6 posts from 2008

The main thing I did here was to shoot photos of the tote bag and stationery. Since the design for my printed materials was fairly simple and mostly relied on the colors and textures of the paper this seemed like the best way to present them. Then, I did some retouching to both those images and my product shots from last year which allowed me to fix a few minor details without reproducing everything. The bag and folder were actually two separate images, as were each of the beverages in the perspective that I wanted to use (to show the cap) but upon laying out the page for my portfolio I felt it would be best to have them grouped together. I fixed the lid color...thanks Kelsey!
I also took screen captures of my website and laid them out on a page together.
For the ads I decided that they weren't cohesive or quality enough to stand alone on a page, and there isn't space on either of these pages to include just one. I plan to go back and create a proper set of three if time remains at the end.

I really liked how this book turned out and wanted to come up with a way to represent it in print and on the web so I created an 11x17 poster out of the alphabet pictures. The photo quality of some of these images was poor to begin with and since a surprising number of these landmarks no longer exist, re-shooting wasn't an option. Collaging the letters together allowed the images to be displayed in a way that doesn't draw attention to their lack of quality/resolution. I also manipulated many of them with Photoshop filters to add some personality.

Then I shot photos of the book itself and retouched them considerably to fix some of the issues with the binding and construction, as well as adding a subtle custom drop shadow.

I have two goals that I want to accomplish this week. The first is to reconsider all of the Yerba Libre pieces, mostly just clean things up a little and figure out what to include and how. The stationery is very plain and I may try to jazz it up a bit. Also the ads seem inconsistent and I got specific suggestions for the first ad to make the gradient less noticeable. The second project is to translate the "The Dalles" book into a poster format for easier presentation in print portfolio and online.

I tried various things with this cover. The book is a novel about a young flyfisherman growing up in Oregon with lots of philosophy woven into the story. In a pivotal point in the story the main character follows a female salmon way up a river and realizes that "why" isn't a question but an statement, and just the answer he's been searching for. Thanks for any comments on this cover vs. my original. Does adding a watery background and some drop shadow help? Is the color change a good one?

This project was part of an assignment in color theory in first year GD 121. I think the design is strong but I would like to experiment with some alternate color combinations and also with adding texture or photographic elements. Shauna commented that it would be nice to see texture but that also there is an appeal to the flatness. I agree and can't decide which I will prefer, so I am planning to try a few approaches and just play around with it. Does anyone else notice things that should be improved or explored?