Before entering this brief I had little knowledge about further processes of design and art. I knew of these processes but most I had never really looked into, either due to the complications of doing them or lack of needed software / equipment. While some parts of these I disliked or didn't agree with the methods of them, others I had been wanting to try for years so I was very grateful to be given not only a module that would let me explore them but one that would have classes, taught by Jon, teaching the basics. With room for further development and given places to look into for this further guidance.
The open styled brief was a great experience to try things out, with occasional times of struggling to find a direction.
Digital Workspaces
"Figma is a collaborative web application for interface design - The feature set of Figma focuses on user interface and user experience design, with an emphasis on real-time collaboration, utilising a variety of vector graphics editor and prototyping tools."
- Wikipedia
When being given a small group project, we decided to use Figma to collaboratively make a mind map / mood board of our base idea. Having 4 people working on the same slide in real time was a unique experience, as it meant we could keep talking, checking on each other and working without having to gather round the same screen / paper. Although we were in the same room so still in proximity to talk, since it was online it also meant we would be able to take it away and add to it on another device, while all the others would be able to see. Since its a shared thing, it also meant that when it comes to screenshotting it for this document, we didn't have to contact one person who help it do disperse it as we could all have it.
The experience of using Figma was a present one that I would 100% use again, as its easy and accessible to use, it can have a limited canvas or one that's infinitely expanding, meaning there can be no limit to the space you use. Since its on a website, there is no install needed or heavy use of hardware. Meaning that I would be able to access it on any device when away, being able to keep up with the workflow while being able to move around the country. Figma is a flexible program that I have previously used for prototype app design and now collaborative learning, and I heavily doubt its uses stop there.
Digital Frame Based Animation
Final Firework Test Animation
"Animation is a filmmaking technique by which still images are manipulated to create moving images."
- Wikipedia
The aim of the workshop ran by Jon was to learn how to animate in photoshop using WACOM tablets. I had known this was meant to be a class for a while and it was one I was greatly looking forward to, as it has been something I've always had an interest in trying, however didn't have the means to start. The class itself was very free. We where told the basics and how to use the timeline and left to create a animation of a firework. If you finished making that, just go ahead and make something else.
Having an idea of basic animation and video editing was nice to enter this with, as it meant I had an understanding on how keyframes and timelines worked. This came in helpful as it meant I could keyframe the opacity of my firework at the end to have it fade out. Leaning about changing the photoshop setup, as well as features such as onion skin and timelines within photoshop was really interesting. This really helped widen my perspective on the software, as I know realise its potential and tools to be way more than just an image manipulation kit. Knowing this I would like to proceed to experiment around with it and find out what else it can do.
3D Modelling and Rendering
"3D computer graphics, sometimes called CGI, 3-D-CGI or three-dimensional computer graphics, are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering digital images"
- Wikipedia
While doing the 3 or so week Cinema 4D class, we where given the task of making a blood vessel simulation from scratch, starting with creating red blood cells, white blood cells, then putting them inside a tube. Starting out with the blood cells we were taught a method that created a basic shape and then used one of the modelling features in the software, I believe it was called subdivisions but I don't fully remember the name of it, to add more edges and detail into the basic shape. Tags were applied to the cells to give them weight and collision next. After this, we gave it a basic colour and created a texture for it. This was done for both red and white blood cells, before using a cloner to make lots of them.
After this was done, we used a pathing tool to create a path. We could then use this path to apply motion of the blood cells to, as well as use it to create the structure for a tube to follow. The tube also needed tags applied so that the cells would not fly through it, while we also needed to make it slightly thick to make sure no cells clipped through. After making this tube the simulation was done, we were able to have a play around with the width of the tube by thinning it in order to create a live simulation of what a heart attack looks like.
Using Cinema 4D was an interesting experience as it was looking into technology and methods I had always assumed very complex and overwhelming. Although it was interesting and could of definitely been used as a stepping stool to get into the 3D design and modelling practice. The fact that, as of writing, I've already forgotten the smaller specifics of how to do what we did, such as where things are in the software, has made the support of the class a little less effective. Granted I still know the basics of what to do, so I would only have to look up how to do them / find them, which is better than not knowing anything at all.
I believe although interesting, this software isn't too appealing to me. As I found the menus and systems to be small and overwhelming. It's not something I'd be against learning and using if I had to, but if there are other options that may be easier to use I would like to try them out.
Coding with AI
"Generative artificial intelligence is a subset of artificial intelligence that uses generative models to produce text, images, videos, or other forms of data. These models learn the underlying patterns and structures of their training data and use them to produce new data based on the input, which often comes in the form of natural language prompts."
- Wikipedia
Over the 5.2 module I had 2 projects which involved coding. One was creating an algorithm to create lots of different randomly generated cover designs out of shapes, and the other was to create a system that would analyse a given songs data and create something out of it. Although the second one remained unfinished due to technical restraints, the cover project got a full code created for it.
Personally I have no idea how to code, I used to do a small bit of python code in school but I was never really good at it and either way have forgotten all of it. So how did I go around making decently big projects within limited time with this lack of knowledge? AI. It may not be quick or optimised, but it got the job done. Although these were projects that I was interested in learning how they work, AI was unfortunately the only real way I could do it, as using different guides would of taken months of work to get the basics down. Yes AI is a great way to compile all this information into one, and learn specific steps with personal assitance. Personally, working with it for me was more of a gimmick and never really something I would fully turn to, due to the struggles of getting exactly what you want, as well as ethical issues such as how it gets its information and environmental issues such as the very high energy and water usage of data centres that train these generative AI.
This chapter of my process document was more focused on the reflection. If you would like to read about the individual projects done they are linked below:
Brutalist Websites Research
Within 5.2 we where given a task to go and look into brutalist websites and write a short passage on our first impressions. Although a quick exercise it did allow me to see some websites I wouldn't normally see, with some interesting design choices that you don't normally see.
The passages I wrote are linked below:
Identifying Workflow Enhancements
Another smaller task from 5.2 was having to self assess our workflow and find parts of it we could improve on. For me this mainly came down to making my work and research less improvised, by creating a full plan before hand of the things I would like to look into and an idea of things to make and improve on.
For further detail on this side task, the blog I ended up with is linked here:
Conclusion and Reflection of 5.2
Being all about technologies, 5.2 was filled with lots of going out of your comfort zone. Whether it was looking at new software I'd never even dared to look at, or self assessment of how I can improve my own motivation and work, 5.2 was filled with different things to do each week.
Having the leedsdotgrahpics website to keep document of all this has been a blessing as it's been simple and easy to write up anything I've done, without having to worry too much about page layout, as well as things such as organisation, how to cross reference our own work, and so on as its all been easily assessable in one place through links and the website. Making it much easier than using something like inDesign, which in itself has made it easier for me to decide to start or continue writing, as its simple to open and start.
The main tasks of 5.2 took me from processes I've always wanted to use to ones I never want to touch again. Being introduced to all these things was initially overwhelming, as picking one thing to focus on when it can be literally anything in the world is a tough start. However once done it was easy to focus, as I cold use any resource and / or program I wanted. Having more complex systems such as Cinema 4D and frame based animation taught in a class, instead of the self research we had been doing, was good as it meant we were given a solid understanding of the basics in case we wanted to use them. As they were more complex but defined systems this would get rid of the learning process for the initial set up steps and learning of the basics, which would of been a lot harder to do on your own, especially for a software such as Cinema 4D.
