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.