Progression on a Real Project, The Beginning!

My last post I mentioned that I was continuing with my education. Well this week marks the first visit to classes. One of the things I noticed when we were all sitting in my Advanced Graphic Design II class was that there was a new item to go with the many projects, discussions and drafts we will be working with. The item is a progress book.
In this book you track your progression on the project, from roughs and research through drafts and composites up to the final piece. So I decided why not share this one project's progression with my readers. This could be helpful to anyone who might get stuck or just isn't sure how to begin on a design. So here I am with my trusty laptop and speedy typing.

Project: Poster to encourage people to vote. 

It's for the school itself, so there's a possibility this poster will be seen around the different campuses. 

Step 1

Rough sketches and research and details of the job

During class we were given our job sheet. This sheet of paper details the size, colors used, materials they want us to use (my teacher throws some oddball requirements in just to keep us on our toes... this one is "The entire project, except the final piece, will be done by hand. Including color separations, only to be scanned in and printed for submission. Also added requirement a slogan or call to action must be included") as well as the wording that is required for the campaign. We asked questions about colors, the paper to be used (as it's a screen print) and the process for screen printing. I think I had about 2 pages of notes on just the details of the project written in my form of shorthand.

After class I had a meet up with some friends at a local taproom. While enjoying a tasty beverage and killer sandwich I pulled out a little notebook (I always have one in my bag and it's a good idea for any designer to keep one with them as well) and pen. While munching along with a couple of sips of said tasty beverage I started doodling (how I generally warm up for doing rough sketches, like stretching before a race) and gradually the sleeping turtles, flowers and spirals turned into rough ideas for my project. Since I hadn't started my research yet, I was just working on some ideas that had sprung into my brain from the discussion in class.

So I start my research by looking up the topic of the poster: Voting. What's the history, what are the demographics of those who do vote vs those who don't? Why don't some people vote? How do you vote? How many ways can you cast your ballot? What happens if you aren't in town or near your precinct for election day? What if you are in the military stationed overseas? And how do you register to vote? Who can vote and how do you get that chance back?

These questions I want answered before I seriously start fleshing out the ideas circling in my head. So I started by asking my friends. I promised if they don't vote I wouldn't nag them into it, as there are those out there that just don't feel like it. I want to know why and how something could persuade them to cast their ballot. I also asked what they thought of the current slew of material out in public trying to inspire and encourage others to go to the polls come November: Do the items they see work? If so, how? And if not what would encourage them to go out?

After I get my answers back from them I will compile a report (in my handy dandy notebook or this case spreadsheet and create an info graphic because I learn better with images) and use that to help me iron out my ideas. I am also checking sites about how voting is done, how the ballots are counted and how many different ways there are for people to vote. When I have that information I will again compile it and add more sketches to my journal.

This information will be brought up before my classmates, as will the sketches, and be discussed. They will give their opinions on these which will also help refine my roughs (the sketches). From this point I would move on to stage 2 which is composites of my idea for my poster.

Since I just started on the roughs/research/details part of the project I don't have any images to share, however, I will be posting them in my next segment here.

So, if you look at the posters and such encouraging you to vote: What would make you feel more like voting? When you see these posters do you think they work? If not, why? If so, how does it work?

For me, I see a few and think they aren't aimed at my age group, or that they contain too much information sometimes that makes the whole process seem much more complex than it really is. What do YOU think?

Long absence and a new perspective

I haven't posted a follow up to the rules of typography. In fact I didn't put much work into the first part except a great deal of research. I am writing today off topic for the most part and it's personal, mostly. It has to do with why I took such a long absence and why I am not being silent any longer.

Chapter 1

I use the phrase there "Chapter 1" because this is the first chapter (as it were) in a new direction. I believe my profile says I am not a professional designer, but a student. And even then it wasn't quite true. I was a student who wasn't studying. Sure I read blogs, articles and what other designers post, but I wasn't really learning or studying.

Well, 7 days from today (exactly) I will be attending classes again to finish a degree I put off for years. It's a step in a long journey I started right around the time I came up with the blog. This step began not for me to fulfill some dream, or promise (not like I told other people), it came as a way to escape an abusive employer and a job I hated. So I reapplied, got the necessary paperwork together for re-entry into the vast empty space without a parachute.

After that my hated job dissolved (so my previous employer could purchase a new car, but that's besides the point) and I found myself working in a new environment. One where the employees were friendly, where my creativity was useful and I thrived. I started thinking of school not as an escape but something that could further me in this new company.

Then I was laid off. Facing the fear of the unknown, not sure if I would be able to handle the job search, the interviews and stress, I talked with my husband who said go back to school. It's been a mantra to me. Go back, finish the degree, fulfill the promise I made to my mother. But when all's said and done it's not the promise, finishing the degree or even an escape. I am terrified.

My last semester at school was a rough one. My mother had just passed (the month before the semester started), my spouse and I were going through some rough times (before we were married) and I was sitting on the fence trying to figure out where the softest spot was for when I fell... When I fell, not if. WHEN.

Fast forward 7 years to the present. I went to speak to my adviser at school, not really thinking anything would come of it. I didn't believe she would help beyond telling me I need certain classes. I didn't think anyone at the school, in the program (teachers) would remember me nor really care if I was behind. I didn't think walking from the parking lot to the adviser's office would be any big thing.

I was wrong on all accounts.

Everything changed, everything was the same. In that moment, that walk to see my adviser, I felt a crushing doom fall on my shoulders. A weight that if anyone had said was fear I would have denied. My adviser did more in that meeting than tell me what classes to take and when, she listened. She gave advice and she contacted the head of the department to ask if I could skip retaking classes to finish in 2 semesters instead of a year. The department head was my last instructor there, that last terrible semester. She remembered me before the adviser said my name, she was the one who asked it was me.
The department head was concerned and offered suggestions to get caught up to the rest of the students. My head was spinning from relief (which I didn't know it was at relief at the time) that I had these two women in my corner.

I realized as class day draws nearer and nearer that I was putting a failing mark on something I hadn't even begun. I quit things because I didn't want fail, not realizing that quitting is failing just at a different speed. So today I started working on trying rather than quitting.

I started a Behance porfolio (which is empty currently as my work is on another computer, sort of like Mario's princess being in another castle), I am coming back to my blog to continue my amature study and discussions of graphic design, art etc. and I am going back to school to learn how to be more.

So my readers, I am going to stop quitting and either fail on merit or try until I succeed. No more excuses, and no more silence. Thank you for reading and I hope I can deliver to you something interesting, intriguing and insightful.

My next post will be more on topic.

You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else.

In graphic design sometimes you have to play the game, in the words of Albert Einstein, better than the rest to get your piece noticed. So the first step is to know the rules. I am starting with Typography, as that's one of my favorite parts of design.

1. Use only one space after punctuation - The reason this is even in the rules is because when people were using typewriters for correspondence and it made it easier for people to know where one sentence ended and another began. However, with the prevalence of  proportionally spaced typefaces we don't have that issue. This is one rule that most people use without thought. How would something appear in a design where you added more spaces or even tabs between sentences? Well let's find out. I am going to put in 2 examples, one with bad spacing and one designed that way on purpose...

Ok above shows it wrong. The top sentence has a double space between the period and the start of the next line. The second one shows correctly with just one space. But how about an intentional breaking of that rule? Well I found an example (it's of David Carson's work) and I would love to put it here, but it works with the whole rules of typography thing... I am going to put it at the end. Sorry 'bout that.

2. Use proper em and en dashing - You are probably asking what the heck I mean when I am talking about this. What's an en or em dash? Well the exact definition from the Typophile.com website says...

An em is a unit of measure equal to the point size that you are using. An em dash is a type of punctuation used to offset clauses in a sentence or to indicate an abrupt change in thought. An en dash is equal to half the length of an em dash. En dashes are used to denote duration (time.)

What this means is that when you are using your little hyphens on your keyboard, you are using en/em dashes. Saying that a party or event runs from 7 -9 pm shows that you are using the em dash. Whereas, you saying something — it's used all the time — then want to change or add a thought in. 

3. Use proper quotation and apostrophe marks - This one is a big deal. There are many word processing programs out there that will automatically correct it, however we just don't seem to see the correct marks used. 

" is a hash mark showing a unit of measure                              “ ”  are proper quotation marks

' is a hash mark also showing a unit of measure                        ’    is a proper apostrophe mark

How do you get them? Well, it takes a bit of time if you aren't in your word processing program (like word, open office writer, etc) but you can use special characters (using a combination of key strokes) or you can copy and paste them.

4. Use True Small Caps - For most this isn't a big deal. But when you manually adjust the size of a font to achieve a small caps feel, you are cheating the font. It won't feel the same when you use it, and it definitely won't look the same... Make sure you have a true small caps typeface if you are going to use them.

5. Add letter spacing to capitalized text and small caps - When you are using capital letters or small caps, they are looking larger than the normal letters do. They need more space to look as good. Using the add letter spacing in Word or another program (Quark, InDesign) Character/Font options will make your work look a wee bit more professional. Unless you want to run your letters all together in a design, but remember very few clients like that type of design.

I decided to do this in installments, mostly because I have been running around learning a new job! I am now in charge of not only design work that comes out of my new position but the Social Media Marketing as well. Wish me luck as I continue on with keeping up with graphic design, marketing and everything else life can and will throw at me. 

The next installment of the "Rules of the Game" series (as I am calling it now) will be published in the following week or 2 weeks. Until then, play the game better than the rest!

Arise from the ashes and bring the memories to light...

Sorry for the long disappearance. I had a bunch of personal issues to deal with.

Getting back into the blog, you are probably wondering about the title. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the events leading to the fall of the World Trade Center in New York. I know a lot of people are tired of hearing of it, or that it brings back terrible memories for some. What we need to realize is that we use real life to create. A friend of mine is curating a showing and there is a call for artists going out right now. If you think you would like to participate the link is below. The show is taking place in Olrando, FL in a spa. The works do not have to be for sale. They are more to show emotions of the past to the present, the last 10 years and how that day effected you as a whole.

Call to Artists - Reflections on September 11

I am planning on entering something in this.

In other news, I received my new HOW magazine, I love the front cover as I was going to do a post on type and my favorite designer who uses it. I guess I will do the lead in first and do next week's blog on him.

Designers know the rules of Typography, however how many know when they can break them? Using type correctly makes it easy for the client/audience to tell what you are saying or what the product is about... What happens when you take those rules, made a long time ago to make designs easy to understand and beaten into the heads of new designers, and throw them out the window? More so how can you know when it's not only allowed but encouraged?
Well, for a certain designer it's his trade mark. From the moment I had to do a project on him, I fell in love with the way he takes chaos and creates wonders. Mr. David Carson is probably my typography hero. So next week I will be posting about typography, the rules and show how Mr. Carson breaks them... (I might even add my project we were assigned in my Adobe Illustrator class about his style). So until next week!

MIA and Life

Hello folks. I wanted to apologize for the blog not being updated. I had something happen that really messed with my head and schedule. My current job reduced my hours and pay, making it to where I have to find another place of employment. So I took what's amounting to 2 weeks off of blogging. This weekend I should have a new post for you focusing on a designer that I find inspiring and some design work on the blog itself.

For those who have been checking back and seeing the same old posts, I thank you for continuing to come back. I assure you that this blog is not disappearing anytime soon (if at all). Happy Friday the 13th and let's get back into it this weekend shall we?

:)

Tutorials and my favorite blog

Posting on time this week it seems. I am going to go a different direction this week. Instead of me stating what I am discovering, I would like to talk about the tutorials that I find helpful for some things. As I am new to this blogging thing (that is an understatement) I will be doing my best to ensure that the links work.

One of the blogs that I read regularly is the Vandelay Design Blog. Not only are there great tips, but the tutorials there are easy to understand, listed down the right side of the page, and they give you the files to work them through. The directions are step by step, which makes me a happy geek. And the best part is you don't have to be a member to do them. I am using their tutorials to relearn (as it were) photoshop. It's been a while since I had done anything in that program.

The next one I find interesting is the DesignM.AG website. This page shows 40 InDesign tutorials including a brochure (which looks amazing), an interactive portfolio and a cool typography grid set up. From using Quark and InDesign, I have to say I am more familiar with Quark. However, with InDesign coming in a package with Photoshop and Illustrator. With this program being more easily obtained (and a little less in cost) this set of tutorials might just be the ticket to becoming more familiar with the product.

For Adobe Illustrator (which lets just admit is my FAVORITE of the Adobe products thanks to a teacher I had in college) I would like to direct you to the Noupe website. The tutorials range from bling text (which I don't use) to the realistic images you can create using the gradient mesh tool. The tutorials appear to be really clear and concise on direction and let's admit the site is pretty neat too. Full of information that is wonderful to look at.

Typography, being as important in my mind as any image you put anywhere, even has some good tutorials. One that I like (could be due to the mention of my favorite type guy out there, David Carson) is the webmonkey type tutorial mostly because it gives an intro to typography (showing it is important!) and that it goes into some of the specifics on using type in a web page. Which, let's face it, is where most of us spend our time now.

What are your favorite tutorials? Anyone want to share their favorite blogs?

Client may be king, but knowledge is power

As some of you might know, I am designing a web site. The job started off with a "play with this and see what you can come up with" and has changed to a "you have changed too much". I have spent the last day working on it only to delete what I have done because it's "too different". So here's something from my experience on what you should get from a client BEFORE you start designing.

1. What is your company about? What do you want to say? This can not be stressed enough. With this project I had to do all my research and let me tell you, it read like ancient Greek to me. Also I am not sure what content the company will be keeping. You can only do so much with the little bit they give you.

2. Do you have anything you don't want on the site that your company name might conjure up? This could be something that would really upset someone. Say you are designing for someone who's name is not a run of the mill normal name (personally I used to get made fun of for my name all the time, you remember those "jokes" right?). Sometimes there might be something that goes with the name or the service that the client just doesn't want on their site (porta potties probably don't want a plastic porta throne as their main logo am I right?).

3. Do you have a budget for images? Have you decided to use stock images or do your own? This is a big deal. You can only design with what they give you. Remember that if you use "royalty-free" that there are rules to them. Site your artist if they tell you to. Copyright law is kind of vague but blatant use of someone's property is dangerous in this field, just ask Lynx about their suit with Greyhound. Creating your own images (photos, illustrations etc) are perfectly acceptable AND it means you control what you are using and don't have to settle.

4. Communication, deadline and all those in betweens  When you start working on the project, you need feedback. Frequently need feedback. You also need to send something out to receive that feed back. For instance, this site I am working on (it's taking forever it seems) I sent over what I had, they sent it back with a template (which I had) and said there were comments. Unfortunately there were no comments, so I had to wing it. While I will be sending it back to them again tomorrow, I am unsure of what the changes they wanted were.
The deadline is important if you want to get paid, as well as keeping the client. If you miss your deadline you lose that job. Sometimes you can get an extension but I would save the request for when martians are attacking and we need to run around the the old record player, ok?
All those in betweens, what this means is there will be times where the client will want something, be firm about it. Then waver about it. Then go back to the original thought, then back to your idea. Or keep changing their minds right up to print/publish time. Keep your cool, and keep records of everything! This way when someone says "we didn't know that you would charge extra for us changing our minds after the first run!" you can show them the document stating that there would be an extra charge due to the printer being extremely disgruntled about the little change.

In other words, Client might be king, patience is the all being and Knowledge is real power! With the knowledge and information we gather at the beginning of the process, the job becomes much easier. Documenting everything means that your back is covered in case of an issue. I like to think that the way I am doing this job right now, is just because I like a challenge... not because I was too distracted by the getting the gig, that I didn't ask the right questions.
What do you think? Is client king?