Design Concept 1: Neon Sign Working Out
This concept takes reference to the popular signs in Las Vegas. In this design, I wish to incorporate some form of animation to the design, while also appealing to the aesthetics of a vintage sign as one would see on the streets of a major city. The main inspiration for this design comes from my goal of self-improvement, through working out 5 times a week. I like to reflect on how far I have come in such as short amount of time. Below is a gif and a picture of the general design I was thinking of. For materials, I wanted to use Neon gas, but an alternative is Neon LEDs that are identical to Neon tubes, in terms of brightness. I would also need some plastic sheet, in order to place the components on.
Design Concept 2: UV Light Image
Design is to showcase a regular painting, but then incorporate some hidden message using the UV Lights. The general inspiration that the idea came from was Gravity Falls and from Hershey Park (Specifically the ride Laff Trak). They both used UV light to incorporate some hidden message. For the design, I was thinking of incorporating the message of what war can do to a family. The painting normally would be a family at an amusement park. When the UV light is added, the image will change to showcase a family torn apart, through the war going on in the background. Below is a rough image of what I am thinking.
Design Concept 3: The Disappearing Bike
Very similar to Design Concept 1, except this includes user input from the surrounding environment. There would be a colorful looking bike that is sitting next to a bike post. This can be viewed from a far, but if people get close to observe it, then the neon lights will turn off. This idea came from how many people use one wheelers and electric scooters to get to places now a days, rather than walk the distance. I have seen this a lot on campus, and it confuses me as to why people would use it for very short distances. Below is a rough image of what the project would look like.
I have a couple artist questions that may change the way I approach the project (especially for the designs that incorporate neon). Below is the list of questions I have:
- With the UV paint, can adding large amounts of neon paint affect the regular painted image?
- Does Washburn have a machine that can create a vacuum in a glass tube?
- Out of the three designs, which would you think would be the most feasible for the course?
I like the interactive component of the disappearing bike. I also think that concept should be feasible for this course.
Hi John, I think your first concept is cool, I like the idea of creating a project that you will actually use and hang up somewhere.
Hi John, I really like your first idea! It seems very nostalgic and I think it would be really cool to then place it somewhere where it continues to remind you of your accomplishments! I think it would be cool to maybe combine your first two ideas, for example, have the background of the neon sign be a solid colour and write secret messages or drawings with the UV paint.
That could be a really cool idea. The only part I would worry about is if having too much of the white LEDs would ruin the feel of the neon sign, but I could definitely do it for some parts of the sign.
The choice of project is yours, but I find myself most drawn to the animated neon sign idea. It will be a good challenge to shape the LED neon into the shapes of your design.
Vanshika’s suggestion for a way to combine it with the UV paint idea is cool! That could almost be like a 3rd frame of the animation – the UV LEDs turn on and show another hidden aspect of the image.