Children's Story Book
The longest and most tedious assignment of all, the production of a story book incorporates all that have been learnt and taught in the previous assignments. In addition to considerations such as usage of colour, medium of print, and layout and structure organisation, I also learnt that it is important to do some market and field research first before plunging into an assignment.
Besides, it is also important to do research on the printing company one is about to engage for a print job, just in case the vendor is an amateur and produces work of a sub-standard.
More importantly, it is vital to keep relations among group members amicable, so as the allow each other to enjoy the working and production. Understanding, initiative, and cooperation are substantial characterristics one must have in order to work pleasnatly and effectively.
* On an ending note, I am delighted to acknowledge myself that my Photoshop and Free hand skills have indeed improved!
Assignment 6 - A Retrospective.
Design Analysis
In the midst of evaluating and scrutinising other's posters and their design, I have learnt that having a structure within a poster is of considerable importance. A structure will make the poster appear neat and organised, and this aspect will in turn influence how the viewer will look at the poster and interpret and read the information displayed.
In addition, it is also crucial to have some negative space in the poster. One that uses all available space will turn out aesthetically unpleasant, for it will appear largely cluttered and cramped, with information overloading and unorganised. Such a poster will not be able to capture view's attention, much less retain it.
In the midst of evaluating and scrutinising other's posters and their design, I have learnt that having a structure within a poster is of considerable importance. A structure will make the poster appear neat and organised, and this aspect will in turn influence how the viewer will look at the poster and interpret and read the information displayed.
In addition, it is also crucial to have some negative space in the poster. One that uses all available space will turn out aesthetically unpleasant, for it will appear largely cluttered and cramped, with information overloading and unorganised. Such a poster will not be able to capture view's attention, much less retain it.
Assignment 5 - A Retrospective.
Love Greeting Card
This assignment focuses on the concept of colours and how one uses and utilise them to bring out a desired effect and ambience. In the context of love, I realised that one do not have to use the cliched pink or red to do the job. Instead, one could also experiment with colours that are calm and serene such as sky blue or lush green.
In addition, I too learnt that using complemetary colours scheme produces a very soothing effect, and if one wishes to bring out a certain contrast within a picture, using colours which differs in tone and intensity will do the job nicely.
This assignment focuses on the concept of colours and how one uses and utilise them to bring out a desired effect and ambience. In the context of love, I realised that one do not have to use the cliched pink or red to do the job. Instead, one could also experiment with colours that are calm and serene such as sky blue or lush green.
In addition, I too learnt that using complemetary colours scheme produces a very soothing effect, and if one wishes to bring out a certain contrast within a picture, using colours which differs in tone and intensity will do the job nicely.
Assignment 4 - A Retrospective.
Poster Design
This assignment showcased the importance of knowing the agenda of your objective and also on what medium is it going to be presented. In this instance, the information will be displayed in a poster, hence there are specific requirements to be considered, such a feasibility of read, size of text, image portrayed, usage of colours, size of art piece etc.
Besides, another thing I gathered from this assignment is the printing material. An art work that is printed on different types of paper will inevitably produce different results. Hence, it is instrumental to consider where your art work is going to be placed and what are the intended effects desired when one is choosing what material to print on.
This assignment showcased the importance of knowing the agenda of your objective and also on what medium is it going to be presented. In this instance, the information will be displayed in a poster, hence there are specific requirements to be considered, such a feasibility of read, size of text, image portrayed, usage of colours, size of art piece etc.
Besides, another thing I gathered from this assignment is the printing material. An art work that is printed on different types of paper will inevitably produce different results. Hence, it is instrumental to consider where your art work is going to be placed and what are the intended effects desired when one is choosing what material to print on.
Assignment 3 - A Retrospective.
Visual Story
This assignment taught me to look at things from different perspective and viewpoints. To combat rigidity and inflexibility, I took photos from different angles and experimented with a first person and third person viewpoint so as to have a few variation in the photos.
In addition, it is of paramount importance to consider what are in your pictures, for every detail counts. Besides, one has to be wary of the presence of a frame and border when taking photos, for viewing an image from a camera's perspective and from a human eye is a stark contrast. Therefore, essential aspects of the photo must be considered to be inserted into the frame, for the border is apt at effectvely severing all other dimensions to the picture.
This assignment taught me to look at things from different perspective and viewpoints. To combat rigidity and inflexibility, I took photos from different angles and experimented with a first person and third person viewpoint so as to have a few variation in the photos.
In addition, it is of paramount importance to consider what are in your pictures, for every detail counts. Besides, one has to be wary of the presence of a frame and border when taking photos, for viewing an image from a camera's perspective and from a human eye is a stark contrast. Therefore, essential aspects of the photo must be considered to be inserted into the frame, for the border is apt at effectvely severing all other dimensions to the picture.
Assignment 2 - A Retrospective.
Abstraction & Representation - 'Making Images Talk'
In assignment 2, I learnt that certain images or symbols are able to effectively represent a certain object or item. In other words, upon visualising a few strokes or lines that depicts a vague picture, people are able to pin point what that object or item is.
(In the context of my assignment piece, a circle with the number 12 atop it effectively tells people that my sketch is of a watch/clock)
However it is to be noted that such representation are subject to one's country or culture, for different cultures have varied values or beliefs that influence their perspectives of looking and judging things.
In assignment 2, I learnt that certain images or symbols are able to effectively represent a certain object or item. In other words, upon visualising a few strokes or lines that depicts a vague picture, people are able to pin point what that object or item is.
(In the context of my assignment piece, a circle with the number 12 atop it effectively tells people that my sketch is of a watch/clock)
However it is to be noted that such representation are subject to one's country or culture, for different cultures have varied values or beliefs that influence their perspectives of looking and judging things.
Assignment 1 - A Retrospective.
Me Myself & I
In assignment 1, I realised the importance of sticking to and following instructions, and that should there be a grey area that needs clarification, it is best to clear my doubts so as to prevent my workpiece from being invalid due to a failure to adhere to required specifications.
Assignment 1 also demanded from me alot of creativity and at the same time it highlighted to me the importance of knowing how to use software such as Photoshop and Freehand to re-create my ideas in digital format. With such expertise at hand, one can easily express an idea by manipulating and exploiting the diverse capabilities of such softwares, and in the event of doing so, one may also stumble upon a new idea or concept that may come to you should a person rely only on a sketch book and the conventional pencil.
In assignment 1, I realised the importance of sticking to and following instructions, and that should there be a grey area that needs clarification, it is best to clear my doubts so as to prevent my workpiece from being invalid due to a failure to adhere to required specifications.
Assignment 1 also demanded from me alot of creativity and at the same time it highlighted to me the importance of knowing how to use software such as Photoshop and Freehand to re-create my ideas in digital format. With such expertise at hand, one can easily express an idea by manipulating and exploiting the diverse capabilities of such softwares, and in the event of doing so, one may also stumble upon a new idea or concept that may come to you should a person rely only on a sketch book and the conventional pencil.
Update of Assignment 1
'Me Myself & I'After colouring the pictures for assignment 7 (children's story book), I realised I do enjoy colouring! Being amazed at the versatility of colour pencils, I decided to portray my liking for them by using them to design my name.
To show colour pencil's versatility, in terms of its ability to shade and colour in different tones with its different colours, I arranged them to form my name, and for letters with curves such as 'B' and 'R', I curved and bended the pencils to suit the alphabets.
First of all, I drew the pencils out on my sketch book, and thereafter I scanned them in. Opening the file in Macromedia Freehand, I use the pen tool to trace the pencils and from there I filled them with colour.
Finally, I opened the coloured piece in Photoshop to fill in the words 'My name is...' and 'and I like colour pencils!'
In addition, I also experimented with using emboss in Freehand to further accentuate the pencils. The embossment will allow the work to appear more sophisticated.To bring about a sense of liveliness and vibrancy, I used the font Space Pontiff for the headings. The font has a unique style that complements the colour pencil concept, and it able to effectively portray the fun and dynamic nature colour pencils have in them.
* Please note that colour of workpiece appears distorted upon uploading. Refer to portfolio for actual masterpiece.
On the left is another variation that I tried out for assignment 1. It uses a different coloured background (gradient with orange & yellow) to bring out the vibrancy and vivaciousness of colour pencils.
Assignment 7 - First Product Print
After 1st Print:
Our first print job was erroneous and not acceptable at all. As seen from the picture, the positioning of the picture with the text was badly aligned. The whole page layout was not proportionate as the print was positioned too high up on the top if the page. Almost all pages had this problem, and this made the pages in the book to look badly arranged.
Our first print job was erroneous and not acceptable at all. As seen from the picture, the positioning of the picture with the text was badly aligned. The whole page layout was not proportionate as the print was positioned too high up on the top if the page. Almost all pages had this problem, and this made the pages in the book to look badly arranged.Besides, the edges of the book was not cropped and cut properly. The were frays and snippets straying out from the pages of the book and on the whole, the book looks badly cut and is highly unaccpetable. Children will definitely not find such a book an interesting read due to the asthetically poor looking material.
With such a result, we decided to reprint the book, and we will be more vary and specific this time.
*It is important to ensure that a print goes smoothly without hitches for if met with problems, deadlines would not be met and resources such as time and money would be wasted.
Assignment 7 - Specifications.3
Page Layout & Others :Initially we wanted the text positioned at the bottom of every page in the book. Such a structure would bring about a sense of continunity and also consistency.
However, such a idea may not be deemed creative and innovative to incorporate into a children's book. Hence we decided to vary the text positioning by placing them either at the bottom, between 2 pictures, or placing them at the top and bottom margins with the picture in between.
*Refer to the pictures for examples
The varied text layout on the different pages will present some form of creativity and in turn makes the book more visually attractive to young readers. In addition, the random placing of the text prevents the book from being too rigid and appearing too uninteresting.
It is important to take into consideration the target audience of the book and also the genre and nature of the content. Because this project is a children's story book, it is viable to allow for such a structure.Besides the layout, we also chose to give our book a print with matt finishing. This is because a glossy finish would not be appropriate for it may cause glare and unnecessary reflections when reading due to its shiny surface. Although it may be asthetically nice to look at, glossy pages in a book is not a suitable idea.
With regards to the binding of the book, we decided on using glue to bind the pages together. Such a binding method will give the book a spine, after all the pages are glued on the sides together. This will allow the book to be more hardy for children.
* Please note that colour of the pictures appeared distorted upon uploading onto blog.
Assignment 7 - Specifications.2
Colour Scheme: 
With regards to the colour scheme, we decided to use palette colours, as these colours are pleasant to the eye. In addition, palette colours would be compatible and consistent with our intended theme as it also resembles handwork and pencil craft.
To further bring out the essence of a handmade gift, we decided to use colour pencils to colour our drawings and pictures. Children will be able to relate to colour pencils more than sophisticated colouring methods, for colour pencils are often used in schools for artwork and colouring.
As seen from the pictures, colour pencils are similar to that of school children’s art work, and hence, such an alikeness and resemblance may strike a cord with the young reader and in turn this aspect of the book may intrigue him or her to read on.
Colour pencils are also adequate colouring materials for they are capable to showing different colour tones and shades, and this aspect of the colouring style will not risk looking too simplified or basic.
With regards to the colour scheme, we decided to use palette colours, as these colours are pleasant to the eye. In addition, palette colours would be compatible and consistent with our intended theme as it also resembles handwork and pencil craft.To further bring out the essence of a handmade gift, we decided to use colour pencils to colour our drawings and pictures. Children will be able to relate to colour pencils more than sophisticated colouring methods, for colour pencils are often used in schools for artwork and colouring.
As seen from the pictures, colour pencils are similar to that of school children’s art work, and hence, such an alikeness and resemblance may strike a cord with the young reader and in turn this aspect of the book may intrigue him or her to read on.Colour pencils are also adequate colouring materials for they are capable to showing different colour tones and shades, and this aspect of the colouring style will not risk looking too simplified or basic.
To make the coloured pictures look more distinct, we will use black felt-tip marker to outline the drawings. Doing so will better accentuate the colouring the drawings on the page.
* Colouring in lighter shades from the beginning allows one to add toning and shading to the picture simply by just colouring the desired area in a darker tone. The original light shade will allow the darken colouring to be seen.
Assignment - Specifications
Grid Layout:We feel that the dimensions of the book size (7 x 8.5inches) will be appropriate for children of ages 6 – 9 (Primary 1 – 3). This measurement is neither too big nor small, and hence it will be easy to bring around.
With regards to the bleed or the margin surrounding the perimeter of the storybook, we feel that leaving such a space is instrumental in providing for a more comforting read and also to bring across sufficient breathing space for the content of the book, in a bid not to risk being too cluttered. The space and margin allocated will prevent the content from looking too cramped, and readers will be less inclined to put the book down due to excessive cluttering of information and details.
The text of within the story will be positioned at the bottom of the page, below the pictorial. This structure will allow the reader to recognize the consistency within the book and provide for easy readership.
With regards to the bleed or the margin surrounding the perimeter of the storybook, we feel that leaving such a space is instrumental in providing for a more comforting read and also to bring across sufficient breathing space for the content of the book, in a bid not to risk being too cluttered. The space and margin allocated will prevent the content from looking too cramped, and readers will be less inclined to put the book down due to excessive cluttering of information and details.
The text of within the story will be positioned at the bottom of the page, below the pictorial. This structure will allow the reader to recognize the consistency within the book and provide for easy readership.
With regards to the font for the title, we decided to use 'Sketchy' as it has a look that fits the theme as it resembles a person’s doodling. In addition, the font is unique and it differs from other fonts in the sense that the sketchy nature largely mirrors that of someone’s illustrations, with intricate toning and shading patterns within the font itself. Therefore, this font best represents a hand-made product, which is what we seek to achieve as our storybook theme. In order to combat the natural light tone of the font, shadows will be utilized in order to make the title appear more distinct.
As for the body text, we were undecided between the choices of Kristen ITC, Lucida Sans and Garamond. After much thought and debate, we decided that Kristen ITC shall be used as the font style for the body text. It will also be an a font size of 14, so as to facilitate in better reading quality due to the larger word print.
Reasons for choosing Kristen ITC are because the font resembles the handwriting of a child. Since we wish to create a handmade gift concept, this font best suits the theme. The variations within the text makes the words look fanciful and in turn may induce children and attract their attention to read.
In addition, the font also gives a soft and comfortable feel due largely to its curved and smooth edges and endings. We wish to avoid fonts which appear too rigid and stiff, for such formal definite fonts might inevitably put young children off. Besides, Kristen ITC has an adequate dark tone which is neither too heavy nor thick in its alphabets, which will aid in easy reading.
Assignment 7 - Storyline
Our Finalised Story:
* The Lucky Charm * Story Outline:Page 1 – Tommy
This is Tommy. Tommy never has any good luck. Instead, Tommy thinks bad luck follows him everywhere he goes. Tommy loves to have fun, but no one wants to make friends with an unlucky boy.
Page 2 – Tommy’s ill luck
On Monday, Tommy wet his seat and got his pants soaked. On Tuesday, he tripped and fell flat on his face. Tommy lost his homework on Wednesday, and got a big scolding from his teacher. Yesterday, Tommy had his shirt stained with orange juice when someone spilled his drink on him.
Page 3 – Tommy – The butt of all jokes
And today, Tommy slipped and fell when he stepped on a banana skin. All these bad luck and embarrassing situations had made Tommy the butt of all jokes among his friends. His friends teased and laughed at him everyday in school! Oh boy, poor Tommy!
Page 4 – Tommy’s frustration
“Why do all these things happen to me? Why can’t I be like my friends?” Tommy wonders. He wishes he can be like his friends, having fun and playing games all day without unlucky things happening to him.
Page 5 – Fairies and their talk
That night, Tommy could not get to sleep. While fumbling in bed, Tommy suddenly heard whisperings and soft voices murmuring in the distance. “Let’s keep the good luck charm in the garden!” a small voice exclaimed. “Yes, yes!” squealed the other. “Fairies!” Tommy uttered silently to himself as he watched from his bed in amazement how the fairies buried the lucky charm in the garden. Before long, Tommy dozed off into deep sleep.
Page 6 – The Search for the good luck charm
The very next morning, Tommy sprang out of his bed and went straight to the garden to search for the lucky charm the fairies were talking about last night. “The good luck charm will help me make new friends!” Tommy yelled excitedly. With his spade in hand, Tommy started to search for the charm that would change his life.
Page 7 – A change of luck
After digging furiously for an hour, Tommy finally found the good luck charm. “YES!” cried Tommy. “Now I will have good luck!” With a wide smile on his face, Tommy is delighted and thinks happily of all the fun he is going to have, and all the new friends he is going to make!
Page 8 – Revelation
All this while, Tommy did not know that his string of bad luck was actually a result of Billy’s mischievous pranks! Billy the school prankster was the one playing tricks on him all along! Pouring water on his seat, tripping him, stealing his homework, and laying a banana skin on the floor, Billy was determined to make life difficult for Tommy.
Page 9 – Billy’s bad luck streak
However, now that Tommy has his good luck charm, Billy seems to have run into his own share of bad luck! Losing his homework, falling down in school, wetting his seat and staining his shirt, Billy appears to be eating his own desserts and being punished for his mischief! Oh dear, poor Billy!
Page 10 – An offer of help
Seeing that Billy is down with bad luck, Tommy wondered if he should give Billy his good luck charm to help him. But Tommy was also worried that his bad luck would return once he no longer had the charm. After much thought, Tommy’s heart of gold finally decided that Billy needed the charm more than he did now.
Page 11 – Billy’s confession
Surprised that Tommy wanted to help by offering his precious good luck charm to him, Billy felt terrible about his pranks. “I’m so sorry, Tommy. I was the one who played tricks on you all this while!” Billy sobbed. Never did Billy expect Tommy to give up his treasured charm just to help him overcome his ill luck.
Page 12 – New found friends
“It’s ok, Billy. If you promise not to play anymore pranks on me or on the others, we can still be friends.” Tommy said forgivingly. “I will not play pranks on you or anyone else anymore!” replied Billy earnestly. The good-natured and gracious Tommy made Billy determined to turn over a new leaf.
Page 13 – Best friends till the end
Thereafter, Billy no longer played tricks on Tommy or on anyone else. With Tommy’s good luck charm, Billy did not have any more bad luck! From then on, the two boys became the best of friends.
“The only way to have a friend is to be one.”
* THE END *
Assignment 7 - Updates
Updated Story: 
Due to our easy to understand storyline, we used simple sketches throughout the book as the pictorials.
For a child to better appreaciate and relate to a particular story, we decided to write a story which is similar to a local context. The story will also ideally be based on familar issues and subjects that a child born in Singapore will understand effortlessly.
Therefore to adhere to such a story outline, we created a protagonist named Tommy, and he will go to school and face friendship problems, just like any other kid. Our story line revolves around how Tommy is frustrated by being hit with a bad luck streak. His ill luck had made his the butt of all jokes among this friends. He wishes he could have fun all day and not meet with unfortunate incidents.
In addition, we decided to portray Tommy as a plump character, for being plump would not catergorise him in the mainstream and therefore it would be more likely for him to have less friends. However, we have a lesson behind it, for in spite of being plump, Tommy does have a big heart of gold. He will be our tool in teaching a moral about friendship in the story.
Due to our easy to understand storyline, we used simple sketches throughout the book as the pictorials. The book comprise of 12 story pages and the target audience would be aged 6 and below (Primary 1 and below). The main setting of the story, which revolves around a school, will allow the child to relate to the plot and the story on the whole better.
All in all, we developed a theme for our project, which will be of a child presenting a hand-made gift to a friend in recognition and acknowledge of their friendship. Therefore, our sketches and drawings plus storyline will fit in nicely with the theme. The project will resemble that of a child's handi-craft.
After brainstorming and coming up with all sorts of fanciful stories, we decided that such a story as Tommy's would best be appropriate to bring a moral to the story. Furthermore, the localised setting and familiar themes will allow the child to better relate to it, which in turn will faciliate in bringing his/her understanding of the story to a higher level.
Assignment 7 - Children's Story Book
Final Assignment - Group ProjectDraft 1 - 'The Lost Toy'
Our very first idea of a story revolved around how a young boy lost his favourite toy and went on a search for it in his house. This story touches on how a boy braves his fears and overcomes them in order to retrieve what he wants. Moerover, it will also focus the warmth and intimate mother-child relationship, for in the story, the main character will often seek solance and comfort in his mother's arms, and his mother constantly provides him with a sense of security.
To complement the story and make it attractive to young children, we decided to incorporate simple sketches which is in line with a adopt a cute and adorable theme. In doing so, we decided to give the protagonist, Tommy, a dinosaur as his favourtite toy. The soft toy will be named Spikey to give it an extra cute boost.
In addition, we also planned to make the book more unique and interactive by including 2 pop-ups. These special pages will be on the center fold, and the child will be able to help Tommy in his search for his favourite toy by lifting toilet seats and opening drawers.
* However, after presenting the story to the class during tutorials, we decided to improve and make the story more sophisticated so as to fit the target age group of 6 to 9 years old (Primary 1-3). Our story was deemed to simple given the short and extremely simple story line. Furthermore, it was mentioned that pop-ups are mostly used in books catered for younger children, and not very appropriate for a primary school child.
* Hence I learnt that it is instrumental to do some field research before starting on an assignment as to tackling it by the horns. Upon enquiry from a young child, we realised that children today read very sophisticated books which are thick with dense content.
Assignment 6 ~ Design Analysis
(Group Work)
In designing a poster, there are several pertinent issues to address which will very well affect how the poster will turn out. To name a few, one has to consider the layout and structure (in terms of how the information is to be positioned), the colour scheme, the fonts to be used, and also what pictures are to be inserted. Our design analysis will be based on the above few criterion.
Design Analysis 1: NTU X-Physique* Poster appears too cluttered on the whole. There seems to be information everywhere, and there is an absence of breathing space. Viewers may be inclined to feel claustrophobic and uncomfortable looking at such an information intense poster.
* No main focus on the poster. Many items competing for attention. E.g. the headings, magnifying glass, club symbol, sponsors, background. The lack of clarity fails to grab and retain a viewer's attention.
* The words in the tagline are positioned too closely to each other (XTREME.XCITING.XPERIENCE IT) . Might be mistaken for one word, hence results in miscommunication and misunderstanding and failure to convey intended message.
* Lack of continuity and unity within the content of the poster. (Use of many different fonts breaks up the poster)
* Poster is strenuous to look at. It tires the audience by presenting too much content within the poster. The lack of organization is also a demerit point.
*There is no intended visual flow. Viewer will not know which part of the poster to proceed to when reading it.
* Background and the foreground are competing with each other. There is a lack of contrast in the colours.
*The four corners of the poster are occupied with items that may lead the audience’s attention out of it. (Does not contain the attention within the poster)
Design Analysis 2: NUS Biathlon 2007
*Good Design Critique
* The use of analogous colours (colours that are adjacent to each other on the colour wheel) create a soothing effect, which is easy on the eye.
*Choice of colours are light and appears to have a ‘cooling’ effect. Viewers will feel comfortable looking at it.
*Use of warm colours against the cool backdrop effectively brings out the intended focus in the poster.
*Words are appropriately positioned and spaced. There is clarity in the message. There is no excessive cluttering of information.
*Use of sub-headings to present information highlights the organisation present within the context of the poster. Good structure within the content of the poster allows for easy readability and ease of obtaining information.
* There is a designated visual flow (from top to down) for the audience to follow. Minimise and reduce the chances of the viewer being thrown off course or get distracted by surrounding content.
* Adequate spacing of items (picture, text, logos etc.) in the poster allows the viewer to ‘breathe’ while looking at it, at the same time creating a pleasant viewing experience. In turn, important information (E.g. event date and venue) can easily be retrieved from the poster.
* Proper spacing within the poster will also infer that viewers will be less inclined to lose their focus. Being less cluttered, the poster will be able to better retain a viewer’s attention and interest.
* Font size, colour and type are generally of a similar style, hence there is a sense of unity and continuity within the poster. Viewers will thus be able to associate the font style with information to be read.
`All in all, I learnt that it is of paramount important to work on a structure within a poster, for doing so will help in facilitating your audience to formulate a designated visual flow. With such an aid, the information contained within the poster can be easily relayed without confusion and miscommunications.
Updates to Assignment 5 - Love Greeting Card
* Feedback from tutorial:Classmates in tutorial mentioned that the first draft is too wordy for a card to be attractive. Furthermore, the previous effort portrays a rathre bleak and morbid picture of love, due to its dark tones and rough texture.
Therefore, in a second attempt, I divided the poem on the cover into two, and I placed the second half of it on the inside of the card.
Morover, I removed one of the love quotes from the back of the card so as to show more breathing space. A less cluttered card is more appealing than one packed with information and details. Besides, I reduced the size of the logo (Cupid Pte. Ltd.) for the old one is deemed to be too big and occupied too much of space.
The words in the poem are in red, as a form of contrast to the soft pink tone of the background and also the red symbolises the heat and passionate nature of love itself.
In a bid to show the tenderness of love, I used the cloud effect in photoshop as the background. This time, the card is in shades of soft pink with a complementing peach coloured heart. In addtion to adding soft and comforting colours, I also reduced the card to A5 size. The card will therefore be folded into half. This small makeup of a care can be seen as a cute feature, for small cards are often better received and better liked than a big one.I also made changes to the fonts on the second attempt. In this case, I used a curvy font type to show the intricacies of love. The cursive nature of the font is also widely used in most love cards.
Lastly, the inside of the card is kept simple and largely plain so as to allow people to write their messages.
Assignment 5 - Love Greeting Card
* Visual Principles - Part 2 - ColourUpon thinking of love, one would automatically conjure up an image of a heart. In order to be a little more unconventional and innovative, I decided to create a heart in a slightly differerent manner.
As you can see from the right, I developed a heart which is not symmetrical. This somehow makes the card a little unqiue and special, for the overused symmetrical heart is a tad too boring and cliched.
Another motivation for using such a shaped heart is to show a heart that is beating. In other words, the unequal sides of the heart is to show its life and energy, while simulating movement.
Hence with this image in mind, I set out to create a card, and one that advocates love as it theme.
Using the custom shape tool in photoshop, I created a card with abstract shapes to complement the unique heart. To suit the theme of advocating love, I input a love poem on the cover. The poem is etched in a font with soft edges and smooth ends so as to portray love as affectionate and endearing.
In addition, I too added texture to the card by giving it a somewhat rough feel to the card.
Furthermore, I too added small heart shaped objects to the borders of the card to add to the design and also at the same time they serve as mini borders marking the boundaries of the card.
*Note that the card is in A4 size and is to be folded into half
*Colour of the card is distorted upon uploading. Original colour is dark red and pink.
Assignment 4 - Updates
* Changes to 'SAVE YOUR EYESIGHT'In order to be less rigid in terms of word placing within the poster, I decided to move the 2 sentences to occupy 2 sides of the poster. This structure is more innovative than the first draft.
In addition, I made changes to the tagline before the main message. The old one risks throwing the viewer out of the poster due to its long sentence while phrased in just 2 lines. To resolve this, I center-aligned the tagline and at the same time divided them into 3 sentences, so they appear more equally spreaded out.
This structure is much better thant the first draft as it takes into account how words should be structured and placed so as to enhance viewership.
In addition to changing the word placement, I also made changes to the bottom portion of the poster.
The previous draft has a fair colour at the bottom, and as such, it is not very effective in bringing out the main message. Hence, in the final draft, I darkened the whole of the bottom portion, so that the red message is able to be contrasted sharply against the now black background.
Assignment 4 - Update
After presentation in tutorial, I received feedback that the two sentences in red are too big for tag lines in a poster. Hence, in a new effort, I reduced the wordings to a smaller size. In addition, I also tweaked the colour settings of the background, which is the photograph of the tree canopy.Due to printing constraints, CMYK settings do not allow the poster to show the green essence of the tree in the background, hence the print out appears dull and listless. In order to combat this issue, I adjusted the colour settings in Photoshop to 'Overlay'. This setting manages to invoke the green and lush nature of the tree in the background, and this in turn also makes the poster brighter and eye-catching.
*Note that blog is unable to display poster in true colour, hence the distortion
In addition to a poster on saving trees, I decided to do another on saving eyesight, after gaining some inspiration from wearing my spectacles. In order to get started, I decided to show my glasses in the poster and hence I experimented with some photos to use as the background.
I wanted to show that a myopic person is very dependent on his glasses in order to see, and hence, I wish to input the message of saving one's eyesight. To show this, I decided to portray a subject holding or putting on his glasses.In this instance, I wish to tell a message and also use a structure that is viewed from top to bottom. Thus, I chose a vertical picture (left) and once again, I believed a poster should have minimal words and therefore, I chose to input catchy and thought-provoking lines into it.
In the poster, I highlighted
For the 2 sentences on the top of the poster, I used white colour wordings to contrast it with the black background. To draw more attention to it, I added red stroke to the words.
With regards to the main caption or main message, I had them input in red wordings, for red is a bright colour against the dull and monotonous background, and this will effectively gather people's attention.
This poster has a rather serious tone to it, for it speaks of losing one's eyesight. Hence, the dull and dark nature of the photograph is justified in this sense.
*Note that colour of poster is tweaked and altered upon uploading onto blog.
Assignment 4 - Poster Design
Visual Principles - Part 1While brainstorming for ideas for my poster, I decided to take my bike out for a ride in a bid to acquire some inspirations. Not long into my journey, I stumbled on some beautiful trees in my neighnourhood and decided to do a posters on trees.
Yes, "SAVE TREES"
The canopy of a tree is a breathtaking sight, and I went on to collect more along my journey. Finally, I decided to use the vertical shot of a tree trunk with its canopy.
I decided that a vertical poster would be more catching than a horizontal one, for in this context, I can show more of the tree in a vertical structure and also the tree is able to show its majestic and magnificent build.
With regards to the theme of the poster, I decided to use catchy and though-provoking lines in order to grasp the attention of passer-bys and viewers. Instead of just a poster when people will simply view and go, I want a poster that will induce the viewer to think about the message that I'm putting in the poster. In this instance, I wish to bring out the message of saving trees, so to do that, I first highlighted the importance of trees in our society and what benefits trees brings to our community.
Thereafter, I will input an impactful message which directly targets at the main objective behind the poster, which is to deter people from wasting paper.
The two thought-provoking sentences are etched in red with a white border in order to bring out the contrast against the green canopy. Red is also useful in drawing attention to a particular poster.
In addition to the main message of 'SAVE TREES', I decided to invoke thought by questioning people about what they have done in return for what trees what benefitted us.
Furthermore, I instigated viewers to think about their actions which may bring harm to trees, and in this instance, I urged people to save paper, but by re-phrasing the sentence in a more instrusive way.
The poster is able to show the beauty of trees and at the same time carries a heavy message within. It does not have lengthy messgaes or chunky paragraphs which may turn viewers off and lose their attention and focus.
Therefore, I believe short and succinct messages will do the job of capturing viewer's attention and retaining it, due to its thought-provoking nature.
*Note that colour of poster may appear wayward from actual piece.
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