Tuesday, June 9, 2015

What did I learn?

Today I learned a lot. I learned about the print system that we have here at City Tech, that is mysteriously located in the basement. I also learned a bunch of new shortcuts and tricks to designing faster. I also had a bit of a self reflection and reminded myself of knowing when to take a different approach on a project. Sometimes the amazing concepts that we come up with might not come out executed the way we intended.

What were my challenges?

My biggest challenge today was taking a different approach on the Banner project we have been working on. I was so focused on one approach that I tried to force it to make it work. Fortunately I was able to move on and come up with more approaches that were better executed.

How did you help each other?

Mandy taught me a couple of new tricks I can add to my repertoire, that help me maximize time when designing. I also received a lot of good feedback that I will take into consideration when finalizing the banner project.

Other comments:

Today I had my first meeting with my client and I believe it well successful. I am looking forward to working with them

1 Brief

The element I chose off the periodic table was Cobalt. I plan on making a on book cover that pays homage to the discoverer of the element and its origin. I plan to have this designed to print.

2 Research

From my research on the element I was able to find out cobalt is a metal that was discovered by Georg Brandt. It’s name came from the German word, Kobald, which means goblin. It is silvery-blue and number 27 on the periodic table. It is used for magnets and jet engines.

3 Concepts

-All text in German because of the element’s name of origin

-Title: Cobalt, the goblin; Wordplay between the element and it’s name of origin

– Author: Georg Brandt; use the discover of the element as the author for the book

-Use Germany’s national bird as a logo for the publishing company

-Have metal crystals at bottom of page to directly represent the element

-Use black letter or edgy fonts to convey  vintage look of book cover

-Use scroll texture to convey medieval look

4 Sketches

5 Execution

I initially started this project working on a 11 in. x 8.5 in. canvas and then decided to change it to 13.5 in. x 10.25 in. canvas.  I did this because it was looking more like a poster instead of an actual book cover.  I used Metal Mania for the Header on the front and Georgia for the rest of the text on the design. I used images off Google such as the scroll texture for the background, barcode, German eagle, and metal crystals. I made a .5 gutter for the spine. I stuck to using a blue color palette for the text because that is the color of the element. I created the bodycopy myself in English, then I translated it into German.

Monday, June 8, 2015

What did I learn?

Today I learned of the app Genius Scan. It easily allows you to turn photographs into scans, which you can then transfer to your computer or laptop as pdf. I used this technique a lot for designing the Faculty Commons Open Lab banner. I found it to be very useful and most likely plan to use it in the future.

What were my challenges?

My biggest challenge was trying to create a shadow fading out on the edges of my design for the Element design project. I relentlessly tried many ways to execute my idea. I was unable to get it exactly how I originally intended, but I still liked how it came out. I also learned the proper way to name our files. This method is key for organization.

How did you help each other?

I received assistance from Mandy with using the genius scan app. Loubna also helped me my idea of creating a shadow on the edges. I also helped Loubna with the organization of the blog post

Other comments:

I am looking forward to presenting my Element Design project tomorrow!

Friday, June 5, 2015

What did I learn?

Today I was given the project to create some sort of design pertaining to an element of our choice. I chose Cobalt and was able to learn things about it that helped to my design process. Had I not done research I would be stuck, which goes to show how important research is part of the design process. I was able to find out that Cobalt’s name of origin is from the German word kobald, which means goblin. Also I learned that it is used for magnets and jet engines.

What were my challenges?

my biggest challenge today was using the camera to photograph objects in my surroundings that can help with creating a design for the element project. At first I found it hard to find objects that can relate to the design, but soon I realized that the photographs were taken mostly dark areas. This led me to the idea of having a shadow fade around the edges of my design.

How did you help each other?

Loubna kindly reminded me of the dimensions for the Faculty Commons Open Lab banner. I also received help from Kevin and Mandy with photographing my ideas and transferring them to the computer.

Other comments:

The Element design project was an interesting task to take on. I cannot wait to finish it!

– William Luperena