Leibovitz lecture- Mikaelian

Annie Leibovitz is an extremely inspirational photographer. She began her professional work at Rolling Stone in the 70s, photographing events such as Nixon stepping down and the famous John & Yoko Ono cover. She has had more accomplishments than any other photographer, and now holds the spot for the first and second magazine cover ever. Leibovitz says she loves photographing landscapes, even though she has shot hundreds upon hundreds of amazing covers for magazines like Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair and Vogue. She showed photos of her work, starting off with black and white photos that I thought were truly inspiring, since they were done with no digital photography what-so-ever. She then showed photos all the way up to her family and current work, the home of a famous poet. My favorite photograph that she showed was an image of a person standing in between two huge stone walls, and in the slit of the stone walls you could see a beautifully structured gothic building. The woman in the photo was also standing on a rock and she is so tiny that the size of the stone walls and the white building you see through the slit almost resembles the woman seeing a white light. The woman in the photo is one of her dear friends who has since passed away. Annie Leibovitz is definitely the most famous photographer of all time, and it was amazing to hear her speak about her work and tell the stories behind the photos- especially how she got the shot of Queen Elizabeth "outdoors" (it was actually a backdrop) and the story behind her favorite photo, the photograph of her mother.

Week 13- Mikaelian

The Syracuse University website is an excellent example of hierarchy. It is obvious that there are 4 vertical grids, the middle one being made into one double-sized column. It also uses the grid effectively to separate the information being shown on the website, and to lead viewers to where they need to go. The site is also effective because the picture at the top of the page catches the readers attention. This picture is also where the links to the most commonly sought-out information is, so people can easily find them. The colors- orange, white and gray- are also effective because they're clean, but also grab people's attention. The orange type used for headlines makes people read them, And the different shades of gray effectively separate the white boxes, making it easier for viewers to tell where certain information starts and stops.

Mikaelian- Week 13

I decided to make my layout about Lady Gaga. Even though she was a common topic, I couldn't pass it up since she has amazing photographs and a very strong, energetic look that is perfect for this project.

Story and Layout:

I chose this particular story because it focused a lot on how unique Lady Gaga is, and how she idolizes pop art- especially Andy Warhol and high fashion. I felt that this is important because even though she is known for her crazy style and overall persona, she truly is talented and she is influenced by real art. Because this was the focus of the article I decided to title my magazine Avant Garde, which refers to new and different takes on fine art. I felt this represents Lady Gaga perfectly- she is an innovator of pop music and is turning it into real art.I decided to use a cover with a plain white background and a picture of her in a black jumpsuit. I felt this showed how high fashion influences her, and it was raw and edgy just as she is. I used a single headline in black text to keep the magazine looking clean and modern. I also created an alternative color that was influenced more by the pop art aspect of Lady Gaga. The pop art cover has a picture of Lady Gaga that looks like a colorful, Warhol-esque pop art image, and the main colors used are pink and white. The purpose of creating two covers is so magazine subscribers would get one cover or the other, adding an element of surprise.

The first spread uses the same font from the cover in the headline, plus a typeface called Flood to add a little flare the the headline. On the right side I used a picture of Lady Gaga with pink/coral hair on a white background. I used the coral color of her hair for the Flood text on the left hand side to create continuity. I also created an extremely light mint green background design to put behind the headline, so that the pages weren't too white. I carried the color onto the second spread for continuity. I also used the font and colors from the headline for my pull-quote, and drop-caps.

On the second spread, my sidebar is a quiz to test the reader's Lady Gaga knowledge. For the side bar background I used the same mint green color, and also used the flood font in the coral color to add more continuity.

Choice of Typefaces:

I wanted the typeface for my magazine title to represent what I think fine art is- sophisticated and stylish. I decided to use Didot, which I also used for my story headline and pull quotes. I felt this font looks very classy, but isn't boring.

For my body text I used Berham. I felt that it compliments Didot well and is also different, but still classic. I used ITC Berklee bold for my captions and I used different fonts in my sidebar since it is a different entity than the article.

I used the font Flood for part of my title and throughout my spreads, such as the title of my sidebar and the dropcap in my story. I felt since this font was the most unique and exciting, and it's used in a coral color which makes it stand out, that it would make the layout more appealing and more fun to read.

Images:

I explained the images I used for my cover already, but I mainly chose them because they both represent Lady Gaga and the article in different ways. By creating two different covers, it allows readers to see the two different sides of Lady Gaga- couture fashion and wild pop art.

For my first spread I used a photo that was similar to the cover image with the white background. I found the image very striking and it shows her quirkiness and her eye for fashion at the same time. I felt the white background and her pink hair really catches the viewer's eye.

For the second spread I cut out an image of Lady Gaga in an outfit similar to what she's wearing on the first spread- white with studs- where she is sitting and looking up. I placed this image on the bottom left of the left page so it looked like she was sitting on the folio and looking up at the pullquote that I placed about the picture. On the right page I used another image with a white background and where she was pink hair, once again focusing on her artistic and fashion-forward image.

Week Eleven- Dana Mikaelian

One of my favorite websites is Urbanoutfitters.com. Not only is it creative and aesthetically pleasing, it's extremely organized. The front page always features special events or sales that the store is promoting, and fun things for visitors to look at such as ipod/laptop skins artists designed for the store, or a trend that is going to be popular for the season to come. The menu toolbar contains links to many different pages on the website, and separates it into men, women, sales, home decor, etc. There is basically no way anyone could get lost on this site. Also, once you click on these tabs, the website is organized even more by the type of clothing or decor, price, style, etc. Another thing that I really enjoy about Urbanoutfitters.com is there is always a link to the new stuff they put on the website everyday, so you don't have to waste time looking at items you've already seen. There are also links to Urban Outfitters' blog and other external sites. The website also changes the style often to give it a new and fresh look that stands out from most other sites.

Week 10- Mikaelian

This magazine article is a good example of a grid because it shows how you can evenly distribute things on a page. This article is split into two columns, which is made visible by the text. The pictures, however, are what makes this layout interesting. Even though they are still split up into two columns, they are sliced in half so there are two images in each column. This shows how a person can use grids to organize a layout since the two columns is what made it so easy to evenly separate the pictures. Without the columns it would have been more difficult to make each image the same size, and this way it is more organized and even. Grids are extremely important for a layout because they make a design much cleaner.

Week Nine- Mikaelian (floating redo)

(blogger would not upload the jpeg image)

Design Strategy

I knew I wanted my logo to be in the shape of a circle since I’m a public relations major, and I feel like a circle represents communication and how it travels to everyone. Neither my name nor major really lend to a creative idea, so I put my initials in the middle of the circle. I’m a fan of really simple designs, so I utilized color to represent myself. I chose the color orange because not only is it my favorite color, it’s bright and grabs people’s attention. It also isn’t used often compared to other colors, so I figured it would stand out. I decided to put it on a white background and use white for my initials because it’s a clean compliment to orange, and made the logo look crisp and modern. I wanted my initials to conform to the curves of the circle so people would associate my name with the circle of communication. I also thought it was more aesthetically pleasing than just plopping them in the middle of the circle. Basically, I want my logo to show that I am a modern, sophisticated public relations specialist.

Choice of typefaces:

I created the initials in my logo myself, since I needed the letters to curve with the circle. For the rest of the project, I used the font Trade Gothic. For the stationary, envelope, and my name on the front of the business card I used Trade Gothic extended and Trade Gothic bold extended since it’s a little larger than the regular Trade Gothic, and it also looks a little more modern. Since these words were more important, I wanted them to look a little more unique. I also letted my name on the front of my business card since it’s extremely important for people to see, and I feel that it brought more attention to the name. For the information on the back of my business card, I used regular Trade Gothic since it’s smaller and simpler. I chose this font in general because I feel it complements my logo well and I wanted a simple but fashionable sans serif font for a clean look.

Visuals:

I created my logo but making an orange circle and using the straight and curved line tools to make my initials (DM) fit within the circle and with each other. I made the width of the lines between a 5 and an 8 depending on the size of my logo. I also decided to flip my first initial so the curve of the D hugged the curve of the circle. I made the vertical lines of the D and the M straight and close together, and curved the right line of the M so it curved with the circle. I wanted the initials to almost look like another circle within the orange one, which I feel I did successfully. I also think that flipping the D and curving the M add a touch of uniqueness to an otherwise really simple design. I know it’s best to keep the logo the same size on all three pieces, but I decided to change the size to add some variety to the designs. I also put the logo on an angle or minimized the opacity in some cases. I like that my design is simple, but I think if I made it look exactly the same on the business card, envelope and stationary it would have been really boring. For the orange in the logo, I used the color C= 0 M=43 Y=100 K=0. I used a burnt orange (C=0 M=50 Y=96 K=25) for the font in the designs to compliment the brighter orange. I also used a yellow color to separate my information on my stationary (C=0 M=24 Y=69 K=0), which I feel compliments the oranges well. On the stationary I made the logo in the background the same color orange as the logo, but at 17% opacity. I also decided to put my contact information on the bottom since that's where I sign my name, and it would lead the reader's eye to the information. For the back of my business card, the background is at 9% opacity of the logo’s orange, and the actual logo is 25% opacity of the original orange color.

Week Eight- Mikaelian

This Stickybeak logo is a good representation of Gestalt principles. The most important principle used in this logo is continuation. The flap of the square is folded downward and looks like an arrow, pointing at the word "stickybeak." Because the flap is designed to look like a beak and it's a bright yellow, it grabs readers attention and guides their eye downward.

There is also a continuous color pallet of black, gray and yellow. The fact that the top left of the logo is yellow, along with the last word on the bottom right creates a good balance throughout the design. The middle of the logo also creates balance by making the "sticky" bold and white on a black background, and "beak" thin and black with a white background. By evenly distributing all of the colors, this logo creates a pleasing, memorable design.

Week 7- Mikaelian

This advertisement for the movie "Kill Bill" uses color extremely effectively. The entire area surrounding the poster is white and grey, so the red splashing out from the advertisement into the street really catches your eye and makes you look directly at the poster. Also, the fact that the red covers a smaller area on the advertisement and covers more and more space as it leaves the poster directs viewers eyes to the billboard, since usually an image's starting point is smaller and grows as it moves away from the starting point.

The red color of the blood works well with gestalt principles because it creates a focal point for viewers. Gestalt's principle of similarity states, "things that are similar are perceived to be more related than things that are dissimilar." While it is good for colors in an advertisement to be similar in order to create a sense of flow and unity, the dissimilarity in color works in favor of this Kill Bill advertisement. If the colors in the ad were similar to it's surroundings it wouldn't get noticed at all, but since the red is so shocking and bright there is no way people won't notice the ad.

Week Six- Mikaelian

I created a poster for "Mountains for Miracles," a program run by the Jimmy Fund that plans mountain climbing exhibitions to raise money for cancer research (particularly children's oncology). Because this event is for children but will be attended by adults, I wanted to make the poster something people of all ages would enjoy.

For my visual, I was inspired by the cover of the book "Star Girl." On the cover is a yellow star that looks like it's drawn. I immediately thought of this when I wanted something that represented the miracle this organization is striving for. By making the star look as if it was drawn showcases the fact that this program is geared towards children.

I wanted to create an image of a "person" reaching for the scribbled star, and thought making the title "Mountains for Miracles" into the shape of a mountain would really tie everything together. For the words "Mountains" and "Miracles" I used a font that was very blocky and messy, resembling rocks, and gradually stretched the letters to form the mountain. I then used a sans-serif font for the "for" in the title and all other information on the page. For the person I used the "X" in a font called Cutout. To make it look like a person reaching for the star I flipped the character's left arm downwards and angled it to make it look like the figure is stretching.

For colors, I wanted a muted pallet that is all earthy colors. I used a light light blue background to represent the sky, and a darker, muted grey/blue for the person and all the information included on the poster. I also made the "for" in "Mountains for Miracles" blue and the sans-serif font to separate the "Mountains" and "Miracles", which I made light green since I feel that it compliments the other colors in the poster well.

Week Five- Mikaelian

A classic example of Gestalt is the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) panda logo. The panda is actually incomplete, meaning the drawing of the panda isn't a closed shape. The white bleeds out of the shape of the panda and isn't defined by any strokes or lines, but the black objects make the image appear like a panda. The placement of the panda's ears and the curve of the black portion of its body helps people understand where the "lines" should be. This is because if people can interpret enough of the shape, their minds are able to "close" the white areas, completing the picture. This type of Gestalt principle is called "closure." Closure is when the image isn't complete, but there is enough information for the eye to complete the shape. This logo is obviously really successful and has been around for a while. It's very simple, but the use of closure makes it more unique.

Week Four- Mikaelian

For my resume, I wanted to create something that was professional yet modern and unique. As a public relations major, I will be applying for internships in the music industry and pr firms. Public Relations is still a very new career, and I feel in order to be successful in it you have to be professional, but "up-with-the-times." Because of this, I wanted my resume to look sophisticated and clean, but very current as well.

I decided to use a sans-serif font for both my name and the body text, since I feel it's more sleek. For my name I used ITC Avante Garde, and flipped it so it goes down the right side of my paper. I also bolded my last name to add contrast, and wrote my entire name in lower-case. ITC Avante Garde has an extremely large x-height, so I felt that upper-case were unnecessary and would ruin the layout of the wordmark. I also used Avante Garde for the headers, and Trade Gothic for the body text.

In order to make my resume stand out, I used deep purple accents throughout the page. I used purple lines to lead the reader's eye from my name to my contact information, and used the same purple lines under the headers of each section to tie everything together. I also used the same color purple bullets to separate my contact information, information for each job i've had, and for every other bullet point I used on the resume.

I feel that I was very successful in creating a resume that represents me, and will also help me stand out to employers while still looking professional and clean.

Week Three- Mikaelian

When reading Lupton's "Text," I was really interested in the word exercise portion of the chapter. I think it's interesting how manipulating a text so little can make it so much more interesting. A perfect example of a word exercise is the Dell computer logo, which has a disrupted "e." The slanting of the "e" makes this simple logo a little more interesting than it would be if the text was just in one straight line. The slanted "e" is said to represent the buildings where the computer company was founded, or just to make the simple word stand out and grab people's attention. Simple quirks in the way a headline, logotype or any other kind of text such as this automatically help create a meaning for the word, as is said by Lupton, and is extremely helpful with creating a brand for the product.

Week One | Mikaelian

Not only is the layout of this advertisement unimpressive, the text also has a lot of issues. The text in the largest box is hard to read due to the light blue water drops in the background that blend into the white font. It would be much easier to read if the font was larger and in a different color that didn't blend with the background. Also, a bold sans-serif font in all caps would be much easier to read since it would be thicker, making the eye less confused by the background. It would also be more interesting than this font that has no originality (it looks like somebody just typed a sentence on a background). The catch-phrase is humorous for a beer ad, and it would be much more memorable if a creative font was used that represents the beer better. Also, the text in the lower right-hand box has no relation to the text in the main box, making the advertisement seem extremely unprofessional.