Beginning and End

        An element  of graphic design that has caught my eye would have to be a certain comparison.  Mainly, when you compare the beginning ok skill and technology,  to the end. While it's easy to look at the wider range of design throughout the ages, I feel it's important to acknowledge design changes across small amounts of time. How small am I talking about? Well, as always, let's look  ahead.

      So, as we know, the artist can improve over time. So long as they keep learning, and practicing what they do, you will see a massive change in skill. This might be seen as a change in one's art style, or an increase of content. Granted, this isn't to say skills will always improve. That's always going the be up to opinion, or could have a third-party involved like injury. Still, it is something to keep an eye on throughout an artist's life.

      What I really want is to focus on however, is how one can use a specific tool. For this discussion, let's turn our attention to the Gameboy.

Image courtesy of Wikipedia. 

       In the early days of the Gameboy, the games were pretty simple to understand. Games like Tetris were easy to program in, meanwhile games like Super Mario Land were essentially heavy demakes of games like Super Mario Bros. However, as the technology of the Gameboy began to be mastered, and well-learned, things improved. We had games like Pokemon Red and Blue, which featured multiple, collectable characters with their own stats We also had the Wario Land trilogy, based off of the original Mario land, but with a new set of mechanics, better sprites, and refined controls.

    So all in all, I would say it's fun to watch styles from beginning to end. See how one can change, and improve, whilst working with what they have. It can, in turn, inspire others to follow suit, and learn more about design. With all of that being said, thank you for reading, and stay tuned!

 

Tone Change

     So, let's say you've taken a picture in black and white. It gives off a somber, almost nostalgic feeling with the limited palette. However, what if you added colors to it? Well, then that somber feeling is instead replaced by a more upbeat one. The simplest edit could cause a drastic change in tone to a project. From simple audio fixes, to a major overhaul to the story, our blog topic today will be about how easy it could be to change the tone. Without further ado let's jump on in! 

     Now, most likely you won't want to change to tone of your work going into it. However, wether you realize it or not, that tone might undergo alterations during editing. Granted, it might be something small, like the art style, or one scene. Bear in mind, a tone change isn't always this big grand thing. It can always be you looking at your work, thinking it doesn't fit the tone you want, and making little edits. However, that doesn't mean big tone changes can never happen.

     As for bigger, more intentional changes of tone, those tend to be more interesting. For an example, I'll use the Jak and Daxter games. While the first game is more or less a standard action-platformer, with bright visuals, and cartoony personalities, Jak and Daxter II is certainly a change. Swapping out the original, colorful tone for a darker one, with gun-play mechanics, a darker story, and a more beastial main character, it certainly isn't the same game. It worked however, as not only did Jak and Daxter II outdo the original, but it set the tone for the rest of the franchise, albeit being 3 more games and some cameos. This is just one example of an extreme tone change, but I hope it paints an idea of what I want to illustrate.

     

 

Images courtesy of Moby Games and IGN respectively.

    Generally, a change in tone, whether it be in a franchise, or in one's work, is a hit or miss decision. Whether an audience sees it midway through, or learn of what could have been, they'll usually have a preference for the tone. At the end of the day, whether you change things up or not, is up to you. Just make sure to have a good note on what the reaction will be.

    With all of that said and done, I hope you enjoyed, and stay tuned!

Stylistic Changes

       So it's not an uncommon sight to see a logo change, or to see an art style for a show look different from when it began. Now, obviously, this could be a byproduct of having new people take over for something. However, this could also just be slight changes and tweaks to one's style after learning more. At the end of the day, style will change in media. Today, this is what I want to talk about.

       So, starting off, there's always the fact that people will just want to keep up with the times. Logo changes may signify a transition into a new era, wether it be for personal beliefs, a change in management, or to keep up with the times. I feel a good example would be the WWE logo.

 Image courtesy of logomyway http://blog.logomyway.com/wwe-logo/

      Here you have a good demonstration of keeping up with current trends, and personal events getting in the way. You have the logo going from being a grandiose, trophy like image, to being a bit more fun. Come the Attitude era for WWE, and they make it look more like it was scratched in to appeal to a hardcore audience. Eventually, they drop the F because of a lawsuit from the World Wildlife Foundation, and then clean the logo up a bit. I would actually argue this is one of the few simplified logos done right, considering it makes it seem more business savvy, but it keeps that jagged look people are so familiar with, and makes it look a bit like an award itself.

  

         However, then we get to style changes that fit more into details. Sometimes, certain elements will get taken away to make the art process easier. Still, there are times when more detail is added, say when they get more money to work with. Then again, it might also just be a choice to change how things look in a show as characters age. It really depenfs on circumstance. Sometimes the change in style is, as I stated before, just a result of the previous team or designer leaving, and a replacement stepping in. Sure, they might mimic the style well, but there will always be that element that can't be replaced.

          At the end of the day, nothing is going to stay the same. Even if the changes are so minor, they're still changes. If the decision is to make a logo look like it did before, that's still a change. The style of media will always take a turn towards something else, whether it be good, or bad. With that in mind, let's be more open to change, and pay more attention to when we see it happen. With that said, thank you for reading, and stay tuned!

   

        

Returning to Normalcy

             Well, it's good to be back to regular posts every two weeks. Sorry for the weird break for the past while, too many life changes happened all at once. Anyways, this blog mostly be a semi-sequel to another post I made, The Effects of the Pandemic!

https://h8l0v.blogspot.com/2020/10/the-effects-of-pandemic.html

               My reasoning for this is very simple, as we begin to exit the cursed effects of 2020. The vaccines are being rolled out, more places are opening up, and now we designers need to create around that. We need to welcome people from their houses with positive imagery, advertise for them to get back together, and of course, relearn to draw faces.

             That said, it will not be the normalcy we remember. There was more than a disease that made 2020 The utter nightmare it was. Namely some political disagreements that have people more split than ever before. This has unfortunately affected the subject of Covid-19, and the standings of many businesses as well. On top of that, many people learned from last year what they are worth, how to make money easier, but also that they may have liked certain things after quarantine. Not to mention certain features like delivering food, masks being sold, etc. made great money for businesses.

              All I can really say now is this. The effects from last year will never, and I mean NEVER, be forgotten. Whether that is someone continuing to wear there mask until they die, sitcoms and tv shows referencing how we live today, or another argument between the left and right whatever, probably toilet seats. We're returning to the normalcy, but it is not the same. 

The Effects of the Pandemic

     

 Our lives now.

      

                  Recently, I've been seeing ads on TV, in papers, and online where it feels like the pandemic of Covid-19 must be addressed in some fashion. Commercials for restaurants which urge you to stay home; pictures of auto-shop workers in cloth masks; political campaigns where one side blamed the other for the problems of the virus. It's a bit hard to believe that a 30 day shut-down has escalated so much into our lives that it feels normal. This has me thinking about how much the design philosophy has changed to reflect current events. I then realized however that this isn't the first time we've had to change it.

               Think back to the early days, let's say the first two World Wars, where propaganda against the enemy and support for our countries was through the roof. We were in an era of change, where we couldn't do things the way we used to and had no idea when we could go back. There had to be rationing of  foods and gas, new laws made, and even deals struck that created products in their form today. For example, the Twinkie used to have banana cream before we had to ration bananas out. Now think about anything today that could be affected by the pandemic in such a way.

Images from allthatsinteresting.com

                    I can already imagine food delivery becoming more popular after this is over.  There is also the fact people could want more focus on vaccinations for future viruses. So many things that have changed, so we need to find a way to design with it. Create logos for special masks, advertise new hand sanitizers, etc. I'm sure that as long as we stay in things, it will be alright. With that said, thank you again for reading, and stay tuned.

Going Online

            Alright, so...... my class is going online. To put it simply, right now we're having to deal with the Corona Virus scare, and thanks to that, I'm out of school for two weeks. This was a decision by the school's administration, and we will still keep lessons up. In the ned though, I will have to adapt. Something I went into good detail about, last week, I have to do. All of my work will now need to be done at home.  I can now sleep more, but at the cost of that, I don't have the best resources. I also have a more strict online schedule, but it should help me keep up on work better.

         During this time though, I promise to still post blogs, and I promise to still keep up my work. I'm too insane right now to give up so that won't happen. To show you I will still work, I'll post some graphics I make next week.  Other than that though, thank you for reading, stay tuned, and stay healthy.

Design In Wrestling

     Ah, professional wresting, a... complicated situation. So, remember everything I said about design? Deadlines, drafts, finding the right audience? Toss it right out the window! Nothing can stay the same, and anything can change! That isn't an exaggeration either, as a fan of wrestling, I notice things become different around two or three weeks. Of course, that does come with some complications.

       You see, this is a form of entertainment you see live. It's also one with several shows, and many actors. Now, say it's fake all you want, there are real stunts they perform that can get them injured. While a ladder jump maybe scripted, they are still jumping off a ladder. Now, let's say they were injured in that jump for a month, and that person was supposed to be the next title holder. Now you have to change plans, any potential merchandise, matches, it just throws things off. It's not just injuries either. Real life events, the audience reaction, or backstage shenanigans can just have everything go bonkers.

            So..... you can't make plans to ahead of time. You also can't give up either, because the plans could really pay off. In the end, all you can do is adapt. Just adapt, maybe change someone's personality, but make sure things are controlled. Things will change, but you'll be surprised by results. What could have been a good toy would be a better toy. Maybe a video game will be better f they delay it. Either way, the design side of this business requires you to adapt.

                 Well those are my words on the subject. Thank you once again for reading, comment below, and stay tuned!

Are Fads Important?

                    So, I was taking a walk one day, when the idea of fads suddenly struck my mind. Essentially, I remembered what someone said about the 3d craze for video games.  How he believed that while it ruined what could have been great games, it showed what works, and what doesn't. Now, I am not saying 3D games are a fad, but the idea that every game has to be 3D is. Eventually that idea died down, people learned from it, and moved on. So what I am asking is, do fads teach us what works and what doesn't?
   
                  To give you an idea of what I mean, remember silly bandz? Those weird toys kids would bring to school, wear, trade, etc?                                   If you don't, hopefully this image they own, and from their Amazon listing will remind you. They were pretty popular for awhile, but most teachers found they were distracting kids. Eventually, it got to points they would take them from kids, or ban them, and then one day.... They weren't popular anymore. The generation that liked them grew up, and someone showed the kids something else, all in the span of a year.
   
                   So what happened to them? Well, when people age, or certain events like banning occurred, nobody would be interested anymore. Either that, or a sort of semi-controversy formed.  Advertisers will see this, and move on to something else, or they go bankrupt. So fads are important, as they show what will work, and what won't Anything that works will stay, and you build around it. Stuff that doesn't, well they disappear.

                 End of the day, just pay attention to them. I'm not saying you have to buy them, or cash in on them, but see what can be learned from their success or failure. You might just be surprised. With that, thank you for reading, and stay tuned!