Week Fifteen, Stefaniak

In this class I really learned a lot about what you can do with creativity and computer software. I'd heard that graphics 217 is the best Newhouse class to take, and throughout the semester I never doubted that. Even though it's only my second Newhouse class, it has been the most enjoyable class I've taken at SU. The projects were enjoyable despite the long hours of work an the skills I developed through them are priceless. This class has even caused me to consider changing the field in which I plan to work to someone graphics related. Though I'll continue to be a magazine major, I really would like to work in the graphic magazine field rather than my original plan of fashion. Since the class combined many of my interests and taught me how to utilize them to my greatest advantage, I don't think any of the skills I learned are ones I'm willing to give up. I even bonded with who's now my boyfriend over love of typeface; ask Valentina, she knows.

Week Five | Palladino

This advertisement for Nespresso coffee machines is a great example of gestalt because it encompasses a conceptual idea in a formulated image while still getting it's message across. By combining the multiple coffee cups to make the form of a Christmas tree, Nespresso advertisers can gear towards the holiday shopping season and creatively sell their product. They cleverly associate the "Christmas taste" with their product, not only by producing a typical simulacrum of the holiday through their product, but also by the simple headline, "Enjoy the Christmas taste with Nespresso coffee machine." Normally, one my see this headline as too blunt or not conceptual enough, however, there is a balance between simplicity and conceptuality with the headline and the image, respectively. The headline can be very simple, and in fact, should be as simple as possible, to balance out and connect with the conceptual image.

Week Four | Palladino

Design Strategy:

Upon approaching this project, I wanted to try to cater my resume and its design to a specific audience, while also adding my personal touch and keeping it clean and professional. I modeled my resume’s design after Body+Soul magazine and its website, wholeliving.com, because I hope to apply for an internship with them over the summer. The style of both the magazine and the website is crisp, clean and simple, therefore I wanted my resume to mimic that style.

Choice of typefaces:

The typeface I chose for my wordmark and headings is the sans serif ITC Eras Std. I really enjoy the sans serif look and larger x-height this typeface has, and I believe it fits in nicely with the style I’m trying to emulate. Much of Body+Soul magazine and wholeliving.com use sans serif typefaces for their content, and they especially use sans serifs for their headings. I wanted my name to be in the top center of the page, drawing the reader’s eyes to it and capturing their attention. The aspect of ITC Eras Std I like the most is the unclosed bowl of the letter “a.” This gives the counter space of the “a” a unique shape and makes this typeface much more unique as compared to other sans serif typefaces. I also chose to make my wordmark and headings stand out more by altering their CMYK color values to create a soft, pastel green. This shade of green is very similar to the shade used in wholeliving.com’s wordmark.

I chose the oldstyle typeface of Bembo Std for my body text. Since I made my wordmark and headings more modern with a sans serif typeface, I wanted to make my body text more traditional and professional. Choosing an oldstyle typeface worked best for me, especially since Bembo Std.’s x-height and serifs create simple, readable letters. Overall, I think the marrying of modernity and professionalism in my resume is clearly established by my choice of typefaces and design.

Micro-assignment - Palladino

Creme De Menthe Brownies - recipe courtesy of Paula Deen. I love when my mom makes these brownies - they're fudge-y, very chocolate-y and have Andes Candies baked into the brownies and sprinkled on top of the icing.