Blog 4: Final Project "Fun"

1. Clearly define your Big Idea. What meaning-making is being attempted in this final work?

My Big Idea for my final is “fun.” This idea contrasts my midterm, where I focused on my life’s work, and had a small, detached portion allotted to fun and the pleasures of life. With this project, I am exploring my experiences coming into college. In joining my fraternity, I have truly learned to “turn-off” my crazy work ethic, and have real fun.

What visual strategy did you employ to accomplish your meaning? How does the image communicate your meaning?

I am using Sigma Chi Fraternity’s flag. The flag is three layers. Two rectangles (blue and gold), and a cross in the middle. I am going to use the top rectangle to represent my socializing with friends, and how it has allowed me to find my inner fun side. The bottom rectangle represents the fun and relaxing activities that I have opened up to, having been a part of my fun-loving community.

How is this work to be used? What context can you envision this work in?

This work is to be used to show my fun side. It serves as a symbolic representation of the progression of my personality and social life when entering college and joining my fraternity. 

2. List three visual genres/visual culture/artists/ designers/ material culture that have influenced your work for the final. In making visual statements, artists and designers often augment other visual phenomenon. What influenced you? Make sure to include some visual references/ hyperlinks to illustrate your point.

For this final, I hope to channel Picasso, the material culture of college life, and of other students’ works and the experience of Facebook. For Picasso, I am channeling his ability to make art with pure emotion, and pull from his deep subconscious to make beauty and truth. For the material culture of college, I am always experiencing it, and will use it in my representation of fun. As for the actual creation and form of my project, I am going to use the influence of other students’ works and the experience of Facebook. Personal photos from Facebook will reflect my social life. This same idea has been shown on other students’ projects.

http://www.facebook.com/

http://www.collegehumor.com/ 

http://totalfratmove.com/

3. Name one new Photoshop technique that you will attempt to incorporate in your final. Be specific. You may use a hyperlink to a technique that you found on another website.

I hope to expand upon my ability to retouch photos, and make them clear and close to perfect. If I am pulling photos from Facebook, they are most likely taken by people who were not in the best state of mind to take a good photo. Because of this, I will work to correct and retouch their images to work well in my final project.

http://mashable.com/2010/10/17/photoshop-retouch-profile-pic/