Digital Design - Fall 2010
Taught by Associate Professor of Art, Daniel Graham, this course taught us to use graphic design, printmaking, and packaging to design an identity or product. Some of the tools and applications we used were pen lathes, SketchUp, and photopolymer plates.
Pinwheel Design
For this project, we had to create various pinwheel designs. Of the three that I designed, only one was successful. In fact, my little 3in pinwheel was the only pinwheel to consistently work, since everyone's pinwheels were either too large or too flimsy from the computer paper they used.
Pen Design
For this project, we chose pen kits that had the basic components without the wooden body. Afterwards, we each chose our own block of wood to carve on a pen-lathe. I used mesquite wood because it has a history of being used in my family, who grew up in Texas. The only challenging aspect of this wood is that it is extremely dense and can be difficult for tools to work with. This was evident when I tried to drill a hole in the block and it began to produce smoke.
Fictional Product Design
For this project, we had to envision a futuristic product and use Google SketchUp, a 3D program, to create an advertisement. My product was an advanced version of Bluetooth, capable of synchronizing any device and stream data wirelessly.
Holiday Postcard Design
For this project, we created postcards with photopolymer plates, which have a unique property of transforming into a press plate with whatever design you create. For my postcard, I used a lion's portrait and snowflakes.
Printmaking Brand Design
For this project, we designed a brand for our fictional printmaking company. Since I was always annoyed by the random and sporadic nature of printmaking, I created the title "Random Press." The little character in the design is Chicken Bob, a comic character I created in high school.
