Logo | Painting Session 4

Here is the final product of my ASL Logo Painting. I'm satisfied with the way it turned out for the most part.I enjoyed painting it.

Critical Thinking about ASL and Aesthetics

What makes ASL aesthetically pleasing? ASL is a visual language with its own syntax and structure. There’s something beautiful about people being able to communicate in any language. However, ASL is a visual language with many visual cues. Classifiers for one are hand shapes used for multiple different purposes, in describing objects. The hand shape generally is used to represent the actual appearance of something.  For example, Classifier four uses the four hand shape and can be used to describe stripes on a shirt, a fence, or four people walking. In this way, ASL can be used to evoke Imagination in a way that can cause an aesthetic reaction or feeling even in people who do not understand the language. Another example I want to illustrate with this is a simple sentence in ASL such as "The butterflies are flying all around me." There are several different ways to sign this sentence but so long as you are using proper ASL syntax, the look and feel is still beautiful. In the end, the look and flow of the signs can be used to create mood and meaning. This is why I believe ASL is a beautiful Language.

Here's a video of me signing what I just talked about in ASL Syntax. ;)

Culture Night | ASL Club 2013

A lot of work, ideas, and fun went into the making of the ASL culture night experience.

Logo | Painting Session 3

In this painting Session I worked a bit more with the lighting and form of the eye and skin surrounding it. Next I noticed an issue with the message of the image because the 'S' Hand shape in the middle was blocking  the pupil. The pupil is the window to the soul and and important in establishing a connection with the viewer. After shifting the hands around in a more pleasing way, I began fleshing out the 'A' hand. When painting, important principles such as lighting, proportion, and meaning can be a useful tools in critiquing the work you are doing. These ideas are similar to the medieval ideas of using light, proportion, and allegory to create art that alludes to God's perfection.

Painting Session Two | Logo

Painting Session One | Logo

In the midst of my painting session I realized there was a problem and that the two eyes would be too far apart to read fluidly. I want the image to be both beautiful and read effectively.  It is two much of a jump for the viewer's eye to go from the right eye (our left hand side) on the picture to the left eye (our right hand side). And putting the two eyes close together would be genuinely strange and ugly even. Also, it is not generally practical to have a long logo unless it reads well from one side to the other, such as logo-type. A big gap of white-space (or in this case, skin) in the middle would probably not get the job done in any logo. In this case, I think I can omit the word 'Club' and still get the point across.

Pitch My Idea: ASL style

Today, I really enjoyed the ASL Club gospel forum. I enjoyed the talk, by Robert, about embracing, comforting, Serving, and loving.  I am happy that I was able to understand most words signed and follow the meaning quite well. I participated in the discussion, though I wish more people would have been brave enough to sign. I felt bad for Robert that only a select few were answering questions. It not only hurt the teacher but also the students who are not participating. However, I also understand that most of the students were from the beginning ASL class. I was starting the ASL 102 class, which is the second class.

After the meeting I tried to talk to as many people as possible and make friends. Then most of the hearing people left and I talked to Robert, Jin, Cory, and Lynda Park about my ASL Club logo ideas. I used sign language to communicate my idea. I showed them that I would have a picture of two eyes. Inside the first eye would be the hand signs for ASL. Inside the second eye would be the finger-spelled signs for club. I’m glad they liked my idea and I hope I can find a way to make it look aesthetically pleasing and communicate the idea effectively. Sister Park told me "you are so Deaf,” because I stayed after to talk like Deaf people usually do. In Deaf Culture, social interaction is highly regarded so people will stay a long time after events just to talk. It was one of the sweetest compliments I have ever heard (and yes she spoke it, she is hearing and her husband is deaf. Their two children are CODAs or a Child Of a Deaf Adult). 

Now that I have the idea approved I can begin making the first draft.

Sketch..Sketch... And More Sketch

Today I made sketch book sketches of different ideas I had for ASL Club logos. I want them to be aesthetically pleasing and communicate effectively. First I had ASL Club letter hand shapes encased in hieroglyphic circles/dials that contained the alphabet. However, I didn't think this idea to be very beautiful or aesthetic  Then suddenly the idea came to be to put the hands in two very colorfully painted eyes.

The Hieroglyphic dials were supposed to look like they had been dialed in to the right letter in the alphabet, however, I realized that although this idea was cool, it was far too complicated. A good visual design or logo is simple and effective at communicating a powerful idea. This ideas was not only difficult to understand but also did not hold any meaning or importance.

However, this realization was an essential thought to find before taking the next step in the creative process.

I wanted to emphasize the Deaf way of hearing and communicating through their eyes. It was once I recognized the purpose for the logo, that I was able to come up with a better solution.

Concept: ASL

I had a great idea yesterday for my Aesthetics project. I would create an aesthetically pleasing logo and banner for the ASL club here at BYU-Hawaii. I quickly emailed my Aesthetics teacher to ask her if this would be a good project. She replied,

“Yes, absolutely. Those projects are good and meaningful. The only thing is that you need to justify them being art work, using anything theory that we study or will be studying. Obviously commercial arts are very different from fine arts, so you need to think of the nature of the things you will be creating--what is more important in the process of creating them: aesthetic values, or commercial or social values (in this case, causing awareness...etc.).”

My response to Aesthetic Theory: 

Plato wasn't necessarily wrong when he said that art had one common thing about it that made it art. However, I believe that everything you can look at or sense (including hearing music and poetry) is art. All you need to do is look at it without regard to its purpose, similar to what Kant said. Look at it for its lines, texture, form, color, and all the elements of design. Whether it is beautiful or ugly to you, it is still art. Nevertheless, a “Work of Art” must be something that was designed or created. Nature is a work of art to those who are religious. But just because you can’t seem to see something as art, doesn't make it suddenly become non-art. Art is still very subjective because something can be good to one individual while bad to another. A good work of art can cause an emotional reaction. These types of artwork have aesthetic qualities. To me, everything with aesthetic qualities is art but not all art has aesthetic qualities.

Even a logo or banner that has the purpose of creating awareness and communicating a message can be considered art. The reason I chose to create awareness for American Sign Language is because it is a beautiful language in and of itself. Just as people can say audio languages such as French or Spanish sounds lovely, romantic even, ASL looks beautiful and very often times, passionate. Just look at the ASL music Video with Sean Berdy. Doesn't his signing just make your heart stop?

I asked the ASL club presidents at my college if they would like me to make a logo for the club, and they agreed with excitement. I will meet with them later to discuss my ideas (in sign language!).

Until Next time,

~Brittany Rose

Week One | Brainstorming

In reading in aesthetics class today we were asked to start thinking about ideas for our beautification project. For this project we are to find one aspect of our life to beautify or some way to make our life more aesthetically enriched.

I contemplated different ideas for my class project. I could make a children’s book, paint a picture for my room, or plant a 1 foot by 1 foot salad garden, which was both beautiful and would feed me with one salad per day. I like the children's book idea a lot, but I'm not sure how I would go about completing it. I have not made up my mind yet.

Whatever I choose, I want it to make a difference in the lives of others, not just my own.

Signed,

Brittany