Graphic Design- Semester Reflection

This Semester in graphic design offered me personally a lot of new knowledge. I feel like I have learned a lot. We did many different projects like the Homecoming posters, Typography, and branding. I also did a lot of side work too.

Coming into this year I wasn't very confident with my Illustrator skills. Honestly I barely knew how to use the pen tool. We started off this year going over the basics and I think that helped me out a lot. Now I use illustrator constantly and it’s my best friend. Another trick I really appreciated learning was how to vector and image almost instantly. Image trace has saved me countless hours. I think I really improved my typography choices too. I can now match fonts and I know the rules to it. Learning about kerning and other elements helped me personalize it.

Some things I could work on next semester would probably be making my own fonts. I see a lot of kids in this class who are extremely talented with hand drawn fonts, I feel like this would make my works a lot more professional and stand out more if I used them. Another thing I could definitely improve for next semester would be communication with the class. I do talk and ask questions with the people next to me but I think it would be smart to maybe talk to Brett more often because I really admire his work and he comes up with a lot of cool and original ideas.

One of the highlights from this year was probably making the Homecoming poster and having it selected for the actual event. I was super psyched when that happened. I honestly didn’t think it would happen with all the other amazing posters that were made earlier in the year. I do wish I had more out of school projects to work on. I feel like making more challenging graphic would be a lot of fun and a good way to spend my time.  Finding out how to get some jobs like that would be something I need to figure out. This would also help my résumé for whatever Graphic design Programs I apply to for College.

Another big thing I decided on this year was that I wanted to do Graphic Design as a career. I’ve been researching it ever since the KU visit.  More visits like that would be extremely helpful. Currently I'm thinking about going out of state but Im not sure which college would be right for me. Although RISD did peak my interest. 

Hopefully next semester I can improve a lot and I can get an even more solid foundation in graphic design. I think it would be cool if we did more with Photoshop in this class, maybe do some sort of model photoshop tutorial. That really interested me last year.

Overall so far this year I feel like I have learned more than the past 2 years combined. This is a wonderful environment and I love having the class as my first two hours of every day. Can't wait to learn more!

Gestalt Principles in Graphic Design

Similarity

http://www.andyrutledge.com/gestalt-principles-2-similarity.php

   This article about the Similarity Property said that color, size, shape, texture, dimension, and orientation are not equal in their ability to communicate. Some parts of Similarity are used to mean different things. Similarity is also used to demonstrate organization and to have underlined means. Similarity is just a means of communication.
   In this particular article the author is trying to explain the uses of the Similarity Property. He goes into depth about the fundamentals and how color, size, shape, texture, dimension, and orientation effect the reader. At the bottom of the page he goes on and lists his sources of where he got his information. He uses a lot of web examples to prove his point. Some of his strengths were that he dwelled on the fundamentals which gives a novice like me a good idea of the basics. A weakness about the article would probably be the forces on web design which doesn't really effect me as a graphic designer.
  In this article the author does a fantastic job of supporting his main ideas with facts and images. I wish he could have talked more about graphics like Logos or Typography but the  Web information was interesting enough. The vocabulary wasn't to advanced or lacking, all of the information was easy to take in.

Continuation 

http://blog.templatemonster.com/2012/04/19/gestalt-continuity-law-templatemonster-templates/

   With the idea of Continuation from Gestalt's principles we are taught about how the brain has a "tendency to preceive a line continuing" in a specific direction. Alex Bulat focuses on explaining how our brain picks up these various elements of design, even when there are no lines. He then goes on to explain how this effects graphic design. 

   He makes many claims about how little visual clues lead our brains to understand what is going on. He uses this picture as an example. He notes how our eyes follow where the mans hand is pointing. This, overall, is a very good article. The visuals he shows us are very clear and easy to understand. The only negative would be that I wish he had more information over how this can be uses with logos and other graphic design pieces. The general conclusion of Alex Bulat is that this principle is one of the most important out of the other 6 choices. 

   His arguments are supported but it would be nice if he cited where he got this information and included links. The evidence is very convincing. The vocabulary is also very very easy to read. It could actually be more complex. 

   

Closure 

http://www.andyrutledge.com/closure.php

  The Principle of Closure is literally about drawing conclusions. Closure is used to fill in information using easily recognized patterns. The author then goes on to talk about the different examples which range from history to graphic design. 

   His argument is that closure is not just a fancy graphic design idea. It also has to do with how you can make inferences and decisions while using closure. The main weakness from this article was that is was almost 50% about history and that information should have been replaced with more information about the graphic design point of view. 

   The argument was easy to understand, he used some advanced vocabulary but it wasn't hard enough for me, personally, to not understand. The evidence was convincing because he provided plenty of pictures and explanations. 

Proximity 

https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/book/the-glossary-of-human-computer-interaction/gestalt-principles-of-form-perception

   With this Principle the author mostly explained that proximity is how we precieve parts of an object as a whole. He talks about how spacing and how you place objects explains how our minds group things. 

   He uses multiple examples with pictures and then explains them with text. His basic views on proximity is that we perceive structors based on their environment. One of the weaknesses about this would be that he didn't provide more examples and more in-depth explanations on why he choice the pictures that he did. 

   He supports his main claims perfectly. He cited all of his evidence and at the bottom of the page there were more links regarding this topic. The small pieces of evidence that he did use was thought out well. 

Figure/ Ground 

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2014/05/design-principles-space-figure-ground-relationship/

   This section focuses on the relationship between negative space and the elements within it. The author defines Design as the arrangement of "both shapes and space". The relationship is also complementary. The 2 can either take away or enhance each other depending on the layout. 

   

    There are 3 different types of relationships 

-Stable, It's clear what the main focus of the piece is and it dominates the composition. 

-Reversible, Figure and Ground attracts the attention equally. This creates tension 

-Ambiguous, Equally interesting shapes and based on the viewer either could be the main focus 

   

   Space is also very important, it establishes contrast, creates tension, provides grouping. Space can also be considered sophisticated or simplistic.

Symmetry and Order

This is the idea that we use abstract ideas and objects to portray an idea. You can use similar shapes to make you're audience see the pattern and design around that idea. Here is an example of Symmetry

With this example you can clearly see the invisible triangle because of the pattern and the order of the objects. You can also see the mini triangles outlined in black. 

Personal Project Review: Homecoming 2015

   This job was to make a poster design that captured the feel of the book "Night circus". The poster needed to be elegant and mysterious. My Process consisted of first sketching out about 20 well thought out sketches. I then went on to making my first version of the poster. There were still a lot of problems with this. First off the font didn't read well and it didn't really match with each other. Next I needed to ground the dancing girl.












What I learned from this project is that the first idea is never really the best version. I thought my poster looked great in this version but in the end I was able to really tie it all together. Also with this project I was able to get readjusted to using Illustrator. I was more familiar with Photoshop but with this project I feel like I really got comfortable with the software and the key shortcuts.
   If I had more time to fix up and change this project I would probably go back in and get rid of small errors like the white marks left by the flowers because if you look closely you can see them.

    Things I would do the same is follow the flowery elegant style using people. I feel like adding the girl in the center really brings out the beauty.
Some experiences I would draw into this project would probably coming up with more unique ideas that are all my own. Overall though I am very happy with the final project. It was selected out of the class to be the 2015 homecoming poster so that makes me happy. I hope I can do more good work like this again with my next project!



























Here is my finished product for the Homecoming 2015 poster and tickets.

Final for Semester 2

Pre-Production 

So I was gone for most of the beginning work of this project. I was assigned to Trey, Mackenzie, and Libby's group. By the time I came back they had already decided the story. My main role I played in preproduction was working on the story board. We spent most of the first block day working on this along with planning out where we would go to film. 

Idea 

So the idea for this project was based off of a former video, Trapped. We made our current video as a squeal to that video. The plot was basically that there is a series of different experiments going on and our current main character is going through the most recent one. The most important point was the cube which was a symbol of the illusion. 

Editing 

The editing process was probably the hardest part for me. I didn't get all the clips or the voice overs so I had to compromise by changing up the sequence of the story. I made the scene with the scientists the opening. After he went through the scientists he went through a serious of tests and realized this was a test when he touched the cube and had a flash back. I think I could have done better with the editing if I had been there for the filming. Unfortunately my schedule conflicted with the changed filming date so I had to work with the shots that had been pre-filmed. 

Problems I faced 

I didn't have any problems with my group members. They were all very productive and helped in their own different ways. Technology wasn't an issue this time around either. The only thing I really struggled with would have to be getting my shots make sense since I didn't have all of them. Even with that problem I was able to make a decent video by changing up the sequence to make it flow better for me. 

What I learned

I think the most important thing I realized after this final project is the importance of being present for all meetings. If i had been there for the beginning I could have been more involved and helped more. Especially with filming, if i had been there I know we would have gotten many more close-ups and this would have broken up the shots much better. 

Overall I really enjoyed Video and I will miss it greatly when I can't take it next year. If I could take this class again I definitely would. I bet my class will go on and make some amazing stuff because overall I think the entire class is very talented. I will do my best to help support the ecoom program from the Graphic Design section. Good luck to all of the people who continue with different strands. 

Before and After

Final

Here is my finished product for the final product design. My group based the idea off the train cars in the movie "DUMBO". Very simple to figure out the color choice, I designed this for kids so red (a primary color) would obviously stand out to kids most. With the cute toy the box acts like a home for him. Took me about a week to deign and work out all the kinks. Very happy with the final product!

Here is the final Logo design. We chose the title to symbolize learning because the actual translation means "Circus of Learning". The Circular design was very comfortable and easy to look at, thus fitting to our target audience of children. 

Due to a mess up at the print shop we had to decrease the size of our box. When this happened our toy no longer fit so I improvised and in photoshop put a toy lion in the box. 

I made this advertisement to show the 3 different animals. Using mostly the paint tool I made this with simple primary colors which appeals more to children. 

Before and After 2

Before and After

Before and After images from more of my photoshopping jobs. Went for more of a natural look with only slight changes to jawline and nose. Next I removed small blemishes with stamp tool. Also removed her eyebrows and replaced them with some that looked more professional. Finally added color to the lips and skin and I was done.

Bored

So I basically just removed the Shadowing on the original tiger picture and used the paint brush to create a color pallet of orange and red. Made the layer multiply and added my name. Very easy and very quick!

Brain Break

Instead of doing Mandela's I deiced to do a totally different project to get my thoughts flowing. 

This project was made to look almost look like a quilt.

Process 

I basically took different Fabric pictures and combined them to make a shape, the shape I decided on was two people dancing. This was fun because it was almost abstract when creating it. I cut out the shapes with the free select tool. I used a base image to decide where to put the cut out shapes. 

Highlights 

-Probably the best part that really made the piece was the different selections of the dress that represent wrinkles. This made the piece almost seem to move and flow. 

-If you look closely I matched the top of the dress and the coat with the same fabric. 

I am definitely going to look into this process further and make more art work that looks like this. 

Product Box design

This is one of my final projects of this school year!

So basically I finally finished up this project and it looks pretty good. Over the past few weeks I was able to finish this project alone with several other projects. It was a pretty fun project, overall it was very enjoyable. 

So here is the Layout 

This was mostly designed in photoshop so I had more options for customizations. This was definitely my favorite part but I wish I could have made it more of a modern and stylish design. With my next project I am definitely going to do more research into modern designs and text. 

3D revolve 

These 2 images were made in photoshop, probably made this part a lot harder then it should have been. I feel like watching the tutorial would have made this easier. 

Inside packaging 

This turned out the best, I really enjoyed how this one looks. I made the 3D figure in Illustrator then added the design in Photoshop so I could make the pattern go different ways. I also added the handle in photoshop.  

Short Film

eMagine Post

Went to the eMagine awards ceremony and turns out I won. I got 3rd place in the Typography devision with my only entry, "Future of Women". I was very excited because this was the first time I seriously participated in an eMagine ceremony. I was very happy to accompany many of my friends on the red carpet that night. I am very grateful.

Floating mountain 2

Set up 

So I basically started out with a picture I have has on my desktop for over a few months. I have been wanting to do this design since 2nd Quarter. I used my imagine and I outlined some ideas and finally settled on the floating mountain idea from the beginning of the year. 

How I started out 

I extracted the girl from her original imagine and then started to get some rock pictures to use as the floating step stones. I extracted them as well. I felt like they looked a little unnatural so I included some vines, moss, and other plants to give it a pop of green and make it appear more natural 

Final steps 

I finished this project up with an inspirational quote in the blank space and experimented with the type of text. Once I was done with that the entire project was finished and ready to go.  

Beauty Photoshopping 2

So with this photoshop project I was focusing on the liquify tool to make the face and nose skinnier long with using the paint brush to give her skin a flawless look. Partner that with the stamp tool to get rid of large blemishes and you have a match made in heaven

The second step I proceeded to was making the lips larger and the teeth whiter. All I needed to do was use the liquify tool on her mouth along with paint brush for the teeth and lip color.

Over all this project looks a lot more realistic compared to Beauty Photoshopping

Beauty Photoshopping

Before                                                                                   After  

This took me a really long time. I decided to try changing up a person with no make up by adding make up and changing simple parts of the face. Some of the biggest things I changed were the Nose and the Eyes. I made both of them smaller and spaced out the eyes a bit more. I also changed the shape of the girl's nose. I also gave her bangs and bigger and brighter lips. I changed her eye color to a light turquoise with yellow in the center. Most of this was accomplished with simple changes like using the paint brush with a different filters. Other things I did were erasing under eye circles and large smile lines. 

School Interview

The Perks of Being a Wallflower movie poster

   This has probably been one of my favorite projects, even though I have had a lot of problems. I started out with the idea of using the faces of the main characters but I found a few problems with that. 

Process 

   I tried removing the image from its original background (which turned out fine) but once i changed the color to black and white i felt like it was lacking some elements. I then just scrapped that idea. I then moved onto the idea of making a more simplistic poster. With that basic idea I was able to create the poster above. 

  The 3 elements that I put into the poster that related back to the movie were the typewriter, cassette tape, and quotes from the movie (on the paper and on the label of the cassette tape). Then to finsih it off I added the text. I downloaded some typewriter type and a more structures text for both the name of the movie and the starring actors. To specialize my text I added a highlight around the title to make it POP. Then to finish it off I added the movies signature lime green color for the background. 

   The three colors I used were tan, lime green, and a light grey. This was accompanied by the white paper and black text and accents. 

   That was the basic outline of what I did. All of this project was done using photoshop (my favorite program ever). I enjoy the simplicity this poster has to offer and am very proud of it. 

Example of Saul Bass poster 

Specialized font

I used the font "Harrington" to give my name a more classy appeal and then I followed the tutorial and made my specialized font name. 

Water Princess

   So the basic idea of this project was to make a girl underwater but then i decided to add some more elements, like the castle, grass, and walkway. This is probably one of my favorite projects just because it turned out so well. 

   With all of the pictures there was a lot of blue coloring, even in the original pictures. This made it easier to blend them all together. 

   I added some small elements that you may not have seen, like the bubbles around the girl's mouth and the coloring on the path. Along with the sand and sea grass. 

   I think the hardest element on this project was the castle, I had to go in and remove it from its original background, and with all its peaks and curls it was fairly difficult. The girl on the other hand was simplistic enough. easy guidelines and the white dress was perfect for hiding mistakes. 

   I think I am going to do more projects just like this, it was nice to give myself something a bit more challenging to do. 

10 things I love

   Here is my finished design for the "10 things I love" poster. I wanted to mainly focus on adding color and having a very creative design that is eye-catching. The items I chose are very diverse and special to me. I chose the text based on the style I wanted to achieve. I went with the fonts "sketch book" to give it a very playful look and then followed it up with "American Typewriter " to give it the structured counter part. I liked how the two fonts were opposite yet worked so well together. The subheading was not much different from the "american typewriter" all i changed was the size and italicized it. 

   One thing I noticed about all of the products I listed for my top 10, is that they all have a very simplistic deign that makes them look almost sheik. Bright colors on the drinks are eye-catching and just look delicious. The electronics, converse, and PS label all have very dark colors and not much contrast. This gives them a modern look with a hint of elegance. 

   The main thing I learned from this project is that colors and type can really effect the mood your product can have. I find it really interesting that simple things added together can create such fantastic visuals. 

Red Paint

Random Photoshop project that I did in my spare time. Basically the idea was to put together a few different elements like the paint bucket, paint roller, and paint splatters to give the illusion that the man was running away from the spill. I started out with a plain white background and added the white trim to give the picture a very obvious horizon line. After extracting the man from his original background I added paint slashes to his clothing and head. To finish it off I added my name, turned it around, and made it a low opacity.

Audio Only project

The Kerning Game