This is nice budget ad from Home Depot.  The problem is the type touches the white edge of the paper it ruined the ad.  The photograph images are captivating.  It appears some professional photographer photograph the images.  The problems is from the designer.

I guessed attitude of the designer really counts a lot.  A low end ad can be captivating interesting intriguing because of the style that went into it.  Now, I  am looking at a mid range ad looking tacky because the type is touching the edge.  

one color process red

I guessed I am fascinated by the one color process ad. For one reason most likely I will be working with clients with a low budget.   People on low budget may to save money on printing with only one color.  

Red is the only hue is this ad. The red hue has several shades of red. The major contrast in one hue is black.  The black has different values of grays creating shadows in the face and texture in the hair. The grays gives faces in the layout more life; it makes it interesting. Even some of the type is written in gray and the focal word is written in black. 

  

What caught my attention to this flier was reverse proportional size.  The heads are bigger than the body.  It reinforce the importance to remember to bring foundational information into my design today.     

Hopefully, analyzing other layouts will help me design my own basic layout.  If I am restricted to one color.  I see that using fundamental principals from 2-D will helped me.

one color process blue

 I chose this article because of the one color blue is used in the layout.  I hear some customers on a tight budget may want a designer to design something using one color if he can save money. 

In this layout although blue is the color, there are at least three shades of blue light blue, medium blue, and  dark blue.   The color white is used in the layout and in the type.  It is amazing even with a restriction to one color.  There is an opportunity to make an interesting layout using one color.   

Shapes and lines are used in an interesting manner as well.  The  dark blue line connects and overlaps the dark blue bleeding box with the medium blue in the background.  This connection with the thin line to the bigger box to the dark blue box creates a sense of design.  The type face used in the "T" has movement that grabs the attention.  On the other side the light blue boxes on the top and the bottom connects it to the other side. There is more textural information with less dynamics effect.  The thin lines giving it a touch of movement in a settle  manner.  Settle activities with stars. I guessed what I learned from this flyer if I was to work with one color and the element of design to make the layout interesting. I see one color limited me to only one color.  I can have several shades of one color plus black and white. 

I really liked this simple layout using the elements of design. 

color

The reason I picked up this flyer because of the color.  I recalled Connie saying color is very important in graphic design.  Color can grab someones attention.  But these two colors are very interesting to me mute color and  blue.  The colors reminded me the rage I experience when my uncle bought my mom a blue chair to go into a brown office.  I thought the chair clash.  My cousin told me all I have to do is buy a throw pillow that has both blue and brown in it.  So when I went to pick up the pillow the first color I went to grab the light  mute color containing light blue and beige.  I said to myself the pillow would blend together in harmony.  I decided to get a bright colors in the pillows to make intensity and value contrast.  Aiming to make contrast made a difference in the room.  So I can see that I am learning how to adjust color. 

I also look at the basic design in the flyer how the organic shape over lays a geometric shape. The wood floor has straight horizontal lines.  The transparent image overlaps the boxes.  I think about the elements of design.  How it is important to use design principals if I hope to create interesting  graphic design. 

 I remember taking an advance black and white class.  There were a hand full of people who were fine art photographers.  So they applied elements of design into their work.  The seed was planted that if I wanted to take interesting photos.  I really need to learn elements of design. I left the classes believing that I needed to learn about art and design. I took the graphic design class and felt at home. 

Wells Fargo

    Here is a Wells Fargo layout that uses different size type and color red and black.  I feel there a playful movement with the type.  The student Guide to is in black in small text and Good Credit is bold and red.  As I write this stuff out, I see the high achy.  Yes, students are being address but the important topic is Good Credit. 

 After portfolio day, I was convinced to be organizing and to give myself more time to perform task because it takes longer than I imagine.  I saw how I was not prepared.  It hurt me.  The worked that I printed was not the final draft.  So I had something to show but it was not my best worked on the presentation.  Even though it was not my best worked, I still saw that I had room to learn with my type.  I felt like I barely touched the surface with type.

 I talked to Greg Ross orabor.com.  He told me it was a good thing that I was in school for another year so that I can work on my type. I was surprised and hurt to hear him say it.

 After looking at his web sits I can see how I can get better.  He plays with type. It was very interesting.

I asked for his suggestion he suggest that I read books on type and looked at different layouts in magazines.  So I know this is an area that really needs to be developed.  In art 308, I recalled reading the importance of type.  It is really critical.  It is not an area that I want to slack in or continue to be weak.

HSBC mailers

 I was      looking at this mailer because I thought it would be easier to scan into the computer and move on from there. the mailer uses some design principals exaggeration with body parts.  The face is larger than the body.  In printing it one color red.  Its clean and simple 

car advertisment

Over the last few weeks,  I have really been noticing advertisement on automobiles.  I am so amaze how small the type of the phone number is.  Many times cars are moving pretty fast.  Many drivers have to dig for a pen and paper.  By the time the driver finds the pen and paper the car made a turn.  I feel the phone number should really stand out on automobile advertisement.

radio

I lately have been noticing advertisement for a new radio station 97.1 FM an RB radio station.  I noticed Rhima on the billboard after the beating she experience in several months ago.  She was the center of public scandal.  I really feel like entertainment leaders are making sure the abusive relationship does not get out of control.  So they are putting in the media and hoping to intervene on domestic violence.   

I wonder about the other black female role models who were in abusive relationship.  I wonder if the entertainment world new about the abuse and kept it quiet to the public.  

A lot of black women were extremely disappointed when Juanita Bynum was in an abusive relationship. They felt like they were deceive.  Now, Rhima scandal has been on the front page of People magazine and has been in the broad cast news.  Why for a change?  Leaders are influencing what is cover to a great degree.  

Back to the ad.  The radio advertisement has made a major different.  People respond to the billboards.  I recall when I was in high school when my friends were aware of the billboards and advertisement.  I found myself going to concert in the park and listening to new radio station because my friends brought to my attention what was going on through advertisement.  They were more aware of advertisement than i was. I was is self pity. I was stuck in the past. 

radio

lily

Another flower hopefully the last of the flowers from my collection of flowers.    The lily the first flower in my collection of flowers was the lily from my front yard.

 I later discovered shooting shots of flowers in my front yard creates wonderful light. Having the large trees over the flowers creates a warm flowing light.  

The color red means passionate, flirtatious romantic.  means love  

red rose

Another rose, I felt a little self-conscious putting up another rose.  But, Mr. Jones was concerned that I would get lucky shooting a shot once and struggle duplicating it.  The two images of the same thing are to Mr. Jones.  My ability to duplicate the shot means that I have a basic understand of the f-stop.  I blur out the background.   It took me years of practice critic to learn how to shot such an image.  But hard works pays off.

One Door Closing to Open a New Door

Although I enjoyed taking pictures of flowers, I felt a word needed to run across the image such as "New birth", "Refresh" and "Morning Bliss". I took my first graphic design class at SMC. I was at home. I saw how I could combined both the photography and my hunger to write a word on my image. I felt complete.

The first image of the bouquet flowers that I got a positive response from my instructor represents the closing of one door to open a new door. The flowers were given to me as a gift as I left my job at UCLA as a preschool teacher assistant.

While taking Mr. Larry Jones color photo class at SMC, I began to sense that I landed on something good with my image of my flowers. When I went up to him for critique, the expression of approval that I saw in his eyes said that he like the picture even though it was overexpose. It was impossible to correct the overexpose image but the composition was nice. I had a talent with flowers.

Every so often I may go for a walk and take pictures of flowers in my community. The white rose is a sample of my neighborhood walk. I hope to go to walk in a nice garden such as the Hunting Library. I am attending Cal State Los Angeles, I hope to go to the Hunting Library during a break and focus my images on the flower garden. Some day I hope to go and shoot my heart out.

Some folks told me that I was confused that I did not know what I wanted to do. But, I see how both photography and graphic design can come the two elements coming together.