CSS and CARP Design

The Intro

For this project, we were to create a web design using the principles of CARP. The goal was to show the change between the starting HTML file with no color or organization and transform it into a colorful and organized page. In order to do this, we customized the settings to each element of the page (body, header, author line, etc.). So, each individual selector was changed to match the rules of CARP!

C: Contrast

To start out, the contrast of the original page was bland. There was no contrast at all. The color of the fonts in the whole page was the same! Plus, the font family was all the same. The fact that the color and font of the whole page was the same made it boring to look at. So, we used CSS Designer to change to color (using the eyedropper on the tan of the dog). We also changed the font size to vary with each other and made the title more bold. The contrast between colors and fonts was definitely better than to begin with.

A: Alignment

The original page had disorganized alignment. Most of the body was right-aligned, but one line was left-aligned. Plus, the dog was right-aligned as well, making the whole design seem disorganized. To improve this, we changed the alignment of the title to center, and kept the body paragraph left-aligned. Then, we moved the dog so it was right-aligned. At the end, the poem was more organized and each element looked good with the unique alignment designed in CSS Designer. 

R: Repetition

At the beginning, the whole page had the same settings, so I guess you could call it repetition. But it was pretty bland overall. Using CSS Designer, we made the first four lines italic to emphasize that the dog was barking. In fact, the word "barking" was used several times, but the first four lines being italic made it more of an emphasis instead of being all the same font. 

P: Proximity

The beginning page was really close together and had no room to breathe. The text was all close together and the dog was aligned with the rest of it. In fact, all the elements of the page were grouped together. To fix this, we moved the dog to the right and the text to the left to create more space between objects. This proved easier to read and all the elements weren't clumped together anymore. Plus, the title was center-aligned so that all of the text wasn't close together.

What I Learned 

I learned how to change the elements in the selectors with CSS Designer. This included font family, line weight, font size, etc. Some things that I remembered from the last project was linking each page with one another. That way, the viewer could flip back and forth between the old and new page. Finally, I learned about CARP, the design principle used in web design. As explained above, CARP can transform an otherwise normal project into an interesting project.

Personal Logo Design

3 Personal Logos

For this project, we were to sketch three personal logos. First, I made a logo that contained a video camera and "CF Films" was coming out of the lens. Yet, later I decided the design was too much and not simplistic enough. Then, I made a REALLY simple logo with "CF" in a circle and "Films" on the outside. I didn't necessarily like it though because it didn't have really anything to do with filming. Finally, I came up with the idea of a square-ish design featuring "CF Films" inside an action board. It was pretty simplistic, and only had two colors. I decided to use that one!

Putting it in Illustrator

At first, it seemed like a pretty hard task to get alternating lines with certain shapes. I used the shaper tool and line segment tool to make the alternating black and white strips on the top. Then, I filled in the base with the paint bucket tool and put the text, "CF" inside of it. Although I wanted it to say "CF Films" because I like filmmaking, I decided to shorten it and use the "F" in "CF" to start the word "Films". For this design, however, I only used two colors to make it simplistic and used white font on top of black to make the name stand out. When I originally sketched it, I used black for the "CF Films" font. But I knew I'd use white when I created it in Illustrator.

My Opinion

I really like the final design. I'm glad that I didn't use the other two designs I had sketched, because they were either too simplistic or too complex. One thing that is really good about the design is the action board in the background. It's a square object, and square logos are good for social media and other platforms. Plus, the action board tells all about my "company". It shows the viewer that my company is specifically focused on filmmaking. Plus, the word "films" is incorporated into the "CF" so it also shows the topic there. Overall, I'm pleased with the final product. If I had to change on thing, I'd try to straighten out some lines and such. But for the most part, the design worked!

My House Design

The Sketch Process

For this assignment, we were supposed to sketch a tree, bird, house, or flower twenty different ways. You really had to think outside the box on this one! Regarding my first house, I drew a simplistic cartoon house. After that, I drew a two-story home. The third, I made a tent because some people love the outdoors and practically live in tents. Then, I drew an apartment building and a hut. The hut ended up being my favorite (or most unique) so I decided to put that into Illustrator. I also drew a castle, cottage, log house, and RV. A ton of people live life on the road in their RV! Then I drew a one-story motel (because I stayed in one for a soccer tournament one time). Next came the teepee, cave, and of course, the bird house. My sister made a bird house a while ago, so I thought I'd try and draw that. I made a church, firehouse, one-room cottage, and igloo. Who would have ever thought of an igloo? Finally, I sketched a lighthouse, doghouse, and cathouse. I actually never thought in the first place that I would somehow magically come up with twenty houses to draw. It was quite a challenge!

Adobe Illustrator Design

As I said earlier, I chose the hut to re-create in Adobe Illustrator. At first, I chose to have no sky or round but just simply made the hut using the shaper tool. The door was probably one of the hardest challenges. Then, I actually decided to have a sky and ground to make it look more realistic and so I chose the "send to back" feature for the layers. For a while, I played around with sky colors to really capture the scene. I thought that the sky looked to plain and dull. So, to fix this, I added the sun and clouds, which didn't end up being overly difficult. Finally, I realized that the ground was a bunch of empty space, so I added steps leading up to the hut where the visitors are greeted with a welcome sign. I was finished! Regarding my colors used, I tried to make it more dull and old-looking, almost as if tribes had been living in it for hundreds of years. Also, the sky I decided wasn't going to be too bright in order to capture the old look as well. Yet, I still wanted visitors (or viewers) to feel welcome, so I added a welcome mat and sun to show that. 

My Opinion?

I thought that my sketches turned out to be quite alright! Definitely better than I thought I could ever do. Plus, I considered it a challenge to think of twenty different houses to make. Of course, I liked certain sketches over others, such as the hut, tent, igloo, and castle. Probably because they were unique. Anyway, when it came to Illustrator, I sort of wished I could have made a better roof for the hut. Originally, I was going to try to make it straw-looking, but I didn't necessarily know how to add textures. It still resulted in a good design though! I can for sure say that I've learned much more about Adobe Illustrator and what you can do with it, so I will always try to keep improving my designs.

My Personality Type

INTJ

"I" stands for introvert.... which I very much am. I don't talk a whole bunch and prefer to talk to smaller crowds. "N" stands for iNtuitive. This may come into play when making decisions or describing things. "T" stands for thinking. This means that I think rather than feeling. Most of the time, I have to think and decide on things before I do them, rather than feeling what the outcome or situation could be. "J" stands for judging. Judging not in the sense of judging SOMEONE, but something. Like a decision for instance, and what the best option is. Finally, people like Mark Zuckerberg and Isaac Newton also share the same personality I do.  

Breaking it Down

In all honesty, INTJ does a pretty good job describing me. The first part that states, "Have original minds and great drive for implementing their ideas and achieving their goals" is right on. Also "have high standards of competence and performance" is me as well. Something that might not fit my type as well is when it says, "...develop long-range explanatory perspectives". Other than that, though, the description of my personality is almost right on. The text helps me better understand why I do the things I do. Most especially the last sentence because I DO have high standards for myself and others, and now I understand why I make the decisions I do. 

Events and How They Match Up

I tend to take the role of committed. Meaning, if I'm going to do something, I'm going to try to the best of my ability to do it well. This is where the description "when committed, organize a job and carry it through". I try to implement my ideas and goals into the group or family I am working with. This role helps the whole team work even better because all ideas come together to form the best idea. Yet, sometimes the role I need to fill doesn't match my INTJ type. This would include backing off and watching a project go by without any say in what the group is doing. Or, not being able to even organize the project in the first place. I'm almost positive that my sister and I have misunderstood each other because of clashing personality types. For example, when I try to work on something with her, I try to organize it and carry it through the best I can, which my involve some strict rules and guidelines. On the other hand, my sister dislikes this and feels that a plan and rules are not always the best option. This example is the best thing I can remember where we clashed because of differing personality types.

What I Learned

 From this test that we took, I learned why I act the way I act. When someone asks, "Why do you not talk much?" Or says, "You don't talk much, do you?" I can explain to them that according to the Myers-Briggs test, I am the INTJ type, which includes being an introvert. I have also learned that it is alright to be different...... which is what everyone has heard at some point. But, by taking this test, the evidence proves that everyone has a unique personality. This type or personality is especially important in collaborating or working on a group project. You never know, someone might need your personality type in their group to make the final product look good!

The LOGBR Test

For this test, we were to put numbers in each column according to the one that sounded most like us (our strength). 4 was the best fit, and 1 was the least best fit. When I added the numbers in each column, column 3 had the most. Each column had an animal that was linked to it, and mine ended up being a golden retriever. This meant that I am loyal and do not like big changes. It also meant I liked security and am sensitive. For the most part, the description fit exactly how I am structured. The attributes under the golden retriever category were most like me! Basically, this test reinforced the information I received for the Myers-Briggs test, but also added a few new traits in as well.

Color Theory

The Color Green

This is my favorite color. Pretty much always has been, and always will be. When I think of green, I think of outdoors and nature. I see this color on several food products that claim to be organic. In this way, green also symbolizes health and purity. If I could change anything to green, it'd be my house's walls. You might think, "why in the world would anybody want to have green walls?" Free green screen, that's why. On St. Patrick's Day you walk downstairs only to realize you are being filmed by your sibling and BAM! half your body is gone. Also, many foods (healthy foods in particular) are green such as broccoli, pears, and green beans. The expression "eat your greens" comes from the fact that green foods are healthy. Finally, my color is bright but can also be dark and is a secondary color.

The Color Red

This is my least favorite color. I associate red with anger, stubbornness, hatred, and violence. In many ways, red, at least in my eyes, seems to be more of a negative color. However, I do see red on some logos I like such as YouTube (I mean, who doesn't like YouTube?). This color is also on street signs (such as the yield sign and stop sign). Red serves as a warning, so the sign colors are very purposeful.  I'd like to see less everyday objects be the color red because it reminds me of bad memories and anger. Also, there is also fruits (cherries, apples) that are red. Finally, my least favorite color is bright and is a primary color.

Color Theory

Why is that logo blue? Why is it bright yellow? These questions are answered by the color theory and how it influences graphic design. For instance, the Jurassic Park movie picture has a black T-Rex upon a red background. The red serves as warning for little children as this movie might be scary. It also symbolizes violence and danger (which is shown throughout the movie). On the other hand, the HP logo is blue. This symbolizes security and trust in which they want you to have in their brand. It serves as a calming factor for customers when trying to decide on a laptop. Finally, Tropicana's logo is green because they want to symbolize health, growth, and renewal. Regarding their orange juice, they want to "renew" your body back to health if you have possibly picked up a cold. Clearly, color theory heavily influences graphic design and the way we interpret logos today.

Illustrator Blog

My Soccer Sketch

I drew a soccer ball atop of grass with the sun in the corner of the sketch. First, I used lines inside the soccer ball and to set the horizon for the drawing. I also tried to make jagged lines to show the grass. Then, I used the regular colors that you would expect to see on all my objects, but I made sure to make the sky blue so that it wouldn't be too harsh or hard on the eyes (dark blue may resemble night).  For the grass's texture, as I mentioned, I used jagged lines to create a cartoon-sort image. I made the soccer ball the biggest part of the sketch, as it was the focus point. I used shapes such as circles to make the sun and ball, and used triangles for the sun's rays. I used squares and hexagons inside the ball as well. Finally, I decided not to have anything going on in the background, as to give the soccer ball space (as talked about in one of the key elements of graphic design). Finally, regarding value, I made the sky a light blue to create a peaceful image.

Adobe Illustrator Time

I then used Adobe Illustrator to recreate my sketch, but this time's objective was to use basic shapes and colors as well as the new tools to make this possible. So, to start off, I drew two rectangles that bordered each other to resemble the ground and sky. Then I made a circle with the shaper tool and moved it to the corner. As I made it yellow, I also created triangles to resemble the sun's rays. For the focus point of the project, I created a huge circle using the shaper tool and kept it white. Inside, I used the shaper tool again to create squares and a hexagon for the design of the ball (I colored these black). Finally, I used the pencil tool to connect the shapes inside the ball and also used this tool for the grass's texture.

The Shaper Tool

We were introduced to this tool which allowed you to draw a shape freehand and it would automatically snap to the perfect size and measurements of that shape. Pretty cool, right? This turned out to be easier than trying to draw shapes or making them with the pencil tool. It also takes place of the eraser tool as well. In our design with the shaper tool, we created a big circle, and then grabbed from the right side of the circle and cut off 1/4 of the shape. We then made a smaller circle and overlapped the original circle's center, making them combine. Finally, we made an even smaller circle and put it in the center of the two circles. We "punched a hole" in the design by drawing a jagged line with shaper tool to erase the smallest circle. There were a few learning curves, but the shaper tool is a lot easier to work with. I like Adobe Illustrator's features such as the shaper tool and pencil tool in general. Finally, it's cool that you can blow up a picture and it won't get pixelated!

What is Graphic Design?

Introduction

For our first sketch in our sketchbook, we had to draw something that resembled graphic design or what it meant to us. We were then to use the seven key elements of graphic design: lines, color, texture, size, shape, space, and value. Regarding my sketch, I chose some logos that I see very often.

Artistic POV

I chose the eCommunication logo, because, of course, we are in eComm. Plus, when I was sketching, right in front of me was the logo... so it inspired me to draw it. This is an example where you notice graphic design like that. Second, I chose the Nike logo because I wear a lot of Nike gear and my soccer uniform is made by Nike. Then I drew the Adidas logo because I've always liked Adidas and their gear. Also, they are a German company and my dad was born in Germany so I like Adidas because of it. I used the Under Armour logo because I wear their clothing a lot and they are a very famous brand with a surprisingly simple logo. You might ask, "Why did Colin use the Umbro logo?" Well, I don't wear their gear or anything very much to be honest. But, they were my first soccer cleat brand so it means something to me. Finally, I designed the Amazon logo because there are billions of things to buy on their website and their logo is creative. I used colors according to the color of each logo, but then used yellow as a neutral background color to make the logos stand out more. As a border, I colored black around the focus point of the design.

7 Elements of Graphic Design

Starting off with lines, I decided to have lines surrounding central portion of the design to outline it and make it bold. Of course, I already talked about color but made the logos their own color with add yellow as a background color. Regarding texture, I tried to make the outline of each logo more bold and thick than the coloring of it to make it stand out. The size of the logos also came into play, where I tried to make them close to the same in size. I tried to make the logos as close to the shape they are as possible, and decided to surround the drawing with a rectangle. I allowed for some space between logos as well. And finally, going with a lighter yellow background made the logos stand out more and the element that shows this is value.

The Process

First, I had to figure out how to make the logos all fit on the design and decided the best way to do this was to make them smaller, adding a border on the outside. I sketched the logos with pencil and then outlined most of them in black. Finally, I colored them in according to what the logo looks like. I liked my Adidas logo and Under Armour logo because they are simple yet effective. I also liked putting the border around it. All in all, the process was somewhat longer than I expected but came out as a good result.