13A: Portfolio

PROJECT CORRECTIONS/TIME SPENT
I spent a little over two hours making corrections according to the feedback I received from Brother Stucki when he graded each assignment. Specifically:

-50 minutes adjusting the size and alignment of the photo montage text
-20 minutes moving “STEEL” from overlapping other words; changing position of “Blue” and deleting unaligned color swatch on the photo design project
-55 minutes changing fonts, alignment, colors, and adding drop shadow effects to the magazine cover

DESCRIPTION
Design a portfolio that showcases all projects from my Visual Media course.

PROCESS (Programs, Tools, Skills, FOCUS principles)
I started by researching various online portfolio designs and found a few with elements I liked. I sketched a few designs and began drawing them up in Illustrator. I soon realized that it would be better to have the concept drawn up in InDesign because I wanted certain elements on some pages and not on others.

I added all elements to the master pages and had to research how to edit master page text boxes on regular pages (ctrl-shift-click on the text box – that makes it editable). I then moved various text elements around until I found something that worked. I played with the colors and alignment. I changed each project description page’s title and other specific information to correspond with that project; then I placed each project image.

CRITIQUE PROCESS
I received feedback from Brother Stucki, noting that the simplistic and geometric elements fit well with a portfolio design. Brad Campbell, Chelsie Brady, and Chearsten Webb commented on FaceBook regarding there being too much text, needing more texture, and various alignment concerns. I loved every point they made and made several changes, including adding a texture to the grey shape. I met with my sister Jennifer to discuss the color scheme and alignment and made further adjustments to text box positions to generate more natural white space.

MESSAGE
I want to showcase my work in a professional and accessible way.

AUDIENCE
Potential client and employers.

TOP THING LEARNED
I have more resources than I think – don’t settle until I tap various sources.

COLOR SCHEME & COLOR NAMES
Monochromatic // Blue, grey, and white

TITLE FONT NAME & CATEGORY
Mr Eaves // Sans Serif

COPY FONT NAME & CATEGORY
Museo Slab // Slab Serif

THUMBNAILS OF ANY ORIGINAL, UNEDITED IMAGE(S) USED IN THE PROJECT

SOURCE OF EACH IMAGE (website name and hyperlink)
Freevector

 

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11A: Brochure

DESCRIPTION
Design a brochure for a company.

PROCESS (Programs, Tools, Skills, FOCUS principles)
This brochure is for an actual business: my husband’s DJ business. He’s looking to expand his wedding reception demographic, so he wanted something elegant, something “black tie” fancy. We sketched out several ideas together. I designed his logo in Illustrator, then went through several concepts of brochure styles. It was painstaking to watch my ideas go by the wayside, but the elegance he was looking for kept eluding me. I settled on a gate fold brochure with cutouts to make his signature white bow tie stand out. However, I was also stumped when it came to the layout of the inside. I had several restrictions because of the bow tie cutouts and the curtain cutout. I decided to take a risk and place a block of text over a fold. I thought this out over many days, but my reasons included the layout constraints previously mentioned, the fact that it would be printed on a relatively thin piece of glossy brochure paper, and how my font size is large enough that individual letters wouldn’t get lost in the crease. I placed the pictures in a way to help visual flow, and I creatively contoured the social media information to fit in the cut-out curve.

CRITIQUE PROCESS
Brother Stucki’s critique included some placement comments and a recommendation to not place text over a fold (sorry, Brother Stucki!). I had my sister look at it (a design and project manager), and she gave me encouragement to discard a few elements to clean things up. She also recommended that I add a background texture or color.

MESSAGE
Brides can have a stress-free wedding reception with DJ What’s His Name

AUDIENCE
Brides who want a DJ at their wedding reception

TOP THING LEARNED
Print, fix, print, fix, print, fix… this cannot be done last minute!

COLOR SCHEME & COLOR NAMES
Monochromatic // blue, black and white

FONT NAME & CATEGORY
Al Fresco // Script

COPY FONT NAME & CATEGORY
Serenity // Sans Serif

I spent a few hours at my local FedEx Kinkos printing, fixing, and printing again until I got things right. I used “glossy white” brochure paper, and I’m very happy with the quality of the black printing. I trimmed the edges, very lightly scored the outer fold lines with a razor, cut out the sides of the bow tie, then cut out and removed the piece under the curtain. Then I folded the sides in.

WORD COUNT
309 words (original text; not including quotations)

THUMBNAILS OF ANY ORIGINAL, UNEDITED IMAGE(S) USED IN THE PROJECT

SOURCE OF EACH IMAGE (website name and hyperlink)
Logo’s original bow tie: Suspender Store
Mirrorball: Flickr
Couple turn-out: hostingkartinok.com
Slow dance: Flickr
Light rays: Pixaby
Curtain: Pixaby
Under arm turn: Pixaby
DJ What’s His Name: my own photo

 

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10A: Website Mockup

 

 

DESCRIPTION
Design a website homepage using a grid.

PROCESS (Programs, Tools, Skills, FOCUS principles)
1n First I sketched out some basic layouts to include the required elements. I’ll note here that I did not have my audience in mind as I did this, and you’ll see how this will come back to bite me later. I liked my sketches, and I decided to put one to work in the form of a wireframe.

 

However, when I finished my (very) rough draft, I frankly hated it. It had nice qualities – good amount of collected white space, color theme, etc. – but it just wasn’t cohesive.

I wasn’t sure what it was exactly, but I just couldn’t seem to “fix” it enough. So I threw everything out the window and started completely over. And here’s where I did what I should have done in the beginning: I did my research. I searched for other jams’ websites to see what worked and what ratio of text to images I should be using. What did their headers look like? Did they use columns? How many? How did they incorporate their color scheme?

I researched Smuckers, E.D.Smith, and Bonnie’s Jams, and I found many similarities between the first two; namely, a solid and small header bar, a smaller-than-I-thought logo, pictures as integral, full-width elements, and equal amounts of real estate given to pictures and text.

 

I took a few of my ideas and elements from the first Nan’s Jams page and modified them to fit the new vision. I chose to utilize the original color scheme for main elements, but I used a complementary color for the background (a golden color; complement of purple). I also customized social media icons for this site. I changed the specific fonts (though I didn’t stray too far from the categories). I added a burlap texture to the background, which goes nicely with the main picture.

I much prefer this version of the website. I do feel I could make it less busy, but as it is, I think it’s closer to “finished” than my first draft.

 

 

 

CRITIQUE PROCESS
I got a mixed bag of thoughts from those who commented on Facebook. Some ideas were to make the background white (others wanted to keep it pink), the jam splotch is nice, the header could be just one color and the rest white, make the buttons stand out more, ditch one of the buttons, and the jar in the leftmost picture looks lonely 🙂  My husband James agreed that it looked too pink, but he didn’t like a solid background either.

Facebook Critiques: Julie Baughman, Heather Holt, Brad Campbell, Chearston Webb
One-on-One Critique: James Duncan
Instructor Critique: I think Brother Stucki overdosed on pink when he looked at my initial draft! I’m glad he brought it up, because that was a big reason why I didn’t like the first draft. He also advised me to look at alignment and spacing, down to the nitty-gritty. Additionally, Brother Stucki suggested back in week 7 that this color scheme is more monochromatic than analogous (as I thought it was), so I made that adjustment mentally, which helped me discover how gold could be used as a complementary background color.

MESSAGE
Having Nan’s Jams is like going to grandma’s – it’s well made and tastes good.

AUDIENCE
Connoisseurs of unique condiments.

TOP THING LEARNED
Don’t be afraid to chuck everything – even the drawing board – and start over.

COLOR SCHEME & COLOR NAMES
Complementary // Magenta, purple vs. gold, cream

TITLE FONT NAME & CATEGORY
High Tower Text // Oldstyle

COPY FONT NAME & CATEGORY
FreightNeo Pro // Sans Serif (medium transitions)

THUMBNAILS OF ANY ORIGINAL, UNEDITED IMAGE(S) USED IN THE PROJECT
  

SOURCE OF EACH IMAGE (website name and hyperlink)
Logo is my own.

Blueberryhttp://eatrightmama.com/blueberries-for-breakfast/

Jar
pixabay.com

Pouring berries

List of Types of Berries from A to Z

9A: Website HTML & CSS Coding Project

 

 

DESCRIPTION
Code a custom webpage with HTML and CSS.

PROCESS (Programs, Tools, Skills, FOCUS principles)
After I created my logo using Adobe Illustrator, I resized it to fit comfortably on most screens (400 pixels wide). I composed the copy for the webpage and included it in an HTML file I created. I then linked a CSS file to it and made various changes (as described below), then I adjusted the color scheme of the CSS document, using the following hex codes and swatches:

lilac #F7B3D0

magenta #D61A7C

plum #7F1A52

I decided I wanted the bulk of the text to be sans serif; therefore, I chose an oldstyle font for the heading tags. I organized an indented list and attached a link to my blog. Both my HTML and CSS files were validated via W3C.

CRITIQUE PROCESS
Brother Stucki liked the analogous color scheme and seemed to echo my thoughts on the pinks and purples being reminiscent of jam itself. He also encouraged me to indent each paragraph in my list, which I did. I think it looks better as well. On Facebook, Julie Baughman and Chelsie Brady gave feedback on my project. Chelsie suggested I increase the padding so more of the white background would be visible. Considering the text was only 90 characters across, I debated changing it. After leaving it and getting a fresh look a few hours later, I agreed that it needed more white space on the left and right, so I decreased the width of the text column, effectively reducing the number of characters across by 15%. I also received feedback from my husband who reminded me to center the logo, which was so obvious I could have cried, but it just goes to show what sleep deprivation can do! I wanted it centered because the logo’s elements in itself feel centered. But the text stayed left-aligned because large chunks of centered text is just too tough to read.

MESSAGE
Jam can be cool and unique, and you should try something other than the ol’ standby’s.

AUDIENCE
Anyone who likes jam or is in the mood to try something different on their PB&Js.

TOP THING LEARNED
Don’t get neck-deep in the unimportant details – figure out the big stuff first.

COLOR SCHEME & COLOR NAMES
Analogous // Plum, magenta, lilac

TITLE FONT NAME & CATEGORY
Palatino Linotype// Oldstyle

COPY FONT NAME & CATEGORY
Tahoma // Sans serif

THUMBNAILS OF ANY ORIGINAL, UNEDITED IMAGE(S) USED IN THE PROJECT
N/A

SOURCE OF EACH IMAGE (website name and hyperlink)
The graphics are my own.

CHANGES MADE TO CSS FILE

• Added comments indicating hex codes for colors
• Decreased width of paragraphs and lists to offer more white space on left and right margins
• Added a margin to lists, indenting all lines in the list (not just the first)
• Added auto margins to images, essentially centering the logo as a block between the sides
• Increased the padding between “Tasty jams and other spreadables” and the bottom of its lilac section (otherwise, the text was touching the next section down and looked cramped)
• Changed background and font colors
• Changed font families, adding a font family to paragraph tags and lists
• Italicized (emphasis tags) certain paragraph sections and h1 headers (in HTML doc)
• Added a break above and below the logo image to give it enough white space “elbow room”

WORD COUNT
289 words, including headers (268 without headers)

8A: Infographic

DESCRIPTION
Create an infographic that organizes data in a visually pleasing way.

PROCESS (Programs, Tools, Skills, FOCUS principles)
I began by thinking of topics I already knew about, since I was pressed for time and wanted to spend as much of it as possible on the actual design work. I remembered reading a great article on how to make (much) better pizza at home. It talked about the main differences between pizzerias and home kitchens, but it pointed out how a few small adjustments can make a major difference in the taste of homemade pizzas.

I narrowed down the steps to six: toppings, cheese, sauce, dough, pan, and heat. These were the essentials. I listed a few thoughts on each category and began to brainstorm-sketch. I thought about do’s and don’ts, examples, best practices, etc. Once I sketched a page (rather, almost a page, as my one-year-old used the chair to scale the table and declared it “Mount Baby” by pouring a glass of water on my papers and under my laptop), I began to sketch some layout designs.

What I thought looked good on paper didn’t translate very well to the screen. Firstly, I had immense frustration getting a color scheme I liked. The one I settled on I truly did “settle” on, as it just doesn’t jive for me. I completely re-did the layout about halfway through, struggling every step to simplify things. This is where I’ve really been critical of myself. The design is too busy and not integrated enough. There are elements I really like (the shredded cheese, for example), but it’s just too darn cluttered overall.

 

CRITIQUE PROCESS
Since I used my mulligan on this project, I did not go through the standard critique process. I did, however, have my sister and father look over the design. The general feedback was to make it more simplistic (no surprise there). Also, I changed my background thanks to this feedback because it was contributing to the clutter.

 

MESSAGE
You don’t have to have a pizza oven to get amazing pizza at home with the equipment you already have.

AUDIENCE
Anyone who has an oven and likes pizza.

TOP THING LEARNED
Simplifying is not something that can be rushed.

COLOR SCHEME & COLOR NAMES
Analogous // Violet

TITLE FONT NAME & CATEGORY
Egyptian // Slab Serif

COPY FONT NAME & CATEGORY
Scriptorama // Script

THUMBNAILS OF ANY ORIGINAL, UNEDITED IMAGE(S) USED IN THE PROJECT

paper texture

SOURCE OF EACH IMAGE (website name and hyperlink)
paper texture: http://www.wildtextures.com/free-textures/just-a-seamless-retro-paper/
Fact sources:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-02-16/the-parmesan-cheese-you-sprinkle-on-your-penne-could-be-wood
https://www.kcet.org/food/pre-shredded-versus-freshly-grated-cheese-whats-the-difference
http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2010/09/the-pizza-lab-how-long-should-i-let-my-dough-cold-ferment.html
http://www.foodfacts.com/ci/nutritionfacts/sauces-gravies/prego-tomato-basil-garlic-pasta-sauce-26-oz/11640
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/basic-pizza-dough-by-hand-method-recipe.html

7A: Business Identity

Logo:

 

Stationary:

Business card (front and back):

    

DESCRIPTION
Create a logo for a company/service/organization and establish a visual identity across documents.

PROCESS (Programs, Tools, Skills, FOCUS principles)
First, I thought of a company and what that company’s image might be. I had a fling for making barbecue sauces with fruit (like a jam-b-q), and named it “Nan’s Wild Fruit BBQ.” This company is a take on that idea.

I started to sketch out a few logo ideas, but I thought I’d need to research some fonts first. I knew I wanted a script, so looking through available fonts was necessary before I went much further into the sketches.

I used Illustrator to create a rough draft of the logos, and I fell in love with the second one, putting most of my time into that one. My small poll showed that others agreed with me, so I began to refine it further. I brought in a license-free image of a butter knife to give the letterhead and business card something other than just the Illustrator-created design. I worked with it extensively in Photoshop to reduce it to a woodcut appearance, and then I brought it into Illustrator.

After sketching out some letterhead ideas, I settled on one with the help of my husband. I like the visual flow, and I like how the knife acts as both a design element and a watermark. I then set out to design the business card. I researched quite a few business card design ideas, and I think I came up with some interesting compositions. But I loved the one I chose because it really showcases the unique logo – thus strengthening brand recognition – and it left the back not so lonely.

I had a tutoring session with Helaman, and we decided that the jam splotch in the logo should be cut out instead of a different color (originally, I had made it white to appear like it was transparent). After everything was finished, I found some mockups to really put the designs on display

CRITIQUE PROCESS
I met with my husband who suggested some alignment improvements with the letterhead. I also met with Helaman via the tutoring center. He liked the color scheme and the visual flow as well, and he showed me how to live trace the knife element to really smooth it out. We both agreed that the rubric states that the logo should be 100% original work (no live tracing), but since this is an additional element, we figured it’d be ok. Brother Stucki’s suggestion was to round out the overall shape of the jam splotch. I researched splats and splatters, but I was going more for a blob, and I couldn’t really find much help on that front. So I did the best I could and made sure all the concave bumps were centered to the center of the blob.

Facebook Critiques: Chearsten Webb gave me feedback; I gave feedback to Carlie Cappelen and Skyler Foxx.
One-on-One Critique: James Duncan and Helaman Higley
Instructor Critique: Brother Stucki suggested that I round out the edges of my jam splotch.

MESSAGE

Nan’s Jams are like mom’s jams: tasty.

AUDIENCE

Anyone who likes jam.

TOP THING LEARNED

I need to remember to get everything vital done first before I do something option (like mockups).

COLOR SCHEME & COLOR NAMES
Analogous // Deep pink

TITLE FONT NAME & CATEGORY
Funkydori  // Script

COPY FONT NAME & CATEGORY
Filson Soft // Sans serif

THUMBNAILS OF ANY ORIGINAL, UNEDITED IMAGE(S) USED IN THE PROJECT

Knife

BYUI

SOURCE OF EACH IMAGE (website name and hyperlink)
Knife https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a6/Lypsa_mantequero_kara.jpg

BYUI http://www.byui.edu/Images/university-communications/graduation/Campus.gif

6A: Photomontage

DESCRIPTION
Design a spiritual poster montage using a blend of images and type.

PROCESS (Programs, Tools, Skills, FOCUS principles)
I looked through several books for quotes I had highlighted, as well as favorite quotes from conference talks. I then looked for license-free portraits on Google. Once I had a few portraits, I went back to looking for quotes, and I began to lean toward a view-inside-the-head idea. I gathered several more photos from Google, mostly brick-themed because it seemed more visceral than steel or even wood.

After selecting the photo, I moved it over to allow for more white space where the text would later be. I needed to create additional background because the portrait picture wasn’t wide enough. Then, I selected a brick wall for the “inside back” of the head. I began to hollow out the forehead, and though I could understand where I was going with this, it just wasn’t coming across. So I searched for additional brick backgrounds but found nothing.

I re-read the quote a few times to make sure I wanted to continue with it. Then I thought about how the Lord can’t change or shape us without us being perhaps broken first. So I searched for crumbling or broken brick walls and found the perfect photo. It worked so well with the angle of the subject’s head. I had previously found a photo of a man laying brick and wanted to utilize it as well.

I knew I wanted to make it look like the subject’s head was the surface of the brick, so I worked with several sizes and opacities of brushes in the layer mask. I changed how the bricks and his nose merged together many times. At one point, I had the bricks “spilling” out, completely covering his left eye (right side of pic), but again, I was the only one who could see what I was doing.

I used the sharpening tool on the subject’s eyes, mouth, and hair. I used a duplicate layer of brick set to overlay to make it more an earthy red than the pale, cold red it was originally. I also changed the color of the worker’s shirt from kelly green to a blue green and removed a white logo from the shirt. I intensified the color of the worker so the highlights weren’t as stark (he’s inside a head, after all). Lastly, I worked to create an overlapping effect of the subject’s hair coming over the brick layer.

For the typography, I initially had more of this quote on the page. I cut out a long sentence in the middle to make it more readable and interesting. I also really had to work with the kerning, eventually trying out different fonts so the lines weren’t so jagged. I settled on a much thicker font, which I think complements the script font better anyway.

CRITIQUE PROCESS
Brother Stucki gave a critique of my picture and suggested I remove some of the quote. He also told me to work on the kerning to keep the jagged edges at bay. I ended up changing the sans serif font to be more accommodating.

My sister-in-law Julie Ellingson also critiqued my revised picture. She said the image was too busy or confusing at first, but when we enlarge it a bit she thought it was more clear. She also questioned “who” the person in the subject’s mind was, whether it was himself working on his own human nature, or if it was the Lord. Considering that the real reason was because it was the only picture that fit (without license restriction), I didn’t have much choice. However, the quote talks of the Lord changing us, and though he can do his own work, he usually does it through other people.

Jeremy Taylor commented on my project on Facebook. He indicated that the text formatting makes it more clear than the initial draft. He didn’t like how the brick image came down into the subject’s eye, but I wanted to avoid a circular “opening.” I’m still unsure if this is the best look or not, but I’m going with it anyway.

I critiqued Isa Bell and Brad Campbell’s projects on Facebook.

MESSAGE
Meaningful change is not superficial; it requires an overhaul of the soul.

AUDIENCE
Those looking (or not) for an inspirational message.

TOP THING LEARNED
Don’t get too attached to images – sometimes I need to find better ones.

FILTER USED
Overlay

COLOR SCHEME & COLOR NAMES
Complementary // Red and Green

TITLE FONT NAME & CATEGORY
Antiquarian Scribe // Script

COPY FONT NAME & CATEGORY
Maiandra // Sans Serif-Oldstyle

THUMBNAILS OF ANY ORIGINAL, UNEDITED IMAGE(S) USED IN THE PROJECT

   

SOURCE OF EACH IMAGE (website name and hyperlink)
Male portrait
500px.com

Man laying brick
wikimedia.org

Broken brick wall
staticflickr.com

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5A: Photo Design

DESCRIPTION
By using photography and design skills, create a project that encompasses a consistent color scheme from the image.

PROCESS (Programs, Tools, Skills, FOCUS principles)
I began with the quote. I knew I wanted something you wouldn’t see on an inspirational posted (“TEAMWORK” with an 8-man rowing team). I found a quote attributed to Chuck Norris (I couldn’t find anywhere online to say it wasn’t his), and I loved it for its strong relationship to something tangible: steel.

I drove to downtown Denver to take pictures of the old steel railroad bridges spanning Cherry Creek. I found an angle which highlighted the vanishing point effect of the angled girders above. Back home, I sketched a few ideas to incorporate various design elements, but nothing was working. I discovered that I didn’t want anything curved, because that seemed to take away from the “steel” effect I was after. I finally started exploring straight lines, and found that I could continue the angles of the girders with design elements and change the colors to create a 3-D effect. I liked how this created depth.

Then I added the text. I wanted something strong for “Steel,” and I was pretty sure I wanted it in all caps. I figured I could go with a decorative font since it was a single word, and I added some subtle elements to make it stand out. After playing with the alignment and contrast of the text color, as well as changing the fonts a few dozen times, I finished by placing the name of the color scheme and the swatches in concert with the angles and the rivets in the steel.

CRITIQUE PROCESS
My first critique was in the class video. Brother Stucki suggested the overall design was too busy. At first, I was frustrated that he couldn’t see the cool angles and how they continued the girder lines, but I learned how to remove some unnecessary elements to really place the focus on what I wanted. I also received feedback from him that the fonts and alignment needed to be addressed. My second critique was with Adam Harper, one of the tutors for COMM 130. We worked together to simplify the design and adjust the text alignment. We also brought in an additional value of blue, creating further depth. My Facebook critiques included suggestions to make certain words more readable.

I critiqued Carlie Cappelen’s and Heather Holt’s projects on Facebook.

MESSAGE
Men are strong, reliable, and admirable, but their respectability goes down as their temper goes up.

AUDIENCE
Men and women.

TOP THING LEARNED
Simplify, simplify, simplify! Talking through the project with someone (Adam, in this case) helped me see areas which could be streamlined.

COLOR SCHEME & COLOR NAMES
Monochromatic // Blue

TITLE FONT NAME & CATEGORY
Brothers // Decorative

COPY FONT NAME & CATEGORY
Segoe // Sans serif

THUMBNAILS OF ANY ORIGINAL, UNEDITED IMAGE(S) USED IN THE PROJECT

SOURCE OF EACH IMAGE (website name and hyperlink)
The image is my own.

 

4C: Photography Activity

Light 1: Outside

Light 2: Inside

Focus 1: Foreground

Focus 2: Background

Composition 1: Thirds

Composition 2: Lead Room

The only time I could get outside to take some pictures was while my daughter took naps, so my son became the subject of many of these pictures. I started late in the day with some beautiful long shadows. A nearby cottonwood was my outside lighting shot, and the deep crevasses of the bark really stand out with the shadows. The sky filters through some blurry leaves at the top. For the inside shot, I found the plants on the dining room table and the solid-color backdrop of the curtains. I really worked with the sharpening tool to make the bubbly-looking flowers stand out.

The repetition of our pantry drawer handles made for a great demonstration of foreground versus background focus. This one was definitely not a shot for the flash, so I used a longer exposure and steadied myself on the top drawer handle (not in the picture). My son grabbed a curved stick and began to fish in the ditch at our neighbor’s house. He recently got a fishing pole and loves to cast it from the living room couch, so I wanted to make sure his “pole” was included prominently. His body and the stick find themselves along the third grid lines. I made sure to punch up the yellow and red tones in this picture to give it some warmth. His pensive face waits for daddy to come home while sitting next to the weather-worn fence in the lead room picture. I made sure to increase the contrast of his eyes by using the sharpen tool to give the picture a good focal point.

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4A: Prezi Presentation Project

Link to Prezi presentation

DESCRIPTION
Create an instructional presentation using the Prezi software to demonstrate its features and capabilities

PROCESS (Programs, Tools, Skills, FOCUS principles)
Prezi was a completely new experience for me. I immediately thought of all sorts of wonderful applications for it, and I quickly became excited about learning it. Unfortunately, this lead to me wanting to learn and do much more than what was required within the scope of this assignment, and I had a hard time focusing on what I needed to do. I’m excited to continue learning it!

1. I initially began by thinking of the background as something I could anchor my frames with, but I quickly learned this is not the case. I was frustrated at first that I had to use both Illustrator and Photoshop in addition to Prezi; however, I found this gives more freedom and ability to customize than Prezi alone.
2. I chose another of my sketched layouts – the very simplistic numeral design. I chose a neutral-color background, and I liked the short field of view serving as a nice variation to the otherwise ho-hum pattern. I then used Illustrator to create templates for my numbers and titles. I used a sans serif font for the central “4”, extending anchor points on the stem at the bottom to accommodate for more lines of adjacent text. A serif font (Bodoni) was used for the other numbers. All numbers were a dark purple color.
3. I used various license-free pictures from the internet, as well as a YouTube clip to add variety. The subtitles were lime green and an in-program typeface called Fira Sans. I utilized Prezi’s fade-in effect to better display the elements on each frame (other effects come with paid memberships).

CRITIQUE PROCESS
My presentation was critiqued by Brother Stucki as well as my sister (a project manager). The feedback I received was to pay very close attention to my text and picture alignment, and to make sure all text was readable. I did tweak the alignment a ton. My sister advised me to make sure other things were consistent (within each number section, fade-in words or pictures first, etc.).

MESSAGE
Great customer service takes more than being nice.

AUDIENCE
People who wish to have better interpersonal skills.

TOP THING LEARNED
Prezi is amazing, useful, and fun. But it takes a lot of practice to get good at it.

COLOR SCHEME & COLOR NAMES
Complementary // deep purple, bright green

TITLE FONT NAME & CATEGORY
Bodoni // Modern

COPY FONT NAME & CATEGORY
Fira Sans // Sans Serif

THUMBNAILS OF ANY ORIGINAL, UNEDITED IMAGE(S) USED IN THE PROJECT
(none)

SOURCE OF EACH IMAGE (website name and hyperlink)

Publicdomainpictures.net

YouTube

Pixabay.com – holding sign

Pixabay.com – life saver

Freestockphotos.biz

Flickr.com

Wikimedia.org – Australian team

 

Wikimedia.org – human tower