Week #5 - Jackie Gonzalez -What's Sense Got to Do, Got To Do With It?

Not going to lie, but I was a bit confused on this week's blog post since I thought sensual was a one sided word only that related to sexual intention. After further review, I learned that sensual could also mean, "the condition of being pleasing or fulfilling to the senses" of which there are smell, taste, sound, sight, and touch. Listed under this second definition was an example that states, "Life can dazzle with its sensuality, its color". Furthermore, I found a quote from an interior designer's website that added the cherry on-top of the sundae, "It is design that can be smelt, heard and felt, and leaves us with a feeling of pleasure and contentment" (Source). The blog post assignment of choosing two sides of the word sensual started to make more sense. 

I researched sensual color examples to get a further idea, and I saw a a few articles on how companies use color to get you to buy things or to send a message. Additionally, I saw how color palettes in movies can show how to effectively use color to enhance story telling. In my opinion, Inside Out, the Pixar/Disney movie, is a great starter example of the relationship between psychology and color. All in all, psychology and color/how colors can affect the way we feel is something we NEED to pay attention to as designers and use it as a tool to create effective designs that engage the senses of the audience to, again, enhance story telling. 

My cousin used to have LED strip lights in her room, and each time she would open her door and the lights would be on, the color(s) that they were being displayed would spill into the hallway. One day the lights were a very saturated blue that took over half of the hallway. It was no quiet statement. I stood in the hallway for ten minutes taking it all in, I looked really weird, but this strong blue hallway made me dig into my emotions. Other than saying that blue is the color of sadness, which it is, I wanted to talk about how it is also the color is connected to the sense of stability, strength, as well as has a calming feeling to it. The way the blue is molded by the long rectangular shape of the hallway gives it structure and more of a feeling of stability as opposed to the light having nothing to guide it which would make it look formless, giving off a feeling of melancholy. Because of the color's richness in saturation, I felt hypnotized by a calming feeling while standing here. This accidental lighting design engaged with my sight and my feelings with its saturation as well as its collaboration with the structure around it. 

Next, I wanted to discuss taste which is a bit challenging to show through pictures, but upon closer examination and key factors within the photo, it is not impossible to discuss taste. I am not a food photographer, but here is one of my food pictures. This picture was taken a while back when it was safe to go and eat at restaurants. Plus, it will help explain taste way better than something out of a take out box. When I think about taste, I immediately think about family dinners or group meals. The first thing to notice in this photo is that all the plates have a blue floral pattern making the food look more homemade because it looks like someone's fancy dinner china.The brightness of the interior in this photo allows us to get an in-depth look at the food and bring us closer to tasting the food than. The look of the vivid green, on the green onions found in the lobster plate in the middle remind me of the nice crunch that they give off. The glisten coming from the sauce on the steak place on the right hand side reminds me of the freshness and the savory taste of a seasoned steak. Lastly, this picture evokes a sense of family and a sense of togetherness and happiness, a special feeling when eating with loved ones or friends due to the number of plates, the bright colors presented in the dish wear and food. Additionally, the circle shape of the lazy Susan that the plates are on gives a nice touch of unity. It feels like the viewer joined my family to dinner and they are trying to choose what they want to eat.

Another example of taste that I wanted to discuss comes from this photo of agua fresca containers. The condensation on the outside of the containers is a signal that this beverage is cold, additionally, that is emphasized through the ice cubes peaking through in the horchata container on the very right hand side. Also, the colors of the different flavors of each agua fresca shows that this could be a sweet drink than say water with cut up fruit in it, which would just be plain tasting water with fruit in it. Little details like can act as descriptive words added onto your design.