America 2009: Summer Edition

The symbolism behind this collage was centered on a number of events that occurred during the summer of 2009. The orange haze was created to show summer and heat. Michael Jackson, Ted Kennedy, and DJ AM tragically passed away this past summer and I wanted to show them in the sky above the White House. The symbolism behind the White House was simply to show American culture. Our demographic form of government is commonly associated with the White House and our president. I felt the best metaphoric way to show American culture was to include the White House. Now the pigs were inserted to symbolize the Swine Flu epidemic and how it largely affected the American people early this summer. I’m sure nobody really wants pigs roaming around their front lawn and by having them roam around the White House lawn symbolizes the annoyance of such an epidemic. There are multiple pigs inserted to symbolize the widespread growth of the Swine Flu. Lastly, the FOR SALE sign was merely put in front of the White House to symbolize the current economic state of the country. The concept behind the FOR SALE sign was particularly personal to me as I, like many Americans, was forced to move out of my home this summer because of foreclosure. My landlords lost their property and as the tenants we were forced to move. This situation is something many innocent Americans are facing on a daily basis and to show a FOR SALE sign in front of the White House symbolizes a problem that no American is immune to… even the government. The economic downfall is a national problem and to put a FOR SALE sign on an American symbol demonstrates the seriousness of the problem.

greenRABBIT Advertising

I am looking for some feedback for the proposed logo of my advertising agency. Please comment on the use of color, space, and typeface.

McDonald's

Obesity in children has reached epidemic levels. Therefore, most parents believe that one of the reasons for this crisis is the commercialism which children are exposed every day. Parents consideration is that McDonald's' advertisements during kids TV programs easily effect on under 12 age children, and children tend to prefer good-looking fast food rather than homemade meal. What I would like to tell is blaming McDonalds is totally wrong. Parents have a responsibility to teach kids what kinds of foods are good for them or bad, and also advertisements always look good, even though true images might be different. After all, especially for younger kids, parents are the only ones that have control what they eat. Parents can help their kids make healthy food choices when they eat fast food.

WalMart

A new Wal-Mart destroys jobs by putting local merchants out of business. The jobs Wal-Mart creates are fewer, lower-paying and mostly part-time. Wal-Mart exploits workers. The average hourly worker makes just $18,000 dollars a year. Meanwhile, in 2002, the corporation raked in $6.6 billion in profits. Wal-Mart has known for years that many of its stores violate child labor laws and state regulations requiring work breaks - but has done little, if anything, to stop it.

The Sociopath

I wanted to compare the psychology of a corporation to the mind of a sociopath. The hidden truth is that today's business mentality often proves itself unsustainable, either environmentally or it terms of its human cost. Its exploitative practices can and does lead to the devaluation of humans and their environment. Since the law treats corporations as a single individual and it is granted all rights of a person I considered some of its characteristics to coincide with traits of an individual who has a sociopathic personality. This includes manipulation and conning, the sociopath often sees their victims (resources) as merely instruments to be used, he or she has an extreme sense of entitlement, lack remorse and guilt, and lack the ability to empathize. I believe this applies to the lack of morality and humanity seen in many large businesses like Nestle, Nike, Wal-mart, De Beers, and many others that only see importance in the bottom line.

Looking Through A Lens

I took this photograph at a Renaissance fair in Oregon. The man "breathing fire" was from Germany and was a completely clumsy and uncoordinated person, except when it came to breathing fire. I took this photo because I found this sport dangerous, intriguing, and totally amazing.

I was extremely lucky to grow up in one of the most beautiful places of California that is largely untouched by mankind. This natural lake, Gumboot Lake, is located about an hour into the hills that surround my town. I took this picture to capture the beauty, peacefulness, and quiet that is so present in these places.

I took this photograph in Kenya, Africa in 2006. I spent two weeks there volunteering at orphanages and on the streets of Nairobi. My last week there, I spent two days in Masai Mara on a safari. I got to see a piece of culture and landscape that was so utterly unknown to me. This tree, a Baobab tree, is very common in Kenya. I took this picture to try and capture a glimpse of my journey and the beautiful vastness of this country.

I took this picture at a monastery. My great uncle has been a Buddhist most of his life and now lives in a community monastery outside of San Rafael. I had the chance to go and explore this establishment. While there I walked past this gate. My great uncle told me that you couldn't pass the gate unless you were going to make a commitment to your religions, such as a vow of silence or fasting. I found it fascinating that people would give up something so crucial to life in respect for their beliefs and this gate was the portal into their passion.

Elephants & Bicycles

This piece was created using the results of survey taken on Facebook by a number of my closest friends. Now, I was a little bit suprised by the outcome of this piece and with little artistic skill to work with, I sought out to prove my own theory that everyone is an artist right. The results were a bit different than I expected.

For starters, the colors are a bit difficult to work with when combined together. I had a tough time blending the three colors into a visually appealing image. Nevertheless, I feel the outcome from a color perspective isn't too bad.

The real difficulties came from the incorporation of various objects associated with the three colors. An elephant isn't something you see everyday and to incorpoate that with an ocean and sky seems a bit confusing.

The results are in my opinion, a reflection of the mindset of the online community. Typically, my friends online seem to be happy individuals and I feel this piece definitely reflects that outlook.

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