my favorite words :)

Chicken

(This is the vague answer I give to my nieces when they ask one too many questions, I also enjoy clucking for fun in order to confuse. This is a habit that I believe was inspired by character Chicken-boo from the cartoon TV show Anamaniacs.)

Lmbo rotf

(This is a text abbreviation that stands for,"laughing my but off rolling on the floor." I proudly admit that I am a repeat offender of using such text abbreviations not only on the computer and phone, but also aloud. That's right, I will literally say the letters,"L-M-B-O".)

Yea

(The word yes feels to formal to me unless the setting and conversation warrants it's use.)

Halleluiah

(Blessed or not I always offer the highest praise to my Lord in gratitude for my life as I am always grateful for both correction and grace.)

Jesus

(This name brings hope so I use it often.)

Crystal / Faith / Diamond
(Names that I find beautiful, but hope to choose another name in case my first child is a boy.)

God bless
(A phrase I say often, sometimes in conjunction with other phrases. For instance, rather than saying "wish me luck" I request "pray me blessings.")

Wazuuuup

(A word that was coined by the many parodies of the movie, "I know what you did last summer". This is a word that in its multi-character form is out dated, but for me, it is yet to go out of style.)

Shiznit

(A word that I believe I coined in at 14 years old, though my memory could be foggy, that was one of many words I used to avoid cursing. For example: "That is the shiznit!" Another such word that I picked up from my cousin is "fezica"; in a sentence, "What the fezica!?"

UB Mascot Vote

If you are looking for the UB Mascot image with which I was comparing the Uncle Sam voting campaign, it was originally here. The link became corrupt. I apologize for the inconvenience. I will re-post the image once I locate another poster.

Uncle Sam Wants YOU!

Here's a call to action that we are all familiar with. Uncle Sam looks you straight in the eye with a serious stare to let you know that he is relying on you. He points directly at you to make the message personal. And he says in a bold heavy font to reflect his stern tone of voice, "I WANT YOU FOR U.S. ARMY." And before you can turn to walk away with this message resonating in your mind, he also says softer--almost subliminally,-- "NEAREST RECRUITING STATION." Definitely a strong message.

This is your brain on drugs...campaign

Do we all remember this commercial word by word scene by scene? I sure never forgot it.

There was supposed to be a poster too but I am yet to find it. If you find it, please post it as a comment. Thanks!

Nine And A Half Minutes campaign

The CDC has a great campaign to fight AIDs called Nine And A Half Minutes. They even provide the code for the campaign images on their website so it can be promoted by anyone. Here are a couple of examples:

I find this first one to be the most powerful.

Truth...?

Dear Truth Campaign,

What happened to you? You disappeared, so I looked up your website and must reiterate: what in the world happened? I used to be inspired by your commercials. Your campaigns were always so socking and thought provoking. And your point was always easy to understand. But your website was full of a bunch of gobbleygook! You have a whole page for t-shirts that give no obvious message. And those random games--what was the point? Knowing the former glory from which you have obviously fallen, I will give you the benefit of a doubt that there is some enlightening truth or revealing point at the heart of this mess. Whatever the point was supposed to be, apparently it is way too far removed from the final product. I will be sure to warn my classmates to learn from your mistake.

Sincerely,

Andrea

Blogger-droid App

Thanks Rich! This is perfect! Now I can blog anywhere my phone is! Yay!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.1

The Power of Association

I looked long and hard through my trusty concept text book, "Smile in the Mind", and found no technique that can explain the success of books like the one's above. Sin and Syntax, as you have discovered, uses sin and goodness to deliver grammar rules seductively. This New Testament Bible (on the top right) is compared to and contrasted to both sports and sports principles. (The concept in this case is even stronger since it is common for scripture to be explained in parables to make topics more relate-able.) Political cartoons (bottom image) are a very popular and successful technique to visually express politics.

All of these book, and ones like them, allow a more interesting topic or style to carry an otherwise difficult to grasp idea. This conceptual technique, which I will refer to as 'the power of association', could be applied to a variety of dense topics. The only caution for this technique is an over comparison. Too strong a comparison may begin to distract or confuse the initial main idea. (Sin and Syntax can come off that way at times.) I hope the opportunity presents itself for me to try out the power of association in a future assignment. Where else have you notice this technique? Do you happen to know what it's called?

Juggling life and design is difficult. Either they have to be kept completely separate, or molded together. At this point I don't know which direction to move in.

When a designer spends hours creating a promotional peace at work-- hours that could have been devoted to supporting ailing family members, settling disputes at home, or even coming to terms with personal battles-- one can question the vanity of designing. The two lifestyles are in conflict with each other. Each need time and neither can be neglected.

When an attempt is made to combine life and design, a new issue presents itself: no down
time. When combined, every moment is an opportunity to accomplish something, document an event, conceptualize a mission. Without a moments peace, lots can be accomplished free from conflicts of interest, but stress will remain high. But regardless, stress is present. It comes down to a preference of steady stress, or a guilt-filled break from one while working on the other.

I digress: where do you find your balance?