Adobe Creative Suites.
Photoshop.
Illustrator.
In Design.
PHOTOSHOP
Diptych.
This assignment was to create a diptych photo composite that tells a story.
I wanted to tell the story of consumption culture. I found both images through Google Creative Commons. I corrected the overexposure, whitewash and color balance for both photos. I set the color tones in both to match. I chose a left to right reading to show a linear relation. The second photo (the landfill photo) is darker to suggest a dingier “after”.
Photo Masking & Blending.
The assignment was to use the select and mask tool in photoshop to move a person in the foreground to a different location.
Background.
This is a photo I chose via Google through the creative commons license for modification that did not require attribution.
Model.
This image was given to us for the assignment.
Combination.
This is my combination of the two. I used orange layer with reduced opacity to unite the two layers after completing the selecting and masking component.
The assignment was to use layer masking, copying and blending to fuse two images.
Animal.
This is the animal I chose to complete the assignment. It was found on Google via the creative commons for modification that did not require attribution.
Habitat.
This image was given to us for the assignment.
Composite.
This is my combination of the two. Trying to maintain the details on the fish after adding the water layer was difficult, but completed by adding a mask to the water layer while utilizing the paint option over it.
This assignment was to take two portraits and create a “new” person.
First.
This is a the first photo I chose via Google through the creative commons license for modification that did not require attribution.
Second.
This is the second photo I chose via Google through the creative commons license for modification that did not require attribution.
Equal.
This is my “Frankenstein”. Aligning the nose, eyes and eyebrows was the hardest part. Cropping the image appropriately was the easiest.
Editorial Illustration.
The assignment was to create a visual representation for a current headline.
I chose “More than half of COVID-19 cases spread by asymptomatic carriers, CDC model shows” by Madeline Farber as my article.
It discussed how the spread of COVID-19 is majorly through asymptomatic carriers. For my visual, I wanted to draw attention to the type of carrier for the coronavirus.
I used a vector map to create a coronavirus case distribution map for my background. I used hues of red to red depicts both danger and urgency. The photo of the COVID-19 virus visually depicts to the viewer what problem we are talking about in the United States. I increased the size of the virus to cover the United States from top to bottom to emphasize the issue as a countrywide endeavor, or bigger than any one state.
Adding the text was the hardest part. To select the text and enlarge it I had to hide all of my other layers and add a window to my photoshop. The alignment for the words had to be readjusted four times so it was centered and not entirely overlapping the images with all of the layers turned on. The format and coloring are meant to emulate the Zombie pop culture cartoon-like aura.
ILLUSTRATOR
Vector Art.
The assignment was to create a repeating pattern with Illustrator, convert an object from a raster image to a vector image and apply the previous pattern.
Vector.
This is vector image I found through Google that was under the creative commons license and could be modification and used without attribution.
Pattern.
I created this pattern with Adobe Illustrator and placed it within the star shape.
Art.
I combined the two, so I could have the cow! This is my favorite piece from the class. When I finished this piece I sent it to all of my friends!
Infographic.
The assignment was to create an infographic for a current news story using information from the story and supplemental research.
The story I chose was “With Biden Team Focused On Other Crises, Experts Say Drug Epidemic Is Exploding” by Brian Mann.
In the first section, I gave context about the increase in overdose deaths in the United States amid the Coronavirus Pandemic by utilizing a line graph. I chose this comparison because both drug overdose and COVID-19 are public health issues President Joe Biden will need to address in office.
I used the months January through June because the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have not released all of their data for 2020. The line graph partners with a statement regarding which illicit drugs are most prevalent to give context to the title.
I chose to include a pull statistic for the middle because the NPR article itself, only noted the daily death average but not a total. This pull statistic for the total death count is important because it draws attention to how grave the death toll is though it appears linear in comparison to the 2020 COVID-19 deaths.
For the last section, I summed Joe Biden’s lengthy plan to end the Opioid crisis into four main points.
IN DESIGN
Newspaper Clone.
The assignment was to replicate the formatting of another newspaper's front page with new content of your choice.
Going into this project I was nervous because I was unfamiliar with Adobe Indesign. This project was my first time using the software.
I had anticipated the project to be more similar to the column tool used in Google Docs. However, Adobe InDesign does not work in that fashion. Instead, the user has to go through each section and create the sizing, spacing and insert each paragraph of text. This tedious project did give me an appreciation for the individuals who do this for a living.
The repetitive matching nature was quite calming because it did not take a lot of initiative past matching the original fonts. Instead of thinking, I was just able to repeat: font size, font type, kerning, and tracking. This matching was one of the easiest aspects of the project. I also enjoyed choosing which written pieces were presented because they allowed me to visualize my own stories on a front spread.
The most challenging aspects of this project were locating photos, inserting photos, correcting the errors in the toggle down, and removing the outline from the box framing tool. For the larger photos, the entire photo fits perfectly into the frames. As the frame size decreased, the time I spent preparing the photo before I placed it into InDesign increased. If I were to place the image before preparing, the image had visible pixelation and was cropped without an image subject. To correct this, I needed to send the photo to my phone and create a border until the size of the image I wanted was able to fit precisely in the frame as I needed. For the toggle errors, this is where I learned InDesign is not like Google Columns. I had assumed copy and pasting the stories would automatically format the pieces. So, this drew frustration when I had to go back in and format around my photos embedded under the text. Then upon export, I realized my stroke lines were visible in my frames. So, I had to go back in and minimize each stroke individually.
This project required a detail-oriented eye and required me to progressively and creatively examine how to troubleshoot issues.
Magazine Spread.
The assignment was to create a multi-page feature spread with at least a 1000 word article.
I gathered photographs related to the text by searching phrases within the rights free WikiTravel online article. I chose to use a 12 column organization for my set-up for versatility when sizing the text and captions. In Photoshop, for each image, I cropped the photo, lowered the exposure, and increased the lowest output level. This project’s images were easier to resize because I learned you could fit the image to frame. I also learned to avoid pasting text from the newspaper project because it gives you error messages.
The insertion of my content went smoother than my first attempt with InDesign. Photo captions and the infographic is where my struggles were instead. The olive tree photo did not have any information provided. So, I scoured Google and plant websites until I could identify the tree in the photograph. My text lacked significant numbers for the infographic, but I decided a travel list and statistics of travelers in the city maintained the image and portrayed city life.