Blog #2: Advanced Tutorial Zombification

For this blog, I decided to do an advanced level tutorital. I was a little nervous at first, but it proved to be a lot of fun. I used the Zombification tutorial (http://effects.worth1000.com/tutorials/163328/zombification) on NBA player Blake Griffin.

I started by selecting his skin, and changing the brightness/contrast and hue (green) to make it grimmer looking. I then added a gradient overlay to add the grainy effect to the skin. I then selected the eyes, feathered them for fading, then changed the hue to red.

Continuing with the eyes, I used a blood spot over one eye (multiply), and faded it in. I then used the brush tool to make one eye white. Pretty scary so far! I then overlaid two different mouths from halloween masks and faded them in with multiply.

No zombie is complete without missing limbs! I took off Blake's arm, and then overlaid a cut off arm and faded it in with multiply and the smuge tool.

For the final touches, I added a slice across his neck (smuge tool to fade), and a cut on his head (multiply and lasso tools). All my final touches were not in the tutorial, but I used what I had learned to apply them to the image.

Overall, I felt this was difficult, and tested my photoshop abilities and knowledge. I feel I created a very cool image that goes from happy basketball player to scary, killer zombie.

Thanks,

Marc

Blog #1: Jon Ive of Apple

I have decided on looking at Jonathan Ive, the Senior Vice President of Industrial Design for Apple Inc. Jonathan and his team use Apple computers to design many Apple products. Interestingly, while Ive was studying artistic design in school, he felt inept to using a computer until he encountered an Apple. It is awesome that he went on to design their future line of products. Ive works with 3-D modeling software to design Apple products.

Looking at his design at Apple, Ive obviously wanted to design superior products that are ergonomic, sleek, and unforgettable. These denotations and connotations cross over in some cases. Looking at the iPad, all of the things listed above are denotations, yet there is an added value (connotation) of it being easy to use. Looking at the device it is sleek and simple. The 9.7" touch screen show the ease of use.

A lot of the innovative designs he works on focus on adding value to products. All Apple products are made well and have great insides, but the outside package is the most important.

Apple has been teasingly described as a vertically integrated marketing firm because of their products that “wow” consumers and bring them in through their marketing. Customers are hooked with the excellent computers, but the design brings them in.

Denotations of the MacBook Air line is the durability, portability, and sleekness of the brushed steel unibody exterior. The connotations from looking at the design is the extreme thinness of the design, that shows users they can bring the device anywhere and do anything.

Looking at the packaging for the iPhone. The denotation of this small box is the awesome presentation and experience of opening this all in one package. Upon opening the highly stylized and designed package, you are greeted with the iPhone and the message, “Made by Apple in California.” The design of the box is so thought out that when you take out the iPhone, all of the accessories and support is under it in the package. Connotatively, it shows the effort that a company would put in to give the user the full experience and give them everything they pay for (added value).

Jon Ive is a truly inspiring and revolutionary designer whose designs have revolutionized the personal electronic industry. He will always be most known for his design of the iPod.

Go Apple!

Images:

http://bindapple.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/apple-macbook-air.jpg

http://www.jacktelecom.com.hk/upImages/2010311105400.jpg

http://www.crunchbase.com/assets/images/original/0007/5132/75132v1.jpg

Information:

http://designmuseum.org/design/jonathan-ive

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/03/jonny-ive-on-apple-design-5-telling-insights-from-the-evening-standard-qa/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/29/jonathan-ive-apple-designer_n_940115.html