Please share your learning experience of creating flyer in which you used images and CD in which you created your own images. What problems did you encounter? How did you solve the problems? What suggestions do you give to your peers?
The CD case seemed to be so easy to design from the very beginning of the assignment. I learned the importance of "Layers" and created at least 3 layers in this project. I did have major problems creating the correct size. The first three attempts to print the cd case yeilded a print out less than an inch by an inch. I had to play with the demionions of the document several times, and during this time I realized that the document styles kept changing to "customize" instead of "letter". The CD case project was fun and a great learning experince. This assignment used the "pencil" feature to draw designs on the cover. I personal, would have perferred to import/place graphs instead of drawing a design. I chose to draw a simple little design on a solid background. The use of layers, text boxes, paragraphs, and character styles were fun. Note: I was absent the night the CD case assignment was due and therefor missed the peer review.
Working on the flyer allowed me to explore more and learn more about color and font and how to make each one more visually appealing. My biggest problem with this project was that I couldn’t be sure the effect I was making would be visually appealing to someone else. While it seemed appealing to me, I couldn’t be sure that the coloring, font style and size, or generally set up would be eye catching when placed on a board. I especially worried about the coloring of the background and the text. I used a gradient background, which I considered to be very eye catching, but which used both a dark and a light color. This made it difficult to find a color for the font that stood out against both sides of the gradient. To solve this problem, I attempted to slant the gradient in such a way that one color would be dominant over the other. This allowed me to choose a color for the font that stood out well against the dominant size of the gradient.
The peer review showed me that my gradient idea did prove eye-catching but that I still needed work on how I used font, as well as what I wrote. I hadn’t considered the fact that my “eye catch” tag line for the flyer really told nothing about subject being advertised, and so gave no incentive to read the flyer. I also did not realize until the review that what seemed like contrasted font styles were not contrasted enough to be effective. I decided to go back and redo the flyer’s text, relying more on font styles than color, as well as a more extensive use of kerning and tracking to better make my tag line stand out.
For the CD cover, my main problem was using the drawing tools to create my own images. I had absolutely no idea what I could or should draw and whether or not I could draw it to look appealing. So, I to overcome this, I decided I’d consider what sort of image I wanted on the CD cover and a get a picture of that image from off the internet. In this case, I wanted an image of a bookcase and a book on my cover. Then, using the drawing tools, I traced the image and then deleted it. So I was left with a drawing that was about what I desired without having to use an already made image. I then modified my drawings to look more like I wanted and added extra touches, such as books on the bookshelf, to make them more attractive.
The peer review definitely taught me the power of the drawing tools. There were some really well done designs, so I knew I couldn’t say it was impossible for me to draw something eye catching if others had been able to make such good images on their own. It also showed me that a design doesn’t have to be a “picture” necessarily. It can be a pattern, like a swirl of dots or a wall of arraigned pentagons. So long as the image is appealing, not simple and dull, then it works.
It did not take long for me to decide on a subject for my flyer. The Adult Education program I work for is constantly trying to spread the word about the free GED classes we offer. I thought a promotional flyer could be a learning experience I could put to good use. The color scheme, maroon and gold, was already decided as was the informational content. So, the next step was to determine a theme and to design the flyer. In producing this flyer, I wanted to use some of the graphics features of Indesign that we studied about in class. In addition, I knew the flyer should have a great deal of contrast in order to capture the attention of a passer-by
The gold of JCJC’s school colors is bright and sunny, so I decided to use a “rising sun” theme for the flyer. Using the pencil tool, I drew an arc in the top part of the page to represent the sun on the horizon and used a feather gradient to make the gold gradually fade to white. For contrast I used the bold maroon color with white lettering behind the sun. I spent quite a while trying to get the arc smooth. When I was done, I realized an easier way would have been to use a complete circle and alter the path points to fit within the lower portion of the page. I played with a decorative font typed on the path of the sun to add a bit of whimsy to the design. Since people are attracted to images of other people, I incorporated a photo of a smiling young woman dressed casually. I found the necessary logos for the sponsoring and funding organizations by doing a quick internet search. Until now, I never realized how much thought must go into a seemingly simple flyer as one you would see any day. With graphic elements decided upon, I turned to the informational content, which I knew off the top of my head. I decided to make all text left aligned rather than centered. It took several iterations to settle upon a satisfactory combination of fonts, type sizes, spacing, and use of bold type. I am the kind of person who will try many different ways of doing things, always thinking there is something better. I could have tinkered with this flyer for many more hours, but at some point I knew it was time to stop.
When I came to the peer review, I immediately realized that I should increase the size of my lettering and make the type size related to the importance of the particular bit of information. Other than that adjustment, I was pleased with how my flyer turned out. As a bonus, through working on this flyer I gained valuable experience with Indesign.
The requirement to use only drawn elements and text for the CD cover was the key challenge for this assignment. My goal was to create a CD cover with a sophisticated, professional look. For that reason, I opted to use the geometric drawing tools rather than the pencil tool. I wanted a yellow and hot pink color scheme, and I thought I was creating those very colors. However, when I printed the piece on an ink-jet printer, I found the colors were gold and blood red. When working on other projects I have had the same problem – the screen colors and the printed colors are different. The only way I can think to overcome this problem would be to have a printed catalog of all the colors so that the designer could choose colors on the basis of their printed hue rather than the look on a computer monitor.
I began by creating the background, a gradient of dark and light gold with the lighter portions near the outer edges of the front and back of the CD cover. The concept that I had in my mind – swirls of color dots – was achieved through a great deal of trial and error. The swirls I drew with the pencil tool were very bumpy and misshapen. I rearranged some of the points and then used the smooth tool to even out the curves. The smooth tool is pretty amazing; I still don’t understand how it works. Once I was happy with the swirl lines, I created a single pink dot with a satin finish and a drop shadow. I planned to duplicate the dot numerous times, place them along the swirl line, and then hide the swirl line. Interestingly, I discovered that I could not achieve the look I desired with all of the dots the same size. So I created four different sizes of dots and placed them in graduated sizes wherever the swirls ended or merged. This was the most tedious part of the assignment.
I put much thought in to the selection of fonts. Decorative fonts are difficult to choose because they are so stylized. The chosen font must harmonize with the overall style of the document. As usual, I was very indecisive over the size of each text element. The peer review brought out some good points in terms of placement of the text items. Some of the lines of text should be rearranged to create a more logical flow of information.
The flyer was a little easier for me. I think part of the reason it was easier is that I know something about the subject matter for this flyer. I think the more familiar I am with the topic, the easier the ideas flow for me.
For the flyer, I used two layers. I think this helped make the project easier to work. I was able to work on a few shapes to spruce up the project, and not worry about undoing the text. The layers feature is a big deal for me. I have worked with Microsoft Publisher for years, and know how difficult the one layer can be when trying to do a project. I do believe my creative ideas were a little better displayed using the two layers this time, versus the one layer in the first project.
The CD cover project is my favorite. I used four layers on this project. I mention this, because I think the layers helps make the designing easier. The first version, I was trying so hard to just get the required pieces into the design. I did have a good center graphic to work around, but did not do a good job getting the focus on it. As required, I played around with the various shapes, used the text path, and had fun putting the project together. With a last name of Byrd, it was easy to decide what I wanted. I just needed to find the right combination of tools available to make that little “bird” cute. I think I did it! I like the results of my labor; I am proud of my CD cover. I will continue to work on the “bird” to make it something I will use often; it may become my logo.
With each project, I find I focus more on the design than the how to get it completed. I know there are lots of tools to accomplish any design, it just requires I take more time. Now, I need to have a more discerning eye, and lose the fear of being creative.
Jeremy Wright For our flyer project, I created a flyer advertising summer classes for the Instructional Design program. I wanted to create a design that would make the viewer think of technology. I settled on an idea of a circuit board design with the USM logo encircled by soldering above a CPU-like shape that would act as an area for classes to be listed and other information relating to the program would be placed on the edges of the board like product/part numbers on electronics. I created the layout for the circuit board in AutoCAD and then imported the file into SketchUp to begin the 3d modeling. After the circuit board was modeled, I imported the file into a program called 3ds Max. I had already modeled a USM seal some time ago in 3ds Max and combined it with the circuit board. After everything was in place and assigned a color, I rendered out the image I wanted. The circuit board image was then used in the InDesign file and text was added where needed. I had difficulty making the text fit in the areas I had set aside for it, and tried to use a stroke on the text to bring it out. The stroke actually made the text harder to read, and when added to the small size of the text, made for an unreadable design. I reworked the design by removing the stroke from the text, making it a darker color, and increased the size of the text.
For the CD project I wanted to employ a design that looked cold and serious and would conjure up thoughts of computer technology or science. I decided to use a repeating hexagon pattern colored grey with intermittent red and white hexagons. I wanted to use a foldout design with information inside the pull-out. Some of the text I used in my design was initially too difficult to read. In addition, it was unnecessary to include information inside of the flap when it could reasonably all fit where one would not have to remove the cover.
Flyer Reflection I thought that the flyer would be easy to do. I had to realize that the plainer the better. I was using the wrong types of fonts and gradient, which made my flyer hard to read. After my peers critique it, I re did it using a font that made it easier to read. But then I forgot to put the most important information on my flyer which is contact information. I re did my flyer and added contact information. Dr Wang told me that my title must always stand out. That should be the first thing that catches my reader’s eye.
CD Cover Reflection I worked on my CD cover, and I was proud of the way it turned out. The one thing I had to remember was to make it easy for my readers to read. The most important think I had to do was making my CD cover creative. I thought that the sun and clouds made it look creative. I redid my CD cover and make my name stand out because I had the date as big as my name and it didn’t look right. The title and my name should be the first thing that catches the readers’ eye.
The CD case seemed to be so easy to design from the very beginning of the assignment. I learned the importance of "Layers" and created at least 3 layers in this project. I did have major problems creating the correct size. The first three attempts to print the cd case yeilded a print out less than an inch by an inch. I had to play with the demionions of the document several times, and during this time I realized that the document styles kept changing to "customize" instead of "letter". The CD case project was fun and a great learning experince. This assignment used the "pencil" feature to draw designs on the cover. I personal, would have perferred to import/place graphs instead of drawing a design. I chose to draw a simple little design on a solid background. The use of layers, text boxes, paragraphs, and character styles were fun.
ReplyDeleteNote: I was absent the night the CD case assignment was due and therefor missed the peer review.
Working on the flyer allowed me to explore more and learn more about color and font and how to make each one more visually appealing. My biggest problem with this project was that I couldn’t be sure the effect I was making would be visually appealing to someone else. While it seemed appealing to me, I couldn’t be sure that the coloring, font style and size, or generally set up would be eye catching when placed on a board. I especially worried about the coloring of the background and the text. I used a gradient background, which I considered to be very eye catching, but which used both a dark and a light color. This made it difficult to find a color for the font that stood out against both sides of the gradient. To solve this problem, I attempted to slant the gradient in such a way that one color would be dominant over the other. This allowed me to choose a color for the font that stood out well against the dominant size of the gradient.
ReplyDeleteThe peer review showed me that my gradient idea did prove eye-catching but that I still needed work on how I used font, as well as what I wrote. I hadn’t considered the fact that my “eye catch” tag line for the flyer really told nothing about subject being advertised, and so gave no incentive to read the flyer. I also did not realize until the review that what seemed like contrasted font styles were not contrasted enough to be effective. I decided to go back and redo the flyer’s text, relying more on font styles than color, as well as a more extensive use of kerning and tracking to better make my tag line stand out.
For the CD cover, my main problem was using the drawing tools to create my own images. I had absolutely no idea what I could or should draw and whether or not I could draw it to look appealing. So, I to overcome this, I decided I’d consider what sort of image I wanted on the CD cover and a get a picture of that image from off the internet. In this case, I wanted an image of a bookcase and a book on my cover. Then, using the drawing tools, I traced the image and then deleted it. So I was left with a drawing that was about what I desired without having to use an already made image. I then modified my drawings to look more like I wanted and added extra touches, such as books on the bookshelf, to make them more attractive.
The peer review definitely taught me the power of the drawing tools. There were some really well done designs, so I knew I couldn’t say it was impossible for me to draw something eye catching if others had been able to make such good images on their own. It also showed me that a design doesn’t have to be a “picture” necessarily. It can be a pattern, like a swirl of dots or a wall of arraigned pentagons. So long as the image is appealing, not simple and dull, then it works.
Reflection on flyer assignment
ReplyDeleteIt did not take long for me to decide on a subject for my flyer. The Adult Education program I work for is constantly trying to spread the word about the free GED classes we offer. I thought a promotional flyer could be a learning experience I could put to good use. The color scheme, maroon and gold, was already decided as was the informational content. So, the next step was to determine a theme and to design the flyer. In producing this flyer, I wanted to use some of the graphics features of Indesign that we studied about in class. In addition, I knew the flyer should have a great deal of contrast in order to capture the attention of a passer-by
The gold of JCJC’s school colors is bright and sunny, so I decided to use a “rising sun” theme for the flyer. Using the pencil tool, I drew an arc in the top part of the page to represent the sun on the horizon and used a feather gradient to make the gold gradually fade to white. For contrast I used the bold maroon color with white lettering behind the sun. I spent quite a while trying to get the arc smooth. When I was done, I realized an easier way would have been to use a complete circle and alter the path points to fit within the lower portion of the page. I played with a decorative font typed on the path of the sun to add a bit of whimsy to the design. Since people are attracted to images of other people, I incorporated a photo of a smiling young woman dressed casually. I found the necessary logos for the sponsoring and funding organizations by doing a quick internet search. Until now, I never realized how much thought must go into a seemingly simple flyer as one you would see any day.
With graphic elements decided upon, I turned to the informational content, which I knew off the top of my head. I decided to make all text left aligned rather than centered. It took several iterations to settle upon a satisfactory combination of fonts, type sizes, spacing, and use of bold type. I am the kind of person who will try many different ways of doing things, always thinking there is something better. I could have tinkered with this flyer for many more hours, but at some point I knew it was time to stop.
When I came to the peer review, I immediately realized that I should increase the size of my lettering and make the type size related to the importance of the particular bit of information. Other than that adjustment, I was pleased with how my flyer turned out. As a bonus, through working on this flyer I gained valuable experience with Indesign.
Reflection on CD cover assignment
ReplyDeleteThe requirement to use only drawn elements and text for the CD cover was the key challenge for this assignment. My goal was to create a CD cover with a sophisticated, professional look. For that reason, I opted to use the geometric drawing tools rather than the pencil tool. I wanted a yellow and hot pink color scheme, and I thought I was creating those very colors. However, when I printed the piece on an ink-jet printer, I found the colors were gold and blood red. When working on other projects I have had the same problem – the screen colors and the printed colors are different. The only way I can think to overcome this problem would be to have a printed catalog of all the colors so that the designer could choose colors on the basis of their printed hue rather than the look on a computer monitor.
I began by creating the background, a gradient of dark and light gold with the lighter portions near the outer edges of the front and back of the CD cover. The concept that I had in my mind – swirls of color dots – was achieved through a great deal of trial and error. The swirls I drew with the pencil tool were very bumpy and misshapen. I rearranged some of the points and then used the smooth tool to even out the curves. The smooth tool is pretty amazing; I still don’t understand how it works. Once I was happy with the swirl lines, I created a single pink dot with a satin finish and a drop shadow. I planned to duplicate the dot numerous times, place them along the swirl line, and then hide the swirl line. Interestingly, I discovered that I could not achieve the look I desired with all of the dots the same size. So I created four different sizes of dots and placed them in graduated sizes wherever the swirls ended or merged. This was the most tedious part of the assignment.
I put much thought in to the selection of fonts. Decorative fonts are difficult to choose because they are so stylized. The chosen font must harmonize with the overall style of the document. As usual, I was very indecisive over the size of each text element. The peer review brought out some good points in terms of placement of the text items. Some of the lines of text should be rearranged to create a more logical flow of information.
The flyer was a little easier for me. I think part of the reason it was easier is that I know something about the subject matter for this flyer. I think the more familiar I am with the topic, the easier the ideas flow for me.
ReplyDeleteFor the flyer, I used two layers. I think this helped make the project easier to work. I was able to work on a few shapes to spruce up the project, and not worry about undoing the text. The layers feature is a big deal for me. I have worked with Microsoft Publisher for years, and know how difficult the one layer can be when trying to do a project. I do believe my creative ideas were a little better displayed using the two layers this time, versus the one layer in the first project.
The CD cover project is my favorite. I used four layers on this project. I mention this, because I think the layers helps make the designing easier. The first version, I was trying so hard to just get the required pieces into the design. I did have a good center graphic to work around, but did not do a good job getting the focus on it.
As required, I played around with the various shapes, used the text path, and had fun putting the project together. With a last name of Byrd, it was easy to decide what I wanted. I just needed to find the right combination of tools available to make that little “bird” cute. I think I did it! I like the results of my labor; I am proud of my CD cover. I will continue to work on the “bird” to make it something I will use often; it may become my logo.
With each project, I find I focus more on the design than the how to get it completed. I know there are lots of tools to accomplish any design, it just requires I take more time. Now, I need to have a more discerning eye, and lose the fear of being creative.
Jeremy Wright
ReplyDeleteFor our flyer project, I created a flyer advertising summer classes for the Instructional Design program. I wanted to create a design that would make the viewer think of technology. I settled on an idea of a circuit board design with the USM logo encircled by soldering above a CPU-like shape that would act as an area for classes to be listed and other information relating to the program would be placed on the edges of the board like product/part numbers on electronics.
I created the layout for the circuit board in AutoCAD and then imported the file into SketchUp to begin the 3d modeling. After the circuit board was modeled, I imported the file into a program called 3ds Max. I had already modeled a USM seal some time ago in 3ds Max and combined it with the circuit board. After everything was in place and assigned a color, I rendered out the image I wanted.
The circuit board image was then used in the InDesign file and text was added where needed. I had difficulty making the text fit in the areas I had set aside for it, and tried to use a stroke on the text to bring it out. The stroke actually made the text harder to read, and when added to the small size of the text, made for an unreadable design.
I reworked the design by removing the stroke from the text, making it a darker color, and increased the size of the text.
For the CD project I wanted to employ a design that looked cold and serious and would conjure up thoughts of computer technology or science. I decided to use a repeating hexagon pattern colored grey with intermittent red and white hexagons. I wanted to use a foldout design with information inside the pull-out.
Some of the text I used in my design was initially too difficult to read. In addition, it was unnecessary to include information inside of the flap when it could reasonably all fit where one would not have to remove the cover.
Flyer Reflection
ReplyDeleteI thought that the flyer would be easy to do. I had to realize that the plainer the better. I was using the
wrong types of fonts and gradient, which made my flyer hard to read. After my peers critique it, I re did
it using a font that made it easier to read. But then I forgot to put the most important information on
my flyer which is contact information. I re did my flyer and added contact information. Dr Wang told
me that my title must always stand out. That should be the first thing that catches my reader’s eye.
CD Cover Reflection
I worked on my CD cover, and I was proud of the way it turned out. The one thing I had to remember
was to make it easy for my readers to read. The most important think I had to do was making my CD
cover creative. I thought that the sun and clouds made it look creative. I redid my CD cover and make
my name stand out because I had the date as big as my name and it didn’t look right. The title and my
name should be the first thing that catches the readers’ eye.