MLK final video --- half size

MLK Final --- Half Size from Gavin Angell on Vimeo.

type in every thing

This was enjoyable to do. I have found myself often examining the type in the world around me, but it was very interesting to walk around with a camera and formally go to document some of it. I would very much like to do a more in depth study of this and then go to other cultures, cities, small towns, modern, and more primitive countries, to see how the type compares to what we see in this region of the united states. Every area has to play to its people in the way it delivers messages, and I have to think that this theme of change across people groups would hold true for type as well.

So if anyone would be willing to pay for some plane tickets, just let me know =).

You should probably hang over my fireplace.

...and you on my wall.

updated MLK speech video (sound aligns now)

MLK Progress Point I from Gavin Angell on Vimeo.

TED talks

I watched the Sagmeister, Jansen, and Abrams talks on TED.

I'll start with my favorite, being JJ Abrams. I have to say that I am a bit biased in this case as I am a bit fanatical about LOST and even the short intro clip to the pilot brought me back into the world that he has created in writing the show. Certainly though, from the way he spoke, this is exactly his goal. To have moments tucked within the genius of his story, these 'mystery boxes' as he calls them, that are so impactfull that they are gripping enough to bring the audience not to simply a point of involvement, but rather to completely give themselves away to the story, to an idea. Without this, the total abandonment of reality that is necessary to watch and enjoy a show like LOST would be impossible. I think the use of these mystery boxes, especially the progression of several mysteries in a row is a general design principle that is extremely powerful. The notion of not giving it all away up front, but making the viewer work for the answer through a design, to contain levels of information, some of which many users may never find, is way makes design rich.

The Sagmeister talk was also very good, I would say mostly for me in the way that he involved so intentionally his own writings and ideals into his designs, as was shown from his diary pages. I also was in high agreement for his idea that the visualization of happiness is the easy, often used, and less impactful way of approaching the subject. Actually revealing what is happiness, though a challenge for the designer, is a much more powerful approach that can carry a design much further than the obvious answers.

Finally, how can you not look at the works that Jansen is doing and not be amazed. He is bringing to life objects from electrical tubing! Are you kidding me? The boy inside me sat wide-eyed in amazement as if Santa Claus himself was was up on stage. The most increadable thing about this to me was taking such a dead object and introducing it as an object to a world it's certainly never explored before, and also to the users in a way that was completely unexpected, magical, but importantly completely understood. The design could think and make rudimentary judgements by itself, and there was that sense of mystery and amazement in the design present for the consumer as spoken about in the previous talks. The design implications through this talk were maybe not as well spelled out, but certainly there for the onlooker willing to consider the work for more that just 'wow thats freaking cool!'

Flash link

http://people.ku.edu/~gcangell/online/

speech poster

No idea why, but some text is missing and the colors are completely off.

What's Good?

In its own words "GOOD is a collaboration of individuals, businesses, and nonprofits pushing the world forward.Since 2006 we've been making a magazine, videos, and events for people who give a damn. This website is an ongoing exploration of what GOOD is and what it can be."

It does seem that this is what Good attempts to do with their design.  They couple their "state of the world" views and fact/statistics into engaging and interesting designs that effectively carry their message. 

I really enjoyed the how the transitions in most of their videos were handled and the sophistication of one object moving to another.  I also enjoyed their portrayal of very serious topics in a childlike, graphical, no threatening way.