Christina Somar Final Project – The punishments are from The Inferno by Dante Alighieri Continue reading
The Seven Deadly Sins
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KRAZY!: Anime is not a serious art form
There are many opinions on the internet regarding the matter of whether anime is a form of art or not. Before handling this matter, one must first consider what constitutes as art. According to Britannica Online, art is defined as “the use of skill and imagination in the creation of aesthetic objects, environments or experiences that can be shared with others.” If asked what art is, the first thing that comes to mind is a painting, a drawing or a sculpture. Moving into the 21st century, many artists have traded their brushes, pencils and scalpels for something more hi-tech – animation. Here lies the birth place of the most popular Japanese export globally known as anime. Does anime possess the qualities that would make it a serious art form? The answer is no. This is because unlike what is known as art; many anime movies lack purpose, creativity and most importantly innovation. Continue reading
Cosmopolitan
The website for Cosmopolitan Magazine has a slideshow that shows the most interesting articles or topics for the present issue. The slideshow is interactive in that it provides both a forward and backward button. The viewer can also pause the slideshow to view details of the slide. I did use a linear timeline for my slideshow but because there are 10 pictures I also gave the viewer the opportunity to choose which picture they would like to view with a non-linear timeline as well. Each slide has a button that leads to the article or even another slideshow relating to the headline of the slide. The slideshow is placed on the website like a stack of post-it that reveals one message after the other. My slideshow was like a poster on the subway wall that changes as the viewer chooses. I like the fade in effect of each slide which I guess is the most common for such websites. The typography is consistent throughout and stands out from the background and pictures to get the viewer’s attention. A range of background colors were used in this slideshow but I kept mine the same and just had the picture changing as the viewer progresses through the selection chosen for the slideshow.
Final Project
For my final project I will be making a slideshow on the Seven Deadly Sins. I have chosen this topic because this is what I had originally planned to do for Project 3 but since 10 pictures were required I went with the ceramic sculptures. This slideshow is intended for those who are interested in this topic. I am excited to start working on this project because I have already made a plan on the design and other aspects of the slideshow more than I had thought about the ceramic sculptures. Since the class has already presented their slideshow projects, I see now what works and what wouldn’t. The background for my project will be black and probably have some small animation. The pictures will stand out and be the focus point of the screen. I am planning on using scroll boxes with information on each sin but this will depend on how much information I find. There will also be a link to a site so the viewer can find out their most prominent sin.
Interactive Slideshow
These are some of my favorite ceramic sculptures that I saw one day while walking along the tunnel from the A train that stops at 42nd Street – Port Authority Bus Terminal (8th Avenue) to the Shuttle at 42nd Street – Times Square (7th Avenue). Continue reading
Banners
I thought this was an excellent use of a banner for a website. The introduction was eye catching with the truck driving along the road and then the workers come out to tell all what a great cereal they produce. The rest is interactive so the viewer can get to the information needed just by scrolling over a worker. In a way it is like a formal presentation of introducing a new product for the market. Each worker does their part with a little sales pitch and a click link. The colors of the real world image work well with the background color of the website.
This banner for Maracas is simply a series of pictures taken in the night club. The surrounding border of the slideshow has a nice texture that meshes with the pictures. I think the designer should have included more pictures in the slideshow and also have numerous effects of changing from one picture to another other than dissolve. One good thing is that music is provided as the slideshow progresses and even if the page is changed within the website.
Second Lives:Remixing the Ordinary
The Second Lives exhibition shows that little everyday materials can be used to create something much more than the ordinary object itself. Each piece of the exhibition has its own story that varies across the entire two floors of magnificent artwork at the Museum of Art and Design. The artists used bits and pieces of single objects and combined them to form pieces that are unbelievable to look at. Every bit that was used showed great importance because it made the overall piece seem effortless to create. These bits also may have an important part in relating a message to the audience. Continue reading
Free Flash Tutorials
I was amazed to find a site completely dedicated to help users at any level work on projects using Flash CS3, Flash CS4 and even Flash 8. The website provides a free tutorial of working with Flash CS4 to create 3 dimentional objects. It provides a 30 minute video tutorial, source files and ActionScript notes to follow along while viewing the tutorial. I thought that the design was minimal with the shades of gray. The main text that says FREE FLASH TUTORIALS CS3/CS4 looked like a futuristic font and I liked that it was reflected at the bottom. There is nothing really that stands out except the 3D graphic that comes on as soon as you log on to the page. I clicked on the link that says View Graphic Option 2 and though that this should have been the main graphic for the page because the red flash symbols stand out against the gray background. Scrolling down, I think that the Screen Shot from Tutorial that says LET IT SNOW should have actually been a movie so that it would draw the attention of the user. Seeing the actual finished product would do a better job of engaging the user than a screen shot. I did not watch the entire tutorial but for the first few minutes, the instructor was very helpful in explaining all the steps in getting started to create the 3D object. The movie was set up so that a user can work alongside it and be able to follow the steps as the instructor is teaching using the source files that are provided on the website.
This teaching animation is not one that would hold the attention of a viewer like an animation to sell a product. Unless the viewer has an interest in the subject of CS4, only then will that person sit through the 30 minute tutorial to improve his/her skills. I much prefer the selling animation because much more effort goes into it in terms of layout, colors, music and everything else that will attract the attention of a viewer.
Christina’s Interface Project
Keeping the mind active
Recently, I bought a Nintendo GameBoy and some games I used to play as a child. One of the games I purchased was an all time favorite of mine, Tetris. I bought it with the intention to play when ever I wanted but lately my little sister has been using it more than I do. I just decided one to day to check out the website www.tetris.com and was amazed by the design. The first thing that really captured me though was the music. It is a modern upbeat remix to the original track that was on the game. I like this one much more. All of the tabs are easily accessible and hi-light whenever the mouse scrolls over it. The colors of the website really pop and makes it attractive to anyone’s eyes.
“It is typically listed as one of the top 5 video games of all time in magazine and Internet panels every year as much for its influence as for its gameplay,” says Tetris creator Alexey Pajitnov. I went to play the online version and was easily addicted trying to beat my high score every time. The little boy character was so cute as he was giving directions in the tutorial. I can’t believe that this game was created since 1987, so many years and it still remains a favorite for a great number of people.