Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Color: a beginning podcast
Click to hear another brief podcast on color. Be sure to have another browser window open to Adobe Kuler
The Ad Club-Boston
Another group, you might want to consider joining is The Ad Club of Boston.
The Ad Club is the trade organization for the New England Communications Industry. Their mission is to advance the interests of their constituents and to strengthen the bond that has united communication professional in New England for the past 100 years.
Look at their calendar for events.
The Ad Club is the trade organization for the New England Communications Industry. Their mission is to advance the interests of their constituents and to strengthen the bond that has united communication professional in New England for the past 100 years.
Look at their calendar for events.
More Support for the CS3 Suite
FREE eSeminars to learn more about Adobe Creative Suite 3 Click and learn more.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Exterior Signage Design Assignment
Here is an empty building.
If you could re-design this building into any thing, any color, any design, what would you make this building? Might it become a shop, a restaurant, some service center of some sort? Perhaps you would change it into a non-profit community center or school? I might be a brewery for the beer label you have designed or a winery for your wine. Perhaps a restaurant whose signage you can pull from some of your salsa logos. Or just start completely from scratch.
See how wildly different your before and after images can be. You might want to get some inspirations from: your notes, from our trip to the ICA Boston or the Communication Arts magazines [look in the exhibition area of those Design Annuals]. Or pull from inspiration you have found elsewhere.
Have a study, give it some thought. Should you want to include an exterior signage in your portfolio work, this might be a good place to give this type of design a try.
You can copy this image onto your memory stick directly from this image and I will also upload an image onto the CDIA server, so you can download the jpeg.
Have fun with this. Before and after projects are always interesting and capture the viewers’ attention.
Field Trip Suggestions
Designers, here are some ideas for field trips. Have a peek and let's discuss this Tuesday evening in class. We might be able to do something either Thursday evening or a portion of Saturday. I will continue to check exhibition/museum hours as can you.
Send more suggestions and I can post them here OR you can comment and link websites yourself. Either way is fine with me. I'm more than happy to post things, to be sure designers see these ideas.
Joan's Ideas for field trips:
The Decordova in Lincoln Joan says she hasn't been there in years, love the outdoor art and more, I agree, I was last there in the autumn of 2004. Should we choose this as a field trip, we could also design a tri-fold brochure promoting this museum. I have seen other designers do this as an exercise....you'd have the luxury of having seen the place first hand, then designing.
The Fuller Craft Museum --contemporary crafts in Brockton, MA. Neither Joan nor I have ever been here, but sounds intriguing!
Send more suggestions and I can post them here OR you can comment and link websites yourself. Either way is fine with me. I'm more than happy to post things, to be sure designers see these ideas.
Joan's Ideas for field trips:
The Decordova in Lincoln Joan says she hasn't been there in years, love the outdoor art and more, I agree, I was last there in the autumn of 2004. Should we choose this as a field trip, we could also design a tri-fold brochure promoting this museum. I have seen other designers do this as an exercise....you'd have the luxury of having seen the place first hand, then designing.
The Fuller Craft Museum --contemporary crafts in Brockton, MA. Neither Joan nor I have ever been here, but sounds intriguing!
Exhibition: Punctuating Place
Punctuating Place is a Sculptural Installation by Ana Flores
and I saw this exhibition at the Rhode Island National Wildlife Refuge @ Kettle Pond. Charlestown, RI On exhibition until December 1, 2007
The artist, Ana, received a New Works grant [of $15,000] from the Rhode Island Foundation to become an artist in residence @ the Kettle Pond Visitor Center, which happens to be the Rhode Island headquarters of the U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service. Ana's home/studio is nearby and she is most interested in storytelling.
This installation is an attempt to evoke those human voices from different eras: the indigenous history, the colonial "contact" period and the century of slavery that powered the plantations that once existed along this coastline. Each of these eras had their own different ways of reading the land, reaping its resources and punctuating the places that sustained them. Ana created the sculptures out of the materials of those cultures. Each is marked with an interpretive box [which I have shown below] containing a summary of the era’s history and a journal for public input [thus the artist creates yet another story about the publics' interpretation of her work].
By clicking the images, an enlarged image should appear and hopefully you will be able to see how Ana was MOST selective in choosing the placement of her sculptures. Do, scroll down and notice the graphic images in the final couple of images. Realize the images of the slave boats were created, propaganda, in order to show the injustice and horror of the slaves being transported to the United States.
Woodland
Look closely beyond the box and see the human figures made of cement and twigs
Colonial
Note the measuring tools on this interpretive box
These figures are made of stone and wood
Slavery
These images are made from wood and metal and how these materials are echoed in each other creating unity. Note how the slave is dressed in black pants, chained and has no shirt while the white man has white pants, a shirt and is freed. If you are able to see, the white man is now entangled in the weeds of the natural environment....might this be a significant question as to how humans now interact with the natural environment?
Note: the graphic image here. It was used to protest the inhumanity of transporting the slaves to the United States.
and I saw this exhibition at the Rhode Island National Wildlife Refuge @ Kettle Pond. Charlestown, RI On exhibition until December 1, 2007
The artist, Ana, received a New Works grant [of $15,000] from the Rhode Island Foundation to become an artist in residence @ the Kettle Pond Visitor Center, which happens to be the Rhode Island headquarters of the U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service. Ana's home/studio is nearby and she is most interested in storytelling.
This installation is an attempt to evoke those human voices from different eras: the indigenous history, the colonial "contact" period and the century of slavery that powered the plantations that once existed along this coastline. Each of these eras had their own different ways of reading the land, reaping its resources and punctuating the places that sustained them. Ana created the sculptures out of the materials of those cultures. Each is marked with an interpretive box [which I have shown below] containing a summary of the era’s history and a journal for public input [thus the artist creates yet another story about the publics' interpretation of her work].
By clicking the images, an enlarged image should appear and hopefully you will be able to see how Ana was MOST selective in choosing the placement of her sculptures. Do, scroll down and notice the graphic images in the final couple of images. Realize the images of the slave boats were created, propaganda, in order to show the injustice and horror of the slaves being transported to the United States.
Woodland
Look closely beyond the box and see the human figures made of cement and twigs
Colonial
Note the measuring tools on this interpretive box
These figures are made of stone and wood
Slavery
These images are made from wood and metal and how these materials are echoed in each other creating unity. Note how the slave is dressed in black pants, chained and has no shirt while the white man has white pants, a shirt and is freed. If you are able to see, the white man is now entangled in the weeds of the natural environment....might this be a significant question as to how humans now interact with the natural environment?
Note: the graphic image here. It was used to protest the inhumanity of transporting the slaves to the United States.
Friday, July 27, 2007
The Contemporary Art Museum of Boston
Bravo on the Art Museum!!
What a wonderful evening…..AND a must do again!
I hope you were all inspired!
I know I was, from the very start with Target’s red-and-white themed display of candies and drinks. Notice how they worked the red color with the textures of the glass containers, echoing the Target spiral which united and strengthened their own logo design? And this was just the arrangement of the tables in the Lobby!! The band outside, I’m not sure is a staple Thursday-Night-Affair…however, they were great atmosphere.
Then, the museum: Some of my personal favorites were: The Hunt, the German artist using bow and arrow to ‘hunt’ down his food..in the grocery store. Of course, The Spider, the sculptures from the glass vases/containers in the mirrored infinity frame to the spun gold wedding rings and the wish list. Did you read the wish list? Extremely poignant. And then, there were the photographs of the Gravity-Defying-Pole Dancers…..and hookers.
By the way, did anyone wander into the room, where just a swash of light was being projected onto the floor? The light changed color, slightly. If you saw it, I was wondering your impressions? Is this art? And more importantly, why? Or why is a 3 ft. cube of straight pins considered art?
I loved the inclined room of computers looking out into the reflective Harbor waters. I would like to return just to ‘play’ with those computers and see what they have to offer.
Not to mention the gift store….did you have a chance to check out the gems and jewels there?
Anyway, I’m sure we’ll all want to return soon. [Especially since now, we all know where we are going]. If you haven’t already, sign up for the Institute of Contemporary Art’s e-newsletter and they will email you updates of events they regularly have. Including music, drama, art, etc. Great stuff!!
Anyway, I hope the things you saw at the art museum and your experience stay with you for a while, inspire you onto new directions in your designs…..keep adding thoughts, impressions, words, sketches to your workbook/sketchbook. Even start jotting down design ideas.
We can chat more about this next week. Enjoy your weekend and if it gets rainy outside, sit down by your computer or with your pencil and sketchbook…. And do some art-museum-inspired-designing.
Check our blog and see if you can make a comment on the art museum.
To create a comment:
Click upon the ‘comment’ link you’ll see it listed below the end of this entry.
Write up your comment in the box provided.
You will have to sign in, by following the log-in instructions found just below the Comment Box. Use a email address and KEEP TRACK OF WHAT YOU USE AS YOUR LOG-IN NAME & PASSWORD….so you have it again.
You’ll be prompted to ‘View the Blog’ and
That’s is….then to read what people have commented upon, just click the comment and you’ll see the list of what folks have written.
We can review this on Tuesday.
What a wonderful evening…..AND a must do again!
I hope you were all inspired!
I know I was, from the very start with Target’s red-and-white themed display of candies and drinks. Notice how they worked the red color with the textures of the glass containers, echoing the Target spiral which united and strengthened their own logo design? And this was just the arrangement of the tables in the Lobby!! The band outside, I’m not sure is a staple Thursday-Night-Affair…however, they were great atmosphere.
Then, the museum: Some of my personal favorites were: The Hunt, the German artist using bow and arrow to ‘hunt’ down his food..in the grocery store. Of course, The Spider, the sculptures from the glass vases/containers in the mirrored infinity frame to the spun gold wedding rings and the wish list. Did you read the wish list? Extremely poignant. And then, there were the photographs of the Gravity-Defying-Pole Dancers…..and hookers.
By the way, did anyone wander into the room, where just a swash of light was being projected onto the floor? The light changed color, slightly. If you saw it, I was wondering your impressions? Is this art? And more importantly, why? Or why is a 3 ft. cube of straight pins considered art?
I loved the inclined room of computers looking out into the reflective Harbor waters. I would like to return just to ‘play’ with those computers and see what they have to offer.
Not to mention the gift store….did you have a chance to check out the gems and jewels there?
Anyway, I’m sure we’ll all want to return soon. [Especially since now, we all know where we are going]. If you haven’t already, sign up for the Institute of Contemporary Art’s e-newsletter and they will email you updates of events they regularly have. Including music, drama, art, etc. Great stuff!!
Anyway, I hope the things you saw at the art museum and your experience stay with you for a while, inspire you onto new directions in your designs…..keep adding thoughts, impressions, words, sketches to your workbook/sketchbook. Even start jotting down design ideas.
We can chat more about this next week. Enjoy your weekend and if it gets rainy outside, sit down by your computer or with your pencil and sketchbook…. And do some art-museum-inspired-designing.
Check our blog and see if you can make a comment on the art museum.
To create a comment:
Click upon the ‘comment’ link you’ll see it listed below the end of this entry.
Write up your comment in the box provided.
You will have to sign in, by following the log-in instructions found just below the Comment Box. Use a email address and KEEP TRACK OF WHAT YOU USE AS YOUR LOG-IN NAME & PASSWORD….so you have it again.
You’ll be prompted to ‘View the Blog’ and
That’s is….then to read what people have commented upon, just click the comment and you’ll see the list of what folks have written.
We can review this on Tuesday.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Fall 2007 Graphic and Web Design Exhibition
Call to Artists & Designers!
It is with tremendous enthusiasm that we announce the first all-department design exhibition. Note: Irene Ramirez is leading this, so contact her for more details orangeladybird@gmail.com
The Exhibition:
Will be a 4-week, biannual exhibition dedicated exclusively to the Graphic and Web Design students @ CDIA. The show will be open to ALL [part-time and full-time] Graphic and Web Design students currently enrolled in the program. The show will be juried. There will be at least 2 awards presented including a Peer’s Choice Award.
Our Goal:
Our goal is to showcase the best work being produced in our Department. To demonstrate to the outside community the art and craft of what we do. Thus, if you work is not selected to participate in the first exhibition, we encourage you to continue to work on it and resubmit it for consideration for participation in the following show.
The current Proposed Exhibition Opening Dates:
2007: Friday, October 19th
2008: Friday, March 7th or 14th
Opening 7-9pm with Poster/Postcard to follow
Note: this will be a 'Ta Do' as in a real-live opening!! Fun!!
Deliverables:
Please submit pdf versions of your work to Joe Comeau [jcomeau@cdiabu.com] by AUGUST 25, 2007. Be sure to CONVERT all text to outlines. Also, please label the subject of the email to ‘Exhibition Entry’. All work produced in or outside of class will be considered.
One the works have been selected, you will be notified of your eligibility to participate. At the point, it will become your responsibility to produce the final copy for exhibition. All participating work must be produced to gallery standards. This means that work will need to be either mounted and framed [some frames provided on loan by CDIA; mounting is students’ responsibility] or mounted onto gatorboard [students’ responsibility].
Legwork of dry mounting is the student’s responsibility. We are referring students to Eric Blomster @ Abraxis framing in Auburndale for the mounting. Feel free to shop around for matting and framing. This WILL be the student’s expense.
Alraxis Framing Co., Eric Blomster, 281b Auburn St., Newton, MA 02466, 617.818.6968, Sun/M: Closed, T-Sat 9 to 5, W 11 to8.
General Pricing for Matting runs from:
8X10” mat $8, gatorboard $12, mat backing $4
11X14” mat $10, gatorboard $14, mat backing $5
14X18” mat $13, gatorboard $18, mat backing $6.50
16X20” mat $14, gatorboard $20, mat backing $7
18X24” mat $18, gatorboard $24, mat backing $9
22 X28” mat $25, gatorboard $30, mat backing $12.50
24X36” mat$28, gatorboard $36, mat backing $14
32X40” mat$30, gatorbaord $44, mat backing $15
36X48” mat $40, gatorboard $70, mat backing $20
40X60” $42, gatorboard $78, mat backing $21
Pricing is rounded up to the next standard size, $4 per each additional opening in mat, mounting includes d-ring hanging hardware, mat backing includes hinge & photo corners, 2 week turn-around.
It is with tremendous enthusiasm that we announce the first all-department design exhibition. Note: Irene Ramirez is leading this, so contact her for more details orangeladybird@gmail.com
The Exhibition:
Will be a 4-week, biannual exhibition dedicated exclusively to the Graphic and Web Design students @ CDIA. The show will be open to ALL [part-time and full-time] Graphic and Web Design students currently enrolled in the program. The show will be juried. There will be at least 2 awards presented including a Peer’s Choice Award.
Our Goal:
Our goal is to showcase the best work being produced in our Department. To demonstrate to the outside community the art and craft of what we do. Thus, if you work is not selected to participate in the first exhibition, we encourage you to continue to work on it and resubmit it for consideration for participation in the following show.
The current Proposed Exhibition Opening Dates:
2007: Friday, October 19th
2008: Friday, March 7th or 14th
Opening 7-9pm with Poster/Postcard to follow
Note: this will be a 'Ta Do' as in a real-live opening!! Fun!!
Deliverables:
Please submit pdf versions of your work to Joe Comeau [jcomeau@cdiabu.com] by AUGUST 25, 2007. Be sure to CONVERT all text to outlines. Also, please label the subject of the email to ‘Exhibition Entry’. All work produced in or outside of class will be considered.
One the works have been selected, you will be notified of your eligibility to participate. At the point, it will become your responsibility to produce the final copy for exhibition. All participating work must be produced to gallery standards. This means that work will need to be either mounted and framed [some frames provided on loan by CDIA; mounting is students’ responsibility] or mounted onto gatorboard [students’ responsibility].
Legwork of dry mounting is the student’s responsibility. We are referring students to Eric Blomster @ Abraxis framing in Auburndale for the mounting. Feel free to shop around for matting and framing. This WILL be the student’s expense.
Alraxis Framing Co., Eric Blomster, 281b Auburn St., Newton, MA 02466, 617.818.6968, Sun/M: Closed, T-Sat 9 to 5, W 11 to8.
General Pricing for Matting runs from:
8X10” mat $8, gatorboard $12, mat backing $4
11X14” mat $10, gatorboard $14, mat backing $5
14X18” mat $13, gatorboard $18, mat backing $6.50
16X20” mat $14, gatorboard $20, mat backing $7
18X24” mat $18, gatorboard $24, mat backing $9
22 X28” mat $25, gatorboard $30, mat backing $12.50
24X36” mat$28, gatorboard $36, mat backing $14
32X40” mat$30, gatorbaord $44, mat backing $15
36X48” mat $40, gatorboard $70, mat backing $20
40X60” $42, gatorboard $78, mat backing $21
Pricing is rounded up to the next standard size, $4 per each additional opening in mat, mounting includes d-ring hanging hardware, mat backing includes hinge & photo corners, 2 week turn-around.
Beer & Wine Logo Labels-Round One
Designers: note how Eileen has expanded upon her logo design, applying the mark onto other print items. This is what I would like you to think about with your designs.
Eileen
Emily
Danielle: Danielle, I thought you had more designs of Bottle 15? We can catch those @ our next visit
Jen
Kristie
Eileen
Emily
Danielle: Danielle, I thought you had more designs of Bottle 15? We can catch those @ our next visit
Jen
Kristie
Salsa Label Concepts-Round Two
Kristie
Carrie
Jess
Margarita
Carrie
Rachel has just begun her design investigation, well done! Keep at it!
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Podcast: Elements of Art & Princples of Design
A brief podcast reviewing the elements of art and principles of design. Click upon the highlighted area [brief podcast] to take you over to where the podcasts live.
CDIA: Design to Print: Fifth Meeting
Head’s Up for Thursday Night’s Special Topic!
Class on Thursday, July 26 will be held at The International Contemporary Art Museum-Boston. So, please be there by 6:30pm. This will be considered a Special Topics Session and attendance will be taken. As with any other class, if for whatever reason you can not be in class, please let me know in advance. We choose Thursday, as admission is free!
Here’s a link to the museum’s online site: you might want to poke around online, prior to our visit.
Directions and parking information
Your assignment for Thursday’s class:
I would like you to bring your sketchbooks and something to write with, as I want you to
take some notes/sketches on what you see. Inside your sketchbook, jot down the
Elements of Art:
Line, Color, Shape, Space, Value, Texture, Form
and
Principles of Design:
Emphasis, Balance, Unity, Movement, Pattern, Rhythm, Contrast
Later, I would like you to use your inspirations to create a design of some type: this might be a logo, designs for a brochure, a calendar, etc or some other project, for print, inspired by what you saw.
When you are viewing exhibitions, at the museum, bear in mind the elements of art and principles of design the artists have used in their works. Make some notes as to what you are seeing, hearing, feeling….these notes will be a goldmine of information when you go to design.
As for what you will design, that’s up to you. It must be print orientated and you must be able to show[from your sketchbook] the ‘process’ of how you got to your design, via the notes you have taken @ the museum. Just as you are doing now with your Salsa Logo Design. I can explain more of this before we begin our touring, Thursday.
Again, let me know if you will NOT be attending class on Thursday, July 26th by emailing or phoning me.
In case you need to get in touch: our mobile numbers!
Mary: 413.454.5813
Shuana: 617.331.1110
Class on Thursday, July 26 will be held at The International Contemporary Art Museum-Boston. So, please be there by 6:30pm. This will be considered a Special Topics Session and attendance will be taken. As with any other class, if for whatever reason you can not be in class, please let me know in advance. We choose Thursday, as admission is free!
Here’s a link to the museum’s online site: you might want to poke around online, prior to our visit.
Directions and parking information
Your assignment for Thursday’s class:
I would like you to bring your sketchbooks and something to write with, as I want you to
take some notes/sketches on what you see. Inside your sketchbook, jot down the
Elements of Art:
Line, Color, Shape, Space, Value, Texture, Form
and
Principles of Design:
Emphasis, Balance, Unity, Movement, Pattern, Rhythm, Contrast
Later, I would like you to use your inspirations to create a design of some type: this might be a logo, designs for a brochure, a calendar, etc or some other project, for print, inspired by what you saw.
When you are viewing exhibitions, at the museum, bear in mind the elements of art and principles of design the artists have used in their works. Make some notes as to what you are seeing, hearing, feeling….these notes will be a goldmine of information when you go to design.
As for what you will design, that’s up to you. It must be print orientated and you must be able to show[from your sketchbook] the ‘process’ of how you got to your design, via the notes you have taken @ the museum. Just as you are doing now with your Salsa Logo Design. I can explain more of this before we begin our touring, Thursday.
Again, let me know if you will NOT be attending class on Thursday, July 26th by emailing or phoning me.
In case you need to get in touch: our mobile numbers!
Mary: 413.454.5813
Shuana: 617.331.1110
New in the Blog
I have added a few new items to the right column.
Check out: The Obsessives, from Print Magazine
Kate Bingaman is a site I came across last December ’06, it shows what a little obsessive behavior can get you in the form of publicity.
I also added sections on Paper Artists, Web Design, Design Societies, Portfolios, Interviewing, Places to sell your art, Exhibitions [online and in real-time], Workplace Tips, Layout Inspirational sites, Reference Sites and I’ve added to some of the other sections as well. Keep scrolling over this area for new additions, as when I can, I will add new things in.
Designing:
During our next class, you can ALWAYS add to, change, rearrange, re-design the work you have begun. So, come with new ideas and be ready to add your inspirations!
Logo and Packaging Design Tips to Remember:
not in any particular order
A logo’s meaning should be immediately evident. You won’t be around to interpret it for each new viewer. [Do recall, our salsa client WANTS something off-beat and provocative. They want their salsa to stand out from the others on the shelves].
Designing a logo takes time. The firs, fifteenth or even fiftieth design you dream up may not be appropriate. Keep designing! And, keep track of your designs!!
After you have brainstormed a lot of possible solutions, set them aside and revisit them in a few days to objectively pick out the best designs. Writers do the same thing with drafts.
Be certain that any logo you create can be drastically reduced of enlarged in size and still be readable and printable.
Logos can be trademarked.
When an organization grows, sometimes its logo must be updated or replaced in order to reflect the group’s new status.
If both art and type are used in a logo, group them in to a single EPS file for ease of use.
A successful logo should work in color or in black and white, in large and in small applications.
Keep your logo simple enough that it can be used for other applications-signage, T-shirts, publications, and so on.
A logo communicates an organization’s identity in an instant, visual way.
Outdated logos make an organization look out of date.
Imagine your designs in its final use, not just how it appears on screen or on printouts.
If market research or focus groups are not in your budget, check out what the market leaders are doing. Don’t slavishly copy their approach; instead, take cues from what makes their designs successful.
Take field trips to the store in order to judge how your packaging would compare to designs already on the shelves.
If you are creating packaging for a related series of products, keep brand identity in mind. Each of the designs should relate to each other.
These tips have been consolidated from an article by
Dynamic Graphics Vol 2 #6 Nov/Dec 1997
Check out: The Obsessives, from Print Magazine
Kate Bingaman is a site I came across last December ’06, it shows what a little obsessive behavior can get you in the form of publicity.
I also added sections on Paper Artists, Web Design, Design Societies, Portfolios, Interviewing, Places to sell your art, Exhibitions [online and in real-time], Workplace Tips, Layout Inspirational sites, Reference Sites and I’ve added to some of the other sections as well. Keep scrolling over this area for new additions, as when I can, I will add new things in.
Designing:
During our next class, you can ALWAYS add to, change, rearrange, re-design the work you have begun. So, come with new ideas and be ready to add your inspirations!
Logo and Packaging Design Tips to Remember:
not in any particular order
A logo’s meaning should be immediately evident. You won’t be around to interpret it for each new viewer. [Do recall, our salsa client WANTS something off-beat and provocative. They want their salsa to stand out from the others on the shelves].
Designing a logo takes time. The firs, fifteenth or even fiftieth design you dream up may not be appropriate. Keep designing! And, keep track of your designs!!
After you have brainstormed a lot of possible solutions, set them aside and revisit them in a few days to objectively pick out the best designs. Writers do the same thing with drafts.
Be certain that any logo you create can be drastically reduced of enlarged in size and still be readable and printable.
Logos can be trademarked.
When an organization grows, sometimes its logo must be updated or replaced in order to reflect the group’s new status.
If both art and type are used in a logo, group them in to a single EPS file for ease of use.
A successful logo should work in color or in black and white, in large and in small applications.
Keep your logo simple enough that it can be used for other applications-signage, T-shirts, publications, and so on.
A logo communicates an organization’s identity in an instant, visual way.
Outdated logos make an organization look out of date.
Imagine your designs in its final use, not just how it appears on screen or on printouts.
If market research or focus groups are not in your budget, check out what the market leaders are doing. Don’t slavishly copy their approach; instead, take cues from what makes their designs successful.
Take field trips to the store in order to judge how your packaging would compare to designs already on the shelves.
If you are creating packaging for a related series of products, keep brand identity in mind. Each of the designs should relate to each other.
These tips have been consolidated from an article by
Dynamic Graphics Vol 2 #6 Nov/Dec 1997
Monday, July 23, 2007
CDIA: Design to Print: Fourth Meeting
Logo designs: applications
Once logos have been designed [and you are all well on your way to designing your salsa logo] you have to begin thinking how this logo or mark will be applied to the necessary print materials. In the case of our salsa, you will need to determine the size of your jar/container [short/fat or tall/skinny] and your label size.
Either snag an image of a jar, off the internet or draw something in Illustrator. Think about what skills you want to hone and how much time you have. Then, begin thinking how you will take your jar/container and put it into an environment. This might be something you create in Photoshop or Illustrator. Be creative, remember your client wants something provocative and different, something that will stand out from the crowded isles of endless salsa products now on the market.
Here are some examples of how logos are applied to packaging. I will bring in the book of logos for more examples and the Communication Arts magazines in the CDIA Library have many, many more ideas.
This is the next step in our design process and what we will be working on in class next. Come with ideas & curious minds.
Once logos have been designed [and you are all well on your way to designing your salsa logo] you have to begin thinking how this logo or mark will be applied to the necessary print materials. In the case of our salsa, you will need to determine the size of your jar/container [short/fat or tall/skinny] and your label size.
Either snag an image of a jar, off the internet or draw something in Illustrator. Think about what skills you want to hone and how much time you have. Then, begin thinking how you will take your jar/container and put it into an environment. This might be something you create in Photoshop or Illustrator. Be creative, remember your client wants something provocative and different, something that will stand out from the crowded isles of endless salsa products now on the market.
Here are some examples of how logos are applied to packaging. I will bring in the book of logos for more examples and the Communication Arts magazines in the CDIA Library have many, many more ideas.
This is the next step in our design process and what we will be working on in class next. Come with ideas & curious minds.
Salsa Label Logo Concepts- Round One -correctly posted
Jen, I got your image working in the right orientation
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Friday, July 20, 2007
CDIA: Design to Print : Third Meeting
Let’s get some serious design work done:
Salsa Logos- see how many of the Synectic Triggers you can apply to your current design AND come up with 3-5 other approaches.
Optional Designs:
New Logos- Beer or Wine Logos and ultimately labels
Your Own Logos- keep working on these……there are never enough ideas…..keep track of yours!
For those who did not make last class, I will review the lecture notes AND answer any questions all of you have.
CDIA: Design to Print: Second Meeting:
CDIA: Design to Print
Second Meeting: subject to change
Demo:
Getting the Pantone swatches from Communications Site into
Illustrator
Design Tips:
Elements of Art:
Line, Color, Shape, Space, Value, Texture, Form
Principles of Design:
Emphasis, Balance, Unity, Movement, Pattern, Rhythm, Contrast
Synectic Trigger Mechanisms: Tools for Creative Thinking
Think about using these when you are brainstorming and working on designs.
Subtract
Repeat
Combine
Add
Transfer
Empathize
Animate
Superimpose
Change Scale
Substitute
Fragment
Isolate
Distort
Disguise
Contradict
Parody: ridicule, mimic, visual oxymoron
Prevaricate: fictionalize, blend the truth,
Analogize: what can I compare this work to? Analogies?
Hybridize
Metamorphose: think butterflies
Symbolize: what can you do to turn your subject into a symbol?
Mythologize: think 60’s Pop Soup cans, Brillo pads, comic strip characters…
Fantasize: What if???
Pocket Pal: Paper & Ink Tips: see International Paper Company
Design Work:
1. Salsa Logos- see how many of the Synectic Triggers you can apply to your current design.
2. New Logos- Beer or Wine Logos and ultimately labels
3. Your Own Logos- keep working on these……there are never enough ideas…..keep track of yours!
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Welcome to Design to Print Class
Welcome to Design to Print Projects:
Reach Your Potential & Build Your Portfolio
Mary Wiseman 413.454.5813
mwiseman@papergems.com
Expectations in Class
1. Show up and be present
2. If you can NOT be present email me preferably in advance.
3. Participate
How to Work in Class
1. Please try to assist each other with technical issues-due to the size of our class.
2. We all can help each other
3. Have your memory methods
Introduction to Projects
1. Mini-lectures/exchange of information
Work Time
Critiquing
Sharing & Collaboration-See How to Work in Class
Working in Groups
1. Sites
2. Examples
3. Books and other resources
Process
1. Show your process digitally or physically [in your sketchbook]
2. SAVE your approaches: they come in handy!!
Online Reference- MySpace- more info on Thursday
This evening #1 Meeting:
Very briefly about me: www.papergems.com
Please stop and listen when I announce things
When I suggest researching…..I do so in the intent that you will learn something….please do the research.
Ask questions: together we will solve problems!!
First Print Project:
Salsa: brand new brand of salsa.
The flavors range from mild to hot.
PROBLEM: your client wants to distinguish its new brand from the competition.
Use unpredictable visuals to distinguish the brand from competing products that focus on literal representations of salsa, like tomatoes, hot peppers and spices.
YOUR
1. Choice- Name & possible tag line
2. Logo Design-typographic approach
Graphic Design Logo Lounge April 2007: examination of current logo trends
http://www.gdusa.com/issue_2007/04_apr/feature/index.php
3. Labels: images using photographs
4. Color: MUST come from the Fall ’07 predictions
Go to Communication Arts Magazine: Look @ their Color Predications-check the swatches http://www.commarts.com
5. Packaging
Read: International Design article http://www.idonline.com July/Aug issue
6. Advertisement: magazine ad
Worth a look: find ‘em online
Current issues of these magazines:
Print
How
International Design
Step in Design [formally Step by Step]
Basic Design Brief: for this First Print Project:
Your client is:
· Contemporary, hip, Connected Generation
· Does NOT want to do business with idiots
· Wants to help shape things that they find useful
· Wants suggestions on what you see as an approach
· Wants you to tell them when you feel things are not going in the creative direction you envision.
· Wants to work with a designer who thinks critically
· Wants to know what’s next and that they are in a partnership
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