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Dean Ormonde-Spring Break/Easter Symbolism

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Spring Break/Easter Symbolism Spring Break is a time most students look forward to. It's the longest break of the spring semester and many people (not baseball players) take this time to go home and/or travel. I find it funny that Spring break and Easter no longer occur at the same time. I remember in elementary school when we would call it Easter break and always thought that the holiday was the reason of the week long vacation. Even so, Spring break and Easter bring tons of visual symbols that can be recognized by everyone, especially in the U.S. The Easter bunny and easter eggs bring back tons of old memories at my grandmas house. The phrase "Spring Break" is a symbol in and of itself. It immediately brings my mind to huge parties and gathering on the coast of Florida. I've never been to a Florida Spring Break, but it looks like fun. This blog reminds me that, with some thought, anywhere you look you can find meaning and symbolism. 

Dean Ormonde- Anatomy Art Gallery

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 Anatomy Art Gallery This week in visual literacy we visited the art gallery and it was rearranged. The room was filled with skeletons and various aspect of human anatomy. The art symbolized the artists recent struggle with dependance after injuring both her wrists in an accident where she was unable to use them for weeks. She spoke to us as we walked throughout the room and expressed how eager she was to get healthy and start to create art again. This specific piece caught my eye due to its symmetrical aspects. Each pair of hands mirrors the other but the whole piece itself is not perfectly symmetrical. I think that the paradox of symmetry and asymmetry is what makes this piece so artistic. Without her hands she was unable to express herself through creation, but after the injury, she was able to create art that was even more meaningful. 

Dean Ormonde- Digital Marketing Strategy

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Digital Marketing Strategies         This week our topic was to discuss various ways businesses market their service or product online. After watching the video I've learned that online searches are extremely important to companies. Google takes into consideration web authority. The age and history of a company is very important to their chances of driving top search results and getting on the first page of google. SEO is extremely important as well. The company that made the video uses this strategy to help their clients. Key words also play a large factor in deciding where their site will end up on google. Learning exactly what key words are search the most is a very good strategy when marketing your business online. In addition to a well strategized website, a clean and aesthetically pleasing social media page is crucial to advertising. It important to research your customers and your competitors and optimize your page by appealing to your customers and being...

Dean Ormonde- The Greatest Movie Ever Sold

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"The Greatest Movie Ever Sold"   "The Greatest Movie Ever Sold" is a thought-provoking documentary directed by Morgan Spurlock that dives into the complex system of marketing in the film industry. The movie was released in 2011 and the film follows Spurlock's attempt to fund the production completely through corporate sponsorship.  Throughout the documentary, Spurlock engages with various companies and advertising executives to secure sponsorships, providing audiences with an insider's look into the details of commercialization in filmmaking. The film sheds light on the huge influence of advertising on content creation, showing how brands often shape the narratives of movies in exchange for financial support.   As Spurlock shows the complexities of corporate partnerships, he also dives into the ethical implications of these agreements. He raises questions about the integrity of film makers when commercial interest is also involved. This causes viewers to con...

Dean Ormonde Blog 3- Carter Bowden

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 Guest Speaker- Carter Bowden This week we had another guest speaker in our visual literacy class. Carter Bowden is a director and producer best known for his work on Snowflake (2023) and Buffoon (2023). During our time together on zoom, Bowden and our class mainly discussed his work on the movie Snowflake. Many of the same questions were the same ones we asked the star of the film, Lily C Hansen. Some answers 

Dean Ormonde- Art Gallery At Clarke

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 Art Gallery      This week in visual literacy we took a trio to our art gallery. Students over the years have added their own art pieces to the collection right outside the atrium at Clarke University. Many of the pieces represent the many traits of visual literacy. My favorite is titled Breaking Bread and is a combination of the popular Tv show Breaking Bad and Christianity. The poster most vividly depicts a contrast because the two subjects couldn't be any more different. The show breaking bad is about a very over qualified chemistry teacher who has cancer and makes a last resort effort to provide for his family after his death by cooking and selling methamphetamine. This piece is my favorite because I love both of the things it encompasses. I am Christian and believe in the gospel but I have also watch and enjoyed the show. I found the art the most interesting to look at because it involves a juxtaposition of elements with differing qualities to create visual int...

Dean Ormonde- Dove "Real Beauty" Analysis

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 "Real Beauty"      The Dove company is one of the most well known body care brands in the world. They are most commonly known for manufacturing skin and hair products. Dove recently aired a commercial, pleading for people to express their true and natural beauty. Their goal was to boost the confidence of those to compare themselves to models and actors they see on tv, magazines and commercials. It is also shown that much of what we call "beautiful" is fake. Dove shows a time lapse video of a model getting her make up done professionally, then the photo she takes is altered by photoshop and edited to look almost nothing like real life. Dove exposes many companies and tries t protect the self extreme of many, especially women to actively use social media. I agree with their cause. I think that much of the beauty we see and strive to look like is fake and/or altered. I think it is very important to be comfortable in your own skin and be confident in who you are and ho...