For my diploma program, this package design course was not required. However, I was thoroughly enjoying my design classes at the time and was hungry for more. For this project, we were tasked to create a package design with 3 to 4 variations, as well as branding assets to support the promotion of these products.
For my project, I chose to create a fictional product based on a real-life brand: Die Antwoord, the controversial South African rap crew. My idea was to create chocolate bars with unusual, potentially controversial, potentially disgusting flavors. Hell, if Harry Potter can do it, why not anyone else?
In my opinion, this project was largely a success because the following semester during the college’s open house for prospective students coming out of high school, several of my appealingly packaged chocolate bars were stolen from their display.
This project was also part of the package design course. The task was to create posters based on a system that translates phone numbers into some kind of visual element.
During this class, I seemed to have a strong attraction to creating designs with bright, vibrant colors. In retrospect, it seemed to be a theme throughout my coursework.
Together with Karrine Magnussen, Thomas Reeves, and Brittany King, we formed a club that served to create a more engaged and cohesive community between interactive media, fine arts, and computer science students at North Island College. As part of our efforts to get people together, we made gig posters and a Facebook group header image.
In the summer of 2016, I had the privilege of benefitting from the generosity of my design instructor, Susanne Sampson, after she offered to instruct me over the summer for the Design 101 class that I missed in my first year because of the quirks of the program that I started in.
The first project she tasked me with was to create 100 iterations of an apple – quick thumbnails to come up with as many concepts of an apple that I could conceive of. I would then select 3 of them to be refined as rough drafts, which is then narrowed down to one completed piece. This whole process is typical of a logo design and similar process.
This project was to take a basic design principle and make an entire poster about it. I toyed with some initial concepts, but landed on a design that is modeled after a variation of an Ulam spiral called the Sacks Spiral.
The Sacks spiral was discovered by a dear friend of mine, Rob Sacks. This piece has a special meaning to me because Rob, unknowing to the both of us, become a valued mentor that guided me to manage my physical health in ways that I never thought possible.
This then led to better mental health and, combined with becoming medicated properly, propelled me into the hyperfunctioning schizophrenic man I am today.
This project was for the User Interface and User Experience course that taught us how to create beautiful, usable interfaces. The coursework throughout the semester was focused on a single project, resulting in a fully resolved piece of interface design.
Operating in line with my typical over-ambitiousness, I opted to not just create the design as the course required, but also to draw on my back-end development skills and create a fully functioning app. This is in contrast to my classmates’ projects which were typically veneers of what a functioning app would be.
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Sorry, sorry! I just thought since you've been on this site for longer than average, you might hear me out?
Why do you do this to me, Ian...
Okay, okay, I'll be quick! I have a newsletter to keep you up-to-date on my content and projects. If my stuff tickles your pickle, help us both out by subscribing!
Also, I don't do anything shady or aggressive with your email address. I'll only send you the good stuff and won't share your email with any person/provider that isn't working for me to serve you better.
'Serve me better.' What deliciously vague jargon. Is this where you pretend to be me and you make me respond with a contrived form of consent because you're bold enough to assume this cute little chat interface gimmick is enough to actually get me to sign up?
Ummm... uhhh... ahh... Sign up and get exclusive discounts and early access!!!! Come ooooon! Induced scarcity is fun!
...alright, well, I'll leave it up to you.
Like this nav? It does what every marketing-oriented web designer will tell you not to do: shove as many things in your face as I can!
