Typing to Myself

Category: Intro Design

  • Intro Design Summary

    What I’ve Learned about Design

    Doing The Vignelli Canon reflection showed me that design is more about asking what is appropriate rather than what looks cool. Massimo Vignelli wrote, “Design means to be in control of every detail” (p. 74). I didn’t really think about it like that before. I used to choose fonts or layouts just based on what looked interesting to me or just whatever the common theme was, but now I’m starting to see that every small choice affects how people understand what they’re seeing.

    Doing the DesignBlitz also made me notice how even everyday objects are designed with intention. Like the Honey Nut Cheerios box I analyzed. Its heart-shaped cereal pieces connect to the message about heart health. I believe this design choice led people to feel trust or comfort toward the product and company. On a larger level, society seems to rely on design to communicate things quickly without words like for street signs.

    What Was Harder Than I Expected

    More challenging than I thought was finding a way to make the fortune cookie movie quotes feel both real and meaningful. For example, in the Fortune Cookies assignment, I needed to choose quotes from The Lion King movie that could actually feel like a real fortune. I began thinking about what a person would feel reading them in real life. I didn’t want it to feel forced or cringey. Also, with The Lion King Paid Escort edit, I struggled with balancing humor and meaning. I didn’t want it to be just a joke.

    What Was Easier Than I Expected

    Creating the edits for the assignments was easier than I thought. Using tools like Paint.NET and Adobe Lightroom Classic felt pretty straightforward since I’ve already gotten used to them. For example, making the fortune cookie quotes with the scenes from The Lion King or isolating the apple and butterfly from the other elements in the orchard photo came together smoother than I expected. The technical side didn’t slow me down much which was a relief.

    What Drove Me Crazy

    The very one thing that really drove me crazy was dealing with copyright restrictions for the third assignment of part IV. At first, I found this perfect photo of a pigeon standing out in the foreground, in front of all the other pigeons. I added a glowing white outline around it and blurred the background, then added the text “be the pigeon that stands out from the flock.” I thought it looked great. But right after finishing, I discovered the copyright license on that image which didn’t allow me to use it the way I wanted. That was frustrating because I had already put a lot of work into it. I spent hours searching for a good replacement but couldn’t find anything that fit or had a forgiving license. Eventually, I remembered a childhood memory at the orchard and started searching for apples instead. That’s when I found the perfect Creative Commons image with a license that let me use it freely (as long as it’s non-commerical and appropriately credited). It felt like a lucky break after a long struggle. This whole experience showed me how important it is to understand copyright early on…

    What I’ve Enjoyed

    What I enjoyed most was seeing how simple edits could create an emotional meaning. In the “One Memory in Color” assignment, I left one apple in bright red with a yellow butterfly on top while the rest turned grey. When I finished the edit, I felt so triumphant and satisfied with how it turned out.

    Final Thoughts

    This week made me realize design is not about making things flashy or trendy. It’s more like quietly telling a story in a way people can feel without needing an explanation. Like Vignelli said, “Good design doesn’t cost more than bad design. The opposite is quite true, very often” (p. 94). I think good design feels honest. That’s something I want to carry with me, whether in class or later on in life.

    Links

  • One Memory in Color

    When I was young, my family took me to an apple orchard one autumn weekend. It’s also the one drive to the orchard where I had my infamous sunglasses photo taken which became a household relic.

    Orchard Visit

    I don’t remember the drive there in full, just hazy memories of large open plains of grass and plots of many trees lined up as I watched in the back seat. But what I do remember clearly is standing between endless rows of apple trees with my dad. He showed me how to twist an apple off gently so the branch wouldn’t snap. I was a careful boy back then, surprisingly. I didn’t want to make the nice people working there mad. Back then, all the apples felt the same to me. I didn’t care if they were bright red or yellow-green. I was just excited to pick any apple at all and drop it carefully into the basket I was carrying. It wouldn’t be fun picking an apple that had already fallen on the ground, right?

    Applebutterfly
    Original credits to Ben Balter under Flickr Creative Commons CC BY-NC-SA

    For this assignment, I found a Creative Commons photo of apples hanging from a tree and edited it to recreate the feeling of how my mind remembers that day. In my edit, I left one apple glowing in a vivid red while muting all the others in deep unsaturation. On top of that bright apple sat a small butterfly with bright yellow wings. I kept its color intact too because it looked pretty important. I added the caption: “No matter how much time passes, one memory stays bright.” When I looked at it, it reminded me of how memories work. Most moments blur into grey and even forgotten, but a core memory from your childhood can stand out in perfect color, carrying with them unexpected details like a smell, a sensation–you name it.

    Apple Butterfly Modified
    I modified the image using Lightroom Classic w/ Masking tool, paint.NET for the text

    Seeing this photo now makes me realize how small moments can root themselves so deeply. That orchard trip didn’t change my life in any dramatic way. But it still stayed with me, tucked between blurred memories of my childhood I rarely think about. Sometimes I wonder if I’ll take my own kids to an orchard one day and if they’ll remember it too. Maybe not everything. But maybe just one apple, glowing red under the sun, with a butterfly perched calmly on top, reminding them that even small fleeting things can be beautiful enough to hold onto forever.

    The Little Caption – Assignment Bank

  • The Lion King: Paid “Escort”

    Scar has always been a character who left a bitter taste in my mind. When I watched The Lion King, I saw how he betrayed Mufasa without a second thought and then lied to the pride to cover it up. He carried himself with this fake confidence, acting like he deserved everything he stole. But even then, part of me wondered if he always wanted to be the villain. Growing up, he was overlooked, living in Mufasa’s shadow as the smaller, weaker brother. Some say Scar was actually smart, noticing problems others ignored, like how some animals were starving while others thrived. He tried to share his ideas but no one cared and after years of being dismissed, he grew bitter. There are videos out there calling him a misunderstood revolutionary who wanted to fix the land before it dried up completely. This YouTube analysis talks about how Scar’s ideas about fairness and sharing resources could have changed the Pride Lands for the better (like how he tried sharing resources with the hyenas). But in the end, I still think he caused more harm than good by choosing betrayal (to both sides) instead of working to earn trust.

    Snippet from The Lion King. Scar lied to the pack to become the new king and brought in the hyena.

    When I edited myself into this scene from The Lion King (2019), I imagined what it would feel like to stand there with him in his final moments. The screenshot shows Scar surrounded by hyenas in the dim cave light, crouched low with fear in his eyes. Off to the side behind a boulder, I’m there wearing dark sunglasses, just watching. At the bottom of the image, I added the line: “Relax, Scar. I paid these hyenas extra to escort you out.” It changes the whole meaning. Now his ending isn’t just the hyenas’ revenge. It’s me orchestrating it, making sure he can’t manipulate his way out again.

    friendlyEscort
    Snapshop from The Lion King (2019). I edited myself and the subtitles in with Paint.NET

    Thinking about it, Scar’s story is almost sad. Maybe if someone had listened to him earlier, he wouldn’t have turned out the way he did. But by the time this scene happens, he’s already crossed every line. Seeing myself there didn’t make me feel powerful in a grand way. It just felt certain. Like justice isn’t always so loud or heroic. Sometimes it’s just a quiet person standing in the shadows, paying what’s due, and making sure the story ends the way it’s supposed to before walking away without needing to say anything else.

    Messing with the MacGuffin – Assignment Bank

  • Fortune Cookies from “The Lion King”

    I was thinking today about how fortune cookies usually have little messages about your future or perhaps words of good luck, but sometimes a line from a movie feels like a fortune too. Or a warning for the future.

    If I ever opened a fortune cookie that said “Remember who you are,” it would feel like Mufasa was talking directly to me. In The Lion King, this line isn’t just a casual phrase. Simba is lost and scared. He’s been running away for so long that he doesn’t even think he can go back home. Then Rafiki shows him his reflection in the water. Simba thinks he’s just looking at a reflection of himself. Rafiki denies this and tells him to look harder. That’s when Mufasa appears in the sky and says, “You have forgotten who you are, and so forgotten me… Remember who you are. You are my son and the one true king.”

    rememberWhoYouAre
    Added the quote “Remember who you are” using Paint.NET
    Snippet from The Lion KIng (2:42 for the quote)

    If someone got that fortune in real life, I think it would feel different depending on what they’re going through. For Simba, it was a reminder that he still had worth and responsibility even though he had messed up before. For me, it would feel like a quiet push to stop wasting my time and go back to what I was meant to do. Mufasa’s words remind me that no matter how much I try to hide, the truth of who I am will always be there waiting for me to accept it again. It’s not a dramatic “you can do it!” sort of fortune, but rather a softer one that says, “You were always enough.”

    Another fortune cookie could say “Long live the king.” Scar, the main antagonist from The Lion King, said this right before he let Mufasa fall into the stampede. If someone opened a cookie with that inside, it would probably feel unsettling at first. In the movie, Scar pretends to save Mufasa but then says “Long live the king” and throws him off to his demise. That line sounds respectful, but it’s actually filled with betrayal and greed. Scar wanted power so badly he was willing to kill his own brother for it. If I got this fortune, I think I’d see it as a warning about blind ambition and jealousy. It reminds me that not every person is genuine, and not every compliment is real. Scar’s words were just as sharp as his claws that very day.

    longLiveTheKing
    Added the quote “Long live the king” using Paint.NET
    Snippet from The Lion King (1:20 for the quote)

    I drew this scene on lined notebook paper. It’s Mufasa clawing into the edge of the cliff, trying to pull himself up while the wildebeest stampede rages below. He’s desperate, but also full of this tired strength that refuses to give up. Looking at my drawing now, it feels less like a movie scene and more like a memory of what it means to care about someone, your pack, so much it scares you to not let go.

    lionSketch
    Go, Mufasa! Go!!

    If I opened these two fortunes back to back, I think I’d sit there quietly and just think about them. Mufasa’s fortune would feel grounding, reminding me to go back to who I really am inside when I feel lost. Scar’s would feel like a cold lesson about how dangerous it is to let jealousy and hate control you. When I think about it, both lines tell the whole story of The Lion King in just a few words. One is about staying true to yourself and your responsibilities and the other is about what happens when you let darkness take over your heart.

    Movie Fortunes – Assignment Bank

  • DesignBlitz: Design Concepts within Photos

    1. Typography–Duet Rose Pot

    Typography is basically the style and look of the letters used in a design. Even though it might seem small, it can change how people feel about what they’re looking at. For example, I took a photo of a green planting pot in my house. On the pot, it has the words “Duet Rose” written in a large serif font. Below that, it says “Multiple Rose Varieties One Plant” in a smaller sans-serif font. The text is white, so it stands out clearly against the green background of the pot. The serif font for the product name makes it look elegant and traditional, which I think fits well with roses since people usually see them as fancy or romantic flowers. Then the smaller sans-serif text below is easier to read and feels simple and modern. The serif font tells me it’s classy and the sans-serif tagline is there just to explain, without taking away from the main name. Also, there are two small rose illustrations above the text, which adds to the overall theme without making it look crowded. It seems typography choices can build appeal and matching interests in something as simple as a planting pot.

    greenPlantingPot

    2. Minimalism— Green Watering Can

    Minimalism is about keeping things simple while still making them useful or meaningful. I took a photo of my bright green watering can sitting on the stone patio outside. There’s nothing really fancy about it. It’s just a plain watering can with no logos or decorations. Around it, there’s a leafy plant, a blue and white ceramic pot, and a hose, but the background doesn’t feel busy. The watering can stands out on its own because there isn’t much clutter around it. The green color feels calm and fresh next to the gray stones and the soft blue pot. I think this shows minimalism because the watering can is made purely for its function. It doesn’t try to look stylish or grab attention (well, besides being bright and green). It’s just there to help water the plants, and that’s enough. It’s sizeable enough as a watering can. Looking at it like this made me see that minimalism isn’t about having less for no reason. Rather, it’s about being intentional with what you keep and what you don’t. Even simple tools can look peaceful when there isn’t a lot of extra stuff around them.

    brightGreenMinimalisticWaterCan

    3. Dominance— SilverCrest Smoothie Box

    Dominance in design is about guiding people’s eyes to what you want them to notice first. I took a photo of the box for my SilverCrest smoothie maker. Right away, the blender stands out because it’s placed right in the middle of the box design. It’s big, dominant, and looks sleek with its shiny surfaces. Around it are all these fresh fruits like strawberries, kiwis, grapes, and oranges. Their bright colors make the blender look even stronger as the main focus. Even though there are a lot of fruits in the picture, they don’t distract from the blender. Instead, they help it stand out more. The way the fruits are arranged around it feels like they’re pointing back to the blender like the blender is the star of the design. I think this demonstrates how dominance works because my eyes always go back to the smoothie maker no matter how colorful the fruits are. It’s like the design is telling you clearly, “Hey. This is what matters here.” Seeing this made me realize that dominance isn’t just about making something bigger, but also about it’s about placing it in a way that pulls attention and makes everything else support it.

    dominantSmoothieMaker

    4. Metaphors & Symbols–Cereal Box

    Metaphors and symbols in design are about using images or shapes to say something deeper without words. I took a photo of my Honey Nut Cheerios cereal box. What I’ve noticed is that the Cheerios on the box are shaped like hearts instead of regular circles. I sort of interpreted it as “Made with love” or “This cereal is made with healthy fibers that are good for your heart!” There’s also the bee mascot on the box. Bees usually make people think of honey, sweetness, and nature (and the bee movie), so it adds a friendly and comforting vibe. The warm brown and golden yellow colors remind me of honey too, making it feel cozy. There’s even text about how the cereal’s soluble fiber can help lower cholesterol, and the heart shapes on the box connect perfectly with that message. It shows that good design can use simple symbols to tell a story about health, comfort, and care without needing to say too much.

    metaphoricalCerealBox

    Conclusion

    To wrap up this DesignBlitz, I think it was interesting to just look around my own house and see how design shows up in small everyday things. I feel like I started noticing how fonts, colors, symbols, and layout choices actually affect how we see and feel about products. If I ever do this again somewhere outside my house, I think it would be cool to find even more unique examples. But for now, I’m glad I could see design with a different perspective just by paying more attention to what’s already around me.

  • The Vignelli Canon- A Written Reflection

    Reading through The Vignelli Canon by Massimo Vignelli felt a bit like sitting quietly with someone who’s spent decades thinking about design, someone who doesn’t need to raise their voice to be heard as they’ve already laid out their experiences for any willing listener. Vignelli talks about design like it has its own world, a language. He says, “It is imperative to develop your own vocabulary of your own language — a language that attempts to be as objective as possible, knowing very well that even objectivity is subjective” (Massimo Vignelli, p. 96). I think that line stuck with me because it’s a reminder that while design can feel structured, it’s still deeply personal. Everyone’s “canon” will end up different.

    One thing I noticed throughout the book was how much he cares about the topic of appropriateness. Whether he’s talking about grids and typefaces or colors and materials, he always asks, ‘Is this appropriate for what it’s trying to say?’ He believes that design should have an economy to it but not in a cheap way. More like a sense of restraint and clarity. He wrote, “Design means to be in control of every detail and scale is one of the most relevant ones” (Vignelli, p. 74). I guess that’s the opposite of what we often see online today as with random fonts, distorted text, loud colors, and clutter. Or everything just following the same uncreative patterns. It feels like there’s a sense of panic in some modern design like it’s trying too hard to grab attention.

    What stood out to me was his dislike of using typefaces as decoration. He calls it “intellectual vulgarity” (Vignelli, p. 72). At first, that sounded harsh, but reading his explanations made it clearer. He’s not trying to kill creativity. Rather, he’s trying to make sure there’s meaning behind choices. He writes, “In other words, it is not the type but what you do with it that counts. The accent was on structure rather than type” (Vignelli, p. 54). I think that’s something I want to remember in my own work. Sometimes I get caught up in finding the coolest looking font instead of thinking about whether it really fits.

    I don’t think I’ll design the same way he does but I do think I want to carry his mindset that is sort of asking, ‘Is this appropriate? Does this have a purpose?’ rather than just making things look flashy. Because like he said, “Good design doesn’t cost more than bad design. The opposite is quite true, very often” (Vignelli, p. 94). I think that’s something worth holding onto, especially in a world that often chooses speed and trends over substance and quality.