W13 Recap

Sign that I am still not totally into work: I am still getting eight hours sleep.

It's week13, let's have a recap.

I have officially said bye bye to Marketing and Design Cultures. Finished all journals, tests and my part in reports. I'd like to take the chance here to thank THAM for being a totally awesome guy. He took up the responsibility unbidden to finish up two group reports for us. Thank you! You've freed up a lot of lumbering-around-not-knowing-what-to-do time for us.

There are currently three really huge huge huge things to do. 12 executions for Advertising, Advertising presentation concept, Graphic design self-promo and portfolio book, and Exhibition (realise how I capitalise the E, coz it's like a named presence, hovering, looking down on us with a smug smug sinister smile).

A lot of wasted time. Old news. Not even gonna waste blog space berating myself. The only thing I can do now is to do do do.

And breathe.

On a side note, mom got back from Singapore and she called me. Told her about my lost wallet and how I am owing people money left and right. She then said she'll bank in some money for me. Feeling so much like a rotten egg, I messaged her and apologized for asking money from her the moment she got home. And she replied me this, "What are mothers for." Not as an ATM machine, no, but for always saving me from a critical condition (critical coz I can't access any of my own money!). Love you mom!!!!

I will pack a bag, be on a date with myself to freeze the present into a letter for myself, ten years later. I fear and I look forward to December. For I journey. I will.

What the TOOOT

Got all these lovelies from Yueh Yih's album.

It was just supposed to be a weekend where we gather among ourselves. But lo-and-behold, some unexpected people turned up and we ended up having a mini-gathering of Georgians in KL. As always it was great seeing old friends again. It's interesting, seeing them where they are now, different from where you might expect them to be from secondary school.

A biologist who is pursuing an MBA.

A peer already earning the big bucks when I'm still in school.

An economist whom I thought hated numbers.

A constant finally making a change to her life.

A lunatic who is beginning to make sense.

And me, nothing. Expected.

I love this angle! Makes my face look sharp and yeng!

Anyways, had some rotten luck which sorta spoiled my excellent mood. I lost my wallet don't know where, must have dropped it when I left my bag unzipped? Rm200 cash, RM50 cash card, IC, license, ATM card, Haagen Daaz Ambassador card, Student ID, dobi receipt, one Guan Yin scripture amulet thing and my paper map design wallet, a gift from Shiau Fong from London. And oh, I got a summon from parking by the side of the road at Bukit Jalil. And yeah, took a wrong turn on the way back from KLIA which resulted an hour's detour and an extra RM8.60 for toll. Had to borrow money from people but still insisted on eating expensive food which is soooo out of my league now.

Not the worst of luck. In fact, I'm quite lucky. Still good. But but but... aih, just let me whine a bit. I'll feel better.

On a totally random note, I wanna go somewhere I can breathe. Just me and the wide open sky. Fuhhh.....

Global Warming Presentation

We had this global warming poster presentation some time this week. Tuesday kut. 40 people. Each about five minutes, some so much more. When we left, it was about five in the evening.

These are some of my classmates' works. Ten weeks for completion of a single poster. Hah.

I've singled out some designs from my camera. There are of course a lot more nice ones, but I didn't manage to get pictures of them all. So here I'll only be showing whatever I got.

First up, Wienie's sweet poster. I really like the line work and also the water colour textures. Am always a sucker for textures. =P That's why you see textures in most of my works too.

Jing Wen's poster. Have always liked her stuff. Her style appeals very much to me.

Adora with hers. Upon closer inspection, there's some crazy Illustrator tracing stuff going on in there.

Nick's awesome hand-painted artwork. I've been doing digital all along, not so sure if I can paint with my hands on real canvas anymore. O wait, I've never been able to paint for real. Hah.

And Ms Forty-one. Stole this from Jing Wen's album, didn't get a picture of hers, but it's so good it'll be a crime to not include this. I will never have her patience with all these details. But whatever I cannot execute on my own, I can always admire from afar, right?

Yea. And mine. Printed in its full glory. I've officially grown tired from looking at this. I really need to come up with something new so that my portfolio will not only have this single piece of work.

Noooooo

There was rushing of work until 6.30a.m.

There was a missing the alarm, got scared awake by a knock on the door, early morning.

There was a presentation after being barely awake from too little sleep night before.

There was submission on mounting board.

Then there was a really good sleep after an all-day's work in the afternoon, until the skies grew dark.

Then there was sleeping until early morning, waking up naturally, totally refreshed.

How can this not be the end of the semester yet? It looks and feels like it. Gahhhhh.... Many many torturous days forthcoming.

The small breather was just an illusion. A cruel one at that.

E. Again.

I ♥ E神

Do you know typing "<" and "3" together translates into "♥"? I've only just found out.

Global Warning

We spent ten weeks on perfecting this global warming poster. Yes. Ten weeks. With the remaining five weeks for self-promo, portfolio book plus exhibition designs. Genius, yea, the person who managed this for us? Pure. Genius.

When I was brainstorming for ideas, I found myself keep coming back to this one: about the last piece of earth containing all the things we will want to protect and keep safe, mother earth in the background, turning her disappointed face away. So I began with some sketches. Since the poster is A1, I needed to work on a bigger piece of paper to get all the details in. I ended up with three A3s, joined together to form my composition.

After taking pictures of all these (my scanner only scans A4), I crop and resize them properly in Photoshop. The end product will be my final composition.

Next was deciding the colour palette. I came across this album design as well as the "Never Let Me Go" poster with a palette that I really like. These palettes are quiet and whimsical, bringing out the sombre and melancholy feeling that I seek. Using these images as references, I reproduced the colour palettes and use them to colour the foundation of my illustration.

In the end, I decided to take out the bottom part. There were simply too many things and the last part simply detract attention away from the center. By taking out the bottom, I've given myself ample space to place my headline as well.

I was really satisfied with this piece. However, the lecturer didn't really see this my way. She thought it looked flat and the colours not exciting enough. I didn't agree with her critique because it was not my intention to do something too "in your face".

But alas, I gave in to the fact that she's like a client I have to please. To give something neutral like the above a more exciting note was easy, just add a few textures and a more dynamic gradient in the background. Worked like a charm.

I did stumble upon a few nice effects when I was tinkering with the blending mode. Check them out. I like. But not suitable.

This is the final design which I will be printing on A1. I find myself surprisingly liking this better than the neutral looking poster. Another lesson in not limiting myself to my own thoughts and assumptions. There is always a way in improving upon something.

This is the first project that I've uploaded into Behance. I've decided to upload more works there so that it'll serve as my online portfolio. I want so much to have a website where I can put everything under one banner but for the lack of time, Behance is really my best choice.

More posts will come, a chronology of my preparation for graduate exhibition. Like my work? Help spread the word.

=)

Need Sleep

10.10.10

Must today be of at least some significance for all of us? Nah, not for me. But it warrant a random post in its honour.

Been contemplating a lot lately about priorities

When it's too much I really can't stand it

I need to see them

Blocked someone

My best friends are coming to KL, I need to see them

Hopefully sanity will return

I don't know what to think anymore

I just know there's a lot to do

So random it's no more random

Too much computer time

Too low productivity

How is that possible?

O right Facebook

I tried crying but there were no tears

I survived to Week8

Lost the passion somehow

Wasn't so sad after all?

I tried caring

For a bag of chips

Had a craving for Ruffles

Why can't I have what I want?

But apparently I wasn't really needed

O yea addiction

Been standing on the sidelines a bit too much

Been watching people live their lives

It's a mess

Need to live mine

Was just a passerby

Need to be hero in mine

Where are you?

But gotta know there's more

Lost your way?

Get a GPS

Random random on 10.10.10

Seriously, what's the big deal anyways?

missed the date

still couldn't listen to that song

is a fool no more

Whoa Fun

Just before going to sleep, let me list down the things to be done in five weeks. =) So screwed mannn.

1. CRISIS direct mail

2. WITNESS typography posters

3. KANCIL ambient design

4. Royal Opera House poster series

5. Parlophone integrated campaign

6. Kirin Ichiban integrated campaign

7. Five marketing product reviews

8. Mini Malaysia presentation

9. Kenya Hara summary

10. Design Culture journal

11. Portfolio book

12. Self promo campaign

13. Advertising/Graphic Design exhibition

14. Personal projects

Scared. Wicked. But really, I am gonna slowly cut off each item off the list. Gearing up. I am.

I only mean to do well, do my part. I never mean to slight anyone. O well.

Ada Exhibition

I'm nervous. Butterflies in the stomach and tingling crawling skin kinda nervous.

Nope, not coz I spot any hot guys but we're doing an exhibition. Finally. We've gotten a confirmation that we'll be holding an advertising/graphic design exhibition. Though unlike what I've always imagined doing this with the whole of BPD8, it's still pretty awesome.

There's so much uncertainties involved. We'll have to push, kick, crawl etc into completion. Only six weeks left. We have to pull this thing off in six weeks. So scared. So nervous.

What I really do like about this is getting to work with half of the rest of the class. These are people I have never been in a group with. Though we had only two meetings so far, I am optimistic we can all come together to get this done. After all, this exhibition is for all of us.

On a side note, I've completed 25 books in nine months. Not optimistic at all that I'm gonna hit fifty by the end of the year, but o well. Never knew I read so little. I actually thought fifty books in a year's easy!

When our exhibition's on, will you come? Please? =)

edit: I know why I'm truly nervous. I had yin yong, which means coffee, thus quickening my heart beat to resemble signs of being nervous. =.=