Booth Design

Rucker Park- Mecca

Rucker Park is a basketball court in Manhattan New York. Many professional basketball players in the United States consider it as the Mecca of basketball, having been the home of some of the greatest basketball professional and “underground” players since its creation in the 1950s. It has also been a spot wherein the hip hop culture has mashed up with the sport, and has given rise to this street, urban hip-hop basketball subculture that is now famous in the United States and worldwide.

It has been “controlled” or “marked” mostly by its hometown heroes who “protected” their home courts against players ( professional and “street”) who come from different places to play in this court. The park is rich in history and in stories of legends playing against each other in this court. Given such a huge following in such a small place, gave the park this “unwritten exclusivity code” wherein only the best can play, and on huge games, only the friends and “VIPs” can sit in the benches and stands, all other “fans” can just be seen watching from the fences to as far as the top of buildings near the area.

The place used to communicate a certain raw and urban feel, having just metal backboards and nets and just a few seats. But its popularization in urban culture made it a “hotspot” for corporations to “advertise” and “own” this area, which gave about a tremendous amount of development, from glass boards, better surfaces and shot clocks, as well as a load of advertising and events conducted in the area (it even has its own website!).

As a young basketball fanatic back in the day, it was my dream not only to visit this place, but to be called “worthy” of playing in it. In addition, I had aspirations not only to be as good as the players at Rucker Park where, but to belong with them at the same time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djFeg04MW0s

Down to 2 Concepts and rough campaigns for each

First off, thanks for the comments! Really took them in and reassessed my directions and myself, so gladly, I've narrowed them down to 2 concepts and here's my take on how i'll inject myself into these. I've added the basic elements of a campaign and hopefully flush them more out and tie them in next week. For now, the focus is the portfolio concept and the initial executions.

I.Design=Life=Sports=Andro

Design, as with life, as with sports as with me, is not all about the end or the finishline, but the journey. A great journey that deals with a lot of sacrifice, and learnings, defying yourself and your limits in the pursuit of achieving a goal. It deals with a lot of hard work, a lot of long hours and focus to get the job done. Nonetheless it is an exciting trip of living one's passion, being the best that you can be and laying it all on the line for an opportunity to make a mark in the world. If you think it's hard work, it sure is, but it involves a lot of fun and a lot of love to do this on a daily basis.

In gist, Design/Sport: sacrifice,passion,training,journey,defying self, love
as for me: belief that my best work is my next work, "process-man", hard working, sacrificed a lot, sees each piece not as work, but a opportunity to be great.


So I did a lot of writing and sketching and came up with 2 ideas drawn out from this concept

A. ( working titles) Behind the scenes/no turning back
This takes involves of the things you dont see in a finalized design; the sketches, the mind maps, the long hours and coffee and of course, the crap work. This take of mind will give audiences a peak and a visual narrative of seeing what goes behind the final work; from the different sketches and versions, to photographs and memoirs from myself.


Business Card
Front: final aesthetic
Back: Corrections, grids, edits, sketches of drawn out to create the front side
Print/Outdoor
Front: Final works
Back: Corrections, grids, edits, sketches of drawn out to create the front side
Images during the "journey"; cups of coffee, a blank page, sketches, pens, me sleeping,etc.

Site
The site will have a very slick and minimalist layout and wireframe( here's where I apply the black/white conecpt I took out) which shows them behind the scenes pictures and sketches as a supplement to my work. Flipping the images of my works takes them to the journey of how I began and reached to that piece.
2.0 aspect ideas
-feature different works of mine, and other works and invite other people/designers to comment on how they would do it and/or how they did it
- celebrate sketching; submit your sketches, your ugliest work and all the crap youve done and let's just look at them!

B. Progress/Move/Forward
Same concept.Different execution. Instead of flipping the before and after..I plan to really show them upfront the progress and journey of my work.

Card:
Front: Final card
Clear sheets: different versions,grids, of the design

Print
This would be an outdoor activity, starting with scattered billboards with different text reading the idea or objective of a particular campaign. Each week, the billboard progresses until the final work is shown.
Web
a) Grid and flash play! A lot of transitions,movements and shifts showing how different works have progresses. Will also feature a commentary on the process of my work on each one( thanks Sarah for the site you sent!)
b) Same idea for "works" part of the site, but an option in the site appears wherin they can click each time and refreshes the site layout and design, showing the diffrenet versions, sketches and wireframes for the site

2.0 aspect ideas
- timelapse; pool of videos showing how designers/ and me have progressed on each of our works
- vlog/chat community wherin we can share and help each other in design, be it designers,clients, or audiences.

II. LogoIcon
Logos/Icons are great communicators. The say it with visuals,images and often times, without words. They represent and embody so much things, contain so much information and meaning, and somehow say all of it and more in just one execution. They are very subjective, yet they are universal and in their simplicity and humility, they say more, and they are great. To be as close as a communicator as a logo would be my greatest aspiration as a designer, and I'm constantly busting my ass to be one.

Logo= one off, symbol,embodies a lot, visual, graphic, more for less, simple, humble,great
Me= man of few words, quiet, simple. Visual person. I let my work speak for me. My works are my logo.

I had different ideas for these, all of which after seemed that I can tie them all into one, so here it is...

A.(working titles) Represent/get the picture/simplfy/3 words or less/ one off



Card
A wordless card, showing just my logo( which I have to work on..a project in itself) and just my website and/or contact info

Print
An array of popular print ads and how I would interpret them with an icon/logo.
Web
A visual protfolio, just icons and images of my different works in different mediums( all represented by logos), and just 3 words or less to describe each work.

2.0 aspect
-logo design blog
- gps feature of different designers/studios/schools/etc represented by their logos.

Back to sketching

I have to admit that I went to a bit of a roadblock with regards to the piece concept. I wanted to find a significant reference or connection between the piece and the object I wanted to use and I got a bit stuck rationalizing how a dream cacher or case would work with a compact disk. So I went back to the drawing board and started mind mapping my objects and further more, expand the elements by adding in similar things with the CD.

What I ended up with are a batch of obsolete audio materials: the vinyl, cassette and the CD. All of which contain audio files and data no longer needed and are old to me. Both were once significant tools to store data and are no, nothing more than just trash. In some way, I wanted to reflect the obsolescence of these things and at the same time communicate their purpose before. Essentially they store data in analog or digital form. They are tangible things of software and information that were once important. Now their purpose of storing is no longer efficient and up to date, and they are now pretty much just trash. So why not assemble them together to store something once again, why not make them a waste basket of storing similar "obsolete"/junk stuff.

Below is just a mind map of how I came up with the idea and a few sketches of how I plan to do it.




On the side,the readings helped me a lot in getting the craft and ideas working. I was pretty much focused on looking at examples on the web, research online and just spending lots of time in the computer that I forgot the purpose of the project: to start going back to basics and working with the hands and the mind, rather than all the references and information that goes with it( stuff that are nonetheless, important, but just TOOLS to get the job done).

Me and My works

Before I totally forget, here are some of my works that would best represent my philosophy and myself as a designer.

1. Running Room Company Brochure

Everybody runs. But each person has a distinct and unique reason for doing so, from the weekend road racer to the ultramarathoner. Runners run fro causes, purposes, goals, hopes, and to prove something. We run for different things, we are each unique yet in the same way, universal. I run because takes the perspective of the different runner and how these purposes drive the company to be the best and biggest at what they do, for Running Room are runners too.

This is one of the works closer to my heart because it was about one of my great passions. I really wanted to communicate and show the experience of running; the community, the highs as well as the sacrifice and lows. I wanted to represent my company as it were a runner, taking them close to the heart rather than taking them big and out of reach. Simplicity was a major design aspect, using a simple grid, 2 colors and one choice of font proved to have spoken volumes for them.



2. One Campaign

A magazine ad targeted to the digital culture, I wanted to visually communicate the power of technology with regards to changing the world for the better. By using a visual manipulation and word play, my attempt was to empower the viewer on how simple taps on the keyboard and result to great changes.

This was a visual execution process, and I was hard on trying to use everyday things as a means of communicating worldly change. My purpose was to empower and inspire and as well as to make the issue and problems closer to them as well.

3. Carmielocsin.com

The portfolio website of make-up artist Carmie Locsin, the website showcases her work, as well as gives you a feel of her work environment and style.

www.carmielocsin.com


I had the pleasure of working with Carmie, who knew what she wanted and was also ever open to new ideas. We wanted to mix professionalism and playfulness, communicate sleek and simple with fun and friendliness. The overall look is very basic and minimalist, yet the interactivity and captions were a bit playful and free at the same time.

4. Boston Marathon

I had the awesome challenge in class of promoting the Boston Marathon to the world's best amature athletes with the concept "are you strong enough."

By using the vertical limitation of a magazine ad to my advantage, I was able to better communicate the toughness of both the audience and the event.

So how do these design relate to the designer?

Design is all about putting in a lot of effort to make it look effortless. I believe in the simple complexity of the craft, and how design is natural, reflexive and powerful. Design is to stir and awaken rather than just appeal and promote. I believe that each work lies so much more than what it is for, and I aspire to bring those elements forth in every piece. As unconsciously as they might be perceived, design is a soulful process and humanistic as it can be. I see every design with so much promise, potential and power than what's just laid out there. The brief are the requirements and intangibles, design is free and limitless.

3 concepts/mindmaps + taking it further

1. Black and White
This first concept is in line with how I see and believe that design is not about the flashiness and hooplah but having amazing aesthetic and concept by simplicity. I see great design in plain things, the simpler they are the more confident its message comes across to me, and this is how I approach design, and how I want my designs to be, without frills, pure and simple, and fantastic in its own right.


I want this concept and design to be slick and simple, classy without being flashy and organic and symmetrical, just natural. More with less.


2. DesignSport
design is passion, it's also about pain. A lot goes into something as simple as the poster, and even though much of a piece is appreciated with its visual, its message, its type,etc..design is also a lot about the unseen. The creative process, the ideation, the training and the long hours at the blank page, these undertakings are what designers better and great. Designers are not born that way, but they grow up dreaming, practicing and experiencing, and this is what separates them from just another guy who knows photoshop.


This concept takes on a very difficult task of jolting up the emotions and guts. This take will sort of communicate my journey through design, ,my work and the work I put in to each one. This will take on a more memoir-ish and photographic aspect showing the "life and passion" of a designer and just show how much I pour my self out with each work.


2. LogoIcon
Similar to black and white, this concept communicates the power of the "one off." Being more with less and saying things without words. THis will be a very fluid and natural take on design, and on how I see the messages in the figures the images the icons and the symbols. Design, more than a process of representations, branding and imagery, symbolizes a lot of things, and this concept communicates my vision of design as both the signifier and the signified.