Course Overview, A game of essence

Root concepts, brand identity, essence
Metaphor
Symbol
Representation

Every startup, product, or public space calls for an aesthetic touch, which gives us more choices, and more responsibility. By now, we all rely on style to express identity. And aesthetics has become too important to be left to the aesthetes.
- Virginia Postrel

Simplification of form
Closure
Overlap

Week 1: Simplification of form

Starting with a specific image, break down the image into its most basic components.

This exercise is based upon "Picture the Impossible".

1) As a group we will brainstorm an attribute list for the ARG

Project Description

The RIT Lab for Social Computing and the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle newspaper are partnering to produce an Alternate Reality Game (ARG) focused on the history of innovation and risk-taking in the Rochester area. The game, tentatively entitled “Picture the Impossible,” will be collaboratively created and administered by RIT and the D&C, and will run over a ten-week period during the summer of 2009. The game will culminate in a gala event to be held in the fall, honoring the players and winners, and unveiling a large-format printed version of the photographic collage image at the heart of the game’s website.

Target Audience: "Young Professionals" in Rochester

The D&C has identified young professionals in the Rochester area as their primary demographic target for the game. This group consists of adults in the age range of 25-40, typically college-educated, and living or working in the City of Rochester. This group has a high level of technology use, with most members having mobile phones and internet access. The population size for this group in Rochester is approximately 155,000.

2) Exercise - Design a logo for "Picture the Impossible"

Readings

A definition and brief history of formalism
A definition and brief history of post-modernism
A walk-though of the Obama logo design
Let the (Logo) Games Begin
Best Illustrator Tutorials (according to Smashing Magazine)
Brand New - A blog devoted to the analysis of logo redesigns
Design a Logo: The Ultimate Guide