My first thought when tackling this project is, how do I
make this set of dull information look interesting without breaking the grid layout?
My attention went right toward the image. To start my design off, I placed the
image at the top corner of my grid layout. For some reason, I really like the
cloud at the top of the mountain, and so I decided to use it as a guideline to
draw the eye toward the institution name. I want the institute name to scream
at you with excitement and so I went with a thick san-serif typeface, Impact,
and align it vertically adjacent to the image. To form a connection, I use the
same blue as the sky of the image. To form a nice contrast, I went with a serif
typeface Garamond to counter balance the san-serif typeface Impact. At this
point, the design look kind of busy with too many text overpowering the image,
and so I added in some line to break up the text into groups for a more clean
and organized look. The design is near complete, I just didn’t like the white
background. The black lines on the white background and the sharp corner of the
image just make the design feel soo sharp. I then noticed the smooth cloud and gradient
sky of the image kind of balanced out the sharp edges of the mountains. And so
I went ahead and implements that idea to my design by enlarging the image to
the point of where the sky cover the whole design, lowered down the opacity and
set it as my new background. Overall I like the feel and look of my design.
Tru, I like that so far, you're the first one to incorporate your image differently in the design. I think there is a clear hierarchy in between the title, subtitles, and body text. I like that you used the horizontal lines to divide up the text, but for me, I think that the very first 2 lines under the title are not needed. I think the 2 lines surrounding the subtitles and body text would suffice. I also like the black, long tab on the right side. Seeing this as a webpage, I could imagine the black tab almost serving as a navigation bar in a way and the page would slide out horizontally out of it. (just a thought/idea)
ReplyDeleteHey Tru! I like your idea of the line breaks. They look good, and the body type is also really nice. However, I question your choice of Impact. It doesn't seem fitting to me. And most glaringly, I don't get why you put a huge-ass black rectangle on the right. It's just… there, seemingly wasting space.
ReplyDeleteI also like the idea behind the the background, but I'm not sure if the color is appropriate for a "Central Asia Institute"; it's too cold. I have to give you credit for thinking differently, though. And I imagine you'd make everything look better if we were given more potential assets to work with.
Hm, the blue does look a bit too cold, I agree. But it was apparent that your thoughts were on the right track with matching it to the picture. Also, I think one line under the title would do the trick, the second line (the smaller and thinner one under it) is a bit much only because the line above it is fairly thick and draws enough attention. The hierarchy you have made with this design is great!
ReplyDeleteTru – Your decision to use the image twice in the layout is particularly successful because it does not dominate the composition, which was one of the stipulations of the exercise. Good! The vertical bar on the left is also a nice addition, inviting the reader onto the page in that area. Your next steps should be to reconsider the width of your lines… too long. Much too long. They cannot travel across this whole page. So please use the grid to help you break up these long lines in creative, organized ways. Breaking up those long lines will also force you to reconsider the bottom horizontal rule, which I believe you have placed there because the empty area seemed to need something. You won’t need that if you redesign your text blocks on the page. Next – I question the use of 3 different types of rules. Do you really need to use that double rule under the headline? I don’t see that you’ve used it anywhere else? Lastly – to return to that vertical bar on the left edge of the page, I question why other elements do not align with where it starts and ends? The image and heading seem to be stepped down – why? Or… maybe the bar should start a bit lower on the page to align with them? Just something to consider. Nice beginning.
ReplyDelete