After two years and many sleepless nights, it's over. I am officially a writer--the diploma says so. My blog has been quiet for some time now. I apologize for that. I needed the break. I have deleted all but two of my school-related postings. I felt there was a connection between the posts and what I wanted my blog to be about. I also kept the tribute to my brother who passed away in January.
Now it is time to talk about all things creative.
Cheers
Jason
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Friday, March 7, 2008
Colour, Culture and Web Design
Food for Thought
If you have ever taken a design course, you will have probably encountered colour (color) theory on some level. Essentially colour theory addresses how colour affects people on a visceral level and how people from different cultures associate colours to mean different things.
Take the colour white for example. Okay, perhaps technically white isn't a colour, but for the sake of argument let's say it is. In Western culture, white can stand for purity as seen in weddings. In Eastern culture white is associated with death and funerals.
Knowing your audience is important in design. Designing for an audience of children would probably entail using bright, solid colours. Adults tend to prefer more muted tones. The challenge arises when we take colour into web design. The Internet is accessible by people from all over the world. How can you possibly design with so much opposing interpretations?
Blue is seen as positive in most cultures. Of course if everyone did blue websites the world would be a boring place. The Internet is dominated by websites from western cultures which influence the use of colour. I feel the old adage of you can't please everyone, applies here. So, at the end of the day it is up to you as a designer to make the final choice. My advice is:
If you have ever taken a design course, you will have probably encountered colour (color) theory on some level. Essentially colour theory addresses how colour affects people on a visceral level and how people from different cultures associate colours to mean different things.
Take the colour white for example. Okay, perhaps technically white isn't a colour, but for the sake of argument let's say it is. In Western culture, white can stand for purity as seen in weddings. In Eastern culture white is associated with death and funerals.
Knowing your audience is important in design. Designing for an audience of children would probably entail using bright, solid colours. Adults tend to prefer more muted tones. The challenge arises when we take colour into web design. The Internet is accessible by people from all over the world. How can you possibly design with so much opposing interpretations?
Blue is seen as positive in most cultures. Of course if everyone did blue websites the world would be a boring place. The Internet is dominated by websites from western cultures which influence the use of colour. I feel the old adage of you can't please everyone, applies here. So, at the end of the day it is up to you as a designer to make the final choice. My advice is:
- know your audience
- do your research
- target your intended audience
- be able to explain your choices (if you are creating for a client)
Search the web using the search terms color, culture and web design for more specifics on what I am talking about. I have included a link to get you started.
http://www.topendsports.com/design/color-culture.htm
Happy Designing!
Thursday, January 17, 2008
The Memory Remains: A Tribute to Jarrod
The passing of my brother Jarrod
January 15, 2008
Somewhere in Heaven, ABBA is being cranked
The family asks that in lieu of flowers please make a donation to the Queen's Park Hospice on Jarrod's behalf. Jarrod's last days were happy ones because of the hospice. The hospice number is 604-519-8560. I am sure they can provide the details.
There is no eloquent way to jump into this posting, so I simply secured my helmet and chute and plunged into a free fall of words.
Recognize this yellow and black image? This image became an icon for Jarrod. It symbolized his essence, his being, his attitude and his treatment of others.
Chances are that if you live in the Lower Mainland of Vancouver, you know Jarrod or you know someone who knows Jarrod. He has touched many lives in his short 39 years on this planet. He was a waiter. He could serve up an order of sarcasm like no one I know. The amazing thing was that he could get people to laugh at themselves. I have seen him shoot down the most obnoxious of patrons. Most of them became regulars at whatever establishment Jarrod was working at and would ask to sit in Jarrod's section.
S-s-s-s-mokin! I think if Jarrod could be a character from a movie he would be the alter ego in The Mask. In fact, one Halloween he was the Mask. I crafted him a mask out of rubber latex. When it came time to go out, I found that the latex adhesive I had would not keep the mask tight to his face. Fortunately (for me) someone had nail glue. I assured Jarrod that the nail adhesive would only stick the mask to his face temporarily. All I can say is thank goodness he sweat a lot that evening. The mask did eventually come off. What a good sport.
I can't share too many stories of the times we had out in the city as they are too incriminating. What I can say is that people would just gravitate to Jarrod. He made friends wherever he went.
I have to stop for now. I hope to acquire photos and stories from family and friends that attend his memorial. His memory could become a blog of its own.
This posting is raw and unfocused. It may be too soon to try and share this amazingly kind person to the rest of the world. My main reason for starting it so soon was the hope that friends of Jarrod who are not aware of his death might come across this blog and contact me.
Peace be with you my brother. We are all glad that your suffering has stopped, but I don't know if we can ever get over you leaving us so soon.
I have added this very raw poem I wrote prior to the memorial service:
This week I see shadow where there was sun,
This week I am alone among the crowds.
This week the world I know makes no sense,
This week silence replaces music.
This week I lost a loved one.
This week we lost a loved one.
But eventually this week will end.
Next week I will celebrate his life.
Next week I will tell everyone the joy he brought to all.
Next week tears of laughter will mix with tears of pain.
Next week I will walk with him and talk with him.
Next week will last the rest of my life.
Monday, January 7, 2008
First Blog Entry for 2340
Welcome to Creative Compass.
The name of the blog is a work in progress, kind of like me. I have many diverse interests centring around creativity, so my postings and interests will be varied. This first posting is an example of this as I need to post links to two blogs of interest as part of a course assignment (I have gone back to school). After much deliberation I chose music and martial arts.
Music
When I was a kid I would save my allowance to buy records like Kiss and Alice Cooper. My dad would ask me why I would waste my money on such music because (in his view) I will never listen to them when I get older. Well, three decades and three careers later I still love to rock. I own a drum set which I occasionally beat mercilessly. One of my favourite bands for complex percussion is Metallica. I find that people either love this band or hate them. For those who love them, check out this link to a Metallica blog which has some great photos and a clean and visually pleasing layout.
http://metsanitarium.blogspot.com
Sometimes it is good to ignore your parents. Rock on!
Martial Arts
Another love of mine is martial arts. I have a black belt in Tae kwon do. I do not hold one martial art above any other as I believe that they all have strengths and weaknesses. I really enjoy the philosophical teachings that each discipline centres their practices around. These are teachings that I believe will help each of us to be better people and live better lives because they focus on harmony and balance. The material world focuses on money and competition. It is easy to lose one's self and centre in this rat race. Taking a step back and restoring balance will put things in perspective and help each person focus on what is really important in their life. I had trouble deciding on which blog I enjoyed more, so I have included both. The first one is visually pleasing and has some good links to other blogs. The second is not as visually pleasing, but I enjoyed the story of how this blogger got the name for his site. It also contains some good links and information. Enjoy both.
http://martialviews.blogspot.com
http://kicksboxes.blogspot.com
I am new to blogging and not so savvy in this realm. I look forward to hearing from those of you who are. Please feel free to forward links to blogs that you have found useful and informative.
See ya.
Jason
The name of the blog is a work in progress, kind of like me. I have many diverse interests centring around creativity, so my postings and interests will be varied. This first posting is an example of this as I need to post links to two blogs of interest as part of a course assignment (I have gone back to school). After much deliberation I chose music and martial arts.
Music
When I was a kid I would save my allowance to buy records like Kiss and Alice Cooper. My dad would ask me why I would waste my money on such music because (in his view) I will never listen to them when I get older. Well, three decades and three careers later I still love to rock. I own a drum set which I occasionally beat mercilessly. One of my favourite bands for complex percussion is Metallica. I find that people either love this band or hate them. For those who love them, check out this link to a Metallica blog which has some great photos and a clean and visually pleasing layout.
http://metsanitarium.blogspot.com
Sometimes it is good to ignore your parents. Rock on!
Martial Arts
Another love of mine is martial arts. I have a black belt in Tae kwon do. I do not hold one martial art above any other as I believe that they all have strengths and weaknesses. I really enjoy the philosophical teachings that each discipline centres their practices around. These are teachings that I believe will help each of us to be better people and live better lives because they focus on harmony and balance. The material world focuses on money and competition. It is easy to lose one's self and centre in this rat race. Taking a step back and restoring balance will put things in perspective and help each person focus on what is really important in their life. I had trouble deciding on which blog I enjoyed more, so I have included both. The first one is visually pleasing and has some good links to other blogs. The second is not as visually pleasing, but I enjoyed the story of how this blogger got the name for his site. It also contains some good links and information. Enjoy both.
http://martialviews.blogspot.com
http://kicksboxes.blogspot.com
I am new to blogging and not so savvy in this realm. I look forward to hearing from those of you who are. Please feel free to forward links to blogs that you have found useful and informative.
See ya.
Jason
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