Calciyum!

1% fat, 99% facts (and opinions)

[milkyourplants]

Cropping Tutorial on Photoshop

This is an easy technique that designers in the industry utilize to get a clean and precise cropped image. The pen tool is used to outline the part of the image that wants to be cropped. I turned on the rubber band setting so I could indicate and properly estimate the placement of my pen when I want to get to another point. When creating a curve, the “click and drag” technique is used - click at the next point then drag the pen tool to adjust the lines to the curve of the image. The ‘Alt’ key + clicking at the point before the next helps the point to restart. Once the first and final points are connected, right click and select “make selection”. Finally, switch to main selection and click on the lines around the image and delete the background - cropping made easy.

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My Magazine Cover

Last week, we were instructed to create our own magazine covers that included all of the 7 essential elements and this is my end result. The very first thing we had to do was choose a good and catchy Masthead to complement the theme of our personal magazines - mine is ‘Flutter’ that mainly focuses on fashion and beauty. The name I chose is derived from the action of a butterfly ‘fluttering’ its wings, in which it is using the most beautiful part of their anatomies to soar in the sky, an analogy that I aim to illustrate how fashion and makeup helps people to express and gain confidence in themselves. 

Then, from there we made a sketch of how we wanted the magazine to look like design wise - the main image, as well as considering the placements of the masthead, cover lines and bar code. First, what I did was edit the main image (a picture of me) to shift the focus onto my face and blur out the rest. I had also extended the background by using the marquee tool to create more space around me. After that, I searched for fonts that would fit the name of the masthead and applied a stained 3D Glass effect to make it stand out a lot more. Next, I arranged the main and the rest of the cover lines, including one bubble and added various colors to the texts. To top it of, I added the selling lines at the top of the magazine, along with a bar code at the bottom. 

[milkyourplants]

Magazine Covers

We shouldn’t always judge a book by its cover, but when it comes to magazines - the cover is the main selling point. In order to attract readers, magazine covers not only need to be visually appealing but also has to really stand out from the rest. The cover of a magazine is what displays the publication’s overall brand and personality. Therefore, following the process of designing a good magazine cover is necessary. There are 7 main elements designers should consider when constructing a basic magazine cover; the Masthead, Selling Lines, Datelines, Main Image, Main Cover Line, Cover Lines and the bar code. First, the Masthead is the name of the magazine. Second, selling lines are description of the title’s main marketing point. Third, datelines are the month and year of he publication, along with the price. Fourth, the main image which is either a photo or a visual that acts as the focal point of the magazine cover. Fifth, the main cover line serves to promote the main story and image of the magazine. Sixth, cover lines are selected titles or excerpts from the magazine contents. Seventh, the bar code is used by retailers in selling the magazines.

Personally, I have my own fair share of favorite magazine covers, including these ones which were derived from my favorite publications:

The masthead of this magazine is ‘ Dazed & Confused’. The main image is of a model split in half to display two different sets of style in fashion. The main cover line says ‘NOT EVERYTHING IS BLACK AND WHITE’ which is emphasized through the two colors that are used in this cover - black and white. Then, there are several cover lines listed down on the left side of the cover, and the bar code is placed on the bottom right.

The masthead of this magazine is ‘V’, which is fully spread across the cover that is also part of the main image and acts as a border for the cover lines. The main image are of singers and musicians, Grimes, Sky Ferreira and Charli XCX, which are some of the artists that inspire me. The main cover line says ‘THE YOUTH QUAKE ISSUE’, and the rest of the cover lines are listed down on the left and right side of the cover. Finally, the bar code is placed on the bottom left of the magazine.

[milkyourplants]

My Font Poster

For our weekly task, we were required to create an font poster using one of our favorite fonts that included our names in it to create individuality. I have chosen to use Franklin Gothic as my font of choice because I notice there aren’t many appealing posters that display this font. Therefore, with following the given process that was taught in our design class, this is the result of my attempt at making an attractive font poster. First of all, as you can see, the focal point is the giant letter ‘a’ that takes up half of the space in the poster. I decided to place it there in order to achieve 3 blank spaces for a more minimal look. The letter ‘a’ can also be seen as an ‘elephant silhouette’ with its ‘ear’ and ‘trunk’ when rotated at a 90° angle clockwise. After that, I placed the rest of the letter in my name inside the letter ‘a’. In an attempt to have the letter seep through the background, I had placed it close to the edge of the letter ‘a’ and added the same color to both elements. Next, for the purpose of showcasing the font used, I had arranged all the letters in the alphabet, as well as numbers at the space below my name, along with some borders to add a more clean and organized look. Finally, as for the colors, I chose a mid-century modern color palette to pair it with the overall retro and vintage look of the font to achieve a vibrant and earthy feel.

[milkyourplants]

My Favorite Fonts

As discussed earlier, typefaces are an important element to constructing a good design. There are probably thousands of fonts that you can find on the web - whether it’s generic or custom-made. I’ve had my own personal fair use of various fonts but there are two that I am particularly keen on using in my projects. 

Futura is a geometric sans-serif typeface designed by Paul Renner and is considered one of my frequently used fonts, also making it a favorite. I was first introduced to it by my favorite film director, Wes Anderson. It became a signature image for him as he had used this font often in his films, along with the film posters. Personally, I like the clean and organized look that this font displays, which notably is similar to the aesthetic that Anderson portrays. Thus, being inspired by my favorite director, this font came in handy for the majority of my video-editing related work.

Franklin Gothic is a sans-serif typeface developed in the early years of the 20th century by Morris Fuller Benton, and employee at the type foundry, American Type Founders. If you ask me, I find this font very attractive as it gives out a vintage feel. It is also a font that is frequently used in album covers and movie posters, and not to mention the iconic ‘War Is Over! If You Want It’ poster campaign by John Lennon and Yoko Ono. As I mentioned before, I personally like the clean and organized look and this font exudes it but with more of a grunge and rustic character.

[milkyourplants]

April was a wonderful month for new music but one full-album release stuck out the most for me - Rina Sawayama’s ‘SAWAYAMA’. Rina is a Japanese-British rising pop artist that I’ve been eyeing since 2017 and she recently made her debut with this 13 track studio album. There’s just something about the songs in this album that I just can’t get enough of, I’ve personally been putting it on repeat ever since the release (this song in particular). If I could sum up the overall vibe - it’s a fresh sound that combines early 2000s ‘Y2K’ pop with the rocker edge of the electric guitar. She’s incredibly underrated and I truly believe that she’s a game-changer in the pop music industry.

[milkyourplants]

Bad Typography Around Us

Typography plays an important role in design as it allows people to read and understand the message that is being conveyed. Though, people tend to overlook the importance of good typography. Here are some examples of household items that in my opinion, uses bad typography.

First, this mineral water label uses grey as the background along with white text. The combination of colors have no contrast thus, making it difficult to read. Moreover, there’s too much space between each letter in ‘Air Mineral’. It could easily get the message across without the over-kerning the text.

Next, we have this insect repellent bottle that I personally feel like is too messy and disorganized because the typefaces are too close with one another. Sizing of the typefaces is also important in order to know which is the primary information that should read at first glance. In this case, ‘100& Pure Natural Plant’ should probably be sized smaller since it is secondary information about the product.

Finally, this sup punjut packaging that uses too many fonts as well as too many texts. To put it differently, there is too much happening at once which is different from good typography that embraces minimalism so that it’s easier on the eyes. Every designer also needs to take note of the letter capitalization, it could end up looking disordered if not used properly. 

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The Elements of Design

It is important for any graphic artist to include the elements of design in order to create a more attractive and balanced design. There are 6 important elements to take note of which are; line, shoes, size, color, value, and texture. As an example, let’s take a look at this album cover of Conventional Weapons by My Chemical Romance:

First, we can see that there are two lines below ‘Conventional Weapons’ where it emphasizes the name of the album. Second, an ‘MCR’ logo is placed just below the name of the artist (My Chemical Romance) which can be considered as shapes. Third, there is an explicit different in size; the picture of the gun is bigger than the small box that displays the content of the album. Next, the color used depicts the mood of the album, in which has an obvious emo and grunge feel by first glance with the use of black, red and beige. After that, the value in this album cover is directed at the gun which creates contrast with the beige background, as well as the red box placed at the top left of the cover. Finally, the scratched surface-like texture of the background contributes to the personality of the album.

[milkyourplants]

Bundle of Soy

Before the RMO started, I had the opportunity to go cafe hopping with my friends. A friend of mine had suggested that we go and try the soufflé pancakes at Soylab @ Damansara Uptown as it was trending at the time. Soylab is a dessert cafe that only serves soy-based confections rather than your typical dairy-filled sweets. It’s a nice alternative to those who have a sweet tooth but are also trying to cut out their dairy intake, those who are taking up veganism, and those who generally have a liking for anything soy.

The interior of the cafe itself is bright and quaint. As soon as you walk in, you can tell that it’s mainly inspired by Japanese Minimalism. Though my favorite part of it is this white neon sign displayed at the center of the cafe that is a word play for the song lyrics to ‘Milkshake’ by Kelis, advocating the substitute use of dairy products such as soy milk. 

The real star of the show was of course - the desserts! We ordered two of their signature menu items to share among three people (which was more than enough). First we had the ‘Soy Frozen’ shaved soy ice which was shaved ice made with soy milk served with grass jelly cubes, Adzuki red beans, and crunchy crushed peanuts and topped with their homemade sugar syrup (RM13.50). The waiter had served us this marvelous creation with a bed of dry ice at the bottom of the bowl which was a nice touch presentation-wise. The perfect dessert for cooling yourself off on a hot day.

The second menu item that we ordered was hands down my favorite - the Signature Soyfflé, soufflé pancakes topped with whipped cream and served with their signature soy soft serve and homemade sugar syrup (RM22.00). The pancakes were so fluffy that it just melts in your mouth. The cold bittersweet soft serve makes a perfect match with the warm sweet pancakes. It was truly love at first bite.

Overall, I had a pleasant experience with my time visiting this cafe. In a dessert chain, incorporating soy as a substitute for dairy is definitely a new concept that is worth opening up to. Not only do they serve delicious and fairly priced mouth-watering desserts but it’s also a great place to just hangout with friends. I highly recommend it to those who enjoy cafe hopping or those who would appreciate trying out new foods.

[milkyourplants]

Good Packaging vs. Bad Packaging

Next to the quality of a product, the packaging itself can also play an integral role in attracting potential consumers as it is the first thing they would see and inspect before deciding to purchase it. Many advertisers these days have come forward with creative and innovative packaging designs.

Let’s take this Nescafe instant coffee packaging as an example. With the ongoing ‘no-straws’ initiative taken by food and beverage businesses everywhere, this packaging is a brilliant design in support of the campaign. The instant coffee is packaged in a clear sachet, which could also ultimately be used as a straw. The minimal design with the convenience that comes with it makes it alluring, especially to those coffee-drinkers who are constantly on-the-go. The execution translates well with the idea. Therefore, in my opinion, it is a good form of packaging.

Although, in some cases, the packaging would already be aesthetically pleasing, but fail in terms of the mechanism. Take this Cup, Fee instant coffee and tea mix packaging as an example - it allows customers to use the actual packaging as a cup. Personally, I feel that the overall idea is good. However, there is a possible flaw in the design. In this case, the material of the packaging is questionable since it is made out of eco paper. Can it hold in hot liquid for a long period of time? Will the seams on the inside of the cup cause leakage? The convenience and environmental awareness are there, but the functionality is impractical thus making it bad packaging.

Other than the aesthetics, it is important for advertisers to take note of the overall functionality of the actual packaging. Good packaging should not only emphasize the look and feel but it should also highlight the product itself.

[milkyourplants]

“A man who stops advertising to save money is like a man who stops a clock to save time.”

- Henry Ford

In a literal sense, if a man were to actually stop the clock to save time, it would be futile as time is constant. Ford is comparing the man to the fact that those who do not integrate advertising in their business or entrepreneurial schemes are experiencing a major loss. People tend to overlook the importance of advertising and how much of an investment it actually is. If saving money is the main concern of an individual’s business then they are collectively avoiding the risks that most entrepreneurs would take in achieving success. Risk-taking is an integral part of producing a thriving business and therefore those who do not incorporate it to their ventures are undermining so many potential opportunities.