In the Fall 2007, another group of 2d Digital Design students have completed the Digital Carpet Project.
Here are some of their designs, and their reflections on the project:
This original design by Amara Barthelemy has a traditional, folk art symmetry.
This carpet by Jane Olila has a more contemporary, asymmetrical design.
Tulip & Arabesque Project Blog 
My border pattern was an assimilation of two different designs comprised of one main unit. Through the repeating, rotating and reflecting of that object I created my border pattern. Additionally, I added a personal touch by incorporating my initials J and O into the border pattern with a ribbon-like design. I created a pattern that is fun and perhaps a little untraditional, that reflects my more contemporary style. I blended a more traditional border pattern to a modern interior. In the lower right hand corner, I splashed in circle motif that spills into the carpet design. I decided to unify the carpet by using a harmonious color palette, to lessen the high contrast of the original design. I believe it creates a beautiful design that reflects some aspects of the traditional Turkish rugs we have been studying, but it also has been infused with a touch of my own personal style. This project by far has been my favorite, because of the complexity and creative freedom we were granted.
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The color carpet project is a great project to jump into when learning about Photoshop and Illistrator. I wanted to go with more of a traditional carpet so the main unit I chose an organic object. The colors I also added into my carpet were more neutral and gave it a nature feel. From creating the black and white carpet to completely filling it with color I really enjoyed this project!
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I really enjoyed the color project. It allowed me to test different things in both illustrator and photoshop. My carpet was based off of sharp objects. The colors I used give it a relaxing feel, and I like what the outcome is.
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Though the carpet project was a lot of work I enjoyed it a great deal. I really liked the Turkish rugs so I didn’t stray too far away from that concept. Everything fell into place. I knew I wanted a bird and that help inspire the boarder pattern and the field pattern. I chose bright colors to stay with the Turkish feel. I didn’t change much from my black and white to my color with exception to enlarging the bird.
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For this project, I knew right away I wanted to go for a more traditional looking carpet with complex patterns and colors. My first attempt at creating a carpet was a struggle and the ending result looked very simple and bland. After doing more research on the turkish style and patterns, I developed a completely new rug, starting off from scratch. The ending result of my second carpet was much better, and I’m very happy about the way it turned out. I was able to keep the turkish style present, but also added my own personal style to it. Adding color to my carpet was my favorite because there was so much experimentation. This project took many weeks, and long, outside of class hours, but I enjoyed doing it.
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I have learned a lot about color theory and different color harmonies by working on this carpet design. I like the different patterns that I could create by using rotation, translation, scale and overlapping. My subject shape that I created was not based off of any object but something I had measured out to touch 3 different points on a square. I think I had many successes with my composition, the color harmony that I chose resemble earthy tones similar to fall colors with oranges, browns, reds, and yellows with few high key tones. This harmony came together nicely in the end and printed version turned out to be crisp and vibrant. Some things that I think my composition needs work on are making sure the lines are perfectly matched up so there is no spaces in between that looks to be caused by poor craftsman ship. My favorite part of this assignment was discovering new shapes that you wouldn’t originally think of until you start placing them into patterns. The negative space that the shapes create are equally interesting. The reason I chose fall colors is because it happens to be my favorite season and I would like to have this in my house someday. The middle of my composition is supposed to represent the sun and the sudden change in color in the pattern represents how leafs in nature are not perfectly grouped. I enjoyed working on this assignment because it felt very playful and I plan to create more compositions like it.
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The carpet project was a really fun project. I learned a lot about color theory and learned a lot by exploring Illustrator and Photoshop. I thought everyones carpet was really interesting and unique in their own ways. Although this was a bigger project that required more time, I really thought it was worth it in the end.
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Originally, I was skeptical about this project; after all, how interesting could a regular old digital rug be? But after sitting for tens of hours in front of this illuminated screen, playing with a dozen color harmonies and hundreds of colorful butterfly wings, it’s clear that there is a lot more creative process involved then what I could have ever imagined. I have certainly worked through my share of drafts and second drafts and final drafts, and over the course I have not only refined my skills in Illustrator and Photoshop, but also the theory behind the colors and patterns. I have been motivated to learn about effective contrast, scale, and negative space, and now I fully understand the ideas of unity and harmony in large and small format. This was a project that will always be reflected in future work, and I’m very proud of what we have all accomplished over the semester due to this assignment.
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I really enjoyed this project, despite several setbacks and challenges. I think it has helped me develop as an artist. I got very close to my subject and spent a lot of time studying different color harmonies before finding one that I liked. I wanted to do a fall themed carpet because I love the colors. I chose to use a dark asymetrical focal point to contrast with the brighter colors in the field pattern. I also enjoyed experimenting with my border pattern creating different combinations of shapes within a basic design. It was definately a project that I will remember for a long time.
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Seeing this project at a large scale was very rewarding for me. After working many hours trying to get everything down to the last detail of each color and it’s placement in this project, it was extremely rewarding to see a final piece that was well crafted and something that I had grown fond of over the last few weeks. This is a project that has been modified and changed multiple times to my liking and I am glad to have something to show and believe I can be proud of the outcome. This project was essential to my learning of illustrator and I also learned a lot about color harmonies. I have always been someone who has paid close attention to colors but have never thought about it’s theories and to learn about that is very interesting to me. Overall this project was worth all the hardwork and I am glad to have something at a large scale to show for it.
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When we started this carpet project I found it hard to get started and to figure out exactly what I wanted to do, but throughout the weeks we worked on it, I felt like ideas just started flowing and overall the project was a success. I used some personal details in my carpet, I formed the border out of my initials, ‘aph’ and the symbol ‘<><‘ that represents Christianity as a border inside that. I found it so helpful when we went through all of those color theory worksheets. I used a slightly different shade of red and green (complimentary colors) and then analogous colors from the two of those, and also added in some white for extra effect. Overall I love how the colors flow together and I think that my favorite part of this project was being able to see how everyone else used their creativity to create their carpets.
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My printed carpet really pleases me. I put a lot of myself into it, and I feel that the finished result is cohesive, pretty, and surprisingly not at all what I originally expected. Using the same basic unit for the border and field in quite a different combination strongly adds to an impression of cohesion without seeming to be a mundane repetition of identical shapes. I identify greatly with nature, and the semi-floral border has a look somehow related to many of the things I draw and paint, so represents my tendency to be influenced by nature. The carpet evolved greatly and in great bursts from start to finish. I had a lot of trouble with creating a coherence and focus, and spent hours creating a tree that simply looked out of place. It really worried me that I wouldn’t be able to incorporate the tree, but, with lots of advice, I think I succeeded.
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The carpet project was really challenging for me. It took a few attempts for me to produce a carpet i was really satisfied with. It changed significantly several times as little by little i figured things out, not only in illustrator, but about design and color theory.
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I thought the carpet assignment was an over all great experience. I went through a lot of different ideas, and many changes to finally come up with something I was happy with. I first created my black and white carpet which I wasn’t completely satisfied with, so I started completely over, and created a different style for my color carpet. I am very pleased with my final result. It was great to see it blown up onto a larger piece, it really changed my perspective in a positive way. I learned a great deal about color harmonies and designs that work well together, and others that don’t work as much. It was a great learning experience that I can use in the future for my graphic design major.
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I was a little hesitant at the beginning of this carpet assignment. I was worried that my end product would not turn out like i thought it should. But overall, I am very pleased with this project. I have spend many hours making the deign as careful as I could. I really enjoyed seeing the color carpet, because it takes on a totally different effect than the black and white carpet. I am glad that the carpet was a long process, where we took numerous steps toward to final piece. It was nice to create a pattern, then take the next step to incorporate into a total design, and so on. The color harmony theory was very helpful to me when working with the color carpet. The colors give off vibrance, and unifies the complex design.
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Those are some amazing designs … have you ever thought about entering the world of Graphic Design? With those skills and mastery of color theory I would defiantly not rule it out. If you get a chance please check out my blog on design Modern Glass Coffee Table
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LQFuA4
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