I was exploring different designer blogs and found this awesome youtube video using typography. I’ve seen these kind of advertisements made before, but this seems very cool to get a straight message across. Granted, the clip above is a song, but it has a lot of meaning to it. If you take a look at this clip very closely, each motion of the word has a visual meaning to it to. For example, when the song says, ‘drug infusion’, the words actually look like it’s infusing. I instantly connected to this type of ‘getting-the-message-across’, because I believe humans get connected easily with seeing things rather than hearing things.

Technorati Tags: kisaplit07, aplit07, typography, design,

Jung Test Results

Extroverted (E) 50% Introverted (I) 50%
Intuitive (N) 62.5% Sensing (S) 37.5%
Feeling (F) 75% Thinking (T) 25%
Perceiving (P) 70.83% Judging (J) 29.17%

INFP - “Questor”. High capacity for caring. Emotional face to the world. High sense of honor derived from internal values. 4.4% of total population.

Free Jung Word Choice Test (similar to MBTI)
personality tests by similarminds.com

I took a personality test from the site above, and they quickly analyzed my personality. According to the site, I am a “Questor”, a person who faces the world more emotionally than logically. I have a high sense of honor from my internal values, and I am 4.4% of the entire population. Pretty cool, according to the personality test. But are these tests reliable? At first I couldn’t believe how fast the computer generated what I was. Equally extroverted and introverted and perceiving more than judging. Wow. I wish I could analyze myself as fast as the computer. But is this true? I am not sure. I guess I will have to ask myself if the results match, but I don’t even know. I know for sure, though, that I feel more than think–thus bringing trouble to myself. However I never thought my sensibility was a characteristic to be ashamed of–in fact, I love that I am more towards passion than logic, or more intuitive than sensing. With this characteristics, I hope to carry on and reflect upon it in my work.

But only if these personality tests are true. Because this is the Internet, I have no idea if this test was made without any statistical reviews or experiments. I don’t even know if the person who made the test is a credible psychologists or analyst. What I DO know is that people tend to depend on these personality tests. And what if they are so convinced of these characteristics that they trick themselves IN to the characteristic? If that happens, what was you that was normally there would be disappeared and placed by a personality/characteristic that a mere computer told you.

Hmm. I’m rambling. I will come back later.

School cancels play that had racist slur as original titleAssociated Press - November 27, 2007 1:05 AM ET

WEST CHESTER, Ohio (AP) - A widely performed school play has been canceled by officials at a suburban Cincinnati high school after complaints from a local NAACP official.

Agatha Christie’s “Ten Little Indians” was to be performed by students at Lakota East High School this weekend.

The play is based on Christie’s 1939 mystery novel.

But local NAACP president Gary Hines says the play is inappropriate for a school production because the original title for Christie’s novel used a racial slur.

Lakota East senior Luke Null, who was to play 1 of the lead characters, says the play itself has no racial undertones.

And the president of the Lakota Board of Education, Joan Powell, says she’s concerned that the school district is getting into the business of censorship.

Information from: The Cincinnati Enquirer, http://www.enquirer.com

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

I found about this new site called Digg, just a friendly blogging/reference site which you can “dig” an article to share. And I found this article about some school in Ohio canceling their play due to a “racial slur”. At first when I started reading this rather poorly written article, I thought the title of the play would be more exotic. But it was none other than “Ten Little Indians” by Agatha Christie. This book, although the title suggests something about the race of Native Americans, have nothing to do with the race, nor was it intended to ridicule and belittle the Indians. And the school, especially, wasn’t intending on mocking anything or anyone. But the NAACP argued that it had a “racial slur”, because of the “little” in “Ten Little Indians”, I suppose. But how come the NAACP are so tight-assed about this, when there are loads and loads of films out there with more offensive titles? Is it because the play was performed in school? Whatever the reason, I couldn’t help but wonder why.
What also angered me is not only the board of NAACP, but the president of the Lakota Board of Education. She claimed that she is concerned of the school district getting into ‘business of censorship’; but I didn’t think that was the main problem in this situation. What mattered was how canceling a play of students who worked hard on just because the title ’suggested’ offense. And I don’t even think people who are supposed to be offended even care.
Another reason that made me post this article is because this was on the ‘latest world news’ column in a certain cite. The thing is, even the internet news articles are not worth reading anymore–what happened to genuine, well-written articles about the world? Is this why students in the United States are so ignorant of what is going on in the world? I think so. But even I shouldn’t say those things because I am not even up-to-date with the current issues of the world. But no matter; I have to go back to hammering and drilling my brain into textbooks and essays.

I visited David Airey’s blog today, and while looking through I found this great post about the world’s most famous graphic designers and what they have designed in their life time. Here’s an excerpt of it:

Paul Rand

Born 1914, New York, USA. Died 1996.

Rand is responsible for the ABC logo (American Broadcasting Company) from 1962 and the IBM logo (both above).

Read more about Paul Rand here.

Milton Glaser

Born 1929, New York, USA.

Since founding Milton Glaser, Inc. in 1974, the work produced at his manhattan studio has encompassed a wide range of design disciplines, including identity programs for corporate and institutional marketing purposes and logos (among them the ‘I love New York’ logo for the New York state department of commerce, that became the most frequently imitated logo design in human history).

Ivan Chermayeff and Tom Geismar

Chermayeff born Chechen Republic, 1990. Died 1996. Geismar born New Jersey, date TBA.

Design is directed toward human beings. To design is to solve human problems by identifying them and executing the best solution.
Ivan Chermayeff

Chermayeff and Geismar designed the famous Mobil logo (shown above) and developed a complete corporate identification program with continuing consultation for 35 years. The program was built around the logo, a specially designed alphabet, a clear policy for colour, and a comprehensive design approach that integrated new graphics with new architecture. It included design of product packaging, vehicle markings, print material, posters and all design, packaging and sign standards for facilities throughout the world.

Read more about Ivan Chermayeff and Tom Geismar here.

Continue Reading »

I was really bored, so I went to bored.com (hmmm), and found this really cool program where the computer instantly draws how I feel right now. And here’s mine:

Click here and create your own.

I don’t know how they did it, but I guess it’s fun seeing how you feel visually. Try it sometime.

Perfectly Marketed TV Show Somehow Fails

NEW YORK—Executives found it “inconceivable” that a television program supported by 1.25 million promotional coffee-cup sleeves could perform so poorly.

I was looking through my AP Literature teacher’s blog BeyondSchool.org, and found this interesting post in one of his blogrolls. It is about a television show,”City Buds”, that was promoting with different advertisements, marketing techniques, and such but somehow failed the expectations. The show is now scheduled to be canceled after only four episodes. Here’s an excerpt of it:

“We can’t for the life of us figure out what went wrong,” NBC Universal vice president of marketing Maureen Murphy said. “We had the leading creatives in the business working on City Buds. The best copywriters, top-notch PR guys, not to mention a world-class graphic design team. From the moment we started branding the show, we did everything perfectly.”

What really caught my attention is not the reason why City Buds failed, but just how the marketing president and his friends were so clueless about the “X-Factor”, or the reason why the marketing did not work.

City Buds, which, in addition to the two incompatible roommates, featured a comical dog and a grumpy Latino landlord, was the subject of the most intensive advertising campaign in NBC’s history. Beyond the typical Internet, billboard, magazine, newspaper, television, and radio ads, the network also employed cutting-edge guerrilla marketing techniques, including a sticker campaign, personal canvassing, and 14,000 urinal communicators installed in public restrooms across the U.S. that, when activated by a stream of urine, informed patrons of the date and time City Buds was scheduled to air in their market.

The marketeers were wondering why this show, after spending so much money on promoting this show even when a person is peeing, doesn’t work. This struck me as absolutely ridiculous because I always thought marketing was done in a more ethical way. I know that sticker campaigns, billboards, and posters are typical in advertising, but urinal communicators? Come on. And they are wondering why this show didn’t work.

But seriously, I think the “X-Factor” was not because of poor promotion or advertising. These days, the “hows” are so competitive and well done that THAT cannot be the factor. I think that this time, they have over done the marketing and advertising, making people actually get sick of the show even before it started. Maybe it’s like reverse psychology–when you are told to watch this excellent show on TV, you just feel like not watching it because you are told to. Or maybe, people were expecting so much out of it, and once they saw how crappy the show was, people quickly lost interest.

Whatever the reason was, I learned that overdoing never works. This show seemed like it was some kind of a rich, bratty kid who got all the private-tutoring and peppering up, but in the end failed miserably due to too much pride. I learned that, when I become a communication designer, it’s better to get to the audience to a personal level (not so much as to flashing “WATCH LIFE BUDS ON NBC!” whenever you pee). I don’t know the skills nor the idea on how to do that, but hopefully I will learn. I’m excited to go on heads-to-heads with these marketeers.

Photo credits to: 45street, gajbireland

Technorati Tags: kisaplit07, aplit07, media, marketing, Life, Buds, advertisement,

Well, it’s not my birthday yet. It’s tomorrow, on the 26th. But I don’t think I will be able to muster up the energy to write about my birthday ON my birthday, so I’m just going to write my hopes and wishes today.

This past year has been the most hectic year of my short life. Just a year ago today, I wouldn’t have even imagined what I’ve done, where I am, and what I am doing right now. I didn’t know there was a chance left of me to survive, honestly–last year’s birthday was gone in a second, in a lonely church room with less than ten people. At the time I wished for better health, for my weak mind to get better, and for myself to get back on feet. In a way, all my wishes have come true. But last years wishes are this year’s apologies–because I didn’t push myself hard enough to get back on my feet. My mind, as well as my body, is unstable it’s as if it’s going to shatter away any time soon. That’s what I think I think…but even now, I don’t even know what I think. I’m so battered with lectures on what seems to be right and wrong versus what IS right and wrong, that my opinions are getting diminished day by day.

Even my dad just now wanted to lock me up in my room to monitor me just in case I did something wrong. If I think of this in a positive way, all he wants me to do is succeed and be a good girl. But every time he tries to push it a little bit further, and tells me to behave a certain way, I do the complete opposite. I know that’s immature of me, but I cannot hold on to the suffocating feeling for too long. That’s why, when I came back to Korea in 2007 winter, I begin to change drastically. I got brighter–but only on the outside. My body got healthier on the outside. My mind got stronger on the outside, and everything else seems so fake. The way I talk, the way I dress, the appearance of myself–am I really existing? I don’t feel like I am attached to my body. Of course, that’s just my inside talking. When I leave my ‘thinking mode’ I will be back to the ‘real’ world, where I get to put on a fake smile and obey to every rule that comes across. I will go to school looking perfectly normal, answering to questions in a normal way as if I have no worries except school work….because there is no one to listen.

But I digress.
That was last year, something far away from me, which I will put behind my heart and close the door. No matter how many skeletons build up in my closet, I will have to move on smiling because that’s the RIGHT thing to do. That’s how Koreans do it. That’s how I do it. That’s how, I was taught to live.

My birthday wish this year, is to be able to say “I’m fine” without frowning inside.

That’s all.

photo credited to: tamelyn, *MarS , Kristen Lanae

Technorati Tags: kisaplit07, aplit07, birthday, wishes, fake

After going to New York, my interest in art and its friends has been growing by tenth fold. I’ve been fascinated by the different movements of art ever since little, but now I am starting to distinguish which ones that fit me. And among those that I love, I come to realize Pop Art is one of my favorite. Pop art is actually a shortened wording for ‘Popular Art’. With a use of everyday objects, it portrays the popular culture of its day. One of the most renowned Pop artists is Andy Warhol ( I’ve been to his portfolio display in Seoul). Here’s a better explanation of what Pop art is:

Pop art is one of the major art movements of the twentieth century. Characterized by themes and techniques drawn from popular mass culture, such as advertising and comic books, pop art is widely interpreted as either a reaction to the then-dominant ideas of abstract expressionism or an expansion upon them. Pop art, like pop music, aimed to employ images of popular as opposed to elitist culture in art, emphasizing the banal or kitschy elements of any given culture. Pop art at times targeted a broad audience, and often claimed to do so.

Pop art fits me because I would like to express what is going on in the world right now through art. Our popular culture…our popular media is nothing but messed up. And in order for people to notice what is going on, we need to convince them visually. That is part of my goal. Andy Warhol convinced the world that abstract expressionism wasn’t really what art was about, what HE was about. He believed that art should express what we are going through currently, so he mixed advertisement (due to the huge consumerism that was going then) and art. Since I am going to major in graphic design/ advertising, it makes sense for me to make a statement out in the world.

photo credits to: FuzzFan, marisa_u, Paula Bird Parent

Technorati Tags: kisaplit07, aplit07, pop, art, expressionism, andy, warhol

Art can be anything that you are passionate about. Art has no boundaries, no rules, nothing that will make me suffocate in this already suffocating world. It makes me free when I am engaged in creating an artwork. It’s everything.

I’ve recently found out about Drew Flaherty, a graphic artist/designer. I’m loving his portfolio.

All of these drawings are done by computer, which must have taken hours to do. I would like to become a designer like Drew Flaherty, with a unique style and a distinct voice over each piece that I create.

All photos credited to Drew Flaherty

Technorati Tags: kisaplit07, aplit07, drew, flaherty, art, graphic, design

This is a music video by Fall Out Boy, a band that I love. I love this band not just because of their music, but what they mean into each one of the lyrics. Before I saw this music video though, I didn’t know Fall Out Boy meant to write about Invisible Children. I was surprised that they knew about the association at all. Invisible Children is about a war that is going on in Northern Uganda. Here’s an excerpt of an article in invisiblechildren.com :

Since 2003, night commuting has all but ceased for the children of northern Uganda. A temporary truce between the Ugandan government and the LRA has held for more than a year, and as peace continues to progress, many nations, including the US, have appointed special envoys to oversee this process. This current cessation of hostilities marks the longest period of peace in the North for more than 20 years, and while the hope for peace is strong and the talks have made significant strides in reducing the conflict, a declaration for lasting peace has yet to be signed. In Gulu and the surrounding districts, issues concerning the nature of justice for victims and perpetrators for war crimes are presently being debated.

With peace now in sight, greater focus is being placed on the aftermath of the conflict. Currently the majority of northern Uganda’s population lives in IDP camps, and while the desire is for them to return home, the issues surrounding their return are complex. Some have been displaced for more than a decade, and their former ways of life are all but gone. Access to clean water, economic opportunities, health centers, and education are a pressing concern in daily life and even more so for the many who contemplate a return to resource-barren villages.

In light of the current situation and a nearing peace, Invisible Children is addressing the need for access to education and economic development through three innovative programs on the ground. To learn more about these programs and how you can contribute to lasting peace and development click here.

I found out about this organization in 2003, when my summer school teacher showed the rough-cut video that these three brave men decided to go and film about. I was instantly moved, and I did everything I can to help the terrible war (what with the little power I have). But eventually with the homework load from school, college applications and such, I completely forgot about this organization until today.

I was flipping through the channels and heard my favorite song from Fall Out Boy. It was their music video, and the main character in the video was actually one of the main boy who explained what “Night Commuters” were and how terrible the war was. I instantly teared up, seeing this boy actually making it through in the rough grounds of Uganda. He does not know who I am, but millions of people all over the world know who he is, and are PROUD of how he pulled through the war. I give all my props to him, one of the bravest man that I’ve ever seen in my life.

If you are interested in getting more information on Invisible Children, the night commuters, click here.

And I recommend anyone to see the footage that they have made out these brave kids out there in Uganda.

photo credits to: 61gram , grana

Technorati Tags: kisaplit07, aplit07, invisible, children, uganda, war, support, organization, night, commuters