main page - finished site

I've finished the main page which links to all the digital art works i've made to represent identity. I was inspired by a flash site which was of this point of view on a wooden table. moving the mouse would scroll around the table to various images that you could click on to enlarge. I've used a similar layout, albeit not with flash since I don't have those skills so I made it with photoshop images sliced up. Each picture on the desk is of a friend of mine. My site basically examines their identities as i try to represent them artistically. There's the fun and crazy friend, the downer, the wise and helpful one and the one thats just a bit too difficult to understand. I thort it would be easier to use real life people rather than imaginary characters because i knew more about them and thus more to work with. In terms of narrative style I am the character and the narrative vehicle as you can tell from the first page which zooms into my eye and shows the colours it's seeing as well as some black and white flickering ones showing confusion or the perception of some sadness and unsettled nature in what i'm viewing. The top view of the desk is my point of view and the images are how i perceived these peoples identities and the components the make up their identities.

home page

This is my home page, it has clear links to some of my previously displayed inspirational images. It shows what I think identity is made up of... lots of parts. their difference is shown by contrast. Overly happy and joyous on the right, transitioning to through calmer blue to a mixed confused panel and onto a dark grungy on with flat pale faces obscured by grungy black (which is actually an image of matted wet hair) This page represents what i think my identity is made of as I experience all these moods and states. This page is a timed animation that re-loads the next next page when complete. to return home and view this image once again 'home' can be clicked on the parchment in the bottom left of the next page.

visual divisions

Visual divisions, I made that term up but I thought it was a suitably cool description for something I think is very cool to look at. I think the style of this picture would go very well with my concept of people having multiple identities as you can split the subject of the image up in to several sections each with their own unique look. the combination of these mixed colours, lines and opacities really shows that people are complex and layered out of many different... identities.

site plan

so this is the final plan of my site. The top most image is the home page. It's not too clear from the plan but it's an image of a face split into 2 with differing visual styles according to whats on either side of the pictre. I may split it into four different sections that transition from one side to the other as at one end i plan to have over the top colours with joyous neat vector illustrations made in illustrator. And on the opposite side I'm going for a grungy look much like the dark imagery I've posted on the blog. These are the most extremes of our identities and extremes that everyone has. The transitions strips show the middle ground that we mostly find our selves in. This page will be a timed animation (using javascript i found on the net) and after 10 seconds or so will zoom into the persons eye at which point an animation of a B/W eye comes up which cycles through different colours of the retina before ending in an eerie flickering manner. This is too suggest that some one is witnessing the various identities that we all have.

On the next page, we become the owner of the eye as they look down at a desk scattered with photographs. From here users have control over the site and can view each image which will represent the multifaceted nature people identities. I haven't yet decided if i will use the one character only or Have photographs that each show a different person and their changing identity. From this page there is also a home button to view the home page again.

Theses are the other examples I've found that interested me. Not exactly any contrast here, but very dark and clourless. I want to represent a side of a characters identity that doesn't have any joy and i think this style would be great for that. The Body without the head is a good example of this, showing a disconnection from the world and entrapment of the mind, as the head is spinning round in the washer

So in terms of contrasting identities I was thinking of using contrast as my main tool of representation. This image is my inspiration of this choice, where not only the colours contrast but also the visual style. There is only a slight colour contrast here but the added grain and lines as well as deep contrast within the darker side of the image, all add to the overall effect. I'm thinking of using black and white and contrasting it with vibrant colours while maybe throwing in some grungy darkness as in this image and some others that i've found. It's an interesting visual style and will be especially in contrast to some vibrant colour.

A combination of both

I should probably get off the text and image idea already, and i was trying to, but i came across this. It's creating text with text but also a combination using text to create a picture and creating a picture using text. I can't really dream of recreating anything like this tho without getting allot better at using Maya and UV mapping. A shame...

One from my past

This concept isn't as new to me as i thought. I found this image on my computer, from about 3 yrs ago. It's "20 days" spelled out with bones that was made on a hike I did. It's okay the hike wasn't really 20 days. It was 18. But we figured 20 sounded more impressive. Unfortunately bones arn''t all that available to me these days, but I believe there's lots of opportunity to create some very cool text using them. A bone alphabet... maybe a project for the future.

Interesting fonts B/W

On the subject of text I found this interesting method of creating text from images. In this case it's a series of photographs taken in the street. It's very cool and i like the lack of colour. Black and white is growing on me ever more as increase my exposure to web art. The moods that can be created through the lack of colour outweigh anything vibrant colours can make you feel. B/w images also have allot more depth as there are no pointless colours to get in the way and distract away from the meaning of the image.

image from

http://www.edesignerz.net/photoshop/4774-not-your-usual-characters-30-amazing-alphabet-recreations

My attempt

This is my attempt at making a face out of words. I basically got a face that i reduced to blacks an whites, deleted all the white then layered it over some text. Problems are the text has to be colored. and if i want to use specific words I would have to create my own colored text. Still I think I could use this method if a wanted to create something like this for my site, I don't take much time, even if i had to make the text too.

pictures out of text

I found this picture on the web that i really like. I'd love to be able to make something like it for my site but don't have the skills. It's like the pictures i've always been an admirer of that are made out of smaller pictures.

I think this style would be useful in depicting identity as words could be merged with faces since expression is not always very clear to all of us, or perhaps just to reinforce the message of expression and make it stand out. a series of facial expressions made out of text is the idea I'm having at the moment. I think it would be hard to accomplish, but would be a great way to represent someone's identity.

image from

http://www.smashingapps.com/category/cssstyle-sheets

Lies lies lies

So all these questions re-emerged in my mind after watching the show 'lie to me', it being about lying and all. Something key to the show is the close ups on peoples face's as they lie and their expressions are noted and analyzed. It's very interesting being so close to their face and having all the little facial expressions (tell tale signs of a lie) pointed out. Our face is very much our identity.. not in the way it can't be changed , because it can. but if you got hit in the face with a bus and had to get a new one (a face that is not a bus, it might just need some soap and water), would your identity be any different? I don't think it would because it's not so much what your face looks like that determines identity but what you do with your face. and i don't mean using your face in strange ways like painting walls with it, thats not really identity, I think it's just called weird. I mean the expression you make with it. we can gauge allot about a person form their facial expressions, more so than body language. and probably less than words, but I'm more interested here, and don't words come from your face anyway?

Point is liars or not, i think we're all liars actually, 'lying' or not facial expressions say alot. I think in my site i would like to include lots of close ups of faces, bit of faces, and expressions on those bits of faces.

This promo clip for lie to me also intrigued me, it reminded me alot of the mixed faces we look at at the start of semester.

multiple identities

So I'm exploring my idea of people having multiple identities based on their surroundings especially around different people.

I decided to ask a friend about the issue and documented this through video... tho it's been cut half way through due to the rest of the dialog, not because it doesn't prove my point about people having multiple identities, but because it proves my point too much, and with too much graphic description.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4zzJnwi4vE

But I'm not completely convinced I can believe everything that was said in the video, so maybe people are just lying about different identities?

Can an Identity be determined through something so small as a lie?

How much of our lives are a lie?

Who are we really lying to?

And why? to be funny? there's a truth we don't want to face? we're experimenting with who we want to be?

Exploring something often only leads to more questions....

So what if i don't come across an answer by the end of all this?

or worse, come across an answer that is a lie?

Well, hopefully I'll have enough questions to make something out of. At least questions are always true.

unless... can a question lie?

Major concept

After doing a fair bit of reaseach into other sites on the web I decided my Idea of having the layout of a 3 dimensional room would be too hard. I also didn't have a very good concept to mesh with it. After writing my 700 words I've come up with a new site style/layout and a concept that i think represents identity well, or my interpretation of it anyway. After analyzing and writing about my chosen site I began to really enjoy flash based sites and the things you can do with them.

From the visual layout I've drawn you can see my site represents many different places and environments that many people spend time in. There will be a central character, female, who the site users can send to different locations at the end of the paths. My concept is to represent, through colors and changing visual styles, the way a persons identity adapts and changes depending on their surroundings. I'll bring this about by having very contrasting visual styles to represent how greatly the environments impact on her personality. The central path is there to make the site feel like a journey as opposed to just another ordinary web experience. the change seen in the character in each environment will enforce the sense of the journey as journeys usually lead to self change and discovery.

I also plan on having a loading screen in which the character walks down the path in between loading the flash based environments. I found when viewing flash sites loading times were quite long. So I'd like to provide viewers some thing interesting and enjoyable to view in these times.

The site that's influenced me most is; http://www.tbwahakuhodo.co.jp/ as seen in the image below

700 words

My chosen site is http://www.tbwahakuhodo.co.jp/ . Yes I’m about to write 700 words in English about a Japanese site. The reason why I’m able to do this is simple; the site represents itself through art rather than words and symbols. There are words on this site and many of them are in English. Actually, upon writing that just now I’ve discovered the word “ENLISH” in the bottom corner can be clicked upon and translates all the words into English. So now I’ve managed to find the information page; and just as I’d guessed it’s an advertising company’s site.

So in terms of whether I think this site falls into the category of design or art, I’m going to have to say design. For me, as wonderful as the site is to look at (it is very artistic), it’s purpose and function is very clear. It’s a marketing site. Therefore it has the objective of meeting future clients through its site presentation. However, when compared to other marketing companies it’s completely different. I mean, for starters, how many marketing companies use flash based site? Let alone have a look that’s anywhere near as bizarre as this one. Bizarre is perhaps a strong word, but remember I’m writing in English about a Japanese site, they’re presentations of many things are usually quite different to that of the western worlds. There’s no impeccably neat look that says “hey we’re professionals, we can market you’re product to look as perfect as ours”, but you still get a very strong sense that they know what they’re doing.

Many examples of they’re work is displayed on the site through the sites artistic presentation it can be identified with easily by individuals. It showcases a lot of the work it’s done for big brands. It has the scrolling list of clitents it’s done work for; Apple, Aidas, Michelin, Renault and Nissan, to name a few but the way it present’s even this most basic content (a list) is so unique. There is a flashed based crowed of viewers for everything, including one with a parrot on their shoulder. Then there is everything going on around the one small bit of information this page is presenting. There’s sky divers, hot air balloons, Multicoloured trees and a wonderfully contrasting line of black and white architecture in this strange world. The colours are warm and inviting as are the friendly faces of the flash characters. This site has the function of selling its company and this is one of the best methods I’ve ever seen. They’re not just telling what they can do, but are showcasing it while at the same time making connections with the viewers. There are quite a few other sites around that showcase what they’re capable of, but they are not usually this breed of company and although sometimes have more impressive graphics don’t have the same fun factor or yield as much involvement.

One of my favourite feature of this site is it’s loading screen. Once again it’s every artistic, and yes I classified this site as design but maybe under more consideration it’s using art to design something very clever. The loading screen is a construct of 1950s style décor around an old lift and lanterns on the wall that cast a warm light. There is a lady as well who is dressed to match. Her calm face, the warm colours, nice ornaments and welcoming lounges in this foyer are very pleasing to look at, even though they seemingly have nothing to do with the site. Actually a lot of the things seem to have very little relevance to what it’s promoting. Though, when using the site I never really stopped to ask myself why they included a man standing on a surfboard with a briefcase or a panda that bounced around on a spring. It just somehow works to capture you.

There are boarders and vectors that draw to the home screen’s great depths and a giant mechanical hand that reaches out and grabs you every time you click to go somewhere; I just said go somewhere… See that’s the beauty of this site it captures you so much that going through it’s features feels more like a journey than a web experience.

This is the thing I find most impressive about the site and what I would like to use as an influence for the style of my final site. One that feels more like a journey just than web experience.

Class Picture

Was going to explore the identity of characters in film and how we relate to them.

Identity Crisis

I’ve realised that I haven’t determined what identity is yet, only what it isn’t. After observing my friend the other day run round doing a strange dance he made up and putting words together in way that didn’t entirely make sense or are appropriate to repeat… I wondered, what’s he like around mum and dad? Or, Grandma perhaps? Depending on what was going on around him however he’d adapt his dance routines and burst out in air guitar solos.

So I asked him, what are you like around your parents? And the answer was very different and a great contrast to all the things he explained he gets up to when they’re not at home. Is this a split personality? Does it deserve such a drastic label or are we all like this in a way. When I thought about it a little more I realised I was, too, different around my parents. Not to that extent but different; and they weren’t the only case. Over the week I found that I indeed acted differently around different friends, so I’m sure now that we all do this. Do we all have multifaceted split personalities then? Well, yes… We don’t have one personality, we have many, it’s our surrounds that dictate us.

I don’t quite know how to artistically represent this though, words are, sometimes easier.

3D Room

I've been looking for sites that embody my idea having a room that rotates with your mouse and found this one.

http://www.bkdsn.com/

It's basically what I wanted to make but with more walls, 360 degrees, and not so much a virtual tour of a building. The graphics of this site are very impressive all made with 3d software. I'm doing 3d modeling at the moment so I would be capable of designing my 3 dimensional room with alot of detail. However, one thing i noticed about this site is how long it takes to load each room. It leaves you stuck at the front door while the room loads and all you can do is swing it open and closed. I was patient but I would think that alot of people would be turned of by this and leave the site. Also this site doesn't have clickable content on the surfaces of the rooms only information that pops up. I'm wondering if this would be possible at all since I am yet to find a site like it.

I don't have the skills yet to create a web based 3d room and haven't found the source code anywhere to do so. I've found sites that offer it for sale though. I know we're not very restricted by plagiarism here but I think buying something would be going a bit far. And I don't think it would exactly suit my needs either. I'm considering a change of direction in terms of site layout right now. Only I don't know what to...

Art vs Design

I hate discussing a topic such as this because of the huge grey area at the intersection of these terms. Which is why, in fact, I’m not going to bother. With such a grey area I think it’s up to people to make they’re own opinions.

So in a nutshell:

They both overlap, art is a form of designing, expressive or not, it still has a function and involves creating something. Design, however functional, can be in a manner that affects the senses of beauty.

In my opinion artists and designers are both creators and it’s up to them to class their creations under whichever category they choose. It’s an issue with no strongly defined lines and no amount of discussion is going to change this. Our time would be better spent working on creations of out own.

Web Design Ideas

NYE 09

I’ve begun to give some thought to my website, or more specifically the way it will look. Googling “cool websites” didn’t really give me any kind of a start on this. So I hit up the class blog page and did some cheating by checking out what sites previous students found interesting. I stumbled across one that was unlike any type of site I’d seen previously. It appeared to be one giant picture, heavily photoshoped and full of bright colours that just popped. Even more interesting was that when you moved your mouse you could actually move around the picture, which was bigger than first appeared. I didn’t gain any kind of information from this site, but I think it’s a great idea and visually stunning when you consider what else the web has to offer. http://www.thebumblebeez.com/old.html

A bit of research into some artist and I discovered a type of work that could be integrated brilliantly with this web idea. The artists name is Peter Murphy, an Australian photographer who specialises in 360 degree and 3-dimensional photography. My particular interest is his 360 degree works. I’d describe his photos as revolutionary (pun intended) because 360 degrees doesn’t really do them just. They are indeed a full revolution, not just many shots stitched into a wide panorama but a full view of everything left, right, up, down. It’s hard to explain so it’s best to see yourself;

http://www.mediavr.com/nye09.htm , http://www.mediavr.com/blog/

The biggest problem with photographs is that viewing them is never as good as being there and experiencing things in real life. I’m not saying by any means Peter Murphy’s NYE 09 is the same as being there, but it’s probably the closest thing on offer.

So my idea; well, it’s a web page that you navigate by moving your mouse around a 360 degree room. A spherical layout may present a problem but making it square should solve this and enable text, pictures, links and video to be placed on the walls of a room without their dimensions being distorted.

What Is Identity?

When I first began to think about what identity was, I’m ashamed to say, I turned to Wikipedia. Wikipedia is a good friend of mine and usually provides me with answers that I find helpful and informative. The Wikepedia page on Identiy was neither of these. It was wrong. I didn’t read much of it but form the first paragraph I got the sense that Personal Continuity was integral to identity. It would even have you believe that this is essentially what identity was. Wrong. And I can say that because this is all about how I will perceive and represent identity. I will at least explain why this is wrong. Personal Continuity suggests that a number of traits in a person at any given time will sufficiently match traits they will display at another point in time, and that dictates their identity. This will probably hold true for a space of months or even years but what if this second point in time is decades into the future? Are the traits a person displays as a 25 year old going to have any degree of similarity to the ones they display when 55? We’ve all seen the latest bonds advert on T.V. where teens, showing off boxers with their pants falling halfway off their ass, are contrasted to a group of old men, who have their pants up somewhere near their neckline. Each group laughs at the others attire after they pass. But surely those pops were young and hip once? And these young men aren’t going to go round the rest of their lives wearing their pants like curtain drapes, enjoying loud music and being raucous at parties. What about criminals turning their life around for the best? If personal continuity was true then it would be impossible to believe anyone could become a changed man and live a completely different life, in which case that clichéd line “I’m a new man” must mean nothing to you and therefore you don’t enjoy 90% of the movies in the drama section at the video store. The point I’m trying to make is everyone’s identity changes over time as we grow and learn we understand and perceive things differently precipitating a change in the way we act and thus the way others perceive us. Maybe not drastically but in some way or another our identities change over time. So I’ve deduced what Identity isn’t… It’s a start.