The Forgotten Crisis

Infographics is the art of translating text information into creative visualizations of a specific topic. Ours was timely. It was about the still looming problem in our beloved home Zamboanga City: the Crisis.

Turning seven months old, 'The Forgotten Crisis' is growing numbers to date. Growing and worsening all the same, the Zamboanguenos are hasty to break free from the string of tragedies that hit them. The armed rebel conflict between the government forces and MNLF has caused tremendous damages physically, morally, and psychologically; then came the days when the rain seemingly did not want to stop, slowly flooding the already miserable camp at the several put up evacuation centers in the city.

There were malicious thoughts on the sudden occurrence of the crisis. Many are forming theories of a conspiracy going on somewhere within the systems of the three-week long crisis. These may or may not be the brutal truth. But the figures that entail this do not lie.

Adobe Illustrator for the win

It's the first time I used Adobe Illustrator and it was amazing so far. 

Take a look at this boring and traditional image of a key. Its oldness adds up to the plainly put up drawing.

 But then, vector graphics hit the trend plus a little creativity and voila! 

This is a key. A funky one at that. :)

Then here are more shapes to practice on: 

Adobe Illustrator: Bringing life to radically boring images since 1986.

What are Vector Images?

Same as object-oriented graphics, refers to software and hardware that use geometrical formulas to represent images. The other method for representing graphical images is through bit maps, in which the image is composed of a pattern of dots. This is sometimes called raster graphics. Programs that enable you to create and manipulate vector graphics are called draw programs, whereas programs that manipulated bit-mapped images are called paint programs.

What is the difference between vectors and 

rasterized/bitmap images?

Unlike JPEGs, GIFs, and Bitmap (BMP) images, vector graphics are not made up of a grid of pixels. Instead, vector graphics are comprised of paths, which are defined by a start and end point, along with other points, curves, and angles along the way. A path can be a line, a square, a triangle, or a curvy shape. These paths can be used to create simple drawings or complex diagrams. Paths are even used to define the characters of specific typefaces.

How do you create vectors?

There are many ways to create a vector: One way is to start with the 

(a) Type Tool(b) Shape Tool     - Rectangle Tool
     - Rounded rectangle Tool
     - Ellipse Tool
     - Polygon Tool
     - Star Tool
     - Pen Tool   

After finishing the vector activity, I realized that a person who doesn't know how to draw can definitely feel visually artistic through the use of this wonder application: the Adobe Illustrator.

References:

1. http://www.techterms.com/definition/vectorgraphic

2. http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/V/vector_graphics.html

3. http://www.wikihow.com/Create-Vectors-in-Adobe-Illustrator

Typography Art

Typography Art has been the trend in this especially creative visual generation that we have come to know. It is the arranging and setting of text to form budding images and or an idea.

I created my first typography art. It's none other than.... an image of Jesus Christ!

I can never thank Him enough. For all the days I have depended on Him and Him alone, you could say this is a simple tribute I could offer to Jesus. 

The text I used were lyrics from Hillsong United: Still, Here I am to Worship, All about Jesus, At the Cross, and Above All.

It's pretty basic actually since it is my first time to do typography art, this has been my exploration of the Pen Tool in Adobe Photoshop CS5. 

Before I did the actual work, I thought it was tedious work.. and I was right! You have to trace lines in order to form that desired wave of text. This consequently makes several texts in the layer box, which could reach hundreds if you don't merge layers.

Typography Art is cool and without a doubt creative. I'd love to learn more about this and the dimensions of the magical Pen Tool. 

Multimedia and its Social and Ethical Issues

When we talk about social and ethical issues related to multimedia systems, the two most defining problems are the exclusivity of the copyright clause and a computer user's appropriate use of the internet.

Copyright refers to the legal protection for people who express ideas and information in a variety of forms. The most common forms resemble the data types that are used in multimedia system: writing, visual images, music and moving images. Computer software is also protected by copyright laws. It is important that when you use data that is not your own it is acknowledged correctly and the author recognised and/or compensated.

Here is a simple guideline as to what can be done with copyrighted works:

Appropriate use of the Internet is an issue of concern throughout society and many organizations monitor online activity users and have guidelines that users are expected to follow. Now that multimedia content is so readily available online, there is even more unease about whether people are being responsible while, for example, at work or school. Many organizations, therefore, have guidelines regarding, for example, the creation, transmission, downloading of any offensive or obscene material.

The typical user has access to almost anything in the internet. A kid as young as four years old could take his self-discovery into a whole new and malicious level. There have been numerous instances of users to upload sexual content and other forms like this. Utmost internet monitoring is the solution here.

Some may abuse the power of voicing out opinions and proclaiming the latest happenings in their lives. Social media, like Facebook and Twitter, depends on user-input. But some have gone overboard in posting status updates like they own your news feed.

The internet is a free place but there must be limitations on the disclosure of probably not-so significant information in one's life.


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Reference:
http://www.hsc.csu.edu.au/ipt/mm_systems/7-4/social_ethical_issues.htm