Creativity week 3

This week I combined a creativity exercise with the idea of color blindness testing. We could focus on using color perception to inspire creative thinking, while also raising awareness of how differently people perceive colors. Here's an exercise that combines both. 

Color Blindness Test Exploration

Start by taking an online color blindness test, such as the Ishihara test, to see how you perceive colors. It’s not necessarily about passing or failing but about understanding how colors might appear differently to various people. What colors or patterns did you find challenging to differentiate? How did your experience of the test compare to what you thought was "normal"?

Creative Challenge Based on Perception

Now that you’ve done the test, think about how the exercise can shape your approach to color in art or design. Create a piece of art or design (drawing, digital art, mood board, or even a story) using only colors you found easy to distinguish during the test. Alternatively, create an artwork inspired by how someone with color blindness might perceive colors—use muted, more accessible color schemes.

Project 2 Zoo Logo

 This week I was tasked with recreating a new zoo logo for the Cincinnati Zoo. Zoo logos are fun to make because they allow for a lot of creativity and playfulness! Zoo logos let designers experiment with elements of nature, whimsy, and fun, which makes them a great challenge and a lot of fun to create!

Zoos are fun places meant to engage people of all ages. A logo can reflect this sense of fun, often using playful fonts, shapes, and design elements that make it feel welcoming and joyful. I choose my color scheme because animal habitats are often colorful and lively, which gives you the freedom to use bright, bold colors in the logo. It makes the logo feel energetic and inviting.

The zoo is a connection to the natural world, so logos can incorporate elements like animals, trees, leaves, or the Earth, which makes them feel organic and connected to the environment.

Zoos are all about animals, so you can use different animals as the central focus of the logo. Whether it’s a majestic lion, a curious monkey, or a colorful parrot, each animal brings its own personality and vibe to the design.

Tattoo Project

    For this week's tattoo project I decided to create a tattoo idea of my dog Frankie “Mans best friend” typically refers to dogs, and it symbolizes loyalty, companionship, and unconditional love. Dogs have been domesticated and worked alongside humans for thousands of years, providing companionship, protection, and assistance in various roles from hunting to therapy animals. The phrase highlights how deeply bonded dogs are with humans, and how they are often there for us through thick and thin, without judgment or expectation. It reflects the emotional connection we share with them, as well as their constant presence as supportive friends. 

Project 1 Camping Icons

 For this week's project I was tasked with creating a series of camping icons identifying various amenities around the campground.  I find that campground icons are important because campground icons are small symbols or images used on maps, websites, or brochures to visually represent different amenities or features at a campground. They make it easier for campers to quickly identify the services available, like restrooms, fire pits, water sources, hiking trails, and so on. Creating campground icons in Adobe Illustrator can be a fun and rewarding process, but there were a few challenges that I encountered along the way.

Simplicity vs. Clarity

First I thought to myself campground icons need to be simple to make them easily recognizable at a glance, but achieving simplicity while maintaining clarity can be tricky. Icons need to be reduced to basic shapes, but if they’re oversimplified, they may lose their meaning.

Consistency Across Icons

If you’re creating a set of icons, it’s important to maintain a consistent style same stroke thickness, color palette, and visual weight so they look cohesive when viewed together. Getting the balance right across different designs can be challenging, especially when the subject matter varies greatly (a fire pit vs. a tent, for example).

Scalability

Icons are often used at various sizes (from small on a map to large on a website or brochure). It’s important that they remain clear and legible at any size. Too much detail in a small icon can make it hard to understand when reduced.

week 2 creativity

 For this week I worked on an exercise called Collage art with shapes and masks. Collage art is a form of visual art that involves assembling different materials such as paper, photographs, fabric, or other found objects—onto a single surface to create a new, unified composition.

Artists can combine various textures, colors, and images in creative ways to produce something entirely new. It can be both abstract or representational, depending on how the elements are arranged. Mask the object with the texture (Ctrl/Cmd + 7) to create a shape out of it. Move your shapes around the art board to create a unique collage. Use the pencil tool (N) to draw an enclosed shape on top of the texture. Holding down the Shift key, select both objects with the Selection tool.

Breaking Boundaries of Tradition

Collage art challenged traditional ideas of art-making by moving beyond the confines of painting and sculpture. Instead of relying solely on brushstrokes and forms created from scratch, artists could use pre-existing materials, recontextualizing them in new ways. This opened up new creative possibilities and blurred the lines between different mediums, like photography, painting, and sculpture.

 

Expression of Individual Identity

For many artists, collage is a way to express their personal experiences, views, or emotions. The process of cutting, pasting, and layering different materials can be a deeply personal one, allowing the artist to communicate ideas that might be hard to convey through traditional means. In a way, collage acts as a mirror of the fragmented nature of modern life—both personal and collective.

week 1 creativity

For this week I did a creative exercise called Mixed media draw on a photo For this exercise, play with adding colorful embellishments on top of a photograph. A mixed media creative exercise involves using a variety of materials and techniques to create an artwork. The idea is to combine different artistic mediums such as paint, collage, ink, fabric, photography, and more into one piece to create something unique and multidimensional. 

Encourages Experimentation

Using multiple mediums pushes you out of your comfort zone. You might start with a paintbrush, but the introduction of collage, fabric, or even objects like buttons or string invites you to explore new textures, forms, and techniques. This helps develop creative flexibility and encourages thinking outside the box.

Enhances Visual Depth

Because you're working with different textures, colors, and materials, the final piece tends to have more visual depth and interest. Your eyes are constantly drawn to new areas of the artwork, making it dynamic and engaging.

Ideal for All Skill Levels

Mixed media doesn’t require advanced skills in any single medium. Beginners can experiment without feeling intimidated, while experienced artists can stretch their creative boundaries further by combining more complex materials and techniques. Everyone can find something exciting in the process.