Cuneiform and the Sumerians | 3,000 BC

The Sumerians were one of the earliest types of this kind of civilization? What does that mean?
Written Civilization. This means that records were kept.

Why is the region of Sumer considered the Cradle of Civilization?
It was where the first written language was invented.

What could the Sumerians practice year round because of the regions climate?
Year-round Agriculture.
Post an example of early Cuneiform (Sumerian pictograph).

Why was Cuneiform created?
It was a way to keep track of business transactions.
What medium was used to "write" Cuneiform? Explain the process of preparing and writing on this surface?
Clay. They would wet it, form it into a flat surface, and then make impressions on its surface. They would then be laid out in the sun to harden.

What did Cuneiform begin as a series of?
Pictographs.
Post an example of evolved Cuneiform (wedge-shaped).

After it evolved over time, what shape did the characters of Cuneiform evolve into?
Wedge shapes.
Post an example of Akkadian Cuneiform.

After the Akkadians conquered, what happened to the Sumerian culture and written language?
The Akkadians adopted it.

What is a pictograph?
an ideogram that conveys its meaning through its pictorial resemblance to a physical object

Why did the creation of Cuneiform allow the Sumerians to become a sophisticated culture?
The had a new form of communication.

Assignment 14 Creative Process

Inspiration:
Because this project is aimed at teenagers, I decided to look up ads that were aimed at teenagers. Unfortunately, I was unable to find an ad that inspired me as every ad was either surprisingly negative on its subject, or aimed at girls only. Therefore, this section will be practically empty.

Brainstorm:
I figure that since teenagers want more control over their lives, that making the job (a computer animator) feel like a job of power will speak to them the most. There should also probably be an appealing, but still regular (to provide a connection) teen holding up a sketchbook featuring his/her creation.

Visual Organization

Eye MovementThe typical eye moves left to right and top to bottom.
Controlling eye movement within a composition is a matter of directing the natural scanning tendency of the viewer's eye.
Eye tends to gravitate towards areas of complexity first. In pictures of people, the eye is always attracted to the face and particularly the eye.
Light areas of  composition will attract the eye especially when adjacent to a dark area.
Diagonal lines or edges will guide eye movement.

Optical Center
The spot where the human eye tends to enter the page. Optical center is slightly above mathematical (or exact) center and just to the left.
It takes a compelling element to pull your eyes away from this spot.

Z Pattern
Our visual pattern makes the sweep of the page, generally, in the shape of a "Z".
Effective page design maps a viewer's route though the information. The designer's objective is to lead the viewer's eye to the important elements or information.

Visual Hierarchy
-establishes focal points based on their importance to the message being communicated.
-establish a visual order of elements, a visual structure, to help the viewer absorb the information provided by a design.
-What do I want my viewer to look at first?
-Use principals of emphasis, contrast.

Tips
-Use no more than two fonts. Make sure they complement each other.
-Avoid all uppercase unless absolutely necessary.
-Choose the right font. Work with the tine and design.
-Don't overuse fancy or complicated fonts.

The Grid
-way of organizing content on a page, using any combination of margins, guide lines, rows, and columns.
-instituted by Modernism.
-can assist the audience by breaking info into manageable chunks and establishing relationships between text and images.
-consisits of a distinct set of alignment-based relationships that act as guides for distributing elements across a format.
-every design is different; therefore every design will require a different grid structure... one that addresses the particular elements within a design.
-used to clarify the message being communicated and to unify the elements.

Cave Paintings | 35,000 years ago

What are cave paintings?
Detailed, colorful representations found on the insides of cave ceilings and walls.

Name several common themes found in cave paintings?
large animals, tracings of human hands, and abstract patterns.

How were these paintings created (tools, pigments)?
Water, plant juice, animal blood, soil, charcoal, hematite, sticks small stones, leaves, animal hair.

What is the most famous cave painting site? When was it discovered and by whom?Post an example of cave painting(s) from this cave.

Lascaux, France. Discovered by  4 teenage boys in 1940.

Why did this cave have to be closed? What was done to satisfy public curiosity?
It was closed due to carbon dioxide emissions damaged the paintings. The french government created a man made replica next to the original.
Post an example of cave painting(s) from Altamira cave.

In Altamira cave, why do most of the paintings have a red hue?
They were painted using red clay.

Who discovered this site? How old are the paintings confirmed to be?
Marceline Sanz de Sautuola, and his daughter Maria. 19,000 years old.

What is the oldest known cave painting site? When was it discovered and by whom?Post an example of cave painting(s) from this cave.
Chauvet-Point Arc discovered in 1994 by 3 speleologists.

What was different about the painting techniques at this site?
Walls were scraped clear of debris, and 3D effects were added.

What is "speleology"?
the scientific study of caves and other karst features

What three reasons do archeologists and historians believe prehistoric man created cave paintings?
-To tell a story
-To teach a lesson (hunting)
-Religious purposes.

Assignment 13 Creative Process

Research & Inspiration
Exquisite corpses were invented in France in the late 1920s. The technique was invented by Surrealists and is similar to an old parlour game called Consequences in which players write in turn on a sheet of paper, fold it to conceal part of the writing, and then pass it to the next player for a further contribution.

Brainstorming
What will I be forming (Head, body, legs)? Adjectives or Phrases? What am I trying to communicate? Who is the audience (Us)? What colors should be used? What style should I go in?

The fish head drew my attention, but the beauty is that it's so surrealist that you have no idea it's an exquisite corpse until you look closer.

The Creative Process

The Creative Process is a series of steps you repeat every time you need to design.

Why do we need this process?

1. Improve consistency.

2. Ability to plan & time your work.

3. Raises the Quality of your work.

4. Communicate more effectively & in a more professional way.


Process

1. Research - The more you know, the easier the project will be! Research the client and the competition, Pay attention to the world around you and get inspired!

2.  Brainstorming/Inspiration - Striving to be unique and innovative while still following the current trends, ensures a fresh and creative approach. Come up with adjectives to help describe your client/product. Ask yourself: Who's your audience? What message do you want to communicate? What are you trying to tell your audience? What kind of color/style would work for this audience?

3. Sketching - Thumbnails, thumbnails, and more thumbnails. Sketch to get your thoughts out and to work through ideas. Consider placement of elements, colors, ect.

4. Execute - Implement your ideas. Combine type and imagery, into a well developed composition. If the piece doesn't look how you imagined, and it isn't working, try something else. Forcing an idea won't result in a good design.

5. Critique and Revise - Take a step back, (literally) and look at your design with an objective eye. Make sure the design is effective and the message is clear.

Photocomposition

Snapshot: a quick, often spontaneous, shot taken to record a moment in time.
Photograph: Image taken with care and thought.

Rule of Thirds
Def:  Imaginary lines drawn diving the frame of the camera into thirds.

AVOID SUBJECT IN CENTER!

-Place important object where the lines intersect.
-Place Horizon Line at top or bottom horizontal divider.
-Subject can fill up entire frame for a close-up image.

Leading lines
-Lines created within the foreground or background of the composition to lead the viewer's eye through the photo.
-Lines can draw attention to one or more intended subjects or a single focal point.

Point of View (POV)
-Change the way your subject is perceived by changing the camera position.
-If you are photographing a subject that you want to seem very tall, compose the shot so that the camera is looking upwards. The reversal works as well.

Simplicity
-Keep your background simple and clear of clutter.
-The mood and effectiveness of a photo can be altered by what is in the background.
-A chaotic composition will cause the viewer to look away.