Draw a diagram of your preferred workflow and explain why you take certain steps
Create a checklist for your workflow
Take a screenshot of your folder structure
Explain why creating backups are so important
Complete the Exercise Files from Photoshop 2021 Essential Training: The Basics by Julianne Kost
DIAGRAM
CHECKLIST
Set up the camera (format, white balance, ISO, mode…)
Delete bad shots after the photoshoot
Import photos to computer
Second back-up to external hard drive if necessary
Organise photos in folders
Review and pick best shots
Import to Lightroom and enhance photos
Save as JPEG (web) or TIFF/PDF (print)
Export photos to an external hard drive
FOLDER STRUCTURE
My folder structure looks like this. I create a folder with the name of the photoshoot (in this case CA07, as it was for that assignment) followed by the date it took place, so I know right away when the pictures were taken. Inside that, I separate my photos per format and put them in a different subfolder. The edited photographs are exported to the Edits folder.
BACK-UPS
Backing up your photos is vital since digital data can be lost quite easily due to loss/theft of a camera, accidentally deleting images, corruption of cards, etc. It will prevent you from losing hours of hard work and, save you from the situation to have to tell your client that you have lost everything, especially if it is a one-time event such as a wedding. You should back your photographs up as soon as possible in at least 2 different locations.
Photoshop 2021 Essential Training: The Basics
I had completed most of the 2020 version of the same tutorial during GRA1, so I rewatched what I felt needed refreshing and finished the unwatched videos. I compared the contents of both tutorials and they are almost identical. Here is the Certificate of Completion.
In your own words, describe the procedure of planning a fashion shoot. You don’t need to go into too much detail, a short outline will do.
The first thing to consider is the concept or theme of the photoshoot. This will affect all your other choices such as make-up, styling and location. The next step is to create one or multiple mood boards to collect your ideas and inspiration. Mood boards also help the client and the rest of the team to understand the concept you have in mind for the session. Then you create a storyboard: a few rough sketches showing the angle and the length that you will be shooting at. A storyboard is a critical tool for communicating your vision to the other members of your team. If you are going to shoot in a studio, you need to book it. If you are shooting outdoors, you need to find a location, take a few test shots and find interesting lines and textures that will enhance your pictures. Apply for permissions if necessary. A shortlist is a list that organises your day and helps you not to forget important details, and determines the equipment you will need on the day. Then, you need to choose a model who suits the brand and concept. Appoint a stylist, a hair and make-up artist.
What are the stylist’s duties?
A stylist will find suitable clothing and accessories, make sure that all the costumes arrive at the shoot on time and that everything fits and co-ordinate costume changes.
List your duties as photographer
One of the photographer’s duties is to book a studio and equipment if required and get the necessary permissions. Book the model and the crew: the make-up artist, hairstylist and your assistant. Provide food and water for the day, so hire a catering company for big shoots or send the assistant to buy some snacks if it’s a low-budget shoot. Music can sometimes help set the mood, so it’s a good idea to bring speakers to connect to your computer. Work out a detailed shoot day schedule and send it to the team in advance. The photographer must be able to direct the model to get the best look or pose. Finally, keep the crew informed of the schedule and gently push them to finish their tasks on time. It’s the photographer’s responsibility to keep the shoot progressing in an orderly manner.
What equipment would you take along on the Alice in Wonderland shoot that was featured in this module?
Wide angle, macro and 50 mm lenses Camera body Memory cards Battery chargers Extra battery Extra camera Light set Diffuse boxes Flash Reflector
Find an editorial fashion spread in a fashion magazine. Explain what you think the concept was, what equipment they used and how the location affected the concept. Scan or photograph the shoot and hand it in along with your answer.
This is a spread I found on the Internet. The concept is elegant, sensual and glamourous. The B&W photo, the model pose, her air-brushed skin and flawless make-up, and the big jewellery add to the theme. The photo seems to be taken indoors, although it is not clear where, it could be in a studio. The shot shows the model leaning against the wall. Her face and body are lightened (possibly using a soft box) while her dark hair blends with the black background.
Question 2 – Practical assignment
Watch the tutorial on LinkedIn Learning Douglas Kirkland on Photography: Editorial Assignment
Plan a Snow White themed fashion shoot
Create a mood board for hair, make-up and fashion
Create a storyboard
Create a shot list
Create a timeline for the shoot day
The concept for this photoshoot is a modern, urban Snow White. I searched for ideas online and created the mood board below, where I collected inspiration and examples on fashion, hairstyle and makeup. After that, I sketched a storyboard with four different photo ideas and made a shotlist and timeline. If this were an actual shoot, I would also book the model and the rest of the crew. I’d ask for permission to shoot to the Stavanger municipality and rent the equipment necessary for the session that I don’t own. I’d send the timeline to the crew and make sure everything is ready for the shoot day.
Work through my sunrise example step-by-step. Upload your version of this project to your WordPress blog. Please note, you will make a better impression if you make this animation your own. Don’t be scared to take things a little further and experiment.
Now you need to come up with a unique animation concept of your own. Create a storyboard for this concept. (Make sure that your idea is not too complicated, but don’t limit yourself by making it overly simple.) Scan your sketches in and upload it to your WordPress blog.
The next step is to create the file and folder structure. Please take a screenshot of your folder structure and hand it in along with your project.
Create your animation in After Effects. Upload your project file and your rendered animation to your WordPress blog.
Create a character. This character can be a letter, a person, an animal or any type of illustration, use your imagination. This character will play the main role in your animation.
Take this character and draw it in five different exaggerated poses. In each of these poses, the character has to express some kind of emotion (like love, anger, dislike, distaste, happiness and so on). Keep the animation principles in mind when you draw your character.
If the idea is at the heart of everything, then I would like you to think of a movie that you love. Then look at its current title sequence and come up with a new one.
Sketch up the rough idea in the form of a storyboard. Your storyboard needs to be at 30 frames and should be for at least 1 minute of motion design.
I chose Love Actually, one of my favourite movies. After watching its current title, I wrote down some ideas and titles, as well as the names of the main cast.
After that, I sketched up the storyboard in what ended up being 34 frames.
Have a look at all the tasks and lessons you have done over the last few weeks. Your task now is to make a cover (a front page) for your very own magazine.
Go through the Graphic Design history timeline and choose a style and designer that you feel relates best to your personality.
Using that designer/style as inspiration, use your name or part of your name and create a title/name for your magazine. Feel free to be creative!
Add your own pictures, text, illustrations, elements as well as the proper typography and titles for your cover.
The expression must represent your personality (remember the color choice regarding this).
Remember to include what kind of magazine it is, for example cars/bikes, fashion, design, weddings, etc.
This magazine cover is inspired by the New Wave movement. New Wave designers rejected the order and cleanliness of the Swiss grid-locked design and typography, experimented and broke the rules. I find it fascinating how different elements with apparently nothing in common can work together to form exciting and beautiful compositions. I recently came across Carly Guppy’s work. She creates collage art and mixed media pieces inspired by vintage photographs, found papers and patterns, plants and animals. Her art was an inspiration for this task too.
I initially named the magazine “On the Move”, but my teacher suggested dropping the E, as this more ‘rebellious’ spelling is in line with the style, and people would still be able to read it. MOV are my initials (Mónica Otero Vidal).
The main picture is a self-portrait I took last semester with the use of a tripod and timer. I integrated it in the collage, with other stock images and graphic elements using illustrator. Blue, purple and green are my favourite colours, that is what I chose them. Both the photos and the articles describe me in a way, as I love plants, healthy and plant-based eating, photography and enjoying time with my family.
Question 2
Post your final design on the forum (Lessons and Activities forum) for comments from your tutor. Remember to include what your inspiration was (designer/style from the Graphic Design timeline). Discuss the results with your fellow students (your group) on the forum.
Explain shortly how you perceive your group members through their covers.
Do they see your personality through your cover, too?
Make a short comment if you feel they’ve nailed it!
I posted my cover in the forum and got feedback and guidance from my tutor, which helped me refine the design.
There are not many students in my group, so I also checked the covers in other groups. It was fun to see the different approaches for the same assignment.
Question 1 – Written assignment (observation and analysis)
Define the term “typography” in your own words
Write a few sentences explaining what typography is not
Typography is the study of how letterforms interact on a surface directly relating to how the type will be set when it eventually goes to press. As Gerrit Noordzij put it, typography is writing with prefabricated characters. The arrangement of letters, words and other visual material can be collected and duplicated as many times as needed.
Typography does not involve producing letters uniquely by hand or tool. It is not handwritting, lettering, carving letters, sign writing or graffiti. However, letters produced in these ways can inspire a designer to create a new typeface.
Find a case study on typeface development on the Internet (similar to the ones in Addendum A). Explain which medium (small format printing, large format printing, mobile devices, etc.) the font developed is best suited for and why. Keep legibility, size and style in mind.
I found a case study on A new brand identity for Atlantis Resorts by Monotype.
The Resort wanted to unify their visual brand across all their properties, modernised their original typography and logo and give the brand a fresh look, but that also captured their mission to be extraordinary in everything that they do. The brand is fun, creative and experiential, which they wanted to be reflected in their trademark and branding.
The new custom typeface has distinctive letters inspired by middle eastern cultures and Arabic calligraphy. The designers were asked to create a caps only headline font. They had to be mindful of how the fonts were going to be used in signage and in-turn signage manufacturing limitations. The letterforms would be cut form steel in a range of sizes so they balanced the weights and ran tests to avoid letter strokes that were too thin. As the brand identity grew, the typeface was expanded into a full Latin character set of upper and lowercase with a view to creating continuity across the Atlantis brand.
The typeface was initially designed to be used in the logo and the resort signage. Its open proportions make it suitable for such use. A tall x-height enhances clarity and legibility, so it also works in body text used in both printing and web.
Question 2 – Research and written assignment (observation and analysis)
Document one day of your life acting as an observer of typographic design. Produce a comprehensive diary of the typographic experience of your day from first thing in the morning to last thing at night.
Keep this diary within a research folder or sketchbook. You should be prepared to use photography, photocopying and other means where necessary to evidence what you find, as well as collecting first-hand examples of typographic design.
Make notes or comments to reflect on what you have collected and documented. Your notes should help you to consider what kind of design it is that you are recording. For example, a cereal packet may have some large obvious lettering / typographic device on the front of the box, but there will also be typography in the form of information design within a “nutritional information” table on the packaging. So are you looking at promotional design/branding or information design? Or are you looking at typography? Is it lettering?
In our daily life, we are surrounded by typography that we often overlook. Thanks to this week’s lesson and learning assignment, I have paid closer attention to my surroundings and the typography of products, banners and signage in my home and around town. Here is a compilation of some of the pictures I took.
In the case of product packaging such as yoghurt, coffee, toothpaste and cosmetics, they often have a large typographic or lettering design on the front to catch the consumer’s attention and make the product more attractive. Secondary typeface adds a bit more information to it. There is a larger amount of text in a much smaller size on the back, which shows nutritional and/or ingredients information.
The information signs use symbols (pram, bicycle and arrows) and white, large and sans serif fonts on a dark background to transmit the message effectively.
Ads and commercial banners are meant to be seen, so they are huge, use mostly only very big fonts and have a lot of breathing room.
Choose two examples of design that you have collected that you consider to have either good or bad qualities. Try to analyse these further in terms of their typography. Can you identify the typefaces being used? Does the typography communicate successfully? If so, why? If not, why not?
Movie advertising banner
At the cinema I found this advertising banner for the new James Bond movie. The font used for the logo is Futura ND Black, according to this article. The entire banner is black and white with the expection of the logo, which is golden. The picture of James Bond mimics the shape of the logo. The retro font works well with the theme of the film, as well as the colours and the dynamic text alignment.
In order to promote Kapittel, Stavanger International Festival of Literature and Freedom of Speech, the local library and cultural centre drew the sign on the street floor at the entrance. This way, everyone who enters the building sees it. I think the typography is effective and communicates well. The sans serif font used for the name of the festival -Kapittel- is big and bold and catches the eye. I believe the same font, but in a smaller size is used at the bottom to indicate the dates. The text in the middle is secondary as it is a description of the event, for that the designers chose a serif which adds contrast to the design. Finally, a extra large quotation mark -which is also the festival’s logo- frames the text.
Question 3 – Practical assignment
Complete the exercise files that came with the LinkedIn video Indesign Typography. Upload them to WordPress.
I completed this course earlier in the program. I have rewatched some parts that I felt needed refreshing.
Use your design software to design a newspaper front page. Pay special attention to typography (size, leading, column width, etc.).
Use your design software to design a double-page spread (DPS) for your favourite magazine (look at an example of a DPS here)
Find examples on the Internet to represent each of those terms
Wood engraving A reversed design or picture is carved out of a block of wood. Then, the block is rolled up with ink (on its top surface) and printed onto paper.
Linocut Similar technique as wood engraving, but the image is carved out of a linoleum surface. The linoleum sheet is inked with a roller, and then impressed onto paper or fabric. The actual printing can be done by hand or with a printing press.
Drypoint In this technique, a picture is drawn by scratching a piece of metal. Then, the surface is inked, wiped and printed onto damp paper using a printing press.
Etching A metal plate is covered with wax, some of it is scratched to draw a picture or design. Then, the plate is placed in a mordant bath that will eat the exposed metal. Once removed from the bath and cleaned, the plate is inked, wiped and printed onto damped paper with a printing press.
Engraving The process for this technique is similar to Drypoint, but in this case, the carving is executed with a V-shaped burin which produces smoother hard-edged marks.
Lithography This technique is based in the principle that oil and water don’t mix. The image is drawn to the surface with a greasy material. The oil-based ink will adhere to the greased areas and not the others, which are wet. Then the image is transferred to the paper sheet.
Screen-printing A mesh is used to transfer ink onto the paper, except in areas made impermeable to the ink by a blocking stencil.
Monoprinting A monoprint is a single impression of an image made from a reprintable block. Ink is painted into the surface and printed off without the use of a print.
Digital printing It is a method of printing from a digital-based image directly to a variety of media.
Use your graphite, eraser, eraser putty and blending stub to sketch spheres using the following techniques: hatching and cross hatching, blending, rendering, squiggly lines and cross contour lines.
Watch the prescribed Adobe Illustrator video on LinkedIn and complete the exercise files
Find a poem that inspires you. Follow the exercise in the lesson above and illustrate your poem.
I chose a poem by Rupi Kaur:
stay strong through your pain
grow flowers from it
you have helped me
grow flowers out of mine so
bloom beautifully
dangerously
loudly
bloom softly
however you need
just bloom
Design two postcards. Each with one piece of advice that you would give a first year Graphic Design Student. You are welcome to make more if inspiration strikes. All graphics and text must be your own.
Describe the steps that you will take to ensure that you take a high quality photograph in low light conditions. Refer to exposure, lenses, tripods, colour temperature, flash and ISO. Your answer should be a minimum of 350 words.
Question 2 – Practical assignment
Watch the LinkedIn course Photography 101: Shooting in Low Light by Joseph Linaschke
Take four low-light photographs: – One should be a sharp photograph that focuses on a static object, like a building or statue. – The second photograph should showcase moving objects, like cars or running water. – For the third photograph, take a moody portrait of a friend and use high ISO settings to your advantage. – The fourth photograph should explore using external light sources, like a Speedlite flash (please note, if you don’t have the equipment to take this last photograph, you may leave it out).
ISO 640 32 mm f/13 1.3 sec
ISO 100 32 mm f/20 10 sec
ISO 2000 55 mm f/5.6 1/50 sec
ISO 100 42 mm f/5.0 1/200 sec – Nikon Speedlight SB-300
Mónica's Design Journey 