Design Brief 5

After reading over design brief 5, I am finally starting to feel more confident with using InDesign. It's somewhat ironic since the semester is almost over! However, as a technical writer, it's important to write clear and concise instructions, especially for a biology student early in the semester. Here are a few questions I have about design brief 5:

1.) Are we allowed to use more pictures than the one you posted? Or are we limited to just that one?
2.) Are we using the same repetitive concepts we used in design brief 4? For example, the picture we are using for this layout, can we add labels to it?
3.) Are we using strictly black and white for this brief, or can we use one color or colored paper?

Overall, I feel like this design brief seems slightly easier than the brochure. Like I said though, it may seem this way because I'm feeling more comfortable and aware of what to do. I'm looking forward to getting a start on this layout. 

Design Brief 4

When I first began this design brief, I had a lot of difficulty with it. I still think it needs work but I feel much better with it then when I began. I tried to incorporate a lot of repetition into the brochure (the pens, same typeface, headings). I plan to work on the arrangement of some things and possibly add a little more "fun" to it.

When I first began working on this, I thought that I would have too much white space, but as I continued to revise it, I came to the conclusion that I didn't have enough space at all! When I revise this for the portfolio, I plan to work on the second page specifically. I don't want the text to run across the whole page, I think it's a little too much.

I chose this typeface (Bookman Old Style) because it felt clean and easily readable. But thinking about it, this brochure is geared toward college students, and maybe they'd enjoy a more modern typeface. This is something else I will take into consideration when revising my brochure.

Overall, I think my brochure has potential and I plan to work up to that potential. I started frustrated, but now that I have a better conception of what I want, I feel more confident in my design.

Looking at my previous design brief drafts, I have definitely noticed many improvements and some things that still need to be improved. Taking this class was the first time I've ever used any of the Adobe programs and when we started with illustrator, I really enjoyed it. However, looking back on my very first draft, I noticed I wasn't concentrating on the contrast very much. As we continued to turn drafts in, I feel like I began noticing contrast more, therefore, I can see a difference from my first draft to the final layout. Repetition was somewhat required for this assignment, due to the use of only one letter. However, I did notice that on most, if not all of my tiles, I used a repetitive pattern as well.

When we began working on the second design brief, the doctors form and the poem, I started to consider visual hierarchy and alignment. When I began working on this design brief, I had absolutely no idea what to do or how to do it. However, as I look back on my drafts, I noticed a variety of improvements. Not only has my alignment improved, but I think my choice of typeface improved as well. In my first draft of the poem, I used SO many typefaces, thinking I was giving it variety. Looking at it now, it just looks chaotic! The final poem that I have at home is a world of difference compared to my first layout.

The third design brief, the dancer, started out slightly rocky for me as well. However, I learned how to make a layout, such as this one, professional. It took multiple attempts to create the image that I wanted and there is still work to be done on it. One important concept I factored into this layout was the audience who'd see it. I felt that I did a good job with the images I incorporated into the design. I think something that I still need to work on for this specific design brief is working with layers. I want to learn how to make my images less pixilated.

Working with the most recent design brief, as you know, I've run into some serious complications. One concept I took into consideration was repetition and unity. I definitely still have places for improvement. I'm not satisfied with my brochure and want to improve many things about it.

One major improvement I've noticed with my work is the overall presentation. 

 

As I was looking though many graphic design layouts, I came across this one. The first thing I noticed about this was the simplicity. The visual hierarchy seems easily outlined. The first thing I noticed was the photo and that intrigued me to read what it was about. I also believe that the typeface used fits the theme of the layout very well. I know color is something we haven't discussed much, but the colors used in this layout blend very well with one another and there isn't too much happening. I respect this layout because I get a clear sense of information without being overwhelmed or uninformed. *I also like the little music notes that were added :) It completes the layout.

I originally had a really difficult time working with photoshop. However, after much trial and error, I finally decided on this layout. When it comes to the visual hierarchy, I would hope that my audience would see the photo of the dancer first and become intrigued enough to read what it's all about. I hope that I made a clear visual path for my audience: "Simone Ferro...", Date, Text, Times.

However, there are definitely some aspects of this layout that I would still like to work on, such as the image. I don't feel like my image has a professional "tone" to it. I think the image I choose fits the context, but I'd like to learn more about photoshop to create a crisper image.

Overall, I've learned throughout working on this project that there are so many possibilities to create a layout. I think if I put more work into the particular design, it can take on that "professional" look we've talked about in class.

Design Brief #4

After reading design brief 4, I do have a couple questions/concerns:

1.) In class you mentioned we could incorporate one color into our brochure. Is this just the color of the paper? Or can we use a text color?

2.) When printing the brochure, does the printer automatically print on both sides? Or is this something we will manually have to do?

3.) While working with InDesign, is there a format that organizes each section of the brochure? For example, will each section of the brochure be visible on the screen so we know where to place things?

I find this project to be a little intimidating, but like anything else we've worked with, I'm sure its a lot of trial and error. I'm interested to see how everyone's brochure looks since we have a lot to work with.