GWA1 Progress

this is the first page of my layout transferred to indesign, initially it was like this: 

(background is white) 

after asking mr. cheo, he agreed with me that this revised layout looks better: 

i made the layout in such a way that allows me to place short paragraphs separately, as my topic is about health myths. this is what it looks like with the content inserted: 

i have decided to use the modular grid to try and create something un-boring but after laying it out on InDesign i realise that it's too simple and needs some additional touches like adding asymmetrical lines, some more photos, and it would look a lot cooler if i can find a way to overlap the text over the pictures.

i still need to add some more colours, images, and adjust the text.

Inspiring newsletter

this email newsletter is one that really caught my eye! 

they had an interesting play around with the typography. the style of the ketchup text attracts attention, and i like it because it's appropriate to their slogan/catch phrase "what's cooking, good looking?". people are also naturally attracted to food, i reckon. the size of it also resembles proportion, and these 3 'headings' are placed in a way that is in accordance with the direction that the eye travels in.

there are also little details like ketchup splatters and a shaky line at the bottom, it's a nice touch. they also applied proper placement so that it doesn't look too cluttered and messy. the font used is also easy to read, and the colours are complimentary to the ketchup and pizza. 

overall, it has an interesting concept. 

Layouts

this is my progress for the group project! i used the modular grid to create some layouts. by the second or third layout, my creativity started flowing. at first i felt like it was difficult to picture anything on the grid, but after some time, i realised that the grid can actually help with imagination and it can be manipulated so that it's not boring.

but these are the two that i ended up using:

Week 14 - Studio B

today we learnt how to create book files! a book file allows you to compile different documents and save them as a whole, so all the pages are combined. this will be useful for us when doing our group project as we will need to submit all our documents combined together, as a book!

to create a new book file, go to File > New > Book. type out a name for the book and then save. to tell the difference between book and document, just look at the extension. the extension of document is .indd while book is .indb (the b stands for 'book' clearly). no document or new window will pop-up, just a book palette.

this is an empty book file:

to add documents to the book, just click on the plus sign at the bottom of the book panel. in the book panel, you can rearrange the documents according to pages. the book panel will also tell you how many pages it has, and what number page are those. to save the book, just click on Save Book As in the book panel menu. to create a PDF of the entire book, just go to Export Book To PDF in the book panel menu.

Week 14 - Studio A

this lesson we learnt about style sheets. a style sheet acts as a format or a set. any type of edit applied to objects and text can be saved as a set and this set can also be applied to upcoming objects and texts. it saves time and effort, you don't need to do the same thing multiple times. there are:

1. character styles
options under the character panel like font size, kerning, leading, tracking, etc.

2. paragprah styles
controls paragraph attributes like indents, spacing, alignment, and headings.

3. object styles
controls strokes, text wrap, and fills.

4. table styles
spacings, strokes and fills.

5. cell styles
text, strokes, and fills.

styles can be found under Window.

it has all the five styles. setting up the individual styles are easy, just click on the third icon from the left at the bottom of the palette and it will create a style format/set. it will be named Basic Paragraph and when you double click that a pop-up window will appear. from there, you can change the different elements and options of a paragraph. indesign can also detect separate paragraphs.

to apply a style, just highlight the text click on the paragraph style (name) on the palette. however, paragraph styles do not allow for individual words to be styled. hence, this is where character styles comes in.

Week 13 - Studio B

this lesson we learnt some more techniques that will be useful when creating our newsletter.

how to type in a cool shape/flow:

this is really easy. use the pen tool to create a path in the shape that you want. then use the Type on Path tool to type your text. it follows the flow of the path. and this text acts just like any other text. the size, font, kerning and tracking can all be adjusted the same way.

how to fill text with artwork:

this one is really cool! this method enables you to have your text in any pattern or design that you want. to do this, you require a thick font, so that the artwork filling up the text can be seen. after typing out the text, go to type > create outlines. this basically converts the text into an image. change the fill to None. while having the text selected, go to File > Place and choose the image. the image will automatically be placed within the premises of the text.

there is also another method to place an image into text that develops the same result. after creating outlines, copy the image and go to edit > paste into. 

this is an exercise for the lesson that we had to do at home: 

i changed the colour scheme and some other stuff so that it looks nicer and sweeter to me. :-)

this is another practice that also helps to understand the purpose of a grid better. here, i applied the modular grid/guide so that all the spaces are equal and the outcome looks neat. there are two columns, the sidebar and the main content. i didn't forget to change the leading to the same no. as the font size. 

Week 13 - Studio A

to know exactly where the elements of the layout will lie, a grid can be used. a grid guarantees accurate measurements. it allows acts as a framework for the designers and encourages the flow of creativity. personally, the grids help me to picture different layouts. here are the 3 types of grids that we learnt:

modular:

this grid can be created by drawing a margin all around the paper. then divide it into 6 columns with a distance (gutter) 5 mm between each column. then divide it into 10 or less rows, horizontally.

to make this grid, the paper can be divided into quarters. then, into 3 rows and 3 columns. the rectangle in the middle can be flipped sideways so that it lies lengthwise. the measurements need to be the same, and this rectangle needs to be centered. from then, the edges of the box can be connected to the edges of the paper so that they create straight lines. 

star: 

this grid is more complex to work with, as it is unlike the others: asymmetrical. it is also for a spread, which means that it is 2 A4s side by side, and this essentially makes an A3. to make this grid, draw a line from the bottom right to the top left corner. and do the same for the top right to the bottom left corner. then draw lines from the bottom left and right corners to the top centre of the page. (it looks like a star by now)

there is also the golden ratio and rule of thirds to assist with proportion:

golden ratio:

the creation of this ratio requires mathematics. here is an example where it is being applied: 

the rule of thirds:

the rule of thirds basically implies that a picture would look a lot more appealing if the centre of the image is not concentrated. only one to two third should be occupied.