Practices of Looking - INCEPTION

This movie poster for the popular blockbuster film, Inception, illustrates several key design and compositional features.  There is a stellar hierarchy of power established with this image.  For instance, the reaching out hand in this graphic shows an almost "God-like" complex of control, puppeteering so to speak.  It is quite fitting for the film in the sense that it focuses on reality verses dreaming.  Having this strong establishment of power leaves the spectator to feel intimidated, intrigued, and almost controlled by a greater force.  

The juxtaposition of the larger, powerful hand next to the small, inanimate object highlighted with little text, creates a sense of balance and harmony between the overall elements of design.  This leaves the viewer aesthetically pleased due to proportions and also opens up a window into the psychological wonder of the human mind.  This Inception movie poster is brilliant on all fronts, seeing as it is visually and compositionally flawless, and still immediately connects with the spectator.

Movie Poster Final

An informational documentary on the negative psychological effects of media technology...

Movie Poster Rough Draft

"Swipe."  A movie on the destructive power of modern day media technology.

Movie Poster Concept

The world will be transformed by... technology.  Of course technology has already transformed the world, but I would like to do a modern take on the influence that mobile media has had on society.  I am going for the negative effects of media in particular, making it a very darkly themed movie.  How has media hurt our social lives?  How has media hurt the unbiased consumption of information?  How has media run corrupt into our political, historical, and economic roots?  Examining these values will create for an interesting aesthetic that can play on many modern taboos which represent these influences.  For instance, perhaps the movie poster is simply a tablet or a phone screen, with "apps" representing the cultural influence that modern mobile media has had on society.  A "pick your poison" kind of look at which destructive element of media the viewer will open.  The following movie posters capture some of these darkly themed, self-destructive look I am going for.

Family Tableau

Tableau Photos

The following are the 6 photos that I planned from the beginning to use in my Tableau project.  I chose only these six because I knew they best represented my heritage in an aesthetically pleasing way.  Enjoy.

Image 1:


This landscape represents Ireland, a primary place of heritage for my family.


Image 2:


This ship represents my ancestors who came to America from Europe.


Image 3:


This tank represents my grandfather's military service during the Korean War, as a tank mechanic.


Image 4:


The majority of my family held occupations as farmers and land-owners.


Image 5:


Some of my family were Red Cross nurses at crucial times in American history, such as the Civil War and World War II.


Image 6:


This SIUC Saluki Dawg represents that my family actually owned a large portion of the campus' land before it was turned into a university, specifically, the SIU Arena.

A New Face

Images of Design Fundamentals

CONTRAST: This image represents an important component of color through the use of stark contrast in black text on white background and white text on black background.



SPACE: Empty, white space is highly effective in this design to proportionally allow a certain calming effect on the viewer.  Consequently, this ad is for a very quiet mower.



HIERARCHY: This article shows the importance of hierarchy.  The most important text (titles and subtitles) are represented as such through the use of size and placement.

INFOGRAPHIC

Icons

Something I use everyday.  Something important to me.  Something I dislike.

Images to Ponder

This image conveys a feeling of never-ending ideas, that are yet balanced out on each side.  This balance and asymmetry  is found in the equal amount of material on either side of the enter, even though this material is different.  The overall balance of the image presents these feelings of harmony in the midst of chaos.

The use of space in this logo feels creative, minimalist, and elegant.  I feel as though this company is straight forward and too the point, yet modern and innovative.  The space of the plane presented within the "CD" logo shows that this company always has room for you.

Steve Jobs - a great among designers.  This image shows the legacy of Apple as a company.  Is uses contrast to portray an idea of balance and harmony, seeing the more colorful apple products on the left, nearest his face, and gradually fading off into the white and silver products to the right.  While the left is heavier weighted, the use of the space on the right evens out these feelings of imbalance to creative an image in harmony.

Shapes, trees, people, and colors.

Hello!

My name is Nathan McGee.  I am currently the Communications Director at Community of Faith Church in Marion, IL.  This will be my senior year at SIU to complete a bachelor's degree in Communications.  I am very much looking forward to learning professional design skills and implementing them into my creative work flow.

Below is our first project, the dot piece, with my first initial inscribed.

Enjoy!