Author: Webmaster K

Communication requires retention. When presenting new ideas to students, how much information is retained can often influence the success or failure of the idea. In Malcolm Gladwell’s book The Tipping Point – How Little Things Can make a Big Difference, he points to 3 things that make for effective communications: the Law of the Few, the Stickiness Factor (Retention), and the Power of Context. In both visual communication and education, the Stickiness Factor is probably the most important.

“Why support the mac anyway? There are so few mac users and the platform is dying… in a few years there won’t be any mac users at all.”

Question: When did I first hear the statement above?

The answer is 1991. That’s right, 16 years ago.

When I first started creating my own 3-D Models, I found the most popular online resources — Morph Manager, UV Mapper Pro, and Cr2Editor — are all PC-Only. With patience and perseverance I discovered some alternatives to these programs that work on the Mac!

Right now, a 3D Model can be designed on computer and then turned into a physical sculpture using so-called “3D Printers”. This technology is far too expensive for large-scale applications. With improvements however, I foresee that a plan drawn on computer could be “printed” without the use of construction workers. More jobs lost.

Why are symmetrical faces considered more attractive than less symmetrical faces? What makes Macs so appealing to some consumers? Why do some homes sell fast and others take a long time to sell in the same area? Balance, Rhythm, Emphasis, Unity, Movement, Pattern, and Contrast. These design principles are everywhere. Design makes the difference.

I teach Photoshop tutorials in a Post-Secondary setting. As part of my tutorials, I regularly show my students the excellent work of Greg Apodaca (see his digital portfolio). Any woman who has compared herself unfavorably to a model in a magazine can feel much better knowing how heavily edited such images are (see blonde and bikini). Greg’s Digital Portfolio showcases his amazing skill as a digital retoucher but it also brings up an ethical question: how much of what we see in the media is real?