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.

Response 11

I admit I wasn’t too excited about sitting in on the judging session for the SSND awards this afternoon. I had already been to a session last spring when I was in the Advanced News Design class. Being able to watch the panel judge Vox entries was new for me though. I found myself defending some of the designs (that weren’t even mine) in my head, just based on the discussions and critiques we’ve had in class. It almost made me wish there were a part of the entry form where the designer could explain the concept, the story and what their goals/limitations were for the piece. I know this would make judging much too long and difficult though.

Critique 10

This past week has been hectic for me. Design-wise, I completed my Living with Arthritis designs. I’m not really happy with them. I think the department I did could use some better images. The feature I worked on is much too boring right now. I wanted to make the first text column with the large I drop cap look like the black and white key of a piano, but I don’t that comes across on first glance. I guess I need to make it a little more obvious. Those designs are below.

Becky and I also did a preliminary design layout for the Living with Arthritis website. It also needs some reworking, plus the website will hopefully be wider than this letter-sized draft.

I also completed the design plan and storyboard for my final flash project, which was more work than I had imagined. Hopefully working that out now will help the rest of the process of creating it go smoother.

I’ve worked on the Arrow Rock book cover also. I’m not really that excited about the cover I designed. Here it is.

This coming week I will be finishing up my website, designing covers for the 4/24 issue of Vox and designing the music department for the 4/17 issue of Vox.

Response 10

My response this week is going to go back to a couple weeks ago when we were finishing up the Columbia Home & Lifestyles logos. We were given this website for logo inspiration. What’s interesting is their most recent posts are for blog logo awards. One of the logos featured is Fonstruct’s, the website I just posted about. Their logo is to the right. It does seem to suit the website’s purpose well. More interesting to me were the personal blog logo designs. I think it is really hard to make a logo for yourself. It seems challenging to me to design something that so represents yourself. I would want to change mine too often. Here are a couple personal blog logo designs.

You can't miss another font construction website and some helpful advice

For all you typography lovers, Publication Design featured a website where you can easily “fontstruct” your own typeface from geometrical shapes. Check it out here. The gallery shows the variety of fonts you can construct with the free website tool. Below are a couple of examples.

I also found this website, which has a lot of information on how to get into graphic design, tips for interviewing and a breakdown of the categories of graphic design jobs that are available. Plus there is a link for free Photoshop brushes and fonts.

Response 9

The link to the New York Times books blog Professor Colbert sent us is really interesting to read and look at. I think one of the most intriguing parts is looking at the differences between the design of the US and UK covers of books. Why are some so vastly different from entirely different cover images to the varying typefaces? One of the posts has a US book cover, with a title font that I think seems to better suit the cover, and a UK cover with a totally different typeface and title placement. Are US and UK audiences that different that the design needs to be radically changed for each market? Here are the two covers I mentioned below, the US one is first.

You can't miss glow-in-the-dark magazine covers and John Stossel

Publication Design posted images of a glow-in-the-dark ad on the front of a magazine cover. The magazine Vice used glow-in-the-dark ink to run an ad for BMW over the cover image. I guess the magazine doesn’t need to be concerned about what the cover looks like in the dark, but would this really be a successful way to advertise? Who reads a magazine in the dark?

Also, I came across this video on You Tube of John Stossel with a report on the three most common design mistakes. Comic Sans tops the list. It was supposedly made for an AIGA conference. It’s probably good that it wasn’t one of his “give me a break” segments.

Critique 9

Why does spring break always go by so fast? I didn’t get quite as much done as I had hoped, but here is what I’ve done since my last post. I revised three of my Katy Home logos for Columbia Home and Lifestyle and created three new covers.
I also worked on getting art for the April 17th issue of Vox, all publicity stills. The Living with Arthritis design is underway. Meredith provided our groups with fabulous templates. My department and feature are still in the rough stages right now. Becky and I also came up with a rough design/layout for the Living with Arthritis website based on Meredith’s design for the magazine. I’m kind of excited to start working on the website. Becky and I are also working on the design plan and storyboards for our final flash projects, which we hope to incorporate into the Living with Arthritis website. Here are the first couple storyboard scenes for my final project (at least for now).

I didn’t realize just how much work went into making flash applications that seem pretty simple. Check out the one I did over spring break here. Ice cream anyone?

Coming up, I need to finish my Living with Arthritis design and Becky and I will be creating a less rough static design of the Living with Arthritis homepage. I hope to get to working on the Trends assignment and work on my portfolio website. Meetings for the May 1st Vox feature I’m designing should be getting underway this week, too.

Step Inside Design critique

I looked at the September/October issue of Step Inside Design magazine. The content is mostly about design, designers or the professional aspects of designing. The readers of this magazine are definitely designers, but designers of all types from magazine designers to graphic designers to product designers. Magazine designers can use this magazine for inspiration, knowledge of the latest industry news or trends and professional advice. The cover to the right is of their recent issue.

The design is pretty ordered with subheads defined by their all-capitals appearance and text columns fairly structured. However, there are a few unexpected design choices. Different portions of the text are made larger and set in a gray color, but the choice of which section to treat this way is not consistent, which adds an element of surprise. The features are designed similarly to the departments and even have the same Step logo going down the side of the first page, but still stand out as being different through the use of more color and more images. The magazine seems to take unexpected design liberties to add interest to pieces that are otherwise cleanly designed. For example, the issue I looked at had an interview feature, in which sections of the text were in opposite colors from the previous sections. Beyond this, the art for the spread was very ordered in columns filling up the following page. Here’s an example of a spread from a 2007 issue of the magazine. It is a good example of how ordered their design is.

The magazine appears to use mostly a two-column grid structure throughout the magazine. Often the first page of text will be one column with a width of the whole page, which will be followed by a page with two-columns of text. However one department looked more like it was set in either a four-column grid or a more complex grid. While the magazine has a very consistent style, it doesn’t seem tied down to it, which gives it a more freeing, off-beat feel.

Response 8

Creativity is abstract and subjective. That is why I really like the quote from French film director Robert Bresson, “Make visible what, without you, might perhaps never have been seen.” I think that everyone has his or her own kind of creativity and the ability to create something no one else can create. Creativity is allowing yourself to explore your potential and create something great, as long as you open yourself up to it. With creativity, I think you have to try to let go of the fear of not being good enough, while still challenging yourself to be better.

You can't miss the moonwalking bear and web design inspiration

Because I’m thinking about what to do for my video project I’m starting, I thought this post from Publication Design was interesting. The ad is simple, but effective. Watch closely.

I also thought I’d post a link to this website, Favourite Website Awards, while we all are working on our portfolio websites. They have tons of cool websites that can provide inspiration. This is one I found on the site a while back. Forget the music (I haven’t even listened to it), Minuit’s website is incredible. Pick a character, name yourself and have fun talking to other people that are on the site at the same time. How amazing is that?

Critique 8

This week I had quite a bit of design work. I designed the music page for the March 20th issue of Vox. I was excited to manipulate the publicity still this week, and although I didn’t do much to it, I think for a half page department it looks more exciting than it could have been. This was my first draft.
The album artwork is now a little smaller and moved to overlap the bottom right corner of the photo. The red color matches the album better and the event info box replaced the pull-quote, resulting in a less-cluttered look. I’ll post the finished version after Wednesday.

I was also in the cover group for the March 20th issue. I admit I wasn’t too happy with the cover options I came up with. I especially dislike the green poker table background on one of them. Here are the first four:
We all completed revisions, as well. I tried to make myself think out of the box with how to manipulate the photos, but I don’t think I really did. Those three are below.
I must have done something right with the full photo cover though because the covers were narrowed down to Anne’s Vegas sign cover and my photo cover. After several more drafts, it evolved into these two:
I also completed a selection of logos for Columbia Home & Lifestyle magazine. I chose to add “home” to the new Katy title. I thought Katy Home gave it the Columbia aspect (Katy Trail), a feminine feeling, as well as directly pointed to the home content of the magazine. Below are my 10 executed logos and my five covers.
Coming up, the Living with Arthritis design group will be meeting on Thursday to start discussing design for the prototype, I will be meeting with the editors for the music department for the April 17th issue of Vox, working on the trends/interview assignment and starting improvements to my portfolio website, as well as developing a design plan and storyboard for my final Flash project. I also have a video project coming up for another class, and I’m hoping to start shooting for that over spring break. Wish me luck, I’m pretty sure I don’t have a steady hand!