Last Critique

I just have a couple last music departments that I hadn't yet posted here. The first is from the April 17 issue of Vox and the second is from the May 8th issue. I was really happy with the way the photo illustration turned out for the May 8th department. The art could have been boring otherwise.

Critique 13

My week has pretty much revolved around the gift guide. Here are a few of the versions it went through from older to newer. I'll post the actual final versions later.
I've also completed the first version of my flash project. Check it out here if you like. My website however is having problems. I was excited when I thought I figured out how to do a pop-up menu in flash, but the links aren't working properly. See the rough website version here. The Living with Arthritis website is also coming along. Becky and I hope to make it functional before the Tuesday presentations.

Critique 12

This past week I started working on the May gift/gear guide feature well with Cathryn. Here was my initial design. Cathryn and I wanted to use circle gift tags to identify the groups of items on each page and use a bright fresh color palette.

Now we are working on gathering art and possible studio shots of some of the products. Our next draft will be coming soon.

This has pretty much been my main focus design wise. I have been continuing work on my final flash project, as well as doing a complete redesign of my web site. I got a lot of mixed reviews from critiques last week and I started to feel that the design was not strong and had a sort of child-like quality. So I’m starting over. This week I will also be working on the Living with Arthritis web site with Becky, gathering art for the May 8 music department for Vox, and working on my mini portfolio.

Response 12

Our class today felt a little bit like a group therapy session again, but one without a lot of answers. While I know a full-time job won’t be easy, I can only hope it comes with a more regular consistent schedule. I feel like talking about time management with the schedules we have as students and working at Vox just doesn’t make as much sense. It’s hard to “ring-fence” your creative time when you don’t always have the same open amount of time each day or each week. I already do make priority lists and I usually put both urgent items on the list, important items and things I need to eventually get to. I can’t just drop those little things from my list or I’ll end up forgetting about them a few days later. The problem is often times quite a few of the items on my list are both urgent and important. I guess that’s just the nature of being a student.

You can't miss reinvented books and more portfolio advice

I was disappointed by a post on Publication Design this week. The post was about the We Tell Stories project in which people recreate “Penguin Classics” and design them to viewed on the internet. Based on this information and the cool looking jpg of the infographic version of Hard Times by Charles Dickens which was included in the post (seen at right), as well as the mention of a collaboration with a group of alternate reality game designers, I thought the infographic was going to be interactive in some way. Instead you simply clicked through the links like a book. It was still pretty neat though. Check it out here.

I’m slightly invading on someone else’s blog-covering turf now, but I happened to find a post from You the Designer on one page graphic design portfolios. It not only gave advice on how to build your web portfolio, but on how to get your web site out there by posting it to design inspiration sites and learning about search engine optimization. Get all the great tips and suggestions here.

You can't miss these covers and Adobe TV

In light of past class talks about George Lois during our historical presentations and the Lindsay Lohan/Marilyn Monroe cover, a post at Publication Design this past week caught my eye. The blog was upset over the poor use of a well-known Lois cover image on the May cover of Esquire. I have to agree with them. The original was successful at least in part because of the concept behind the image, the masculinization of women. This new one doesn’t seem to have much of a purpose other than putting Jessica Simpson in a baring and provocative pose. Here are the two covers below, images courtesy of Publication Design. What do you think?

I was excited to find Adobe TV on the Adobe website. There’s a channel specifically for designers with tutorial videos on everything from the beginning steps to learning Flash to more advanced illustrations using Photoshop CS3 Extended. Some are a little more fun (or annoying) or a little more helpful than others. The images below are screen caps from an episode of Caffe Fibonacci, which provides helpful tips and tricks for InDesign. Within just a few minutes, I learned how to paste vector art into display type.

Critique 11

I worked on a few different things this past week (and fell behind on other mostly non-design related work, sigh). I did the music department for the 4/17 issue of Vox. I came into the magazine office knowing I needed something to spice up the page. With the encouragement of both art directors, I think it turned out better than I had anticipated. Here’s the almost final version. The event info box has been moved so its not hanging in that awkward position anymore.

I completed three drafts this past week for the 4/24 Vox cover, a theme issue on LGBTQ life in Columbia. The original main sell line was Gay Life in Columbia 2008. I had a really hard time with this cover, trying to come up with concepts that would be effective without stereotyping. I don’t think I really ended up doing that.

I also worked on my website, which I presented in class. It definitely needs some work. That class left me feeling even more like I have no idea what to do with it. Its hard for me to design something that will represent me. And I guess I should start thinking of other logos/names.

In other classes, I was excited to get going on my final flash project, Exercising with Arthritis. I’ve got it partially working and all of the frames mostly designed. Some of the links still aren’t working and there aren’t animations of each exercise up yet. It wouldn't be placed on the page like this either. It's a very rough draft. Check it out here if you want. I’d appreciate any feedback.

This week I will be working on the May 1 Gift Guide feature package with Cathryn, the Living with Arthritis website with Becky, putting together my portfolio/mini portfolio, and maybe sometime eventually getting my master’s project proposal together and approved, hopefully sooner rather than later.