Tutorials

Well, for starting graphic designers, it’s probably a good idea to learn the basic’s of graphic design; the elements and principals and such. So here’s a link that teaches you some of these basics about graphic design, starting with elements and design; like an introduction to…:

http://desktoppub.about.com/cs/designelements/a/elementsintro.htm

There are different lessons that can help you build your way up to graphic designing.

After learning the basics, you may be ready to work in a program, like Photoshop, Illustrator, or InDesign but you may not know exactly what your dealing with, so try using a tutorial to help you learn some cool tricks. Here is a link that has some cool Photoshop tutorials for beginners.


http://psd.tutsplus.com/articles/web/50-great-photoshop-tutorials-for-clever-beginners/
At this link, there is a list of 50 tutorials for beginners to do in Photoshop.
You can choose whatever tutorials interest you, and work your way through it.

Zepplin and Idol poster analysis

Zeppelin and idol poster analysis

For this assignment, we had to design a 60’s themed poster for orchestral zeppelin, with a modern-ish look, Mike’s photo, and a visual representation of orchestra meets rock. And I think that my poster pretty much meat those expectations. However, did they meet the articles criteria? Let’s see:
The articles I read said what criteria’s are needed for a good poster design, like
Structure
Less is more
Background and such
Delightful and different
Big designs grabbing your attention

Well I think that my structure is pretty good. I would say the main focus is Michael; the way he is place in the poster, with only half of his face showing; I think that’s pretty eye catching. And he’s a different color than the background. Speaking of colors, I think that because it has to have a 60’s feel to it, the colors kind of make it pop a bit more, along with the text that’s all warped and twisted.
Because we had to make it kind of 60’s it may look a bit cluttered because the photo of mike takes up half the poster, then text. But that could be a bit of a good thing, and a bit of a bad thing. Because mike is big, it helps with my advertising of him, which falls under “big designs grabbing your attention”; you see it and you wonder what its for, the text is also big and colorful, which is good, I think the colors help it look somewhat psychedelic which was one goal hopefully achieved, but for some it may be too much text, maybe, and “less is more.” But I put the right amount of text needed to communicate my message; Time, place, where and when. Nothing that’s not needed, so I guess that would be debatable. (Whether or not it’s too much)
I think in terms of meeting my goal in advertising orchestral zeppelin in a 60’s feel, overall it turned out pretty well. I got the color schemes, the warped text; his photo altered in a funky way, and also a small visual representation of orchestra meets rock, with the double guitar and cello. It looks different and I like that about it, and that also falls under delightful and different.
I guess I’m pretty satisfied with it.

For the idol posters, (I’m analyzing both) I didn’t actually do a poster; I did the logo, which is on the poster. I think there fabulous by the way. I love that they both match in more than one way. They match in color, text, and information. I would say they met the expectations of poster design.
There not cluttered, the text is enlarged and easy to read, there’s an image that advertises the product, but in this case it’s advertising Jasmine Jewel being in TDSB idol competition, its gets the intended message across which is “vote for Jasmine Jewel” and it has a date when you can start to vote. The background is pretty plain; it has some pink behind it, which helps her image pop out a bit, and then just white space; and that good thing, because her picture, the pink, and white all work together, and that falls under background, figures, and blanks. (All three elements should work together.) The structure is great. Her image is not just plopped in the middle; it has some composition to it. The text added is big enough to read, and it gets the message out. The logo is creative, and it also gives the name of the competitor. The posters are simple and I think that’s what makes them so great. If anything, I would probably add the website you would go on to vote to make it easier for the audience, because everyone may not the website. But other than that, I really think they are fabulous and came out great. And as a team, I say we work really well together.

poster analysis and artical summary

Poster Analysis and article summary

The articles I read talked about different criteria for designing a poster like:

Structure
Focus areas ; the points that catch our eye
Distributed alternately on the space-its important to know what elements are going to be the main focus of attention
Diagonals-negative or positive, horizontal or vertical

Background, figures, and blanks
· The three different elements that work together in a poster design
· Blanks are the empty spaces in a design that surrounds images and typography and emphasizes the element that is meant to be the focus of attention

Big designs grabbing your attention
The elements and text in your poster should be large in proportion
Its important to be able to read the text and understand the visual message from a distance and at a glance

Less is more
Don’t distract the audience with unnecessary imagery and text
Stay focused on the intended message
Good poster designs use less than 10 words and only one image
Keep it simple because more can be confusing

Delightful and different
A poster design that is humorous or different from anything else out there
No need to be extravagant in order to be different

Always know your posters goal, and use your poster’s design to get the attention you want. Draw your audience to it.