Post 20

Being that this is my last blog post, and today will be our final critique, I thought this would be a good time to reflect on the semester over all. I started this class with absolutely zero background using indesign, illustrator, or photoshop. At first, I found these programs challenging, because of all the different things you can do on them were very new to me. Yes, I let myself get frustrated sometimes, but I have definitely seen an improvement in not only my work, but my ability to use these programs and try new things.

In the first project we did, the initials one, I found that I used very basic techniques on indesign. Infact, the only tools that I used was the rectangle tool, and text boxes. I found that as the semester progressed and I learned more and more techniques, my designs were coming out better and better. I now have confidence that I could use those programs to create practically anything. I've learned how to make a poster, magazine layout, brochure, or simply a creative design.

This course is definitely an important one that any communication major should take. You learn many skills that are going to be very helpful to know throughout our careers. I am happy with what I learned during this course, and I'm also quite impressed with my creations.

I should also add that in the beginning of the semester I thought blogging was going to be something I did not enjoy doing, but I must admit, 20 blogs in, it's a good way of taking everything we've learned and applying it to real life. I also enjoyed reading other people's blog posts, to see how they took in their com graphics experience as well.

I look forward to our last critique session today, and seeing everyones final brochures.

Post 19

So I'm sitting in the library... REALLY REALLY hungry. And all I can think about is food art. I have seen some of the most creatively designed foods. One of my favorite pieces of food art would have to be those deliciously beautiful Edible Arrangements. Not only does your fruit come in a perfectly arranged basket, but each piece of fruit is either perfectly dipped in chocolate, or put together with other fruits to make a new design. It's really incredible to see what these people can do with a basket and some fruit.

Now how amazing does that look? Don't you want to just bite into one of those pineapple flowers? I do!

Anyone who knows me, knows I have a serious sweet tooth. So maybe its just me who sees beauty in chocolate, but I truly believe I have seen some beautifully designed chocolates as well. On Valentine's Day last year, Russell and I went to this little chocolate shop on Elmwood, where they make their own chocolate on site. Not only do they make their own chocolate, but they make it into such beautiful artistic designs! They literally truffles in the shapes of different things. It was so cool! I really find it amazing when people can take something as simple as chocolate, and using the aspect of design, can turn it into something beautiful.

One of the main things I see as I scroll down my Instagram feed, are pictures of people's meals. Not only are companies turning their food into pieces of art, but everyday people that I follow on Instagram do too! Some people post the most amazing looking meals ever, so when I'm hungry, Instagram is not the place to be! One day I made the horrible mistake of searching #foodart. Oh my gosh, the number of amazing looking things that came up is unexplainable. Even when you search that in Google, the most beautiful delicious looking things come up. Here are a few of my favorites:

People usually say "don't play with your food" but I'm glad these people did!

Post 18

I just came from my com401 class, which is communication research. All semester long, we were working on doing different research projects, in order to come up with a final presentation, involving recommendations for a specific organization or client. I was sitting there for about two hours, and watched maybe seven presentations. Something I noticed that a few groups mentioned, was improving the logo for the company. This made me think a lot about the com322 class, and how important a well thought out and executed design is. It's not only important to have a good idea, but you need to make sure you execute your idea to its full potential. For example, one group was doing research for the Adam's Mark hotel. A recommendation that they came up with was to update their logo. When they showed us the logo that they currently use, I completely agree with them.

This is the logo that the Adam's Mark currently uses. It is literally a mark. Yes, it's literal, but does it make any sense? No. This logo does not serve much purpose to the hotel. It's not something recognizable, that if someone saw it, they would immediately know what its for.

When designing a logo, it's important to keep in mind that you want this logo to identify with the organization itself. Many companies like to use the letter that starts off their name. For example, Dunkin Donuts, has a very simple logo, that if seen driving by, you would immediately know what its for. In many cases, a simple two letter design is more effective then trying to recreate a mark.

Doesn't it make you want to go grab a coffee?

Post 17

After seeing the final brochure I created, I have to say I am quite pleased. The non-profit organization that I made a summer day camp brochure for, I actually went to as a camper, and counselor, for a large portion of my life. I have seen a ton of brochures, flyers, and posters to say the least. I must admit, mine is something that I believe would incline a parent or child to find out more. I used many fun pictures that would make any kid want to go to camp. The only thing I can think of that I might want to have done differently, would be to use even less text. However, I don't believe that text is a bad thing on a brochure, because after all, the point is to inform people on this summer camp. And if you read the text, you're likely to want to enroll! The whole point is to get someone to want to read it, and I believe the inviting colors, fonts, and pictures do so.

Creating this brochure opened my eyes to many more opportunities. I really enjoyed doing this for an organization that means a lot to me. I actually spoke with an old friend from the Sam Field Y, who works in PR, doing the advertising mainly through social media. He told me about all of the things he does for the Y, and all the job opportunities that are available. I don't know if that is necessarily what I want to do, but it's refreshing to see that there are options out there. Besides, it would be pretty cool to work for a place I practically grew up at.

Post 16

There have been many incidences, where Disney, has been accused of putting inappropriate messages in their designs. When I first heard about these, I wasn't convinced, but after doing some research I found that their are in fact some inappropriate images in many of their films. The most talked about, is the cover of The Little Mermaid. The controversy is that there is an oddly shaped structure on the castle, closely resembling a penis. Disney, and the designer of the cover, insist it was an accident, resulting from a rushed final product. Ironically, (or not), this was not the only instance where Disney did something like this.

As mentioned in one of my earlier blogs, I am always interested in hearing about conspiracies in the world. I read about the "Disney conspiracy". I found so many different accusations against the images that have been used throughout many of these children movies. It really makes you think, were the designers really that careless to make these "mistakes" so often, or were these inappropriate images placed there on purpose. Below I will show some of the most obvious "mistakes" I found.

This is from the children's movie, "The Rescuers". If this is a film rated PG, why are there a women's naked breasts in the window?

This is the cover to "The Little Mermaid", and as you can see, this outlined part of the castle, doesn't look so castle like.

Here is a scene from the Lion King, where the stars clearly say that word sex.

Here is the cover for the Lion King, and you can see that the shape of his head is resembling the back side of a woman.

Now, it's up to you to decide if these are people coming up with crazy conspiracies, or if this is really a poor design job on Disney's part. If it is, Disney definitely needs a new graphic designer!

Post 15

A great way of expressing yourself through art, are tattoos. This is a fun and beautiful way show people who you are. Ever since I was a little girl, I always knew wanted tattoos, I just didn't know what I wanted. After all, this is a piece of art that is going to be displayed on your skin, forever! Most people think long and hard about what they are going to get, before they actually go through with it. I made the mistake once, of getting a tattoo that wasn't thought out, and I covered it up. Trust me, I'll never make that mistake again!

However, the first tattoo I got, will always be my favorite. When I turned 18, I came up to Buffalo to visit my sister Rebecca who was already a student here. We went and got butterfly tattoos, for our grandma who passed away a few months prior to my 18th birthday. In my family, the butterfly symbolizes life. After my uncle died in the tragic attack on the World Trade Center, my family, especially my grandma, believed that whenever we saw a butterfly, it was him saying hello. Then, after my grandma passed, we found the butterfly even more meaningful. I got four butterflies going up my side, representing each person in my immediate family; myself, my sister, and my parents. My sister, got a butterfly on her foot, with my grandma's name, Evelyn, on the outline. My parents were never a fan of tattoos, and definitely didn't want their two daughters getting them, but they loved our butterfly tattoos, as they will always be a reminder of the loved ones we've lost.

Throughout my life, I've seen some great tattoos, and some not so great ones. Either way, tattoos are a fun way of expressing yourself. Whenever I see people who have them, I always stop and look. I like when they have meaning behind them, and tell a story. This is a great way to tell the world who you are, through images.      

Post 14

After learning how to use photoshop in class, I realized how many things are probably done with Photoshop that many people don't notice. For example, we all know many models are photo shopped for magazine spreads, etc. Before taking this class, I had no idea how to use photoshop at all. Now, I see how much can be done to a picture using this program. The exercise we did involving putting Emilia Airheart's face on someone else's body, really opened my eyes to this. It made me wonder if any of the recent pictures we've been showed involving the Boston bombings were photoshopped. I've always been interested in hearing about conspiracy theories, and my poetry class is always a place where people bring up crazy things. One day in class, my professor was talking about recent news he heard about the Boston bombings. He saw a video, regarding the backpack the alleged bomber was wearing. In one photo, the boy was wearing the backpack, and in another photo, there was no backpack! This could be easily done using photoshop. Now that I understand a little about how the program works, I wanted to do a search and see if I could tell if the backpack was photoshopped or not. I couldn't find this picture anywhere, but I did find something else interesting regarding that day. I found a bunch of copies of a photo of an injured woman. In some copies, the woman's leg was in tact, in other copies, the woman had a broken bone popping out of her leg.

Here you can see for yourself, this is the same exact image, just showing a different wound on the leg. Based on my knowledge of Photoshop, I believe that the image on the left was the one photoshopped. It is very simple to add something like that to any image, but I'll leave that for you to decide!

On a lighter note, I found some other funny photoshop fails, here they are

If you're gonna use photoshop to add muscles to yourself, don't forget to do both arms!