Articles 2 and 3

Good evening, friends,

I have been incredibly sick lately, so meeting the deadlines for this magazine did not go as planned, and it makes me very sad. I gave it my best and learned a lot about paragraph styles, spacing, leading, text wrap, and making photos fit proportionately within the frame. I experimented with different layouts and styles. I chose to extend the menu across to the next page and tried to create balance with the other photos. I sampled colors from the logo for the title and used the Rasa typeface for the title, as that is what I used for my brand identity, which the article is about.

 

For this article, I decided to cover my hobby of photography. Although I would consider myself a beginner, I still have a love for it and am learning more each day. I got a lot more practice with Lightroom, adjusting levels and curves. I also placed a stroke around the photos to create a cohesive look and aimed to balance both sides of the layout using similar cool colors. 

I truly feel that this has been one of the most challenging projects I have taken on and the one from which I have learned the most so far. As overwhelming as it has been at times, I am grateful for this project because it forced me to revisit areas in which I lacked confidence and improve my skills. Well done, Mr. Williams!

Magazine Article #1

Good evening, design friends.

I initially thought this article would be something I could complete quickly, but I’m here to tell you it was not so simple. We are all learning, and while I have gained some knowledge about master pages, paragraph styles, character styles, and formatting an article using a baseline grid and rulers, I encountered significant challenges with formatting.

Unfortunately, I had to make an emergency trip to the hospital for a family member who may not have much time left. This took away valuable time that I desperately needed. However, I am determined to meet the deadline, come hell or high water, and I plan to go back and address any issues with orphaned text, leading, kerning, and typeface that are clearly present.

I will update this post soon. Take care and live well!

 

Magazine Ads

Good evening. This was a difficult task for me. Time management is one of my weaknesses that I am trying to eliminate. Meeting deadlines is vital, especially with a magazine. I was really hoping to meet the deadline, but I tend to be my own worst critic and spent too much time on one project, which left me with less time for the others. That being said, I am going to work EVEN HARDER  this time around to ensure this doesn’t happen again.

For the first ad, I chose Peace River. I used AI to create an image of a girl in despair, and then placed it in InDesign. I found a logo for Peace River that I felt would work and made several attempts to create a clipping mask of the circle that was as close to perfect as I could achieve. I then added some text boxes and lowered the opacity to make them less distracting to the overall image while helping the text stand out more. I also added a drop shadow to both the logo and the text boxes to emphasize them, experimenting with different types of drop shadow effects and intensities until I found the look I liked best.

CMYK

RGB

 The half-page ad, I decided to go with the restaurant we created for last month’s class, Bistro Bella Vista. I added a black and purple background using the eyedropper tool to save the colors I liked and incorporated a slight shadow under the image of my restaurant to give it some depth. I used the line tool and guides to place my text with the company information and adjusted the tracking and leading to improve legibility. I tried various typefaces but ultimately stuck with the ones I originally used for my restaurant.

CMYK

RGB

For the first quarter-page ad, I decided to use the brand my friend and I have been working on and recently trademarked for a clothing line called American Royalty. I used puppet warp to make the lions appear to be standing up and looking more ferocious. I sampled the color of the crown and font to color the lions and had them facing each other. I then used the rectangle shape and the pen tool to create triangles of various shapes and placed them according to my ruler and guides to ensure they were centered. I changed the rectangle color to match the lions and lowered the opacity so as not to overpower the image. I added a motto I created: "Power, Prestige, Presence," followed by "More than a clothing line; it’s a way of life." I felt this would eliminate any confusion about what the ad represents.

CMYK

RBG

Lastly, I chose my personal brand for myselfon the 2nd 1/4 page ad. I took a sketch I made of my name and added color and shine marks in Illustrator. I attempted to add shine marks while considering the light source. I then added a gradient and a solid rectangle, using the eyedropper tool to sample the gradient color on the bottom half. I added a rectangle with a thick black border and no fill to create a frame, as well as an image of my famous stuffed French toast as a feature dish. Finally, I added a soft light overlay and subtle bevel and emboss effects to the image.

CMYK

RGB

Creative Challenge 31

 

Good evening! 

I found another creative challenge in the book titled "Caffeine for the Creative Mind: 250 Ways to Wake Up Your Brain." This challenge is called "I Knew That Xylophone Would Come in Handy One Day." 

The task is to look at ordinary items in your home or office that you usually overlook and change yo

ur perspective on them. You need to find something in your environment that begins with each letter of your name. 

It was indeed a challenge, and I really had to think hard about it. But here's what I came up with:

Learning InDesign

Good evening, graphic design friends. Today, I became a little more acquainted with InDesign. I completed two Adobe InDesign tutorials. The first one was on aligning and distributing objects. I learned how to use smart guides and align to the top, which is very similar to what I've learned in Photoshop and Illustrator, but it was still helpful. 

I often don't use alignment options as I should because I felt they hadn't worked the way I wanted them to the last time I tried, so I avoided using this feature. I can't emphasize enough  how foolish that was. I now see where I made the mistake, and I will definitely use alignment and smart guides going forward for much cleaner, more professional results.

I guess sometimes it's good to go back before moving forward.

The second tutorial I completed was on applying color and effects. I learned how to alter CMYK colors, adjust percentages, and create my own shades and tints. I also discovered how to sample colors with the eyedropper tool, add them to my color swatches for reuse, and rename my color swatches.

 

Creative Challenge 30

After a very long day, I pushed my brain to work a little harder and a little longer. When I was a runner, my coach would tell us to give everything we had during the last stretch, even when we felt like we couldn't go any further. That’s kind of how I feel right now.

I discovered another great exercise from the book "Caffeine for the Creative Mind" called "I Didn't Think She Could Eat All That." The challenge is to caption several photos using a link provided in the book. Unfortunately, I couldn't get the link to work, so I found a few images on my own and racked my brain for fitting and witty captions.

Creative Challenge 29

Good day, Friends! Today's creative challenge is brought to you from the pages of "Caffeine for the Creative Mind 250 exercises to wake up your brain". Written by Stefan Mamaw and Wendy Lee Oldfield. The exercise is called "Like Ummm... I mean, It's Like..."

I chose this challenge because it has been brought to my attention that I use the word "like" like entirely too much... it's so true. ( Just joshing)  

  This exercise challenges you to try and describe a smell without using the words "like" and "as" .. this is a practice I sorely need, so I welcomed the challenge. 

 I decided to try describing freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. Here is what I came up with.

Warm, buttery scents from freshly baked chocolate chip cookies linger in the air, drawing you closer. The golden-brown edges gently crunch with each bite, unveiling a soft, chewy interior filled with rich, melted chocolate. Each mouthful produces the perfect blend of sweetness and rich, deep cocoa, creating a flavor explosion that dances on your tongue.

Creative Challenge 28

Good morning, designer friends!

So, we meet again for another creative challenge. This week, as I pondered what could inspire my creativity, I had a light bulb moment that I couldn’t resist.

While at the store, I purchased groceries and various household items. I couldn’t help but laugh when I noticed a brand new sponge lying next to a pineapple on the counter. I thought, “Wow, SpongeBob in true form at home! Scary.” Then I paused and realized, “Yeah, this is happening.” 

I grabbed my paints and brushes and painted SpongeBob’s face on the sponge, then propped him up next to the pineapple because, you know, the song: “He lives in a pineapple under the sea.” After that, I took a photo, uploaded it into Adobe Express, and added some bubbles and a palm tree. Voila! Now he is in his natural element. :)

Touchpoints !

Today, I had to think deeply about what touch points are and how they apply to my brand. First, let's be clear on what touch points are: they are any interaction a customer has with your business, whether before, during, or after their visit. These interactions shape how people perceive your restaurant and influence their decision to engage with it.

Touch points are incredibly important!

They 1. Build Awareness: First impressions matter. Whether through social media, advertisements, or signage, touch points introduce your brand to potential customers.

   

2. Shape Customer Experience: Every interaction, from the menu design to how food is served, contributes to how customers feel about your restaurant.

   

3. Drive Loyalty & Retention: Post-visit engagement—such as emails, loyalty programs, and social media—helps keep customers coming back.

Given their significance, I have identified eight solid touch points for my brand:

1. Table tents

2. Ambiance and decor

3. Social media posts

4. Mail flyers

5. Coffee mugs available for purchase in-store or on the website

6. Luxurious restrooms

7. Coupons

8. Staff uniforms

I created examples for some of these touch points. The first is a coffee mug that customers can purchase after enjoying a delightful meal. This mug features our company logo, which I designed using https://printify.com/logo-merchandise/. I chose a pattern and resized the image to what I felt looked nice, and they even provided a mockup image preview, which was very helpful.

Next, I made a social media post designed to capture viewers' attention using a hook and animation. I applied my brand colors and backgrounds that conveyed the message and energy I aimed to achieve, showcasing a collage of various dishes my restaurant would serve. I concluded the post with the question, "Who's ready for a fusion feast?" to encourage people to come dine with us at Bistro Bella Vista!

Finally, I created a mail flyer that displayed the brand font and colors, offering a preview of the atmosphere customers can expect at my restaurant along with coupons. I made sure to include the restaurant logo and contact information on the flyer.

Menu

Creating this menu was fun.  I wis4217 8360 1936 3020h I could make this restaurant a reality. I began designing the menu in Adobe Illustrator and asked Chat GPT to help with generating some entrees, desserts, and beverages. I linked all the text boxes so that as I typed, the overflow would go into the next box. I used paragraph styles to create headings and to change them all at once to create a cohesive overall appearance. 

However, for some reason, when I tried to align the decimals and add a decimal leader, it didn't apply no matter how I tried. I was a bit frustrated with that, so I ultimately resorted to using the ruler to align it manually, which did not look nearly as good. I also added a drop shadow effect to the images to give some depth and a bit of color, which was true to my brand colors. 

After that, I exported the menu and uploaded it into Adobe Express, where I added some texture, the logo, and a border. It's simple, but I like it.

 I have revised my menu. My alignment is better, and I now have a more complete menu. What are your thoughts? Please feel free to let me know what you think!