Website Design

             Over the course of my time in Com322 I can honestly say I learned a lot more about Adobe applications then I knew going into the class. Prior to taking the course I had never worked in InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator or Dreamweaver, so as you can imagine working in these applications was a new experience for me. From the resume design, to the poster, to the post card to the brochure it was all an exciting and at times frustrating experience for me. The last project we were asked to do was a three page website which I had never done in my college career and not only did I learn how to use Dreamweaver to construct my own website, I now have a working website I can use in my professional life as well as promote myself as a communications major. I can also in the future make different websites for myself and for others. My website has all the proper content including a professional profile picture, a brief biography, a collection of my work, and a contact page. As I carry on in my professional life I can now efficiently add pieces of work and remove older pieces of work as my website grows. I have other projects from different classes that I can add to the site. Another good aspect about creating my site is that because I’ve been able to make a website so earlier in my career will be able to see how my brand and skills grow overtime. Another way I can use my skills in all of the Adobe applications is for future jobs. At a certain point after college I will be applying for entry level jobs and I can put down that I have worked I these applications which expands my expertise according to employers. One of my favorite elements of the website is that I have working social media links that can lead you right to my professional pages and blog. On my profiles page I have social media projects that I completed throughout the semester that tie into my website. It showcases my best work in the adobe applications and also shows my progress as a student from my very first project to my last. Lastly it gives viewers an idea of what I am capable of doing and how well I work in InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Dreamweaver. Over all my experience of designing the site was a very informative one. I became more aware of how creative I was as designing something to represent myself in a visual way. Learning how to use the software used to design the site helped me to realize how organization is key. The codes and inserts used to make the website was a bit confusing at first, however organizing my site folders helped me out tremendously in staying on track and placing things in the right folders. All elements of the Adobe applications helped me in designing my site.

InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator

  The post card exercise was an essential part InDesign communication for a few different reasons. One being because this is the first exercise that we used all three adobe applications for one project. Usually when working on a project we only uses InDesign, or maybe InDesign and Photoshop, but this time around we used InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator so it was pretty cool and informative to see how they all interact with each other at once. Also being able to have all three applications open at once and going back and forth between each one I picked up a few tricks and shortcuts that I hadn't know before. It makes it much more easier for me to apply what I’m learning in class. I believe very fluent in adobe InDesign but I was lacking the essential skills I needed in Photoshop and Illustrator so this exercise helped a lot in those areas. As far as the design and color pattern I chose for my post card, when I originally picked my picture I wanted to choose a color that correlated well with the color of the clothing I was wearing or the lipstick I had on. I remember learning in class that color scheme is one of the many key aspects when making a design. So I tried to stay within the whelms of the photo I chose. When I transported my picture from Photoshop into InDesign I noticed that my picture was pretty pixelated, which brought out certain colors I hadn’t initially recognized when I chose the picture for the postcard. The picture being slightly distorted brought attention to the slight specks go navy blue in the robe I had on. This got me thinking that because the specks were so small and almost unnoticeable, it would be smart to make the background color of my postcard the same as the navy blue to bring attention to the colors in my robe. I made those adjustments and the color change and selection began to bring life to my postcard. My postcard describes me as a fun loving and free spirited individual so in order to keep design in sync I chose to use a fun font that’s blocky and big for my heading and name just so it can be an easy to read for viewers since it's one of the first things you see when looking at the postcard aside from the picture. Another important lesson I learned in class is that all text that you use in any design has to be readable to viewers; otherwise it defeats the purpose of the design in the first place. What’s the point of having designed a postcard if no one can read it? For my body text I wanted to use a text that would compliment the picture I used. I also wanted the text used for the body copy to be completely different than what I used as a header for a couple different reasons. The first reason was because I didn’t want each space of text to look repetitive. I wanted the header with my name to be bold and the first thing that catches your eye, aside from my beautiful picture. I also wanted to italicize the body text because my post card is based around my picture. I used a slightly italicized font that is also easy to read because it was flirty and complimented the expression I was giving in the picture. The heart graphics I choose to use also went along with the flirtatious vibe I was trying to exhibit. I didn't exactly realize how seductive the picture was until it was blown up, and from that I strategically choose to go with a certain things in my postcard. Overall I learned a lot more than expected such as how to save certain files when wanting to transport them to other adobe applications. I learned the proper way and exactly what to save certain designs as so they can be reopened into other applications. I learned a lot more about layers and paths as far as Photoshop. I learned how to bring a picture that’s stored in my phone or an image online into Photoshop and how to properly crop a selected part of the image out and place it somewhere else.  As I’ve stated in the first blog post I’m more of a visually learner and the post card project was a fun way for me to learn more these applications at once.

Checklist/Poster Project

Research:

 

http://www.clarkprosecutor.org/html/death/dpusa.htm

http://deathpenalty.procon.org

      The topic I was given was capital punishment otherwise know as the death penalty. Briefly giving you an overview and a little history on the topic: capital punishment is the legal authorization of killing someone as a punishment for a crime.  The death penalty in the United States began in 1976 and as of April 1^st, 2008 was authorized by 37 states.  Between the years 1977 – 2009 1,417 people were executed in the US. Most capital punishment cases involve the execution of murders although the qualifications of the death penalty include treason, espionage, and other crimes. There are many methods of execution since 1976 including hanging; firing squad, gas chamber, electrocution, and most commonly used lethal injection. Race and execution varies with white males ranking with 56%, blacks 34%, Hispanics 8% and other at 2%. Executions are on the decline; there were 35 executions in 2014, which is the lowest number of executions since the year 1994. The top 5 states with the most executions since 1976 include Texas with 529, Oklahoma with 112, Virginia with 111, Florida with 90 and Missouri with 86.

        The concept of capital punishment touches upon social, political and economical viewpoints being that it is a very controversial topic. Social issues may include if a person’s race affect the likelihood of him/her receiving the death penalty, or should victim’s opinions matter when considering the death penalty. Political issues may include whether or not the death penalty should be banned all together or should it strictly be reliant on the state. Economic issues may include the fact that capital punishment is more expensive then sending a person to jail for a lifetime. In the case scenario I am pro capital punishment.

Visual Communicator

 

    

       There are many different types of ways people respond to communication including visual, verbal, audio, and written. The type of communication I respond best to is visual and written for a number of different reasons. I have always been a visual communicator. Visual communication stimulates my mind because for me I am able to understand the concept and creation behind what I am seeing. If I am able to see how something is designed it makes it much more easier for me to remember how to do it myself in the future. As far as written communication I have always been an advocate of repetition. I keep written notes, and then recopy those notes and it becomes easier for me to remember what it is that I’m writing. Writing and recopying has worked for me for as long as I can remember and I’ve developed a skill, as many students have of stored memory I’ve written.

          For visual communication there are a couple necessary tools. These necessary tools are symbols and images. When you first look at a design whether it be a poster, flyer, billboard, website, the first thing you notice is the picture that’s being displayed. More often than not you see an image, or a picture and then read whatever words happen coincide that image. Whether or not you remember the words, its more than likely that you will remember the image or symbol, which is why it is important that those aspects of a design are the strongest.

        Three brands that’s have strong visual communication is Nike, Target, and Burger King. Nike in my opinion has one of the strongest visual communications across the nation. Whether you are in the U.S or over seas everyone recognizes the Nike swoosh. Not only is it a popular brand that many young and old are familiar with the image itself is a stand along image that will always be recognizable. Nike has marketed its logo in such a way that when you see the Nike swoosh or just the name brand you know they go hand in hand. Each aspect of the brand logo and name is so simplistic and identifiable.  Another company that has a strong visual communication is Target. Again this is a company that has a stand-alone image. The name of the company and the symbol coincide with each other. The target graphic lets the viewer associate the symbol with the store. The red color with of the target also gives the viewer a sense that’s it’s a real target, since most bull eye targets are red. Lastly another company that has strong visual communication is Burger King. In my opinion One of Burger King’s strongest parts of it graphic and logo is there is an actual symbol of a burger strategically places inside the logo. Being that it is a fast food restaurant, selling burgers this graphic set it apart from other fast food restaurants and makes it automatically recognizable across the country. 

Successful Logos

Targets logo is a nationwide, household logo that everyone recognizes at first glance.  One of the main reasons this logo is successful in my opinion is the bulls eye picture paired with the name “target.” Its simplistic, but at same time is a stand alone logo so much that if you were to remove the name the picture is still widely recognizable .

This logo is very futuristic in the way it uses circular illustrations to create a 3D looking globe. The fading affect across the whole logo causes dramatic effect as well.

The chocolate bar logo is simple, but very clear and concise. The idea of using “melted chocolate” to design a martini class was perfect in branding the name of the restaurant.  In one way it looks like a martini class in another way in looks like a dripping dessert.

 This restaurant logo is very well thought out, with the use of the cookware illustration as part of the letter in the name. the word WON is eye catching and immediately draws you end and the word restaurant is bold and easy to read.

This logo makes a lot of sense to me. Sushi is an Asian Cuisine and using the chopstick illustration to mimic the letter H in the word is creative and shows a well thought out design.

My Own Company

      ES Media group is the name of my company. My company is a group of media entrepreneurs that know how to strategically build brands through campaigning services. My target clients will be those within the entertainment industry that have a vast following. Through innovated solutions my goal is to help build brands and companies for consumers. ES media group will connect your dreams with the resources to make it reality.