Web Designer Joshua Davis

Jason Davis is an American web page designer as well as a new media artist. He was one of the first users of Macromedia Flash and creates unique sites based on randomization and the chaos theory. “Davis creates electronically generated graphic compositions of almost unimaginable complexity and individuality” (Malmberg). He even writes his own Flash-based programs that allow him to mix colors from nature together. His life however has not always been successful. In the early 1990’s Davis lived in New York City and suffered from a drug addiction. He was able to overcome this obstacle however, and he would prove to turn his life around. Davis first thought he wanted to write and illustrate children’s books, so he enrolled at the Pratt Institute. This is where Davis would learn the tools he needed to become an award-winning graphic designer. In 1995 under the guidance of Thomas Noller, Davis began to do work in HTML which would lead to Macromedia Flash and then to ActionScript programming.

One of Davis’ largest accomplishments is when the heavy metal band Tool asked him to take over the development of their web sites. Davis’ work are intricate computer generated images that are very complex, he himself admits, “technically, [my work is] not actually possible” (Malmberg). “Equally at home with print and electronic media, he builds his own Flash-based programs to combine and recombine colors borrowed from nature with forms that include organic shapes, text elements, and other symbols. The resulting works of “dynamic abstraction,” as Davis calls them, are fluid, intricate, and unique as snowflakes” (Malmberg). Davis uses these programs he has created to generate unique images. Images that are always unique and which he never knows how they will look in the end. Because Davis uses programming to create his illustrations, he can create images in Adobe Illustrator with thousands of layers in minutes!

Davis does work both commercially and not. He has worked on web based promotions for large companies including Sony, Nokia and Volkswagen. His pieces have also been displayed in numerous museums including New York’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum and London’s Tate Modern. Presently Davis “teaches at the School for Visual Arts in Manhattan, and speaks at workshops and conferences worldwide” (Malmberg). He received his claim to fame during the dot-com era, creating multiple web pages including praystation.com and once-upon-a-forest.com. Davis considers himself to be a designer and not an artist. He creates programs that create the designs and the illustrations for him. He does not sit down and create the images intricate piece by intricate piece. Design is also based on business. Different companies hire designers to help sell their brands to consumers. In order to do this the designer must keep their own identity while also keeping the identity of the brand. Davis believes that being a designer is more difficult than being an artist. Artists create art, themselves on paper. Designers put themselves out there too, but them must also incorporate the brand and not have the brand lose itself either.

To help give you a better perspective on Davis’ work, here are a few images. As you will see, his work is all very intricate and detailed. Full of different shapes, forms, and colors that he creates using his own programs.

Sources:

Apple Profiles: Joshua Davis by Elise Malmberg

Joshua Davis.com

Once-Upon-A-Forest.com

Final Web Site

The remaking of imdb's web site proved to be a challenge for me. My original design was not working out and so I had to completely change my design. I found a new reference site, one that I thought would work much better. Here is what the new reference site looks like:


















I like the simple layout of the site, and I also like the color scheme. So after having to recreate my entire site, here is the final product. Enjoy!

Guest Speaker Leonardo Bonanni

Advancements and changes in technology happen every day. It is hard for anyone to keep up with it all. There is always new and better just around the corner. One of the leaders in technology research is the MIT Media Lab located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. At the forefront of the research in the many labs at MIT are smart objects and smart environments. Leonardo Bonanni works in MIT’s Media Lab in the Tangible Interface division. Within the lab there are different divisions, each working with smart objects and smart environments in a different way. In his presentation Bonanni introduced us to these different divisions and helped us to understand exactly what they are. He also provided us with examples of the different projects each division has worked on and he gave us a look into the future of technology.

First let’s go over what smart objects and smart spaces are. Smart objects and spaces are ubiquitous computers. A ubiquitous computer is a computer that has disappeared completely, it is taking standard everyday objects and turning them into computers without having the typical computers that we today. Engineers and designers are working in different ways to create new and exciting products and technologies that will change the future. There are four different kinds of smart objects and spaces: tangible interfaces, ambient displays, augmented reality, and wearable technology.

Tangible interface is when a tangible object is turned into a computer. Some examples Bonanni showed us where music bottles. When the lid of a bottle was taken off, music would play. He explained that these bottles could be used to deliver messages, especially to the elderly who have trouble using machines. Another example was a paintbrush that when you place the bristles on any surface, it’ll copy the image and you can draw with it on a screen. He explained that there was a camera under the bristles and it just took a picture of whatever you held it up to. It made complete sense once we knew how it worked, but before that I was amazed. All of the examples he shared amazed me. How do you take an object, and in a sense, bring it to life. I know this is the wave of the future, but it still boggles my mind.

Ambient displays are everywhere around us. They are not in-your-face devices that you play with, but they are the background of our lives. Some examples are ambient orbs. They are glowing balls that you can set to tell you anything you want. When your setting is reached, it’ll then turn a certain color. For example when it is supposed to rain, the orb will turn blue. When you see it, you’ll know you need to take an umbrella. Instead of having to look up the weather, you just need to look at your ambient orb. Augmented reality is a combination of the real world with computer generated data. An example that Bonanni told us about was something called an electronic lens. An electronic lens is a sticker that you can leave anywhere, and you can record a message onto the sticker. When you put an electronic device up to the sticker, you can hear the message and leave your own message also. Lastly there is wearable technology, which is exactly what it sounds like, technology that you can wear. It includes bracelets, jackets, etc.

All of these different divisions of smart objects and spaces give us a look into the future. A future I myself am still having a hard time believing will exist. I was excited as well as overwhelmed by Bonanni’s presentation. I am excited to see the technological advances, and to see the future, but it is also overwhelming to see so much change taking place in my lifetime. He told us that it would only be a few short years before the things he spoke about would reach the public. I am anxious to see what will happen.

Blog Reviews

Business Week: Nussbaum On Design

Bruce Nussbaum's blog is part of Business Week magazine's online site. In his blog he comments on a regular basis about innovation and design, mostly in business. In one post, he reviews the book The Post-American World and tells us that anyone interested in globalization, or even in the presidential election, should go and read it. The book is by Fareed Zakaria, and it is about the decline of the American powerand the rise of "everyone" else. Americans are going to have to start learning about other cultures if they hope to succeed in the future. The book seems to be very relavent to the times and to the design world, since new innovations will have to consider other countries and peoples.

Nussbaum doesn't just review books in his blog, he also makes sure to comment on different events about technology and design. The Serious Play conference in Pasadena was about how play, when taken seriously, can lead to great innovation. Google talked about how America is not the center of the world anymore and that they need to do research in other countries if they hope to expand their business and appeal to other peoples. The world is changing, and so must businesses. Innovation and design is needed for these changes to take place.



Seth Godin's Blog

Seth Godin is a leader in innovation. He is the author of a numerous books, and to market these books, Godin has come up with very unique tactics. Godin's blog is a fun read about marketing and innovation. In one post Godin discusses how he believes the media markets. The media, he says, sells drama. He focuses his discussion on internet news sites. He points out that all the headlines on the site are dramatic and are there solely to get you to click on the link and not to actually tell you the news. In essence, the media is selling you drama, and not news.

Another topic Godin talks about in his blog is green marketing. With concern for the environment being the new fad, marketers are scrambling to advertise how green they and their products are. Godin warns though that vague advertisements and lame promises are going to soon wan, and consumers will backlash. I think this is true, companies are taking advantage of people trying to be greener. They are trying to sell them green products, when what being green is all about is buying less and wasting less in the first place.



Core 77: Industrial Design Supersite

While the other blogs are written by only one person, Core 77 is posted on by different people, allowing for more content and different opinions. One post talks about a new machine that can take a CD and turn it into a 45RPM that can be played on a turntable. The creator of the machine hopes it will appeal to a small niche of people who still use turntables. Turntables may not be used by the mainstream public anymore, but even if there is a small market still out there, marketers and innovators will be there to sell them something.

Innovation is something that can be applied to furniture as well. Designer Takeshi Miyakawa has created a box full of different drawers, utilizing all the space. There is also a link in the blog post directing you to his other work. Blogs are a great source to learn about other artists and designers, as well a great way to inform others about artists you like.



Authentic Boredom: Cameron Moll

Moll is a graphic designer who writes a blog with tips and just general comments about design. In one post Moll discusses designing with typefaces. He gives some examples of works that he especially likes, and discusses their beauty. He then shares 5 tips from a designer who works with typography. Moll explains that while creating an image and design with type is hard work, he believes the end result will be gratifying for anyone who tries and succeeds.



Subtraction 7.0

NYTime.com's design director, Khoi Vinh, blogs about design and other related topics. In one post, Vinh expresses that he believes that large design agencies cannot produce innovative and just plain good design. The fewer people there are, the more efficient the design process can be. There is also much less of a gap between the people coming up with the initial ideas, and the designers actually executing the final product. Vinh makes sure to point out that this is his opinion, and he urges anyone that disagrees to come forth. I believe he is correct. Design must be very specific, and if there are too many ideas the design can suffer in the end. With a few select people, great design can be made when they work together efficiently.



I Love Typography

This blog is dedicated solely to fonts, typefaces, and typography. The blog is filled with many images of different types. Images that just show new interesting types, and images that show great design work using type. Each post they give examples of different types they have found and discuss them. In one post, they found a blatant error in a logo. The logo is three letters conjoined horizontally, and when the logo is turned vertical, it creates an unprofessional image. The lesson learned from this post is that when you are designing any logo, make sure you take the time to look at it from every angle. You may be designing more than you thought.

Beginning the Site

Building the site is proving to be harder than I had first anticipated. I was first introduced to web page design my freshman year of high school, where I built many different sites using HTML coding. This will be the first time I have ever used Dreamweaver and Photoshop to create a site. I have a real simple layout right now mocking the current screenager friendly MTV site. It is still rather boring, but here is a look at where I am going.

Wire Frame:











Homepage:

PowerPoint Presentation

For class we needed to create a PowerPoint presentation to show our progress on redesigning our respective websites. The PowerPoint includes our research on our target market (screenagers) and reference sites, as well as the development of our logo and color pallet. My presentation went well, Professor Klinkowstein told me that it looked great but I need to work on what I say. While I was comfortable in front of the class, I found myself struggling for the right words to get my point across. In order to prevent this from happening again, he suggested that we rehearse and have a test run of our presentation. If you overwhelm your project, you have a greater chance for success. He also suggested that I add short bullets to the slides to help get my point across and remind me of what I need to say. Here is my presentation:

Top Reference Site

Here is a screenshot of IMDb's site as it looks now.




















I have been searching for my top reference site to develop IMDb's new site, and I have finally settled on this MTV look. I like the layout and how they have a lot of information all on the home page, but it is neatly organized and hidden in the drop down menus on the top of the page. Presently IMDb has a boring style and too much text on their home page. I also like the paint splatters around the outside of the page. I think the splatters will go well with the new logo I have created for the site. Now I just have to find some good images of paint splatters.