As a group we learned a lot about package design and how to do it collaboratively. It was different than designing a package alone because there was input from each member of the group going towards the project. We also got better at dividing and splitting up work as a team so we could meet the deadline; we got far less time for this assignment than our last.
Challenges:
It was difficult trying to get the inside of the box to line up correctly with the outside. This was simply solved through trial and error of printing out the template to find the correct orientation. Also trying to create a logo and color scheme for our brand was a bit of a challenge. It took many tries to find something that fit our idea and conveyed the spirit of our brand.
Refection:
This project went well and our group worked pretty well together. Aside from a few moments, we all got along and got the assignment done. I think we are pretty happy with the way our card box turned out and wouldn't change to much about it.
The assignment was to work with a group to create a short film. There were a few small requirements we had to incorporate such as including a water bottle, the phrase "lights out" and somebody had to wear a hat. In addition the film had to be 3-5 minuets long. We were given about 3-4 weeks to complete this assignment but ending up still being in a rush.
Pre-Production:
As a group we spent a lot of time in pre-production. We took a few days brainstorming and trying to formulate idea as it took a while for the inspiration to flow. Drew created most of the script because he had the most clear vision of what are story would turn out to be. I did the story boards for our idea and scouted for locations. In addition to this, one saturday before we started filming Drew, Diego, and I went to the park in my neighbor hood to figure out a good location to film.
Filming/Conflict:
More than a few things went wrong during the filming process. This was a result of our over ambitious script and cast. We had created a much longer script than what was necessary and we casted four actors to help us out. Our actors were great but we failed to realize how much we would have to work around their schedule. This left us with very little time to film and made the process much more stressful.
The first day of filming went fairly well as we got everyone together and got started. We didn't accomplish as much as we wanted but that wasn't too surprising. However, the second opportunity to film did not go as planned. To make a long story short we had to scrap pretty much all of our pre-production and previous filming because of problems with actors and the length of the script. Essentially, we created a new story on location that fit all of the requirements AND our time constraints. This was incredibly stressful but we worked through and our actors completely saved us. Their acting/ improve skills were enough to make our new story somewhat work. Also they never got upset or frustrated with us which was amazing to me.
Editing:
The editing process was saved by our actors and our use of a boom mic. We had pretty good audio because we rented out a mic so we could really hear the dialogue between our actors. However, it became challenging to edit a scene that was largely improvised. This was a good learning experience and made me get creative with the shots. It was challenging to keep from just using one long shot of the scene because the dialogue had to stay constant but, we got a few shots not including the actors faces to fill the space.
Reflection:
There were plenty of learning opportunities throughout the course of this assignment. Next time I am going to be much more realistic and simple with the concept. This video would have been great if we pulled it off but, being a good film maker requires a knowledge on where to draw the line between complexity and reality.
Things that I will do again is casting good actors. This can make or break a film and in some cases salvage one. This was the first time that we got to work with actors and scheduling and I think next time, after having this experience, will be able to manage it better.
Overall this was a positive experience and I gained a lot from it. As a result of things not going as planned, it became a more valuable learning opportunity.
I learned a lot about package design from this assignment. I learned how to create a die line from scratch and fill it in with artwork which is something that i have never had to do before. It gave me a new appreciation to for package design and how much work goes into it.
I had fun creating a brand and logos for my box. It was good to have freedom to create a brand and product. I created this product because it would really interesting to actually use.
My favorite part of this project was creating the 3-D aspects. I learned how to use a 2-D design transfer to a three dimensional bottle and box.
I was the musician at E-Magine this year. I had a really positive experience playing throughout the event. Im glad i was able to how out and do something because i had no entries this year. Overall it was a good time and i would do it again.
Additions: I have recently made a number of changes to my blog. I think it looks quite a bit better now and has a bit more functionality. I have added a few gadgets including statistics, translation, and some additional info. Also I have a custom favicon at the top of my page.
Organization: I have added a pages tab at the top of the page. This allows a viewer to easily navigate my work and blog. In addition to this I have created a few portfolio pages. One for design and one for video. I have also changed my template and layout for an easier to read theme and it looks much cleaner. I had to play with the borders and things to fit all the things I added but it works well.
Challenges: The things I wish i did more with are css and other coding related things. I tried but couldn't get too involved because I don't have a great understanding for how code works but I plan to learn in the future.
Process:
To create my poster I first had to brainstorm and sketch about the movie. It was hard at first to make the image symbolic as opposed to cinematic which was the style I was naturally drawn to but since we are studying Saul Bass I needed to simplify my design. I wanted to find a few simply things that could sum up or symbolize the movie but it was a lot more difficult than I thought. I finally decided to use this image of people lining up to symbolize the concentration camps in Germany.
Challenges:
I had to learn a few things throughout the course of this poster. I had to watch a tutorial to learn how to put the texture on the people to give it a more grunge and aggressive vibe. Also i had to find a subject in the middle of the poster. I tried a lot of things but nothing really captured the mood i wanted to convey with the poster.
Reflection:
This Project was great because I learned a lot and got to exercise my creativity extensively. I like how we had to keep our posters similar to Saul Bass because it makes it much more challenging and leaves it to your mind to symbolize and make clever connections to your movie and the themes within it.
This is my custom font created from the tutorial. I focused on adding and subtracting to the type. After i wanted to create positive and negative space to the font so i added shapes and also erased parts of type. I also played with the form of the letters and altered their shape.
Throughout this top ten project I learned a lot about values. People only buy products because of values they hold. Consumption is driven by emotions and things that people are connected to. We learned how to identify our values and be aware of this process.
This is the first time I have used in-design and it was a bit challenging. It was difficult to learn the interface and creating and using a grid is a new concept to me. I think I eventually got decent at using it and produced a pretty nice poster.
Kerning is the way letters are spaced and observed. It can be modified in order to clean up the look of letters and increase readability. When letters are kerned correctly it gives a more professional appearance to your type. Poor kerning can be a big turnoff to viewers.
