Design Your Mind

I must say it has been a long time since I felt butterflies in my stomach. Playing in many bands and being on stage for a good portion of my life could not have prepared me for my first official photo shoot with a band that I truly admire and respect. This weekend I had the privilege of shooting my friends Alex and Tom from the band The Crash Engine, a local hard rock band.

The boys had a few ideas for the shoot but it was basically up to me to fill in the blanks and make their ideas come full circle. We headed out to North Portland (Mississippi District) in a hurry because we were running low on light. Alex and Tom wanted to use a tagged wall they found for their first location that read “Leaving hipster-ville. See you next time”. To be honest when I first saw the site I was puzzled as to how I was going to light Alex and Tom while still making the wall interesting. More importantly I wondered how I was going to power my lights. I ended up asking the Spanish speaking homeowner from the house behind the tagged wall if I could run extension cords from his front porch. He had no clue what I was talking about but agreed anyway.

Fumbling over my lights and camera from my nerves, I managed to come up with a solution that complimented both the guys and the tagged wall. I set an AB800 with a shoot through umbrella to the right of the camera and another AB800 directly to the left to add a sort of rim. With the lights at 1/1 ratio I set my camera to ISO100 f/10 at 1/125, and the shooting began. I was surprised at the results of this lighting configuration which gave me a confidence booster (Hey, maybe I can do this).

By the time our first location was spent of photos we had completely ran out of sun light. It was officially night time and there was no point in shooting the other location. I suggested that we head over to my school’s studio for the remainder of the shoot to salvage the time we had left. This turned out to be smart choice for me because I can better control the light in my school’s studio and still give Alex and Tom some great looking photos.

The lighting configuration I used in the studio was text book. I had an AB800 suspended above the guys with a beauty dish center of the camera. Then an AB800 left and behind with a green gel along with my EX580II pointed towards the backdrop. Pretty standard but effective. This setup lent its self to be very versatile and gave me plenty of great shots of Alex and Tom to choose from.

   

After the last shot was taken we headed out to McMenamins for a burger and a few brews and that was the end of my first official photo shoot. Please, if you have any questions/comments let me know.

See you around,
Aaron Trigg

Feel free to click on any of the pictures to get a better look

Recently for class I had been asked to take a local business and create a completely different identity. Because I am new to the Portland area I don’t really have any connection that would allow me to do such a project but conveniently my sister has a small jewelry line that she runs out of her house. She was a perfect candidate for this project. For the project I must create a series of postcards, a brochure, a two color newsletter and a catalogue. Everlasting, my sisters jewelry line, couldn’t have been a better choice for this collection of collateral.

One major obstacle for this project is getting some convincing photos of my sisters jewelry. I knew I had to take the matter into my own hands and learn the proper way to photograph small objects. So I took to the Internet and found some great tutorials on YouTube.com. There I found a series of videos that guided my shoot. I feel that the solution that arouse was a perfect fit and complimented the jewelry line.

Below is the lighting configuration I decided to use. There are two AB800s shooting 1/2. One above the light table and the other below the light table. I would have rather used a soft box instead of my umbrella but I did not have that luxury at this shoot. On the light tables top I have two reflectors folded in such a way that it bounces the light directly back at the jewelry. Then I cut a hole in a piece of Bristol and shot the photographs through that hole. That shoot through piece of Bristol added a very nice highlight to the front of the jewelry pieces.

In the examples notice all the beautiful highlights that are created with this configuration. I was ecstatic when I saw the results on my tiny camera screen. I found myself bracketing a stop down and a stop up for good measure.

I hope my sister likes the pictures along with the final output of the project. This should hopefully get her little business off the ground and running. Feel free to check out her site Everlasting if you like what you see.

I’ll see you around,
Aaron James Trigg

FF Trixie is a new typeface from Fontfont. I particularly enjoy the amount of texture that is produced from the mechanics of an old typewriter and this type face perfectly captures every detail. I think I may need to go pick up the family. Check out Fontfont. They have some amazing typefaces. Also, check out the Fontfont catalogue.

Cheers,
Aaron James Trigg

I found this video while cruising Youtube. I feel it sums up everything that I am learning and working towards at school. Bryan Peterson tries his best to explain the graphic design process in 60sec. I hope most people realize that graphic design isn’t just a kid and his computer but a series of step that require a design to be well thought out and executed.

Cheers,
Aaron James Trigg

I just want to say this before you read further: I love Radiohead. In no way is this a smash session on the In Rainbows package design. This is only my interpretation of what I feel could have made the design stronger.  

Cheers,
Aaron James Trigg

Color Theory Defense

Old Design

As a whole the Radiohead CD package is a very well put together design. The front of the case can jump out at someone at any record store. The current theme is very warm with its brightly colored paint splatters and rainbow color scheme. The CD Sleeve however, breaks the color scheme with its white and light blue graphics. Kind of a shock to have this sleeve fall out of the package and seemly have no connection with the design what-so-ever. Upon listening to the CD its seems that the rainbow scheme doesn't fit the listening style of the CD either. While one listens to the CD one will notice significantly more cooler undertones flowing rhythmically throughout the music then warm. Using the CD title may have not been the wisest choice for the direction of the CD package. Yes, it does pop off the shelf at stores but does it represent the content properly? For me, no. I have listened to the CD through and through studying and interpreting the music. I will like to take a more genuine less literal approach to the CD package scheme.

New design

Keeping with blue analogues background images would suit the “In Rainbows” album best. It will help better describe the overall musical subtleties of the album as they are more predominately cooler than warm. The outer image is an earth perspective of the moon beginning to erupt. There is derby raining down on earth as it destructs. A more abstract view on "In Rainbows". If the moon ceased to exist so would we. But we were told that the world would never be destroyed again. A promised sealed with a rainbow. There is one ray of light signifying one hope. The CD sleeve itself is a space perspective of the moon before complete destruction. The analogues blue conveys the feeling of cold nothingness. When the sleeve is folded it will make for an interesting double sided composition. The rainbow text style will be salvaged to have some reference to the original “In Rainbows” titling. The brightly colored text has been tinted with blue to better blend into the composition and keeping with the cold blue color scheme. These changes will be a sure fire way to make the album one cohesive masterpiece.

Blue is calming. It can be strong and steadfast or light and friendly. Almost everyone likes some shade of the color blue. In many diverse cultures blue is significant in religious beliefs, brings peace, or is believed to keep the bad spirits away. Blue conveys importance and confidence without being somber or sinister, hence the blue power suit of the corporate world and the blue uniforms of police officers. Long considered a corporate color, blue, especially darker blue, is associated with intelligence, stability, unity, and conservatism. Blue would fit Radiohead's “In Rainbows” for these exact reasons. The calming nature of the entire album deserves a blue scheme. There are moments in the album that I wouldn't consider calm. They are chaotic and put you at the edge of your seat. That is where the moon destruction comes in. The music is meant to calm a sooth you.

For a project in my Intermediate Drawing class at school I was assigned a gallery to visit and gather some inspiration for our next project. I did not intend on participating more then just viewing the art at the gallery but when I came across Snowberries it was clear to me that I should make my feelings known. I hope Neal doesn't find my blog and kill me.

Cheers,
Aaron James Trigg

Snowberries

Artist: Neal Philpott
Medium: Oils
Dimensions: H 48in x W 54in

I found Snowberries in the last gallery I visited. It was displayed in the Lawrence Art Gallery close to a side window and was being blasted with light from the mid day sun. It stood out to me, not because it was well-lite, brighter or better then any of the other compositions in the gallery, but because it was seemingly incomplete. The artist Neal Philpott had a few other paintings on display at the gallery. They were a fully flushed out and full of life-like details; an accurate representation of the world around us almost like a photograph. Naturally, if there is an incomplete work next to these beautiful life-like compositions it will stick out like a sore thumb as it did to me.

Upon doing research on snowberries I found that they are a small winter fruit. Many animals rely on this fruit to survive the cold winter months. Snowberries are poisonous to humans and are used for seasonal decoration. In Philpott's composition one can see the changing of the season. The looming winter months are just around the corner as the forest floor turns from a lush green to the vibrant yellows and oranges shown in the painting. Snowberries could be symbolic of the struggle winter brings to the forest or symbolic of the beauty found in the struggle to achieve.

Philpott is working in a relativity large size for this painting as he usually does; H 48in x W 54in. Oil paint seems to be his choice medium on canvas. There is some sort of sponge brush work in the foliage which gives it an organic spark. The rest of the painting looks to be done in short brush strokes giving the bark a fairly pleasing smooth tactile texture.

Deploying the theory that the farther a line recedes the smaller, darker and less saturated the line becomes helps this composition immensely with its illusion of depth. Also, the over lapping of the trees (line) helps this illusion. But what seems to be missing in Snowberries that is well executed in other Philpott work is the value contrast which really hits the illusion of depth home. If the overall value contrast of this piece was bumped up it would be beneficial for its depth illusion. Atmospheric prospective could also be utilized in this piece toward the top left where there seems to be a clearing giving the piece a much more dominate focal point. Just a little bit of gradation could have made the background seem much deeper too. Philpott uses this technique often but seems to have neglected it on this composition. (I wonder if it was intentional?)

The upper two thirds of the composition is dominated by the repetition of trees. These trees create an interesting rhythm throughout Snowberries and keep the interest of the viewer. One might feel that the repetition of the colors, however, is not so pleasant, almost distracting. A solution to the monotony of the limited color pallet could have been the increasing of contrast between light and dark, not only helping with the illusion of depth but breaking up the colors just enough to capture the attention of the viewer for a bit longer. A simple solution for a major problem.

Welcome to Resonatecc.com from Aaron Trigg on Vimeo.

When I first moved up to Portland I was asked by a friend to help Resonate, a new church plant that will be opening up in the first month of 2010. I agreed to help with what ever they needed. At first I had been doing only graphic design work for Resonate but recently I was asked to shoot a series of videos for them, a short introduction video that welcomes visitors to the Resonatecc.com website and a longer more in depth look into what Resonate is all about. At first I was extremely excited about the idea of getting back into video production work but then I soon realized how much planning and work actually goes into the process of shooting. Idea generation, story boarding, acquiring gear etc. All of the things that go along with shooting a video I had completely forgotten. So this video is the first of two that I have agreed to do. As I fumbled along it came out a little better then expected and ultimatley all the things I see wrong with the video no one will ever notice. take a lok if you like and leave me any feedback you wish.

Cheers,
Aaron James Trigg

After exploring the internet for hours last night searching for answers to all my 3D logo questions I found some good and not so good information on how to create them. There are plenty of tutorials out there that show you how to spice up a logo if you already have it as a 3D Object. But, for me, I didn't have the object made so I had to start from scratch. Not to many tutorials show you how to do this from scratch. I decided to fill in all the blanks with this tutorial, starting from square one. This is not meant to show you how to make a specific project but only aid in helping you with your 3D project.

Enjoy,
Aaron James Trigg



Creating 3D Text Tutorial: From Start To Finish




First off you must start with three programs: Adobe Illustrator, Blender 3D and Adobe Photoshop Extended. I'm certain this is not the only way to do this but it workes for me. Luckily Blender is free.

Start in Illustrator

1. Open Illustrator and create an new document whatever size you need for your design. The setting will not matter much, we'll be saving only the path information.



2. Use the text tool to create your desired graphic. Note: You can also make a complete logo if you want but this will create more work for you in blender. Refer to this link for instruction on multiple layers within Blender:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1iqbsiXe48&feature=related
For simplicity sake we will be only working with text this time around.

3. Right click the text after your done editing and click create outlines. This will make the text into paths that can be used by Blender. Note: If there are any overlapping paths you may consider merging the paths using pathfinder. This can help from creating headaches for noobies in Blender but is not a must if you are creating a complex logo.



4. When finished designing your text (or what ever you have been designing) save it out as an .SVG. Choose .SVG from the pull-down menu. This format stores all the path information and is easily read by Blender. You can use the default .SVG setting for this.



Time for Blender

5. Open up Blender and delete the default cube (press X and click).

6. Import the .SVG file you created in Illustrator. File--->Import--->Paths. Choose Inkscape (.svg) from the second menu to import your file.



7. Press tab to enter your object and 0 on your Number Pad to set the camera up in a useful position. Note: if you have any negative space paths in your original Illustrator file it may result in funky portion of you design either missing or transparent (this happened to me and drove me nuts for a few hours). You can fix it by selecting the negative space nodes (while hovering over press L key) and deleting (DEL key).

8. With your object selected increase the Extrude amount in the Curves and Surfaces pallet to a depth that is pleasing to you. I used a value of .40. You can also add Bevel Depth and Resolution if you require it. This will round your edges. To check the look of your design press 0 on the Num Pad the 5 to bring into perspective. Toggle back and forth to get the desired results.



9. After you have made your tweaks you must export the object. Choose File--->Export--->Waterfront(.obj). This format works seamlessly with Photoshop Extended. You can use all the default settings for this export.



Finally Photoshop!

10 .Open Photoshop and create a new document. Important:Be sure to make the document 32bit! This will allow for best results when importing your 3D layer (this was another one of my big hang-ups when I first learned to do 3D layers).




11 .To import your 3D object choose Layer--->3D Layers--->New Layers From 3D File. Choose All Formats in the Files Of Type drop-down menu to view your all files. Find your file and click OK. The object should appear on its back in the composition.

12 .Double-click the 3D object's little icon in the layers pallet. This will allow you to position the object using the tools at the top of the page.



13 .Once you have the object positioned it is time to change the bit depth so you can have more options for editing. Before changing it make sure to rasterize the 3D object layer by right-clicking the layer and choosing Rasterize Layer. Choose Image--->Mode--->16Bits/Channel. Now all common editing options should be enabled and ready for use.

14 .This is where you can take control of you design, whatever it may be. I will not go into depth as to how I got to my end result but I'm sure you can find all that info on the net especially Youtube.com. Remember to have fun.


This images is only an example of 3D text. By no means is this all that can be done.

My two main definition of art:

Art is: context, placment and perception.
Art is: art is anything that is appreciated.

Lately I have had to write a few essays that have been really bogging me down in school. Write is a very difficult thing for me to do when I find myself not interested in the subject. I was relieved to find out that my typography class' essay would be about a topic a care very much about which made it an easy essay to write. Design is something I hold dear to my heart and writing about one of my favorite designers is just something I thought would be appropriate.

-Aaron James Trigg

David Carson: Non Traditional Design

The term graphic design can refer to a number of artistic and professional disciplines which focus on visual communication and presentation. Various methods are used to create and combine symbols, images and/or words to create a visual representation of ideas and messages. All graphic designers have there own creative way of solving the problems of visual communication. David Carson is no exception; he is one of the great designers of the time as he breaks the mold of traditional design. He is the master at creating solutions for problems that would challenge the boundaries of design and logic. He is perhaps the most influential graphic designer of the nineties. If Harry Houdini is the master of illusion in magic then Carson, for graphic design, is the master of making magic from chaos and rebellion.

David Carson is an American graphic designer who is known for his innovative magazine design, and use of experimental typography. His designs are governed totally by feel and he often says he does not care about the people who do not like what he creates. If a graphic designer had to live by one quote it would be of Carson's, “...don't confuse legibility with communication just because something is legible doesn't mean it communicates. More importantly it may not communicate the right thing.” He was one of the first designers to completely shatter the rules of graphic design. Legibility was no longer the main focus of graphic design with the introduction of Carson's work. If a design could portray a feeling then the goal was met. The text no longer matter as much as the meaning that could be gained from the work.

Carson was born September 8, 1952 in Corpus Christi, Texas and has traveled much of the world. He was a very talented young artist yet his first significant exposure to graphic design education came as part of a two-week workshop in Switzerland, where the Swiss graphic designer Hans-Rudolph Lutz influenced him in the early 80's. He did also have a graphics class in 1980 at the University of Arizona but was not as influential as his later journey to Switzerland. A Bachelor of Arts in Sociology was Carson's main course of study.

Many people are astonished to find that Carson is not trained in the art of graphic design. A degree in Sociology and his professional surfing background are the only training that has acquired. All of his design work is gaged primarily on the message that he feels needs to be conveyed, nothing more. It must effectively portray the core meaning of what must be communicated for Carson. Similarly, when one knows when he or she has fallen in love Carson knows when a piece has been flawlessly executed. There could be loose ends defined by the standards of traditional design but if it does not help the meaning it is usually left as is.

In November 1995, the same year of the Oklahoma City Bombing, Carson published his first book the End of Print. It sold in five different languages over 200,000 copies and soon became the best-selling graphic design book of all time. He has gone on to publish a series of six other books: David Carson: 2nd Sight: Grafik Design After the End of Print , Fotografiks: An Equilibrium Between Photography and Design Through Graphic Expression That Evolves from Content, Surf Culture: The Art History of Surfing, The Book of Probes, Trek: David Carson, Recent Werk, and Ortlos: Architecture of the Networks, all of which are critically acclaimed and have sold very well. In addition to Carson's arsenal of great graphic design books he has also been apart of some of the most cutting edge magazines to date. He is the art director of the Transworld magazine series and was the co-founder of Ray Gun, a magazine of international standards which had music and lifestyle as its motivating subjects.

Not limited to just magazine layouts and other type oriented design, Carson has worked with major companies such as Pepsi Cola, Ray Ban, Nike, Microsoft, Budweiser, Giorgio Armani, NBC, American Airlines, Levi Strauss Jeans, AT&T, British Airways, Kodak, Lycra, Packard Bell, Sony, Suzuki, Toyota, Warner Bros., CNN, Cuervo Gold, Johnson AIDS Foundation, MTV Global, Princo, Lotus Software, Fox TV, Nissan, quiksilver, Intel, Mercedes-Benz, MGM Studios and Nine Inch Nails. These major companies have put Carson's work on the map as some of the most innovative designs to come from America. We can only hope that he will continue to be inspired and inspire.

Here are some links that Carson is apart of:

http://www.raygun.com/