ARTS102-04

blog of roznowski

[sroznowskiarts102-04]

Project 6 — Reflection 6

I had a blast with this class as a whole, and I’m glad I got to show it through the creation of my portfolio.

In creating this, I cared more about creating a cohesive design, rather than showcasing my project process or written reflection.

I knew what I wanted to do for the front page of project 4 from the beginning, with the scorpion tail. After that, at first I was a tad stumped. I was happy to hear that the vibes of my work was along the lines of the Fifth Element color and sci-fi age decor, so I ran with it.

I stuck with a 6 color palette: dark and light blue, dark and light orange, white, and black. I spent a good while experimenting with designs using my curve tool on illustrator, and I relied on space age interior design to plan my title pages. It took me a bit, but I finally decided on my shape and designs, and it came together beautifully.

I also enjoyed overlapping my inspiration images a little bit for visual interest, as I think trying to space everything for the logo designs would have looked off otherwise.

I’m very proud of myself, and I am planning to discuss with my advisor whether I can do a graphic design minor instead of my studio arts, but I have to check.

I loved this class, this semester, and having my professor, so I’m sad to see it end, but we’ll see where it takes me!

[sroznowskiarts102-04]

Project 5 — Reflection 5

I will definitely have to review how to do the paragraph tool as it was confusing me a bit, but the line(?) tool that allows you to add specific styles to highlighted text through one click after making said style is super helpful, especially when experimenting. As I wasn’t sure about text colors/capitalizations in this project, it was helpful to have 2 styles I was able to easily switch between rather than editing the text through multiple buttons.

As mentioned, I’ll have to rewatch the blackboard video about the paragraph tool, but I see how both tools are helpful for project 6.

I also must say that as much as I like the last lamp, I hate how it is not as tall as the others, since it visually distracts from the cohesion of the project in color, size, and shape. Just a minor issue I have but I am too lazy to rewrite everything for a new lamp.

[sroznowskiarts102-04]

Project 4 — Reflection 4

I adored doing this project. While doing the character sheets, it allowed me to really practice thinking of different symbols for the same subject, but my best choices were made at home in my sketchbook after continuously brainstorming on my own time. This is how I ended up with the hair/star/headpiece like scorpion for Shadowheart, and the claw on the skull for Raphael based on his silly lyrics during a super hard battle. This project really helped me create logos based on symbolism, not just silhouettes of actual things, like a helmet you can acquire in game. I learned to put together elements into a unique piece that then creates a different image, and I’m really proud of that.

As for the actual building of the image, I’ve learned that I am obsessed with the curvature tool. It allows you to keep the drawing-like element with smoother lines, almost creating the curved yet jagged shapes of the braids. This tool also let me work with shapes easier, and keeping objects as one, such as the nails of the hand not being separate.

While I do think I like the images as one color on one color, I don’t mind the red and purple as those colors, if not black and white. I believe the shapes and logos are well articulated and recognizable enough if on any material or merchandise.

As for the fonts, I do see potential issues with resizing or legibility, so I may edit the fonts again for the last project. I think the shadowheart font works best when squeezed together as to not have spaces between the letters, but I know the ‘a’ gets a bit lost in the ‘heart’ part, so I will have to troubleshoot that and perhaps edit the font to make the ‘a’ more legible. As for Raphael, I edited the R so it was elongated, but I’m still not fully satisfied with it; I also think it the ‘l’ would perhaps benefit from long kind of elongation or something fancy, such as a line beneath the name like an actual signature. Just things to consider!

[sroznowskiarts102-04]

Project 3 — Reflection 3

This project really allowed me to learn adobe illustrator and all that I could do. I had my project, a student in the graphic design program, give me some tips, and show me how to create shapes + create a pattern for the background.

When brainstorming, I really liked a simple, professional style such as image 2, but design wise image 8 and 10 had the most visual interest. I decided against the worded outline of Susan B Anthony, as I felt, while it was cool, I would spend more time drawing on paper than I would be using adobe, which was why I took this class. Due to these reasons, I decided on the scale equating the value of men and women, as I felt it allowed me to explore adobe elements as well as opt for a sleek, simple design.

I had a lot of fun and this project came quickly to me, but looking at it now, I am a bit unhappy with how you can no longer see the gender symbols in a pattern for the background. While visible behind my recolor-graphic layer at 90% transparency on illustrator, after uploading to in design, that background pattern disappeared behind the high percentage. While saddened by that, I felt too confused and frustrated at the time to go back and figure out how to upload to in design all over again. Instead, I will most likely edit the poster for that pattern to be seen in my final portfolio.

[sroznowskiarts102-04]

Project 2 — Reflection 2

This project came to me relatively and surprisingly easy. I enjoyed using the alphabet as only images and shapes to create visual interest based on the overlap, curves, or boldness.

It’s very interesting how font choice as one factor can change the whole vibe of a piece. Baskerville, the font used in image 1 as well as my favorite font, has beautiful serif elements, making the essence of the design more elegant and respectable, whereas image 2, non-serif and bold, seems more poster/pop-art like, and image 3, while in English, has almost an arabic lettering quality.

This project shows how composition can really make or break a piece, specifically in the realm of our requirements (ie letters being unrecognizable). This project forced us to reckon with balancing positive and negative space, movement, and visual harmony. I believe our group exercise with the paper grid version of our pieces aided in the development of that skill also.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this project.

[sroznowskiarts102-04]

Project 1 — Reflection 1

For my first time using adobe, I felt very good about my work. I have experiencing making designs/edits for my own personal projects as well as with making digital art, but never with this software.

I enjoyed the exploration of designs on the ai website, and by changing/adding words such as “70s sci-fi” or “painted in black, orange, and yellow,” I was able to customize my images in a way I found cohesive, stylistic, and monochromatic.

The text-play I used felt natural and fitting to the images, such as the colors utilized, fonts, or bold/italics. Especially for image 1, in the context of a 70s sci-fi style, the oblique non-serif font is fitting, like that of a poster. The one on the right, image 2, is gentler; all lowercase, de-bolded and lighter in color farther into the sentence.

I enjoyed the process of finding images that allowed my creativity to flow, as well as finessing text in a way that enhanced the messages to be made.