Jordan Cook 's Graphic Design Canvas

Introduction      How well do you actually know your workspace? Is your workspace tiny and tight filled with every object imaginable, or is it rather large with absolutely nothing but a laptop, pen, and paper? Are the objects that make up your workspace work related, or are they things that you have brought in that have taken up the empty space surrounding you? Today we are about to find how well we know our workspace, and whether or not the right objects are occupying it.      This creative exercise is a bit different from the rest. It is also from the book “CAFFEINE FOR THE CREATIVE MIND: 250 WAYS TO WAKE UP YOUR BRAIN" , written by Stefan Mumaw and Wendy Lee Oldfield , and it is called “Where is that “Q” I’ve Been Saving” .      “Where is that “Q” I’ve Been Saving” is an eccentric title in itself. This is what was on my mind as I was writing this out, so I thought I would share. Anyway, this exercise would like us to study our wor...

Introduction      Antonio Pasin immigrated from Italy to America in 1914 landing in Chicago, Illinois. Upon his arrival, he began working alongside his father and grandfather, who were cabinet makers. Pasin used his design skills to construct phonograph cabinets, but he also loved to create his own projects. Amidst one of his creations, he invented the “Liberty Coaster” which was named after the Statue of Liberty which he encountered on his journey to America. The Liberty Coaster is known today as the iconic Radio Flyer-The Original Little Red Wagon.      This week’s creative exercise is also out from the book “CAFFEINE FOR THE CREATIVE MIND: 250 WAYS TO WAKE UP YOUR BRAIN" , written by Stefan Mumaw and Wendy Lee Oldfield, and the exercise is coincidentally named “Pimp My Red Flyer.”      “Pimp My Ride” is an iconic show from MTV that takes old or ordinary vehicles and “pimps them out” by reconstructing them to create a luxurious urb...

Introduction      Flags are an object that most of us are familiar with. They surround us identifying countries, states, counties, sports teams, clubs, politics, etc. They present the viewer with colors, typography, imagery, meaning, symbols, stature, and pride, evoking emotion. A flag can make up anything that represents the institution’s brand identity. They ‘stand’ for something, and that is the main reason why people put them on a pedestal. It is to the point where people almost worship them. They become a part of someone's personality in extreme situations. If you are from the United States of America, you know that as a kid, (depending on your age) we stood before the flag reciting the renowned “Pledge of Allegiance” before we began our day in our local schools. We also recited the “Pledge of Allegiance” before major sports events and some entertainment. America is a prideful and proud nation, and the infamous flag with 15 red and white stripes and 50 blue stars w...

Introduction      Mary Shelley wrote a book in 1818 about a scientist who created a monster using various parts of the human body from several deceased people. Then the scientist added a bit of lightning to bring that monster to life. This monster was the infamous Frankenstein, and I bet you didn’t know that Mary Shelley wrote this book after having a dream the night that she and some friends made a bet about who could write the best horror story. Surprise, surprise, Mary Shelley was the winner.      The creative exercise that I have chosen this week is "Everyday Monster " an exercise from the book “CREATIVE BOOT CAMP-GENERATE IDEAS IN GREATER QUANTITY & QUALITY IN 30 DAYS” , and it is written by Stefan Mumaw .      “Everyday Monster” asks that the viewer “create their own monster from whatever is in our reach right now.” We must construct the best monster that we can from these items and only these items. That is the only restric...

Introduction      Storytelling has always been a big part of many cultures. For centuries, these stories have given us insight into our history and how day-to-day life has been lived by our ancestors. Because our ancestors have left these stories behind, we have been able to develop and evolve into what we have become now, but enough of that! Stories have a bi-product that involves the concept of implication. By reading the story we can predict what the future will hold because the storyteller provided order in the sequence, and now we know there are only a few ways these stories can end. A storyteller does not need to tell you what happened because the story implies the end result of what has been conveyed.      Developing a sense of implication in regards to how stories will end is a skill. Today this skill will be practiced in my next creative exercise.      My next creative exercise is called “What’s Next?” out the book, “CREATIVE B...

Introduction      Treehouses were probably one of the most ingenious inventions in the history of mankind, but why is it that these magnificent creations are only built for little beings? Children do not even have the means to supply any of the products it takes to construct these treehouses, also, why do they need privacy with a plethora of fun amenities? Adults work our bodies to the bone (well, most of us adults), so shouldn’t we deserve a treehouse in a tree up in the sky secluded from everyone, including the children? Children can have whatever they want when they have the means to supply/purchase all of it! They could have the house on the ground if they please!      My next creative exercise is “Treemansion” out the book, “CREATIVE BOOT CAMP-GENERATE IDEAS IN GREATER QUANTITY & QUALITY IN 30 DAYS” , written by Stefan Mumaw .      “Treemansion” explains that we are to design, plot, and scheme our ultimate dream Treemansion. We...

Introduction      Normally, hardware store demographics are predominantly made up of the male population. Many of these large corporations are designed to be marketed specifically for this demographic due to the concoction of pipes, wood, power tools, appliances, and even plants. These objects smells, and masculine projects would all happen because of the accessibility to these stores. What if this all changed? What if the roles between women and men were flipped? What if these stores were all of a sudden changing their marketing and branding to women?   Today, all of that is going to change.      Back once again with the book, “CREATIVE BOOT CAMP-GENERATE IDEAS IN GREATER QUANTITY & QUALITY IN 30 DAYS” , written by Stefan Mumaw , this creative exercise is called "Big Box Improvement Boutique” .      This exercise is asking that we flip the conventional male-dominated stereotype and design and market these stores to the ladies...

Introduction      It is the first week of Animation, and I can say that I am pretty excited. I watched some video clips from behind the scenes in Pixar a couple of classes ago, which highly sparked my interest. It was intriguing to see how they put together their movie scenes and the process it takes to get to the final product.      Anyway, this is my first creative exercise for my Animation class, and I have chosen an exercise that speaks near and dear to my heart. Music and touring have always been a passion and dream of mine, and I know that they will be incorporated into my career at some point or another.      This exercise is called “The Magical Mystery Tour Bus” . I came across this exercise in the book “CREATIVE BOOT CAMP-GENERATE IDEAS IN GREATER QUANTITY & QUALITY IN 30 DAYS” , and it is written by Stefan Mumaw .      Every musical artist or artist who travels dreams of what will be on their ideal tour bu...

Introduction      Have you ever tried to describe something or someone without knowing what the actual name of the object or person is? I can tell you that I have and if I had to compare strengths and weaknesses, explaining something would be leaning more towards weaknesses! You stand there stuttering and blurting out a ton of ah’s, um’s, like’s, and you know what I’m saying’s, but you don’t actually get the point across! Someone might get lucky and guess the right answer, but the odds are they were thinking way out of the box. This exercise should help with this issue!      “Capture Options” is the name of my next creative exercise. It is also out of the book “CREATIVE BOOT CAMP-GENERATE IDEAS IN GREATER QUANTITY & QUALITY IN 30 DAYS” , and it is written by Stefan Mumaw . This is a very interesting and random exercise.      We are to take a random picture and display it so that we can sit down and view it. While we are looking at ...

Introduction      Do you ever wonder what a pirate actually does all day? I guess the assumption is that they stagger around all slouched and bent over due to the unruly amount of alcohol that they consume, and now I’m smirking as a scene with the famous character Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean is playing in my head. I think the majority can agree with me when I say that those movies were epic. The acting was amazing. The storyline was amazing, and I definitely wouldn’t ever mind watching those movies again, even though I have already seen them plenty of times.      I bet you’re wondering why I am blabbering on about this 21-year-old series, and well, I am about to tell you. I'm thinking of becoming one myself!      I am just playing. Although, sometimes it does sound nice to have no worries and live on a ship or island in the middle of nowhere. Anyways….      My creative exercise for this week is “The Swiss...

Introduction      Many things in this world are decorated and splattered with the color red. This color catches your eye at any cost. Plants grow and blossom into flattering red flowers, and people go crazy when they are in their presence. Also, something must always be said about a red dress or red lipstick. I am undeniably biased myself because red is my all-time favorite color. I mean where would we be without this irresistible color? My life would certainly be dull without it, and I am sure many other people would feel the same way.      Coincidentally enough this creative exercise is called “RED” . I came across this exercise in the book “CREATIVE BOOT CAMP-GENERATE IDEAS IN GREATER QUANTITY & QUALITY IN 30 DAYS” , and it is written by Stefan Mumaw .      In this exercise, we are to list as many words as possible that describe the color red. They can be other names for the color, or they can be analogies. The goal is to relate ...

Introduction      I had to laugh to myself for a minute about this week’s creative exercise. Have you ever read something and instantly thought to yourself “I am not really sure what the heck I just read, but I am going to go ahead and pull this off anyway”? I mean there are so many things one can come up with, but we decided on this guys… Well, this was one of those times.      Sticking to this newly found book that I picked up in my Digital Video and Audio Editing course, I came across this creative exercise in “CREATIVE BOOT CAMP-GENERATE IDEAS IN GREATER QUANTITY & QUALITY IN 30 DAYS” , written by Stefan Mumaw . The creative exercise is called “AFROMAN” . I am just sitting here looking at the title like “lol ok”!      To introduce the exercise, the author states “Most men’s cologne is designed to do one thing: smell nice to women”. He goes on to say that without cologne men smell less appealing, and a majority of the popula...

Introduction      I have recently embarked on a brand-new journey. It kind of just fell into my lap, and I believe that if things are meant to be then they will happen naturally. This new-found journey involves photography, and I am excited, scared, nervous, and all of the above. I will be taking photographs that relate to specific reports/stories that will be given to me. It will be exhilarating for sure.      In saying this, I came across a creative exercise that involves taking pictures of a process. The exercise is called OBJECT/ACTION/EFFECT out of the book: “CREATIVE BOOT CAMP-GENERATE IDEAS IN GREATER QUANTITY & QUALITY IN 30 DAYS” , written by Stefan Mumaw . The time limit for this creative exercise is 15 minutes.      OBJECT/ACTION/EFFECT explains: “If you took the cap off a marker and then put that marker in your shirt pocket, it wouldn’t be long before an ink stain appeared on your shirt”. The marker is the object. The ...

Introduction      This week is week 2 of Digital Video and Audio Editing, and I have decided to switch up the process a tad bit. It isn’t a major switch, but change, even the smallest detail is good for the soul.      I am taking a hiatus from CAFFEINE FOR THE CREATIVE MIND: 250 EXERCISES TO WAKE UP YOUR BRAIN , and I am going to be exploring another book. This book is named “CREATIVE BOOT CAMP-GENERATE IDEAS IN GREATER QUANTITY & QUALITY IN 30 DAYS” , and it is written by Stefan Mumaw who was also a coauthor of the CAFFEINE series. I have chosen the creative exercise “DANGERBALL” .      I imagine that your wheels are spinning trying to figure out what this exercise is about. Obviously, it has something to do with a ball. Well, most activities that include a ball are organized sports. Unfortunately, but sometimes fortunately there are rules. Rules are put in place so that the sport flows, and people don’t get hurt or hurt somebo...

Introduction      In our society, it is assumed that “adults do everything better than kids”, but in some scenarios, this statement can indeed be proven otherwise. Children have vivid imaginations, and they do not have feelings, emotions, and fear holding them back from putting their little minds to work. There are many things that children can do better. Do adults have more experience with certain areas? Sure, but children are inevitably better at some just because they are still exactly that, children. Who are we to underestimate their talent, intelligence, and imagination? None of us are perfect, and there is always something to learn. There is also always something that adults can learn from children.      To start my Digital Video and Audio Editing course off from a nice little break, I have chosen my creative exercise from the book, Caffeine For The Creative Mind: 250 Exercises To Wake Up Your Brain written by Stefan Mumaw and Wendy Lee Oldf...