Course Overview
All of the baking and pastry art students at the Culinary Institute of America are required to take a class called Principles of Design. It was a lot of fun! My class works well together, so that made this class that much better. We would show up early, listen to the professor's lecture of what we would be working on for that day, and then get to work on our projects. We were allowed to wear headphones and listen to music in class, which, to me, was awesome; I was off in my own little world during class. To get into my creative mindset, I usually listened to:
Alabama
The Battlestar Galactica Soundtrack
Billy Idol
Boston
Coldplay
Fleetwood Mac
Pink Floyd
The late, great Warren Zevon
Radiant Image Project
The objective for this project was to create movement on a two-dimensional plane and illusion of three-dimensional space (depth), while using basic color theory.Total Contrast Project
The objective for this project was to develop a composition that focuses on the push/pull aspect of contrast, using unit forms that full in the entire picture plane and create and uninterrupted pattern.Block Print Project
The objective for the first part of this project was to develop a unit form that, when repeated in a simple grid pattern, creates a cohesive arrangement. The second objective was to produce designs that integrate color scheme or theme in a unified composition.
The prints are now hanging in my office,which puts a smile on my face every time I see them.
Logo Design Project
The first objective was to design an iconic image that represents a person (or persons), property (a place of business) or product (an object, preferably a food item). I didn't know what to do for a long time. But then it popped into my head that I should do this project for my niece, Hayleigh Rose.
Pink (Hayleigh's favorite color)
Green & Gold (The Culinary Institute of America's colors)
Multicolor
I made a few additional cuts on my master stencil to add a bit more color to the flowers.
Red
Blue
Sculpture Project
The first object of this project was to design a theme-based three-dimensional object using the constructivist approach to sculpture. The next objective was to construct a small sculpture consisting of basic forms from plastic material, using a specified format and following an original, theme-based design. I used expressionism in creating my sculpture.Comparative Paper
This assignment required that I find "a single dessert item of exceptional artistic merit" and another non-food image. After I found the images, I was to discuss in a compare-and-contrast manner using design terminology - elements, principles, color terms, and other information that were presented in class lectures and during demonstrations.Final Essay: The Comparative Paper
Ice cream is, by far, my favorite dessert. And eating a banana split is my favorite way to enjoy the creamy, cold comfort food. So, it didn’t surprise me much that when I started looking at pictures of desserts to complete this project that I was drawn to find what my heart, and stomach, desire most. After searching extensively (as well as making and eating a few banana splits myself), I finally found a photograph worthy to be included in this report.
“Going Bananas!!!”
photo credit: Daniel Y. Go via photopin cc
As I looked through photographs of banana
splits, I noticed that the majority of these shots had a banana split into two
halves, lengthwise, which created perfect symmetry. This reminded me of the
shape of a canoe. As a boy, growing up in Ohio with my grandparents, mother,
sister, and brother, I would often walk out to the pond and canoe by myself, or
with another member of my family. So, with my knowledge and experience of
canoeing, I began to look for a photograph that I could compare and contrast with
“Going Bananas!!!”.
I graduated from Jacksonville State
University in May of 2012 with a Bachelor of Science with a major in Geography
and a minor in Anthropology. During my studies at JSU, I worked for the school
and with Dr. Harry O. Holstein who is the Professor of
Archaeology/Anthropology. I assisted students and staff in general field excavation procedures and
conducted intensive field research on locating,
mapping, and documenting Native American Sacred Stone Structure sites in
Northeast Alabama. And Dr. Holstein always told me that Native
Americans built the best canoes. My search for canoes quickly turned from shiny
metal and fiberglass construction to old-fashioned, wooden Native American
canoes. I found a photograph of Native Americans in a canoe that has both
similarities and differences to “Going Bananas”.
“Hmmm, PC?”
photo credit: Patrick Dockens via photopin cc
The images used in this project have
many things in common and many other things that are dissimilar. As stated
earlier, the shape of the banana is very much like the shape of the canoe. Also,
the glass dish is canoe-like in shape. The banana ends are not, however, left
to their full length, and therefore do not curve upward into somewhat of a
point. The same holds true for the serving dish. There is a definite sense of
volume in both photographs. Where the Native Americans occupy the canoe, the
ice cream, the toppings, and the banana are enclosed in the glass dish.
Gravity is quite noticeable in “Hmmm, PC?”, as
the viewer can see Guinness holding a canoe with five Native Americans and six
paddles. There is also direction in this photo; you can see that Guinness is
walking from right to left and the canoers appear to be paddling from the front
of the canoe (bow) to the rear (stern). As for the banana split, gravity is
noticeable in that the sauce is dripping down the side of the banana and the
glass dish is sitting (and not floating above) the plate on the table. There is
no direction in “Going Bananas!!!”.
There is a stark contrast between the two
images when meaning is called into question. The banana split photograph is
meaningless, and “Hmmm, PC?” conveys a crystal clear message to the viewer; Guinness
is strong. He is so strong that he’s able to carry, with one arm, a canoeful of
Native Americans and their paddles, with a smile on his face. This, to me,
evoked an intellectual response. I found myself asking, “Why is Guinness so
strong?” Is it because he has so many more feathers in his headdress, compared
to his fellow canoers? More questions came to mind. How did Guinness become so
strong? Does the strongest man always have to carry the canoe? Is Guinness the
strongest person in the group? Where is Guinness taking them? Why is Guinness
carrying the canoe in the first place? I was not stirred up intellectually when
looking at “Going Bananas!!!”.
Balance and symmetry are important in both
images. Aside from the tweel right of the cherry being larger than the tweel to
the left of the cherry, the banana split is perfectly balanced. One can assume
that the three scoops of ice cream are of equal texture, size, and shape, that
the other half of the banana is on the backside of the ice cream, and that
there is probably some chocolate sauce dripping from the backside. This would create
symmetry, both lengthwise and width-wise. If Guinness happened to be in the
canoe, my being completely subjective, I’m almost positive that he would be
paddling on the starboard side, and this would create symmetry, again both
lengthwise and width-wise. But because he is carrying the canoe, we will never
know for sure. Balance is crucial for Guinness. Counting from bow to stern,
Guinness is directly beneath the third Native American. The canoe would
certainly tip forward if he had positioned himself in the exact center of the
canoe (in between Native Americans 3 and 4). His not being in the exact center
also conveys that the Native Americans in the canoe do not have anything stored
out-of-sight in the stern of the canoe, next to the extra paddle.
The colors, or hues, are very
important in both images. The primary colors (red, white, and blue) are used in
“Hmmm, PC?”, but, not surprisingly, blue is not used in the “Going Bananas!!!”.
The yellow banana and canoe are lively, cheery, and motivational. Both images
have a little bit of red in them; the cherry on top of the whipped cream, and
the triangle pattern along the edges of the canoe. The cherry definitely
energizes and commands attention, but, to me, the triangle pattern is less
effective in keeping my attention.
A banana split, in my humble
opinion, should contain the following ingredients: ice cream (1 scoop
chocolate, 1 scoop vanilla, 1 scoop strawberry), banana (1, split lengthwise
with tips trimmed down to form a 90 degree angle and maintain the same
thickness throughout), pineapple (fresh, cut into equal-sized chunks),
strawberry (fresh, quartered), cherry (minimum 1, with stem/stems), chocolate
(warm sauce), and whipped cream. “Going Bananas!!!” has most of these
ingredients, but because there are no strawberries or pineapples visible I am
assuming that they are not present. Therefore, to improve this banana split, I
would have to add these ingredients and redesign it. I like how the banana is
cut to my above mentioned specifications, so that would remain the same. The
chocolate sauce drizzle is sloppy, so I would make mine with a distinct
pattern. I do like the tweels added to the “Going Bananas!!!” banana split. But
with tweels being so easy to make in size, shape, and texture, I would not
accept the different-sized tweels pictured. I like how the glass dish gives the
customer full-view of the tasty dessert, but I believe the edges may need to be
a bit higher to ensure nothing is slopped out over the side. And last, but
certainly not least, the cherry needs to be placed perfectly in the center of
the whipped cream. Great care must be given to ensure that it is not tipped in
any one direction; it must be both perfectly plum and level.
The professor asked to speak to me in the hallway a few hours after I
had turned in the assignment. He said, "Your paper is AWESOME!" I was
thrilled! I told him that I could have written a lot more, as there was so much
going on in the two images. And he said that he could tell that I had really
"gotten into it." Also, he complimented me by saying that if he had
to show a group of students a paper that they should model their own paper off
of, that it would be mine. It truly made my day! I was awarded full credit for
this project - 15/15 points.
Dessert Menu
The objective for my final project
was to create a Dessert Menu prototype, utilizing materials and techniques
experienced in the class, following individually chosen theme by applying
elements, principles, and color considerations learned in the course.
Being careful not to plagiarize, I had used a variation of the Starfleet
insignia in each of my design projects.
So, in keeping with my course-long theme, I created a Star Trek Dessert Menu
prototype.
Front cover with the Great Seal of the United Federation of Planets
Inside
Vulcan - Live Long and Prosper Apple Pie A la Mode
Our pies are made daily with fresh apples transported directly from planet Vulcan. Ice cream is made with our in-house replicators, and there are over 2,000 flavors to choose from.
Borg - Tricorder Pie
This Delta Quadrant classic is loaded with crushed Starfleet tricorders, finely chopped bio-neural gel pack casings, class-4 probe buckling, navigation sensors, and nacelle discharge sockets. Plasma oil drizzle is available with no additional charge.
Klingon - Blood Pie
The heart of a true warrior longs for this tasty treat! Each slice contains at least 4 different types of blood. This dish is perfect with an after-dinner glass of Klingon bloodwine.
Human - Cellular Peptide Cake with Mint Frosting
Chocolate cake with the best mint frosting in Starfleet!
The Dessert Menu was made from construction paper, and it was held together with rubber cement. The professor told me that, when grading the menus, he looks for things that he would make differently. He said that he wouldn't change a thing in my menu. Again, I was awarded full credit for
this project - 15/15 points.