Graphic Design- Week 12 (Lesson 14)

For Lesson 14 in Graphic Design, we were instructed to submit a one page reflection about the differences and similarities between InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator. We then had to find a good example, and bad example of Layout and Design in the form of print media. Below is my reflection and the four examples of good and bad layout and design.

Examples of GOOD Layout and Design:

The cover I chose as a ‘good’ example of layout and design was the March 2011 cover featuring Kate Bosworth. Everything on the cover is easily readable, and the colors used draw the eye of any passerby. The photo of Kate Bosworth is edgy, and keeps with the magazine’s general style. The cover isn’t cluttered and it is generally appealing. The spread I chose is from the May 2009 issue and it is very nicely put together. I love the colors used, and the photos are nicely placed. This is the first 2 pages of a large spread showcasing different Nike tennis shoe designs. The only thing I would change about the spread is the size of the font used. There is plenty of space to have used a larger font than what was used.

Examples of BAD Layout and Design:

The cover I chose to represent a bad layout and design example was the September  2008 issue of Nylon Magazine featuring the stars of 90210. The photo is lovely but all of the font gets lost within the picture of the 3 girls because it doesn’t pop against their clothing. If they had used the same yellow or pink font instead of the black and purple, it would be more easily read. I also don’t think it is necessary to list all of the TV shows talked about in the issue, on the cover. They could have left out the list, and included something else that is discussed in the magazine. The spread I chose to evaluate was the one from the same Kate Bosworth March 2011 issue. Once again, the photo’s used are very nice, but the font is way too small. It is very, very difficult to read the paragraph about Kate, and the page outlining what is in the issue. It would have been wiser to enlarge the font and make the photos smaller, so it could be more easily read. The photos of the makeup could also have been made smaller.  



Graphic Design- Week 11 (Lesson 13)

For lesson 13, we were instructed to identify and discuss 5 things we learned about using Photoshop and Illustrator, and post it to our blog. Below is my reflection on using the two Adobe programs together.

1. Images, such as shapes, created in Illustrator can be used as clipping paths in Photoshop by bringing them in as new layers and using them as backgrounds.
2. Illustrator is a vector program, and will allow you more freedom if you are going to create something that will need to be various sizes since vector shapes are 'math' based you wont have problems with images being pixelated when they are made larger. This creates a problem when using them together because images in Photoshop are raster based and images become pixelated.
3. Other problems resulting from using the two programs together, is when you move an object that contains color from Illustrator into Photoshop, all the paint effects are lost.
4. Illustrator can either place or open Photoshop files, and placed Photoshop images can be used as objects in Illustrator, but linked files can't be edited within Illustrator.
5. Opening Illustrator files in Photoshop isn't the same as placing an Illustrator file. When placing files, the placed files will inherit any characteristics of the opened Photoshop document, such as resolution and color mode.

Graphic Design- Week 10

I thought further about how much I love Michael Kors, and I realized that not only do I love his clothes, but I love the way he markets himself. His advertisements are always done beautifully. Some fashion houses choose the thinnest girls to model in their campaigns, but (not to be rude...)a lot of the time, they aren't the most attractive girls. The ladies chosen to be the face of Michael Kors, however, are always enviable lovely. I know airbrushing helps, but the way the camera shoots them, the way their hair and makeup are done, everything, everything, appears flawless. I also like the fact that the shoots are done in a way that makes the models look like they are being caught on camera by a paparazzi or bystander. The ad's look very real, yet somehow, perfect.

Graphic Design- Week 9

I am, as some of you know, an Apparel Studies major at the University of Arkansas. I'm also a Marketing minor, but that's really just to give me a broader idea of what I want to do with my life! Apparel Studies is where my heart is. I love fashion, therefore I LOVE clothes. One of my favorite clothing designers is Michael Kors. His clothing is effortless and beautiful. You can wear his clothes anywhere and feel like the most appropriately dressed person in the room. He designs for 'The American Woman'-therefore his apparel is always timeless, always fashionable, and always (looks) comfortable. I had to do a project on Kors and I fell in love with his Spring/Summer 2011 womens wear line. Below are some photos from the runway show.

 

Graphic Design- Week 8

After reviewing the 16 different Roger Hargreaves illustrations on Google, I was interested to see what else Google has come up with in recent years, so here are some of my favorite 'Google Doodles'!

February 3, 2010- Google honored Norman Rockwell and the Saturday Evening Post

August 29, 2009- Google celebrated Michael Jackson's 51st birthday

December 8, 2009- Celebrating cartoonist E.C. Segar's birthay with an illustration of Popeye the Sailor

November 4, 2009- Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Sesame Street with different cartoon characters

November 9, 2009- the 20th Anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall

October 7, 2009- Google writes its name in barcode to celebrate the 1st bar code patent

May 21st, 2010- Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of Pac Man

October 31, 2009- Celebrating Halloween

Graphic Design: Week 7

Im almost positive that every time I open up the Internet, I always visit google at least once. I think this is probably true for most people. Whether we are searching for photos, useless information, helpful information, or just getting to our gmail without going directly to the site, Google is there to help. Whenever I am directed to Google.com, I am always a little more excited to see what google is going to transform their name into that day. Usually it is because of a holiday, or in memory of a famous artist, singer, or pivotal day in history, but no matter the occasion, I am always intrigued by the witty folks at Google. Today, (Monday, May 9th), Google is saying Happy Birthday to Roger Hargreaves, the acclaimed children's book author, who would have turned 76 today. In true Google fashion, the search engine saluted Hargreaves with a homepage homage featuring some of his iconic characters.

Little Miss Chatterbox- The one that popped up when I got the the Google home page today!

Little Miss Naughty

Little Miss Sunshine- Loveeee this!

Little Miss Curious

Little Miss Tiny

Little Miss Shy

Little Miss Magic

Mr Bump

Mr Forgetful

Mr Funny- I guess little g doesnt think he's so funny...or maybe the joke's on him?

Mr Messy (one of my favorites!)

Mr Rush

Mr Tickle

Graphic Design: Week 6

Banksy. If you don't know who he is: you have now been introduced. Banksy's art was introduced to me, again, while working in NYC this summer. I worked for an up and coming men's and women's clothing line, RPS, that is funded by Padma LLC., a massive production company that does production for brands such as O'Neill, Intimissimi, and Zara. That being said, we worked in a VERY nice showroom on Fashion Ave., and were provided with the very best supplies, furniture, art, etc. The art that was provided were photos of famous graffiti by British artist, Banksy. I kind of fell in love. I think that the main allure is the fact that no one knows who this amazing graffiti artist is...only what he goes by. At the Oscars last weekend, a documentary about Banksy's art was nominated and he was supposedly in the audience, but no one really knows. The documentary did not receive any awards. The art is highly controversial, but who would anyone complain to? In our showroom, we had photos of all of the images below, except for the little girl frisking the man in military attire. My favorite is the first one shown below. I also like the maid, and the pulp fiction painting.