I chose David Shrigley. He is a visual artist, sculptor, photographer, filmmaker, video director, and author. I was drawn to him  because I think his work is innovative and interesting. I read somewhere, “Absurdism is the glue that mixes Shrigley’s blend of innocence and menace.” I think this is spot on. I think he’s brilliant, and brilliantly interesting.   

Shrigley’s work fits into the genre of hand-drawn. It suits the simplicity, structure and composition of his animations. I really like his use of simple shapes, and lack of color. It gives the piece a really cool dimension.

I think this animation is very clever, and entertaining. The starting composition, with the square army of men marching in I thought was really well done. I love the use of shape for the little beings, and how it coincides with the personality/mood depicted. I thought the sound helped this piece immensely. This element I think is mainly responsible for keeping you engaged and in some way participating. The purpose I believe was to entertain, and likely as means for the artist to release his creativity. 

NEW FRIENDS -David Shrigley

I think if I understood parenting, nesting and recomposing I could have spent far less time working on my typography in motion project. I’m sure as well would have alleviated many of the headaches. 

I had several “source” files that would have made more sense treated as comps. Parenting in particular I think would have made the majority of my project so much easier. Also, I think using parenting, nesting and recomposing would have made my project much easier to manage, and follow at times.

I thought this video was very well done. It got it’s desired point across. The author I believe was trying to portray how extensive and impressive Adobe programs have become. As well he/she wanted to convey the creator is who holds the inspiration, and ability to execute design.

Using the genre collage I think was well suited. The movement along with music from one geometric absolute to it’s counterpart, organic free-hand designs spoke to versatility, and dimension of possibilities.

The use of screen space seemed to dramatize the feeling of creation. I really liked the way the animation of design elements appear as the man walks by that space. I see it representing blank canvas, and creation of art by the individual. 

http://psd.tutsplus.com/articles/techniques/a-20-minute-intro-to-typography-basics/

There is a lot to know about typography apparently. I guess I’ve never thought through all these different aspects before. The terminology relative to the anatomy of typographic characters I found interesting. I now understand the difference between “widows” and “orphans.” I’ve heard both words, and always thought them to mean the same thing. The difference between them lies in their placement on the page, or paragraph.
There are many links in this website, with wide range of information. I found some interesting tips on how to best use typography in design. As well some very cool examples for inspiration.

The sky is made up of the word “happy,” repeated in blue with circle of yellow to represent the sun. Green lines (grass) with the word “alive” is growing from the bottom. The “alive” shape grows, stands tall and the bedding to wilt and die. As this happens the sun fades away and the blue sky fades to gray.