Chloe Gersten: Final Post

Before this class, I didn’t criticize everything I saw. For this, I am grateful. This class had the same effect on me as COM117 did. I now look at designs, images, typefaces, etc. through an educated lens. Just like I notice when an interview isn’t shot using the rule of thirds, I now notice visual tension and ineffective uses of white space. As a Magazine major, one of the things I love about magazines is the design. This semester I have become more interested in pursuing design, versus the writing and journalism aspect to magazines. I think the biggest surprise to me was how long doing anything takes. I would sit down to work on a project, and realize that it had taken me 5 hours to successfully create half of a design. I often had trouble re-creating my sketches on the programs, exactly as I wanted them to appear. Maybe this was due to ineptitude in InDesign or Illustrator, but it has made me have a greater appreciation for successful designs. Overall, I’m happy to have taken this class. I learned a lot of basic skills to improve, and have produced work that I am exited to show other people.

Chloe Gersten: Post No. 9

Recycled Doggies is a Cincinnati-based organization that places dogs, scheduled to be euthanized at shelters, into foster homes until they can be adopted. Recycled Doggies believes great dogs are euthanized because they go unnoticed in shelters. Adoption events are held at local pet stores for people the meet the dogs, talk to foster owners, and fill out an adoption application. My target audience would be prospective adopters or volunteers. Both groups are people whose main interests are in how they can help the dogs. I wanted to create a website that is easy to navigate and always showcased available dogs. The original website was unorganized, repetitive, and difficult to read. I changed the navigation bar to be more informative and help organize content in secondary pages. I used text boxes to create smaller lines of text, to improve readability. I re-designed their logo into something simpler. I re-used the same color green for the paw prints in the background and certain links/text to reinforce the color scheme of the website. My goal of my design was to capture the fun, spirited energy of dogs to promote adoption.

Chloe Gersten: Post No. 8

I think that typeface is able to create a brand just as effectively as a logo can. Like many people, as a kid I never knew the ‘D’ in Disney was actually a ‘D.’ I honestly thought it was a ‘G,’ but it didn’t matter that it made no sense because I knew that was Disney. Now, I think that a script typeface may not have been the best idea for a company targeting children, but if Disney printed their logo in anything else, no one would recognize it as the company. Readers of Vogue or the New York Times would be thrown off if the names were suddenly in the same typeface that Disney uses. If the typeface is unique enough, then people will always associate that specific brand with that specific typeface, regardless of what else is printed in the same typeface.

The film made me appreciate typefaces more. I never really thought about the simple and obvious fact that someone had to create Times New Roman for it to be available on every computer. I never considered how each letter must be crafted to match the others, but will also have its individual characteristics. I’ve thought more into small details that differentiate one typeface from another. For example, how small changes to angles and serif size can completely change the appearance (and mood) of a typeface. This has made me consider the impact small details have in the scheme of graphic design. Typeface can convey different messages, angles or shapes can create different moods, and so on. All the small details, that seem irrelevant on their own, are what make a design successful or not.

Chloe Gersten: Post No. 7

http://www.freestorefoodbank.org/

This is an example of a well executed website due to its viewer-friendly usability. There is a simple design that remains constant from the homepage, to the secondary pages, and so on. There is a slideshow of pictures on the homepage, as well as additional images on secondary pages to show the focus of that page. The header consists of the logo, search bar, and navigation bar. The navigation bar has 8 options, which sticks to the 7 ± 2 rule. When you mouse over an option in the navigation bar, the link turns a different color, and a drop down menu appears. When mousing over the drop down menu, each link turns a different color, and the selected box is highlighted. When you click on a link to go to a secondary page, another navigation bar appears on the right which lists the other links in that category. This second navigation allows viewers to keep track of where they are, where they’ve been, and suggests where they may want to go next. I like this website for its simplicity and its consistency. The color scheme remains the same, the layout is the same, the same font is used, etc. It is also one of the most informative websites for a non-profit, or any business, I’ve ever seen. There are links to the PDF version of annual reports, finance records, tax returns, and so on. This builds the credibility of the organization, through the website alone. This non-profit has succeeded most in displaying the organization in a professional website, that both informs and engages viewers.

I want my interface to be organized and easy to navigate, first and foremost. My second concern is making the pages interesting enough to make the viewer want to explore further. I think this website does a good job incorporating relevant and interesting pictures, without overloading the page. I want to use images as this website does–to go along with content, not drive content.

Chloe Gersten: Post No. 5

For my photograph, I chose this ad for Nike. This features Michael Jordan’s line of shoes, paired with director/producer, Spike Lee. This picture conveys what Nike has been selling with Jordan’s shoes–dreams, ambition, the concept of flying, and athletic ability. Lee looking up in a hopeful manner reiterates Nike’s message of, “if you have Jordan’s shoes, you will be able to play like Jordan.” Nike was not only selling basketball shoes, they were selling all the intangible feelings that, for many people, come with playing basketball (or any sport). This ad is effective because it depicts a little kid aspiring to be what so many kids feel when they look up to athletes. I think that it is most effective in color, and would not capture as much emotion as it would in black and white. Other than being obviously staged, I think the most manipulation done to the picture was a filter effect. Looking at the picture you get a sense of what a fan this kid is, and the pure admiration he has for Jordan. Nike has been able to consistently create ads that relate to its customer base on an emotional level.

Chloe Gersten: Post No. 4

My logo was designed to express something about myself, but avoiding my initials. Using a symbol on the Korean flag shows something personal about myself, but is subtle enough that someone would have to ask me about its meaning, (unless they were familiar with it). Color choice was easy because it matches the colors of the real thing. I had to experiment with different shades of blue that would print how I wanted. By utilizing Prof. Sanefski’s suggestion to change the outline from black to white, the colors and shapes are able to stand out much more. Since the fist makes a powerful statement, I wanted a font that was not as bold. I used the same font as I did in my resume because it looked simple and was not too strong. I made the first letters in my name bigger than the others to follow the design I used in my resume as well. While my logo is probably not something I’d use to give potential employers, it’s something I can show my friends or put on my own personal website.

Chloe Gersten: Post No. 3

Nike has become such a power brand that they don’t need to have their name or logo as the center of the ad. Instead of glorifying the logo, Nike now glorifies specific teams or athletes, which becomes associated with the brand. I like how Nike develops a slogan to associate with the team/athlete they’re featuring. “The greatest team you’ve never heard of,” speaks powerfully for the women’s US soccer team and is a catchy play-on-words that will stick with the viewers. You associate the slogan with the team, the team with the brand, and the slogan with the brand – Nike is “greatness.” The color contrasts in the photography make the players pop from the background so your eye immediately finds them. I admire Nike’s cohesive flow of brand to image, image to slogan, and slogan back to brand, and will keep in mind as I design my poster.

Chloe Gersten: Post No. 1

 

I wanted to keep my resume clean, organized, and simple. My voice is similar to the design–simple, yet professional. I wanted my resume to reflect my laid back attitude, but also show my organization and highlight my experience.  My resume is designed so it can be appropriate for any situation–something I can turn in for either a job at the mall or an internship with a magazine. Each section is clearly denoted and is easy to read. With the two columns, I give myself space to add more and move sections around easily, without losing the organization. The biggest problem I had in designing was a lot of white space. By simply making the margins smaller and decreasing the white space between sections, I can add experience as necessary. This design is not only easy for the reader, but also easy for me to edit in the future.