Colossal Hand: Visual Communication Design

Back In Utah

2009-12-22T07:27:00.001-08:00

Thesis book / LIMITLESS: Envisioning the Future Through Ten Threads of Innovation

2009-06-17T18:54:00.000-07:00

Thesis / UW Design Show 2009

2009-06-17T18:51:00.000-07:00

Receiving The Parnassus Graduating with Excellence Award

2009-06-14T21:45:00.000-07:00

UW DESIGN MFA Graduates 2009

2009-06-12T20:56:00.000-07:00

Thesis: Limitless: Envisioning the Future through Ten Threads of Innovation

2009-06-12T20:41:00.000-07:00

Some of my Graduate Work

2009-04-12T23:17:00.000-07:00

Final Pecha Kucha Poster

2009-03-16T20:27:00.000-07:00

Pecha Kucha (ペチャクチャ) is a presentation format in which content can be easily, efficiently and informally shown, usually at a public event designed for that purpose. Under the format, a presenter shows 20 images for 20 seconds a piece, for a total time of 6 minutes, 40 seconds.

The poster represents nine weeks and nine presentations. All 180 slides are included on the poster. I personally took most of the pictures that you see on the poster.

Pecha Kucha: Graduate Seminar Presentations

2009-01-29T20:58:00.000-08:00

We've been doing Pecha Kucha presentations on our readings from seminar. They have been quite entertaining. I took a single slide from each of my last three presentations and have included them here. In the first presentation I mentioned some things that I have learned while in Grad school, one of which was, "You don't mess with Karen Cheng." In my second one, I morphed my face into Sagmeister and then back to a more refined version of myself. Then for the third, I drew a two inch grid over a picture of Hugo from lost, cut it down and had my kids help me draw it larger. I am really enjoying this graduate seminar, even if it is kicking my butt.

My Brother-in-Law's BFA Show

2008-12-12T23:07:00.000-08:00

Jon, my brother-in-law is a photographer and needed some help designing a poster for his BFA Show. We came up with this idea together. The photo images he is using for the show are fairly unique, and lose their interesting qualities if your not seeing it in real life. So it seemed fitting to photograph him holding up the printed work. While this has been done before, it seemed the right solution for this particular work.

Graduate Seminar / Final Essay

2008-12-11T14:34:00.000-08:00

We had to write a final paper for our graduate seminar with Axel Roesler. I told him I was a better designer than writer, but he responded by saying, "all things can be resolved through creativity." I took that comment to heart and here is what I submitted to Axel for my final paper.

I printed on two types of paper to see which would look best.

THE FACE OF TECHNOLOGY AND ITS AFFECT ON THE WAY WE COMMUNICATE

2008-12-03T18:02:00.000-08:00

Our communication needs are changing as our world becomes ever more connected. The fast paced progression of technology has sparked this global change. But how are these changes affecting our relationships? We should be aware of how technology influences our communication.
Communication devices interrupt our face to face interactions and often disturb those around us. They have changed and continue to change how we learn about our world. Communication has been found to be less effective when mediated through technology. We are even a danger at times to ourselves and others on the road and we often spend more time talking to our friends on the phone than we do in physical proximity with them, enjoying their company.

In a globalized economy one could say that electronic communication is a necessity for life in this world of technological advancement. However, research shows us the negative impact it can have on our relationships.

OBJECTIVE: Promote responsibility and restraint in the way our society uses technology to communicate.

Design History Tabloid / Five Movements

2008-10-26T21:13:00.000-07:00

My Newest Portrait

2008-10-25T22:39:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I feel like I am stuck in a box. . . but then I break out!

MFA Studies: String Explorations

2008-10-25T22:36:00.000-07:00

Take a look at my string explorations on my other blog. Copy and paste the following link:

http://www.sean2d.tumblr.com

The Final Rome Book

2008-09-26T11:29:00.000-07:00

Well, I am home from Rome and back in school here in Seattle. To close our final projects in Rome, Francis Luu and I Photo Directed a shoot of each of the designers with their personal Rome book.

ROME: MY FINAL BOOK DESIGN

2008-09-17T04:58:00.000-07:00

Chris asked me to present my books to the group last night. We have all been working day and night to get the books done for the final presentation. Everyone produced some exceptional work. I was impressed at the quality of work that everyone was able to achieve. There were some impressive books. We had a great time sharing them with each other as well as with students from the Law Society and Justice department and some of the UW Rome center staff. Only two of us had to prepare a formal presentation, but everyone had an opportunity to show their concept and book to the group.

ROME: As the Trip Comes to a Close

2008-09-15T18:20:00.000-07:00

Here is a quick shot I wanted to post. JT took this photo of me on our journey to Piazza Del Popolo. I have been working on my final project, a series of five books depicting my time here in Italy. I finished today after we visited St. Peter's. I will post more photos to get up to date in the next couple of days.

ROME: Day whatever it is now (I come home next week)

2008-09-10T13:38:00.000-07:00

We are in our final days here in Rome and for our last assignment we are creating a book using images from our trip. Everyone is working hard to produce their magnum opus. We have visited a few more sights, mostly churches, but we also visited a rare books museum and a library. The rare book museum is a laboratory where they also repair books of antiquity. The library had some rare books as well but perhaps among the most impressive things there was the giant globes, all hand crafted.

We also saw a book full of drawings from a famous artist that I can't remember right now. But they were drawings from all around Rome from hundreds of years ago. We signed in at the library in a register book.

Dinner tonight was good: Caprese (tomatoes with mozzarella), Ravioli with a cream sauce and mushrooms. Yummy! I will miss the good olive oil and fresh tomatoes.

Rome: Leaving Rome

2008-09-07T09:18:00.000-07:00

This last week we left Rome to explore other parts of Italy. We traveled in an air conditioned bus to Modena. On the way we stopped off to see some fascinating sights. We went to a Tuscan town called Cortona, another hilltop town where knife making began. We had a tour of the castle and museum. After that we had a full seven coarse Etruscan meal.

The following day we headed for Scarperia to see actual knife makers in action. We learned that entire communities for generations have been evolving in their knife building skills. Went visited Modena as well to visit the cheese producers and we went to both Lamborhini and Ferrari, some sweet cars! We finished off with the group at the vintage balsmico at Malpighi.

JT and I were dropped off at the train station in Bologna, where we left for Cinque Terre. Amazing views awaited us, as we discovered upon arrival to the small towns along the coastal bluffs. Bright colors, ultra blue water, beautiful people wearing very little clothing, hiking, and a plethara of spectacular lookouts. We traveled to the towns by ferry and found that to be a conveniant way to get around and pretty too. We were sure to spend some time hiking around to get good photos. We stopped and had a great meal and it was tastey. I had Linguine with Lobster and JT had a Pesto Lasagna. . . YUMMY! We stayed late into the night and took the train back to our hotel in La Spezia for 1.40 euro, cheap. Luckily, I made sure that we had a plush hotel accommodation with AC. We crashed right away.

The next day we traveled back to Rome, four hours on an Inner City plus train. I have really enjoyed my time here with all my new friends. It is especially unique that we happen to have five graduate students here from the same program. I encluded the photo of the five of us at the start of this post. Italy has been a special place to spend time with friends.

Rome: Day 15 or so (Rubbings)

2008-09-01T10:49:00.000-07:00

Today we did rubbings at a church with many ancient inscriptions. It was an optional thing that most of us took advantage of. Jt, Leslie and I teamed up and helped each other get the rubbings from the walls that we wanted. We used crayons, pastels, and charcoal to rub on various types of papers over the desired inscriptions. At times we used multiple colors to get different effects. The rubbings made beautiful compositions.

We're leaving town for Modena tomorrow, early in the morning. We'll be traveling to a tuscan town for a wonderful tuscan meal. Chris says he has some fun adventures planned. We are all excited. At the end of week, Jt and I are going to Cinque Terra. We'll have lots of good shots when we get back.

Rome: First Impressions

2008-08-31T14:22:00.000-07:00

These are my first two assignments in Rome. We were supposed to document our first impressions using image and type. I did mine on: 1. Rome as a window looking into the past; 2. drinking bottled water and not from the dirty fountains that are located all around the city.

Rome: Group Shot in Ovieto

2008-08-30T09:34:00.001-07:00

Rome: Portraits

2008-08-30T08:46:00.000-07:00

I have been asked about portraits that I have been taking throughout our time together in Rome. Here are just a few of them.

Rome: Day 14 The Monster Park, Ovieto and City on a Hill Top

2008-08-30T07:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a good day. . . We took a bus out of Rome. We went with students from the Law Society and Justice department who are also here studying in Rome this summer. Our first stop was a Monster park with large stone sculptures. We then went to the Duomo in Ovieto. We rode a tram up the mountain into the small town where we hiked around, looked at shops and photographed the Duomo Cathedral. Most of us had an enjoyable lunch and topped it off with a little Gelato. We left Ovieto at 2:30 pm and headed to Civita de bagnoregio, a small town that can only be reached by foot. It was a spectacular climb across the bridge and up into the town where only a few people still live. We went at 4:15 or so for Olive oil tasting (dang that was good), they prepared bruchetta and water. Many of the students also ordered wine, which they said was also outstanding. On the walk back Erin, Leslie and I stopped for another Gelato. It tastes so good and is equally refreshing on a hot day.

Rome: Day 13 The Catacombs

2008-08-28T13:16:00.000-07:00

Today we visited the Piazza Navona and the Catacombs. I took some pictures of some of the artist's work that was being set up in the piazza. Lauren presented on the Piazza Navona and did a great job. Then we took a bus ride out to the catacombs where Leslie presented. She also did very well. They wouldn't allow us to take pictures inside, but it had to be one of the most interesting places that we've visited so far. The tunnels stretch for 8 miles beneath Rome, three stories deep. We only walked through a small part of it. We got to see some of the earliest (oldest) known Christian paintings; Madonna, Moses, Jonas, and a few others.

It would have been cool to take some pictures, but I bought some postcards to show friends and family back home. It was a tight down there and one student had to leave, because he couldn't breathe (claustrophobia). There were some areas that opened up into larger cavernous rooms, but it was mostly tight narrow tunnels. There were still human remains present all around us. Several of the slots in the walls still contained remnants of their former inhabitants. We saw a skull tucked behind a small marble plate and several other places we saw femurs, fingers, and spinal bones. I have to admit it was a little creepy, interesting, but creepy!

I am including a shot of me waiting outside the catacombs, and a wall of the Monostary outside the Catacombs.

Photos I Worked on in Studio

2008-08-27T12:18:00.000-07:00

Self Portrait

2008-08-27T12:16:00.000-07:00

Rome: Day 12 The Big Hill Climb

2008-08-27T11:58:00.000-07:00

Today we walked up an insane hill to get to some lookouts and to see the place where St. Peter was crucified. I got an amazing shot of the small temple or shrine built to honor him. We visited several churches, there were various old pieces of Roman architecture used to accent the walls of the basilicas. The climb up the hill hardly seemed worth it, but in the end we were glad we did it (I thought I was going to die, all these young bucks are kicking my butt).

Leslie got locked out of one of the churches and had to wait outside for the rest of us (ha/ha). I got a great self-portrait today with a little help from my good friend Leslie. I also got a nice photo of JT as he was looking up at the sun coming in through a window of the church. Leslie was sitting in one of the churches trying to get her camera set–up for a self portrait and I cheated a little and helped her get this one.

We spent the afternoon in the studio cleaning up our best photos and making prints. In all it has been an exciting and full day. I am including a shot of how ridiculous we look when we go places, everyone has a camera and we're all taking pictures of the same "DANG THING."

Rome: Day 11 Making Dinner

2008-08-26T15:39:00.000-07:00

Tonight I was adopted into the Narro group and went with 8 other students to Chris and Susan's apartment to learn how to make an authentic Italian meal. Sabrina, an Italian Native that now lives in the states was our cooking instructor. JT, Leslie, Tojo, Naomi, Joe, Laurin, Nicole, Cathy, and I were all there. I can't say too much yet, because it is supposed to be a surprise for the next group, but we had a real nice time. I even fashioned a letter 'R' (for Roma) to go on the dessert.

Rome: Inside the Colosseum

2008-08-26T14:47:00.000-07:00

I realized that I had failed to show some good inside shots of the Colosseum. So here are a couple more shots of the Colosseum that I took on the inside.

Rome: Day 11 Ostia Antica

2008-08-26T14:27:00.000-07:00

Today we went to Ostia Antica. It was extremely hot, but Francis and JT both did an excellent job on their presentations, which made the heat all worth it. The ruins are like a labyrinth going on for miles. We had a great time and I captured many pictures throughout the day.

We road a bus and then a tram (train) to get there and the tram had AC (bonus)! Italy is just a cool place, I am already looking forward to coming back some day.

Rome: Eating Gelato

2008-08-25T14:53:00.000-07:00

YUMMY! Francis took this photo and I stole it from his site. Hopefully he is cool with that. Thank you Francis, YOU ARE THE MAN!

Rome: Pictures for post below

2008-08-25T13:55:00.000-07:00

Rome: Day 10 Early Christian Churches

2008-08-25T12:53:00.000-07:00

Today we visited Three Churches: Santa Maria Maggiore, Santa Pressede, and San Pudenziana. The churches were very old, especially the last one. It contained one of the oldest and first known Fresco's of Jesus Christ.

We traveled to location in buses. Bus tickets are relatively cheep, one Euro per ticket. Upon arrival, there was a man feeding some pigeons near where we listened to Dana's presentation on the first Church, "Santa Maria Maggiore." There was a man who came and sat right next to us and started smoking. The smoke was pretty thick, I think he was rolling his own.

The churches really give you a sense of the Antiquity and tradition of Roma. It is amazing how elaborate they are, so many fine details. To date, our group has visited: Hadrian's Mausoleum (Castel Sant Angelo), The Roman Forum, Arches, Colosseum (didn't go inside. I went back and did that by myself), Palatine, Circus Maximus, Market, Santa Maria degli Angeli, Museo Nazionale Romano, Pantheon, Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, Crypta Balbi, and the three churches I listed above.

Tomorrow we are going to Ostia Antica (an ancient city ruin outside of Rome), I am really excited about this one because JT is presenting and has already told me a lot about it. It not only sounds amazing, he also made it out there over the weekend to take pictures and I saw some of those. I can't wait to take photos myself.

We turned in our first assignment today which I will post next.

Rome: Day 10 Francis Rests

2008-08-25T05:50:00.000-07:00

Here is a shot I caught of Francis resting in one of the churches that we visited today.

Rome: Day 9 (continued) Some Art Making

2008-08-24T22:57:00.000-07:00

Rome: Chris (Our Professor)

2008-08-24T15:47:00.000-07:00

Rome: Day 9 (For my Wife)

2008-08-24T15:38:00.000-07:00

Rome: Pantheon

2008-08-24T15:35:00.000-07:00

Colosseum

2008-08-24T14:24:00.001-07:00

Rome: Day 9

2008-08-23T15:46:00.000-07:00

We have been given some free weekends during our time here in Italy to go and do whatever we want. Since we will be spending most of our time here in Rome I thought it would be nice to take a road trip somewhere else. I guess a few of the undergrads are planning a trip to Amsterdam. Some others of us are looking at "Cinque Terra." I am including some photos for those of you that have never heard of it. Just imagine, beautiful beaches, towns on sea shore bluffs. I know you wish you were here with me. And for any of you that are here with us, I invite you to consider coming with us to Cinque Terra. Just let us know if you would like to come along.

Rome: Day 8

2008-08-22T14:53:00.000-07:00

Okay folks, here we are day 8 and it feels like day a month. We are having a great time, but we are all exhausted. We are going non-stop. Of course we are in ROME.

For our first assignment we are supposed to capture a self–portrait. The image I have included here is my first attempt. TERRIBLE, I know! We have also noticed that it seems like everyone here smokes; Leslie models here feelings on the topic.

Rome: Sean's Pantheon Presentation

2008-08-22T14:43:00.000-07:00

I have been up late into the wee hours of the mornings the last few days preparing for my Pantheon presentation. I was nervous for some reason, but I think it went well. The best part is that it is finally over. Everyone was real nice and told me that I did a good job. Many of my fellow classmates took pictures during my presentation so here they are. Me presenting to the group in front of the Pantheon.

Rome: Day 7

2008-08-21T11:16:00.000-07:00

Today was especially hot and that made it difficult to walk around. My feet were also hurting from the dress shoes I was wearing. We visited a Basilica today called Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli. It was spectacular and I took a ton of pictures. I had JT take a shot of me looking up because I felt like that is what we were all doing the whole time, looking up at the vaulted ceilings. Naomi was the presenter for to day and she did a great job.

After we left we walked passed an area of a building that had some interesting covered parking. Check it out, nice huh? Covered parking in Rome.

Rome: Day 6

2008-08-20T14:23:00.000-07:00

. . . I can't say it enough, "Rome is Beautiful!" I am just posting a few photos tonight from our day's adventure. I have homework to do tonight. ENJOY!

Sean hits on Italian Woman

2008-08-19T14:41:00.000-07:00

Leslie took this picture of me shortly after I took some photos of this Italian woman. I thought I knew what she was telling me. . . but Naomi informed me that I had completely misinterpreted what she had said. The problem with speaking spanish is that it is easy to confuse it with Italian. Go Figure!

Still in Rome – JT: Art Director

2008-08-19T13:57:00.000-07:00

I took this photo of JT in the student lounge, here in the Rome Center building. He looks suspiciously like a design professional, don't you think?

Rome: Day 5

2008-08-19T13:50:00.000-07:00

The faculty put together a nice orientation in an AIR CONDITIONED room at the Rome Center facilities. After the orientation Chris, Susan, and Mel organized the students and we worked together to prepare a tasty feast, where we spent time getting to know one another better. It more than made up for the painfully hot first day.

We quickly learned our way around the studio facilities and have been spending many late nights toiling over presentation research, handouts, email, and Skyping our loved ones back home. The studios are even better than the ones back home and at the school we have plenty of fans to go around.

One thing that we have all learned quickly in Rome is how to drink from the many free flowing fountains around the city. Yoon and Tojo are demonstrating the proper technique in the photo I have included here. In all, we are having a great time with a crazy fun group of individuals, in one of the most magnificent places in the world, ROME!

Rome: Day 4

2008-08-18T11:52:00.001-07:00

"When in Rome . . . " a fan is a must.

Today was a good day. We checked in at the University Rome Center, where we received the keys to our apartment. All nine guys are in one apartment together. Luckily, it is a large place and we are all pretty easy to get along with.

Upon discovering that there was no AC – I was on a mission to find a fan. It was not easy, but after a determined search I found just the appliance I was in need of. It is a truly powerful wind machine that will treat me right while I am here. Needless to say, I was very excited about finding my fan. Everyone was making fun of me for needing to find a fan so badly. However, I am a big guy who overheats easily.

We had a real nice welcome dinner with all the students and the instructors this evening.

Rome: Day 3

2008-08-17T12:49:00.000-07:00

We made it over to see the Coloseum (A.K.A. The Flavian Amphitheater). UNBELIEVABLE!

It was humid and I was sweating bad, but all worth it. Besides, JT and I have been joking about how our shower only has two temperatures: Cold and Freezing; but it is a good thing after days like this.

There were so many people all around and they don't seem to mind being scantily clothed. People are wearing as little as possible. We have been shocked a few times by the apparel or lack of it.

The Gelato is to die for, it has been saving me from heat exhaustion.

Rome: Day 1 and 2

2008-08-16T06:48:00.000-07:00

Rome. I am so excited to be here in Rome for the next five weeks. I will document my Rome experiences on my blog while I am here.

My two friends JT, Leslie and I came a few days before our design study begins. We are here for a design study abroad with the University. Leslie lived here for awhile and has already been showing us around the city. Here are a few photos from our quick walks around Rome. It is truly breathtaking.

Unfortunately, JT got blisters after our first day and has been confined to his room to allow his feet some healing time. However, Leslie and I still made it out to see a few things and get some medical supplies for JT. We passed by the spanish steps on our way to one of the entrances to the city (I don't know all the names of things yet), near the entrance were some stairs that led us up to a park which looked back over Rome. This is a remarkable city and I am looking forward to my time here. I know I will learn so much from the opportunity to experience this history first hand.

Manifesto: Process Boards

2008-08-13T11:47:00.001-07:00

One of my first projects in Graduate school was to develop a design manifesto. I wanted to involve the other grad students in documenting this process (and to provide an interesting way to get to know each other). I wanted to find a method for us to brainstorm together and to start some kind interaction about the work we were doing in our program at the University of Washington. These photos illustrate the concept I came up with. I built galvanized steel stands to hold a series of 5 plexiglass boards, which were wired on with steel cable. This allowed the ideas to overlap, stimulating new thoughts and ideas. We learned many interesting things about each other as well as discovering new design concepts. In all it was a successful and rewarding experience.

The students in the order of the photos are: JT, Tom, Cassie, Sean (that's me), Leslie, Erin, Tojo, Kelly

Hamilton Typeface Design

2008-07-03T13:51:00.001-07:00

Designing a typeface is no easy task, especially when you do it in eleven weeks. I took type design with Karen Cheng last quarter at the University of Washington. It was by far, one of the best classes I've ever taken. I find myself analyzing type down to the smallest details.

For this assignment we were asked to choose a city to research and use the attributes we discovered to then design a type that would represent those characteristics. I chose Hamilton, Bermuda. I focused on the unique architectural qualities of Bermuda's buildings. I drew each of the letters hundreds of times before they were right. It takes an investment of time and diligent work to complete a typeface design. After this project, I have a more profound respect for the type designers out there.

Information Graphics for Design Education

2008-03-16T17:37:00.001-07:00

Information Graphics: page 1

2008-02-08T18:32:00.000-08:00

Information Graphics: page 2

2008-02-08T18:31:00.000-08:00

Information Graphics: page 3

2008-02-08T18:30:00.000-08:00