Im Zuge meiner Masterarbeit, in der ich mich mit Work-Life-Balance als selbstständige Person beschäftige habe ich ein Persönlichkeitstraining absolviert. Das 6-stündige Training fand in einer Gruppe aus 7 verschiedenen Personen statt, die sich alle nicht kannten. Hier waren Führungskräfte, ein Physikstudent, eine Hundetrainerin und viele mehr dabei, was eine spannende neue Sicht der Dinge eröffnet hat.
In der Gruppe musste man verschiedene Aufgaben bewältigen, sich kritisches konstruktives Feedback geben und sich in seine Persönlichkeit fühlen und nach außen tragen. Schnell wurde Vertrauen in der Gruppe aufgebaut und wertvolle Tipps ausgetauscht.
Mir hat besonders der Aspekt der vielen verschiedenen Ansichten und Persönlichkeiten gefallen und ich fand es spannend aus meiner “Bubble” auszubrechen und neue Sichtweisen auf mich kennenzulernen.
In the world of mixed media art, creators blend various materials and techniques to craft unique pieces. Like a chef mixing ingredients artists combine paper, fabric, and found objects, creating vibrant textures and colours. From collaging to 3D assemblage, they experiment endlessly, layering paints and adding digital touches. It’s this mix that breathes life into the creations. Therefore I have explored some known techniques:
Collage: This technique intertwines diverse materials—paper, fabric, and photographs—fusing them onto a surface to form a cohesive whole.
Assemblage: Similar to collage but with a three-dimensional twist, assemblage artists meld assorted found objects, such as wood or metal, into a sculptural composition.
Layering: Building depth and complexity, artists overlay various mediums like acrylics, watercolors, and textures (think gesso or sand).
Texture Play: Explorations in texture come alive with modeling paste, gel mediums, and unconventional items like bubble wrap or lace to introduce tactile dimensions.
Mixed Drawing and Painting: Blending the finesse of drawing mediums—pencils, charcoal, ink—with the fluidity of paints, artists craft harmonious amalgamations of line and color.
Transfers: Employing techniques such as gel medium or solvent transfers, artists infuse their creations with transferred images, lending depth and complexity.
Resists: Masking fluid, tape, or wax are used strategically to repel paint or ink, revealing underlying layers or defining precise patterns when removed.
Found Objects: Everyday items like keys, buttons, or organic elements such as leaves and twigs become artistic elements, adding intrigue and depth.
Digital Integration: The convergence of traditional and digital realms sees artists blending digital elements into physical pieces or incorporating digitally manipulated images into their work.
Interactive Elements: interactive features such as sound, light, or kinetic components, transcending traditional static art forms.
The motivation behind researching these mixed media techniques came from a keen interest in incorporating them into my master’s project.
Michel Gondry’s rendition of Metronomy’s “Love Letters” masterfully implements a variety of mixed media techniques to craft a visually rich and engaging experience. Through the seamless integration of practical effects, including split screens and clever choreography, alongside a blend of retro aesthetics with modern visuals such as vintage props and vibrant colors, Gondry creates a dynamic and nostalgic visual landscape. The video’s power lies in its ability to synchronize these diverse elements with the music’s rhythm, resulting in an immersive and cohesive narrative that captivates the audience, showcasing Gondry’s adeptness in utilizing mixed media to elevate the music video into an enchanting visual masterpiece.
In Gondry’s visualisation of “Love Letters,” the blend of drawings with real-life scenes caught my eye. It sparked my interest in experimenting with a similar approach for my music video project. That fusion seems to offer a distinctive flair and depth to the visuals that I’m eager to explore further.
In today’s world, where grabbing attention is the name of the game, the talk about how social media grabs our focus is getting louder. In this entry I will summarise a Joe Rogan podcast episode #1558 with Tristan Harris, where they talk about how social media platform really want to captivate us.
Tristan Harris, a big voice for doing tech right, explained how social media algorithms are built to keep us glued. They’ve got this tailored content, those never-ending pings, and that endless scrolling—all to keep us hooked on that dopamine rush, wrecking how we concentrate.
Our ability to focus takes a hit, work efficiency goes down, and sticking to a task? Lately seems fairly difficult. Harris even hinted how this impacts our minds, sparking anxiety and messing with our well-being.
There is a solution. Once you clock these tactics, you’ve got the power to grab your attention back. Setting limits, being careful about screen time, and just being aware.
In this podcast Rogan and Harris really made me you rethink how I should use my technology. In general, It’s about taking charge, where we need to remind ourselves that we’re the boss of our gadgets, not the other way around.
Grungy aesthetics, sketchy lines and colouring outside those lines. All of my favorite stylistic choices which I consider implementing in my ongoing art career. The movie Spiderman: Across The Spider-Verse features ground breaking animations, style changes and served as a huge inspiration to me and many others. In the following few points are summarised points on how this particular art style an animation was achieved:
Art Style Fusion: Seamlessly blends various animation styles, from hand-drawn to computer-generated, in a single film.
Color and Texture Experimentation: Disregards traditional color schemes and textures, utilizing bold colors and diverse textures to represent the multiverse.
Frame Rate Variation*: Plays with different frame rates within scenes, creating a dynamic and energetic feel.
Aspect Ratio Changes: Shifts aspect ratios between scenes to signify shifts between different dimensions and realities.
Innovative Typography and On-Screen Text: Integrates typography and on-screen text creatively into the visual storytelling.
Non-Linear Storytelling: Explores the concept of multiple universes and versions of characters, offering a non-linear narrative structure.
Experimental Transitions: Employs inventive transition techniques, including comic book-style panel transitions and glitch effects, diverging from standard smooth scene changes.
I want to outline the Frame rate variation because I think this is one of the more essential techniques which I will commonly practice in the further development of my project.
Frame Rate Variation*
Animating on Ones: Some sequences were animated traditionally on ones, where each frame is shown for a single frame duration. This technique is used for fluid and detailed motion, especially in action-packed scenes or moments requiring smooth movements.
Animating on Twos or Threes: Other sequences utilized animating on twos or threes. When animating on twos, each drawing is shown for two consecutive frames, resulting in a slightly more staggered or stylized motion. Threes extend this to three consecutive frames, giving an even more distinct and choppy appearance.
Mixed Frame Rates: The film cleverly combined these different frame rates within scenes, alternating between sequences animated on ones, twos, or threes. This variation created a dynamic visual rhythm, emphasizing specific actions or intensifying the atmosphere of certain scenes.
For more details I highly recommend watching the following 2 videos:
There are so many styles to be inspired from, but I am particularly fond of one aesthetic. The grungy, punk fanzine inspired look for the character Hobie (As you could’ve guessed form the first few lines of this blog entry).
Hobie Brown, known as the Prowler in Spider-Man lore, shares an intriguing link to punk fanzines in some versions of the character. He’s portrayed as a creator of these DIY publications, revealing his artistic side beyond being a superhero. This connection implies his potential involvement or association with the expressive, underground realm of punk culture. Fanzines were pivotal in this culture, serving as avenues for unconventional expression, sharing alternative ideas, and spotlighting underground music, art, and lifestyle. Depicting Hobie as a fanzine artist hints at his possible connection to the rebellious and creative world associated with punk.
Punk Fanzines?
Punk fanzines display a gritty and unpolished style that resonates with the rebellious spirit of the punk movement.
These DIY publications are distinctly handmade, often using basic materials like photocopiers, cut-and-paste techniques, and hand-drawn elements. The layouts appear chaotic, featuring asymmetrical designs, bold fonts, and irregular lettering that convey a sense of urgency and spontaneity.
The visuals within these fanzines are provocative, showcasing raw and gritty imagery such as unpolished photographs, rough illustrations, and photocopied graphics. The content itself is daring, offering radical art, anti-establishment messages, underground music reviews, and personal anecdotes.
With intentionally low-quality printing, the fanzines carry a raw, grainy texture, often containing smudges and uneven ink distribution. Yet, these imperfections are embraced, adding to the authenticity and DIY aesthetic of punk fanzines.
In essence, the rough and grungy aesthetic of punk fanzines captures the untamed energy and counter-cultural defiance that define the punk movement.
There are multiple lessons which this movie has taught me, story wise I can’t say much, but aesthetically and technically there is a whole lot to unravel. After my initial watch I have gone over the parts I have liked in particular and viewed the sections frame-by-frame. It was quite interesting to see some imperfections in resolution, simple color changes or whacky doodles contribute so much to the whole scene. On its own some frames don’t seem truly spectacular, but given the fact that the average human being won’t go over frame-by-frame for an almost two and a half hour long movie, it is fair to say that every frame could be a poster. This is what I want to achieve, or at least try to achieve in my project.
Das Kreativkammerl Österreich ist der Treffpunkt für Personen die in der Kreativbranche tätig sind. Hier kommen Menschen regelmäßig zusammen, um sich zwanglos auszutauschen, Ideen zu teilen und in Gespräche einzutauchen.
KKO wird von vier Personen der Kreativbranche veranstaltet, die es sich zur Mission gemacht haben, allen Kreativen einen echten Mehrwert zu bieten. Ihr Ziel ist es, eine Plattform für informelle Diskussionen zu schaffen. Hier können sich Menschen ohne den formalen Druck und Zeitstress des Projektsettings austauschen und gemeinsam einige Stunden verbringen. Die Initiative richtet sich nicht nur an Berufstätige, sondern auch an junge Menschen in Ausbildung. Ziel ist es, ihnen Einblicke in die Berufswelt zu ermöglichen und Kontakte zu Ansprechpartnern zu knüpfen, die ihnen bei ihrer beruflichen Entwicklung von Nutzen sein können.
Als großer Fan des Kreativkammerls war ich bereits zum 4. Mal dabei Zu Beginn gibt es jedes mal einen Workshop, Vortrag etc. Beim letzten Kreativkammerl des heurigen Jahres gab es eine große Paneldiskussion.
Die Teilnehmer waren:
Nino Groß (Fifteen Seconds)
Paul Siegl (Heldentheater)
Patrick Haas (En Garde)
Wolfang Niederl (Moodley)
Fedja Burmeister (ehemaliger Jung von Matt Geschäftsführer)
Markus Pirker (Simplease)
Das Themen der Diskussion waren zum Beispiel: Sollten Agenturen ihre Preismodelle und Preise transparent offenlegen? Welche Auswirkungen hat die Preispsychologie auf den Kreativmarkt? Besteht überhaupt noch die Möglichkeit, mit freien Projekten wirtschaftlich zu arbeiten, oder führt dies nur zu einem ruinösen Wettbewerb auf dem Markt und gefährdet die Existenz der Unternehmer?
Spannend war es hier verschiedenste Meinungen von erfahrenen Menschen der Kreativbranche zu hören und auch mit einigen hilfreichen Tipps nach Hause zu gehen.
Authored by Elisabeth Hacker, Mentored by Astrid Drechsler
This evaluation was a part of Ursula Laggers course Proseminar Master’s Thesis. I have used it as an Impuls blog post because of a critical insight it has provided to my research. The point being that the written master’s thesis is not a plain boring word document, but more of a stylised or self branded book which showcases the research behind your final creation. It should truly be a self reflection of yourself from head to toe.
A.
1. Problem/Question: This study delves into the challenge of merging unique 3D animations with a personalized sound style for Marie Dokter’s brand. Its goal is to develop an accessible sound design that seamlessly integrates with her animations.
2. State of Research: There’s a noticeable gap in research exploring the fusion of sound elements with 3D animations for personal branding. This indicates a need for a tailored sound approach.
3. Objective: The thesis aims to create a sound strategy that enhances Marie Dokter’s brand by providing consistent and adaptable audio for her 3D animations. While promising, improvements are needed, especially in usability, completeness of the audio style guide, and flexibility of the stem pack, currently in prototype status.
4. Theory Reference: This thesis focuses on establishing an original sound framework for media designers and artists, illustrated through Marie Dokter’s 3D animations. Despite a lack of prior literature, it refers to Groves (2011) as a related source, particularly concerning personal sound branding.
5. Method: The thesis methodology involves crafting sound components (Stems) and an Audio Style Guide but lacks specific details on data collection and analysis methods.
6. Material: The thesis draws from the works of media designers and artists, primarily Marie Dokter’s animations. The incorporation of references from existing literature adds depth to the research.
7. Literature: The literature covers various topics such as music theory, sound design, personal branding, usability testing, and electronic music production. While promising, a clearer connection of each source to the thesis would enhance focus.
8. Structure: The thesis is well-organized and visually appealing, adhering to academic standards for clear idea presentation.
9. Result: Test outcomes demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach, yet refinements are essential for practical use. The Audio Style Guide lacks depth, and the Stem Pack requires sound quality and flexibility improvements, currently in a prototype phase necessitating further development.
B.
Why I Chose This Work: Its professional appearance and relevance to sound and design piqued my interest. The coherent writing and visual aids made it engaging.
C.
1. Originality of the Work: This study creatively blends personal branding, sound design, and 3D animation. By integrating Marie Dokter’s works with innovative sound concepts, it explores new avenues.
2. Result of the Work: Test outcomes highlight strengths and areas for development. While the core idea holds promise, both the Sound Guide and sounds need refinement, showing the thesis’s self-awareness.
3. Presentation and External Form: Its professional appearance and readability make it appealing. The integration of visuals maintains engagement and structure.
4. Difficulty of the Task: Incorporating sound into 3D animations for personal branding requires expertise in sound, animation, and branding. The writer navigates these complexities systematically.
In summary, this work shows promise and acknowledges areas for improvement. Successfully managing such complexity demonstrates the writer’s ability to handle diverse challenges effectively.
To summarize the work of Katharina Sunk i’d like to give you a short overview of her thesis: The text explores the significance of young adults as future decision-makers and their lack of interest in political awareness despite the lowered voting age. With smartphones being an integral part of daily life and information easily accessible, the question arises regarding the attractiveness of news apps in the Austrian media market for adolescents (14-18). The work emphasizes the role of mass media and the growing importance of smartphones for knowledge dissemination. In the empirical phase, six adolescents tested news apps from “Heute” and “Die Presse.” The results indicate that appealing news apps for adolescents need to provide both information and entertainment. Quick navigation to relevant information is crucial, a requirement not adequately met by Austrian news apps. Therefore, the available selection is considered unattractive for adolescents (14-18).
I would like to judge said work according to several criteria:
Level of design:
The thesis exhibits a well-structured design with clear sections, including an introduction, background, research questions, theoretical framework, empirical study, and conclusions.
Degree of innovation:
The thesis introduces an innovative perspective by exploring the intersection of youth engagement, news consumption through apps, and the role of smartphones. The focus on the attractiveness of news apps for adolescents is a unique angle.
Independence:
The thesis demonstrates a degree of independence, especially in the formulation of research questions and the exploration of the relationship between youth, media, and news consumption. Also the empirical approach shows a big load of independence when it comes to implementation.
Outline and structure:
The thesis follows a logical and cohesive structure, progressing from the background to the research questions, theoretical framework, empirical study, and conclusions. This structure aids in understanding the research flow.
Degree of communication:
The thesis effectively communicates all central issues, research questions, and findings. It uses clear language to convey complex ideas, making it accessible to a broad audience.
Scope of the work:
The thesis has a specific scope, focusing on the attractiveness of news apps for youths aged 14 to 18 in Austria. It appropriately delimits the study to this demographic, providing a targeted analysis.
Orthography and accuracy:
The thesis appears well-written, with proper orthography and accuracy. There are no apparent issues with spelling or grammatical errors but a good style of citation.
Literature:
The thesis references studies and literature to support its arguments, demonstrating a research-oriented approach. It incorporates theoretical concepts and compares existing studies to contextualize the research problem. Sunk mentioned a broad spectrum of online and offline-sources.
Der „Green Panther“ ist der steirische Landespreis für kreative Kommunikation, bei dem die Verleihung jedes 2. Jahr stattfindet. Kreative Personen und Agenturen können hier in 13 verschiedenen Kategorien ihre letzten Kundenprojekte einreichen. Wer von einer Fachjury nominiert wird, wird bei der Green Panther Verleihung vorgestellt und muss sich dann gegen die anderen Nominierungen durchsetzen, um einen begehrten Green Panther Award in Bronze, Silber oder Gold zu bekommen.
Die diesjährige Feier des 33. Green Panther fand am 23. November in der Seifenfabrik statt und stand unter dem Motto “Thanksgiving”. Es gab 270 Einreichungen von 93 Agenturen und Kreativen, darunter 40 Newcomer. Alle Nominierten Arbeiten kann man im Designforum Steiermark Pop-up bis 9.12.2023 sehen.
Zusätzlich bietet der Green Panthereine ideale Plattform für Networking in der Werbebranche. Auf diesem Event treffen sich Gleichgesinnte, tauschen Ideen aus und knüpfen wertvolle Kontakte für zukünftige Projekte und Kooperationen. Die entspannte Atmosphäre des Abends schafft den optimalen Rahmen, um sich mit Branchenexperten zu vernetzen und das eigene berufliche Netzwerk zu erweitern.
At 7th October I attended the Game Dev Days, and I found the talks quite interesting. Most of them provided valuable insights into the game development process. The speakers discussed how they created their games, whether it was a small indie game developed by a single person, like „Roto Force“, or a larger project sponsored by Apple, such as the Game „Gibbon“.
While it was motivating to see how proud the speakers were of their accomplishments, it was also intimidating to realize the amount of work required to create a game. For instance, one speaker showed the complexities of designing an algorithm for different NPCs that appear on different days. This involved ensuring that characters didn’t overlap, especially when interacting with the player, and that important storylines for various tasks were properly integrated. This level of detail in game development was something I hadn’t considered before.
Another revelation was when a developer who single-handedly created a game shared the number of hours it took. His game took approximately 4000 hours to develop, and the profit was the same, resulting in an hourly wage of just 1 €, which was quite frustrating to hear.
There were also talks with more general topics, such as the talk from Phil Strahls which was about choosing colors in games. I particularly enjoyed this talk because the speaker not only covered the theoretical aspects of color selection but also provided practical advice. For example, he explained that front colors should be darker than back colors and cautioned against using too many colors, which can create visual noise that is challenging to manage. These insights are not only useful for game design but can also be applied to other design fields, such as animation and illustration.
In summary, the talks at the event were truly inspiring. While I may not be ready to develop a game for my master’s thesis due to the potential overload, I am certainly interested in exploring topics like the intricacies of NPC algorithms for a possible thesis subject. I think some other talks where quite useful for my Master Thesis, like the one about colors, because this theory will be similar to User Interfacedesign. The event has broadened my perspective on the world of game development and design.
