005. http://www.naturalnews.com/009278.html (accessed Mar. 20, 2010).
    prescription drugs in this country are at least 16,400 percent deadlier than terrorism

6)  Jaret, Peter. “Special Report: Avoiding Pharmacy Errors.” n.d. http://www.ahealthyme.com/topic/rxtrouble (15 Jan. 2009).
    When pharmacists are asked to work long hours under grueling pressure, mistakes happen. And although many errors are minor, some of them can be extremely grave

VIS COM | Icons after color critque

After the crit last week I decided it was best to do away with two of my color choices:

I deleted the the colors selected by the black squares. Then decided to use the existing colors on the entire icon set. I believe this allows them to all be cohesive, but still interesting.

Final set:

VIS COM | PROBLEM!!!

We are currently revising and adding our final colors to our entire icon set. Well, I have ran into a problem. I believe all of my icons are cohesive when it comes to colors, except one. My stethoscope.
It is most definitely the odd man out. I hadn't thought about where my fill was going to go when I got to my final icon coloring.

 As you can see my stethoscope's color fill is very small and does not work well with my other icons. Eeep!
I was thinking about filling the actual stethoscope but then it would still stand out because my other icons have solid white wraps.
I am going to have to do some iterating, so more to come!

Any help?

Okay, here are a few iterations (I am leaning towards the last one):