Meaningful Broadband

In today's world the importance of broadband connection is increasing, perhaps to the stage where it is being compared to the basic need of food and water! The UN is trying to achieve access to broadband in an affordable manner. Dr Hamadoun Toure, secretary general of the International Telecommunications Union told the BBC that education, fighting disease and gender equality are all pressing issues that they are aiming to resolve by 2015 and that technology is a prime tool of achieving this goal. Dr Toure believes that broadband is a communication tool that can accelerate the progress of the developing world.

"I am putting ICT [Information and Communication Technologies] as an opportunity of meeting the goals."

He sees this as an opportunity to use technology to develop e-education and e-health programs. This rises the question of how the world can afford when they are struggling to afford water and basic health care. Is the western world becoming obsessed with communication through the internet? Do we take it for granted? If one thing is clear it has changed our priorities in the western world.

Portfolio Logo Design

• First logo-hand written text not clear enough
• Edges of text needs clearing up
• Maybe a pattern behind the 'Gaia' text

Made Like Gaia...

It's time to get back to work! After moving about a lot over the summer and finally getting a decent Internet connection (don't get an 02 dongle) I have got updates on my portfolio website.

My concept is made like Gaia. Gaia is the original spelling of my name and is the earth Mother. Although through my designs I'm not recreating something as big as nature itself I put a lot of love and care into my passion of website design and illustration. I want my portfolio to be a brand of what I see myself as- a designer with many unique skills and qualities. I am not just a website designer. I code my own site in many languages, I am the graphic designer, fine artist, illustrator etc. I want my portfolio to portray a sense of growth as both a brand and as a designer so below are a few starting points...

I had the idea that my logo and be part of a tree to represent the growth of my brand with my tools 'growing' out of it

Initial ideas for a logo. Simple text, maybe experiment with patterns behind the text?

Portfolio Update

More Wireframes...

Ninetendo DSiware Art Academy

Digital technology is changing the face of how art is being taught in both the education system and for home entertainment. Ninetendo have released a new art academy taught by 'Vince' who takes you step by step through basic drawing techniques and theories. There is also a free paint mode to create your own 'masterpieces' and connect via facebook to other users. The art academy is part of a developing branch of entertainment called Edutainment. The touch screen technology allows artists of all abilities to develop their skills through a choice of virtual resources. You can also take photos and try to make paintings from them.

This is all part of a new wave of art apps and digital interactive art forms that are developing how we create and perceive art. We no longer just reach for a pen and paper. We create art quickly, send it on quickly though our constant communication through the internet (facebook etc). It is about getting ideas down quickly and learning quickly. People don't want to wait anymore.

Portfolio wireframes

This is the starting wireframes for my portfolio website.

Illustration Friday: Modern Madusa

I created this image for illustration Friday. I used photoshop to manipulate photographs and drawing that I then digitally painted with as well. The facial features are based on a good friend of mine.

Freelance portfolio website

As a bit of freelance work and a favour to a friend I am doing a portfolio website for Sophie Magnante (another 2ND year student of NTU multimedia). She wants a fun, creative website to advertise her work. i have started with a bit of research into the area. Also she has given me a few links to her favourite websites.

http://www.studioaka.com/

• She like the squares for thumbnails for the work
• she like the way you can navigate through the thumbnails and it remands as a grid.

http://www.jeanpaulgaultier.com/

• collaged and layered
• animation intro?

http://www.immersive-garden.com/

• doesn't like the menu
• one background that changes slightly with each page
• something moves left to right that engages the audience.

There's a website I have found that I think is creative and layered but may be a bit too 'hand made' for Sophie. (I might bear it in mind for my portfolio website).

More Dissertations pathways

http://www.theiphoneappreview.com/09/art-iphone-app/

Art app used to buy and sell art from anything from £100 and up. Does this mean that the horizons of fine art consumers have risen due to the internet?

http://www.artmarketmonitor.com/2009/08/31/internet-is-changing-art/

This article discusses how art has become more accessible to more people through the internet and allows more people to buy and invest in art.

http://edition.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/11/26/art.globalization/

Art is changing and broadening it's audience through the web. The article above describes how new media is changing the face of contemporary art and the audiences it attracts.

http://artofscience.wordpress.com/2009/03/12/how-technology-is-changing-art/

How are we going to view art in the future? Will the way we experience art change? This comment has caught my eye-

“In the new digital world I suspect that artforms, artists and cultural organisations will succeed by occupying the liminal space between offline and online, building a compelling presence in both that allows something unexpected to emerge where they meet and blur together.”

http://www.selectparks.net/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=591

This link is to an article that may have sparked an idea for a dissertation title. What impact does new, Internet based technologies have on art and society? It's about how digital art is considered 'real' art and has as much function in society as art in a physical form.

http://theteachingpalette.com/2009/08/03/30-best-iphone-apps-for-art-teachers/

This lists 30 top art teaching app, which I think is dramatically changing the way future generations learn and how they understand art. the app includes anything from brushes which is used purely to create art with different brushes/colours to learning about artists to combining maths and art.

http://www.articlesbase.com/hardware-articles/the-art-design-of-graphics-tablets-1043166.html

reference to info on graphic tablets and how artists use them.