Tea Bags

A simplistic design (used by many) but highly functional is this container by Stash Tea. This package can be used two different ways. You can allow it to stand up tall and dispense bags one at a time or let it sit on its side. Stash has a very simplistic logo. A serif font with a starburst around the center letter.

Adobe Design Software

One of the great things of knowing how to use inDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop programs properly is being able to merge them into a good design. Perhaps the newsletter I designed required graphic work, sharp photos and a good layout. I could have used the appropriate program for its strength. Not only that, I would have been able to prepare my final output correctly for the printer.

I now not only know why inDesign is telling me that there is an error in my print job because the photographs are RGB, I know why it is a problem and, most importantly, I know how to fix it. I know that I can go to Photoshop and correct the mode of my photographs. (Hopefully this knowledge will save my office some money for time the print shop doesn't spend correcting this for me!) And I know that if I create anything that needs to retain its definition when increased or decreased in size that Illustrator is the software to turn to.

Logo Design

Logo Design

Well-Designed

I think the logo that Oprah uses for her magazine and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s logo are well designed.

Oprah—who has unique name to begin with—has simply taken the first initial of her name and it is recognized as her. Very simplistic and a clean font lead to instant recognition.

I think the NMSS logo is well designed. It too is simplistic—simply the letters MS (multiple sclerosis) with a black line swooping through it. The black line indicates eradication of the disease.

Poorly-Designed

A very well known logo and one not too popular are deemed by me to be poorly designed.

Boys and Girls Clubs of America—this logo is a set of clasped hands. The hands seem to promote unity and cohesion. However, the really don’t seem to have anything to do with boys or girls.

Magic Johnson Enterprises—I feel that this logo is so abstract that it doesn’t hit the mark. If I force myself to, I can make the letter ‘m’ from the yellow and blue image (but it is a real stretch). I will say that the size of the image does indicate strength.

For Chocolate Lovers

Here is my image of a positive use of color. I love the use of brown in this advertisement. It makes the page look as if it can be eaten.

It Probably Looks Better Printed on Coated Stock

In this piece the use of yellow ink allows the difference of environmental lighting in which the advertisement is viewed to have great importance. If the light setting is shadowed it is difficult to read or see the words printed in yellow. The fact that it is printed on newsprint doesn't help. I think if it were printed on coated paper stock it may not matter as much.

The logo for Adoption Expo is a good use of type as image.The "t" and "it" look like an adult and a child in a hugging pose.

Finest Feature of Photoshop

For me one of the best features of Photoshop is the Magic Wand. There have been multiple times when I want to use a portion of an image and leave out the background or change the background. In the images below I have replaced the background. I used the following steps.

1. Cropped the original image to include a portion of the canvas.
2. Added text to the canvas portion using the Vertical Type Tool
3. Double clicked the Background layer to create a new layer
4. Selected the MagicWand, Contiguous and made the Tolerance 50
5. Placed the Magic Wand over a portion of the sky and using the Shift key, highlighted all of the sky portions of the image
6. Clicked Delete to remove the sky
7. Added a new color background (using inDesign--I'm sure there is probably a way to do this in Photoshop).

Folded Invitation

Again this was an assignment that I struggled with; no folded self-mailers in my house. [Yeah! Trashing mail as it comes is paying off—or is it now stopping me from easily doing my homework? I digress.] Then I stumbled across this invitation at work.

This is a bit more complicated than our homework is. It has a die cut and an inside pocket. Of course, a lovely ribbon adds class to it. The complimentary colors of this piece keep it unified. The outer flaps, invitation, response card and sealing sticker all are printed on the same paper. There is also continuity with the scroll design printing in brown on the beige piece and printing beige on the brown piece.

Folded Envelope with Sealer

Flaps Unfolded

Invitation in Ribbon; Response Card in Pocket

The Invitation and Response Card