Category Archives: Field Trips

Coursework, Field Trips

Cooper Hewitt Museum: Post-Visit

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I had never been to the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum prior to this trip. I had only initially known it existed because I had happened to walk by it in the summer. After spotting it, I fully intended to go, I just never planned when, until now.

 

Staircase Model (France), Mid–Late 19th Century

It was very interesting to see the range of items they had. When thinking and studying design, I’ve only thought of it in terms of a digital realm. It’s easy to forget that design isn’t just about posters and web logos. It also has to do with more physical things, such as houses, furniture, and technology.

 

Concept Art, Bear Cubs, Brave, 2012

My favorite exhibit was the Pixar one. I love cartoons and knowing how much time and effort goes into each one of Pixar’s movies, it was interesting to see concept sketches for characters and how the ideas, trial runs and outside inspirations got them to what we know them as today.

 

Salzhaus by Felix Pfäffli

Another image I saw at the exhibit that caught my eye was a poster, Salzhaus by Felix Pfäffli. While I appreciate the interesting combo use of colors, the closeness of the letters (tension) made it uncomfortable to read. According to it’s webpage on the Cooper Hewitt site, the poster was “intended to ‘distort, warp and disassemble.'” I believe Pfäffli was very successful in designing his piece.

Coursework, Field Trips

MoMA Visit

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Making Music Modern: Design for Ear and Eye
Making Music Modern: Design for Ear and Eye

Visiting the “Making Music Modern” exhibit at the MoMA let me see how implied movement with sound can help increase the images’s ability to seem as if it were moving. There was one video that had a few images moving, one of which was static, but since it popped up on the screen and was paired with music caused it to successfully be seen as having movement. If the image was by itself, with no sound, the implied movement may not  have been so clear.

It was also interesting to see how a few shapes placed together, whether it be through layering, transparency, spacing, and scale could help imply movement in a non-moving image.

My favorite pieces within the exhibit were the ones using lines. It’s easy and simple to use a line to imply movement. The eye can easily follow the line of implied movement. This just reminds me how simple versus complex can be just as effective when creating designs, which is something people tend to forget because everyone wants to  be unique and stand out.