History of Digital Art: Pre 1960s

Final Digital Fabrication Post Cards

When thinking about digital fabrication, the use of patterns and modules comes to mind.  The main motive in the design for these post cards was to illustrate practices of fabrication through the use of words.  Not only were patterns used to create letters, but also to lay out the information in a systematic way, creating hierarchy and balance.

Through the use of Adobe Illustrator, the post card below focuses the viewer on the topic of the discussion.  The repetition of the letter "x" was utilized to create large individual letters.  Once the phrase was completed, it was copied and overlaid to develop the interesting pattern within each letter seen below.  To further the concept of pattern and repetition, the entire phrase was copied and overlaid a few more times with various layers of transparency.  The title and motive thus jumps out at the viewer and gives a glimpse of what digital fabrication may be about.  Additionally, each line of phrases gradually moves from left to right, developing a balanced composition that works to illustrate a supplemental pattern to the design.  The name and location of the lecture is given hierarchy over other information with the utilization of placement, size, and color.

The following post card was constructed in wordle.com, an online tool that generated "word clouds" with the provided text.  In this instance, color, size, and centrality create hierarchy for the topic of the lecture.  To keep with the concept of patterns to develop a composition, I chose to utilize the "half and half" option within the site which created a pattern of horizontal-vertical-horizontal placement of information.  Weaving the words across the page is a reflection of a popular technique within digital fabrication.

For the hand-drawn post card, the combination of squares to create letters developed a distinct and pronounced title.  These squares continue down the post card and lead the eye to a pattern of alternating short and long phrases to form the whole.  The use of color further distinguishes between the two types of phrases.  A clean and methodical advertisement is thus created, aligning with the ideals of digital fabrication.

Class Reflection 1.24.11

The topic of deadlines is an important issue to discuss as unfortunately, most tasks get completed only when a mandatory deadline is instilled.  The brilliant movies created by Pixar would never become realized without a deadline since they would probably still be working on the first one.  The bottom line...nothing is perfect.  One can spend an entire lifetime tweaking a project, and never be done.  So the question is, when do you stop designing?  Are you missing out on important aspects or opportunities if you stop too early?  How do you know?  The prominence of the evolutionary phases of technology thus comes to mind as a single individual is never going to take an innovation to its fullest potential.  The steam engine was able to become what it is today only because it was passed down to various people who took it to the next level.  The computer is what it is today because of the same evolutionary transition.  I would have never thought I can, for instance, video chat my friend in another state through a "computer" that looked like nothing more to me than a green screen of numbers and letters in my second grade classroom.  The lesson learned: take a design as far as you can within a set period of time.  And what is this magic amount of time?  I believe it's when you can look at your work and see you have brought up a question, idea, or inspired someone to take it further.

The Steam Engine and the Computer

The steam engine is a prime example of the evolution of technology.  Many people assume it only takes one idea/invention to create something useful.  In the steam engine's case, it took various inventions that were then combined to make it what it is today.  Similar to the steam engine, the computer has evolved through the combination of people's ideas since the first computer was created.  Herbert A. Simon has made a point to explain the fact that one cannot simply follow the computer's instructions.  By immersing oneself in the technology, new possibilities can form.  Not limiting oneself to the apparent capabilities of the computer can open the door to shaping the future of computers one wants to see.

Why don't people in old photos ever seem to smile?

Well besides the fact that people could not possibly stay still for the exposure time (up to ten minutes), photographs were once a serious matter that illustrated ones prosperity.  If you were to only have a few pictures taken in a lifetime, you wouldn't want a silly smile that can discredit your authority.  Additionally, people during this time did not have access to great dental care.  Therefore, showing off their teeth wasn't a good idea.

Digital Fabrication Post Cards

Class Reflection 1.19.11

After researching various digital art forms, it became apparent the potential of digital media is not limited to programs tailored to design.  For instance, ascii art utilizes 0s and 1s to create an image, while excel art makes use of the paint bucket to format cells into a picture.  Such images led me to think about additional programs and how one can create influential art through the use of bland objects such as letters.  Why not take the text of an advertisement or logo and show the company's motive without an image?  Is an image necessary?  With the variety of programs available to designers in today's world, one should not limit a design to the traditional idea of art.  The patterns and arrangements that become apparent allow for limitless designs.

Class Reflection 1.17.11

The power of computers in today's society really struck me in class today.  For instance, the fact that NASA was able to land a man on the moon using a computer 1/1000th as powerful as a wrist watch gives some perspective on just how powerful the computers we are using today really are.  This started to get me thinking of what the possibilities and limits of a computer in future generations may be.  Society has become completely dependent on digital technology as our professional, social, and personal lives are run through the use of computers.  Just how much farther can it go?  As we progressively allow the computer to control more and more aspects of our lives, will we eventually become completely dependent?  Although there are obviously many positives that result from this rapid advancement of digital technology, I'm beginning to think this revolution will become a handicap in future generations.

How does digital media enhance design possibilities?

As digital media advances, all forms of media advance and morph as well. For instance, the creation of the iPad has taken the experience of reading a magazine to a new level. Instead of flipping through the pages of a printed magazine, iPad users can now interact with the publishing's content, viewing videos that go deeper into the stories of a certain event/person that interests them or selecting desired items that are linked directly to the online merchant. With this advancement in digital media, the design of magazines have thus simultaneously transformed.


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