The Creative Process

Definition- a series of steps repeated every time you design something

Why do we need this?

1. Improves consistency

2. Ability to plan and time your work

3. Raise quality of your work

4. Communicate more effectively and in a more professional manner

The Steps

1. Research- client, competition, audience

2. Brainstorm/ inspiration- be innovative. think of what describes your client.  Questions to ask:

                      What kind of message am I trying to communicate?

                      Who is my audience?

                      What am I trying to tell them?

                      What kind of visuals will work for my particular audience?

3. Sketch- get your ideas out of your head and onto paper

4. Execute- create your developed composition, try techniques and utilize principles

5. Critique & Revise- take a (literal) step back, look with an objective eye.  Get other objective eyes as weyull. 

Composition Strat

Snapshot= a quick picture, often taken spontaneously, that captures a moment
photograph= an image taken with care and thought

Rule of Thirds- imaginary lines dividing your camera into thirds, both horizontally and vertically

• place important elements where these lines intersect
• place horizon line at the top or bottom horizontal divider
• fill up your frame for a close up image
• create leading lines of the composition to lead the viewer's eye through the photo

Point of view= change the way your subject is perceived by changing the camera position

• if you want an image to seem tall, compose so the shot is upward
• small shoot downward
• keep your background simple fool
• mood is affected by the background
• chaotic= bad bad bad
• original point of view adds interest

Semester Reflection

I truly have learned a lot this semester, more than I thought there was even to learn about Graphic Design.  I came into this class thinking that by the end I might just be able to become adept at Photoshop and Illustrator, and that might help me for other classes.  But I was quite pleasantly suprised to actually (at least I think) significantly progress in my skills in them.  My favorite thing to learn, though, are the theories and principles of design.  I love to find out how the juxtaposition of two colors can completely change the meaning and feeling of a design.  I think this stems from my enjoyment of writing music; Design and music are somewhat intertwined in that way, even if you have the skill, if you do not know the theories to really evoke the emotion or thought that you want to, be it excitement by using complementary colors in a propaganda poster, or dwelling on a melancholy feeling by changing to a C6 chord and slowing down in a fast song in the key of F, you are not left with a truly meaningful or effective creation.  That is what i would like to learn more about next semester, the principles that you can apply to a design to augment its effectiveness.   

Review Week 17

Yes.  I thought how serifs were originated was pretty cool, never thought they just kind of came about like that.  Also, even though I already knew that there were different kinds of serifs, I did not think hat thye were so structurally classified, I just thought that they were just designed to look good.  Cool article

"Review Week 16"

Of the seven classifications, which classification(s) would best work as body type? Why?
I believe Sans Serif would work best as a body type.  This is because it is the most basic, as it has no embellishments like serifs, and would be the easiest to read for extended times

Identify the lowercase characters that have ascenders?
i, f, h,k, l, b

Identify the lowercase characters that have descenders?

q,y,p,g,j,
 

Slab Serif.  Process of elimination/ its thick flat serifs.

 
Script. very flowy with loops and lots of curves, looks like cursive hand writing
Decorative.  The sketching look makes it themed.

Sans Serif.  It has 0 serifs
Blackletter. very ornamental with varying thick and thin strokes

Old Style.  While this is like others in the way that it has low contrast between thick and thin strokes, its angled and wedged serifs gave it away big time for sure. 

  

Modern.  Its thin and flat serifs are how i knew.

Podcast #5 Typography

Define typography?
art of express ideas through the selection of appropriate typefaces

Where did the word "typography" originate from?
form and writing

What does typography involve?
creating and modifying type using a variety of illustration techniques

What is a typeface?
distinctive designs of visual symbols

What is another term for typeface?
fonts

What is a character?
individual symbols that make up a typeface

What is type style?
modifications in a typeface that create design variety while maintaining the visual style of the typeface

What does type style "create" within a design?
design variety

What is the waist line and what does it indicate?
imaginary line drawn at the middle of the characters, where lower case letters stop

What is a base line and what does it indicate?
imaginary line drawn at the bottom of the characters, where all symbols sit

What is an ascender?
the part of the character that extends above the waist line

What is a descender?the part of the character that extends below the waist line

Describe a serif?
smaller line used to finish off a main stroke of a letter

How can the size of the typeface be identified?
point size, from the top of the ascender to the bottom of the descender

What is a point?
the vertical measurement used to identify the size of a typeface.

How many points are in an inch?
72

What is a pica and how many are in an inch?
1

How many points are in a pica?
6

What is body type and where can it be found?
type sizes that range from 4-12 points.  Found in places where a lot of text is to be read

What is the key to selecting appropriate typefaces to be used as body type?
readability is key

What is display type and how is it used?
sizes above a 12, used to draw attention to a message

What is reverse type and when would it be used?
white type on a solid black or dark background. display type is necessary

What is a typeface classification?
basic system for classifying typefaces that was devised in the 19th century

When was Blackletter invented and how was it used?
earliest typeface, used in the mid 1400s with the printing press

Describer the characteristics of a Blackletter typeface?
very ornamental with varying thick and thin strokes

When was Old Style invneted and what was is based on?
Made in the 16th century based on ancient roman inscriptions

Describe the characteristics of an Old Style typeface?
wedge shapes and angled serifs, with low contrast in thick and thin strokes

When were formal scripts developed?
17th and 18th century

When were casual scripts developed?
20th century

Describe the characteristics of a Script typeface?based on forms made with flexible writing tools, like brushes, reminiscent of handwriting
 
When was Modern typefaces developed and why?
the late 18th century as a radical break from traditional typography

Describe the characteristics of a Modern typeface?
sharp contrast between thick and thin lines, flat and thin serifs

How early can Sans Serif typefaces be found? What happened?
early as the fifth century, but the Italian renaissance's return to old style made it obsolete 

When did they become popular?

in the 1920s

What does "sans serif" mean?
without serifs

Describe the characteristics of a Sans Serif typeface?
no serifs and very monotone, no variation in thickness and thinness

When was Slab Serif developed and why?
in the 19th century for advertising

Describe the characteristics of a Slab Serif typeface?
uniform line weight, but with thick square serifs

Describe Decorative typefaces?
most distinctive designs, with a specific purpose or theme

Why were they developed?
for these specific themes that no other typeface fit

What are they best used for?
larger point sizes, or display type

Review Week 13.... spoooookkkkyyyyyy

repetitionrepetitionrepetitionrepetition

The repetition used in this image is pretty self explanitory.  The architect just repeated the same archway over and over in a single file line down a hall.

 BalancE

Balance in this design is used to create a sense of order, as it is symmetrical, formal, balance.  This is accomplished by having the same weight, or amount of actual images, on either side of the vertical axis.

 scale

Scale is the relative size of elements in comparison to each other, and the human body is most often used.  This Dali piece does just that.  If the human had not been there, one may have thought that it were just a regular sized horse and elephant with spider legs. The human, though is there, not only as a symbol, but to show the actual enormity of the other elements in the design

 emPHasis

Emphasis is used in this design primarily through the lines of the moonlight dragging the eyes of the viewer to the eye of the subject of the picture.

UNITY

Figure

RhYtHm

contrast

How do you add a layer mask to a particular layer?by clicking the button on the layers pallet that is a little circle and coloring in the part of the layer that you want masked.
What two colors are used to create the mask?
Black and white
Describe the process of using a layer mask?
First, click the button, then make sure you have the mask selected, then color whatever you want masked black with the brush tool, then if you mess up recolor what you don't want masked white, then sit back and enjoy your mask.