For the Comm 165 final, my group decided to create a fun game that would involve some sort of academic appeal for students to use as a future studying tool. Sometimes, using flashcards and studying the same terms can be very boring. Balance the Basket is an interactive game where students will test each other on vocabulary; 5 terms from each chapter we went over. The way the game works is one student pulls a card and reads either the definition or term. The other student has to properly guess the other part of the flashcard correctly in order for the card to get put in the basket. After the card gets put in, that student gets a point, and the whole goal of the game is to see how many vocabulary cards you can get in the basket in order to balance it out. The way it was set up was we took a cardboard box, and glued brown paper all over it so it looked like a basket. We also added a string to hold so it was more realistic. Inside the basket, is a vocab card with the color coded labels for the index cards that came with the game. Our goal was to make something interactive and understandable for everyone who participates in the game. It also does not have to be played specifically to the rules given, therefore giving future students the ability to mix up the game based on what they want to study for.
I think our group didn’t really struggle with anything. We worked together properly and figured out what needed to be done individually and as a whole to get a good grade and produce something that would benefit future classes. To figure things out, our group worked together to help discover what would make the project the bets version it could possibly be. We made sure all of the requirements were met and that there was some sort of appeal to our audience whether that would be design of the box or the way we presented it. My AHA moment was when our group came together and laid down the finishing product. It looked like it was designed properly and overall just helped boost my groups confidence in preparation. If we had more time, I would have actually wanted to maybe use a real basket, and create more vocabulary cards for an even better studying aspect of the project. Working in a group helped because we were all able to bring our own ideas and come together to make one great project. If I could do it all over again, I would have wanted to maybe not use a cardboard box. We could have made the presentation of it a little bit more appealing, but besides that I loved this group final project and I am very happy with the outcome that I got from it.
I chose to observe the amount of time I spent on my smart A lot of the problems relating to social media and smartphones is the criticism people get for the amount of time they spend on it. Studies show that humans will use their phone right before bed and when they wake up, immediately causing problems for the human body in relation to exposure to light. When looking at my data, and comparing it to average statistics, I realized I use my phone a lot more than the average human being. On average, I spend anywhere from 5-7 hours a day using my phone. That means some days I slept less than I was on my phone which is crazy to even contemplate. I then decided to investigate deeper, and look into what amount of time I spend on specific social media accounts. It was crazy to see I spent almost an hour and up on my top five used social media accounts.
I would say the two charts I could compare best is the bar and pie chart. I had a hard time with my pie chart,and looking back at it I can see how it comes off a little confusing. There is that percentage in there about screen time being 51%. I don’t really have time to change it now, but I can see how that can be confusing for someone trying to view this chart. My bar chart, however, does a great job explaining how many minutes of screen time I had in the day I recorded it, and how many minutes each app was used throughout the day. I think the bar chart is the best choice because you can see what each bar represents, the apps time usage, and what the axis mean.
The problem I encountered was in relation to my info graphics and thumbnail sketches. I used this really neat website called Venngage, and it helped me create some cool ideas, as well as a final info graphic that had good percentages, and a main message I wanted to get across. Unfortunately, I could not post them anywhere without buying a membership, so I copied and pasted the links below. It is an extra step, but if you click on each, you will be able to see my three, thumbnail sketches; with not too much detail. Then, there is my final info graphic that has everything I want to get across to my audience.
I decided to focus on school buses for this blog. I was recently told that our public school buses back in my hometown have a pair of seatbelts in each seat. I remember when I used to ride the bus as a child, and I hated bouncing around, or coming to an abrupt stop. A lot of the times when I was in middle school, I would beg my parents to give me rides to school. Sometimes they would take me, and others they would force me to walk up to the bus stop in time to get on. So for my flow chart I wanted to show the different ways I could have possibly gone to school. There were even times where I had to walk to school because there was no other option.
For my flow chart. I tried to interpret different ways I would go about finding a ride. I wanted to make sure there were multiple options with yes or no questions that could be answered. I also had a specific color layout in my flow chart. The title, “Ride the Bus”, is colored in yellow to represent a school bus. The yes or no questions were colored in green and red to help give someone more of an understanding. I think when you can put a color together with a word, it is so much more appealing for someone to look at. When a question was asked,I tried to make some of the question colors mysterious, like the gray and mixture of purple and light blue.
I think riding a bus can be educational to a kid or even a parent. My diagram ensures the safety that buses provide to children. It is a bright color so kids might be appealed by it. There are multiple safety exits that also backup the idea of safety. Not only that, but the children that ride the bus understand where they have to go if there is ever an emergency. What better way for a child to understand where everything is by using images to find there way around a bus. When creating my thumbnail I decided to use, I didn’t think of adding in the detail where I give an inside look at the seats. I had thought about it while I was drawing it out in my sketchbook. I labeled the seat belt and let the reader understand that it was the seat inside the bus.
Schriver’s model of text image combinations helped me really understand how to reduce cognitive load. By labeling in a great amount of depth, and also using imaging so when a person looks at the diagram, they can easily use images and labels hand in hand to remember and understand something important.
I also included some benefits of riding the bus to help make it even better than it already looks! My message of riding the bus accompanies it, explaining why the bus is one of the best ways to get around.
In this comic, a girl is very peppy. She is very happy and is singing about just how happy she really is. Her other friend then asks if she just made up that song, and she replies with no, but the day made it for her, she is just the one who is super happy about it. To analyze it even more, I think spring must have just started because she seems pretty excited and she is saying “spring”. Also, there are new flowers on the grass and the grass is nice and green. The transition that is taking place in this joyful comic strip is action to action. You can see the action of her hopping around, and making jumpy movements throughout each clip. There is also the “boing” sound effect which shows she is bouncing around. So I would say it is definitely action to action.
In this comic, the girl is trying to buy chocolate. There is some good humor on this strip actually. She is so young and the punchline is something an adult would say so it made me laugh. The guy charges a dollar for a box of chocolate, and she gives him 47 cents. He then proceeds to say that she only gave him 47 cents, and she replies with, “But I heard a dollar was only worth 47 cents nowadays.” That is some good humor right there. The transition that is taking place here is moment to moment. In the first clip, she sees the sign that offers a box of chocolate for only a dollar. Then, she goes inside to buy the chocolate from the man working. So the moment goes from her noticing the price and then being inside asking the man. The next moment to moment action that takes place is her giving the man the 47 cents. He then realizes it and yells out to the little girl that it was not a dollar. Then, that moment shoots to the girl turning and responding with her relatively mature and witty comment. I thought maybe it could be scene to scene, but the comic doesn’t really change settings, more of just one action to the next.
For my second story board, I decided to draw a sequence of a stick figure playing in a game of basketball. Basically what happens is, he is on defense, he steals the ball, dribbles it down the court, and dunks it while the crowd goes absolutely wild in the background. I decided to use what I think is the most simple transition; action to action. In the first slide he is on defense, then the action of him stealing the ball happens. After that, he is dribbling it down the court for a fastbreak, and finally he throws down a mean slam dunk while the crowd stands and goes crazy! I actually drew this sketch out in class during our class participation, and I liked the idea of it a lot, so I decided to put it into my sketchbook. I thought the transition I used worked well. I find it enjoyable to make transitions using action to action. It can make the comic fun, and each clip always has some sort of action in it which I enjoy.
For this post, I wanted to show how I properly make Swiss Miss hot chocolate. I wanted to do a hot cider illustration, but I have never actually drank that, so I picked one of my favorite winter beverages. I had a hard time trying to figure out the steps it takes to make hot chocolate. I think it’s funny how people have a routine of making things or doing certain activities. They do not even think about it while they are doing it. So, for me, I had a hard time trying to figure out what certain steps it takes in order to properly make a nice cup of tasty hot chocolate. My AHA moment was when I figured my layout for the illustration. I wasn’t sure how to go about my layout, numbering, and organization for how hot coco is made. I finally laid it out in four steps, and put my final product right in the middle of the four steps. Delicious! I always love trying to use shape and precision of lines to make my drawing look more realistic. For example, the shape of my mug is something I practice all the time. Or even trying to figure out how to properly draw my whipped cream bottle. That challenge of using shapes and lines precisely creates a nice and clean design in my illustrations. If I had more time or more resources, I really would have loved to draw a diagram of making hot apple cider. I would be able to start with all of the ingredients, and each square would be its own ingredient instruction until it got mixed together. I really enjoyed seeing what steps it took in order to properly make a hot beverage. It was a creative process. I think that if people would look at this diagram they would be able to make a cup of hot chocolate easily. I have all of the necessary ingredients; milk, Swiss Miss, whipped cream, and a mug. In class today, it was mentioned that each step should be 100% understandable. If whipped cream is put on the finished product, but the last step does not say to put on whipped cream, some people might be confused as to what the “white stuff” is on top of the finished hot chocolate. I made sure my last step to be to spray whipped cream on top of the drink. I put the final image in the middle of the four steps, and even topped it off with steam rising off the top of the mug.
When I first started this project, I decided to draw five thumbnail sketches each day. Something different would come to my head and I would jot it down in a note book while I was in class to bring back for later. I think my goal was to see how creative I could get with my drawings. I’m not the best artist, but my mom told me the best drawing sometimes comes along with not thinking and just doing. For the past week, all I have done is doodled my initials on notebooks. I’ve drawn at least 200 thumbnails, but only the best 36 made it into my sketchbook. I wanted to see what I was capable of; knowing I wasn’t the best artist, but having a great amount of creativity.
The detailed thumb nail I decided to use was my key tag design. It took me about ten minutes to finish the tag itself. The initials took a while as well, but I thought it was my best thumbnail because I took so much time on it. I drive a jeep wrangler and my father works for a car dealership back in my hometown, so my older brothers’ first cars were both red jeep wranglers. My father bought his first car at 18, and it was also a red jeep wrangler. Of course I had to finish the tradition and make my first car the same (fun story), but back to the point I thought it was fun to make a little key chain design. It took me the longest, and I put a lot of time and effort into it.
I’d say my AHA moment was when I was drawing my thumbnails over my letters. It took me a while to figure out each shape, and how it would fit with each design of my initials. I drew all of the tags or whatever you call it after I finished all of my initial designs. I thought my last initial design as well was pretty strong, so I want to include that with my other detail photo. It’s an inside joke between my basketball teammates from home and I. We always would yell “SLIMEEEEE” at the top of our lungs, so I tried to make a cool slime like pattern for the boys.
The connections I made in class weren’t so much as to what I learned through readings, but what I’ve learned about my own creativity. This blog post, and the past classes we’ve had these last two weeks have shown me how creative I really can be. Doing sketches in class, and being able to let my mind go and draw different designs just of my initials has taught me how my thought process and self design ability works. Very cool.
If I had more time I would have focused more on the tags rather than the initials. I didn’t really focus on that aspect as much as I wanted to. However, I really do love the effort I put into each thumb nail.
For this blog post, I decided to take a walk around the fabulous town of Bristol, Rhode Island. Before you read this post, I want to inform whoever views this, I have also included the main photos with the zoomed in portion of the element I decided to focus on. Some of the pictures taken were just really beautiful, and I felt that it should be included for the viewers enjoyment.
1.) COLOR
The first sensory principle I am focusing on is color. Look at the zoomed out image first, then take a look at the zoomed in image that focuses on the specific principle I am referring to. The first part of the picture I notice is the houses. They are very plain and boring. Then, look at the sunflowers. The yellow and blue go hand in hand to create a bright and joyful hue for the picture. Although they are not the most alive, the colors of the sky, and leaves support the flower itself both literally, and color wise. I think these colors work well together because blue and yellow go together to make green. So when those three colors sit together, it just seems to naturally fit.
2.) Shape
It’s very obvious that houses, when really studied, are crafted with a combination of different shapes. I wanted to zoom in on this particular spot because I thought this door was the best example of the sensory principle for shape. First, surrounding the entire entrance, bricks make up most of the house. I think houses made of brick are so satisfying because it looks even, and clean. The door itself, is made of one large rectangle. Then, inside of that are the windows, the window panes, and the designed etches on the bottom of the door. Notice, they are all made up of squares or rectangle. Shape is one of the most important sensory principles in my opinion because it is everywhere. Shapes are the base of anything and everything that is design, art, or just basic objects that we, as humans, pay no attention to. Also, pay attention to the window that is above the door. Although the glass is all rectangular shaped, it is so interesting to me that the brick closes around the glass, and it creates a semi-circle like shape. Designs of houses are always so cool to look at because the way shapes work together is unique and different than any other house.
Division of Space
For division of space, I took a picture of a brick path. What I love about this photo is how unequal the path itself is. If you look at the spacing in between each brick you can see the spaces in between. Some spots have moss in between, some have just rock or dirt. I had a hard time trying to find a good photo for this sensory principle, but I think this does a great job of illustrating how space can create patterns, or make designs look right. Think about this brick path, if the bricks weren’t spaced out, there would be no pattern, and I do not think it would look as pleasing or nice as it would with the spaces in between. Division of space helps make images look more comfortable.
4.) Relative Size
What picture could be better for relative size than a nice sunset view in Bristol’s port? I posted the zoomed in image first because I wanted to point out the main idea of relative size. In that photo, you see a boat on the water. You can’t tell what is around it, or how far away it is because it is zoomed in. Then, when zoomed out for the full photo, you can tell how far away the boat is from where I was standing. You are now allowed to see the full size of the water, and everything surrounding it to put the boats size and location into perspective. I think this is my favorite example. Not only because of the beautiful view, but because of the way relative size works. That specific boat isn’t in the center of the photo. When looking at the first picture, you can tell it is in a body of water, but not where or how far out. Relative size is so important, especially in art because artists have this ability to make things look like they are further than another object; when in reality it is all just on a piece of paper. Everything is the same, but when other objects are put into perspective, it allows other objects such as the boat to be further away. Very cool.
5.) Lines
I also had a challenging time trying to find something that would describe how lines work. I chose this dock, and the edges of it because I liked the way it was placed. What I mean by that is, you can see the sides of the dock, which are lines, and how they stop right at the water. Other lines in this photo include the poles on the dock. I liked the way they went in front of the boat because it blocked a portion of it,but the sides are lines, and you can see how they are parallel to each other. Lining is most definitely important in art and in life because it is basically the outlining of everything that is around. I once watched this cartoon episode of Fairly Odd Parents, and in the middle of the show, the lines around the characters are erased for a few seconds. It looks so different and strange. Without lines, there really isn’t that variable that defines what an object is, where it ends, and how it is shaped.
Post Write:
For this blog, I really wanted to focus on the aspects of Bristol itself. The town is so beautiful, and there are so many different examples of the five sensory principles that I could find, it just was a matter of what would be the best way to explain how it worked and why it worked successfully. Some problems I encountered were trying to find the right example for lines. I had a few photos of tables and doors, but I decided the dock photo was best because of the way it ended at the water. You really can see the way the lines work to make the shape of the dock.
I think my AHA moment came when I was looking for pictures to take when I was thinking about the way relative size worked. That picture of the boats sailing during the sunset just catches my heart. I loved everything about it, and it helped me understand how space really works. It opened up my mind and it felt really cool to just understand that whole concept of space and its important in art.
I was able to make the connections of what we learned in class about the sensory principles while I was actually working on the project. Being able to think about the way they worked, and find the right photo to illustrate a specific sensory principle was a challenge I really enjoyed taking on for this class. So, I thought it was cool to be able to take what I learned to help myself work on this blog, all while learning what the principles really were about.
If I had more time or resources, I definitely would have tried to find a better example for lines. I think it is an okay example but only because I explained it well. I really could not find a solid picture that allowed someone to see it and know right off the bat it was the sensory principle of lines.
For this blog post, I decided to take a walk around the fabulous town of Bristol, Rhode Island. Before you read this post, I want to inform whoever views this, I have also included the main photos with the zoomed in portion of the element I decided to focus on. Some of the pictures taken were just really beautiful, and I felt that it should be included for the viewers enjoyment.
1.) COLOR
The first sensory principle I am focusing on is color. Look at the zoomed out image first, then take a look at the zoomed in image that focuses on the specific principle I am referring to. The first part of the picture I notice is the houses. They are very plain and boring. Then, look at the sunflowers. The yellow and blue go hand in hand to create a bright and joyful hue for the picture. Although they are not the most alive, the colors of the sky, and leaves support the flower itself both literally, and color wise. I think these colors work well together because blue and yellow go together to make green. So when those three colors sit together, it just seems to naturally fit.
2.) Shape
It’s very obvious that houses, when really studied, are crafted with a combination of different shapes. I wanted to zoom in on this particular spot because I thought this door was the best example of the sensory principle for shape. First, surrounding the entire entrance, bricks make up most of the house. I think houses made of brick are so satisfying because it looks even, and clean. The door itself, is made of one large rectangle. Then, inside of that are the windows, the window panes, and the designed etches on the bottom of the door. Notice, they are all made up of squares or rectangle. Shape is one of the most important sensory principles in my opinion because it is everywhere. Shapes are the base of anything and everything that is design, art, or just basic objects that we, as humans, pay no attention to. Also, pay attention to the window that is above the door. Although the glass is all rectangular shaped, it is so interesting to me that the brick closes around the glass, and it creates a semi-circle like shape. Designs of houses are always so cool to look at because the way shapes work together is unique and different than any other house.
Division of Space
For division of space, I took a picture of a brick path. What I love about this photo is how unequal the path itself is. If you look at the spacing in between each brick you can see the spaces in between. Some spots have moss in between, some have just rock or dirt. I had a hard time trying to find a good photo for this sensory principle, but I think this does a great job of illustrating how space can create patterns, or make designs look right. Think about this brick path, if the bricks weren’t spaced out, there would be no pattern, and I do not think it would look as pleasing or nice as it would with the spaces in between. Division of space helps make images look more comfortable.
4.) Relative Size
What picture could be better for relative size than a nice sunset view in Bristol’s port? I posted the zoomed in image first because I wanted to point out the main idea of relative size. In that photo, you see a boat on the water. You can’t tell what is around it, or how far away it is because it is zoomed in. Then, when zoomed out for the full photo, you can tell how far away the boat is from where I was standing. You are now allowed to see the full size of the water, and everything surrounding it to put the boats size and location into perspective. I think this is my favorite example. Not only because of the beautiful view, but because of the way relative size works. That specific boat isn’t in the center of the photo. When looking at the first picture, you can tell it is in a body of water, but not where or how far out. Relative size is so important, especially in art because artists have this ability to make things look like they are further than another object; when in reality it is all just on a piece of paper. Everything is the same, but when other objects are put into perspective, it allows other objects such as the boat to be further away. Very cool.
5.) Lines
I also had a challenging time trying to find something that would describe how lines work. I chose this dock, and the edges of it because I liked the way it was placed. What I mean by that is, you can see the sides of the dock, which are lines, and how they stop right at the water. Other lines in this photo include the poles on the dock. I liked the way they went in front of the boat because it blocked a portion of it,but the sides are lines, and you can see how they are parallel to each other. Lining is most definitely important in art and in life because it is basically the outlining of everything that is around. I once watched this cartoon episode of Fairly Odd Parents, and in the middle of the show, the lines around the characters are erased for a few seconds. It looks so different and strange. Without lines, there really isn’t that variable that defines what an object is, where it ends, and how it is shaped.
Post Write:
For this blog, I really wanted to focus on the aspects of Bristol itself. The town is so beautiful, and there are so many different examples of the five sensory principles that I could find, it just was a matter of what would be the best way to explain how it worked and why it worked successfully. Some problems I encountered were trying to find the right example for lines. I had a few photos of tables and doors, but I decided the dock photo was best because of the way it ended at the water. You really can see the way the lines work to make the shape of the dock.
I think my AHA moment came when I was looking for pictures to take when I was thinking about the way relative size worked. That picture of the boats sailing during the sunset just catches my heart. I loved everything about it, and it helped me understand how space really works. It opened up my mind and it felt really cool to just understand that whole concept of space and its important in art.
I was able to make the connections of what we learned in class about the sensory principles while I was actually working on the project. Being able to think about the way they worked, and find the right photo to illustrate a specific sensory principle was a challenge I really enjoyed taking on for this class. So, I thought it was cool to be able to take what I learned to help myself work on this blog, all while learning what the principles really were about.
If I had more time or resources, I definitely would have tried to find a better example for lines. I think it is an okay example but only because I explained it well. I really could not find a solid picture that allowed someone to see it and know right off the bat it was the sensory principle of lines.
For the mind map assignment, I took the time to think about something important to me. Recently,I’ve been obsessed with the idea of finding my inner peace. Peaceful living is something I currently strive for at this moment in my life.
For my design, I decided to make a peace sign in the middle. I made my branches out of what I wanted to be a lava lamp design. I tried my best to be creative but I rarely draw. As shown in the illustration, there are quite a few aspects that are important to finding inner peace. Words such as meditation selflessness, happiness, and patience are all crucial to being where I want to be.
When I first sat down and thought about the different qualities finding peace required, I thought about meditation right off the bat. The ability to have silence and calmness only helps you find yourself, and allows you to clear your mind. That branch is definitely very important. It wasn’t until later in the day when I really had time to think about another important aspect. I can’t stress enough about how important it is to be happy. To be able to love yourself and be happy will only create a positive atmosphere for you to be in. I am most certainly an optimist so I put that down. Smile was a last minute add on. My grandmother always tells me to smile so that has to be apart of the mind map because I love her.
Selflessness took me time to really think about, and I’d say it was my AHA moment because that was when I realized for myself, what the final key was for finding my own peace.Being selflessness allows a human being to be so genuine. I always care about situations when they are brought to me, and I aspire to be an understanding person.
Compassion was brought to my attention when I asked my mother what she thought. It takes compassion because when you put significant others before yourself, that is the best kind of selflessness there is. I also mentioned patience which is very important to finding inner peace with yourself. It’s not going to be a one and done thing. Finding peace will take time, and it will take effort to try and search for that peace. If you can achieve that, however, it must be very satisfying.
For my second drawing, my main word was love. I went for a little romantic design; making roses as my branches, with thorns going up and down. I thought it fit the theme for love.
I wanted my focus to be a little different. I don’t know much about love, and I would not say it is much of a problem in my life, but love is important to me from a certain standpoint; loving others and yourself. Affection brings the feeling of being loved back by someone else;whether it be friends or family. It can also bring confusion and sadness if a relationship doesn’t go well that is important to you.
I took love out of finding your inner peace because I thought love was very important. Loving yourself and others only brings positivity. It takes a large amount of confidence in yourself and whoever else you share love with. If you are not confident in yourself, then that love is not at its purest form. If you are not confident with who you give your love to, then trust might accompany struggles to keep your love whole. Ever see those movies where the person looks themselves in the mirrors and hypes themselves up? That is confidence. Confidence is one of the key aspects to loving yourself and others. That is why I made it one of the main branches.
If I had more resources, I would’ve loved to paint my drawing instead of coloring it. I was into the lava lamp design for my first illustration. Painting and blending the colors would have looked so cool. I want to start trying to use all of the paper. I realized my illustrations do not take up the whole sheet and I could do a lot more in my drawings with it.
Maybe some of you have seen athletes such as LeBron James or Kevin Love wearing a T-shirt labeled, “Shoot hoops, not people”. The term is referring to one of the current ongoing issues in our country; gun violence. I think this is one of the coolest things I have seen an athlete do in a while. To be able to use your own social power to make an issue clear to the public just by wearing a shirt with four simple words. It’s moving. It’s inspiring. So it drove me to create this little illustration. I wanted to make the words large enough, with a symbol in each. “shoot” and “hoops” has a basketball as one of the O’s. “not” has a red cross in the middle of the O to signify not shooting people. Then, for “people”, the letter O was illustrated into an eyeball because that is the main target of gun violence. I didn’t use much color because what I really wanted to do was convey an important message. Once someone takes another persons life, it is over. That is why I love this quote. It’s so simple, and being someone who has looked to basketball in times of frustration or any reason to clear my mind, I can most certainly agree that shooting hoops is a much better option. I think the message is very clear. I put a basketball hoop over to the side just in case it wasn’t already. Mass shootings have just been an unpreventable problem our nation has faced over the last 20 years. At some point enough has to be enough. So instead of taking someone else’s life, go shoot some hoops.
Brett Grospitch COMM 240 