#12 Research materials/ assig. progress

This is the logo of the distributor: 

This is the logo of the producer:

Mukhalat Malaki, is an Arabic perfume, and its name translates to "the royal blend". The perfume oil's base notes are woody and musky, making it more appealing to men. It contains Turkish rose, Spanish Saffron, Indian Amber, and Cambodian agarwood. The elements of this perfume are expensive, which is why it is named "the royal blend".

These are my sketches for the ad:


1. Background: brown/light brown room
Focus: perfume and words, the rest should be blurred
Elements in the perfume: agarwood and saffron, to be placed alongside perfume bottle
At bottom right hand corner: 'only found at D'FATIIN (+ contact info.)
In center: Mukhalat Malaki written in Arabic, "the royal blend", its translation, and small Swiss Arabian logo (don't want it to overpower D'fatiin logo) (focus: D'fatiin)
Right side: Arab man dressed in royal thoub looking out the window (to symbolise that it's a royal and arab perfume)
Perfume is on a table. Will most likely be using this as I got approval from Mr. Cheo for this.

Cambodian agarwood:

Spanish saffron: 

2. Background: desert and man dressed in royal thoub in the distance, but not blurred

Focus: perfume and fonts

Bottom right hand corner: only available at D'FATIIN, underneath it: Swiss Arabian logo but smaller as emphasis should be on D'fatiin

Simple, but not following the rule of thirds.

3. Background: gold gradient (to represent royalty)/gold satin(?)

Center: average size Swiss Arabian logo, name of perfume

Right side: perfume bottle, simple, focus

Top left: D'FATIIN logo of a bigger size than Swiss Arabian logo, copy underneath to explain perfume and its contents (woody and musky) (expensive ingredients) 

Bottom right hand corner, contact info. (?)

4. Background: desert with man in distance, not out of focus but b&w

Left: big size of perfume, with colour, so as to create emphasis on this and not bg

Name of perfume: smaller, so as to create emphasis on perfume, not name of perfume. alongside swiss arabian logo (small)

Top left hand corner: large D'FATIIN logo (to make sure reader sees the logo)

Uses contrast and size to create emphasis on perfume, uses size to draw attention to D'fatiin logo

I like this idea too but haven't gotten the approval of Mr. Cheo. 

Colors to be used:

I reckon gold, as deep reds, purples, and golds as it represents royalty, riches, stateliness, quality. But dark blues also represent royalty and formality. Maybe maroon as it represents solidity and luxury. Most probably gold and warm tones, deep red and maroon, because the oil has hints of brown, but very mild. However, the bottle has silver details, cool tone, so I could try using dark blues and purples as well. But do these two tones, warm and cool, mix together well? Will definitely need to try and mess with different colours. Excited to see what the outcome will be like. I'm sure these 2 tones will create different vibes. 

Font:

Simple, cursive(?) to symbolize royalty. 

Perfume ads inspiration:

This ad is simple, it is where I got the idea to use a gradient background. 

This ad uses violet to show that that is the scent, just like in my first sketch. 

This ad uses different elements to convey its message. Black and satin ribbon to represent modernness and classiness. I really like this ad. Inspiring. 

This ad is gorgeous, it uses the colour black to show that this perfume gives off a mysterious vibe. Also, the black gives it a more sophisticated and modern look. 

I like this ad. It uses contrast to emphasise on the perfume itself. 

This is one of the few ads that uses sexual attraction to appeal more to people/convey its message. Maybe what its trying to say is that this scent will attract women. It also uses the contrast technique. 

Here we can see that almost all ads for men's perfume are in black and white, or dark colours. Maybe it is to represent mystery and strength, or modernness. This is why I like my fourth idea best, where it's in black and white but uses contrast to draw attention to the perfume. The perfume is woody and musky after all, seems fitting. Most perfume ads also use sexual appeal to its advantage. Very rarely we see perfume ads without models. 

More research on perfume advertising:

In this article, it says: "It’s not easy to sell a smell. That’s why the best fragrance campaigns rely on selling a mood — and often involve people everyone knows or wants to sleep with." 

In this other article, it says: "To successfully advertise a fragrance, you must tap into the human psychology and link your brand with a desirable abstract idea, such as passion, femininity or masculinity." This is why perfume ads are erotic in nature. Well that explains it. But since this perfume I'm advertising is Arab, I don't think it's appropriate. Or is it? The most popular strategy used in perfume advertising is called the "desirable quarry" approach. 

Celebrity advertising is also quite efficient, especially when it comes to perfume advertising. Which is why I'm going to be using this man as a model, Omar Borkan Al Gala, an Arab man that was popular for the rumour of getting ordered out of Saudi Arabia for being 'too handsome'. 

If I can a bigger and more appropriate picture... 

Lesson 11

What is typography?

Typography is the art of arranging letters so that it is pleasing to the eyes. It has to dictate a clear message, and it is the primary element to attracting the reader's attention.

#1 Anatomy of type

Top: bar, counter, bowl, shoulder, ascender

Bottom: serif, stem, descender, X-height

#2 Watch your kerning 

Kerning (spaces between characters) is important so that it looks equal and neat.

#3 Beware of font communication

Why is font selection important? Different fonts communicate differently, look for fonts that give off the vibe you're looking for. +ve vibes.

#4 Alignment

Fonts that are aligned to the left/right are easier to read. Center is harder.

#5 Choose a good secondary font

Why is secondary font important? Secondary font has to be simpler, smaller, so that it doesn't overpower the header.

#6 Size matters 

The second type of typography is more effective as it uses proportion and size to create emphasis and draw attention. 

#7 Use typography as art

#8 Find good inspiration

Good example:

This is a good example as it is simple, but not too simple. Symmetry is there and it is balanced. All the letters are evenly spaced, and the font used communicates the message. The fonts are not overwhelming alongside each other. Maybe the only flaw is that the word 'fighting' is in a font that's leaning more towards the feminine side. 

Bad example:

This is a bad example as in a glance it's already a sore for the eyes to look at. There is no balance, the words are not of the same size. Some are capitalised when it is unnecessary, the sizes of the fonts are not used to its advantage - that is to create emphasis. Maybe the letters are of varying sizes and cases because the creator was trying to give off funky and fun vibes, but he could actually have used a funky and fun font, keeping all a consistent size. 

Lesson 10

Photoshop practice! Yay.

A layer mask was used to create this. Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Don't forget to duplicate layer. Black = erase blur layer. Only crystal is in focus.

The healing brush tool was used to create this. There were two moles that were on her face, these were removed.

The healing brush tool and clone stamp tool was used to make her skin look flawless and get rid of her dark circles: 

The patch tool, alongside clone stamp and healing brush tools were used to get rid of imperfections on the skin: 

To add pattern onto (beautiful) Kristen Stewart's top, I created a clipping mask and used the drop down list to change mode to 'darken' for the pattern: 

Image > Adjustments > Replace Color. Select on the colour to be changed, then change hue, saturation, and lightness. What it does is identify the colour range that needs to be changed (light purple, dark purple, purple):

 Select > Color Range. What it does is almost similar to 'Replace colour'. But instead of changing hues and etc, it selects the area/colour that needs to changed. Delete that area and it will reveal the layer that is underneath (clouds):

A color replacement tool was used to achieve this. The top was initially red, but the tool was used to paint over it with a different colour, but not losing the texture:

Practice: motivational poster (used all the different techniques used to achieve this): 

Lesson 9

Elements of a print ad:

• visual
• headline
• body copy 
• logo

Basic design strategies: 

• keeping layout simple
• creating balance - symmetrical, asymmetrical
• creating contrast - used to draw attention
• create emphasis through proportion - bigger = more emphasis

Advanced design strategies: 

• easy path for eye to follow
• don't be afraid of white space
• strong lines to hold things together
• light & dark = layout interest
• variety
• background selecting to accentuate figures
• golden rectangle

Grouping design strategies: 

• similar shapes, sizes, designs, textures
• break up long lists
• ideas - positive, negative

Color design strategies (different colors create different vibes):

(this is a helpful guide)

• no black and white. colour is good
• but no excessive colours
• colors to create emotion
• harmonize colors
• balance colors
• contrast colors

Photo design strategies: 

• design & layout: grouping to increase communicability, focus to emphasise
• taking a shot, consider: point of interest, linking images, details, shape, proportion
• cling to one idea
• rule of thirds when photographing (divide into three sections, do not make it center-heavy, 1/3 is better)
• shadows & light for depth
• experiment with lighting (it does wonders)
  (watch this cool video: http://vimeo.com/63602119)
• background colours shouldn't be strong, grey is best
• visual stepping stones to draw attention to inner details
• objects in photos
• shoot on location
• carefully plan
• when cropping: use principles of 'closure'
• photograph objects as if you are in love with them (nice tip)
• look for special qualities of people to be in your photography, with object

Avoid: 

• gimmicky backgrounds (patterns are distracting) 
• harsh shadows

Reminders: 

• make your ad stand out, cliche is boring
• logo to be placed at upper left hand or bottom right corner
• always remember purpose of ad (don't get carried away) 

Lesson 8

Lesson 8 was delivered through e-learning, and it wasn't as tough for me as it was for the rest. I managed to watch the full videos. The executing part, however...

For most of these exercises I was confused with the instructions, I managed to figure it out I think. I was quite familiar with Photoshop when younger.

Here we did opacity changes and blending modes. 

Looked kind of odd to me. 

Here we used the marquee tool. 

Here we used the quick selection tool. This is my favourite tool. It's quick. (Here is also a Drake album art cover as the background) 

Here we used the pen tool. (This is not Drake) 

This was fun. It's called content-aware scaling. Basically resizing or scaling the image, but not affecting the respective entities. Here is Giant Dad. 

Lesson 7

For lesson 5 of EGD, we learnt about controversial print advertising.

What do we mean by 'controversial'? 

 Controversial refers to something that touches on a sensitive topic, something that is debatable. It evokes emotions in the viewer.

What is the purpose of a controversial advert for a product?

 The purpose is to make noise and attract audiences/attention to the product, and to exaggerate factual information about the product.

Analysis of controversial ads

Shock: 3

Disgusting: 4

Funny: 1

Buy: 1

It is disgusting because of the expression he has on his face. This ad would probably be more effective at conveying its message if a woman (as a motherly figure) was smelling children's garments. I'd buy it because of its jasmine scent.

Shock: 4 

Disgusting: 2

Funny: 0

Buy: 5

It's shocking because of the gore involved, but I feel that this is a smart way to evoke emotion and raise awareness, and that it gets the message across. I feel it is impactful because of the violence and the use of a baby. 

Shock: 3

Disgusting: 4

Funny: 0

Buy: 0

It is shocking because of the abundant amount of cockroaches on the image. It is disgusting due to the fact that there are cockroaches, on its own. I probably would not get the message if it wasn't for the little bit of text at the bottom. 

Shock: 3

Disgusting: 2

Funny: 1

Buy: 2

It's shocking and might not be appropriate for children and sensitive people. It might not involve any blood, but it still is pretty gory. The message is not easy to figure out, but it's a smart approach to advertising.

Some things that I would not expect to see in print advertising, as it reaches out to a large number of people, include: nudity, vulgarities, racism, violence, etc.

The most controversial ad

I feel that this ad is extremely controversial as it spiked up a big debate amongst audiences and employees of the company, and that, essentially is the purpose of a controversial ad. The message that is being conveyed in this ad is hard to grasp, and I personally had a hard time trying to figure it out. At first glance, this might look like an ad (raising awareness) for domestic violence or abuse, but in actuality, it is an ad for support bras from the company Running Free. What it is trying to show is the consequence of running with your breasts free, without support bras. It also received negative feedback from feminist organisations. But I feel that this ad gets the message across.

Lesson 6

I was absent for this lesson, but from the documents that was so kindly uploaded by Mr. Cheo, I learnt (somehow or rather) what they have learnt on that lesson.

It was on how to create gradients, how to adjust the gradient effect, its radius, exposure, colours. We're also supposed to practice on an ant outline:

Lesson 5

What makes a good advertisement?

- attention grabbing
Appeals to basic sensory perceptions.

- trust development
Can be accomplished by linking product with likeable characters.

- positive associations
Such as: babies, cute animals, beautiful women.

- the desire hook
Why the customer would be better off with the product.

- action motivator
Calls to action. Humans take action if they see someone else do it.

- copy elements
Text explaining the product. Clear, concise, suitable font.

- graphic elements
Photography, illustration, logo. Integrate with text.

- color vs. B&W elements
B&W printing is cheaper.

- layout elements
The arrangement of elements, requires a focal point.

- size & shape elements
Different sizes vary in prices.

- placement elements
Direct mail solicitations generate leads more effectively than magazine ads do.

- titles
Strongest element: grab the attention of audience.

- artwork
Gives another chance to grab the reader's attention.

- body
Organize and emphasise message of the ad.

- contact
Very important, known also as signature. Example: logo.

- extras
Eg: coupons.

Lesson 4

For lesson four of EGD, we learnt about the pathfinder and how to use it. The pathfinder is basically used to combine objects or shapes together, be it minus, intersect, or other forms. We also learnt how to add text into a shape. We also learnt how to change text into outlines, when this happens, the text becomes separate images/shapes that can be tweaked, have the anchor points and colours changed. Here is what I came up with when trying out these functions:

After this, we learnt how to trace an image, specifically for images/sketches that are hand-drawn then scanned onto the computer. To place an image into an A4 size document, we click File > Place. To dim the background sketch or image to 50% and lock the layer, we double click on the layer. I think layering when tracing is important, so as to work on different parts separately and not disrupt the other parts. With layers, we can also determine which part overlaps the others. Another thing to remember when tracing is that to keep the fill empty (none) and have an outline a different colour than grey/background image. Here is the dog tracing I came up with: 

We spent half of the lesson tracing the dog sketch.

Lesson 3

For the third lesson, we learnt about sketching and the design process. 

There are several reasons to why we should sketch when designing. Some of which are: to get the basic layout, to develop the concept and get a good idea of it, to get the client's opinion and thoughts and to explore the visuals. We were shown an example of concept development for a brand/company Biotrekker: 

This is then linked to client communication and approval, where the client voices out which parts of the design or sketches he/she likes and from there the sketches (or in this case, logo) can be further developed and improved based on the client's needs. For Biotrekker, in the end, two elements are incorporated into the logo: compass and water droplet. 

From what I understand, visual exploration is brainstorming about the product, finding keywords that are greatly associated with it, then drawing out the elements. After that comes refining visual solutions, which is improving/perfecting the piece separately because first tries aren't perfect. From what I can recall, the sketching/exploration process is important.

Also, we learnt about the principles of design: simplicity, memorability, versatility, timeliness, appropriation. These terms are pretty self-explanatory. 

We also got to see some logos. Bad and good logos, we had to identify which ones were bad logos. Here are some logos with hidden symbols: 

Lastly, we had to brainstorm and produce a new logo for Asia News Network, ANN. We tried to incorporate the different keywords associated with ANN but in visual form.