As you can tell, I was no where near finished with my feature spread because I had spent a majority of my time working with the cover and the splash page. Pictured above is the splash page and feature spread. The one thing I failed at with this project was time management! I was really disappointed that I didn't get to do exactly what I wanted with my feature spread, but I think it was obvious I had put a lot of time and effort into the cover/splash page. I didn't want to do a trite spring theme, so I tried to incorporate the bugs as a way to pull out something kind of gross and different. I ended up winning the competition for my cover design, so here's a before and after of my cover:
(Sorry about the original photo, I had taken a picture of it, but didn't end up saving the original!) Erica Mendez had the fabulous idea of incorporating the dirt, so I borrowed the idea from her. Instead of using the flower and leaf, I went with the bug theme and substituted a ladybug and a butterfly. It really glued the concept together better. Legibility was an issue, so I tried to make the shapes easier to work with. Because "performing arts" is so long, the earthworm was an excellent help! By making the bugs a solid color, the type stood out more and it also tied into the splash page and feature spread concepts. I really loved playing with this design. I'm still pretty slow at Illustrator, which ended up being the reason why I didn't have much time left over for the spread. My goal is to really familiarize myself with some of the Adobe programs that I haven't spent much time with. Just knowing some basics would really improve my design capabilities.
I had a great time working with Aaron and Haleigh over the weekend! It was stressful at times, but everyone finished right on schedule and it looked amazing. Best of all, the issue comes out on my birthday, so that's a nice reward to end with.
You did such a great job on your Spring Preview design! I can imagine how excited you were to hear you won the competition. I absolutely love it. The bugs are so great. I would love to be as good with Illustrator by the end of the semester.
ReplyDeleteThe design by Natasha is really neat and original. I had never heard of her. I'll have to check out more of her work. Have a great snow day tomorrow!
I really love how you turned the "spring" theme into something kind of unexpected. Even though it's still spring, it's not rainbows and butterflies and it's really cool.
ReplyDeleteI love your cover, it makes me happy when looking at it. I guess that's the effect we need for spring. and I do think it's better with dirt!
ReplyDeleteGreat job!
I really like the type treatment on the individual insects (or arachnid, as the case may be). As you said, legibility was a big issue at first, but in the end, the type was both legible and wonderfully stylized to create a very intentional overall look. It might just be my preference, but I love the flat colors rather than the gradient bugs in the first draft. It gives it a much more playful look that fits with the tone of the spring preview.
ReplyDeleteIt was great working with you and Aaron this weekend. As different as our three pieces were from each other I think it came together great with our color choices. The dirt idea definitely enhanced the overall cover and I was excited to see the finished product. Great job and I hope I get to work with you again soon!
ReplyDeleteThis cover was so unique! Way to think outside the box and come up with a spring theme that wasn't cliche. I agree that the dirt really ties everything together, and the worm goes perfect with it. Happy belated birthday!
ReplyDeleteA lot of work went into that cover design, and it looks really amazing. Great job with Illustrator! I love, love, love the typography you designed for the bugs. You did an incredible job on the first draft, and I feel like you made a lot of changes while still maintaining your original concept.
ReplyDelete