Monday, October 15, 2012
Project Two
Project two is complete! For this assignment, we concepted, wrote, designed, and produced a "How To" booklet on a process of our choice. I created a booklet entitled "How Not to Trim Your Own Bangs." Sadly, this process was based on real life; I've yet to succeed with the bang trim. But I did succeed in the assignment. Here's my finished draft.
Friday, October 12, 2012
We can do it!
The greatest call to action in the history of calls to action is, of course, Uncle Sam's plea.
But the second greatest call to action is ole Rosie the Riveter.
What 19-year-old freshman co-ed didn't have this poster plaster to their dorm room wall?
She came to life during World War II inside Westinghouse Electric as a motivational poster to boost the morale among female workers. Oddly enough, Rosie didn't become the icon she was today until the 1980s, when she was revived to became the face of the feminist movement.
Many assumed that the fierce cry of "We can do it!" was meant to inspire women to join the war effort. "Look at Rosie," the poster seems to say. "If she can do it, so can you."
She's beautiful with her coiffed hair, spider lashes, and painted lips. But she's also wearing a menswear shirt, showing off her guns, and has her jaw set. Rosie has it all and shows that women can be feminine and feminists. Dammit, we can have it all!
However, during the war, Rosie never strayed from the Westinghouse factories and even then, she only hung around during February of 1943. According to Westinghouse, the poster was not meant for recruitment at all. It was meant to encourage the already blossoming women work force to work harder.
No matter her intended purpose, feminists and pop culture have seized Rosie's strength and confidence to make a simple call to action: do what you want to do and be what you want to be.
It certainly works for me!
She came to life during World War II inside Westinghouse Electric as a motivational poster to boost the morale among female workers. Oddly enough, Rosie didn't become the icon she was today until the 1980s, when she was revived to became the face of the feminist movement.
Many assumed that the fierce cry of "We can do it!" was meant to inspire women to join the war effort. "Look at Rosie," the poster seems to say. "If she can do it, so can you."
She's beautiful with her coiffed hair, spider lashes, and painted lips. But she's also wearing a menswear shirt, showing off her guns, and has her jaw set. Rosie has it all and shows that women can be feminine and feminists. Dammit, we can have it all!
However, during the war, Rosie never strayed from the Westinghouse factories and even then, she only hung around during February of 1943. According to Westinghouse, the poster was not meant for recruitment at all. It was meant to encourage the already blossoming women work force to work harder.
No matter her intended purpose, feminists and pop culture have seized Rosie's strength and confidence to make a simple call to action: do what you want to do and be what you want to be.
It certainly works for me!
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Ummmmmm.......
I stumbled across this great article on, get this, Thesaurus.com. I thought it appropriate to post, in light of our class discussion last week (or was it the week before?),
Six words that can ruin your sentence
Full article here.
1) Actually
Yes, I actually agree with this one.
2) Literally
This word is literally the worst.
3) Basically
We use this basically to add finality to sentences that shouldn't be final.
4) Honestly
I'm honestly not sure why this word is on the list.
5) Like
But, like, I totally get this one.
6) Obviously
We use this word for things that aren't so obvious, obviously.
Though I use it myself, I would add "um" to this list. What words would you add?
Six words that can ruin your sentence
Full article here.
Yes, I actually agree with this one.
2) Literally
This word is literally the worst.
3) Basically
We use this basically to add finality to sentences that shouldn't be final.
4) Honestly
I'm honestly not sure why this word is on the list.
5) Like
But, like, I totally get this one.
6) Obviously
We use this word for things that aren't so obvious, obviously.
Though I use it myself, I would add "um" to this list. What words would you add?
Monday, October 8, 2012
4 Bookmark-able Websites
1) AdGoodness
I'm a sucker for good advertising. The creator of this website is too, apparently. Here, Frederik Samuel posts all the good, the bad, and sometimes, the ugly that the advertising world has to offer. Some folks are just so darn creative. A great place to get inspired.
2) GoMediaZine
Not only is this site an example of darn good web design, it's a super valuable resource. It was actually started and is maintained by a creative agency effectively using social media, but don't let that deter you. You'll find poignant insights, helpful tutorials, and great downloads.
3) Smashing Magazine
I had to include Smashing Magazine...in case you've been living under a rock for the last, oh, six years. Smashing is THE hub for all things going on in and around the design world. They throw designers a bone time and time again, and that's what keeps me going back. Apply liberally. Use often.
4) Graphic Design Blender
A classmate of mine from undergrad writes and maintains the ever-amazing Graphic Design Blender. The content is really the key to his success, but the clean and orderly design doesn't hurt. The information on his site is geared toward freelance designers and I've found much to appreciate about the well-written articles. Bookmark this one, for sure!
I'm a sucker for good advertising. The creator of this website is too, apparently. Here, Frederik Samuel posts all the good, the bad, and sometimes, the ugly that the advertising world has to offer. Some folks are just so darn creative. A great place to get inspired.
2) GoMediaZine
Not only is this site an example of darn good web design, it's a super valuable resource. It was actually started and is maintained by a creative agency effectively using social media, but don't let that deter you. You'll find poignant insights, helpful tutorials, and great downloads.
3) Smashing Magazine
I had to include Smashing Magazine...in case you've been living under a rock for the last, oh, six years. Smashing is THE hub for all things going on in and around the design world. They throw designers a bone time and time again, and that's what keeps me going back. Apply liberally. Use often.
4) Graphic Design Blender
A classmate of mine from undergrad writes and maintains the ever-amazing Graphic Design Blender. The content is really the key to his success, but the clean and orderly design doesn't hurt. The information on his site is geared toward freelance designers and I've found much to appreciate about the well-written articles. Bookmark this one, for sure!
Friday, October 5, 2012
Project One
My first design project of graduate school is DONE! Whew!
The task was to write a 250-350 word description of a food ingredient. The piece would appear in a magazine of my choice. I also had to choose two other pieces of information and, using appropriate graphics, create a layout for the magazine.
This is my first draft.
Initially, I was pleased with my first draft. However, several issues were pointed out during my critique.
First, my hierarchy was off and the eye of the viewer was lead first to the main image, next to the illustrations, then to the granola snack...and right on off the page. I was also reminded that my design and imagery didn't mimic Real Simple, the magazine I had chosen. Finally, my copy was not distinctive enough and instead, became a "pattern."
Throughout this week, I rearranged, hacked, and rearranged some more. It was difficult to cut ties with my first design and I certainly had to do some "killing of my babies." But I think my final design is much more reflective of Real Simple. Additionally, I believe I created a clear path for the eye to travel.
Great project! Glad it's over! Now, onto designing a "How To" booklet!
The task was to write a 250-350 word description of a food ingredient. The piece would appear in a magazine of my choice. I also had to choose two other pieces of information and, using appropriate graphics, create a layout for the magazine.
This is my first draft.
First, my hierarchy was off and the eye of the viewer was lead first to the main image, next to the illustrations, then to the granola snack...and right on off the page. I was also reminded that my design and imagery didn't mimic Real Simple, the magazine I had chosen. Finally, my copy was not distinctive enough and instead, became a "pattern."
Throughout this week, I rearranged, hacked, and rearranged some more. It was difficult to cut ties with my first design and I certainly had to do some "killing of my babies." But I think my final design is much more reflective of Real Simple. Additionally, I believe I created a clear path for the eye to travel.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Forget Pantone
Pantone makes a FORTUNE each year by mixing up brilliant colors and pairing them in even better combinations. And that's terrific! We look to Pantone for a perfect match when it matters. Plus, they shape our seasonal palettes.
Have you ever noticed the price tag associated with the Pantone name? Ouch. Sometimes, you just want to stick it to the man, you know? And that's where one of my favorite websites, COLOURlovers.com, comes into the mix...pun intended.
COLOURlovers is a creative community where people from around the world create and share, colors, palettes, and patterns, discuss the latest trends and explore colorful articles... All in the spirit of love. Yep. Pulled that straight from their website.
You can search through beautiful palettes,
check out amazing patterns,
and just plain get inspired.
Try it out and see what you think...in all that copious amounts of free time you have ;)
Have you ever noticed the price tag associated with the Pantone name? Ouch. Sometimes, you just want to stick it to the man, you know? And that's where one of my favorite websites, COLOURlovers.com, comes into the mix...pun intended.
You can search through beautiful palettes,
Monday, October 1, 2012
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