IMAGE MAKING | Sins book layout

I have been working on my cover page and my inside layout for my Seven Deadly Sins project. I wanted to incorporate the colors of my photos on my booklet cover and my second and third pages.
I first used an image from my photo collection, but then I realized we were not to use a images on the front cover. But anyways this is what I had initially had:

I had wanted to use the feet on the front cover to allude to the fact the my book was using only the feet (from the knee and down) to portray the seven deadly sins.

But after changing my cover and inside pages, I am much more pleased with them, and believe it is much more powerful to have the audience not knowing exactly what to expect. So yeah, expect the unexpected:

Cover

Second page, explaining what the seven deadly sins are

Third page, listing the seven sins and briefly what they are

I have not finished my colophon. But it will look very similar to the examples above. It will have the salmon colored bar with the text matching the background, creating a bleed.

VIS COM | Color icons, updated swatches

After having out first crit using the colors within the icons, we of course had changes to make. I realized I need to do a lot of color correcting with my print outs and really think about the color choices to further push the icons. Being about an operation, I need to stick with colors that give a clean and bright feeling, like the feel you get in a hospital. I will not be using any pastel or muddy colors.

 

My colors will also relate to blood, skin, and scrubs. Using the correct shade/tint of these colors will be very important. I believe making these changes will increase the communication level of my icon set.

IMAGE MAKING | Seven deadly sins

At the beginning of this project I was going to take pictures of objects only. One object that portray the sin. Then decided that that wasn't the best plan. I wasn't originally going to use people in my sin series. But then I decided to do the sins using only people's feet. I still have a lot of work to do, but I think this is a better plan then the first one.

I have taken a few test shots for four of the seven sins:

 

Gluttony

 

Envy

 

Sloth

 

Lust

I need to work on the pictures being more cohesive. Maybe using all natural light, or black and white. Maybe just shooting in one area. I have so many choices.

VIS COM | Color icons, with color swatches

We first used color pencils (Any color, hence my horrid color choices) to iterate where our final color palettes would be placed. During class we chose which selection we should continue to iterate.

 

  

The black boxes show the two directions I will be incorporating color into.

  [Time to combine]

After doing my color swatches for my icons, it's time for color iterations using the icons:

 

My two directions are divided and iterated using my three chosen icons. Out of the two directions, I like the one on the right, which fills the subject instead of just important parts of the object.
The four sets that have black boxes around them are iterations of the original iteration. I wanted to explore how the icons would communicate if they were filled with different colors, or used different colored background. I did this because all of my icons are very cohesive; some may say too cohesive, making them boring. I was trying to see if breaking the cohesion with different color choices would help my dilemma.
I am leaning towards the different fills.

F + S

 

(Heehe)

VIS COM | Color swatches revised

After class critque over icon color style choices, we went over color out color swatches and this is what I produced:

 

I think I have a pretty good color range and I am excited to see which colors look best with my icons. I really like the aqua blues and the bright reds. I think that would look nice with the outlines of my crisp white icons.

We will see!

VIS COM | Icon corrections and beginning color

After out "final" critique of our icons Friday, I realized of course these are not final. I received some good feedback and have been correcting them to better my icons. I believe one of the biggest things I need to correct is the weight of the white line and reducing the harsh black. The thick black rectangles are causing the white line to disappearing and losing the icon all together.
I am in the process of fixing that, and correcting/iterating based off my critque:
The top icons are the original, and you can see I am just iterating them below, allowing my to compare them to one another.

 

We have now began color, and I am excited to see what color will bring to our icons. I believe my icon group will look much more cohesive and complete when color is added. I am once again using my image booklet we made earlier in the project of all my items. I used these images to begin color swatches and ideas for out icon set:

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

Type | Weather iterations

Though I have still not acquired a steady composition I have a few iterations I am continuing to work on:

RAIN

 

 

DAWN

 

  

  

STORM

 

 They all need a lot of work still. But they are coming a long.

VIS COM | Final icons

Okay, so I didn't realize till this morning. But I posted my final icon reflections to my old blogger. Ha. Anyways, I copied and pasted and here it is.




"Operating Instructions"








My final icons consist of:

• doctor's clipboard
• stethoscope
• fluid IV bag
• syringe
• operating lamp
• scalpel

At the beginning of the icon project I was going to do performing of an operation. But now on the final critique of our icons I have decided to do a operating "manual". I have not decided it I am going to make it a serious instruction manual or a slightly humorous manual (or however funny a surgical manual could be)
I think this will be a much more interesting story.
My first object I turned into an icon was the fluid bag, which I would soon find out would be my toughest icon to create. Since it was my toughest, and most iterated icon I chose it to do my process documentation:





















Though it was my hardest icon to create, I believe it is one of my strongest ones. And bring the group together.

I did a lot of iterations and came up with six bordered contour icons with a simple wrap around element. I chose the wrap to add a element that was cohesive and interesting.

F + S | Color Mag neatness

Very neat idea.

I will be picking up the next issue fo so.

RIGHT HERE, SIR

Type | Poster Final

I posted my final poster for the Blue Ridge AIGA contest:

 

I had changed the girl's picture to a teen girl. And changed the text to white. 

So cross your fingers, I can't wait to win the adobe suite CS4 (It does not matter that I already have it)

Love, Loren XOXO

VIS COM | Readings #three

The article by MacArthur Freeman, the process and the benefits of generate and cull were discussed. To generate means to produce solutions, and to cull means to reduce the number of solutions. Generate and cull is a very useful strategy when it comes to designing.
Generate and cull allows one to compare all different aspecs of a thoughtout solution. Using this will improve your work and allow you to solve the "problem" in the most officiant way.
Using this process will allow you to work through many ideas quickly, create a more effective direction, increase the number of ideas you have, and quite possibly reduce stress.

This process is very useful in our current project, creating the icons. I believe we have all been using this process when we created a great number of iterations, especially when we first began to create our styles of icons. There are so many possibilities we could have discovered. Using these process will allow me to create a much more dynamic project.

VIS COM | vector icons

So I began to vector my icons. I had been working with doing a wrapped/framed element with my icons such as these:

 

  

I am still not sure about the black circle background, I didn't like the square background, maybe a simple border would be nice. I need to mess around with more background/framing ideas.

Then I tried some without the wrapping/framing, which I like better:

 

  

I also would like to keep the thick single weight stroke throughout the icons.

And once again I am not a fan of the black circle background.

 One reason I decided to try without the frame was because I don't think I will be able to do all of my icons in the matter. But even when straying away from my original plan, I am liking it much more.

VIS COM | F + S

 

My find and share is a set of icons that I stumbled across a few weeks ago while making my morning coffee. I thought it was nice that I just happen to come across an advertisement that related to what we have been learning, without using my computer. On the back of my Dunkin' Doughnut bag was this clear and informational set of the coffee's well-known slogan "American Runs On Dunkin'"

All of the icons shown are clear and understandable to the consumer. The designer stuck to the colors associated with the Dunkin' Doughnut company and used the framing element to make the icons more cohesive. I do not know how I feel about the "ON" icon though. I believe I sticks out from the others, but when placed together it seems to work with the slogan (which is the point, to work with the slogan)

Type | Poster (again)

 

Yes, I am still revising my poster for typography. I think this is my favorite right now. I haven't decided if I like the white text though. I also need to change the picture of the little girl. I was told it would be best to use an older child. So I am on the search for a very blank stare/sad teen girl. I have thought about going out and taking a girl's picture (by permission of course) and get the shot I cannot seem to find online. But then if this poster does win, I doubt that girl will want her face plasterd on a sex traficking poster. Lastly, I need to do more color corrections. I was trying to find the correct color this afternoon, and I seem to be getting a dark-purply color. Trial and error, right?

VIS COM | 2nd try on icons

This is now my second try on the icons.

We decided to further explore the negative, background, and repetition traits for my icons.

They still need a lot of work, of course. But I really like the background and negative ones. Even though the negatives are the most challenging for me. 

The sink icon is my roughest drawing, it doesn't seem to portray "hospital" to me... I had tried a few drawings of a scrub sink like the sinks doctors use. But it honestly didn't look like a sink, or it was too complex when joined with the other icons.

 

I am excited to see how all of my icons fit together. I am ready to start working on the others. Like the gloves or the hospital bed. But I am really not looking forward to the operating lights. I believe these will be hard to recognize or too complex, like the scrub sink.

IMAGE MAKING | the constructed image (Lucille Ball) #one

 

This is not the piece I printed off, but I really like the close shot. I believe the quote is easier to see, but I really think the television brings a lot to the overall setting of the objects. 

The objects I used were a clock (timeless), a baby rattle (motherhood, her children), lipstick and pearls (two very strong staples of Ms. Ball), a burned picture of Desi Arnaz (her divorce between her and Desi was messy and very hard for her), chocolates (symbolizes her humor, the candy factory episode on 'I Love Lucy', and lastly cigarettes (she was a smoker and a cigarette girl when she first started out). 

  

I ended up printing this one. The only difference is that the inner television is black and white. I did this because most people recognized Lucille Ball in black and white (color television was not invited yet, silly. Though half the show was done in color at some point)

The only thing I do not like about the poster I printed was the angle of the shot in general. I wish thewhole television was visable. But the setup wouldn't allow it. Plus I didn't think it looked right anyways. 

But it will be something I know I will need to work on of course.

Lastly, my quote for Lucille Ball reads "I am a real ham. I love an audience. I work better with an audience. I am dead, in fact, without one." 

I choose this quote because her life was revolved around her career. And her children.

This is the tiled piece I printed out:

 

Found this:

Ring Clock

I liked this.

Link to PDF

So kann mann meine PDF shen! Es rocktger Welr.

Type | Poster

These are my posters for type, on sex trafficking. There are a few errors with the screen shots. The first and last one should be totally black backgrounds. Not sure why they are like that (printed version came out)