Artifact Design Rubric Logo

Here is a link to the website. 

To represent a yoga studio, I wanted to display a girl's silhouette in an easily recognizable yoga position. This pose is known as the "lotus position." I came up with the name "Chakra Yoga Studio" because by being actively involved with yoga, individuals can remain open and balanced in life. This balanced nature means people have the opportunity to attain optimal health and function to their fullest capacity.
Rather than visualize a series of complicated shapes, the Law of Pragnanz helps the viewer establish that the outline is a woman's body. The white triangles to the side of the logo create the woman's waistline while the smaller triangles lead the eye to understand her legs are crossed together.
The Law of Closure can also be seen within the logo. The woman's silhouette against the white background leads the eye to create those identifiable shapes mentioned before. Going back to the triangular shapes her body creates, it causes our mind to fill in the blank space with a familiar shape-- the triangle.
The colorful stars represent the seven chakras associated with an individual's psychological, physical and emotional development throughout their life. The Law of Similarity is present within the studio's name "Chakra." Rather than see each letter in the word "Chakra" as a separate entity, the letters are grouped together to form one word. The same idea is seen in the stars (chakras) between the letters. The colorful stars against the black letters establishes a similar grouping among the varying designs as a result.

Here are a few (very rough) designs before I established what I wanted the final logo to look like:

• One of the major issues was trying to decide if "yoga studio" looked better to the side of the woman's arm or below "CHAKRA."
• I decided that as a logo, it would create dissonance for the person trying to read the name.
• If the name was on the side of her arm, it would read as, "Yoga Studio Chakra" which isn't the correct way of saying the name of the business.

Compose Your Frame

At first glance, the eye is immediately drawn to the center of the image because of the varying lines engraved in the mountain. As you begin to take in the rest of the photo, it is as if you are able to follow the lines spread throughout the mountain. The major curved areas of the mountain are the rule of thirds points of interest. Because this was taken at an upwards angle, the diagonal rule is present near the ridge of the mountain. Although it isn't a completely straight pathway, the rough edges against the sky differentiates the mountain from open space. 

While the rule of thirds is visible in the shapes of the rock, it also becomes a vector in the shot. The lines lead the eye to go up and down and side to side to observe all the movement happening. In a way, this photo appears as if it isn't a photo at all. Instead, it looks like these lines are moving in real time, forming all the different shapes of this mountain. I think the message viewers can take away from seeing this is that nature isn't stagnant. It is constantly changing, no matter what angle you may be looking from. 

Design Evaluation

Good Design:

• Gestalt's Law of Closure: objects grouped together are scene as a whole
• the space between the caribou's body is overlooked 
• Law of Pragnanz: reality is reduced to its simplest form
• rather than see a bunch of random shapes, we see it as a caribou and a coffee bean in the center
• Contrast: the black outline against the white background 
• Fonts: although there are different fonts presented, they are harmonious 

Mediocre Design: 

• Color scheme: the colors are very neutral and do not stand out against each other
• Creativity: lacking any type of originality, it just represents the company's name and a coffee bean to signify they're a coffee shop

Contrast, Balance, Harmony

This photograph represents asymmetrical balance. Although the person's feet are a bit off-centered, the buildings on both sides of the picture create a type of balance. By making this appear asymmetrical, it adds to the tension of what's going on through the individual's mind. Why are they up there? How high up is this walk across these buildings? In a sense, these questions play off our psychological responses. While it creates a sense of excitement, it also gives me goosebumps. I want to know why this person is risking their life to do this with ease.
Some contrasting elements that immediately draw my eye in are the shoes against the sky. With a pale blue sky, you can clearly see the outline of the individual's legs and physical movement as they attempt to take their next step. Aside from the obvious color differences, this activity alone presents a contrasting behavior against most people. Although I have no fear of heights, there is no way I would willingly walk across this rope.
Despite the simplicity of this photograph, the different building sizes show varying shades of gray, which go along with the sky. The outlines of the buildings are clearly identifiable yet they almost blend in with the background of the image. The backdrop remains harmonious while the tight rope adds the contrasting elements to not make the image seem boring. Gestalt's Law of Closure groups these buildings together as one. You cannot clearly see where these buildings separate at the bottom, which leads the eye to observe them as a spread out group.
The tight rope's defined texture also alludes to a direction beyond what the viewer is able to see. The rope's location clearly gives us an idea of how rigid and strong it is because it is able to hold a person up effortlessly. We don't know how far away this person plans to walk, which creates an uneasy feeling. I feel uneasy looking at this because I have so many questions that I know will never be answered.

Visceral Response

This photo was taken in North Carolina over the summer, and it happened to be my first time kayaking. I chose this photograph because it immediately puts me right back to where I was- happy, carefree and accompanied by one of my favorite people.
The vast range of color changes occurring in this image instantly captures my attention. The kayak's orange and yellow hues greatly contrast with the surrounding trees and water. In a sense, it creates a visual spectacle because of the range of intensity seen throughout the photograph. At the front of the kayak, the color transforms from a defined orange hue to a yellowish intensity. This photo also represents a significant difference in nature's value of color. In the broad sunlight, you can clearly see the trees and bushes' texture. On the other hand, the left side embodies a dark versus light complex. The varying trees show a range of value, from a vibrant green to more of a forest green, and finally almost completely black as your eyes meet at the waterline.
Aside from the color scheme, you can see a texturized feel at the bottom of the river. The way the light hits the water, you get a glimpse into what's lurking beneath the kayak. In this shot, it looks murky and rough, but as I made my way through the river, I saw small schools of fish.
Although the water shows movement, the defined horizontal line in the back create this still feeling. At the same time, the curving tree-line insinuates that there is more beyond what is pictured for the audience.