The Anatomy of Font

Learning the anatomy of font is important when using typography skills, kerning, and communicating potential pros and cons of a certain font. The characteristics of these parts of text are what gives typefaces their character. My font is best described as rational, assertive, progressive, and disciplined. This happens to be a direct reflection of my personality. I am very articulate; everything needs to be even, symmetric, in its place, etc. I am reasonable and everything I do has a purpose. Assertive can sometimes carry a negative connotation as aggressive, but I also think its a great way to describe my positive, self-assured, and confident self. I like improvement in order to keep up with trends. This font reflects my personality with its clean and modern feel. I find the discipline in the tall, straight, symmetric, and constant shape throughout each letter. I like the predictability because I like feeling prepared.

Cubes

The first project assigned this school year is to master creating and manipulating cubes. My sources for learning everything there is to know about cubes is video #241 and #242 on lynda.com. This is what I learned to create using the tutorials:

Then, using what I learned and my previous knowledge of Adobe Illustrator, I extended the project to create the following:

And finally, I combined all skills and knowledge of patterns. I included light medium and dark tones in the color, used a repeated element of cubes that were made using primarily the line tool, rotate tool, copy, and stroke panel. It took a little bit of thought to figure out how the shapes would all flow together nicely, along with color (see below):

From this skill work, I learned three important things:

1. Since these cubes aren't literally 3D, in order for them to appear that way on a 2D screen, we manipulate lines, angles, and shades of color (lighting/light source). A 120 degree angle is used to appear as a 90 degree angle. 

2. Use cmd + J to join paths. It doesn't matter what angle or shape the paths are, as long as they connect at only one point on both anchors.

3. Use cmd + Y to put your computer into "Preview Mode" so that you are able to check that your lines are properly connected and lined up. It takes the stroke away momentarily.

A few other important things that I noted was that the eyedropper can be used to transfer a color pallet to the artwork by holding alt. Alt click while selected on the rotate tool is used to set the angles of lines. For this project specifically, it worlds best to turn align objects to pile grid "OFF", turn the bounding box "OFF", and turn smart guides "ON".

What is Graphic Design?

What: Graphic design is art with a purpose. The visual communication and expression of concepts and ideas is produced through various elements. Art.

 

Where: EVERYWHERE! Graphic design can be found everywhere: logos, websites, business cards, advertisements, book design, brochures, billboards, product packaging, posters, magazines newspapers, greeting cards! 

Why: I enjoy graphic design because it develops my creative abilities. There is always something new to learn or observe. It challenges me to keep up with trends in design, and often work on tight deadlines (even possibly for clients). There aren't many boundaries with graphic design. I can draw inspiration from just about anywhere, and transfer ideas to sketches, onto a computer, and manipulate the Adobe programs in order to achieve the desired effect. After discovering the world of graphic design, I can't go anywhere without noticing it. 

Final Performance Assessment

My task for the final performance assessment was to create a brochure cover for the eCommunication program to use to draw in new members. I wanted to use a chalkboard theme that has become very popular in graphic design. There are also many fonts that have developed along with the chalkboard theme. I created the chalkboard vector in Adobe Illustrator, and put the final product into Adobe Indesign. By using a mixture of fonts, banners, stamps, and border accents I think that I was able to pull together a montage of our eCommunication program. I was inspired by a grid layout that I came across in a magazine, and thought it would fit nicely with the requirements for the brochure cover.

Updated Personal Logo

This past week, my assignment was to recreate my personal logo from the beginning of the year. The purpose of this project is to show growth in creativity, skills in the Adobe Suites, the design process, and grow as a graphic designer. Below are the two logos I created in August. I like the simplicity, and people can identify me with the initials incorporated into them.

This is the mood board I chose to develop for my updated logo. I envisioned something bright and colorful, unlike my older logo that only used two colors. I did not want my name to be in the logo, but instead I wanted people to identify my logo through a symbol. I was inspired by animals to translate my personality through their natural behaviors, and what perfect combination of color and personality than a chameleon!?

My sketches were thought through with a sense of changing color. I varied which parts of the body I would use between the eye, the head and tongue, or the whole body. Color blocking was recently a popular trend in clothing design, and I wanted a way to incorporate that into logo design. That is where the idea sparked to divide the chameleon into sections, and by changing the color of each section, I was creating a sense of color blocking.

 I chose the chameleon because it represents change. It can change its body colors to adapt to whatever environment as a form of camouflage and protection against predators, or change its body colors to reflect the mood the chameleon is feeling in 20 seconds. The different sections represent the different parts of my life because I am constantly growing and trying new things. Originally I had a rainbow color scheme, but I decided to alter the color pallet slightly to a more pastel and girly tone. I love the bright colors because it reminds me of warmth. They are free-spirited colors. The chameleon can look in two different directions at once, and like myself, I am always multi-tasking! Chameleons are a very unique reptile because their tongues are two times the length of their body. Chameleons are super stealth because they don't have ears, but they aren't deaf. They can detect the sound frequencies and have ultraviolet vision, as well as normal vision! The chameleon is the perfect symbol of myself because they are independent right after birth. I am very independent, and sometimes I like to be on my own, but I will always have a family like the chameleon. This new logo represents my evolution.

Kerning

The term kerning refers to adjusting the space between letters. If letters in a typeface are spaced too uniformly, they make a pattern that doesn’t look uniform enough. Even though it may not be exactly correct, it looks correct and appealing to the naked eye. Gaps occur around letters that for outward angles or frame an open space. Kerning is usually done with letters in headlines and larger text, typically not body text. I put my kerning skills to the test using http://type.method.ac !

eMagine Media Festival

Last Saturday, April 5, eCommunication held their annual eMagine Media Festival event. Students in the area submit their work into different subcategories under Video, Animation, Graphic Design, and Web Design. I enjoyed volunteering and attending this event because it was a great source for inspiration. I was inspired to continue my education in Graphic and Web Design, and gave me ideas for elements that I might be able to include in future projects. Supporting my fellow eComm students as many received awards for their magnificent work was a great feeling. Everyone worked very hard to make the production a wonderful success. I am eager to see how we continue to improve as a program to make next year's bigger and better! The eMagine Media Festival was a great opportunity to show how talented our students are. Below I am photographed with Soloman Shields before entering the auditorium for the show!