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Design can be said to be the process of envisioning and planning the creation of objects, interactive systems, buildings, vehicles, etc. It is user-centered, i.e. users are at the heart of the design thinking approach. It is about creating solutions for people, physical items or more abstract systems to address a need or a concern.  While not being exactly an art nor a science, it takes elements from both. Art is about creating something that expresses the author’s vision, ideas, and feelings. While designers can express feelings and leave impressions through their work, doing so is not their prime objective. So it takes the creating aspect of art, as it is about crafting an item, a tool, an experience even. Design is at the service of the people- it takes on the problem-solving aspect of science. It exists primarily to address a particular need.  It is a very broad concept and its meaning can greatly vary from one field to another. Design can be of various types, some include...

A camera shot, in simple words, is how much space the audience sees in a particular frame. Cinematographers choose specific camera shots to portray things about a character, setting, or theme to the audience. Similarly, camera angles are different ways to position a camera to further emphasize emotions and relationships. There are many camera shots and camera angles to choose from, and each helps tell the story in its own way. A camera shot is composed of a series of frames that are shot uninterrupted from the moment the camera starts rolling until it stops. Camera shots are an essential aspect of filmmaking and video productions because by combining different types of shots, angles, and camera movements, the filmmakers can emphasize specific emotions, ideas, and movements for each scene. In this blog, an example of the basic shot sizes has been given. 1. Extreme Close-up Shot 2. Close-up Shot 3.  Medium Close-up Shot 4.  Mid Shot 5. Cowboy Shot 6. Medium Long Shot 7. L...

A logo is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or to include the text of the name that it represents as in a wordmark.  The most recognizable and famous logos in the world are those of some of the most well-known organizations and brands. These may not appear the most complex in design, but they often boast hidden meaning, memorability and impact. In this blog, a study of 5 popular logos has been done. 1. McDonald's Industry: Fast-food chain Designer: Jim Schindler, Fred Turner Meaning behind the logo:  The McDonald’s logo, also known as the “Golden Arches,” was inspired by the real golden arches that were part of the fast food chain’s original restaurant design. The logo design brings together the two arches that adorned the restaurant chains and turns it into a lettermark logo, an “M.” Over its signature red background, the iconic golden arches logo drives the “‘50s driv...

Dying with Dignity:  The Ethics of Euthanisation -Adrija Banerjee The word euthanasia , coming from the Greek words eu meaning well  and thanatos meaning death , refers to the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy, aka, mercy killing . The argument over euthanasia has recently taken center stage in discussions about human autonomy, medical ethics, and the fundamental right to make decisions about one's own life and death. Euthanasia, often known as medically assisted suicide, has aroused a great deal of controversy, with several countries and states debating whether it should be legalized. In this opinion piece, I argue in favor of legalizing euthanisation, asserting my belief that legalizing euthanasia is a matter of personal autonomy, compassion, and respect for human dignity.  The idea of individual autonomy is central to the argument over euthanasia. Our lives ar...

THE BLACK HOLE (2008) Director: Olly and Phil Cast: Napoleon Rayn Genre: Dark-comedy  Run-time: 2 mins 49 seconds  (screenshot from the short film) The Black Hole is a short film, directed by Olly Williams and Phil Sampson, released in the year 2008 by Future Shorts. This film starring just one actor, Napoleon Rayn, typically portrays greed and temptation from a humorous point of view. The film follows the fairy-tale journey of how a sleep-deprived, lowly office worker discovers a portable portal- 'the black hole', and what he does with it. This film with a run-time of less than 3 minutes and not a single dialouge, successfully captures one of the seven deadly sins, Avarice or Greed. It starts off by showing a tired office worker copying documents from a photocopy machine, when it jams and he punches the buttons and kicks the machine. The photocopier releases a piece of paper with a black circle at the middle. The man eventually discovers that it was not an ordinary paper, bu...

CRITICAL REVIEW OF THE ESSAY:    A NOTE ON THE UNCONSCIOUS IN  PSYCHOANALYSIS  BY  SIGMUND FREUD Sigmund Freud      The essay, A Note On The Unconscious In Psychoanalysis, written in 1912 by the founder of Psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, opens with the sentence, I wish to expound in a few words and as plainly as possible what the term  'unconscious' has come to mean in Psychoanalysis and in Psychoanalysis alone. As written, Freud, in his essay, delves into the notion of the unconscious mind, how it differs from the conscious mind, and how it relates to psychoanalysis. He presents multiple significant ideas, and insights, along with examples. He begins by describing the unconscious as mental content that can be recalled but which is not currently in our consciousness or awareness. We have no way of knowing what form or shape it exists in the unconscious, just that it is present in some latent state. Thus it can be said that an unconscious...

Hello reader! I'm Adrija Banerjee, and I just turned 19 years old. I was born and brought up in the city of Joy - Kolkata, and I am currently living in the Garden city - Bengaluru. I'm presently pursuing my bachelor's degree in Psychology and Journalism and Mass Communication from Jyoti Nivas College Autonomous.  I'm passionate about movies, music, art, books, and a ton of other things, to be more specific, I love psychological thrillers, rock music, art with a meaning, and books I can relate to in some way or the other. My hobbies include gardening and community service, among others. Doing community service and making people happy is something I genuinely love doing.  Coming to the question of what I want from life, there's a lot I want, but in the context of life we can't just want things and wait for it to happen to us, we actually need to work to get the things we want. Professionally, my heart is set on becoming a Psychologist. This career choice is rooted...

OTT vs MOVIE THEATRES, is there a winner yet? The ever-evolving sphere of entertainment has undergone some significant and consequential changes in the last few years with the rise of OTT platforms. Before delving into the question, it is necessary to know what exactly OTT is. OTT  stands for over-the-top, as in, going above and beyond the content that cables offer. These are video streaming services that provide on-demand content to their consumers. The viewers can easily get access to this content at any time, from any device with an internet connection. The most popular OTT platform worldwide is Netflix , with more than 238.39 million paid subscribers in 2023. Some of the other globally popular OTT platforms include Amazon Prime Video, Hulu,  Disney+, and HBO Max. Besides providing a wide array of original content which caters to diverse tastes and preferences, OTTs also contain movies that were theatre-released. The rise of OTT has caused an evident downfall of the popular...

ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST  (1975) DIRECTOR: Milos Forman CAST: Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, William Sampson GENRE: Drama/ Black comedy RUN TIME: 2h 13mins "Which one of you nuts has got any guts?", said McMurphy, the lead in one of the greatest films of all time, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest , which is an American psychological drama film, directed by multiple award-winning director Milos Forman , based on the 1962 novel of the same name, written by Ken Kesey . The lead actor in the movie Jack Nicholson has done an extraordinary job playing his character, Randle McMurphy . This movie revolves around the character, McMurphy , who with a criminal history pleads insanity in order to get transferred to a mental institution, to avoid hard labor and serving time in prison. This ward of mentally unstable men is presided over by the head nurse Mildred Ratched (played by Louise Fletcher ), a cold, unsympathetic, arrogant, passive-aggressive tyrant. She becomes a...

Change can be a difficult part of a person's life, but it is also necessary for a person to grow. I've been living in Kolkata, the City of Joy for all 18 years of my life. And now it has been almost a month already since I've had to pack my whole life in just three suitcases and leave the rest of it 1,875 km away, back home. After coming to Bengaluru for college and living alone, I've learned that moving to a new place isn't just about making new friends or finding a new place to call 'home'. It is also about rediscovering and learning more about your own self. Already being an extremely introverted person, the thought of being alone around people I've never known was terrifying, but also something I've deeply wanted to experience. A change in the environment can really influence a person's personality. Never did I ever imagine that I would become the kind of person to start up conversations with people, but now I have. Situations have forced me ...