It has just been unveiled that LG is going to release a 3D phone. This is further proof that the industry is leaning towards three dimensional technology. The phone allows a user to play games in 3D as well as view videos in 3D (including YouTube videos) both without the need for 3D glasses.
Similarly to the Nintendo 3DS it can also take photographs in 3D now that it has two cameras using the process of stereopsis, which I talked about in my last post however the LG Optimus also allows a user to record videos on the phone and view the 3D effects immediately on the mobile screen.
I think keeping up with trends, styles and fashions is a must if you want to stay current within the design industry. It would be useful to consider a way of making my work applicable to being viewed in 3D.
I have posted this image of the Nintendo 3DS because I believe it is proof that the 3D aspect is becoming very current and is the future for design. Due to be released at the end of March the games console works because the screen is small enough to fool the brain into thinking the image is in 3D without the need for glasses.
The Nintendo 3DS is also equipped with two frontal cameras which can be used at the same time to take three dimensional images in a process called stereopsis. This process can also be done with higher quality cameras and a computer program to produce the final image. Since my work is model based most of the difficulty in creating these three dimensional images is already overcome, this process is just not possible with drawings so essentially I am ahead of the game!
Taking three dimensional pictures of a world which can then be explored intuitively is a huge possibility in the very near future and my work could be adapted into this role with ease. I think my work is definitely heading in the right direction in terms of trends and fashions in the industry; 3D seems to be the next big thing, with all this talk about 3D television and games.
I think this video is very relevant to my project as it features the eBook 'Alice in Wonderland' on the iPad with animation and interactions. Watching this video was really quite helpful as it showed me what the iPad was actually capable of. For instance, the use of the iPad’s touch screen means things can move when they are tapped and it is also tilt sensitive so it can be tipped which makes objects fall or move around the screen.
This eBook seems perfect for young readers, the inclusion of interactions will intrigue a child and s the iPad can ‘read’ books out loud, they can learn without the company of an adult. I believe it will also make children's bedtime reading much more enjoyable for adults as well as young readers. The pages are vibrant and colourful which really attracts the eye and the yet the text is easy to read. All these aspects are things I should consider when creating imagery or trying to create the interactions and animations.
I have also had an idea as to how I would demonstrate how my ideas would look on the iPad’s screen. I could get a good photograph of an iPad and then print it off (in real size) and make a cardboard cut out/model of one. By filming my hands holding the iPad model, I could touch the screen with my finger which could then trigger the animation on the screen, similarly when I tip the iPad model side to side. This would be a good way of communicating my ideas for the animations and interactions.
I was researching some eBooks online and found this video of 'Tolkien's Letters from Father Christmas'. It features scanned in letters that have been hand written, which are to provoke the child into thinking Father Christmas has wrote them. I think it would be really exciting for children to read these and there is something authentic about them. The envelopes are also included and you can see where the letter was being sent and they feature little illustrated stamps. It’s very effective as it makes the story realistic and brings intrigue to young viewers. I like the idea of them having to open letters or a map on the screen; this is one method of interaction that I could consider.
My tutor Ian Murray showed me this link discussing the Wired magazine on the iPad. It features the magazine on screen and being able to rotate advertised products 360 degrees. This is a good idea to consider for my models in the story. The magazine features simple movements on the screen and nothing too complicated which is something to consider when I produce my animations for the eBook because I don't want anything too busy on the page as it will distract the viewer’s eye from the story.
For my final major project, I've decided to use modify an existing competition brief changing some aspects of it to suit me and ensure it is possible to produce within the time limit. The Puffin competition brief asks you to create your own story for 3-6 year olds and requires you to create imagery for the iPad. Animations are to be included and ways of making the story on the iPad are to be considered. I've decided that I'm going to use an existing story instead of writing my own and include all the other aspects to the brief such as the animating and interaction.
I think this subject is very current as it addresses one of the newest technologies; being able to download books and read them on screen without having to go to a book shop and buying a book. This new technology opens a lot of possibilities from a designer's view because animation can now take place with the books being read on the screen, reading time for children can be a lot more interactive and valuable. I think I've answered my final major project well, by choosing this as my theme because it is very up to date with the industry.
I've looked at a few videos about the iPad. This is one that particularly stands out. It consists of objects that represent every element in the periodic table. It ties in with my work, as some of my work is three dimensional and in this video it shows the objects being rotated 360 degrees and moved around on the screen. I think this is quite relevant to my work, as I have the advantage of getting different angles of my models/sets. I think I can use some of these ideas to animate my models.
The idea of rotating the objects on screen is really effective as its very informative and instructive, which is the main purpose of having the periodic table on the iPad. It seems to be a very valuable way of learning information as every object seems to hold facts about it when you tap it and it slowly rotates so you can see exactly what every object looks like. It makes it so real that you feel you can almost touch them, which I think, is a nice idea for children’s books. Perhaps when you touch a character from the story, information about that character would be displayed or a joke/comment would be shown which children would appreciate and hopefully get excited about.
The iPad has had a huge impact upon the design industry, it has opened up a huge amount of opportunities from a designer's perspective. The new format provides a variety of design jobs for a graphic designer, illustrator, animator and pretty much every other job in this industry as well as many other industries.
In the (so far) short life of the iPad it has already seen magazines redesigned especially for the format and eBooks which been animated or been made interactive. An ‘app’ to view comics has also been created with users able to download comics and flick through the pages or view each comic panel by panel like a slide show.
I think that creating something for the iPad for my final major project would be an extremely current subject or theme, as the brief asks us to choose something that is industry based but will inform your work and perhaps stir you into a direction that you wish to work in after graduating. The tablet market is really starting to grow and I think that it is likely that there will be a lot of work available here for the next few years.
As an illustrator I think the prospect is exciting because it gives me the chance to expand my skill base and I think that illustrators in this day and age do not need to be labelled as having one fixed method with one skill. Illustration is a lot more diverse and recently it can is involved in a variety of contexts, which gives us a lot more room to work in unusual styles. For example, a lot of my work is three dimensional and I work with a lot of photography and theatrical sets. I think my working method lends itself well to the iPad, perhaps because of the three dimensional aspect. It may be possible to rotate my models 360 degrees like some of the online magazines do when they are advertising products or displaying an item.
