Response: Drunkerexia

My group didn't present covers this week, so I thought I would go ahead and respond to the covers we saw from the Drunkerexia group.

After class, I thought about how the photos were handled and the idea behind them. I understand the concept, and I really like it!

And I also think the photos work nicely – within a certain context.

The women grouped together got across the message to me; It was almost as if the women were unified, and the focus seemed more on the group. But when there were one to three stomachs in focus, the comparison of women/bottles was too strong. I think we should still keep in mind that some readers might interpret the painted-on stomachs (in the singular or cut-out photos) as objectifying.

Just some food for thought! Anyone else give any consideration to this?

Critique: Print Portfolios

It was great seeing everyone's finished products of their print portfolios. After seeing the interesting branding and the beautiful designs everyone chose to include, it's clear that our class has a lot of talent.

That being said, if you have any comments or critiques for my design, let me know! Here are some of the pages from my portfolio:

Photo Inspiration: My family bought a new dog

This is the newest member of the Greiff family. He doesn't have a name yet, but we are taking suggestions.

He is a bichon frise and weighs about 4 lbs.

I can't wait to meet him after graduation!

You Can't Miss: A Show and Tell for Designers

Have you heard of Dribble? I was reading a profile piece on a designer, and she said she gets some inspiration from Dribble.com, a site where designers can post projects they are working on. You can get feedback and show your design process. Also, there are job postings for designers on the site. Not bad, eh?

Photo inspiration: the Bahamas

My sister went to the Bahamas last week, and she posted this photo on facebook. I am pretty sure this is a view from a restaurant she went to, and it is absolutely stunning. 

I am going to have to picture this during the final weeks of school. 

Beautiful Nassau

Response: Faith Cover Design Contest

So this week is round 2 of the Faith covers, and I am sure everyone will bring something unique and interesting to the mix. I have to say, it was overwhelming seeing all of the options up there, but it was also pretty cool to see how many people chose the same photos or styles. I think there must be something good about your photo choice if several other people chose the same photo (and sometimes the same crop).

As for my own Faith designs, I think I am probably going to elaborate on one of the photos. The last I heard of the feature was that only four or so of the stories are running in print, so using one of the profile shots of the subjects would be a logical way to go.

Critique: Websites

Today we looked over everyone's websites in their complete forms. I enjoyed seeing everyone's designs arranged so professionally, and it gave me some ideas on how to improve my own site. 

Between last Tuesday and today, I made a lot of changes, including adding a logo, an extra category, and generally changing little details.

Here is the before and after:

Here is my previous version of my site. It wasn't quite finished yet. 

Here is the present version of my site. It looks a lot more
professional and ready for people to see it, in my opinion.