Create | My Word of the Year
As a new New Year's tradition, I have picked out a word that will shape and lead my life in the year to come. This year I chose the word create because this is a very pivotal time in my life right now where I am building and shaping who I am becoming. I will be graduating college, finding my place in a new job, building a career, making new friends, shaping a new lifestyle for myself, and creating a future.
I do a lot of school assignments. And some of them are not so fun, but every once in awhile I get the opportunity to write a paper or make something that really speaks to me. A week ago, one of my classes required that I complete an aesthetics assignment. The goal of the lesson was to teach us how shapes, colors, etc. can influence the way that something is perceived. Ultimately, the aesthetic of something can really create whatever feeling you want people to have.
For example, often times marketers will choose colors like red or navy if they are trying to show their power or authority over an area or topic. Another color commonly used is orange--it represents optimism, freedom, motivation, and socialism. Colors have undergone entire studies that look at people's psychology and determine how they are affected by these colors. It's actually quite interesting.
The shape and layout of words, letters, symbols, etc. is also very important. Choosing the color of your text is one thing, but then you also have to determine where you want those letters to be placed in relation to one another or in relation to other objects. There are tons of fonts to choose from, different font creations that can be made, and even the way you put those fonts on your page is a decision that you have to make.
This is why design can be so complicated. There's a lot you have to consider--colors and shapes, as well as, current trends and marketing strategies. But this is also why I find design to be so fun!
My assignment was to create a mini poster that showcased a single word. We could choose any font and any colors and any manner to represent this word, but it was essential that we pay attention to the aesthetic that we are creating and how it is helping to represent the word.
I chose to create a mini poster about the word create.
The word ‘create’ is represented in my mini poster by a blocky font that I made myself. Each letter stands upon a sturdy base with bold colors representing their solidity. This symbolizes my strong foundation that I have received from my schooling and my past. This is also the boldest colored part of the letters because this is the only part of my life I am sure of. Each letter then stacks accordingly representing their respective letter. The color fades near the top of each letter because my future is not fully built and the blocks of my future might be unsure or precariously set.
I chose to represent each letter with a different color in the rainbow because anything I create this year should be free, open-minded, culturally ambiguous, and all-in-all just plain full of color! I also chose to create this font that is blocky and almost unreadable because all creations start with the simplest of building blocks and then can later transform into something more complex.
The letters in my word might not be fully readable to you. They might not even be completely understandable to me either. But every work of art that is created may start with doubts and insecurities. Continually working, learning, striving, and creating will bring about a clearer picture and a more understandable future.
I really enjoyed completing this assignment, and it inspired me to be even more creative this year. I am excited to see how this word shapes my year and changes me during this pivotal time in my life. Do you have a word that is going to represent you this year? Let me know if you do, by leaving a comment in the section below--I'd love to start a conversation with you!
