Project 5 | Final Portfolio

For my final portfolio, I wanted to do an online version so it could be easily transported if I wanted to carry it somewhere else or send online somewhere. I organized it chronologically by project, and each project has two pages (except for the last project which didn't need a second page). The short description on the first page of each describes the basic concept of the project, and the images are supplemented with descriptive captions. Overall, I wanted to keep a simple and consistent design so the main focus is on the imagery and design of my work rather than the design of the portfolio.

cover

Project 4 | Final Poster Design

Final poster design for Project 4

This is the final product for project 4. My written notes are incorporated into the image, and the text placed on the bottom of the image uses a color drawn from one of the photographs. Ultimately, I really like what I came up with!

Project 4 | Synopsis

I started this project in a drastically different direction than how it ended up. I at first was just going to display various images I took during my documented day, and arrange them in a chronological order. However, this was a very literal representation of my day. In order to make the poster more interesting, I  wanted to bring it out to be more than something purely documentary. The overall mood or theme that my poster evokes is one that is eerie, and not something that would intentionally make the viewer feel comfortable. I chose this theme for my poster because it is definitely ironic for how my documented day actually was. The day that I documented was actually very normal and mundane. However, since I knew that I was going to be documenting that day, I made sure to write down every single thing I did that day along with the exact minute of the day that it happened. I also took several pictures for each task I did or event of the day, so I had a lot of imagery to work with as well. I took the fact that I almost obsessively documented my whole day and used this as a theme for the poster. The poster plays off of the fact that my day was critically documented, but makes it seem like it was done by someone other than myself. I wanted to play off of the question that what if someone else was making all of these observations. 

In my poster, I created a scene that features several of the pictures I took on my documented day, as well as the notes I took. The pictures that appear in my poster are all of simple things (a bowl of cereal, folded laundry on the bed, etc), but that's what makes the poster all the more eerie, just because they are such mundane objects. The text on the pieces of paper are the actual notes I took, but it is in a handwritten font that is not my own. However, I didn't want to use my own handwriting because I wanted to further show that it was not me taking these notes. The image of the poster also includes the camera I used to take all of the pictures, because that was such an important part of the process as well. 

The overall appearance of the poster is dark and somewhat muted. I didn't want to use too bright of colors because it would have been contrasting with the eerie theme I was trying to portray. The edges of the poster are styled to be darker than the rest of the poster to create a "space" for the viewer to enter into. The dark edges create an environment in which the user gets the feeling that he or she is looking into a restricted or secret place. This treatment also references horror or thriller movie poster styles (from which I found inspiration). 

One way I used to catch the viewer's attention is to use minimal text. The only text (besides that written on the notes of the poster image) is the one sentence featured at the bottom of the poster. I placed it at the bottom since the top portion is occupied by the complexity of the various photographs, and this transitions into the notes, so there is almost a progression from imagery to text. The text is simple, but also brings the viewer in because it is a question. When the user doesn't know what the answer to the question is, they become more interested in what the poster is trying to portray. Without this piece of text, the poster image would just appear to be something not so eerie or questionable. The text is related to the poster image because the color of the text is one that is repeatedly featured throughout many of the photographs. I wanted the text to be noticeable, but not so stark white that it would take away from the imagery. I chose this certain font because it is a thicker, bolder font. I didn't want it to be too thin or weak because then the message of the text wouldn't seem so intimidating. 

In the end, I designed a visual representation of the day I documented, but transformed it in a way that makes the message seem not so "matter of fact." By taking an ironic approach to make my day seem more exciting than it actually was in reality, I got to play up the main event that actually did happen (being the meticulous documenting that I did). 

Project 4 | Final Critique

Before the final critique, I had two layouts of my poster that  I was thinking about using. One was a vertical orientation, and one was horizontal. After comparing the two, I decided to use the vertical orientation because that is the way that the image I chose fit best (along with the text I placed on the image). I also wanted to incorporate my written notes somehow, so I typed up the text in a handwriting font and placed it over the image as well. However, this did not seem to fit with the poster because it seemed too out of place. So I decided to type up all of my notes, and place them on the image using photoshop to make it look like it actually is on the pieces of paper in the image.

Horizontal poster I decided not to choose

Project 4 | Critique Response

After participating in the critique of our posters last week, I've decided to take a completely different approach with my project. Previously, I was going to merely put some of my pictures in chronological order, but realized that this was a very literal translation of my day. Other posters that people were designing had a theme that was deeper than just what the events were of the day. The approach that I am taking is playing off of the fact that I meticulously and almost obsessively wrote down every little thing  I did on the day that I documented, including the exact time that I did it. I also took a good amount of pictures of almost everything I did, so I am using those pictures in a way that makes it seem like someone else was documenting my day (instead of me). The excitement and almost paranoia of someone following me is more ironic than anything because the day I documented was so mundane and not exciting at all.

So in order to start with this new approach, I printed off most of the pictures I took that day and pinned them up on a board. Then I placed this board with the actual notes I took that day and took photographs of that to make a scene that would make it seem like the "stalker" displayed all of the images they took while following me that day. I took a lot of pictures of this, but realized that pictures were another important part of the day, so I wanted the camera in the picture as well. Therefore, I had to take the picture with my cellphone since the camera was in the picture! I took one of these pictures into photoshop to darken the edges like they would appear on a horror/thriller movie poster.

Now I am working on placing text on the poster. I want some sort of main phrase to go on the bottom perhaps, and also some text to go on other parts of the poster as well. I have one idea where I will write the times and activities of some of the events of my day, so it shows that my day was diligently documented. I plan on having a better idea of exactly what I'm doing once I get some feedback during the next class, but I feel better about having a different theme than just taking a literal approach.

The photo I chose as my poster image (with edges darkened in Photoshop)

Project 4 | Preliminary Poster

In the last class time, I designed the general layout of my poster design. I made three strips that would be divided into sections where my photographs would go. There are also three images that will stand out against the rest of the images. At first, I just wanted to show a general layout of the poster, so I placed text (describing the picture I had in mind) in place of where the images would be. Once I was satisfied with that layout, I placed the images in their designated positions. In order to make the three larger images stand out, I made the rest of the photographs have a lesser opacity so they fall back somewhat. The next thing I will do is adjust the photographs if need be, and also find some way to treat the text to incorporate it more with the images. The critique will be helpful because I'll be able to ask people what they think I should also incorporate into the poster or what I should change.

poster design before placing photos

poster design after placing/adjusting photos

Project 4 | Content

I chose to document the day before Thanksgiving (November 23). I made sure to write down everything I was doing during the day and the exact time I was doing it. I also made sure to take a lot of pictures, because I knew that I wanted to design something that involved imagery. I didn't really do anything too significant on the day that I documented, so it was more of an average day rather than an extremely exciting one.

When I started designing in class today, I was focusing on trying to find a way to chronologically organize my day. I had two ideas in particular that I was working with. My first idea was to design the poster based off of a game board. The path would start when I wake up, and continue through different elements of my day until it ends when I go to sleep. There would be writing on the path spaces that play off of what I did during the day (ex. "stuck at the car wash...skip a turn"). The other idea I had was to arrange the photographs I took in chronological order and highlight a few activities of the day that were either significant or took up a good portion of my day. This arrangement of the photos would resemble a film strip since I spent a lot of time with my family over break watching various movies. I originally had the poster in a portrait orientation, but realized after a while that it would be more effective if it was in a landscape orientation. In the end, I decided to pursue the "film strip" design idea. The next thing I have to do is place pictures on the design I created in class, and adjust the design as needed. I will also find a way to highlight the few images I bring out to make them stand out against the rest of the poster's images.

Original poster sketches done in class

Written document of the various activities of the day I documented

Project 3 | Final Video

This is my final video for Project 3

Project 3 | Synopsis

This project was very different for me, since I've never worked with the programs I used to create this video. I had to watch a lot of tutorials about iMovie and animation for Photoshop before actually starting the project to see exactly what I could and couldn't do. One of the hardest parts of this project was actually choosing the song. I searched through dozens and dozens of songs and finally settled on the song "Photographs and Histories" by Isaac Graham. I knew going in to this project that I wanted a song with lyrics so I could incorporate those into the video somehow. I liked this particular song because it sounded simple and fun, and also had a nostalgic tone to it. This feeling of nostalgia helped me develop the overall theme to my project which is a family photo album theme. In iMovie, there is actually a pre-loaded theme called "photo album", so I used this theme as a base for my video. The theme came with an opening sequence (of showing the cover of a photo album as well as several transition options (panning from one "photograph" to another). It might seem like using the theme would make things easier, but it actually made possibly more work because of the multiple variables that make up the theme (transitions, timing, video images, etc.).

I got all of the video clips from the Internet Archive site, and all of the videos are from the same person and feature the same family. I wanted to make sure that the video clips I used were cohesive, and in order to fully show the nostalgic theme, the videos had to be related somehow to keep the viewer connected. I also wanted a family's real home movies to show candid, natural shots of the family instead of having people be posed (which would feel less homey than actual home movies). The video clips I chose also add to the nostalgic theme because of some of the situations and settings of the videos. These videos were from around the 50s, so they have a very old-time feeling, and most of the shots involve family gatherings, so this relates back to the nostalgic theme. The viewer can tell that this is all from the same reel of home videos because of some of the repeating family members as well as the dogs that appear in multiple videos. This gives the viewer the cue that this is all one family instead of a compilation of multiple families' videos. When I was choosing the video clips for the song, I wanted the clip to go along to the lyrics to the song. In various spots, the setting of the video will match up with what is being said in the song. For example, there is a line in the song that says "And I'll escape towards the open seas," and the video clip that goes along with that is a shot of a boat on the water. This will relate the video clips back to the song so the whole video seems more cohesive. The video clip at the end of the song is also a good conclusion because it shows a car driving away from the person taking the video. After showing family gatherings in the rest of the video, this gives the viewer a sense of closure as they watch the family leave and also gives a definitive ending for the video as well.

Another important feature of my video is the use of some lyrics that appear on the video. I wanted to make sure that the song wasn't just a background element, so bringing some of the lyric text into the video almost forces the viewer to be aware of the song. With so many different clips of video, the viewer might become distracted with that and not realize what is being sung in the background. The text slides onto the screen on a "scrap of paper" to relate it back to the photo album/scrapbook theme of the video. The font is the same as the font on the photo album cover in the beginning sequence of the video. The lyrics on the paper come onto screen just as those lyrics are being sung in the song, so everything is timed out so that the text will appear on a specific beat in the song. The word "memories" is treated differently because I believe that this is an important theme to the song, and wanted it to stand out against the other text. This also gives this feature of the video a little variation. Overall, the use of text throughout the whole video is a repeating element to tie all of the parts of the video together.

The transitions are also a key element to the video. There are multiple types of transitions used in the video, and each is in a specific location. The page turn transition is used before each new section of the song (verse, chorus, bridge...) to reiterate the change in the song. The transitions within the verses and chorus show a pan from one "photograph" to another. When this pan is shown, there are also other "photographs" shown in the shot. Instead of being arbitrary, I chose each of these photograph images one by one to make sure there was variety and the images fit well within the photograph frame. The transitions also had to be carefully timed out (especially the transitions that go from one photograph to another). The transition starts on a beat of the song, and ends on the beat of a song as well, so each one had to be timed out individually. There are also different transitions used in the bridge portion of the song. Instead of the page turn or photograph to photograph transitions, the bridge instead uses a cross-fade transition. This is because since the song changes, I wanted the video to subtly be different as well. 

Project 3 | Preliminary Notes

Before and during the actual production of my video project, I did a lot of planning to make sure that I had the right timing of the clips, and the right clips that fit with the music.

Page 1 of matching up specific video clips (from one of three reels) to the song lyrics

Page 2 of matching up specific video clips to the song lyrics

Timing out the song according to where the verses and choruses are

Project 3 | Review of Final Critique

After the final critique on Thursday, I have a better idea of how to refine and finish up my video. I made sure to work hard on having the video come together in enough time to have the "finalized" version to show in class for the final critique. I wanted to get feedback on what I could improve or tweak instead of showing placeholder video and having it be incomplete. The critique actually helped out a lot. Prior to class, I was really happy with the way my video clips and transitions were placed, but some parts of the text that moves in felt unresolved. I wasn't sure how much text I wanted in my video, but after hearing the comments in class,  I realized that I had too much text and it was starting to get distracting. Since I have been working on the project for so long, it was nice to get an outside opinion. Now I have two pieces of text that come in for each verse, and one that appears in each chorus.

The "Memories" portion of the text also felt out of place. Since the critique, I changed the font of the word, and also changed the placement of the word on the screen so it doesn't cover up important pieces of the video. Once I make a few more adjustments to the video, it will be done!

Project 3 | Revised Storyboard

After figuring out what I wanted to do for this project and researching iMovie, I've decided to primarily do this project in iMovie instead of Flash. There is a preloaded theme in iMovie that does exactly what I want the images to do (panning from one "picture" to another). I will be using this theme and tweaking it to make the transitions coincide with the music. Also, I will be taking the whole video into Photoshop after it's done and add some of the lyrics to show up on the video as well.

So far, I have found all of the video content that I want and have arranged it on the iMovie program to the right times. The next step I will take is to add the transitions and tweak the timing so that the transitions fit in as well. Since I've made a few changes, the storyboard has also changed. Here are the images of the new storyboard:

storyboard 1

storyboard 2

Project 3 | Storyboard & Timing

The song I chose for this project is "Photographs and Histories" by Isaac Graham. After listening to the song and the lyrics several times, I decided to base my project on a scrapbook theme. The video will essentially flip through scrapbook pages and show photographs and other elements on each page. In order to make the video more interesting and stimulating, the photographs (and possibly other elements) will move, so the photographs will almost look like video clips rather than still pictures. Parts of the lyrics text will also appear or move on to the page when that specific line is said. This will help relate the video back to the song. At one point in the song, there is a bridge sequence that has a different melody than the rest of the song, so at this point in the video (represented as frames 15 and 16 on the storyboard) film reels with moving images will move across the screen. The moving images and text theme will remain the same, but since the melody is different, I thought this would be a good change in the video as well. There are a few instances in the storyboard where it says "chorus sequence" in a particular frame. In these cases, there will be some sort of similar animation for each of them, but I still have to figure out what that animation is going to be.

I've also timed out the entire song and broken it down into multiple sections. I used these times to help figure out the times of the animations for the storyboard as well.

0:00-0:03 | intro guitar sound
0:03-0:08 | intro guitar music
0:08-0:20 | verse 1 ("my blurry eyes...catch that disease")
0:20-0:31 | verse 2 ("and I escape...photographs and histories")
0:31-0:44 | chorus ("and I'll wait...these memories")
0:44-0:48 | instrumental guitar and beat
0:48-0:59 | verse 3 ("no more wasted...against my maladies")
0:59-1:10 | verse 4 ("and they say...old diaries")
1:10-1:24 | chorus ("and I'll wait...these memories")
1:24-1:36 | bridge ("and I'll...no apologies")
1:36-1:49 | chorus ("and I'll wait...these memories")
1:49-2:09 | ending (repeating "just hold on to these memories")
2:09-2:17 | no sound

storyboard part 1

storyboard part 2

Project 2 | Final Images

The following are the final prints of the new Soulpepper identity system:

Brochure Cover

Brochure Inside Cover, Ticket Information

Brochure Play Pages (Oleanna and The Fantasticks)

Brochure Play Pages (A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Time of Your Life)

Brochure Calendars (Jan/Feb and March)

Brochure Calendar (April) and Driving/Parking Directions

Brochure Back Cover

Business Card (front and back)

Envelope front

Envelope back

Letterhead

Logo variations

Playbill Front and Back Covers

Playbill Inside Spread

Oleanna Poster

Project 2 | Synopsis

Although the overall design of the various publication elements in my system appears simple, there is a lot of thought behind each element, and everything is in place for a reason. The main theme behind the designs is finding a balance between classical and contemporary (much like the Soulpepper team does with performing classical plays in a contemporary way). I used this contrast in various forms throughout these pieces. For example, I used a classical serif font for the body text, but balanced it out with a more modern serif font for the logo and various other headlines. I also balanced classical symmetry anchored on a center axis with a contemporary underlying grid which also utilizes white space. One other contrasting element is the classical pattern featured throughout the pieces, which is balanced out by the contemporary single lines that break up the centered alignment.

This classical pattern was based off of the way that classical Roman columns appear. I wanted the pattern to be simple so it could be used at any size. For example, the pattern appears much larger in the poster, but it is very small on the business card. If the pattern was any more intricate, it would not be able to be clearly distinguished on the business card. This pattern is one of the consistencies throughout each piece. Usually it appears running across the top of the publication (like in the poster, letterhead, playbill, and brochure) or as a repeating pattern on the backs of the envelope and business card. The color and size of the pattern varies depending on what piece it is used for. Another consistency throughout all of the pieces is the single line. Usually, it is featured underneath the main headline of the piece (play name, month on the calendar, etc) or it separates different elements on the page (like the playwright biography on the playbill). The lines either line up with an element on the page, or with the underlying grid on the specific piece. One other design element that stays consistent is the fact that the body text is broken into two columns. This way the text doesn't look so overwhelming, and the space is better utilized.

The colors used in the various pieces also are intentionally used. Each play would essentially have its own "highlight" color that derives from the illustration (or photograph) image from that specific play. So for example, the red color from the flames on the illustration is the main color for Oleanna. This red is featured in the logo, classical pattern, and single straight lines on the various pieces that coincide with Oleanna. The brochure uses blue as the main color in these design elements. This blue derives from the venue at which the Soulpepper plays take place (the Young Centre for the Performing Arts). In photos of the venue, there is a distinct blue light cast outside of the building, so this blue color used in the brochure is referring to this blue color. Blue is also a good color to use because it doesn't overpower the rest of the artwork on the page (such as the various play poster images).

For the logo, I wanted to maintain the classical/contemporary balance, so I have the classical pattern running through the contemporary sans serif typeface. The text is in all caps so the pattern can be viewed better, but it is also slanted so the word doesn't seem so harsh and imposing. The logo is also very versatile, so it could be changed to be any color (like the highlight color for specific plays).

I used a few elements that Soulpepper used in its previous identity system. For example, they used white space quite a bit, but they usually put the text in a corner or along an outer edge. I maintained the use of white space, but I rearranged the placement of the text to make it more dynamic and interesting (using the centered alignment). The previous Soulpepper system also was very simple, so I wanted to maintain that simplicity in my identity system as well. Since the play illustrations and photos are especially detailed and interesting, I didn't want the overall design to overpower it. Since Soulpepper is located in Canada, I used the A4 paper system for all of my pieces. This is because this system uses the metric system instead of inches. This also provided me with the chance to use a paper size system that I haven't previously worked with before.

Project 2 | Post-Critique

After doing the critique last week, I made quite a few changes to the initial designs of the various print elements. There were a few design elements that I didn't need, and I realized that the layouts of the poster, playbill, and brochure were inconsistent. After making the changes noted in the critique, I think that the overall design and cohesiveness of the prints are better.
The following are the images that were critiqued last week:

Poster | The pattern on the top and bottom are too big, and the slanted "Oleanna" text throws off the balance of the symmetry.

Business Cards | The bottom left is the best option out of these, but the enlarged pattern doesn't appear anywhere else, so repeating the pattern at a smaller scale would be more effective.

Letterhead | Having the contact information not centered is a nice change from the symmetry, but the dividing lines and centered alignment make it feel awkward in the position it is currently in.

Brochure Cover/Back Cover | The placement of the text on the cover is different than the poster, and the Soulpepper logo is too big so it is competing with the title of the brochure.

Brochure Spread 1

Brochure Spread 2 | The line of text for the play descriptions seems to be a little long, so breaking it into columns will help. The information is also crammed onto the page, so adding pages to make each play have its own page will be better.

Brochure Spread 3 | Like the play spread, the calendars each need to have their own page so the information isn't so crammed. The way the plays are listed (times and days) are also a little confusing, so this needs to be resolved somehow.

Playbill Cover | Again, the layout is inconsistent with the brochure and poster.

Playbill Inside Layout | The blocks of text are a little overwhelming, so breaking the text into two columns will break it up to make it more manageable for the reader. The image of the actress is also unnecessary and seems like it was just placed there.

Playbill Back Cover | I liked how the Production and Soulpepper Production each had the same amount of content, but the arrangement on the page could be better spaced out. 

After the critique and working more with each print element, I found out that I need to incorporate more color in each piece, and find another possible element to add to break up the classical symmetry of the designs. I think I am in a good place right now, but the designs that I have could all be amped up somewhat to make the classical vs contemporary theme stronger.

Project 2 | Logo Versions

After working on this project for a while, I still haven't finalized a logo design yet. Although I have a better idea of a direction to go. I plan on overlaying the classical pattern over a slanted sans serif font, and keeping the logo grey for the most part. However, I'm also thinking about using a spot color from the specific play graphic it will be put next to (like red for Oleanna). The part that I'm struggling with now is finding the right position to put the pattern on the word, and also what I'm going to do when the logo is only in black and white.

For the rest of the print materials, I want to incorporate the classical pattern that appears in the logo in some way. I also plan on keeping a sense of symmetry (to relate back to the classical theme), but also leave plenty of negative space to refer back to Soulpepper's original designs. Next, I plan on finishing working out the playbill design and also lay out the design for the brochure. I'm hoping at the next critique I will get some feedback and have a direction to go with everything.

Different versions of the Soulpepper logo (the bottom one being the one I've chosen to work on)

Poster: incorporating the classical design and symmetry)

Project 2 | Design Inspirations

I've been working mostly on the logo, but also trying to think of ways to incorporate the logo treatment to the rest of the print items. The idea that I've decided to work on further is using a sans serif font with a pattern cut-out running through it. This pattern will be a classic design so it balances out the contemporary feel of the typography. I plan on playing off of the classic vs contemporary aspect throughout the rest of the designs as well. For example, I will balance a contemporary grid with classic symmetry with an axis, and contemporary sans serif fonts with classic serif fonts.

I've also been doing a lot of research online about classical patterns for the logo, and looking at a lot of images of classical architecture especially. I want to make sure that the pattern has a classic feel, but is simple enough to be seen as the cut-out in the logo. I also plan on elaborating on the pattern I come up with and use that throughout the rest of the design of the other print items.

I used this image of a Roman column as inspiration for the pattern (mainly looking at the spirals).

These are variations of the pattern that I am currently working on.