Author: Trey Nix

Introduction

Design Blitz is not a challenge but an opportunity to look deeper when observing old photos or taking new ones. Instead of explaining what I see in an image, looking for different concepts helps me understand why I feel the way I do about said images. Finding concepts to further understand images gives a new set of introspection to photography.

1. Minimalist: Artifact Gallery

For image 1, I went for a minimalist style because of the amount of white space that overtakes the frame. The design of the artifacts being displayed gives emphasis to them without taking away the significance of each one. The design feels clean and formal, like museums normally are. The information palettes explaining the artifact origins are also small, providing information without adding clutter to the area.

2. Rhythm: Zoo Dome

This picture of a zoo globe represents rhythm. What gave me that conclusion was the repeating patterns of the glass. My eyes track the lines of the design to the center of the dome, giving a central focus to the tubes in the middle and the landscape underneath. The multiple cylinder or shape patterns in the glass added appealing symmetry.

3. Dominance: Lingering Swans

The swans being so minimal yet eye-catching was interesting to me. When I took this photo, I originally observed the beauty of the reflection in the water and how blue it was. After further observation, I enjoyed how the swans fit naturally in the frame whilst complimenting the environment. The swans are integral; I feel it would be empty without them. A simple yet effective element in the frame.

4. Proportion: Chaotic Destruction

This picture of a drawing from an anime tells a story without any explanations. With this image I thought of more proportion but not because the clear size difference. The character being small with the destruction around him tells me, he was the cause of the destruction and how grand it is compared to him. The size of the large buildings engulfing space around the character also highlights how smaller elements influence how larger elements are perceived.

Conclusion

From doing this design blitz, I learned each concept has a role to build a bigger picture. I found it interesting how each image doesn’t have one sole concept to complete it. I feel each element helps sub-elements flourish, including smaller details and the story of an image. I also thought it was fun thinking of concepts when choosing these photos, as I came up with different interpretations of the images than what I had originally.

Eye catching

What stood out for me within this booklet was Massimo’s approach to problem solving. His approach targets perspectives based on facts and coherence. Within the booklet its evident that problem solving comes from intellectual processing instead of trends or any bias. The booklet is not as decorative and instead seems to have a lot of effort sourced to structure and precise information while making it easy to consume. I thought the descriptions used to describe the different artforms was very poetic and the simple pictures as example emphasized the information more than multiple images. I feel like that was intentional so I can search for the details described rather it handed to me.

What was Informative?

The most informative part of this booklet was the description how the grid system and how it can be used universally. The grid is designed to organize complex information and it is seen as an universal language. The grid can be used to categorize information into sub-sections to help readers choose which information they want to intake. Grids can also reduce visual noise to separate clutter from all navigation pathways. I feel using the grid as a basis whilst explaining other styles makes all information easier to process.

Can I apply this?

I plan to use this structure to add more typographic structure as when I explain information or display my creative processes, its normally cluttered. I aim to explain information more precisely so consumers can understand what I’m explaining properly. I also plan to use white space more intentionally to create a design that catches the eye of the reader whilst not taking away from what’s on screen. Lastly, I want to have writing with a more logical flow to reduce the amount of words with the same type of information to reduce an overload for the reader.