So yes, my strengths. I think I'm pretty good at the hands-on stuff. The non-computer comping and thumbnails and stuff. At least, that's what I really enjoy. It's hard for me, though, to try and come up with ideas that I could eventually do on the computer. I think it's good to do thumbnails and marker comps, but because we do now have the technology, that it's okay to make changes on the computer if you find out something looks better a different way than the original thumbnail had it. Anyways, back to my strengths: I'm pretty stinking good at illustrator, almost a master with the pen tool and the gradient mesh tool these days :) I've improved a lot with my creativity within the design process in indesign, though I still have a lot to learn. Weaknesses: photoshop....in general. I'm just not good with photos. There's some really cool stuff you can do in this program, but I just can't seem to get the hang of it. Also, I need to work on making my stuff more interesting. My work is usually pretty straightforward, to the point, but also a little on the boring side.
Yeah, so I am dropping my viscom major....just going to stick with psychology for now, I think. I don't regret taking this class, though. I've definitely learned a lot this semester. One way I can use what I've learned here in future courses is the client interaction. 1) I may not always get to do what I think the best option may be. 2) I've learned how to give helpful criticism 3) I've learned how to accept helpful criticism from others. Also, I've just become a more creative person. I've learned how to take an idea (like chili) and come up with thirty different concepts for one topic. (Really, after thinking about chili for so long, I can tackle anything!)
It's going to be sad not to be apart of Truman's amazing art world anymore, but it was definitely fun (and a little crazy) while it lasted!

This is my best photoshop piece. It's from the mood assignment we had. I have a lot to learn in photoshop, but I feel that this piece fulfilled the assignment, and shows I can use a gradient, masking, color and brightness/contrast, and color schemes to control how people feel about a certain situation. pretty cool!

This shows my proficiency in illustrator very well. Out of the three programs, I've learned the ways of illustrator the best; I'm very comfortable in this program. I used the gradient mesh, normal gradient, and the pen tool to create this cute little masterpiece. I tried really hard not to let it look too cartoon-y, but rather as realistic as possible. It worked out pretty well, i think!

Yeah, this definitely shows my proficiency in indesign. I already wrote a lot about it in the earlier post. I created the mickey hat and the map in illustrator and placed them in. I also adjusted the photos in photoshop to get the right resolution and placed them in, too. I used a four column grid for the layout. 

This is one of the best creative concepts. It grabs the attention of the audience with a familiar triangle shape and large interatactive heading. It's also great because the triangle points down, towards the more detailed text, leading the audience to the important who/what/where/when/why information. Also, it brings something familiar to the audience (bowling) and makes a connection to the poster's promotion of something not so familiar (chili soup testing.) I would have really liked to take this piece to the next level, but unfortunately, we don't always get to choose our favorite layouts to design.

This is my best use of typesetting. The large CHILI immediately drays attention, and because it's so elongated, it brings the focus down to the rest of the page. It overlaps just enough with the bowl of chili to create interest, but not confusion. Below the chili bowl lies the simple command "EAT IT." It' s in plain block text, but it stands out boldly on the page. It truly captures the audience's attention so they can then read what the event is about underneath of the larger headings. The types are all different, but not to the point of distraction. In this design layout, the type plays a huge role because it takes up a majority of the page. It makes a loud enough statement so that no other graphics are needed.

Disneyland! Okay, this is the best of the best of my work (in my opinion.) And here, I'm using it for the best over-all design. First Page: The enlarged disney hat is the eye-catcher that creates immediate audience interest. I placed it diagnally, with the "marceline" heading overlapping the ear so that they're connected. That's the important connection people need to first see. Then, the details of the hometown and walt's magic come into play in smaller font, yet large enough for a heading. I stuck with a red/black/white theme for the booklet cover. Page 2/3: The booklet opens up, immediately presenting a map of the town. Again, the overlapping text is used, to show the use of the map. The pages are divided into five large blocks; text in the four corners, and then the center map. Four photos are used in each text section, pertaining to one of the attractions in that area. The audience can then look for the attraction on the map. Clarity to the audience was a main focus for this piece. On the back is all of the other information. It's livened up with some red headlines. The picture is made more interesting with the three verticle red lines behind it. Overall, the best design elements are the diagnal hat on the front, the overlapping text, the use of just two fonts, and the clarity to the audience.

So this is my best copy fitting job. When compared to the final product, they look almost identical. The only thing that really changed is the photo on the left. But, when looking at the copyfitting, it's almost perfect. I feel that when copyfitting, it would be cheating to go back and do it after you've already done it on the computer (you wouldn't even have to use the right technique.) So I didn't re-do mine, and it actually turned out pretty well. However, the final did come up a little bit short, so to compensate, I made the Headlines a little bigger, to take up more space. From this project, I learned how to copyfit the right way, and it turned out pretty well.

So, this is my best marker comp. It's also the very first marker comp I did. It's a replication from a lipstick add in a Teen Vogue magazine. I like it a lot because this high-heeled shoe actually looks three dimensional, which is hard to create with the markers. I feel I correctly used the layering technique of the markers to capture what the shoe really looks like. This is especially seen in all the way up the back of the shoe. It's good. It's sassy. I like it!

Here is my best set of color comps. I enjoyed getting to work with a graphic I had already created and spent a lot of time on. Each color comp within this set works with a different creative concept. In each comp, I got to create a small-scale version of my car. They all look pretty much the same, and very close to the actual version of the car. Also, In each comp I drew in small-text space to create a visual for how it would actually look. I ended up taking the "100 years, ford anniversary celebration" and the final product looks exactly like this small scale version. It's very cool to see a piece go from stage one to the final poster. I really like that we got to do more of the process-y type stuff the second half of the semester. It's been much more enjoyable :)

YES

This is the start of my final portfolio! The best of the best. The show-offs of my extreme skill, talent, and creativity. The final.

So this is my final chili poster. It looks pretty good I think. Creating a realistic chili-soup image was really difficult to create, so the beans look a little fake. Also, I should have contrasted the gray of the bowl more with the soup's shade. Otherwise, I think everything is placed well and it does a good job of catching the audience's attention.

So, this was the one we agreed upon. The color combination looks really good, and it's unified throughout the whole piece. However, I'm going to shrink the "100 Years" type and lower the "Ford Anniversary Celebration" so I can make the car image even larger. There isn't very much extra needed information needed at the bottom, so this should be fairly easy. Should be good!

Kevin! This is my favorite. It's not as busy as some of the others, and I think it will present the information clearest to its viewers. Also, I think this layout gives you a huge oppurtunity to play around with different type settings within the text blocks you've already delegated. This will liven the poster up a bit, and entertain the eyes a bit more. I do think you should make the "chili cook-off" heading really bold so it captivates all viewers and convinces them to read the rest of the poster. I really like the chili graphic! But, I think you should leave out the pot; it's a little bit confusing. Instead, I think you should do more with the chili. Maybe add multiples, fading into the background. However, I wouldn't change the placement of the graphic. I really like how you sectioned everything off. It balances the whole layout scheme really well!

This is the mood I've created in photoshop. I can't tell you the mood, but I feel it's pretty obvious. I really love the texture in this piece. The opacity level of the falling guy is significant, as well as the color scheme. This is the first graphic piece I've created that has meaning. I like it.

I created this illustrator project before I knew what the gradient mesh tool was, so that made it very challenging. I really focused on getting the transitions on the glasses where the light changed. Because I didn't know about gradient mesh, some of the value changes seem too harsh. But, considering the circumstances, I think they look pretty realistic.

This is my ride. I like it, a lot. This is the project I've gotten the most satisfaction from. I used a lot of gradient meshes, but used the normal gradient every chance I could get, too. The hardest part on this project was definitely the wheels. Overall, it was very tedious, but a project I'm really proud of, too.

This is the "Indie Music Poster" I created. I changed it quite a bit from the first draft I submited. I decided to mask not only around the violin, but around a piece of music in the background, too. I also made the subtext smaller and changed it to an easier-read text. Because of the limitations of not being allowed a bleed line, I added a black border on the bottom and left sides of the center context. I was going for a framing effect, but felt that the thick line all the way around was too enclosing.

TYH
This is the magazine spread I recreated. This project involved a lot of measuring and calculating in order to get the text and headings in the right positions. I had the most trouble here with getting the photographs to line up in the same place they were placed on the original copy. Also, in this project I noticed that the original magazine artists did a lot within the text, in order to make it flow well. For this reason, I had to handle a lot of spacing issues along with making the right side of each column look nice. This recreation looks almost identicle to the original; the only difference is the curly cues in the text "key players" in which there was no identicle text.