pbds 501- how would you use each program to create a newsletter?

The overall layout of the newspaper would be created with InDesign. This program will handle the bulk of the text and manage the graphics that I  import from other programs. Actual pictures taken from my camera would be altered in photoshop and then placed and resized into InDesign. I would use Illustrator to create the logos and custom designs for the newsletter. Photoshop and Illustrator would be used to enhance the overall indesign newsletter composition. Now I am ready to hit the print button!

I first picked this up because I liked the design!

I own a Nintendo Wii system which was "only wireless gameplay" when it first came out. I was in a Gamestop store and saw a well designed box with a smooth looking wired controller and the Wii Logo! If it were not for the great packaging job, I would never have realized that Wii makes more advanced controllers for their system! Many people complained how the original Wii controllers were too simple, so now the more advanced gamers can use these "classic controllers" for all of the Nintendo Wii Games! I also enjoy the great use of white space on the box. The design is very clean. Nintendo sells a lot of these!!!

An Ad from a well branded company!

Hollywood Casino is a well branded company. As many of you know, the company recently opened the first casino in Perryville, Maryland! They have created some of the best tag lines, such as "Hollywood, where the stars shine"; "Hollywood just got this much closer"; "Hollywood, the name says it all"; in addition to the "Rise to Stardom" billboard ad image which is posted below. Gambling is not viewed by all of society as a benevolent activity; yet Hollywood is portrayed in the billboard advertisement as good for all. It does not take into account that many people cannot afford to gamble their hard earned salaries in an attempt to exponentiate to a higher income level. Only very few people walk out as a star (aka. rich) and their billboards and advertisements are deceiving. This is some of the best marketing I have ever seen. It is so effective that gambling passed its legislation in the recent Maryland polls.

2 examples of well designed logos and 2 examples of poorly designed logos!

The 2 well designed logos I chose were FiFa International 2010 World Cup Soccer and Burger King! While the Fifa logo has many colors, it is still very simple and does a nice job creating the image of a soccer player doing a trick! This is a very attractive logo and it moves your eye throughout the design effectively. The Burger King text inside of a hamburger bun is cute. It is one of those logos that you can't forget! They limit their design to just 3 colors! The 2 poorly designed logos I chose were for the NFL team the Cleveland Browns and the NBA team the Portland Trailblazers! The Browns logo is a boring ugly brown helmet (instead of showing the dog pound) and it possibly the worst sports logo I have ever seen! The Portland Trailblazer basketball logo is 10 lines that I can't connect to their concept of a pioneer! The message is not communicated very well!

GOOD

BAD

2 pieces that show how Color positively/negatively impacts design

I have selected the Official NBA Logo as a positive example of color use. The intense blue and red colors on opposite sides create the image of a basketball player using white space! In my opinion, this is the coolest sports logo with great color contrast.  I chose a purple and green Atlanta hat (sold at LIDS) as an example where color negatively impacts the design. There are probably very few people who would look good wearing this hat! The Green and Purple colors are clashing together. It is just not the best looking hat!

share your tip- making postcards/stationery in 2 minutes!

Many of the postcards or stationary purchased in a store can take less than 2 minutes for the design to be created. My tip is called how to make stationery in less than 2 minutes! Step 1 is finding a background that you like. Step 2 is creating a white rectangle over the portion of the stationery where one would write. Step 3 is to lower the opacity (maybe 30/100) to preserve the image and create a nice thank you note. Finally, Step 4 just requires you to add the text that you would like! Also, my favorite tool in photoshop is free transform (control/command T) and I use it to change the angle or resize an image really fast using shift to prevent distortion! Below are "before and after shots" of a 2 minute stationery example that I have created!

example of a well done magazine layout

I chose "Prison Yarns" out of the September/October 2010 Style magazine. I love the image of the prisoners tattooed knuckles because tattoos are typically a form of visual arguments in prisons. This article discusses how a team of volunteers taught inmates how to knit dolls for needy children, which healed themselves in the process. The layout on the 2nd page has 3 columns of text with the 2nd and 3rd column partially replaced with another powerful image of prisoners knitting these dolls. This layout features Sans Serif and Serif Fonts and the title is very appealing because we generally think of prisoners as only bad people.

Use of indesign to build ideas (pbds 501)

Indesign has allowed me to improve my ideas for the 502 class through the use of pages. I can create 1 indesign file and make several different versions of a 502 project on a different page. By having all of my ideas each on a page, it is easy to keep switching back and forth between pages to eventually choose the best idea (which ends up being turned in)! I also think indesign has helped me better layout my text and objects on the page. I have developed a better way to use of my Photoshop skills and better incorporate them into indesign where I can create a better design layout.

2 examples of type as solutions

This Western Bar and Grill Design is a great solution using text. The font style + wood color makes one feel like they are sitting in a Wooden Cowboy Lounge! I love the use of glyphs (the stars) to separate Bar & Grill.

This Text used in the Bee Movie advertising is very appealing to the eye. They colors remind me of animated bumble bees and they did not even need to use any picture of the bumble bees! I also like the mirrored text of the word "movie"! It has a 3D feel and is very clean!

2 examples of well executed and creative pieces of conceptual artwork

1) Golden Arches logo typically symbolize capitalism and globalization for McDonald's, one of the most successful franchises in the world. While the current situation in Iran may have changed the effectiveness of this piece, the purpose was to show how any two countries that had a McDonald's location in between their borders have had no war. Everyone loves McDonalds right?! 

2) Bits & Pieces by Lawrence Weiner is a great example of creative concept. He is using typography to create a piece with a meaning that is expressed via the sum of all the parts. His famous pieces from the 1960's helped shape what we know as conceptual art today.

asymmetrical / symmetrical balance - 2 great examples!

1) asymmetrical balance : Juno Movie Poster

This Juno Movie Poster is a great example of asymmetrical balance because while the images are on the left and most of the text is on the right, there is still a lot of balance in this piece. I also like how her belly is in the center and the use of green text help make this piece flow very well. If she were turned with her belly facing the other direction, then I don't think this would work as well!

2) symmetrical balance : Cartoon image

This cartoon image is a solid example of symmetrical balance because all 3 cartoonish figures are evenly weighted! One could easily fold this page in half. Each character has two arms, two eyes, and a single heart that ties them together in one equally balanced composition. 

PBDS 501- re:Indesign CS5 experience

InDesign CS5 is a great addition to the CS5 suite. It basically incorporates all of the functions and tools of the previous versions into a more user friendly interface. My favorite part of the program is the side bar which you can customize to display your favorite tools/windows. This allows me to work quicker because now I don't need to search drop down menus anymore to find what I am looking for! The most useful tool I have discovered from any InDesign version is the "send to front/send to back" which allows you to position your text/image on top of another picture! The only thing I don't like is when you import a picture as a background and you lock the layer so that you don't keep moving it; sometimes you forget that you have locked the layer and cannot figure out why it is not moving! The book does a great job guiding users. I am trying to learn next how to transfer an altered png file directly from photoshop into indesign!

Figure / Ground + "CRAP"! (2 examples)

#1 Figure and Ground

A blank Continental Map of the world is a great example of Figure and Ground! The original image is on the left where the white on the page is representing the bodies of water while the land is the figure sitting on top of the page! I have inversed the colors on the map on the right hand side to show how different this map could appear!

#2 Quiet As A Mouse (my personal art) - using all 4 elements of C.R.A.P.

In my digital image creation "Quiet As A Mouse" the loud speakers in the background contrast the quiet mouse in the foreground! The layout shows repetition of all 4 speakers in each corner trying to make the same noise! The speakers are centrally aligned and the mouse is also centered as the figure over top the loud speaker background. Proximity is created by the sound waves which are getting louder and coming closer together! I recreated the famous idiomatic expression into a digital image for the Maryland Art Place Exhibit in 2005 and received an award for this piece.

2 Examples of Good Design and 2 Examples of Poor Design

Costco.com Good Example of Design

Costco offers thousands of wholesale items to its members through their physical warehouse locations and a booming e-commerce website. Their website layout lists all the major categories of products with a clean design as their main priority. Below, the company is featuring approximately 20 select deals on various products with impressive, large, and colorful product pictures accompanied by prices. It is very easy to navigate this site to purchase any product, and if a customer is unsure of a selection, the  marketing strategy designs with the 20 offers will immediately attract the attention of the customer. They will likely purchase a product that they did not intend to buy before entering the site! Thus, customers are lured into impulsive buying habits.

Bestbuy.com Poor Example of Design

Best Buy is a large retailer of consumer electronics with a domestic and international presence. Their business is worth about 50% the value of Cosco based on market capitalization. Their website is an eCommerce site that is not effective. To find a category, the customer must click on a drop-down menu requiring the visitor to think an additional step. They only promote approximately six items on their front page and are not hitting as many potential visitors as they could be.  If they displayed more pictures, prices, and categories, like Costco.com, the website would further enhance the value of their business. 

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Good Example #2 Campbell’s Soup Magazine Ad

The Campbell’s Soup punch line, “KIDS CRAVE. MOMS RAVE.” puts a smile on your face.  The text, along with the two spoonfuls of scrumptious looking soup, are designed in the friendly shape of a smiley face. Kids love the flavor of the soup, the mothers do not need to cook, and everyone is smiling! This is a very successful and simple magazine ad that gets the point across. Campbell’s is a household name and stands behind the idea of comfort food.

Poor Example #2 Sprint Magazine Ad

This Sprint ad in People Magazine features the text, “How much unlimited do you get for $69.99?” and a dull bar graph that compares Sprint to Verizon and AT&T.  It is a boring advertisement from a company that barely competes with Verizon’s Droid and AT&T’s iPhone partially due to the lack of an apps market. I personally prefer the Verizon Droid ads that claim that the Droid does it all. This Sprint ad does not capture my attention in any way and it never reveals the pricing of its other two competitors.  There is too much plain black text and most people won’t even understand the confusing chart which is their emphasis.