Jeff Hamada: Booooooom.com

In hopes of cultivating a community of individuals who share the same amount of passion and appreciation for design, Jeff Hamada, a Japanese Canadian artist from Vancouver, British Columbia, established 'Booooooom,' an inspiring website dedicated towards art and photography. With thousands of followers on twitter and ten million hits on his website, booooooom has become a highly popular medium for evolving artists everywhere. Hamada's website showcases the work of many artists around the world, most notably those who are lesser known than others. This provides artists with a greater opportunity for their work to be recognized by the public eye, while allowing audiences to celebrate the beautiful work of others.
Hamada's website also serves as a forum for discussion, where viewers are able to provide feedback on the artists' work. Thus, his blog is an example of 'Design as Communication,’ in that individuals have the ability to engage with the artwork and respond with what they were able to take from these designs. Besides posting the work of others, Hamada also produces his own art work. His designs are Unique and colorful and generally communicate witty phrases. For example, in one of his watercolor paintings, he designed ‘I am not confident enough to make serious work. Overall, this website brings individuals together and establishes a strong connection that encourages and motivates people to support one another through their work. Not only are artists given the opportunity to push their work out there, but individual everywhere are gaining a better source of creativity and inspiration.

Compare and Contrast

Different forms of art require different processes of thinking, looking, and doing. As a graphic designer, ​ a great deal of creative thinking is needed in order to sUCcesfUlly design a piece of art work. The artist mUst first brainstorm design concepts prior to execUting them. What images, shapes, colors, and fonts to Use are all vital components of the thinking process when it comes to graphic designing.

Having designed ​

;However, when sketching a portrait, the looking process is a mUch more essential aspect of the creative process. With a significant amoUnt of detail to cover, the artist mUst pay close attention to both the miniscUle and large pictUre before them.

Design as Conversation

Often times, artists Utilize design as a means of commUnication, in order to prove a point, commUnicate a story, or simply express an idea. ThroUgh engaging in sUch a conversation, indi​vidUals are able to interact with the artist simply by looking or listening to a mere image, painting, or song.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ In class, we watched a mUsical performance by Yoko Ono and Lady Gaga entitled ' The SUn is Down.' These two internationally recognized mUsicians are well-known for their provocactive, eccentric, and mischevioUs demeanor dUring their mUSical careers. ThUs, this collaboration sparked a great deal of attention am

Another example of Using art as a mediUm for commUnication​ is throUgh the form of spoken word. RUby Veridiano, an alUmni of UC Davis, is a well-known spoken word artist amongst the Asian American commUnity. Her poetry generally serves as a ... to encoUrge, motivate, and empower yoUng women. Her words also shed light on significant issUes within the Asian American commUnity. When I listen to her spoken word, I feel as if I am part of the experience, in that I am able to feel the same emotions that she is expressing throUgh her words. This is

'That's the reason why I do this art - really jUst to connect with people, to connect with my commUnity and to remind p/eop/le that were hUman. Y oU know, that's what poetry's aboUt right? It's aboUt knowing and reminding oURselves and docUmenting the facts that we feel and that were hUman and that we hURt, we love, and we cry. And when people react to that and really have a strong sense of what they hear or have a storng reaction to something that I said, it really​ motivates me to be artist and do what i do.'

Words, however, or not always an essential component for commUnication and the visUal aspect of the design may be all that is needed to convey a certain theme or message. This is an example of how design is a Universal langUage that can be Understood by a diverse aUdience , in which signs and symbols are Used to commUnicate a particUlar idea.

Design in Society: Tokidoki

One of my most favorite design brands is Tokidoki. Tokidoki utilizes a variety of color, characters, and shapes to establish a look that is very much playful, unique, and physically pleasing to the general public. The characters that are designed are generally animal characters that possess unique and colorful traits, while the overall design is a mixture of various elements lumped together to form something that apppears to be a collage.

Design From Without

Why confine yourself within a small office or room, waiting for inspiration to spark, when you could be outside discovering it? Sure, we can spend countless hours glued to our computer screen trying to find it, but inspiration is better found offline. Inspiration is everywhere and artists acquire this inspiration from the people, places, and things that surround them. Rather than finding inspiration from within, the world around us often influences individuals to look outside the box and at the same time, fuels our appetite for creativity as artists. Many of the places that I have come across have significantly influenced my graphic designs. For example, during a trip to San Francisco, I encountered an abandoned alley filled with washed-up graffiti, stained walls, and shattered glass spread out across the cracked cement. Although others may not have taken a second glance at this place, this urban environment inspired me to design something with a dark and grunge-like feel. Different people view things differently and what may appear as an ordinary alley to one person may be a source of inspiration for another. Inspiration can be found in the most unlikely places and we must learn to look beyond ourselves to find it. As we learned in class, it is important to look at the bigger picture and often times; individuals fail to recognize the things that hold so many opportunities for inspiration, such as the different cultures, nature, and the unique monuments and buildings that we are surrounded by on a day to day basis.

Stone Soup

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Street Wear Fashion: Hellz Bellz

While I was shopping online, I came across a clothing line entitled “Hellz Bellz,” that specifically caters towards women. There are not many female street wear designers that exist in society today. Thus, when I learned that the designer for “Hellz Bellz” was a woman, I was amazed and proud of the work that she was able to put out there. The founder, Lanie Alabanza, has previously worked in large companies such as Alphanumeric, Triple 5 Soul, and Rocawear, ultimately establishing her own fashion label in the year 2005. While much of the clothing today display women in a "hyper-feminine" manner through pieces that are often too revealing, Alabanza presents a more high-strung and bold sense of street wear fashion selection for women. Her unusual and unique designs are unlike those found in mainstream media, which sets her greatly apart from many of the present day fashion companies.

Her clothing is also representative of the female-liberation movement, which strongly addresses the issue of sexual oppression. Thus, not only do I admire her aesthetically edgy designs, but I also commend her for embracing individuality and freedom of expression, while refraining from the typical "feminine" appearance. Alabanza commonly uses the theme of women in her designs to empower, encourage, and motivate women everywhere. Thus, she utilizes design as a form of communication, in which she stresses the significance of strength and power in women.

View Alabanza's work at: http://hellz-bellz.com/