Friday, December 9, 2011

Review Week 17

At the end of the "Who Shot the Serif?" article it asks the reader a question: Have you learned anything?  I learned many new things about serifs.  Many people do not know how to define serifs.  They are basically the lines at the end of each letter.  Serifs are said to come from Rome.  Before anything was carved into stone, it was painted.  The paint brush left extra marks at the end of the letters, which were then carved into the stone.  This was the first form of serifs.  Two basic types of serifs are Adnate and Abrupt.  Abrupt serifs are simply strait lines whereas Adnate serifs curve off the letters.  This article gives the reader a good idea what serifs are and how they originated. 

Semester Reflection

When I signed up for graphic design I wasn't sure what to expect.  I am pretty good with computers but have never worked with Illustrator or Photoshop.  At first the programs were very hard to get used to but now that I know how to use them, they're a lot of fun.  The hardest thing to learn was the pen tool in Illustrator.  It was so hard to get used to but is very useful in designs.  My favorite assignment was the textures because we put a lot of time and effort into them and they turned out really well.  Next semester I would like to see a little more time for assignments.  It's very stressful during the days we have to work on them because I'm not sure if I'm going to finish and I feel rushed.  Other than that I feel the assignments and material has been great.  Next semester I would like to learn how to do more things in Photoshop and Illustrator.

Friday, December 2, 2011

Review Week 16

How many points are in an inch? How many points are in a pica?
72 pts in an inch; 12 pts in a pica
Of the seven classifications, which classification(s) would best work as body type? Why?
Sans serif because it is a simple font and easy to readIdentify the lowercase characters that have ascenders?
b, d, h, t, l, f.
Identify the lowercase characters that have descenders?

g, j, p, q, y


Classify the following typefaces and briefly explain why you believe it should be classified that way:




06.png
Old Style because of the
slanted edges of the letters.


01.png
Script because of the curvy lines
and some of the letters are connected.
04.png
Sans Serif because the letters are
plain and simple with no attachments
on the ends.

05.png
Decorative because of the shading
behind each letter.

02.png
Modern because of the thin type
and lines on the ends of the letters.
03.png
Sans Serif because of the strait
lines on the ends of the letters.


07.png
Blackletter because of the different
edges, lines, and curves on each letter.






Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Review Week 13

For each of the 8 principles of design, find an example that utilizes the principle within the design. You should have 8 DIFFERENT sample designs. For each, discuss how the particular principle is used.



Repetition:
There is repeating colors and the same pictures are used on each row.  This has repetition because of the same picture of the face used multiple times.








 

Proportion/Scale:
This uses propotion because the eyes on the fish are much too large to fit on a fish.  It adds emphasis to the eyes.




 

 Balance:
This picture has balance because both of them are leaning on each other that creates balance.










Emphasis:
Since all but one of the flowers in this photo are purple it makes the yellow stand out even more.





Unity:
The linked arms never stop which shows unity.
Variety:
There is use of many different colors and the variety makes each one stand out in different ways.









 

Rhythm:
This picture looks upbeat and fun with all of the different colors and the curved lines make the image almost move.
Contrast:
This picture has contrast because of the contrasting colors of the flowers and flower pots.





How do you add a layer mask to a particular layer?
click the mask button on the layers palette
What two colors are used to create the mask?
Black and white
Describe the process of using a layer mask?

click the mask button on the layers palette, select that mask. Click the brush tool and use the color black to take away(or mask) what you don't want or use the white to bring back what you have erased

Review Week 14

Identify 5 colleges that offer graphic design (or related) majors. For each, list the school name, location, graphics majors that are offered, requirements for admission.
1. Savannah College of Art and Design
-Savannah, GA; Graphic Design; GPA and SAT/ACT
2. Louisana State University
-Baton Rouge, LA; Basic Design, Typography; GPA and ACT/SAT scores
3. Auburn
-Auburn, AL; Fine Arts; high school diploma, ACT/SAT scores
4. Vanderbilt
-Nashville, TN; Digital Animation; ACT/SAT, GPA
5. University of Mississippi
- University, MS; Studio Art; SAT and GPA

What is a portfolio?

A place that holds all of your work; a place where you can find all of an artists artwork
What is the importance of a portfolio?
It showcases your work for everyone to see

Podcast #4 Typography

Define typography? The art of expressing ideas through the selection of appropriate typefaces


Where did the word "typography" originate from?
greek


What does typography involve?
creating and modifying type using a variety of illustration techniques


What is a typeface?
distinctive designs of visual symbols that are used to compose a printed image/design


What is another term for typeface?
fonts


What is a character?
individual symbols that make up a typeface; letters, numerals, punctuation


What is type style?
modifications in a typeface that create design variety while maintaining the visual side of the typeface
 



What does type style "create" within a design?


bold, italic, condensed, roman, heavy, regular


What is the waist line and what does it indicate?
imaginary line drawn at the middle of the characters; key terms and definitions that are important to understand as you explore as you explore typography


What is a base line and what does it indicate?
imaginary line drawn at the bottom of the characters;


What is an ascender?
the part of the character that extends above the waistline


What is a descender?
the part of the character that below the base line


Describe a serif?
small line used to finish off a main stroke of a letter, usually at the top and bottom of a character


How can the size of the typeface be identified?
it measures from the top of the ascender to the bottom of the descender


What is a point?
the vertical measurement used to identify the size of a typeface


How many points are in an inch?
72


What is a pica and how many are in an inch?
A unit of type size and line length; 6



How many points are in a pica?
12


What is body type and where can it be found?
type sizes that range from 4 pt - 12 pt type. These sizes are found in places where there is a lot of text to be read.


What is the key to selecting appropriate typefaces to be used as body type?
keep the same typeface the whole time and use a small, easy to read, must be readable


What is display type and how is it used?
type sizes above 12 pt. Typically, these sizes are used to draw attention to a message (headlines, etc)


What is reverse type and when would it be used?
consists of white type on a solid black or darker color background. If the text is too small, reverse type can be difficult on the reader's eye. Display type is necessary


What is a typeface classification?
a basic system for classifying, devised in the 19th century when printers sought to identify a heritage for their own craft


When was Blackletter invented and how was it used?
mid 1400s; used in official documents such as diplomas, certificates, formal invitations


Describer the characteristics of a Blackletter typeface? resembles calligraphy, highly ornamental





When was Old Style invneted and what was is based on?
based on roman inscriptions and created to replace blackletter typefaces


Describe the characteristics of an Old Style typeface?
have wedge-shaped, angles serifs and a low contrast of their thick or thin strokes


When were formal scripts developed?
17th century


When were casual scripts developed?
20th century


Describe the characteristics of a Script typeface?
based on forms made with flexible brushes or pens and have varied trokes reminiscent handwriting


When was Modern typefaces developed and why?
late 18th and 19th century as a radical break from traditional typograghy of the time


Describe the characteristics of a Modern typeface?
sharp contrast between think and thin and have thin, flat serifs


How early can Sans Serif typefaces be found? What happened?
5th century; the italian renaissance returned to Old Style


When did they become popular?
1920s


What does "sans serif" mean?
"without serifs"


Describe the characteristics of a Sans Serif typeface?
It strokes are uniform in weight and have a monotone appearance


When was Slab Serif developed and why?
19th century for advertising


Describe the characteristics of a Slab Serif typeface?
it has a uniform line weight and thicker, square serifs


Describe Decorative typefaces?
have the most distinctive design style, and were developed with a specific purpose, or theme, in mind


Why were they developed?
to add pictures of objects, animals, into the character design


What are they best used for?
larger point sizes or display type

Friday, November 18, 2011

Review Week 12

How can you, as the designer, use principles of design to help compose a page?
As a designer, the principles of design can help you compose a page and help you perfect it.  They will make your overall appearance look better.  They can also help emphasize or hide different aspects of the image.
What are the principles of design (define each in your own words)?

Repetition: using one part of the design multiple times throughout the overall design
Proportion/Scale: the size compared to your point of view, compared to ourselves
Balance: how images are places on the design; heavy vs light
Emphasis: stressing a particular object in the design
Unity: how the whole overall design works together
Variety: small changes that make your design unique
Contrast: the difference in two similar objects

Stephen Kroninger

What kind of art/design does he produce? photo-collages and children's books 
In what publications/media studios has his work been featured?
Time Magazine, children's books, Newsweek, The New Yorker, The New York Times




Post 2 samples of his art. Answer the following questions for each piece...







Was this piece published? Where?
Yes; New York Times
What principles of design were utilized within the piece? How?
Balance, proportion, variety
What elements of design were utilized?

Color, space, texture






Was this piece published? Where?
Yes; Time Magazine Health
What principles of design were utilized within the piece? How?
variety, balance
What elements of design were utilized?
Texture, color, shape

Monday, November 7, 2011

Podcast #3 Principles of Design

Define principles of design?
concepts used to arrange the structural elements of a composition


What do the principles of design affect?
the expressive content, or the message or the work

What is the principle of repetition?
repeating some aspect or elemnt of design throughout the entire document: it acts as a visual key that ties your peice together; it controls the readers eye and helps keep their attention on the piece

Describe ways that the principle of repetition helps the composition/audience?
works with patterns to make a composition seen active; repeating design elements helps the viewer navigate throguh the piece; helps unify and strengthen tying together two separate parts

What are ways that you can incorporate repetition into your designs?
bold font, think line, certain bullet, color, design element, particular format, spatial relationship

What should you avoid when working with repetition?
repeating so much that it becomes annoying or overwhelming

What is the principle of proportion/scale?
the relative size and scale of the various elements in a design

What is the most universal standard of measure when judging size?
the human body

How can the principle of proportion/scale be used as an attention getter?
unusual or unexpected scale

What is the principle of balance?
disrubtance of heavey and light elements on the page

Which kinds of elements/shapes visually weigh heavier/greater? 
elephants

What is another name for symmetrical balance?
formal balance

Define symmetrical balance?
occurs when the wieght of a composition is evenly distibuted around a central vertical or horizontal axis

What is another name for asymmetrical balance?

Define asymmetrical balance?
informal balance

What is the principle of emphasis?
stressing of a particular are of focus rather than the maze of details of equal improtance

What happens to a design that has no focus?
nothing stands out

What is a focal point and how is it created?
area where the eye goes to first

How many components of a composition can be a focal point?
one

What ways can emphasis be created in a design?
sudden change in: direction, size, shape, texture, color, tone, line

What is the principle of unity?
the "wholeness" of composition

What three ways can unity be obtained?
1. put objects close to one another

2. making things similar using similar textures, clolrs, or shapes

3. direct vision by a line that travels around the design

What is the principle of variety?

What ways can a designer add variety to a design?

Why is it important to find the right balance between unity and variety?

What is figure?
a form, silhouette, or shape

What is another name for figure?
positive space

What is ground?
the surrounding are of the figure

What is another name for ground?
negative space

When a composition is abstract (has no recognizable subject) what will the figure depend on? What does that mean?
the abstract relatopnship between visual elements

Why must a designer consider the composition as a whole?

What is the principle of rhythm?
continuity, recurrence or organized movement in space and time

How is rhythm achieved?
through the orderly repetition of any element, line, shape, value(tone), texture

What three ways can rhythm occur in a design?
1. Intervals between elements, and often the elements themselves are similar in size or length

2. With a more organic , flowing sense or movement

3. a sequence of shapes through a profession of steps

How does rhythm help a composition/design?
can help deliver the message by controling the viewer's eye movement

What is the principle of contrast?
occurs when two related elements are different

How can contrast help a design?
can draw the viewers eye into the piece and help guide the viewer through it

What is wrong with having too much or too little contrast in a design?
can become monotongue and boring or too confusing

What is the key to working with contrast?
make sure the difference is obvious

What are some common ways of creating contrast?

creating differences in size, value, color, type, texture, shape, alignment, direction, and movement

Monday, October 31, 2011

Podcast #2 Color Theory

The right use of color can do what?
maximize productivity, minimize visual fatigue, and relax the body
Within the electromagnetic spectrum, which waves allow us to see color?
visible light
Describe white light?
it is equal parts of all colors in visible light spectrum
How do we see color if objects "have no color of their own"?
objects absorb and reflet colors in the visible light spectrum. The reflected color is the color that we see.
What is a glass prism?
a transparent triangular object that breaks white light into all colors
What seven colors result when white light is refracted through a prism?
red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet
Describe hue?
the color itself; each different hue is a different reflected wavelength
When does white light occur?
when all wavelengths are reflected back to your eye
When does black light occur?
when no light is reflected back to your eye
How color is perceived depends on what?
the type of light it is seen with
What is a color wheel?
a visual tool that shows the relationship between primary, secondary, and tertiary colors
What are primary colors? Name them?
red, yellow, and blue
What are secondary colors? Name them?
two primary colors mixed together: orange, green, and violet
What are tertiary colors? Name them?
one primary and one secondary color mixed together: red-orange, yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-green, blue-violet, red-violet
What are neutral colors? How can they be created?
dont show up on the color wheel; have very low saturation(intensity of color) and are usually blacks, grays, whites, and browns
How can a neutral color help a design?
help put focus on other colors or to tone down overpowering colors
What are complementary colors? Name them?
colors positioned opposite of each other on the color wheel; red and green, orange and blue, and yellow and violet
What is color value?
lightness or darkness of a hue or color
What is a shade?
adding black to a hue producing a low-value color
What is a tint?
adding white to color producing a high-value color
What is saturation/intensity?
brightness of a color
What happens when you mix complementary colors together?
you create a dull tone
Describe color harmony?
a pleasing arrangement of parts(ex: music, poetry, color); Bland-viewer not engaged Chaotic-viewer can't stand to look at it
What is a color scheme?
harmonious color combinations used to create style and appeal
Describe a monochromatic color scheme?
uses tints and shades of one color, clean and elegant, easy on the eye
Describe an analogous color scheme?
uses 3 colors adjacent to each other on the color wheel, one color is used as the dominant color, the others are used to enrich the scheme
Describe a complementary color scheme?
Uses 2 colors opposite of each other on the color wheel, draws a lot of attention, works best when looking for situations where you need high-contrast
Describe a split-complementary color scheme?
Uses 3 colors(1 color, 2 adjacent to its complementary), draws attention without the tension of the complementary scheme
Describe a triadic color scheme?
uses 3 colors evenly spaced around the color wheel, offers a strong visual balance
What colors are considered to be warm colors?
yellows, oranges, reds
Describe a warm color scheme?
express aggression, excitement, and danger; strong and welcoming; will overpower other colors in a design
What colors are considered to be cool colors?
greens, blues, violets,
Describe a cool color scheme?
soothing in nature; gives impression of calm, rarely overpowers the message of a design
Why is important to consider which colors are being used within a design?
Think about how the colors are perceived; meaning of color impacts all visual communications; how color is used in our culture


Friday, October 21, 2011

Color Schemes

01.jpg
Complementary
05.gif
Triadic
03.jpg
Monochromatic





02.jpg
Analogous
04.jpg
Split Complementary

Andy Warhol

Research the artist Andy Warhol. Within your post, copy/paste the following questions and answer them...

Within what art genre did Warhol work?
Printmaking, painting, and cinema

Define the genre?
printmaking is the process of making art by printing designs on paper

During what years was he alive?
1928-1987

Post 2 samples of his art. Answer the following questions for each piece.
Skull, 1976

Title of the piece?
Skull

Describe the color that he utilizes. Does he use any particular color scheme?
He uses contrasting colors such as red
and purple.  There is no specific
color scheme present.

What do you notice about the artwork itself?
The red skull makes it the focus of the artwork and different colors make it stand out.

Diamond Dust Shoes (Random), 1980

Title of the piece?
Diamond Dust Shoes

Describe the color that he utilizes. Does he use any particular color scheme?
He uses combinations of contrasting colors (blue and orange, pink and green, purple and yellow).  He has the colors scattered everywhere with many different colors.

What do you notice about the artwork itself?
The black background makes the colors of the shoes pop out more and gives more contrast to the colors.