ART DIRECTOR: Chris Gorak
FILM: Fight Club

Scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOla1J-HcqU

An Art Directorworks directly below the production designer, in collaboration with the Set Decorator. A large part of their duties include the administrative aspects of the art department. They are responsible for assigning tasks to personnel. Keeping track of the art department budget and scheduling, as well as overall quality control. 

As the art director I had the role of executing some tasks assigned by the production designer and the director. In this scene in particular every detail was important. There is an overall dim green/washed out color to the basement the scene takes place in, immediately this serves to set a mood that the rest of the movie upholds, something akin to grit or realistic. We used some initial quick shots to establish this mood with little details of the room rather than a wide shot. Edward and Brad are placed on opposing sides of a counter demonstrating a divide between them that still exists within this point in the movie. During this scene the divide is bridged and Tyler is accepted by our unnamed protagonist.  The portion where the chemical is burning Edwards hand is particularly intense. We decided to add little escapes into his mind to allow for relief from the pain, however these escapes only last for long enough for you to have your discomfort furthered. The colors he sees in his imagination are relaxing and offer a deep contrast between the current situation and his meditation, but quickly we shift to thoughts that further his pain, such as fire and the dictionary page of the word sear. The power balance is also shifted throughout the scene depicted through both camera use and characters positions. The scene ends with Tyler looking down on the defeated main character knowing that he had accepted him.

Good Design/ Bad Design

BAD DESIGN

Ben and Jerry's has a pretty unpleasant design in my opinion. Perhaps this aesthetic is intended, but I don't care because its awful. Maybe if they took the black and gold color scheme from the logo and attempted a theme stemming from that, it would look better. Instead it looks like they used Microsoft paint to create the background. The packaging by no means supports their claim of being "Vermont's Finest".

GOOD DESIGN

Haagen-dazs was around the same price as Ben and Jerry's, but as far as design goes it looks much more expensive. The contrast between the red and gold immediately catches your eye. (I suppose Ben and Jerrys is eye catching, in spite of its unpleasantness) I love the choice of red and gold for this product, not only does it feel royal and luxurious, but it has a warmth to it. The warmth created by the color scheme creates another contrast between the contents of the package and the package itself. On the outside it is warm, luxurious, and exotic, but on the inside it is cool, sweet and fattening. Haagen Dazs makes icecream feel like a classy experience reserved for cultured individuals. 

I JUST LIKED THIS ONE SO I ADDED IT AS WELL

Look how clean this package looks. The logo is a brilliant example of the law of closure. The lid is more functional than your typical ice cream lid (I guess its technically Gelato) separating it from the other ice-cream's nearby. I haven't ever tried this Gelato, but just because of the packaging I feel like its delicious

GESTALT THE ECCLES BUILDING

LAW OF SIMILARITY

LAW OF PROXIMITY

(Not too terrific of an example, but if you use your imagination it can be found)

LAW OF PRAGNANZ

The college buildings all feel very natural, in spite of there very modern features they seem to be a reflection of the mountains and nature that surround St. George. (Though this is just my perspective).

LAW OF CONTINUITY 

LAW OF CLOSURE

CONTRAST, BALANCE, AND HARMONY

I did this painting a while ago because I like mountains and the colors orange and blue are pretty sweet. I decided to use this one mostly because this one actually had some good contrast, balance, and harmony. The orange and blue I used in this painting worked really well to make the mountain  look interesting, in spite of its boring, mountainy shape. The mountain's harsh and pointy shape creates further contrast with the soft clouds. Moving on to balance, I accidentally painted this nearly symmetrical. It almost looks like a flag with the size I painted the sky, clouds, and mountain. Even then the right side has a little more weight with its extra peak and a slightly larger cloud formation. Harmony is this painting is a little strange because the lines between the mountain, clouds, and sky are so stark, but since everything is so balanced in each segments it creates a sort of harmony.
My friends keep telling me I sound smug so I have rewritten this far too many times.

VISCERAL RESPONSE

In deciding what design I wanted to use for this assignment I found myself once again wracked with indecision. I ended up deciding on this painting because with and without context I am absolutely in love with it. My initial feeling after discovering this painting was a heavy impact created by it's sharp color contrast. The vein like branches in the forefront draw attention in nearly every direction while simultaneously framing the paintings more complex areas. Even without this framing, the backdrop of this painting is most certainly loud enough to draw the eye. This artist has created a piece that immediately stamps itself into your memory, and demands your undivided attention.
At first glance this painting looks very Japanese, however with close examination you might notice that its coloring and the technique used in coloring contradict that impression. Though it resembles a Japanese print, it's actually an oil painting. The painting is an alteration of a wood-print made in 1857 by Hiroshige (seen bellow). The painting above was made in 1887 by Vincent Van Gogh. Upon discovering this my love for the painting only grew. Apparently Vincent held an admiration for the clarity and simplicity of Japanese art and went through a phase where he spawned a collection of wood-print inspired paintings. This "stupefied" me, to me Van Gogh's style seemed to be so far from the "clear and simple" Japanese paintings he claimed to admire. So the existence of the painting feels so contradictory to me, and I love contradictions.
Now viewing this painting with its context you will find Van Gogh, his insanity is very much present in this painting. The original Hiroshige print only further reveals Van Gogh in his rendition.  Hiroshige's piece is serene, it feels lofty, weightless. Van Gogh keeps the painting almost identical to its original however he creates a feeling that is entirely the opposite. It really is just incredible.