My visual/cultural experience by Ambar Gomez

The fact that we treated the two weeks we were in London as “student photographers” and not tourists changed everything. It forced me to look closer at the city and the culture. There were a lot of things that I expected to see when I arrived in London, the double decker buses, the London Eye, old fashioned taxis, and the changing of the guards. Each day we went out and did things that tourists would do and things that tourists wouldn’t do, but I feel like we gained so much more than just getting a picture next to Big Ben. We explored the city by day and by night. We interacted with people who live in London. We visited museums, which inspired me in ways that words cannot describe. I will never forget London, it changed me as a photographer and as a designer.

Ambar Gomez,
Woodbury University,
Graphic Design

My visual/cultural experience by Elizabeth Sweeney

I had never traveled outside of the country before so in all honesty, I wasn’t sure what to expect. All I knew was I wanted to take it all in. I signed up for my visa, packed my bags, boarded a plane and began a trip that I didn’t know what to expect or what to prepare for. Shortly after arriving I immediately fell in love with the city. People that surrounded us in the subway were so eager to start conversations, help carry bags and give good directions. After settling in, the first thing I wanted to do was leave my tainted-pink room behind and explore the city. Ever since then, I hadn’t stopped. This trip opened my eyes to all of the opportunities and possibilities outside of the states that only London could offer. The rich history, architecture, and graphics that the city had to offer were breathtaking and unforgettable. The culture, adventures, and encounters were worth all of the overtime shifts I had to suffer through to afford such a trip. Through this experience my perspective on life and design changed and altered to a standard I could integrate daily and to an experience I would never forget.



Elizabeth Sweeney
Woodbury University
Graphic Design

Misc London Snaps

London Sites by Elizabeth Sweeney

Changing of the guards

Early Saturday morning Amber, Brenda &I woke up to go see the changing of the guards. The changing of the guards only happens two months out of the year, so we couldn’t miss this opportunity. Attending on a weekend was perhaps not as wise as a decision to watching on a weekday because everyone in the city decided to show up that morning. When the ceremony began we were all kept out of the street onto the sidewalk trying to catch a glimpse. Then what seemed like at least 50 guards marched down the street with music playing all in such prestige manner. They marched passed the crowds, past the fountain, and past the gates right outside of the palace. They then began changing positions in a rehearsed manner for what seemed like thirty minuets. Within this time we were able to document with pictures. Overall, I couldn’t believe such a procedure goes into a simple shift change. This was certainly a limited event that was worth seeing and experiencing.




Elizabeth Sweeney
Woodbury University
Graphic Design

London Alphabet by Aaron Lopez.

I must first admit that this project slipped my mind a couple of time, But when I did remember I tried to find letters that I saw in the would capture the feeling of London. London is a mix of beautiful architecture, contemporary art galleries, exquisite museums, and graffiti. I'll let you figure out those letters. They shouldn't be hard at all. :D

-Aaron Lopez
Woodbury University
Graphic Design

london alphabet by Laura Orozco

Letter Attention
As an architect to be, well – most of my time is spent design space, so paying extra attention to signage and type was exciting for me and I particularly enjoyed this assignment. It was a curious to see the character that would be taken into consideration when designing signage regardless if it was being used for the tube, storefronts, street signs or as part of artwork. Most of what I saw did have a very London feel to it.

-Laura Orozco
Woodbury University
Architecture

London Alphabet by Leila Amer

My goal for the alphabet was to find shapes that resembled letters. For example, a crack in the cement could resemble an ‘A’ or the curves from a wrought iron fence could mimic the curves of a lowercase ‘E’.

I chose to take this approach to the alphabet because I thought it would help me look at my surroundings in a different way. Instead of just looking for letters on signs or billboards, I would try and look for random markings on a light pole or the shapes and patterns embedded in the steel plates on the floor.

This was definitely a good exercise and, when looked at as a complete alphabet, it definitely helps the viewer get a feeling of London.

Leila Amer

Woodbury University

Graphic Design

London Alphabet by Jenni Vo

This assignment really opened my eyes to the world of typography around me, especially in London. There are so many urban-decayed and unique typography that isn't found any other place in the world. Typography is a lifestyle in London as is in any other part of the world. It is the voice of the artists in graffiti as well as the signage. There are many textures and beautiful typography that are invisible to the norm and being able to notice these things made me feel as if I was on an expedition. Finding my own alphabet through my travels helped make my London Alphabet unique and interesting and my favorite part was looking for the textures and unique colors.

-Jenni Vo
Woodbury University
Graphic Design

london alphabet by Jenn Nassef

I adore typography, so when we were assigned the photographic exercise of collecting images of numbers 0-9 and the full alphabet I found it quite intriguing. Throughout our trip we roamed the busy city streets, and found ourselves surrounded by words and numbers that reflected upon London's unique city aspects. Creativity was definitely called for when searching for specific letters and numbers that fit well with your existing collection (hence the upside down giraffe as a 4). It was a challenge collecting an overall alphabet that, as a whole, presented itself as a piece of art, but I do feel as though it represents the culture of London.

Jenn Nassef

highgate cemetary by Laura Orozco

Marx
Now I knew that Karl Marx was resting somewhere in London, however I didn’t know we were going to visit him as a class which was quite an awesome experience. As usual, we had our long walk up a hill but all worth it once we entered Highgate Cemetery, a space filled with lush greenery with headstones and religious statues merging in cluster form with intimate paths to go deep within the trees. The drizzle added to the effect and set the mood as we walked on newly wet soil, whispering our thoughts as we shared feelings usually reserved for other occasions.

-Laura Orozco
Woodbury University
Architecture

highgate cemetary by Alex Kuhse

Highgate Cemetary is one of those places on Earth you can spend years looking for the right words to describe, but have none of them make any sense until you see it for yourself...

Walking through the eerily lush landscape amongst displaced headstones and decayed statues is somewhat comforting. I am assuming the opened graves and displaced headstones are a result of under soil route movement, however I have not ruled out the possibility of it being zombies.

Even Karl Marx is buried there for some reason...

be still....

Alex Kuhse

Graphic Design

Woodbury University

Highgate Cemetary by Leila Amer

The cemetery was somewhat of a surreal experience. The moment we entered through the gates it began to rain which filled the air with a sense of eeriness. Walking around it was crazy to see all the gravestones stacked on top of one another, some even eroding due to tree roots that had grown underneath.

Even though many of the gravestones were interesting to look at visually, it was also interesting to read what was on the actual gravestone. A feeling of sorrow would take over when you realize a child merely 20 days old was taken from this earth and buried alongside its mother who died just a few years later.

It instantly reminded me that life could end at any moment and I truly felt blessed to be in good health alongside good friends.

“And ever has it been that love knows not it’s own depth, until the hour

of separation”

Leila Amer

Woodbury University

Graphic Design