Original Imagery

Experience with Illustrator 

I've used Illustrator to create this poster by experimenting with the tools Illustrator has to offer, I've used the blend tool for the background to blend the shades of color, and then I've used the rectangle tool to draw these red lines along with the pen tool that I used for the cursive writing.

For my first time on Illustrator, Im very impressed with the outcome of this poster, especially since everything here was made manually.

I also made this in the meantime on Illustrator, as an experiment. I used the mask tool to render he background of the subject then played around with the photo editing to turn this image into a white vector, then used the rectangle tool for the blue and white lines, and finally added a simple "Yello" text at the bottom to finish the aesthetic of this poster.

This poster turned out great, I am proud of the color scheme and the design of the vector that I've created and I look forward to learning new things in Illustrator and hopefully other Adobe software.

Photoshop Practice

I've also experimented with Photoshop and managed to create this artwork with a lamp image from the internet, I've used the mask tool to remove the background of the lamp image, then added the shadow of the lamp to make it look more real.

History of Ryszard Kaja

Polish painter and poster artist Ryszard Kaja (born 1962, Poznan) is a stage designer, costume designer, and stage designer. As a student of Norbert Skupniewicz, he earned a degree in painting from the Academy of Fine Arts in Poznan in 1984.

I've taken inspiration from him while experimenting with Illustrator, by taking a look at his artwork and chose one of them that grasped my attention.

I've selected this particular artwork of his as my inspiration for my experiments with Illustrator, I've used the background blend from his work to mine but with different shades of color, I also was inspired by the lines that were in this poster, so I've added on my own poster but placed in different styles.

 

Michal Batory

A Polish graphic artist and poster designer, Michal Batory studied graphic arts at the Academy of Fine Arts in Lodz from 1979 to 1985. In 1987, he settled in France Paris as a world-renowned graphic and poster artist, he collaborates with companies and institutions of the cultural sector. He first worked in a graphic design agency and then, since 1994, as an independent graphic designer.

This artwork of his really grasped my attention as it's a very creative piece of artwork that displays 2 croissants with human-like faces looking at each other while smiling. The background looks like a rough blueish surface, much like a workspace or a baking surface.

Exposure Practice

I have been experimenting with an online Exposure simulation where you're able to change the appearance of photos by using and changing different aspects of the photo such as Shutter speed, Aperture, and ISO.

Aperture Definition

The aperture is a section of the camera that is adjustable to let in more or less light, the smaller the aperture the darker the image, and the larger the aperture the brighter the image.

ISO Photography Definition

ISO Sensitivity is set by the International Organization for Standardization ( ISO) and represents the camera's sensitivity to light the lower the ISO, the less sensitivity to light while a higher ISO means more sensitivity.

For this photo, I've made the background softer as it appears more blurry so that the main subject is the only thing in focus, I've also balanced the exposure so that the photo appears less bright.

I've used a Shutter speed of 1/60, to balance the lighting, an aperture of f/8 so that light can spread evenly around the photo, and a sensitivity of 50 due to the amount of light outside.

For this photo, I've increased the ISO to make the image appear noisier along with the Arpeture to make the image clearer in the background, Because of this, the image looks more pixelated and will take up less file size since there are no surplus pixels to take up space in the memory of the computer.

This photo has a greater exposure making it look white. Because the camera lenses are highly sensitive, the photo lacks color depth which can cause this cloudy effect, this can be solved by increasing the shutter speed to the point where the photo looks balanced.

This photo has the shutter speed increased, causing this dark effect on the photo, the reason why the photo appears dark is that there is a lack of light entering the camera, this can be fixed by decreasing the F-Stop so that more light can be captured by the camera, getting a much clearer image where visibility is available.

This photo has a combination of background blur, pixelation, and an increase in shutter speed, which could all lead to an unpleasant view of the photo, this could all be fixed by using the camera manually to your own preference, adjusting the shutter speed, IOS, and F-Stop.

Secondary research

Books, encyclopedias, news articles, reviews, and meta-analyses are examples of secondary research. The author may choose to draw data from a variety of sources when conducting secondary research, including published academic papers, government documents, statistical databases, and historical documents.

Primary Research

You can conduct primary research by collecting your own data. Examples include surveys, interviews, observations, and ethnographic research. Researchers who are good at writing integrate both primary and secondary sources cohesively.

Tagline

Taglines are used by companies as a form of recognition, a phrase or word that represents their company to attract more upcoming customers. An example of a tagline would be McDonald's "I'm lovin' it" slogan.

Audience Theories

Audience Theories is the study of specific groups of people and their interests, providing relatable content which people can connect with. It is often that people use media or any type of information in their lives either for self-improvement or instant gratification. It is also the study of how long-term exposure to content online can affect the viewers positively or negatively.

Hypodermic Syringe Theory

This theory relates to the group of people who have a desire for self-improving but are not willing to put in the work in real life, it's a way for them to escape reality, thinking that they're doing something but in return, they are not doing anything great for themselves. Media companies who provide information on self-improvement do not state to the viewers the fact that they need to put in the work for results but rather get them attached to constantly viewing and imagining that they've accomplished something.

example of a film

Cultivation Theory

The more exposure to a certain topic a viewer has, the less the viewer is likely to question the topic. If the topic is widely mentioned in mass media, people are going to start normalizing the topic regardless if it's negative or positive. An example of this is fat acceptance, it's a topic that is widely spread in media and as a result, people tend to normalize fat people as being healthy which is not healthy at all.

Two-step flow theory

When media companies hire social media influencers through sponsorships to promote their product as people will most likely listen to their favorite influencers rather than the company itself. This can boost the company's economy along with its popularity.

Example of a company:

Resolution

Resolution refers to the file size, the more pixels the the image has, the more clear and smoother the image appears, and the less the amount of pixels the unclearer the image appears. However, an image with lots of pixels can take up lots of space and will take a bit of time to download since the image holds a great amount of data, the opposite can be said with low-pixel images, the image quality may not the brightest but at least it won't take as much space and will not take much time to download.

I have chosen this image because of the quality of the photo and how clear the image looks, and also because the sunflower's petals are bright yellow which caught my attention.

Example of a High-resolution image

Example of Low-resolution image 

Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG)

JPEGS are files that support images, they have a continuous tone which means that all colors and shades are portrayed within the image, Jpegs are lossy which can remove data from the image, jpeg are not good for sharp edges due to the lack of resolution jpegs provide

Example of a Jpeg image:

Graphics Interchange Format

GIF images support illustrations and drawings along with transparency and animation. GIF files have a lossless data compression file which makes the data less likely to be lost during compression. GIF files only contain 256 colors which means that sometimes the file removes certain shades of color that do not match with one of the 256 colors.

Example of GIF image:

Portable Network Graphic

PNG files support more pixels which improves the resolution and the graphics of the image, they can be shared online and can also deal with graduated colors. PNGs offer not just lossless compression but also a much broader and brighter color palette

Example of PNG image:

SVG 

SVG Files support text or any 2D image and also vector graphics, these files can work well with letters or any form of verbal writing information or any 2D drawings or illustrations. SVG Files are lossless which means that they can be compressed to a smaller file size. SVG files also support transparency which means that the background of the image will not exist but the subject will.

Example of an SVG image:

List of ideas for an event

My choice is Summer Camps

The reason why I chose Summer camps as my event is because I've always loved summer camps as a kid and developed my teamwork skills in the activities that we've done together as a group. I also have fun memories of what I used to do in those times and would like to recreate my own Summer Camp packed with my own ideas and activities.

Secondary Research on Summer Camps

What are Summer Camps?

Summer Camps are Camps where activities including sports, outdoor games, music, art, and educational programs aimed to improve the life skills of candidates such as confidence, independence, social skills, leadership skills, and physical fitness. Usually Summer Camps are aimed towards Children since they are the most vulnerable towards learning.

Importance of Summer Camps

According to "The Times of India", Summer camps are beneficial for children as it allows them to learn, make mistakes, evolve, and develop new skills. Summer camps allow children to build confidence and independence by spending time in new environments and trying new things.

Summer camps tend to improve leadership skills by providing training grounds for leadership by dividing children into groups where 1 leader would be nominated in each group, and everyone is given equal opportunities in leadership.

Summer camps can improve many more aspects of life as not only activities and entertainment is provided but also educational qualities that children could adopt.

Logo and tagline Ideas

My Logo

This is my Summer Camp Logo that I've created in Illustrator using basic shapes and colors to compose this logo. I've also used the text line tool for my writing so that I can align the text to the sides of the hexagon.

Slogan

My slogan is "Appraising Nature"

The reason why I chose this slogan is because most summer camps are in touch with nature and appraising nature will relate with my summer camp.

Poster sketches

This is the first poster sketch that I've made promoting my summer camp event. I have this idea of creating a split through the upper middle that separates the image and the text, then on the upper part of the poster I'm going to include text along with my logo in the upper left corner, to give the design a new look.

 I really hope in the future that this vision of my poster will become a reality with the help of Illustrator and Photoshop.

Summer Camp Event Poster

I've used Illustrator and a bit of Photoshop to create this poster. This turned out quite well as I first used Illustrator to create the green transparent background by using the rectangle tool stretching the shape across the poster and tilting it at an angle for design. I've also used the rectangle tool for the blue barriers, and once the background was done, I included my logo on the left upper corner and text for the readers to understand what this poster is about.

The image was drawn by me as a copy by using the pen tool to draw matching color shades using a hex color picker from the original version of the image to help me determine the right shades of color for me to use. 

However, The poster had edges sticking outside the paper from the shapes I used, so I exported the Illustrator version and went on Photoshop to try to get rid of the edges that were sticking out by using the cut tool to get rid of the edges.

After I used Photoshop to get rid of the edges and any surplus shapes, I was left with my final product which is this wonderful poster that I've managed to create with the help of Illustrator and Photoshop.

Photographic Poster

This is my Photographic Poster for promoting my summer camp, and it turned out quite well, I used a combination of Illustrator and Photoshop to create this final product.

Photoshop

I used Photoshop to change the appearance of the image that I used for this poster, by making the photo look more colorful as the original one was quite bland and visually unappealing. I made the photo look more vibrant to expose the green grass and the background even more by using the image editing tool in Photoshop.

Illustrator

I used Illustrator to add my logo and text, I also added stars in the sky to make it look more welcoming to the viewer I also changed the color of the word "Archery" to green to make it more eye-pleasing.

Overall this Photographic poster turned out great as I like the simplicity of this final product.

Social Media Header 

This is my social media header, I mocked it using Illustrator and tried my best to copy the original one to look exactly the same. I mainly used the text box for information. I also used my image and logo, accompanied by tiny symbols to make my header seem as real as possible.

This social media header looks really nice and convincing for a mockup and would like in the future to have a real version of a social media header that looks something like this mockup.

Formal Elements of Photography/ Photo Composition 

Color

This photo that I've taken depicts a wide range of autumn colors on this tree, I've used a 2x zoom since the subject was distant from the camera.

This photo is composed using The Rule of Thirds as the tree is centered in the photo.

Line

This photo was taken inside the British Museum, it shows toy cars lined up, somewhat like a parking lot. I've used an eye-view camera angle to take this photo.

Pattern

This photo demonstrates a pattern of the roof tiles. I've also taken this photo in the British Museum using the default camera zoom at a low-angle camera shot.

This photo has a formal element to it as the pattern of the ceiling is visible in the photo along with the shade of color that appears to be quite similar to each triangle in the pattern.

Texture

This photo was taken in my back garden of a cat, the cat fur depicts texture as it looks soft and fluffy. I used a basic 2x zoom on the cat since it would bite me if I got closer.

Shape

This photo depicts the shape of the tower as it has a unique shape that sticks out from normal towers. I've used a low-angle shot to capture this photo.

Light in Photography

Types of Lighting

Key lighting

Key lighting is used by photographers to capture the main source of exposure, it is used to highlight shapes and forms of the subject and also the atmosphere that is displayed on screen.

Example of key lighting

 Fill Lighting

The purpose of fill lighting is to expose the details of the subject that lands inside the shadows of the key light, It is also commonly known as a secondary light in the classic 3-point lighting setup, it is usually placed opposite the key light to fill up any shadows created by the key light.

Example of Fill light

Hair Light

Hair Light is used by photographers to capture beams of focused light onto the subject's hair, this style of photography is used for cosmetic commercials or portraits. The hair light creates a glow and can separate the subject from the background.

Camera Mounted Flash Lighting

Camera-mounted flash is a component of the camera that is located on top of the camera and can provide an external flash unit or speedlight that can be attached through the hot shoe. It can widely cover the subject while also capturing the background or the place in which the scene is set.

Example of Camera mounted flash:

High Key Lighting

High-key lighting is when the subject is exposed to a great amount of light, which causes the details of the subject to not appear. This is used in many commercials for food or beauty products.

example of High-key lighting

Low Key Lighting

Low Key Lighting is when the subject is not exposed to light, creating a dark photo, this method of photography is used for dramatic or narrative videos, it is also used to depict evil characters in stories or to display a dark scene.

example of low-key lighting

Split Lighting

Split Lighting is when the subject is exposed to a great amount of light from one side of the while the other is not. This is used for dramatic effects as it creates a sharp contrast of the subject. It is widely used in portraits.

Example of split lighting

Rembrandt Lighting

Rembrandt Lighting is used in Photography where one or two separate lights with a reflector create an image that is both neutral and dramatic or it can also create a mysterious or moody portrait. The subject has a triangle-shaped light on the right side of the subject's face which is commonly known as the Rembrandt Lighting.

Example of Rembrandt Lighting

Butterfly Lighting

Butterfly Lighting is a pattern used for portraits where the key light is above the subject while also pointing down on the subject. This style of photography is used for promoting beauty products or magazine articles since it creates an under-the-nose shadow on the subject.

example of butterfly lighting

Loop Lighting

Loop lighting is used to capture a circular shadow on the model's face, it is usually aimed under the nose. This style of photography can be achieved by placing the key light 45-50 degrees to the side of the subject while also raising it above their eyes.

Example of Loop lighting

Broad Lighting

Broad Lighting is also used for portraits. To achieve this style, light must illuminate the broad side of the subject's face while being in front of the camera which is lit more brightly.

Example of Broad lighting

My own Photos featuring lighting techniques

This is my own version of Borad lighting as the shadow is closer to my jawline and the key light is coming from the upper left side of the face

This is my own example of split lighting as the light is more dominant on one side of the face while the rest is overtaken by the shadow.

Photographer research

Cindy Sherman

Cindy Sherman, An American Photographer born in 1954, is a well-known artist working today. She has practiced self-photography for decades and has created many different contemporary art influential images. Cindy Sherman depicts herself in many different contexts and as various imagined characters.

Cindy Sherman's artwork

This photo shows a woman whose face is the only thing that has color excluding the outside of the face which is in black and white.

Not a fan of this Photo, mainly because of the fact that it scares me a bit, judging by the eyes and the unnatural shape of the face.

Robert Frank

Robert Frank is another photographer who began studying photography in 1941 in Zurich, Geneva and Basel studios. He then traveled to America where he got hired by Alexey Brodovitch to compose fashion photographs at Harper's Bazaar. He also spent a lot of time producing films, including Pull My Daisy and Cocksucker Blues. He continued to produce still photographs in addition to films. Robert Frank sadly passed away on the 9th of September, 2019.

Robert Frank's Photograph

This black and white Photograph depicts two people inside an old vehicle laughing, this wide shot also 

includes the background which happens to be blurred as the camera mainly focuses on the subjects.

Personally, I quite like this photograph of his as it shows the main subjects enjoying their time while driving away from the scene.

Eliot Porter

Another famous photographer from the USA began photographing birds and landscapes with an old camera known as the "Kodak box" when he was a child. He studied chemical engineering at Harvard University and earned a BS in 1929 then became a teacher and taught for 9 years. Porter was heavily inspired by the photographs of Ansel Adams who suggested Porter work with a large-format camera. He began to exhibit his work at an American Place in 1939 which made him choose this photographic career.

Photograph from Eliot Porter 

This photograph shows a bird flying out of a green bush. There are bright colors which means that Porter used a high-quality camera to capture this photo.

In my opinion, I actually like this photo of his as it clearly depicts the bird flying out of the bush and also how the colors are shown within the photo. The position of the bird as one wing is fully extended while the other one isn't yet makes this photo look phenomenal.

Type Styles

Sans Serif

San is a word in French meaning "without" and is typically used to describe a font without any fancy edges on letters or numbers

Serif

Unlike san serif, serif includes fancy edges on letters to make them look more modern.

Slab Serif

Slab serifs have very heavy serifs with little to no bracketing they are mainly used in formal letters to display a more serious look to the information provided

Script face

Script face is the handwritten version of any basic font type, this could also be considered decorative.

Engraving script 

This type of font is used on software such as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, or any other form of presentation or information display.

Handwriting script 

Handwriting is the writing done with a writing instrument, such as a pen or pencil, in the hand. Calligraphy and typefaces are types of formal writing, while handwriting includes both block and cursive styles.

Fashion photography

Fashion Photography is typically used to advertise beauty products or any new trending fashion materials, this is usually displayed using a model utilizing the product. Fashion Photography uses various of different styles of lighting depending on the product and the vision of the photographer.

Editorial

Editorial photography is photographs that use conjunctions with content which is usually written. It is used in magazines and newspapers to demonstrate the written word. Editorial photographs are meant to show stories being told within the text to demonstrate a tone. Editorial photographers are tasked to capture images in genres and settings.

example of editorial photography

Advertising photography

Advertising Photography is used by companies to display their product across the world in public places. Companies usually hire professional photographers to photograph their products and advertise them online or in honeypot sites ( attraction places ) in hopes for the company's economy to expand.

example of advertising photography:

Beauty Photography

Beauty Photography is used in models to capture a tight crop of the model's face either of the beauty of the model or to demonstrate the product the model is using, much like advertising photography, the key of beauty photography is to display the beauty of the model which can be used in magazines or newspapers.

Hard Light

Hard light is used in photography to convey a sharp transition from light to shadow, because of this the edges of the shadow will be very sharp and defined. This style of photography is used to display a mysterious character or something to do with evil as some parts of the character's face is hidden due to the sharp shadow.

Soft Light

Soft Light transitions gradually from light to shadow, the higher the softness the more gradual the transition. Unlike the Hard light edges, soft light has gentle edges causing it to wrap around the subject. This type of light is used in advertising to display products or subjects.

How to set up a fashion photography studio

1 Make sure you have a background, preferably a black one such as a white background

2 Set the camera in front of the subject

3 The main light should focus on a silver umbrella and bounce back onto the subject which will be a bit to the left of the camera

4 Place white panels between the background and the lighting units to avoid the influence of stray lights

5 Lift and tilt the key light down towards the subject so that the light is focused on the subject and creates a dark background.

Legibility and Color Systems

Legibility and color systems are the way text or background is displayed to the viewer, a very common approach to this would be black text on a white background as it is very easy to read and understand, some color systems can be unique and distinctive while others can be basic with the only goal is to make it easier for others to understand.

An example of an effective legible text will be white text on a black background:

Illegible Text 

Illegible color systems can be very difficult to read or understand the information provided within the text, mainly because the text could be bright as the background color which could be an invitation for frustration when attempting to read information on such illegible color systems.

Example of an Illegible color system:

The yellow background does not suit the white text as they are both bright, this color system will be considered as Illegible.

This table demonstrates the Legible and Illegible color systems, it can give the viewer an idea of how text should be displayed for better legibility in terms of reading.

RGB Color System

Red, Green, and blue (RGB) allude to the colors used on a digital display screen, those colors can be combined to create different shades of color either to display an image or to show a video that contains multiple different shades of color. RBG is the best choice for digital design as the color wheel is usually formed using RBG on most design software.

CMYK Color System

Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key (CMYK) are colors that printers use to accurately depict a certain image on paper, the printer uses dots of ink to print the image onto the paper while using these 4 colors. CMYK is usually the best choice for printing as it includes multiple shades of color to accurately print a photo or image.

Composition in Photography

Rule of Thirds

The rule of thirds is technically a 3x3 grid that helps the photographer balance the photo out making sure everything fits in the squares evenly. This technique is used commonly in portrait photography where the subject is normally the in center of the photo.

Example of Rule of Thirds

This photo has a grid on it that indicates that the rule of thirds was used when this photo was taken, the rule of thirds in this photo balances the old man and the background for a more pleasing image

Leading Lines

Leading Lines is a technique used by photographers to lead the viewer's eye to a specific subject using shapes or objects or even natural landscapes such as rivers or treelines. This technique is used in films to show the setting or the place of the scene.

Example of Leading Lines

The road has leading lines that lead to the mountains in front. This creates a pleasing image that can be used to set a setting or place.

Pattern/Symmetry Photography

Patter/Symmetry can be seen in photos usually displaying multiple objects or subjects that look quite similar to each other, thus creating a pattern, the pattern could be abstract lines or shapes that can sometimes form together to create symmetry.

Example of pattern/symmetry

The roof tiles have triangular shapes that are composed to create a pattern, the color also adds onto the pattern.

Framing Photography

Framing is the process of composing a picture, the goal of framing is to create an eye-pleasing composition that directs the viewer's attention to the subject. This technique is used in photography to achieve a more aesthetically pleasing frame while keeping the viewer's focus on the subject.

Example of Framing

The trees can be seen as the primary frame in this photo as they cover the edges of the photo while exposing the center of the photo which is the building.

Depth of Field

Depth of Field is used in Photography to show the distance between the closest and the furthest objects that the camera can focus on, usually, the camera will focus on the nearest object and blur out the objects in the background to create depth of field.

 

This photo perfectly shows a depth of field as the objects in front are clearly focused on while the objects further away from the camera are blurred

Evaluation - Original Imagery

I've always been interested in summer camps as a child as it always allowed me to engage in various activities and has also provided me with friendship skills as I got the chance to meet and understand new people and also leadership skills where some activities were the most needed. The goal of this project was to promote an innovative environment for summer camps. I've created posters and social media headers using the help of Adobe software such as Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop to promote new ideas for summer camps, I also created my own logo in Illustrator as an addition to this project to make the poster look more realistic. I've also created my own slogan to make my company sound more welcoming and friendly. I've done some secondary research on summer camps to get a head start on what I should aim to change towards summer camps and to obtain new ideas to apply to summer camps, this also influenced me to create my final products and how I should make them.  My target audience was 10-20-year-olds as they are more vulnerable to learning new skills such as leadership skills, friendship skills, and communication skills that can provide them with an advantage in life. My biggest influence was my own experiences with summer camps as it heavily inspired me to create these posters and social media headers. I planned out my ideas by providing sketches of what my poster should look like and how it should be presented. There were some minimal problems during the making of my posters such as Illustrator not working due to insufficient memory and some crashes, but managed to overcome these problems with patience and discipline. My final products turned out well and as planned as I carefully managed to include everything that I wanted to within my final products and also communicated my ideas directly by making it clear on my posters. The only downside of this project is not making enough final products, I wanted to make more posters but I was lacking on time. If I were to do this project again I would most certainly attempt to create more high-quality posters to ensure a better outcome, by including more fancy patterns and colors that would make my posters stand out more. Overall I enjoyed taking part in this project as it allowed me to adapt my Adobe software skills and also my creative skills to generate new ideas for better outcomes.