Sharing Dreams/Compartiendo Sueños 2008:
Design in Music/Diseño en la Música

Nicole Wang

In music theory, there are three commonly used chord types — major, minor, and dominant. Each chord is a combination of three or more notes played simultaneously. Chords introduce the impression of musical space and help create harmony. Each chord has a its own distinct characteristics and evokes a different mood. For example, Major chords sound happy and joyful, or emphatic and stable, and as such are used for many love songs, and national anthems. Minor chords tend to sound sad and gloomy, solemn and emotional. Dominant Chords are often used to create sonic tension, or to emphasize drama. While a description of chords can become rather technical, the way music transcends cultures and flirts with the human brain is a truly fascinating phenomenon. There are no borders in music. An ear in Thailand hears the same chords as an ear in Bolivia. Happiness comes with a rise in tempo, sadness with a fall.

The principals of music theory are universal, yet they are applied to a broad array of musical styles. Music reminds us that while our cultures are different, the fundamental human experience is the same.

En el campo de la teoría de la música hay tres acordes comúnmmente usados—mayor, menor, y dominante. Cada acorde es el resultado de la combinación de tres o mas notas musicales tocadas simultaneamente. Los acordes presentan la impresion del “espacio musical” y ayudan en la creación de la harmonia. Cada acorde tiene sus caracteristicas propias y evoca diferentes estados de ánimo. Por ejemplo, el sonido de los acordes mayores es de felicidad y regocijo, o enfático y estable, por eso son usados para miles de canciones de amor e himnos nacionales. El sonido de los acordes menores tiende a sonar triste y melancólico, solemne y emocional. Los acordes dominates son frecuentemente usados para crear tension acústica, o para enfatizar drama. Mientras que la descripción de acordes puede caer sobre lo técnico, es un fenomeno fascinante la manera en que la música trasciende culturas y coquetea con la mente humana. No hay fronteras en la música. Una persona en Tailandia escucha los mismos acordes que una persona en Bolivia. La felicidad viene con la subida del tempo, la tristeza con la caida.

Los fundamentos de teoria musical son universales a pesar de ser aplicados a un arsenal amplio de estilos musicales. La música nos recuerda que a pesar de que nuestras culturas son diferentes, la experiencia humana fundamental es la misma.

Bio

Nicole was born and raised in Taiwan. She moved to Boston with her father at the age of 12. Her penchant for art, pencils, markers and scissors in the classroom formulated her dream of becoming an artist inside – counter to her eastern cultural perception of art being frivolous. Desire soon took hold, and with a push from her inner dragon, Nicole applied to the New England School of Art & Design at Suffolk University in Boston. Against her parent’s expectations and societal norms—academia over the arts—Nicole took a path to self-discovery and embraced her passion for graphic design.

During her undergraduate program, Nicole seized the opportunity to study abroad in London. That semester gave her a taste for travel. After receiving a BFA magna cum laude in Graphic Design in 2002, she worked as a freelancer in few different boutique studios in the Boston area. In 2003, Nicole joined Digitas as a designer. During that time, she developed various marketing campaigns on accounts such as Celebrity Cruises and Cadillac. During her tenure, Digitas funded a two-week photojournalism program in Senegal, Africa where she held a group exhibition. This trip further fueled her love of exploring other cultures.

Three years later, Nicole, the associate art director, decided to leave the corporate structured world and headed out to San Francisco – in search for a more exciting and diverse design community.

Nicole currently works as a freelance art director. Whenever her wanderlust calls for her, she ventures to far corners of the world, exploring the lives others through the lens of her camera. She has design as her passion and traveling as her addiction!