UC PIQ: Describe how you express your creative side | Dyllen

Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side.

Ding! I had just received an email from my school’s yearbook committee in response to the first draft of my 2018 cover design. “We like the background, but the illustrated academy symbols are lacking originality.” I stared at my design in Photoshop and fidgeted with my stylus pen, without a solution. How could I create a clever retro-themed cover that integrated the visual, theatre, music, and dance academies of my school? I left my computer and went for a walk. Standing beneath my neighbor’s expansive tree, it became obvious that I needed to branch out and find inspiration from artists of the past.

After looking at countless works, I discovered that styles from the 1900’s-1920’s resonated the strongest for this project. Finally, I was ready to transcend my own limitations.

Referencing the simple color schemes from the artistic movement of De Stijl, I restricted my palette to shades of red, teal, and primrose yellow. I incorporated contemporary trends and Russian constructivism to transform the numbers “2018” into bold geometric shapes. These were then layered and intermixed with figures, instruments, and artistic tools all influenced by the jazz art of the Harlem Renaissance. What was a “0” had become the lens of a camera, and what was an “8” had become a cello being strummed.

In many ways, I saw my artwork as a geometry puzzle. Each shape was created in Photoshop with Bezier curves, whose control points I manipulated to stretch along tangential lines. In the background, I created movement with sharp cubistic angles and converging colors that wrapped around the cover. After numerous revisions of many symbols and shapes, both sides of my artistic equation eventually found balance.

Through research and experimentation, I was able to discover unique ways to combine design concepts, math principles, and my school culture. My efforts were rewarded by winning 1st Place for the Friesens North American Yearbook Cover Contest. Though the honor was humbling, the true prize was in the process.

Published in Successful College Essays, Successful University of California, Berkeley Essays, Supplements

Dyllen

Stanford University 2024
Top Rated
About the Author 🎓
Major: Human Centered Design and Engineering
Accepted Universities:
Stanford University University of Southern California UCLA UCSD New York University Fordham University Marist College The College of New Jersey
Hometown: Los Angeles
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Dyllen

Stanford University 2024
Top Rated
Dyllen is a verified Squired mentor from Stanford University. Sign up to connect with Dyllen and other mentors from top schools including Stanford, MIT and the Ivy League. Whether you’re looking for advice on your essay, program selection or application planning, Squired’s mentors are here for you.

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