Draft Logo Project

For the logo project I decided to create a logo for my blog. The theme of my blog is my yoga journey. The logo ties into this theme because I decided to create an image of someone in a yoga position against the backdrop of a lotus flower, which can symbolize enlightenment and rebirth. I was inspired by the design principle of continuation when I created the petals of the lotus flower. I overlapped the petals in various ways to try and create a sense of movement. The law of continuation is part of Gestalt Theory, which I researched from Unit 1. I also decided to use different shades of the color blue to create a sense of harmony and unity in my design. People tend to associate the color blue with calmness, which is why I chose that specific color.

To create my design, I first used the pen tool to trace an outline of the figure practicing yoga. This allowed me to work with a vector image, which has scalability. I then created the petals of the lotus flower using the ellipsis tool. I then resized the shape to make it more narrow and copy and pasted the petal into a semicircle. I made each petal a different shade of blue, starting with darker shades and moving to lighter shades. I then arranged each petal to make them overlap. I also added a stroke around the petals. I decided to keep the image of the person practicing yoga black because it stood out more against the different shades of blue.

I experienced the most challenges using the pen tool to trace the outline of an image. It took a lot of practice to get the curves right on the shape. My advice to anyone experiencing the same problem would be to just keep practicing because it gets easier as you go along.

References

Openclipart-Vectors. “Yoga.” Pixabay. Pixabay license, free for commercial use

https://pixabay.com/vectors/exercise-female-fitness-girl-2029431/

October 5, 2019 2

Logo Sketch

For my logo project I intend to create an image of a person practicing yoga against the background of a lotus flower with text at the bottom.

October 2, 2019 0

Illustrator Tutorials

September 28, 2019 0

Final Graphic Design Project

To complete the Photoshop Unit, I revised my original draft based off of comments from my peers as well as a self-critique of my own project. I received very helpful feedback from my peers. They expressed that I should work on the selection of my main image to make it blend more seamlessly with the background. I also received feedback that I should remove the black circles surrounding each of the chakras. Personally, I felt that the purple background of my design overpowered the rest of the design elements. In order to fix this problem I took the advice of my peers and removed the black circles around the chakras. I then added a white stroke to make them contrast against the background. I also added a bevel and emboss effect and a drop shadow to make them stand out even more. To make the edges on the selection of myself less hard, I feathered them. I also added a drop shadow and outer glow to make it stand out. I decided to make the white text larger and add a drop shadow to make it more eye-catching. Finally, I increased the opacity of the purple background so it no longer overpowered the rest of the design. I added a gradient effect to the background because it made the white text on the bottom stand out more.

Overall, I feel my graphic design project improved substantially after receiving feedback from my peers and having the opportunity to view the work of my other classmates. I really enjoyed the process of completing this project. I thought it was really fascinating to be able to see how much of a difference a few image effects and adjustments can make. This project has greatly improved my skills in photoshop as well as my graphic design abilities.

Image Citations

InspiredImages. “Mandala Background.” Pixabay. Pixabay Licence, free for commercial use

https://pixabay.com/photos/mandala-background-mandala-design-4428340/

Peter-Lomas. “Crown Chakra.” Pixabay. Pixabay License, free for commercial use

https://pixabay.com/illustrations/crown-chakra-energy-chi-spiritual-2533113/

Peter-Lomas. “Sacral Chakra.” Pixabay. Pixabay License, free for commercial use

https://pixabay.com/illustrations/sacral-chakra-energy-chi-spiritual-2533094/

Peter-Lomas. “Root Chakra.” Pixabay. Pixabay License, free for commercial use

https://pixabay.com/illustrations/root-chakra-energy-chi-spiritual-2533091/

Peter-Lomas. “Throat Chakra.” Pixabay. Pixabay License, free for commercial use

https://pixabay.com/illustrations/throat-chakra-chi-energy-spiritual-2533108/

Peter-Lomas. “Brow Chakra.” Pixabay. Pixabay License, free for commercial use

https://pixabay.com/illustrations/brow-chakra-energy-chi-spiritual-2533110/

Peter-Lomas. “Heart Chakra.” Pixabay. Pixabay License, free for commercial use

https://pixabay.com/illustrations/heart-chakra-energy-chi-spiritual-2533104/

Peter-Lomas. “Solar Chakra.” Pixabay. Pixabay License, free for commercial use

https://pixabay.com/illustrations/solar-chakra-chi-energy-spiritual-2533097/

Jones, Kathryn. “Yoga”. 2019. JPEG file.

September 20, 2019 0

Graphic Design Draft

For the graphic design project, I decided to create a poster that featured one of my favorite quotes about yoga. I included a photograph of myself practicing yoga as well as images of the seven chakras. I chose this project idea because I felt it represented how I feel about yoga. My topic is “My Yoga Journey” and I feel that this project is a good start to my journey over the course of the semester.

I used the principle of proximity when placing the seven chakra symbols close together. I wanted it to be apparent to viewers that those symbols belonged together. Proximity is one of the four principles of Gestalt Theory.

The chakras in my project symbolize balance and unity. These characteristics are mirrored through the quote I chose.

I started my project with a background image from pixabay. I chose a darker color of purple because I felt it would contrast well with the white text. I then used the magnetic lasso tool to select myself from a photograph. I did not want the original background of the photograph in my project. I then adjusted the brightness and contrast of the selected photograph to make it pop out more against the purple background. I then selected images of the chakras and lined them up vertically on the right side. On the left, I typed out a quote. I used a different font for the most impactful words in the quote. I chose the color white because it contrasted well with the purple background.

I used a photograph taken by a friend as well as images from pixabay to create my project. I used selection techniques such as the magnetic lasso tool and magic eraser tool to select my images. I also used various image adjustments such as brightness and contrast to edit the images. I used the type tool to create the quote.

The main problem I ran into was selecting parts of a photograph. I often had to start the selection process over because the selection was not precise enough. I found that my selections got better with practice, so my advice for anyone else encountering the same problem is to experiment with different selection tools and just keep practicing.