My Reflection: A Postcard About me, from me, TO YOU!

My experience in creating this postcard was a bit challenging, but that’s the point! Assignments involve overcoming obstacles and learning. I had fun creating the postcard. I feel proud about the outcome. Using all three programs (Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop) was tough, but it was a great experience in developing my skills. I feel as though working on this assignment in class with assistance from my very talented professor Maria, really helped to make certain problems I have been having with these programs stick in my brain. Taking detailed notes of step-by-step instructions has done wonders in helping me improve upon this assignment. Silhouetting pictures in Photoshop and removing the background, creating graphics in Illustrator and placing them into InDesign, and using a text wrap without any problems interfering have all been problems I have when using these programs. These are all problems that I have successfully overcome!

This assignment is essential in design communication. As a designer, you must be able to fluently create a project using all three programs. With constant usage of Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign over time becomes natural and less stressful to say the least. When working with a client and they give you a project they want you to complete for them, you need to be able to design whatever it is and design it well. It should exceed all of their expectations to a T with no error. Being fluent in using all three programs is needed to create a perfectly assembled design.

With this postcard, dark colors were used in the background, using burgundy and black hearts to match the shirt in the picture. The text was placed over a lighter version of the background color which was a pinkish color. This was done to help the text stand out and easier to read. Burgundy was used to create a sense of what my personality is like. In the picture, I am wearing a burgundy sweater, which is a color I like to wear often. My car is even burgundy! I like darker color swatches and using lighter variations of colors to create contrast. This helps the colors to “match” just as if I was wearing those colors in my outfit. The picture was edited to create a watercolor effect to cover up a semi-blurry picture. It turns out that I liked the picture more that way and became intentional to create the image I wanted.

The font that was used for the title is a bold Algerian which draws the eye straight to it. The letters are thick and match the hearts on the right. “A Day in the Life of Stephanie Amaro,” is a bold introduction. The bold introduction combined with a light and artistic flowy font (Monotype Corsiva) for the text description works well in contrast with each other. It gives a little bit of variation, but is not overwhelming or too much on the eye.

The design hierarchy that was used in this postcard works perfectly with the use of balance, contrast, and space. The picture that was used and the way it was silhouetted had to be placed on the left side of the postcard. It was only natural for the text to be wrapped around the right side of the picture. The hearts that fall from top to bottom of the right side of the text helps to fill blank space and decorate the words. The hearts also help to display the part in the text that explains my personality that mentions my likability and being able to make friends wherever I go. The title of the postcard “A Day in the Life of Stephanie Amaro,” was placed at the very top and centered to create a starting point to the text and a starting point to the design hierarchy. The space is all filled up but not cluttered. The text and graphics are evenly spaced out with room to breathe.

The assignment requiring the use of all three programs was essential. Each program has its strengths and weaknesses and when all strengths are combined, a beautiful design emerges as a result. These programs are challenging to use and master. Certain tasks cause problems sometimes in these programs and being able to be patient and figure out a way around the problem, is a rewarding feeling. Text wrap always seems to give me problems, but with help from professor Maria, that text was going to wrap around that picture one way or another. By using the pen tool, we were able to make an outline of where I wanted the text to wrap around the picture. The pen tool is often used in Photoshop to silhouette pictures and I learned a new way to use that tool in InDesign, which I did not even know was possible.  Overcoming these obstacles allowed me create a beautifully, well-designed in hierarchy, and pleasing to the eye postcard.

Identify yourself through Fashion

Fashion and Identity

1. The idea that fashion has moved from simply a necessity for survival, to a way to identity and expresses yourself. Fashion has evolved over the years and gone through different “trends” in society. History of fashion is in other words history of humans. Over the years, there has been a huge change and modification in fashion that match the changing generations. Cultural, political and economic changes have influenced the evolution of fashion. Certain fashion styles and designers are influenced by fashion from the past such as the 80’s fashion.  High fashion designer Marc Jacobs recently held a fashion show called “uber-80’s.” Certain fashion statements from the 80’s are present in today’s fashion such as shoulder pads for example. Fashion can be a way to express how you are feeling a certain day. You don’t have to be interested in just one style but can wear all black one day and be colorful the next. Being creative with how you dress can be fun so why not utilize it! Being fashionable does not need to be expensive either. Going to the thrift store and finding clothes can be an inexpensive way to be creative.

http://fashion-history.lovetoknow.com/fashion-clothing-industry/fashion-designers/christian-dior

http://articles.latimes.com/2009/sep/06/image/ig-eighties6

2. Fashion is a combination of social and economical issues that go hand in hand. Fashion is social in the sense that many people are judged by what they chose to wear. People get bullied for the way they are dressed if it does not fit the “norm.” The issue gets battled every day, whether it is at school, work, or harassment from people you don’t even know. Women get judged for being “too revealing” or get called names such as “slut” because of their choice of dress. Fashion as identity is also economical because clothing costs money. Some clothing, depending on where it is purchased, can be extremely high priced. Thrift stores are the most affordable option and in my opinion, most creative. Socially, someone can get bullied for not having enough money to go buy what is “in style” and economically not doing so well and unable to fit clothes shopping into their budget. There is a lot of pressure to be in style by the media and people around you. It is hard to stay who you are and be individuals with pressure from society. Depending on different jobs you apply for, if you are dressed well, you have a better chance of getting hired and opportunity to make more money based upon looks and how you present yourself.

http://www.osisa.org/buwa/regional/fashion-feminists-how-fashion-and-dress-shape-women%E2%80%99s-identities

https://virshete.wordpress.com/2012/07/15/fashion-and-social-identity-a-cultural-phenomenon/

3. I am in favor of this topic and agree that fashion is a great way to identify yourself and be creative. Fashion can bring out a whole different side of yourself that you never knew existed. Fashion is constantly changing and it is up to you to either take what is “in style” and make it your own or make up your own fashion statement. This is a great way to express yourself and if you present yourself well enough, it could benefit you more than you think. Like I said above, it could help you get a job and become more economically stable just by presenting yourself the right way. I found these links funny because this topic actually gets written about in magazines so that teens will see it.

https://www.birchbox.com/magazine/slideshow/the-outfit-and-makeup-that-will-help-you-land-your-dream-job

http://stylesweekly.com/22-fashionable-ways-dress-job-interview/

4. For this topic, I would use images and designs that express different fashion styles. I do not mean this in a way where I am simply just going to post pictures of outfits and trends and call it a day. I am going to use fun designs that pop out on the page to draw attention. Then I am going to possibly display some trends such as a picture or just the word of something trending such as shoulder pads. I may also list bullet points somewhere on the poster that shows the benefits of fashion like I mentioned above such as landing a job or feeling better about yourself. I am going to look at trends and get ideas. These two pages are where I have found some ideas so far:

http://www.whowhatwear.com/section/fashion-trends/

http://www.vogue.com/fashion/trends/

Maybe have a runway with words and fashion trend words such as “fashionista” “Celebrate your inner creativity” “Present your identity to the world in a fun way”

5. Ten adjectives that describe fashion are:

·        Fun

·        Creative

·        Individualized

·        Expressive

·        Representative

·        Beautiful

·        Artistic

·        Self-Revealing

·        Personalized

·        Identifiable

6. I would use fonts that look fashionable or fonts that look like they would be used in a fashion magazine such as Broadway or Brush Script MT. Bodoni is another good font used frequently in fashion magazines. I think these two fonts would best represent what I am trying to convey with the poster.

http://www.missatlaplaya.com/2014/03/fonts-used-by-fashion-labels-and-magazines/

http://fontsinuse.com/in/2/formats/11/magazines

7. The theme of this topic is definitely a fun, creative, and optimistic/positive topic. This topic is all about being expressive with how we dress ourselves with the good things that come from it. The color palette that I would chose would be burgundy and teal or more vibrant colors that stand out such a yellow and coral types of colors.

https://www.weconnectfashion.com/articles/top-10-colors-women-s-market-s-s-2016

http://www.pantone.com/pages/fcr/?season=fall&year=2014&pid=3

Critiqued Design at its Finest

A+ in Design Hierarchy

This anonymous poster is very pleasing to the eye. Some people are not aware of who or what anonymous is and this poster would intrigue an individual to want to know more. The poster is visually designed well based on the design hierarchy. The poster makes you look from left to right being that anonymous is blown up on the page but off the left going off the poster even. The words on the right make you look from the bottom right up to the top right which makes the eye wander the poster, making it exciting. The font is also a good choice, giving off a serious vibe. The colors black and red help the poster stand out and also contribute to the serious vibe. The use of only two colors is nicely done, and was not overdone. Black and red create enough emotion in this poster and no further colors are needed. The facial expression of anonymous is genius. The smirk and raised brow give off the impression that something is quirky about the idea behind this poster. It helps the reader to want to know more about this “freedom forever” poster. I would like to know what vendetta this guy has out for society.

This movie poster that is advertising “The Dark Knight Rises” is very well designed. The way all the tiny bats are a part of batman’s cape and disperse at the bottom is clever. The two colors that are used yellow and a light red were good choices. They help the black batman stand out. The placement of batman being in front of the yellow moon draws the eye straight to the center which is a good focal point. His placement and the way the bats are flying away in the night in front of the moon is an intelligent way to represent the movie title. Batman is “rising” into the dark night. The small print at the bottom listing the actors involved in the movie should be at the bottom where they are. The main focus is batman, who is centered where he should be. The hierarchy of design is perfect here in this poster. The font used is bold and stands out. It gives off a dark and mysterious vibe. This poster is very well constructed. The image is large and centered where all the focus goes. Batman is large enough to bring attention to the poster but not overly big to where there is plenty of room in the margins.

This poster is a combination of well-designed graphics and a strong statement. “People ignore design that ignores people.” This poster pretty much says, “Hey look at this poster because now that you are reading it, I caught your attention, making this poster graphically intriguing.” If you didn't notice the poster and simply walked by it that would mean it was ignored/overlooked.  The use of the eyeball being in the poster really represents the statement perfectly. Your eyes are being drawn to the eyeball. The use of two colors, blue and gray, is not too much but just right. The blue on top of the white, black, and gray (all neutral colors) really helps it to stand out. The middle finger is also eye-drawing. From afar, if people did not know what the statement read, the eyeball and middle finger would attract enough attention to be looked at. A good design attracts the eye, which is exactly what was done here. When searching for posters, this one really stood out to me. Ironically, the statement fit perfect for what the assignment was. The font is pretty basic and small, but most likely done on purpose. The poster is about the graphics. The statement at the bottom is meant to be smaller than the graphics.

This poster caught my eye immediately, especially after a discussion that our class had on the first day of class. This perfectly designed symbol was stolen and turned into the most well-known symbols for the worst reasons. The poster displays that the direction of this geometrically perfected design, makes a huge difference. The poster portrays a very important topic about a miserable time in history when Jews were slaughtered. The message is strong and visually portrayed well by making a very distinguished difference in the way the symbol was changed. By making the two different versions a different color and on opposite sides of the arrow perfectly spaced apart, it visually displays what is said on the poster. “Direction is important,” stands out underneath the symbols because it is written in white over a brown background. The poster uses minimal color and very simple, but works in its favor. The poster utilizes its space well with a perfect balance of “white space” and graphics. There is room for more, but less it better in this poster. It is not cluttered which helps the eyes to draw attention to the center which then directs the eye left and right, then down putting two and two together.

This poster advertising a play is assumed to attract the ladies more so the men (not saying the men won’t be dragged along by the women to attend). The huge bomb with the lipstick kiss is the focal point of the poster. It takes up most of the space. The text on the right side of the poster is a little bit too crammed to the edge of the margin, but it works. The way the text is in different directions makes the poster dynamic. “Venomous” is a big, bold font and spaced out to match the size of the bomb, which is pleasing to the eye and displays in writing what the play is going to be about. The information about the play is displayed in a normal sized font that reads normal from left to the right so the reader can easily access the information. That font is different sizes which makes it fun to read. The use of only two colors, pink and yellow, helps the poster to stand out and not lose the main focus which is the bomb. The play is assumed to be a fun, mysterious, drama by looking at the poster. A bomb is about to go off and it is kissed by a woman, which makes me wonder who wouldn't want to go see this play?

Award for Worst Designed Poster goes to....

This poster advertising the play “Annie” is poorly designed in my eyes. The font in the center which provides information about the play is very small, plain, boring, and just plopped in the center. There is no creative way to display the information and it is not visually pleasing. The information is most likely not even read by many who read it. There are also no graphics that describe what the play is about. There are music notes at the top but they just let the reader know the play is a musical. The date of the play is just thrown at the bottom is very small font. That information is kind of important and there is so much white empty space in-between the body of text and the date of the play. The font should be made bigger to eliminate some of that empty white space. The body of text could be made bigger as well. It is straining to the eye to try and read what it said. The use of different fonts at the top is a nice touch, but the rest of the poster does not make good use of all the fonts there re to choose from.

This poster is hard to make out what it is even advertising. The white font is so hard to read and can barely make out what it being said. The background of the poster was a bad choice. The name of the play “Bad Brains,” could have been represented with a picture of a brain and not a blown up design of what looks like could be a brain. The words are easily lost with this design. The colors chosen do not helps the words to stand out. The logo that is at the bottom left hand corner of the poster is lost and barely visible. The poster screams “too busy.” The font used for “bad brains” is a fun font, but could have been made a bit bigger. The poster makes the reader lost and confused. The space could have been utilized better by making words bigger so they are easier to read. The background consists of dark colors, so the least that could be done is making the words bigger so that they are somewhat visible. There are too many colors used. I cannot tell whether it is the design used that makes everything unreadable, or the dark colors in the design. The brainy looking background could have been a light brown or some other light color so that the words are visible.

This poster is a little bit too busy. There are too many fonts and sizes that make the reader lost. There is no design hierarchy of design here at all. The information and statistics could have been presented better by using some sort of graphic to give the poster some dynamic. The logo at the bottom right of the poster is so small, it is almost invisible. The number of fonts should have been limited to two, not four or five. The statistic is scattered but was attempted to keep some order of direction with the use of arrows. The arrows help somewhere, but at first glance your eyes do not really know what direction to go in next. The statistic is supposed to help motivate men to make sure to see their urologist to prevent prostate cancer. If the poster doesn't even get read because people can’t easily read it but have to figure out the direction of the sentence first, the purpose is diminished. If the statistic was made smaller and condense the use of fonts used, maybe two eye opening statistics could be on the poster. The poster is supposed to make a strong impact on men who read it, but it does not look like it will get read by many.