Extensions of Man

Extensions of Man

 

The first thing I decided to look at were printers, I got this idea because my dad recently purchased a new Macbook and with it he received a new printer as well, it is a copier, photo printer, scanner, etc and it is also wireless. I thought back to when printers and copiers first came about, and in the picture of the left shows one of the first printers/copiers. It is huge and takes up almost an entire room. Today we see printers/copiers like the one on the right, tiny and compact and can fit on the top of a desk. It is amazing how technology can change in a short amount of time. Even comparing the left picture of the printer/copier to an industrial one found in an office it is 1/4 the size of the one in the picture above. I percieve this as an extension of man because we have been able to use technology and science to downsize something that was once the size of a small room into something that can fit onto a desk top.

 

I also decided to look at cellphones and that technology. If you look at one of the first cell phone models, the top image you can see who unsophisticated and simple they were. They had a very large and bulky body with a keypad and a small digital screen to see the numbers you were entering. They also used large antennas. Today, we see things like the Blackberry or iPhone and compared to the first cell phone seems unfathomable. Today we can use our cell phones not only for phone calls but text messaging, emails, internet browsing, even video-chatting. In the 1970's when the first cell phone was actually shown to the public no one imagined it would come as far as it has today with capibilities that back then seemed impossible. Today the cell phone is most peoples way of communicating to everyone. 

Images Manipulated in Photoshop

This is a photoshopped image of Kim Kardashian, the one on the left is the original and the one of the right is the retouched image. You can see many differences with this photo, for example her legs are photoshopped to seem thinner and has a more even skin tone on the right. Her face has also been lightened and more contoured to look thinner. Her outfit seems to have been retouched as well, it seems frilled on the left photo and more even and perfect on the right. Also her right hip and thigh were retouched to appear thinner as well.

The next image I chose was of Britney Spears, her images have been very controversal because recently them seemed to all be photoshopped. The image on the left in comparison to the one on the right has clearly been retouched in photoshop. First her legs appear thinner and the bruises in the left picture have been removed. I think the entire image has been airbrushed to make her skin look even and perfect. Her whole body has been slimmed down, her legs appear a lot thinner and also her hip and side that are showing on the cut out of her outside has been shaved down to appear thinner as well. Besides her being retouched in photoshop the background of the image has been retouched as well. Tecture and vibrance has been added to the photoshopped picture, maybe to make her stand out more. To me it seems like her body has been stretched length wise to thin her out and to make her appear taller.

Type and Contrast

I think this is an example of a poor layout, the colors are very muted but I think it doesn't help anything on the page to stand out except for maybe the background image. I think the text is very small and the color does not pop out enough for anyone to really read it. Also the title on the page "Flowery Exsistance" blends into the background and it is very hard to read unless you zoom in on the page. I think the text should be bigger and the artwork should be smaller and not so bold that you miss the point of this page as a blog, you look at it more like a pretty design. I think it is difficult for the eye to focus on the text when everything else is so large.

Although this layout is a little crazy with color I actually think it works. The contrast between the background picture and the white text space works well, the background maybe overwhelming to the eye at first you can move away from it and read the text because the contrast is so large. The colors used in the text coordinate well with the background colors, they use black texts and an orangey color for links etc. The green for the headers with the dark pink are also accent colors from the background, they all tie together somehow which I think helps this page layout work well, even if the background is crazy.

Concept and Manipulation of Theme

Shock Value

 

Warmth 

  

Mischief 

 

Variety

 

Obscurity

Caprice

Human Element

 

Nostalgia

Practicality

Vector vs Bitmap

Bitmap or raster images are made up of pixels or picture element which is the amount of color and light in each pixel that makes up an image. Each bitmap image is made up of tons of pixels to make it seem more real life and less like an image found on the web. Bitmap images can have infinite amounts of pixels in the image and are not limited by space or colors. One problem with bitmap or raster images is when they are resized the image often becomes distorted and unclear Bitmap images are used in photography and other realistic imaging because they are made up of pixels and have more freedom to be used in different ways. 

 

(google image search)                  (google image search) 

 

The other type of image is called a vector image. Vector images differ from bitmap images because instead of using pixels they use a calculation/formula created on software on a computer. These type of images are used more for logos and posters which use fonts. Vector images have innate transparency properties because they have more freedom due to the formula and software used to create them.

 

(from online readings)                         (google image search)

Arial

I think about font and type all the time, looking at different fonts while choosing one for a paper I may write or a letter I may type to someone is always interesting. I feel that fonts are a way of expressing yourself. You can use a bold font when you want to make a point or you are angry, and when you are happy you could choose a fun font that makes you happy when you use it. Type and font have always interested me, in school I would see how other people write and the dark or lightness of their writing was always interesting to me.

 

Arial was invented in 1982 by Robin Nicholas and Patricia Saunders for Monotype Typography. Arial has many variants to its original typeface for example; Arial Black, Bold, Extra Bold, Condensed, Italic, Light, Medium, Monospaced, Narrow, and Rounded. It is rarely used in advertising or in the media because of its competitor, Helvetica.

The font Arial is a classic font in my mind, although some people may say it is a boring version of Helvetica I prefer it. People can also argue that Arial is a copy font to Helvetica and the difference between them is very minimal. Everytime I open a Word document I chose Arial for my font. I think it is clean and simple. 

Some movie posters have used Arial for their typeface, including Pride and Glory and Persepolis. 

 

Not many people choose Arial as their choice of font but I do, and I would choose it over Helvetica any day!

Nostalgia - Beach Chairs

I know this might be a weird object that reminds me of many things but its true, beach chairs remind me of many past memories.
I have spent all, most, or part of every summer on Martha's Vineyard. My family has always obsessed over beach season, a time when we can all relax on the beach and read a good book in a comfortable beach chair. Picking out the right beach chair has always been a struggle for my family, too short, too tall, too narrow, too wide, etc.
I remember picking out my very first beach chair, it was fit for a 5 year old, hot pink with a white frame. I walked proudly down the path to the beach carrying my chair and towel with a big smile on my face because I was the proud owner of my very own chair no one else could use. As the summers went on, I grew out of that beach chair and it was time for an upgrade, I then chose a grown up chair with yellow and orange stripes.
I couldn't tell you how many beach chairs my family owns, or how many have rusted and been thrown away but they will always remind me of my summers on the Vineyard. Sitting in my chair, listening to the ocean, the sound of seagulls, soaking in the sun and reading a good book. The beach is where my family goes together. At the beach we talk, laugh, sit and read separately and swim.
Everyone in my family has their own chair they use and always trust. I couldn't even count how many extra chairs we have in our shed for guests and in case one breaks, but they will always remind me of my summers on Martha's Vineyard.