Wordle
I realize that probably everyone knows about this program by now, but I actually never saw a Wordle creation until I started here at Full Sail, so I decided to give it a go, and I love it! Wordle is so unique, it does something that you could only do in Illustrator or Photoshop previously. This program allows you to drop a bunch of words into a box, and it then ‘shuffles’ those words around for you and generates a really fascinating piece of text-driven art. It reminds me of a project I had in my Advanced Typography course while doing my undergraduate degree in Graphic Design. The instructor had us create a poster using only type, of course. This Wordle program is so much faster than creating text-based or text-driven designs from scratch in another program. This is just too easy, and is really fun. I enjoyed putting in the words that relate to my Action Research Project just to try it out. It would be great to have a classroom full of graphic design students who are using their computers to create interesting designs using text use this program to describe something they are interested in or want to create a design about. I think students would learn about the creativeness of using text as the basis of a design. I personally enjoyed typography when I was in school, and I think my future students would love this. I think Wordle changes the whole idea of text-based design and is a great channel for creativity that I might not have though of if I had not come across it. On my Wordle, (pictured below), I changed the color, the typeface, and the overall layout of my text art just by pressing a button!
Hi, Zoe - I'm so glad you enjoyed Wordle. You're right, of course, my students loved playing with this. It kept them enthralled for most of a class period. They even forgot to ask if they could play games. It was something everyone could participate in and the possiblities are endless. It was interesting to read your comment that previously you would have to use Photoshop or a similar program to create a text design and that it would take much longer than in Wordle. As always, your writing is so descriptive and fresh. Thanks so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks Holly! Wordle was so much fun to play with I almost got carried away and forgot to post my results! I can understand how the students would get absorbed in it too. It's kind of like us in Second Life!! Hehe..
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Zoe -
ReplyDeleteAs a self-professed lover/user of Wordle, I am simply "over the moon" that you chose to share this important and creative Web 2.0 tool with me/us/ the blogosphere-at-large. As you already know from your enthusiastic explanation, it is HIGHLY addictive!
I LOVE the way it visually depicts the word content of a website, which, for my money, can be of incredible use for any academic, web-based discipline. For example: For me as a language arts teacher, it provides an interesting and entertaining way to teach vocabulary. And really, when you stop to think about it, what discipline/subject DOESN'T have a vocabulary component?
I look forward to reading about how you incorporate it into YOUR work environment as an artist. Please keep me/us/the blogosphere-at-large posted on what you discover/create.
As a point of interest with deference to YOU, please know I have created my own Wordle on my blog that incorporates the text of a poem entitled "September" written in September.
When convenient, give it a look!
Fondly,
Jeet Chadha
Thank you Jeet, I appreciate the positive nod about Wordle! I will most certainly get by your page and read September! Wordle is really neat and I will be using it to help with brain-based learning as well someday!!
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