#wanted to experiment with a very simplistic and minimalist style!

[luxaryllis]

Hetalia!Switzerland with TWST Dorm Leaders: Part 2

Note: Here is the long awaited Part 2!!!

So sorry for the long wait-

Anyway, I'll keep the note short so you can go on!!

Part 1 contains Heartslabyul, Savanaclaw, Octavinelle, and Scarabia. While Part 2 (this one) contains Pomefiore, Ignihyde, and Diasomnia.

Part 1 | Part 2 (here)

Again, please note that this was not meant or intended to offend anyone. And that all mentions of 'Switzerland' refer to Aph Switzerland/Basch, unless said otherwise, the same with other countries mentioned. Please tell me if you found anything here offensive and I will try to revise it. Also, I will say it again, this was written with a platonic relationship in mind, as it didn't specify whether you wanted it to be romantic or platonic.

Let's get to it!!

---

Pomefiore:

Vil Schoenheit:

👑 Vil's opinion of MC is very much the same as the usual OG MC.

👑 He's not necessarily impressed, nor is he very disappointed.

👑 He's neutral in his opinion of MC.

👑 He thinks that their style is a lot simplistic and minimalistic, which he finds does suit them and their personality well.

👑 Though he could definitely see MC rocking some of the more detailed and extravagant outfits.

👑 Nevertheless, Vil does respect MC's pragmatism and responsibility.

👑 Especially being surrounded by such bad-mannered potatoes (*ahem ahem* Grim especially *ahem ahem*)

👑 Everything in Chapter 5 goes by normally; just mostly a lot smoother during practices because MC is one responsible manager.

👑 Also, MC was interested in the prize for winning the VDC as it would definitely help their financial situation (and Ramshackle)

👑 During the duration of MC's manager duties, Vil has noticed that MC can be quite short-tempered and semi-violent at times.

👑 Though other than that, Vil does see how MC gives advice to everyone, even Vil himself, on how to somehow improve.

👑 MC treats everyone quite equally and neutrally, and doesn't give any form of bias or favoritism.

👑 This is one of the things that Vil likes a lot.

👑 As someone who has faced problems stemming from biases and unfairness, Vil feels a breath of fresh air with MC.

👑 While the NRC Tribe was staying in Ramshackle, MC took a while to getting used to having "outsiders" in their "house" and may or may not have accidentally shot some of them

👑 It wasn't too bad, nor were the shots in vital places; but the victim/s have landed in the infirmary a couple times. Vil thinks that it most certainly hinders the group's progress, but sort of understands MC's reasons and prepares healing potions for any victim/s (Vil, himself has been a victim of those shots one time; and Rook has somehow dodged all shots thrown at him)

👑 Nevertheless, everything else goes as usual.

👑 Vil's overblot goes like all other overblots MC has fought; MC has had experiences with poison before, and is a country themselves, so poison doesn't have as lethal an effect on them as it would a normal person.

👑 MC can't exactly relate with Vil and his past; but tries to comfort Vil, though they do scold him for making a huge fuss and potentially killing not only himself, but others as well.

👑 Afterwards, the relationship between Vil and MC are quite normal; there's the occasional chat here and there, and the occasional invite for tea as well.

👑 Vil sees MC and Rook using a gun and bow and arrow (respectively) together and practicing their aim together.

---

Ignihyde:

Idia Shroud:

(Note: This might be pretty short compared to the others as I don't know much about this character and/or the Chapter/Book this character is involved in. I might edit this soon when I do know more about the character and/or chapter they are in, though.)

💀 One moment seeing MC with a gun chasing Grim during the entrance ceremony is enough to make Idia know not to mess with the magicless student.

💀 One look at them and Idia can already see them as the tough and easily-angered, though responsible and smart character.

💀 Idia knows that people use these tropes and make said character have a soft spot or two but Idia doesn't wanna take any chances.

💀 However, with MC's skills in using a gun, Idia wonders if they've tried those gun games like COD or smthg

💀 Cuz he knows that they'd definitely ace those types of games.

💀 Nevertheless, Idia does not wanna interact with MC live and irl.

💀 I am so sorry for the constant disappointment in my Idia writings; I really can't characterize him well.

💀 Once I learn more about him, and about Chapter 6, I'll probably edit this

---

Diasomnia:

Malleus Draconia:

(Note: This might be pretty short compared to the others as I don't know much about this character and/or the Chapter/Book this character is involved in. I might edit this soon when I do know more about the character and/or chapter they are in, though.)

🐉 Malleus has no idea what happened in the Opening Ceremony (as he wasn't invited again 😔)

🐉 But Malleus has heard some students gossiping about a supposed magicless human using guns.

🐉 Anyway, MC probably attempted an attack on Malleus when they saw him on their property.

🐉 Malleus, obviously, dodges all of them, and, trying to be reasonable, asks why he was getting attacked

🐉 Malleus assumes that it's because MC is an assassin sent to kill him; but Malleus senses no magic from MC, nor any extremely malicious intent.

🐉 When Malleus realizes why MC had attacked him, Malleus apologizes and promises not to tresspass again.

🐉 He also explains that he often has his nightly walks by Ramshackle and did not know that there was someone who already lived there, and MC does feel sort of embarrassed and also apologizes, saying that they suppose he can visit sometimes.

🐉 Malleus leaves and is now very much interested in this new child of man.

🐉 Also, let's all hope that Sebek doesn't hear about the attack on Malleus, lest MC be completely annoyed with Sebek shouting in their ear for "disprespecting the future king of the Valley of Thorns" or "dare attacking Waka-sama"

🐉 After a while, MC warms up to Malleus and sometimes accompanies him on his nightly walks by Ramshackle.

🐉 Again, I might edit this when I know more about Malleus and when Chapter 7 is revealed.

---

How TWST Characters Would React When They Find Out That Switzerland!MC is a Country Personification

Please see this link for the characters' reactions.

#twst #twisted wonderland #twst platonic #twst crossover #hetalia #aph #aph switzerland #twst x hetalia

[foldercompilation]

Self-searching: Ivy Prada for Harper's Bazaar ES, photographed by Maya Sørensen. January/2024.

At only 21, she became a reference in fiction for centennials, she not only anticipated new fashion trends, but often set them herself. She challenges pre-established aesthetics, surrounded by artists and intellectuals. She has more than 50 million followers on Instagram and now is the first woman in history to achieve billionaire status only from her acting and entrepreneurial career. What seems like an unattainable milestone is, for Ivy Prada, the natural result of relentlessly pursuing what she wanted since she was a child.

M: What was it like growing up on a farm in Tuscany, and how did that experience influence your artistic vision?

I: Reflecting on the time I lived on the vast farm with my sisters is very nostalgic. One vivid memory is our horseback riding lessons, and I was completely enamored with the mini pony my parents had gifted me for my birthday. I also recall the summer dresses my mother customized for us, only to end up covered in dirt as we joyfully played around the farm. Being the older sister served as a learning experience and a catalyst for my maturity, contributing to my autonomy, strength, and determination. Life in the countryside shaped my simplistic and minimalist perspective, influencing my creations at Prada and Miu Miu.

M: At 17, you decided to follow in your mother's footsteps. What motivated you to pursue a career in fashion and enroll at Istituto Marangoni?

I: I practically grew up watching my mother create in her vintage office on our farm. I loved seeing her draw, and we celebrated together when an idea could lead to a new and unique collection. One day, I woke up and said I wanted to be like her, designing beautiful dresses. I remember the happiness on her face when I shared this with her, rushing to tell my father. I am very stubborn, very obsessive. I wanted to be an actress or nothing. I wanted to design dresses or nothing. So, I left high school and was determined enough to tell my parents I wanted to join Istituto Marangoni. We permanently moved to Milan because they wanted me to pursue my dream. They did it so I could become who I am today.

M: Can you share a significant experience during your studies in Milan that contributed to your development as a fashion designer?

I: That place is magical. You're literally in a capital that breathes fashion. Being in a city that is a reference for style and trends is a privilege. Studying in Milan, perfecting my creative techniques at Istituto Marangoni, and experiencing Milan Fashion Week backstage with my parents taught me a lot. At 18, I designed my first creation, which ended up in Prada's summer collection – can you imagine?

M: How was the transition from student to creative director of Miu Miu and executive director of Prada, working alongside your family?

I: It was a significant shock for me, but in a good sense. I had just completed my master's at Istituto Marangoni when they offered me the position, and let's face it: when Miuccia Prada tells you to do something, you can't say no. Despite being my mother, I can work professionally alongside her, and she deserves my complete respect and admiration, just like my father, who was the main source of my courage. Today, I am the product of my choices, sacrifices, fears, dreams, efforts, dedication, and the endless belief and support of the people who love me. I owe everything to my parents.

M: Your mother, Miuccia Prada, is a renowned designer. What was it like growing up with this artistic influence, and how did it shape your creative approach?

I: I was the speaker at my graduation from Istituto Marangoni, and I stand by what I said about her that day: "While my mother guided me through these incredible 18 years, I don't know if she ever realized that the person I most wanted to be was her." Everything I know today is because of her, and everything I am today is also because of her. My life wouldn't follow the same path without her, and I don't know if I could navigate this journey without her incomparable presence. She taught me a lot, and when our creative minds align, it's practically a real-life miracle.

M: At just 21, you've reached the position of executive director at Prada. What were the most significant challenges you faced in this journey?

I: Balancing my professional and personal life was my biggest challenge at that time. I was auditioning for films while, at the same time, I had to be in the office making crucial decisions about the company. I was filming in entirely different countries when I needed to take an important call from Milan, and the time zone difference was significant. The early years were challenging for me, but, as a determined and persuasive woman, I love challenges. Entering this field was the best choice I ever made, and I will never regret pursuing my dreams.

M: In terms of fashion design, how do you balance the tradition associated with Prada with contemporary innovations, especially at Miu Miu?

I: I don't boast about it, but challenging traditional norms and grabbing the fashion world's attention through my designs is one of my best skills. My creations interpret the spirit of the time because Prada is, above all, a cultural brand, setting it apart from other luxury brands. The philosophy at Miu Miu wouldn't be different. We value creating high-quality products that enhance the audience's experience while cultivating a distinct, cohesive, and easily recognizable identity.

M: Can you share a bit about your sources of inspiration when creating new collections for Prada and Miu Miu?

I: My creative passion and future-oriented approach constantly capture the global fashion industry's attention. I work tirelessly, generating new ideas while applying my unconventional perspective on the world. Thanks to this philosophy, Miu Miu and Prada have anticipated fashion trends, often defining them with their own collections. My motto? Step out of your comfort zone. My inspiration? Strong women, like my mother.

M: With the success achieved and a billion-dollar heritage at 21, how do you plan to continue impacting the fashion world in the future?

I: This is the happiest moment I've ever been in. I feel so relieved that this is my life now. Everyone goes through a moment in their lives where they think, "Oh my God, this is all you ever wanted. This is everything you focused on." And to be honest, I went through moments in my life that became a kind of catalyst for many psychological paths I traveled. Not all of them were beneficial. Not being able to control things that happened to me led me to a really dark place. But I thought: I can control how things can happen now. That's when things changed for me. That's when my life changed for the better. I really went to a place where I thought, "I'm going to prove my worth. I'm going to make sure people know I deserve to be here." And I know I belong in this place. My goal was higher than just being in my comfort zone. I had to get out of there. I worked very hard. Things are coming back to me in the best way possible because of my fierce desire to succeed in life. And that's it. My life has never been better. There is no more gratifying feeling than achieving something you've always desired and knowing it was all your effort that got you there. In the end, the journey is absolutely worth it. Today, I have many goals in the professional field. I always seek to learn, stay ahead, and be better at everything I do. My work ethic has taken me far, and I will always be like this. I will always work hard on my interpretations in the cinematic world and my creations in the fashion world. I wish not to feel that there's a better version of me out there. I feel that way all the time. A little less than before, but I still do.

M: How is it working in collaboration with your family in the business world, and how does it influence the creative dynamics at Prada and Miu Miu?

I: It's the best of both worlds. Doing what you love with those you love. It's a comforting feeling to wake up and know you're working with people so passionate about what they do, so experienced, and so creative. We always have many ideas, and we always come to a common agreement because we know what's best for the brand and what will make it stand out.

M: This concludes our interview. It's a pleasure to have you here; you are one of my inspirations, and I'm happy to host you. Thank you for everything; I love you! Until next time.

I: Thank you very much for having me, Arabella. It's an honor to do this with you. Please, we have to do this more often!

At the age of fourteen, her determination was such that her parents finally agreed to help her find a representative. And there, just as the girl from Tuscany was beginning to touch her dream with her fingertips, her patience dissolved in an inversely proportional manner. "I went to auditions, but logically, in most of them, I wasn't chosen because I was a new face. From 14 to 17 years old, I played some characters in series, but they were small and very sporadic roles," she recalls. Suddenly, everything accelerated.

Production Credits:

Photography by Maya Sørensen.

Stylist by Laura Giménez and Hugo Latorre.

Makeup by Alex Saint.

Set Design by Beatriz Vera.

Model Ivy Prada.

[blueeyedrat]

Steam Next Fest, fall 2023. I had time to play a good variety of game demos, and I picked out the ones that stood out the most to me this time around. Detailed thoughts and comments under the cut.

Beacon Patrol, Sky Settlers – The obligatory tile builders. Beacon Patrol plays like a variation on Carcassone; a bit more simplistic than its board game counterpart and I'd like to see more to it, but the idea of working together in multiplayer to set a high score is intriguing. Sky Settlers hews closer to Dorfromantik and ISLANDERS, and of the many games of that sort I've tried, it seems like one of the more fully realized ones. A lot of its ideas I've seen in other games and demos, but the ways they're used here feel pretty natural and fit together well.

Eklips, RETRIS, Oxytone – Arcade puzzle games, each of them putting a spin on an existing style of game: Oxytone places tiles to connect longer and longer winding paths, RETRIS plays like a somewhat warped version of Tetris, and Eklips drops blocks to fill out rows around a central square. There are some interesting ideas in each one, and good potential for them to be fleshed out a bit more.

Plungeroo, Oberty – More puzzle games. Plungeroo is a pinball-themed game about placing tiles and bumpers to make paths for pinballs to follow, with a charming variety of puzzles themed around different pinball tables. Oberty is a minimalist puzzle revolving around patterns and symmetry, and making different patterns out of the same base components. Both seem like the sort of game I might boot up, play a few levels, then a few more, then suddenly it's a day later and I've completed the entire game and am left wanting more.

Promenade, Pecker – A pair of games drawing inspiration from 3D platformers, in opposite directions. Promenade is a 2D platformer with a charming art style, and game mechanics somewhere on the spectrum between Klonoa or Mischief Makers (where the best way to get around is to grab enemies and vault over them) and Super Mario Odyssey (where each level is its own bite-sized collect-a-thon with challenges and objectives scattered throughout). Pecker takes a cue from Odyssey in a much more direct sense, in that it takes a specific power from a specific level and expands the core idea into an entire game based around it. Seems like both games could be refined into something fun.

PixelJunk Eden 2 – A floaty, psychadelic platformer. The gameplay is simple and satisfying, but takes a back seat to the audio-visual experience, which is overflowing with style. I'm not actually familiar with the PixelJunk series; I've seen the name around here and there, but never really looked into it myself. If Eden is anything to go by, I might have to rectify that.

Sandy's Great Escape – One last puzzle game, this one more sokoban-esque. A good pixel-art style, a good variety of mechanics that ramp up in complexity at a fair pace, and an incentive for optimal puzzle-solving (which might be a curse as much as a boon; I can tell that trying to 100% complete this game and get all the coins is the sort of thing that might drive me up a wall). The crab will have his day.

Cobalt Core – A roguelite deckbuilder. Of all the games I tried out this time around, this one was the standout. I was intrigued by the pixel art and music when it was first annouced (which also brought my attention to the devs' previous title, Sunshine Heavy Industries, which shares the same style and is a puzzle game that seems very much up my alley), and the gameplay did not disappoint. It clicked with me immediately, and puzzling my way through each different encounter was very satisfying. There's a lot of potential for different decks and encounters, so there should be a lot to dive into when the game releases. I'm looking forward to it.

#cobalt core #pixeljunk eden #beacon patrol game #plungeroo game #oberty game #eklips game #bryan writes about games

[marshmallowprotection]

Hiiii I saw that you did matchups and altho idek if I’m doing this right I wanna ask for a Mystic Messenger matchup if that’s okay?

My name is Sammy, I use she/her, I’m a pisces and INFJ and my love language is usually gift giving and quality time. I call myself an overachiever with no motivation as I graduated with high grades in high school while also graduating with an AA degree and immediately after went back to school to get my BS degree. For why? The world may never know.

As stated I have my BS and it is in Game Art. My biggest interests are Art, Music, and Video Games. I really like anything with creativity in all honesty. I usually do digital art but I love traditional, painting, chalk art, etc. and I’d love to learn more.

I am obsessed with cats, there has not been a day in my life where I have lived without cats. I got an ESA cat as it just makes me feel the most safe. I am an animal lover all around tho, as I have owned puppies, fish, guinea pigs, gecko’s, birds, a chinchilla, and more.

I’m quite the introvert but have a loud personality. My friends have called my style pastel goth. I always have dyed hair, usually hot pink, and most of my closet is pink. I REALLY like pink. I’m 5’2 and love wearing 6 inch platforms, my favorite pair is obviously pink. I can be pretty giggly and excited when around people I’m comfortable with, but I do as well need to pay attention to my social battery. Sometimes (or really most of the time) I just want to lay in bed with some hot chocolate and read, listen to music, or watch something on TV or YouTube. It’s nicer when I’m doing it with someone I love and am most comfortable with. My social battery is always safe with someone I love.

I don’t think I dislike a lot of things but I of course have some. Children (I’m okay with them, I just get annoyed easily.), Germs (which goes back to another reason why I don’t like children oops), Spiders, and a big fear of mine of mine is Failure. I can be a perfectionist and that is both a strength and weakness for me.

Okay, I hope I didn’t say too much haha. I’m open to be matched with anyone, I’m very curious on what you might say. Thank you!! :-)

I match you with...

V!

A creative soul that is torn and twisted by the inability to discern the next step. You're the kind of person that has a strong sense of the person that you would like to be but it doesn't always come across that way to other people. You may be loud and vibrant but you're much more mysterious than most people would realize. It's common for artistic types to fall into the trope where you think you know them but you don't. It's why it's easier to get along with somebody who understands where you're coming from. In this case, that person happens to be V. You sure love and passion for figuring out the way that things work and coming to understand how those things make the world around you tick.

The way that the two of you like to spend time together comes from trying new things and enjoying those experiences. You could likely spend quite a while talking about what you felt as you were going through something and he would gladly listen because perspective is one of the things that he has valued for such a long time. It's compelling to him when he sees you get lost in the throes of talking about what makes you happy while holding your cat. There's something very simplistic about that sort of living and he is a very much of minimalist when it comes to the simple things in life. He can enjoy it that way.

#lysa1201 #ask #mod kait #matchup

[artg211-termproject]

Week 1 - Art Deco

3 Considered Styles and Appealing Characteristics: Art Deco (Line art, Metallic Colours, and Geometric design elements), Bauhaus (Geometric shapes, Minimalistic composition, and Simple colour schemes), and Constructivism (Simple shapes, Basic colour pallets, and Simplistic composition)

Chosen Style: Art Deco

Why?: The style plays to my artistic strengths, such as simplistic and geometric design elements, while still challenging my creative thinking.

Key Words: Geometric, Stylized, Symmetry, Simplicity, Line art.

Software: Adobe Illustrator

Art Deco was an art movement that was most prevalent during the 1920s and 30s. Art Deco was inspired by the modernity and technical advancements at the time of its creation. This is why art in the Art Deco style includes metallic colours, like gold, bronze, and copper, and other modern materials, like wood and other metals. Art Deco is characterized by symmetry, geometric shapes, repeating elements, simplicity, and modernity. Art Deco is typically heavily stylized, so the subject and concepts of art in this movement are rarely accurate, plausible or realistic. Common forms used in Art Deco are stylized versions of florals, sunrays, animals, and man-made objects or materials.

For my design, I took inspiration from “old Hollywood” or the “golden age of film.” The films' simple yet elegant look and feel contributed to my design choices. I was also inspired by the 1920s fashion, interior design and architecture that was everywhere in the real world. My concept is a stylized version of the Hollywood sign. I wanted to explore how the Art Deco movement interacts with Hollywood as a place, style, and idea.

I chose the Art Deco movement as my style for this week’s exploration because it plays into my strengths, like symmetry and simplistic design, while still challenging my artistic ability. I rarely work with a limited colour palette, and I rarely work with metallic colours. It is also rare that I work with stylized depictions and design elements. I tend to illustrate using very literal subjects and I enjoyed experimenting with stylization. Working in the Art Deco style allowed me to explore my creativity and expand my creative thinking and illustration abilities.

#design #digital art #illustration #art deco

[grad604jonathan]

Week 1 - The Creative Communities

I would like to connect with Susan Kare, an American Graphic Designer who designed the interface elements and typefaces for the Apple Macintosh.

Another local creatives that I want to connect with is Kelvin Soh from DDMMYY studios. Kelvin designed multiple food packaging products such as Boring Oat milk and Serious popcorn. I very like the simplistic style of approach that they were going for.

I very like the playful elements that these designers approaches with their designs. As someone who likes to head into UI and UX design in the future for technology, Susan Kare is a great influence when it comes to designing GUI. I am also engaged in Kelvin's clean and minimalist approach to packaging design, it communicates the main objective effectively while creating an engaging and fun designs for the brand's target audience.

What excites you in the design and creative communities you are investigating?

I am interested in their design process and how they came out with the ideas that they have to create multiple outcomes. It would be exciting to experience working collaboratively in a studio space.

Who would you want to share a meal with?

I would like to share a meal with Allen Huang who is an experience strategist and designer. Originally from Taiwan, his inspiration is similar to mine which is the intersection of technology and design.

Who would you want to work with?

I would like to work with Alan Dye who is the current VP of human interface design at Apple.

Who would you want to mentor you?

James Gilmer (3rd year interaction design student at AUT)

[grad602avarawson]

Reflection

By reflecting on this assignment, I feel like I learnt so much and really developed my ability of knowing how to create a publication and working cohesively and collaboratively with others to create a design and brand identity then morphing it to something more my individual style. I did a lot of brainstorming to figure out what direction I wanted my publication to go in which helped immensely. I really enjoyed taking elements from my groups work and editing them to fit a new theme that still held the same original principles, and I loved creating the new modern and simplistic theme I chose to incorporate within my BLAD to appeal to the target audience.

I found the formative stage to be very beneficial as our group had great positive feedback that made us feel confident in the direction we were going, but there was also helpful advice that we could take on board. I wanted to create a minimalistic theme when it came to working on my own individual BLAD and work mostly with simplistic elements and assets and heroed the images and projects of each design company included. My group definitely had lots of great assets I could included within my designs but I altered them all slightly to fit my new design theme and make everything cohesive. The weekly studio classes helped me navigate which path I should take design wise and the beneficial tips and lessons made everything run smoothly. I kept researching other publications throughout this phase to open my mind to other styles and inspiration which aided me in figuring out which was and was not working for my own publication.

I tried to keep everything very cohesive throughout the spreads by incorporating columns, margins, same body text, same headings and design styles. I played with the imagery from the various branding companies a lot and played with different layout styles. I did however experiment with an offset quite a lot with text and image to create a different look and used hand drawn headings as a design style. 

When it came to printing I opted to use a 170gsm white paper which was not necessary but I feel it added an extra touch of quality to the publication and in my opinion made it look better which I loved. I did have some trouble with the printer not aligning each spread together correctly when I went to put it together but I just had to play around with this until it came out successful. Cutting the pages was quite tricky but I ensured I took my time with this step and tried to keep everything even. Overall the printing and cutting eventually went smoothly and I am happy with the result!

If I had more time to work on this publication I would try to create more design features such as extra design elements and to bring in more of my unique style. But I am pretty happy with how this assignment came out. Overall I think working collaboratively with a group and incorporating those design ideas and styles with my own and turning it into a cohesive publication challenged me but there were many learning lessons I could take from this experience. Getting constant feedback from my peers and teachers I learnt was very helpful as I navigated each spread and idea. I am very happy with the final result of this publication and definitely think it was fun to complete!

[grad601avarawson]

Reflection

By reflecting on this assignment, I feel like I learnt so much and really developed my ability of knowing how to create a publication and working with material created by others that was given to us. I did a lot of brainstorming to figure out what direction I wanted my publication to go in which helped immensely. I really enjoyed interviewing my grandad and learning more about his past experiences. It was fun to dig through old photo albums and articles he had and it was also interesting to read through my peers interviews and learn about the different memories.

I found the formative stage to be very beneficial as I had great positive feedback that made me feel confident in the direction I was going, but I also had helpful advice that I could take on board. I wanted to create a minimalistic theme and work mostly with photographs and simplistic assets that related to each article. I was lucky to be grouped with other classmates who shared a similar theme to me but I still altered it all to fit my vintage minimalistic theme. The weekly studio classes helped me navigate which path I should take design wise and the beneficial tips and lessons made everything run smoothly. I kept researching other publications throughout this phase to open my mind to other styles and inspiration which aided me in figuring out which was and was not working for my own publication.

I tried to keep everything very cohesive throughout the spreads by incorporating columns, margins, same body text, same headings and design styles. I played with the photographs a lot and for the most part kept them to the same margins. I did however experiment with an offset quite a lot with text to create a different look and used layering as a design style. I added grain to a few images to keep with the vintage style and played with different opacity levels when layering photographs over top of one another and behind text.

When it came to printing I opted to use a 170gsm white paper which was not necessary but I feel it added an extra touch of quality to the publication and in my opinion made it look better which I loved. I did have some trouble with the printer not aligning each spread together correctly when I went to put it together but I just had to play around with this until it came out successful. Cutting the pages was quite tricky but I ensured I took my time with this step and tried to keep everything even. Overall the printing and cutting eventually went smoothly and I am happy with the result!

If I had more time to work on this publication I would try to create more design features such as extra sketches and create a hand drawn feel. But I am pretty happy with how this assignment came out. Overall I think incorporating other peoples work and styles with my own and turning it into a cohesive publication challenged me but there were many learning lessons I could take from this experience. Getting constant feedback from my peers and teachers I learnt was very helpful as I navigated each spread and idea. I am very happy with the final result of this publication and definitely think it was fun to complete!

[aurimasprusaitisu7fmp]

Initial Ideas

Idea 1: The first idea is to make this project a character design focused FMP which would allow me to explore different cartoon-like styles, and more of photoshop. I think that cartoons go hand in hand with a lot of themes, and genres in games. Not to mention the amount of styles that I’d be able to investigate and pursue in order to design either comedic or serious characters. This would not only looks great it could also potentially branch out into my other idea being animation.  Idea 2:The second Idea is animation. This is a more difficult task, however it can be pursued in many different ways. Whether that’s pixel art, line art, painting, or even stop motion. Animation is something that we’ve experimented in during the first year, but I feel like after that first year I haven’t really tried to experiment with animation more than I did with the first year. I found the research and process of animation extremely fun back then, and want to try and give it another shot.

Idea 3: The 3rd, and last idea is something that I’ve done before so improvement wise it’d be either minimalistic, or could be very drastic. The last idea is to create a pixel art covering a large monumental area inspired by multiple games similar to terraria, undertale, hollow knight, and so on. Creating a landscape with slight environmental animations such as the wind, or a flame breathing.

Now. Something that I did notice while writing these ideas down is that they all managed to link together in a very nice way. The potential simplicity of cartoons, animation, and pixel art would allow me to create a character from pixel art based off of the description given by Luk who’s my team mate for the project.  The pixel art could be anything from a person with dots for eyes, 3 strands of hair and a dress to a cool adventurer. This is something that still has to be explored by the 2 of us. Animating a simplistic character would be great for me. This would let me learn the basics of animation, and maybe even try out different techniques.

[shreksstepfather]

Doodled some lil friends :)

#firestar #fireheart #graystripe #ravenpaw #sandstorm #dustpelt #thunderclan #warrior cats #wanted to experiment with a very simplistic and minimalist style! #i'm happy with them except graystripe sooo i'd call that a success!

[djmarinizelablog]

hi! read your last ask and you said that you took up creative writing classes so you might have a wider knowledge about this but i was wondering when u mentioned different writing styles (like minimalistic, hightened imagery, linear vilennete and all of that) could you maybe explain the difference and what they really mean and maybe examples in our own levihan nation and writers? this might be asking for too much but i was pretty lost and i'd like to know more about all that. however you are def free to ignore this too!

Did you just ask me to write a comprehensive poetics essay, Anon? (I love writing about writing lmao)

Super long post ahead, and I’ll be citing certain fanfics that I’ve read so far and those that I think somehow exemplifies all the different writing styles I mentioned in the previous post. 

First off, the ones I listed beforehand (minimalistic prose, heightened imagery, poetic language, linear narrative, non-linear vignettes) aren’t the only types of writing styles. There are more if you consider the variations of tone (humor/comedy, sentimental, macabre, noir etc), narration/perspective (first person, second person, third person omniscient/limited), and language (dialogue-heavy or action/scene-driven). And the nice thing is that you can actually use of one or two of them in your work---or all of them, if you’re feeling bold. 

As Hange always loves to do: “Let’s experiment!”

--------

I’ll start with minimalistic prose. It is what it is: short, clear, and concise. Think less is more. You have an economy with words where you disregard most adverbs and focus more on the context to make way for meaning, thus allowing the readers to create their own interpretations of your writing. I think the method here is to write your intended draft first, and then cut the unnecessary words to flesh out the scene even more.

Notice how @stereobone wrote this paragraph of Black Dog (an Eruri fic):

Isabel's voice wakes him, brother, brother, has him sitting upright in bed and grabbing for the knife under his mattress. He braces himself for the attack before he realizes there isn't one. There is nothing in the darkness but him and his heavy, panicked breathing. Levi's heart feels like it's trying to beat its way out of his chest. He drops the knife on the mattress and shuts his eyes and tries not to think about Farlan's bloody resigned face before he was eaten. He tries not to think about how he left them. How it's his fault.

It’s very simplistic in language; the paragraph lets you focus on Levi’s innermost thoughts while he deals with an external action (ie, having nightmares). The author hasn’t unraveled the rest of the plot yet, but you already know where the tension is coming from.

Next is heightened imagery. If you’re familiar with the different figures of speech (metaphor, simile, personification, hyperbole, etc), then this is where they all come into play. I think the challenge here is being able to balance it well with the text itself and make sure that the imagery actually clarifies the context of the paragraph instead of convoluting the intended meaning. 

Here’s an excerpt from A Dangerous Game by just_quintessentially_me:

Hanji watched Levi, standing there, head bent and bloodied handkerchief pressed against his arm, and was reminded, irrationally, of a night years ago. When her parents had taken her to the circus. [. . . .] Holding her parent’s hands, she’d gaped, head craned back as she watched the spectacle, a cacophonous mixture of sound and color. At the center of it all, she’d spied a boy. Among the twisting colors and tricks, he alone, was still. [. . . .] The boy was high above, balancing on a platform atop a long pole. In front of him, stretched an audaciously thin rope. Below, no net waited to catch him.

[. . . .]

When Levi looked up, his expression was set - like the boy before the tightrope. And she knew, with sinking certainty, he was going to take the step. Into thin air.

Gray eyes met her gaze and held it.

“Yeah. I’ll go.”

At the door, Kenny smiled.

See how the powerful imagery of the boy on the tightrope was able to fuel the tension in that moment among Levi, Hange, and Kenny? 

I think poetic language is akin to heightened imagery, except that the former is more focused on the actual language. It’s very lyrical, wherein you can actually hear the lulling song of the sentences in a rhythm. One of my favorite works that does this is Deep sea baby by @smallblip. Here she makes use of various setting and scenery to create this entire atmosphere of Levi and Hange’s relationship:

Hanji knows whatever life they've led, this is her favourite.

The one in which her and Levi see the sea for the first time together.

The one in which she’s the Commander, and him, her Captain. And between them, a river of words left unsaid threatening to break the banks.

One day they must cross the ocean, but today they visit the shores again, without the kids this time. And Levi learns why when he watches her peel at her clothes. Her harness comes off first, then her blouse, then everything else, like a little dance for an audience of one. Levi tries not to stare, but he’s already seen her by candlelight in the dead of the night. And yet she never fails to take his breath away.

She makes her way to where the white foams dredge the past up the shores of the present.

"Come on Levi! The water is warm!" she says, and he hears it like a call to come home- where the heavens collide with the sea.

He takes off his clothes and folds them in a neat pile beside Hanji's mess. He swims out to join her.

It’s hauntingly poetic, the way the author is able to connect the metaphor in “a river of words” to the actual body of water right in front of Levi and Hange. Good poetic language is able to tighten up the texts together while keeping the sentence structure flowing with apt figures of speech.

When it comes to narratives, it only comes down to linear or non-linear. See how @lostcauses-noregrets does her opening statement in Trains (also an Eruri fic):

Levi hates trains. To be fair, Levi hates all forms of public transport, but he reserves a particular loathing for trains. They’re dirty, noisy, smelly and worse, filled with people. People who, heaven forbid, might attempt to speak to Levi, engage him in conversation. Levi’s worst nightmare is being stuck on a train with some friendly fuck who wants to pass the time making small talk. Admittedly it’s not a problem he has to deal with too often, his general fuck off demeanour deters all but the most aggressively friendly and hopelessly inebriated. But that doesn’t stop Levi from hating trains.

It’s a short fic and it’s very dependent on the linearity of events happening. But with that banger of a first sentence, the beginning already gives you enough of an idea of Levi’s pet peeve in the story, which in this case, is trains.

Here’s another hot and steamy fic called keep him waiting by keobuns that shows a linear narrative: 

He’s sitting with them in the back of the lab, nursing a cup of tea — it’s still pretty full, and even cold now, for he was far too distracted listening to Hanji talk to properly drink — when he sees it. Hanji’s too preoccupied with overexplaining the same Titan experiment they’ve gone over a hundred times to notice his stare. They just continue on and on and on, gesturing with their hands, pointing with their fingers, flexing their wrists…

Ah. Levi has to bring his teacup to his lips to hide the way his lips tremble. Hanji has incredibly nice hands.

The entire story just revolves around Levi simping for Hange’s hands and how it all goes down from there. But you as a reader are kept wanting more with every paragraph and every sentence that the author constructs (and trust me, it’s not just the sexual tension between Levi and Hange that keeps us going).

Now, as much as I love the straightforwardness of linear prose, non-linear writing brings a different round of ideas onto the table. It can create recollections from flashbacks, heighten the perspective or interior turmoil of a character due to trauma or grief, or even just re-invent what-if scenes that the characters have imagined themselves. 

Gnossiene by @thatalmondgirl​ is one of my all-time favorite Rivetra fics. In this excerpt, you will see how she switches between the past and the present, and how it affects Petra’s POV as a conflicted character:

Contrary to popular belief (fuck Auruo) Petra actually didn’t cry easily.

Alright, she could admit that at some times, she was...emotional. It was far from a weakness, but even she could admit that they sometimes got in the way and walled off all rational thought. Anger, frustration, sadness, hell, even happiness. The only one she could easily compartmentalise away was fear, which probably stemmed from her military career. Even so. It was never easy to separate all the others from her actions, think from a clean slate like the Commander could do, like the captain. [. . . ] Petra groaned, splayed out across her bed. She drew her arm across her eyes, willing the tears to go away. She’d already blown through her tissue box.

“Petra, a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle.” Mama sat on the end of her bed, with Petra on the floor between her legs. Even though Petra argued firmly that she was old enough to brush her own hair, Mama had insisted. Unfortunately, Petra wasn’t old enough - and probably never would be - to disagree with her mother.

“I know, Mama.” Petra grumbled.

“I don’t think you do. Else you wouldn’t be crying, would you?”

[. . . .]

“But a man shouldn’t complete you when you complete yourself. Maybe he’s an extension to your house. So you’ll be sad if the extension is compromised or burns down. But you still have the main house. And if it’s strong, the main house can still be standing even after the worst storm.”

Aside from Mama’s crazy metaphors that sometimes didn’t make sense, her message hit home. Even if it hit home years later.

See how it switched in between the before and after? 

An off-shoot of non-linear writing are vignettes (a layering of scenes separated by section breaks) wherein this writing style allows writers to curate scenes in terms of fragments, creating some kind of mosaic for the readers once they finally see the big picture. Nakimochiku’s I’m leaving, are you coming with me? stacks up scenes of interactions between Levi and Hange, enough to depict the kind of relationship that they have as young lovers in a school setting. You can string these fragments together, rearrange them in a different order, but in the end, you will still get the author's clear goal of highlighting how Levi and Hange’s relationship develops over time.

Those are the styles that I mentioned in my previous posts, but as I’ve told you, there’s more to writing than those, so I’ll give a short run-through of other methods in writing. 

Whether it’s dialogue-heavy works such as from my window to yours, or action-driven scenes like Carnivores (a Levi x Reader fic by CaptainDegenerate) that propel the story forward, we as readers should be able to follow through the actual storyline that the authors intend to take us. 

A third-person limited (we listen to Hange’s thoughts in Clockwork by @tundrainafrica) vis-à-vis an all-knowing/omniscient narration (the moon is dark by @sayonarasanity alternates the perspective of Levi and Hange) should be able to make us understand why the author chose this particular kind of point-of-view in order to tell the story. 

And lastly, having a solid and consistent tone throughout the work (the macabre of Even Humanity’s Strongest could make mistakes by Rimeko versus the sweet sentimentality of Flowers for You by @fanmoose12) should be able to set the atmosphere that the authors want us to imbibe as we read through their works. 

So there’s your crash course on writing and reading. Enjoy? :) 

#levihan #writing #fanfic #fanfictions #fanfiction #ao3 #djmarinizela #mine

[onestowatch]

Lollapalooza 2021: 15 Ones to Catch (Who Aren’t Headlining)

Lollapalooza is officially one week away, and wow does that feel good to say. As one of the first music festivals to welcome us back to festival season after a far too long hibernation, the annual festival, hosted at Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois, is set to bring the musical stylings of Tyler, the Creator, Miley Cyrus, Foo Fighters, Megan Thee Stallion, and plenty more. But, unless you’ve been living under a rock, chances are that you’re already more than familiar with the artists set to headline. So why not figure out who to see while you’re waiting to scream along to Call Me If You Get Lost.

From collectives who are moving beyond the need for genres to music that is just as likely to make you cry as it is laugh, these are 15 ones to catch (who aren’t headlining) at Lollapalooza 2021.

Peach Tree Rascals

When & Where: Sunday, 2 p.m. at Bud Light Seltzer Stage

Peach Tree Rascals’ Lollapalooza set has been a very, very long time coming. The Bay Area–bred collective has been steadily making waves with their genre-bending approach to indie-pop that calls to mind a more idyllic, lovesick BROCKHAMPTON (an act you should most definitely catch as well). And despite emerging a growing fan-favorite in the last couple years, the aforementioned rascals have yet to play a show, ever. With a headline tour that was canceled due to COVID, Lollapalooza will officially be making history as the first-ever Peach Tree Rascals set.

Tate McRae

When & Where: Saturday, 5:15 p.m. at Grubhub Stage

Tate McRae’s rise through the pop stratosphere has felt meteoric. First gaining fame at the young age of 13 for being the first Canadian finalist on So You Think You Can Dance, McRae has certainly come a long way to stand as one of the most promising voices in pop. With a vocal range more than powerful enough to deliver haunting dark pop ballads like “you broke me first” one moment and stand side-by-side with Khalid on the summer bop “working” the next, there are no two ways about it. McRae is a pop star in the making and this is your chance to catch her before her inevitable headliner status.  

Marc Rebillet

When & Where: Saturday, 9:00 p.m. at Grubhub Stage

Part-time meme and full-time artist, Marc Rebillet creates music with an unmatched comedic timing. It’s a comedic genius that has led to him getting a 24-hour ban on Twitch—for taking his shirt off in the middle of a stream, an act which I’m guessing Lollapalooza will be more than forgiving of giving his penchant for performing in a bathrobe. The self-described improvisational artist creates all his songs from scratch, resulting in an experience where no two live shows are quite the same. Come for the comedy, stay for the absolute dancefloor bangers.

Dayglow

When & Where: Thursday, 3:45 p.m. at Lake Shore Stage

Dayglow is sure to bring a smile to your face and put a pep in your step. Apologies if I sounded like my grandparents there, but there’s no denying the sonic sunshine that is Dayglow’s rapturous brand of indie-pop. Paying homage to the dance-inducing melancholy of ‘80s pop duets, it’s difficult not to get swept up in the Austin, Texas–bred artist’s hypnotic vision. It’s the sort of euphoric music that feels almost tailor-made for the return of festival season—drenched in sunny rays and brimming with infectious sincerity.

Giveon

When & Where: Friday, 4:45 p.m. at T-Mobile Stage

Before his breakout moment on Justin Bieber’s “Peaches,” Giveon was already charting his path for R&B domination. With an angelic and haunting baritone, each R&B rumination carries with it a palpable weight—an emotional turmoil that is only elevated by the minimalistic soundscapes which allow the proper space for his transfixing voice to fully shine. For a crash course on Giveon, check out a compilation of his two standout EPs, When It’s All Said and Done… Take Time. Or better yet, experience the magic of Giveon live.

Ashe

When & Where: Thursday, 6:30 p.m. at Grubhub Stage

Ashe creates effortlessly timeless music, blurring the line between the nostalgic songwriting of Fleetwood Mac and a modern-day folk-pop star. The sentiment is best expressed in her critically-acclaimed debut album, Ashlyn, which demonstrates the Los Angeles artist’s peerless songwriting acumen, toeing the line between rapturous euphoria one moment and deeply affecting storytelling the next. If you need a good laugh or cry, do not miss out on Ashe.

Sir Chloe

When & Where: Sunday, 12:45 p.m. at T-Mobile Stage

Fronted by Dana Foote and comprised of Teddy O’mara on guitar, Palmer Foote on drums, and Austin Holmes on bass, Sir Chloe’s music exists in the nebulous void of haunting dark pop and heart-rending alternative garage rock. The New York–based indie rock band originally started as a college project, birthed in the music halls of Bennington College, and now they’re set to take Lollapalooza by storm. With an impressive debut album, 2020’s Party Favors, under their belt, this set feels only the beginning for the bewitching indie outfit. 

jxdn

When & Where: Sunday, 3 p.m. at Bud Light Seltzer Stage

jxdn is the latest artist to make good on pop-punk’s continued resurgence. The first signing to Travis Barker’s DTA Records, the breakout singer-songwriter has found a fan in not only the blink-182 star but in Machine Gun Kelly, who jxdn is set to tour with this fall and makes an appearance on his debut album, Tell Me About Tomorrow. With an acclaimed debut album in the books and some of pop-punk’s biggest stars behind him, jxdn is sure to deliver a Lollapalooza debut for the ages. 

AG Club

When & Where: Friday, 7:45 p.m. at Grubhub Stage

AG Club, an abbreviation of avant-garde club, is a genre-less music collective that shares a lot in common with fellow Lollapalooza must-see act, Peach Tree Rascals, including a collaborative single. But don’t get things twisted, this Bay Area collective has their own vision in store for you. With a brash, in-your-face attitude, AG Club is likely to draw comparisons to the Saturation era of BROCKHAMPTON and glory days of ASAP Mob, but with their introspective, omnivorous approach, they deftly manage to emerge as an act all their own. If you want to go where the party is, don’t miss AG Club.

Tai Verdes

When & Where: Friday, 1:45 p.m. at Bud Light Seltzer Stage

Where would we be without TikTok? I, for one, would be without my preferred form of short-form entertainment and the world be without the infectious pop-R&B stylings of one Tai Verdes. Originally working at Verizon before his breakout single, “Stuck in the Middle,” became a viral hit on TikTok, Verdes is now one of the most promising and rapidly rising acts in music today. And with his debut album, TV, the viral star proved himself no one-hit-wonder, delivering a collection of tracks that span a range of emotions and genres that we cannot wait to experience live.

Dominic Fike

When & Where: Thursday, 7:45 p.m. at Grubhub Stage

Dominic Fike is a musical chameleon. First breaking out with his unassuming radio hit “3 Nights,” to only jump into the absolute vibe that is the Kenny Beats–assisted “Phone Numbers,” and culminate it all with the genre-spanning debut album, What Could Possibly Go Wrong, Fike is an artist whose limitations seem limitless. It’s a notion that plays out in his breathtaking live show, reworking his hits with an insatiable appetite until they’re songs that exist only in that singular moment. Fike’s is set you will not want to miss.

Oliver Tree

When & Where: Thursday, 9 p.m. at Grubhub Stage

Alternative auteur Oliver Tree is nothing if not unpredictable. Flaunting his signature JNCO jeans and an impressive professional razor scooter pedigree, the inimitable artist delivers on an infectious blend of alternative, electronic, hip-hop, and pop that defies any simplistic classification. And with his debut album, Ugly Is Beautiful, now out in the wild after a much-hyped cancellation and subsequent surprise release, Tree has more than his fair share of music to pull from. Plus, given his penchant for going in and out of retirement like he’s trying to break a record only known to him, it’s probably best not to miss this set.   

RMR

When & Where: Sunday, 2:45 p.m. at Tito’s Handmade Vodka Stage

RMR originally made headlines with his breakout single, “RASCAL,” a transfixing country trap ballad that saw the rapper donning a black balaclava and Saint Laurent bulletproof vest while rapping over an interpolation of Rascal Flatts’ “Bless The Broken Road.” Since then, the anonymous rapper has been spotted hitting the town with Sharon Stone and embracing his penchant for melodic trap in the Westside Gunn, Future, Lil Baby, and Young Thung–loaded Drug Dealing Is a Lost Art. Existing at the fusion of trap country and melodic rap, RMR’s Lolla set is one you’re not likely to forget anytime soon.

Chiiild

When & Where: Sunday, 12:00 p.m. at Lake Shore Stage

Nostalgic and novel, Chiiild’s self-described brand of “synthetic soul” is nothing short of intoxicating. Setting its own sauntering pace, Chiiild’s unique take on R&B and soul takes on a cosmic energy, as if floating through a wormhole with nothing but a single cassette deck on hand. It’s a testament to the Canadian band’s all-encompassing approach that draws upon not just R&B and soul but psychedelia, jazz, indie, and pop to craft a sound that is all their own. Take a trip on Sunday, and meet us at Chiiild.

All Time Low

When & Where: Thursday, 6 p.m. at Tito’s Handmade Vodka Stage

Because teenage you wasn’t old enough to convince your parents to let you see All Time Low the first time “Dear Maria, Count Me In” was trending.

#lollapalooza #lollapalooza 2021 #tate mcrae #peach tree rascals #marc rebillet #dayglow #giveon #ashe #sir chloe #jxdn #ag club #tai verdes #dominic fike #oliver tree #rmr #chiiild #all time low

[checkoutafrica]

Jade Macpepple-Jaja X Nike

Dedicated to the strength and beauty of Black women.

There is nothing I love more in this life than seeing black women winning in every single category of life – I love seeing black women succeed in this industry that we love to call fashion and collaborating with huge ass brands like NIKE!

Around two weeks ago for their latest Nike By You drop, the iconic brand collaborated with London-based guest designer Jade Macpepple-Jaja to rework the Air Max 95.

View this post on Instagram

There’s no way I can have my own shoe and not do a Jade classic white sheet shoe pic

hope everyone’s having a blessed week! Sending you all love

@nikebyyouworkshop Link in bio- got about 9 days left to cop!

• • • • • • #minimalist #blogger #londonblogger #limitededition #lawstudent #cozywear #socks #sneakers #nikebyyou #blogger #nikesocks #nikeshoes #converse #nikekicks #stayin #minimaltones #girlsinkicks #kicks #shoecam #whitetrainers #whatsurgirlwearing #londonblogger #ukblogger #bedsheets #shoeaddict #stylist #onfootpic #sneakerheads #sneakerness #sneakerheads #freshkicks

A post shared by JADE| Law.Fashion.Life&Shoes. (@jademacj) on Aug 4, 2020 at 3:26am PDT

This is the “INC.” sneaker featuring hues of pastel pink, cream, white and black throughout. They’re feminine yet still make a huge statement. These are the type of sneakers you wear when you wanna show people that you are in fact that b****. These are limited to 350 pairs retailing at £154.95 GBP and will be available to purchase until August 10 via Nike UK’s website. So if I were you I’d grab a pair rn before it’s too late!

View this post on Instagram

WHEWWWWWW! It’s all very madddd!!! Thank you @nikelondon and @nikebyyouworkshop for allowing a piece of my soul to be on your shelves! Its such an honour and blessing to share my story with my city in this way! INC. is available for a few more days so get to shopping! Link in my bio!

#blackexcellence

#nikesneakers #sneakerhead #sneakerdrop #blackgirl #niketown #niketrainera #allblackoutfit #womenempowerment #nikebyyou #stylingonabudget #melanin #baesmentapproved #fashionbaw #blackgirlmagic #lessisworefemales #whatsurgirlwearing #capitalemodeparis #niketown #nikelondon #bigsmile #achievements #celebration #thestreetlawyer #discoverunder10k #lawstudent

A post shared by JADE| Law.Fashion.Life&Shoes. (@jademacj) on Aug 3, 2020 at 1:35am PDT

Here is what Jade had to say about the colloab;

What does this collaboration symbolise for you? I hope that this inspires other young black girls who look like me to see that they can achieve anything they put their mind to and hold on to that faith that change is coming, things are shifting. The message of the shoe is all about my desires to push for true inclusion diversity and equal opportunities across all professions and industries but specifically the creative and legal industry that I’m in. 

How many drafts did you do until you came to the conclusion of your final design and what was the inspiration behind it?

I did come up with about 20 designs but cut it down over the lead up to submission. I am a bit of a minimalist when it comes to design and styling, I love nude tones and wanted the sneaker to be both stylish and wearable. As it was done virtually, we could only go by what we could see the descriptions of the fabric and therefore tried to keep my design as simplistic as possible, but I knew I wanted there to be a stand-out element with the black tongue of the shoe. 

How did Nike approach you for this? I applied to the Nike by you workshop competition and was selected with 19 other creatives. 

Besides designing shoes for Nike in your spare time, what else do you do? I love to write and read, I’m also really into films and love everything Marvel! 

As a black female creative what are your hopes for the industry and yourself?

As a black woman, I will say that there are not many black girls getting the major collaborations or getting the opportunities in the creative industry. We need more of us designing, in the HQs and the marketing campaigns.  It starts from the top so there needs to be representation in the board rooms which will have trickle effect downwards to other areas of the industry. 

View this post on Instagram

WERE LIVEEEEEEE!!!! Links in my bio!!!! Honestly this has been such a journey And INC. is so much more than a shoe to me it’s been an experience. This shoe is for everyone but it’s specifically dedicated my black sisters, a group who are undermined, underrepresented but still push themselves to be great and show up and stand up for what they believe in! I love you all so much! A portion of the proceeds will be donated to @blackmindsmatter.uk a platform supporting black people through therapy and mental health resources! Shop the link in my bio!!!!! Only 350 pairssssss! GO GO GO

Photos: @_alejandra27 @morprime

A post shared by JADE| Law.Fashion.Life&Shoes. (@jademacj) on Jul 31, 2020 at 1:01am PDT

This is the start of something huge for us black creatives, and it can only get better from here! Congratulations Jade on this collab and for being an inspiration to young black women across the U.K!!!

The post Jade Macpepple-Jaja X Nike appeared first on CheckoutAfrica.

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#Uncategorised #black designer #fashion designer

[davidz62-blog]

1.What biases do we see in the individuals in the film? (remember biases are not just racist)?

All individual minimalists were trying to present that “Money doesn't buy happiness.” In the end we see that the main problem is heavily linked with money, which is also a strong connection towards personal satisfaction. Their words displayed that living a life trying to fulfill the unfulfillable void can be an immense dissatisfaction. 

What biases are you noticing that you have which others may not share?

Many may define an object for its market value, or emotional value, or whatever they seek value within. In my point of view, I measure an object's value by the amount of time it carries within. For example, if I were to see an artwork at an exhibition that strikes me tremendously but later know that little amount of time was put within the work, the value of the artwork to me would decrease significantly. I believe that time is a necessary process of each artwork, as it will show your progress while developing its outcome. Therefore, an artwork that does not meet it’s time requirement will not meet; its final transformation and expectations. 

What part of this film can you add to your primary research? 

There are important interviews in the film that assist me to add in the primary research. Couple minimalists uses different challenges to adapt the new type of life and move on to the next chapter. Such us moving into tiny house instead of big house, and clean all the not value stuffs in the house or tried to fit necessaries in the package. I want to know more about how people really think when they purchase lot of things on the holidays. They might only buy it because the stuffs are cheap, not because they really need it. I believe keep it simple will be the main life style in the future. I want to living in the life that without any fancy features. My project should be clean, simple and easy to handle. There are lots of complicated stuff with long explanations about how to use it. People attend to avoid it because that cause too much time.

How might these interviews inform your ideation for your team project? 

(a product that lets you have the time of your life).

When the film presented the quote where Jim Carrey said “I wish everyone could become rich and famous so they could realize it’s not the answer” I had the exact reaction that Joshua Becker presented, “Well it is easy for Jim Carrey to say, he is rich and famous.” I soon realized that what millions of people are chasing after is not the money, the fame or the success, instead we are all chasing for an experience within a lifetime. I am afraid when we finally reach our financial goal, it would all be too late, because then we will never be able to turn away from all that hard work and success. In the end, my research involves a deeper dive into our true desires, filtering out what the media is feeding us.  We want what we want because society makes us believe that is what we need, but there is more to life than a few more digits in the bank account. 

2. In your own words, explain a paradigm shift you think will have the greatest impact 

on the future of design, as it relates to your own interests.

When thinking of the paradigm shift among the future of design, we automatically link it towards the few very successful multi billionaire companies. Apple, being one of them is a great example for us to foresee the greatest impact on future design. Reading the article by wall street journal ‘iBauhaus’ Review: The Seeds of the Apple Aesthetic, It’s clearly evident that Apple takes both its physical aesthetics and conceptual design ideas from that of the Bauhaus. From the Bauhaus’s initiative in its emphasis on minimalism and simplicity in designs while simultaneously integrating it in daily lives. They tried to experiment and play with the idea of form following function. They were also continuously pushing each of their works to strive for this sense of minimalism. We can see this through the Bauhaus progression of chair designs (this can reflect how much apple products have progressed and how they too have become more minimalist over time).

       Apple definitely has followed the idea of simplicity throughout the majority of their product, and unsurprisingly, has become one of the most popular brands we have been hugely relying on. It is interesting to see such a simplistic object becoming so popular in a generation of people who ask for complexity. In my opinion, people will soon realize that a product’s appearance does not stand before a product’s function. In the end I think the future of design will weigh heavier on the function of a product as it reduces its appearance while keeping what is crucial.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/ibauhaus-review-the-seeds-of-apples-designs-11583507409

3. Write 3 habits or rituals that give you gratitude: Each week you will note 3 habits or rituals that you observe or do yourself that cause you to be grateful. (i.e. I’m grateful for time when I carefully prune my bonsai, I’m grateful for health when I mix my supplements each morning, I’m grateful for family when I pause to write my 85 year old aunt a letter) 

I am grateful for I could return to my hometown in this situation.

I am grateful for the care of the staff in the quarantine area.

I am grateful for I have a wide view outside the window.

#pd3week1hw

[shadesofhui]

Pentagon discography appreciation post

Want to do a post appreciating Pentagons discography, because I don’t think I’ve seen a post solely about it. Long post beware and sorry for my jumping thought process here (I tried to make it easier to read with breaks)-

Are an actively self composing group

*can reblog a post with examples of that separately if someone wants, this is long enough

Have participated in their choreography just as actively (it varies and some members are a lot more active in this than others). Kino does self choreography for the group and it has been commented that Yeo one has been making contributions. If we want to go way back to Pentagon Maker days, then we can safety say, they did it themselves. Composing lyrics and arrangements, and choreography.

I see less self choreography comments officially made nowadays, so it’s harder to comment on this. But it’s clear they are pretty active in their own dance routines and have a say in them. Round 1 and 2, it’s probably safe to assume they made those lovely chaotic choices themselves

Onto song writing and their vocals in general

Pentagon’s vocally is interesting and unique. Their tones are all different and have specific colors to them. Just like the group visually, they are not uniformed. However, they harmonize very well together despite their differences and same with their height gaps. With their set formations, Wooseok is set in places he doesn’t look out of place in the choreography and same applies to others.  It takes a lot of consideration every set to figure out placements to make sure everyone looks not out of place and as someone who did marching band myself. I can only assume the amount of time they take on spot learning and relearning at times. 

Especially, with how they have relearned multiple routines for missing members multiple times (Yanan’s hiatuses, Kinos injury, special performances).

As I commented on above, Pentagon has their own unique vocal timbres. Timbres being, as their own tone quality and sound that makes them distinguishable from the rest of the group. In some songs it’s less noticeable and others it’s quite noticeable; it’s not due to them being unable harmonize or such. Their vocal approach to a song varies on writing, composer(s)/ arranger(s), and the style and message they want the song to have. As it’s boring to go with the same vocal style every song and theme. Who wants to listen to the same song repeated differently over again with different lyrics?

Round 2, Naughty Boys, and Skateboard have more varied vocal tones. While in Spring Snow, Runaway, and Off Road they harmonize and blend their voices more. Honestly, their voices are so unique it was hard to judge and make that second list in general. If you compare their debuts album to their newest songs. Every member’s tone quality, control, range, and sound has improved noticeably.

Pentagon have been pursuing development in their music since debut and their music image hasn’t changed heavily in (my opinion). More of them finding what they like/ trying new things, though I feel they have been a group that likes to play with newer concepts in the industry. They have two main comebacks themes they like to do: Mature ones and Playful ones. 

Mature: Cosmo, Runaway, and Sha la la

Playful: Shine, Humph, and Naughty Boys (tho I debate its half/ half of both)

As you can assume their image has changed a bit since Edawn has left; as he had a part in their writing and major vocal/ rap part in songs. I don’t think anything fundamentally has changed for them in what they stand for, their music production/ comebacks, etc. Current members are getting more vocals/ rap parts and are more active on composing than before, so I’m appreciative of that.

Onwards specifically, more to their song arrangements as a whole 

Pentagon likes to play with reoccurring themes in their songs such as, sounds which can mean the complex sentence structure when getting to the roots of song lyrics .Their arrangement of sentence structure can have purposeful repeated phrases, onomatopoeia, idioms, and connotations (all can be found in Naughty Boy). This is only a short list of how much thought goes into composing a song. Careful sentence structure creates ways they can play with articulations; like Jinho holding a note to make it more emphasized (YuTO DaaaaAAA). Linguistics is not my strongest point, but I tried with the explanations a bit.

Redundancy is also found in their dance routines (references to shine in round 2 and sha la la) and song title tracks, (apparently they been making title songs with 3 characters only). They vary a lot instrumentally, (sounds made from computer/ keyboard/ real instrument); I can’t remember the technical names for some of these currently, they do use some elements over others more and some are obvious. But, not feeling the need to comment on it further at this moment. Like the varying vocal tones, pentagon’s members have their own unique composing and lyric differences. You can tell when certain members work on each song, even if it’s for another group. That’s not something you can recreate and just expect any idol to have. 

What I also enjoy with pentagons music overall: the variety of topics in their lyrics. Not solely about a girl/ love, lust, or rehashed ideas. They often write songs ideas solely for themselves without caring how it does because they wanted to write it (Hui has commented that’s how he composes). Songs written or covered for fans (you are and cosmo). Songs written about memories with each other (just do it yo!) and songs about how they are feeling over past experiences/ current ones (the greatest wall/ genius).  

Commenting now on humph and how I feel about the song’s composition individually

Humph is a well done summer comeback in my opinion. It’s minimalistic and focused on a story created with the song vocally and dance routine (and mv that really adds to it). Humph is started with broken notes (staccatos), showing a good job even musically the disconnection aka the unwillingness to apologize for breaking the rules. The members vocally in the song seem to be answering one another and that’s a theme throughout the whole song/ mv. The disconnected note is continuous a downbeat as the chord is brought in, but is taken away at sections of the songs. During the bridge (building up/ transition to the chorus) it’s not reoccurring.

I’m very limited on music theory knowledge and trying here. Trying to figure out the format of the song and wow, I went into it thinking it’s easy originally. Because the song seems simplistic but its not the same chorus repeated over again with the same versus/ and harmonies every time (AAA) by any means. The first chorus matches the harmonies of the song (trying to keep simple explanations), while the second chorus starts with the same continuous harmonies but changes partway (2:10/2:11ish), which continues right into the third chorus (2:40). It transitioned so easily into the third chorus almost didn’t notice was in the changed chorus still. I think I answered my question here from earlier. Thanks for reading my writing spilling outs and chaotic lengthy mess. Pentagons music deserves all the praise and love in the universe 

#pentagon #kino #hui #wooseok #jinho #yeo one #yanan #edawn #jo jinho #yeo changgu #jung wooseok #kang hyunggu #hyojong #i only tagged members mentioned #yan an #ptg #long text tw #text #this took way longer to write than i would like to admit lmao