Helvetica reflection

This blog is focused on the movie Helvetica produced by Gary Hustwit. The picture was taken from deviantart.com by phillyfresh

What do you feel is the message the director is trying to express in this movie? Support your answer with examples.

I like how he explained the different type phases. He said some people think that when they write the word dog it should bark. What a unique way of thinking about a font. While I type papers or look around the world I did not realize how much this font is used to promote advertisements. Thinking of a word actually presenting an action is not something I would have thought about.
I think the producer is trying to convey that typographers are often looked down upon, but their talents are actually quite valuable.

Explain if you think the director’s ethnic/cultural/professional background played a role in directing this film?

I do think the director knew when producing this film that it might promote the creativity of typographers from Sweden. Although I do not feel like this was his only reason for producing this movie. It seems he wants the world to be more aware of the various fonts that are displayed and who goes through the trouble to create them to have just the right curve or angle.

What groups (people of color, nationality, culture, class,gender etc.) may be offended or misinterpret this movie and why?

It is possible that people who are not Swedish might be offended by this film. I can see why it was named this, but when people other then the Swiss want to use it they may not like the fact that it was named by the people who created it.

What the movie added to your visual literacy?

This movie made me think a lot more about the fonts that are all around the world. Most of it is displayed in stores, although there are ads in magazines that show the text as expressive. It was also interesting to notice that in the fifties they were more apt to use fancy cursive writing. The man speaking shows a Coke ad with a glass of ice cold Coke where they use Helvetica and the point is made to "drink Coke"

What kind of artistic and/or visual means did the director use in the movie to focus our attention?

By using Helvetica you make your text appear clean and efficient. Jonathan Hoefler says that the color invites and sends an open invitation. He believes that Helvetica reveals everything.
Honestly before viewing this film I would most likely just pick a font, because of the fun design or creative font. Now I almost wonder if when using these "fun" fonts such as Apple Chancery on a Mac and comic sans on a Mac or windows if I am overdoing it.


I think the producer is trying to convey that typographers are often looked down upon, but their talents are actually quite valuable.

Explain if you think the director’s ethnic/cultural/professional background played a role in directing this film?

I do think the director knew when producing this film that it might promote the creativity of typographers from Sweden. Although I do not feel like this was his only reason for producing this movie. It seems he wants the world to be more aware of the various fonts that are displayed and who goes through the trouble to create them to have just the right curve or angle.

What groups (people of color, nationality, culture, class,gender etc.) may be offended or misinterpret this movie and why?


It is possible that people who are not Swedish might be offended by this film. I can see why it was named this, but when people other then the Swiss want to use it they may not like the fact that it was named by the people who created it.
What the movie added to your visual literacy?

This movie made me think a lot more about the fonts that are all around the world. Most of it is displayed in stores, although there are ads in magazines that show the text as expressive. It was also interesting to notice that in the fifties they were more apt to use fancy cursive writing. The man speaking shows a Coke ad with a glass of ice cold Coke where they use Helvetica and the point is made to "drink Coke"

What kind of artistic and/or visual means did the director use in the movie to focus our attention?

By using Helvetica you make your text appear clean and efficient. Jonathan Hoefler says that the color invites and sends an open invitation. He believes that Helvetica reveals everything.


Honestly before viewing this film I would most likely just pick a font, because of the fun design or creative font. Now I almost wonder if when using these "fun" fonts such as Apple Chancery on a Mac and comic sans on a Mac or windows if I am overdoing it.

Killing us Softly

I found her views on how advertisement effects us very interesting. Most people never stop to think about how it has influenced them. The ideal advertising woman is always flawless. This is something even myself I have found to be sucked into. I look at ads in the magazines or old photographs of myself and wonder why my body type is not like the women in the pictures. I would say that advertising does still objectify womens bodies. A main example that I can think of if Victorias Secret. I have shopped there for a while now and seen how things have changed. They have a brand called “Pink” and it normally gets the younger generation of womens attention. There are older women who purchase this, but when I am in the store I have noticed mothers and their daughters looking for spandex pants or pink undergarments. This is something I would hope to never see in my daughters mind. With weight control I would say this is an issue with men and women. When observing magazine ads and also commercials men and women seem to be shown as always having muscular bodies. With women especially in the weight loss commercials they are shown in just the right outfit. Sometimes I wonder if a fashion consultant comes and provides a special outfit so that they may appear thinner. Sexuality is still a problem as well. I feel like as a woman in this world you are expected to be that sexy image that magazines such as Sports Illustrated or Maxim provide for men. I also think it is hard for men to realize this because this is what the mens magazines publish. You will not see an overweight woman posing for Maxim or another mens magazine. Throughout my time period I have not seen male violence used to sell products, but it is very possible I just have not been to mainstream lately. I will look in the occasional womens clothing magazine but it is not often that I look at it and think wow that women is being looked down upon by men. I think that men sometimes do think that they need to live up to the image that women want to see. A lot of it depends on the woman as well. She may watch a movie or see a man in a magazine and mention something to her spouse or boyfriend. This might make him think he needs to improve his image. The worlds image of men and women does constantly change, but it seems that the sexual view of women might never change. A modest women just does not fit the “ideal”description of a woman and this is sad.

Movies!!

So I was trying to think of some more visual examples in my life and one that stuck out like a sore thumb is movies! When I was younger my brother and I loved to sneak off to go watch a movie in our rooms or with the family. Now a days you can watch a movie in the theater in more ways then one. For example, there is an old way I remember watching 3d movies. I owned a Yogi Bear vhs that came with those cardboard glasses that had one eye blue and the other red. This was like the best thing ever when I was young. If you go to a 3d movie now I almost seem disappointed as the glasses are nothing, but black plastic. Also while watching the movie instead of the whole thing being in 3d it seems there are only certain portions that you can enjoy that 3d effect. To me this is an example of visual literacy changing throughout my lifetime. I am sure it will change again too.

Another thing I have noticed is childrens movies. Disney used to be the old cartoon effect when the movies were produced. If you watch a Disney movie now it has much improved. The picture is not near as pixaly and the colors seem much brighter. It seems that childrens movies have moved towards the animation that is used in Finding Nemo and Tangled. It is a growing new fad and the kids love it. Most of them are also produced on dvd. I think I could just stick to my old vhs movies that need to be "rewound" :)

picture taken from:

www.flickr.com

Visual Literacy Examples

The very first post should be related to Visual Symblos in My Life: Describe how visual symbols affect your life on a daily basis. Make sure to include some visual examples. At the end of the course you will answer the above questions again, and you will reflect on how will an increased knowledge of Visual Literacy help you to create, understand, classify, and appreciate visuals.

While going through everyday life I do notice that certain symbols let me know where something might be located. It is just more common then I thought. For example, most bathrooms will have a typical picture of a stick figure girl or boy and this is how we know where to go to the bathroom. Also when watching a commercial we may recognize the company by their iconic subject. Geico is a great example in my eyes. If I am watching the television and the gecko typically confused with Geico is on the t.v I automatically know that, that commercial is for insurance. Another common figure used to promote insurance is Flo for Progressive. She is very quirky and funny and when I see her in a television ad I know that she is promoting insurance. Because I remember that she is the figure for Progressive and the gecko is for Geico I am already showing examples of how visual symbols affect my life.

never really took the time to think about how many visual symbols I see daily. Think about a hospital or an area where you give blood they almost always have the red cross to symbolize a health center. If you are driving in a car a red light symbolizes that you need to stop. Throughout life if you just take the time to observe you may notice more visuals symbols then you did before.

Can you think of any other visual symbols?

pictures provided by: www.google.com/images

Cheaper ways to buy College books!

image from google.com/images

Hello!

Well I am a fellow college student and I was thinking it would be a good thing to share some of my secrets to cheaper books for college. Every term you have that one teacher that will ask you to buy over one hundred dollars worth of books.While ringing up books my junior year at the bookstore I decided I would find a way to get them cheaper. You have the option to buy your books at your local college bookstore or you can order them online! How about that? Most colleges give you free internet, take advantage of this students! Most of the time all you need is a debit or credit card. Here are some nice sites that most students use.

cheap books

textbooks

amazon.com

half.com

Just a few to get you started! Hope these help you! Also be sure to read the sellers profile. This can help you to determine if the seller is reliable or not when purchasing an item.

Digital Imaging and More

Hello Bloggers!

It has been a while. Since the last time I was on here I have taken Digital Imaging. This was quite the learning experience. It was my first time using a mac. Something I found very fun was making a comic with comiclife. You can download it for free at this site if you own a mac. Just click on the link. comiclife I would have to say the most entertaining assignment I was given was the production of a digital story. We were allowed to pick any subject as long as we told a story. There were many examples given throughout the class. The subject that I choose was bullying. I was able to interview two of my friends. It was very heartwarming and also sad to hear some of the stories that my friends shared with me. I knew that it would hit me hard, but I never expected to cry. I will post my video and some of the videos that were used for examples. Here are also a few things that my instructor gave me that might be of assistance to you. just click on the link and it will take you where you need to go. This is something that can be used in the classroom for lesson plans or just to get to know your students. I would recommend incorporating a digital story at least once in your teaching experience.

Here is an example of a really well done digital story.

92 yr. old tap dancer

and last but not least here is the digital story I was able to create. Enjoy!

Bullying it Happens to Everyone

CCA Expectations

In this class I hope to extend what I was able to learn from my Educational Technology Class. I have heard many good things about this class from other classmates. They told me that picking the Ed. Tech minor helped them to be hired for a job at a high school. This is what interested me. I hope that I can continue to observe new methods.