Why Did I Create Virtual Reality Check?

Technology defines us. It facilitates social interactions, intellectual stimulation, and our daily activities. From a toaster to Facebook, everything about our lives is in the (metaphorical) hands of technology.

It's very interesting to think about technology this way; most people take it for granted. It's as if humans have this innate sense about technology the minute we enter this world. This is exactly my goal in creating this site: to bring to light the realization that the differentiation between the physical world and virtual world is evaporating.

It's the Little Things that Matter

I learned a lot from my first assignment for the class I am peer teaching this spring.  The slideshow I have to create doesn't contain too many words, so it's the visual aspect that must be focused on.  As I said in my last post, the simpler the better, and this rings true for this slideshow.

Here is a list of some of the visual factors I learned:

-  A subtle divider between the primary and basic header/footer text makes the biggest difference.
-  Pictures look different when they're 2 feet in front of you than 15+ feet away from your audience.
-  Use as few words as possible because you will explain the details!
-  Be cautious of gradient/non-solid backgrounds; a gradient background may look nice on screen, but on a project striations and ridges may appear.
-  Different font and color for basic header/footer info and main text.
-  Welcome and Thank You slides are nice.

Now that the visual part of the assignment is done, I have to prepare for the verbal part.  And no, I'm not dreading this.  I know my topic very well so I'm looking forward to it.

Logotype Design

Designing a logotype can be fun, especially when you get to experiment with different fonts, colors, styles, etc.  But I tend to overthink a lot of things so I immediately jumped into the design process, ultimately skipping some major steps.

I realized that starting simple is the number one factor in design.  You need to work your way up; starting with a cool looking font and awesome colors is not ideal.  It is important to use a basic font and work in black and white.

After doing that I looked at my logotype, (Virtual) Reality Check (yes, the parentheses around virtual are intentional) and was able to pick out the parts of it that stood out (the parentheses) and add some "pizzazz."

I've read a lot about Paul Rand, one of the most famous designers to have ever lived, and have come to the conclusion that the reason he is so famous is because he work is so simple.  It's not all of that over-the-top design you see today.  The logos he created were easy to comprehend.

As a result, I decided to merely add black dots at the ends of the parentheses not only to add some artistic significance, but suggest a computer/technology theme (to me at least!).