Feeling Full Mag Layout #2

This layout looks super goofy right now, only because I wanted to see what image works better with the final body text, font and headline. I decided I'm going to get rid of the plate image by the header and extend the image on the left past the gutter to make the layout more asymmetrical. I'll also work with the header and enlarge it to make it stand out more, and to fill a bit more of the negative space that will be above it after the plate image is removed. This one's getting there a bit quicker than the How Safe? layout, which is a nice feeling. Though both of these took me upwards of three hours combined to complete. Hopefully I can make some changes here and there to make them more solid for the final layout presentation.

How Safe? Mag Layout #2

I'm still having issues with the bars in this layout. I'm going to continue to streamline the design, subtracting the excess bars and type to make it more elegant and simple. I may decide to change the picture to a more interesting one, but I guess that'll depend on if I can find one or not. I'm also going to mess with the page number and article titles in the corners of the layout. I'm not really sure if they will work as well once I alter the design.

The Secret of Feeling Full Initial Mag Layout

I like this mag layout better than the How Safe? one because of the text orientation and circular imagery. I'm going to try and keep the text oriented to the bottom half of the layout in my final. The plate image is still a bit too dark so I'll have to lighten it up a bit so the text is more readable. And I'm not 100% sure about how I've put together the side-bar text. I still have to work that issue out as well.

How Safe? Initial Mag Layout

My initial layout was a test-run for certain ideas I am trying to incorporate into the final. It feels a bit crowded with all the picture bars so I'm going to work with that a bit more. I'm also not 100% sure about the corn image on the left hand side, though I do like how it's working with the top bar on the right hand side. I'm going to try to incorporate one solid image, then possibly add on from there. My header font is also too thin so I may choose a different font for that. It needs some work.

Stressed Out Mag Spread Final

To fix up my mag spread, I changed a few things so it wouldn't be so entirely boring. I fixed the image by adding a filter, though I can't remember which one cause it was an obscure one that I stumbled upon in the labyrinth that is PS. This jpeg is also not quite the final layout cause I just remembered I need to add tabs. Oops. I also changed the headline, which I think makes the layout more inviting. I sampled a color from the crazy dude's shirt and applied it to the headline and jazzed it up a bit with some squiggly lines and a shadow headline. I also fixed up the pull quote, which was a bit wonky before and applied the same shirt color. Sooooo yep! Oh, and this one took me about two hours to fix up in total.

Final NAHM Poster

K, so my final Native American Heritage Month poster is still pretty lame, but I tried to "sexy" it up a bit by adding more splatters in various places. I think the graphic is a bit more effective and interesting, and the text has better orientation compared to my last layout. I also changed the colors to spot colors and packaged the fonts and links properly. To fix this one up, it took me around an hour and a half, though it still isn't very different than the last. I'm hoping this one doesn't want to make you barf as bad as the last one did.

Initial Mag Layout: Stressed Out!

This initial mag layout is pretty bland overall. I need to work on the concept and add more eye catching interest into the design. I think adding more color and a better image are the first steps to improving this layout. I also need to use a bleed, which I forgot to incorporate in this one. It took me about two hours to put this spread together and I think the only good thing I accomplished is the almost spot on typesetting. I do also need to fix the pull-quote and make the page numbers and headers more interesting and accessible. I've got work to do on this one.

Native American Heritage Month #2

With this second layout, I feel like I actually have a concept, I have accomplished some kind of hierarchy and grid system, and have pulled the look together with the distressed font. I still need to fix the text gap and address the issue the faded question mark poses. I also need to rework the image into a vector graphic so I can use the spot color, and to make the design look better.

Gilligan Fonts

If I was stranded on a island and could only bring 5 fonts with me, I would choose Didot, Century Gothic, Helvetica, Cochin, and Avant Garde. I'm not really sure why I like these fonts besides the fact that they are the most aesthetically pleasing to me out of all the other "regular" fonts. I feel like any of these fonts could make a design a lot stronger because of the class they add, whether they're serif or sans.

Shut Up and Dance

My Shut Up And Dance poster came out well enough the first round. Though I didn't read the blog before I made it so it doesn't incorporate one of my Gilligan fonts. It does need some work as well. On top of substituting my Gilligan font, I need to incorporate a spot color, I need to move the text further to the right, and I have to fix the 2008, which isn't large enough and could use better orientation with the image.

NAHM Rework Initial Layout

The things I will include in my second production layout are...

Grid system

Less clutter

A better concept

Logos

And a larger graphic

These two works were significantly more successful than the previous four. I simplified a ton to come up with the ideas behind these. The Rock Climbing poster has a much more presentable look, though it is almost too simple to the point of it being boring. I think I'll go in and add a new element to it to balance out some of the negative space. One thing that I do think I could have done better is to choose a more fitting font. The mood that this poster gives is a bit too formal for a rugged outdoor activity and I could have had a bit more fun with it. 

The Salsa Club poster is more successful than the Rock Climbing one in that it incorporates a decent image with a watercolor filter that brings some movement and life to it. I also believe the way the typography and photo interact makes the composition more interesting. And I was very proud when this poster got chosen as one that could be considered to be taken further by the "client". Exciting day! 

Viscom II Flyer Reworks #3 

These reworks went a bit better than the first two. I decided that I would prefer to add some hand-drawn flair to my designs, so I gave it a try. I'd like to incorporate more hand created work into my design production because I believe it makes the design pop out more, especially in a sea of highly computer processed design. In this case, I didn't do so hot, but it was only my first try at i
ncorporating hand-drawn graphics or effects. The "Das Bier" flyer concept started off strong, but I believe the style of hand-drawn element in the background of the text is too textured and makes it hard to read, which I didn't intend to happen. The text is also kinda wonky because I resized it and re-spaced each sentence to make the shape of a pint glass, but this decreased readability as well. My "Make It In Clay" poster is a bit more successful in that the hand-made graphic is much neater and presentable. I used a 5 column grid in this layout, which helped, but I still feel like I could have made the text smaller and oriented it better throughout the page. I still have a lot of work to do to pull together good design in the little time we have, and also develop my own personal style in my work. 

Project #1 Viscom II: Flyer Reworks

I had a significant amount of difficulty with these, as you can already see just by looking at them. It was a good way to dust off the cob webs and get my mind thinking compositionally again. My first mistake was the fact I didn't use a grid system. The "Submit your art" flyer looks as though it could have one, but it's very basic and doesn't have a solid balance. The "Greek" flyer is way more mamby-pamby and has very poor balance. You can tell I was getting tired and over thinking things by this point in the process. 

On top of layout issues, I had resolution problems with

 the images I COB'ed. They looked fine in PS and even decent in ID, but as soon as I turned them into pdfs and printed them, I knew I didn't set the resolution high enough. 

The "Greek" flyer is also having bleed issues in that the curtains on the upper left hand corner are over a centimeter away from the edge of the paper making it look quite horrid. 

In my future reworks, besides being careful not to do everything bad that I already did on these, I plan on simplifying because each of these looks a bit cluttered and the use of negative space isn't all that great. I also want to use my typography skills a bit more, 

which will help in the simplification process. Overall, I need to design better. The end.