I am finishing up Layout & Composition 1, and as I do so, I have realized I have learned quite a bit. I have loved this class, yet hated it at the same time. I loved learning Art History, I have even started reading more about it in my spare time. But I have despised working in Adobe InDesign.
I originally thought that Photoshop would be my real weakness. But after taking this class Photoshop looks like a walk in the park. I have discovered that InDesign & I are mortal enemies. We don't like each other and are not capable of playing nice together. I have struggled with every project this class because of our inability to work together and have sworn to only open InDesign when it 100% required. If I can get away with any other system I will.
The Art History portion of this class was fantastic though. I really enjoyed learning about all the art movements. Its so interesting to see how art has progressed over the years. We have come so far from the drawings on cave walls. To see that evolution is just amazing.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Readability vs Legability
What's the difference between READABILITY and LEGIBILITY? What do they mean to you as a designer?
Readability = Able to read
Legibility = Able to see
As a designer this is important. We want our designs to be both readable and legible. Lets say I created a billboard, because its a billboard and huge its going to be legible. You can see it, you know its there. But I used a 12 pt size font. So you can see the billboard is there, but your not going to be able to see it. It is not readable. No one is going to know what that billboard says. So as the designer, it is important to have both factors. You want the audience to see the advertisement is there and be able to read it. no matter how great the design is if its not readable it is useless.
Readability = Able to read
Legibility = Able to see
As a designer this is important. We want our designs to be both readable and legible. Lets say I created a billboard, because its a billboard and huge its going to be legible. You can see it, you know its there. But I used a 12 pt size font. So you can see the billboard is there, but your not going to be able to see it. It is not readable. No one is going to know what that billboard says. So as the designer, it is important to have both factors. You want the audience to see the advertisement is there and be able to read it. no matter how great the design is if its not readable it is useless.
Advertising design is competitive and difficult to master.
Advertising is the most lucrative niche in design. It's also the most competitive and difficult to master. Why do you think this is true?
I believe that advertising design is competitive and difficult to master because the design needs to hit the part of your brain that controls your subconscious desires. This is difficult because you need to really KNOW your targeted audience. You need to know exactly what they want. Do they want a sexy half naked man that's covered in soot or do they want Sponge Bob Square Pants? What is going to make that audience say "ooohhhhww, I want that"? Lets take salad dressing for an example, now I am a 25 year old, married, female with 3 kids. So to target the audience that I would fall into, you would use the sexy half naked man. Now if your target audience is 5 year olds, I would advise to use Sponge Bob. Getting inside all those brains is going to be difficult.
I believe that advertising design is competitive and difficult to master because the design needs to hit the part of your brain that controls your subconscious desires. This is difficult because you need to really KNOW your targeted audience. You need to know exactly what they want. Do they want a sexy half naked man that's covered in soot or do they want Sponge Bob Square Pants? What is going to make that audience say "ooohhhhww, I want that"? Lets take salad dressing for an example, now I am a 25 year old, married, female with 3 kids. So to target the audience that I would fall into, you would use the sexy half naked man. Now if your target audience is 5 year olds, I would advise to use Sponge Bob. Getting inside all those brains is going to be difficult.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Impressionism At A Glance
Began: Early 1972
Ended: Early 1892
Impressionism is a style of art that does not rely on realistic deceptions. It is considered to the the first modern movement in painting. Impressionism gained its name from a French critic, who was reviewing the artisits' first major exhibit, focusing on "Impression, Sunrise" (1873) a painting by Claude Monet. The critic accused them of painting nothing but impressions. The artists soon embraced the name given, and also referred to themselves as Independents.
Impressionism developed in Paris in the 1860s, and spread thought out Europe and the United States. The artists that originated Impressionism, were shunned by the powerful academic art institutions . Impressionist also rejected the Salon, which is the official, government sanctioned exhibit.
Contemporary science had begun to recognize that what the eye perceived and what the brain understood where two different things. The impressionist aimed to capture the impact of the scene. Sot they loosened their brushstrokes and lightened their color palettes with pure, intense colors. To avoid the clarity of form, which in earlier art had served to distinguish the more from the less important elements of the picture, they abandoned traditional perspective. This caused many critics to accuse the Impressionists of painting unfinished or amateur work.
Ended: Early 1892
Impressionism is a style of art that does not rely on realistic deceptions. It is considered to the the first modern movement in painting. Impressionism gained its name from a French critic, who was reviewing the artisits' first major exhibit, focusing on "Impression, Sunrise" (1873) a painting by Claude Monet. The critic accused them of painting nothing but impressions. The artists soon embraced the name given, and also referred to themselves as Independents.
Impressionism developed in Paris in the 1860s, and spread thought out Europe and the United States. The artists that originated Impressionism, were shunned by the powerful academic art institutions . Impressionist also rejected the Salon, which is the official, government sanctioned exhibit.
Contemporary science had begun to recognize that what the eye perceived and what the brain understood where two different things. The impressionist aimed to capture the impact of the scene. Sot they loosened their brushstrokes and lightened their color palettes with pure, intense colors. To avoid the clarity of form, which in earlier art had served to distinguish the more from the less important elements of the picture, they abandoned traditional perspective. This caused many critics to accuse the Impressionists of painting unfinished or amateur work.
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Printing
Some printing is more expensive than others, have you ever wondered why? Whats the difference? Other than the price tag? Well,I believe that there are 2 main reasons for that. Paper quality and ink.
Paper quality to me is very important. I like a nice thick paper but not like card board thick. :) But a nice weight of cardstock for most of my projects. that is going to cost more than copy paper. Than there is ink. If you are printing something 20 colors of Pantone ink and something else thats just black ink. Of course its going to be a difference in price. Pantone ink is specialty ink and the regular black ink you can get for you home printer.
Paper quality to me is very important. I like a nice thick paper but not like card board thick. :) But a nice weight of cardstock for most of my projects. that is going to cost more than copy paper. Than there is ink. If you are printing something 20 colors of Pantone ink and something else thats just black ink. Of course its going to be a difference in price. Pantone ink is specialty ink and the regular black ink you can get for you home printer.
Friday, May 17, 2013
City Brochure
Assignment:
Create a travel brochure for your hometown
Specs:
- Limit color palette to 3 colors, not including photos (screens are ok)
- Limit 2 fonts
- All photos must be CMYK
- Everything has 1/4" full bleed
- must have at least 1 fold
- must fit in standard envelope (you pick the size)
- use text wrap at least once
Project Brief:
I chose to do do my brochure on Tacoma, WA. Tacoma is the city I was born in. Since I am an Army brat, I really don't have a home town. We moved approximately every 3 years.
Create a travel brochure for your hometown
Specs:
- Limit color palette to 3 colors, not including photos (screens are ok)
- Limit 2 fonts
- All photos must be CMYK
- Everything has 1/4" full bleed
- must have at least 1 fold
- must fit in standard envelope (you pick the size)
- use text wrap at least once
Project Brief:
I chose to do do my brochure on Tacoma, WA. Tacoma is the city I was born in. Since I am an Army brat, I really don't have a home town. We moved approximately every 3 years.
 |
| Cover |
 |
| Inside Left |
 |
| Inside Right |
 |
| Back |
Sunday, May 5, 2013
How Has Photography Changed The World?
Photography is a very popular hobby, it is used in so many ways. Such as to document life, capture beauty, and even stalk public figures. Photographs influence who people are, what people do, and even what people remember. Photography has changed more than just media, our society no longer focuses on words, in place of words our focus has moved to photographs. This is because photographs can tell a story all on their own. The saying 'a picture is worth a thousand words' is incorrect a picture is worth many more than a thousand words. Photographs can provide evidence to stories that may not sound believable. Or they may even tell the story of a journey that was untold. A fallen war hero may not be able to share his experiences but the photos he leaves behind can. Images of a blood soaked ground, battle buddies cleaning their weapons, or even of the MRE he is going to eat can shed light on the experience he is unable to share. Photography is able to open doors to worlds that otherwise would have been inaccessible. It can preserve memories, traditions, and events better than a story that has been told for generations.
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