Concert Posters That Will Melt Your Face Off!!

Concert Posters Rock! There are so many styles of concert posters out there that it is hard to choose a style that you may like best. The images, font selection, colors, etc. are chosen to represent the band, venue and genre the best.

We are going to look at a series of different concert posters for inspiration. From this you will develop you own poster from information you gather online from different events, topics etc.

You can check out the sites http://www.gigposters.com/ and http://www.concertposters.com/ for some more inspiration.

Let's take a look at the handout below to learn more about the assignment.

Four Black Squares

This is going to serve as an ongoing filler project. If you finish your work ahead of others I would like you to work hard on this assignment.

The Four Black Square assignment is a classic assignment in graphic design which helps you learn a number of great skills in making new and exciting works of art. It will give you the chance to experiment with simple shapes through developing creative compositions.

Take a closer look at the handout to learn the objectives to the assignment:


assignment from:http://www.burlington.mec.edu/~Ratkevich/FOV1-0001C3BB/FOV1-00022693/?OpenItemURL=S012A1FE7

AIGA

AIGA is a great site to learn about the most current practices, articles, designers, and videos in graphic design.
"AIGA, the professional association for design, stimulates thinking about design, demonstrates the value of design and empowers the success of designers at each stage of their careers. AIGA’s mission is to advance designing as a professional craft, strategic tool and vital cultural force. Founded in 1914, AIGA remains the oldest and largest professional membership organization for design, and is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) educational institution." - taken from AIGA About page.
Definitely take a look at the site. We will frequent this site as a source of inspiration and to check out some of the cool videos of graphic designers such as Stefan Sagmeister.

Blog Posting for Friday March 18th

Hi Everyone.

On Friday I want you to make a blog posting that is different from your previous ones. For the posting you should go online and find a cool graphic designer that you like. It can be an individual person or a design firm.
You should:
1) Upload a picture of the persons/firms designs.
2) Include a link to their website.
3) Include 3-4 sentences describing the designers style, what you like about it and why I should check it out. (i.e. what makes it cool)

Can ya Digg??! Now go for it!

A good example of this was by a former student of mine, Nicole. Here is her post.

GRAPHIC DESIGNS

I really like this image. This image was done by Luisa Bernardes. It looks like the background is a regular photograph and then she added mixed media by using graphic design and adding to the picture. I really like the giant skateboard that was enlarged and all the bright colors. Click here for a link to a website that shows some more of her really cool works of art. Google images has some more bright images by her as well. Click here.

Turn Text Into A Clipping Mask

There are endless ways to manipulate text. You can stretch text, warp text, add colors, cut the text into many pieces, apply a brush stroke, etc. With all of these possibilities try also turning text into a clipping mask over an image. When you do this, only the parts of the picture where there is text overlapping will show segments of the image. This can provide you with some really fun results that you can then add onto. Try it out with your Quote Posters as well as with any future projects.
Check out the link in the Helpful Tips section of the blog to see a handout on how to do this. Or your can click HERE.

Fonts Fonts Fonts!

There are so many fonts that can be used in creating a design that it can be overwhelming at times. So how do you choose? Think about the message you are trying to send. Do you want the information to be read clearly as if on a street sign? or do you want to show a more formal look to your work as if designing an invitation to an event? The font you select makes a huge difference in the way the viewer looks at the design. To access important information on a document you want to make sure that it is easily legible. So what are some fonts that most designers are using today you ask?? Well check out the article "Top 7 Fonts Used by Professionals in Graphic Design."
Here you will see what the practicing designers are using and it should provide you with some new thoughts about your selection of font.
Image taken from: http://justcreativedesign.com/2008/09/23/top-7-fonts-used-by-professionals-in-graphic-design-2/

Black & White Typography - Wonders of Graphic Design - Charlie B. johnson

Check out the article Black & White Typography–Wonders of Graphic Design, by Charlie B. Johnson, from the site GraphicDesignBlog.Org.

There are some really cool examples of using text as a primary source of visual information. Here the artists work almost completely in black and white. How can this influence your work? Would you do anything differently?

Kick Butts Day Poster Contest

Want to help bring to light the dangers of cigarette smoking? Do you know someone who smokes and you want them to quit? Well now is your chance to share your concerns about cigarette smoking and win a prize too!

On March 23, 2011, thousands of youth in every state and around the world will STAND OUT ... SPEAK UP ... and SEIZE CONTROL AGAINST BIG TOBACCO. Check out the site http://www.kickbuttsday.org/ to learn more about this important day.

Your job is to design a poster for Kick Butts Day to bring awareness of the dangers of smoking.
On the poster include:
1) The slogan: Stand out ... Speak Up ... and Seize Control Against Big Tobacco.
2) The date: March 23, 2011
3) Specific imagery that relates to the cause.

Start by looking at the website to learn more about Kick Butts Day. Then develop a 13x19 poster using good design skill on Illustrator. Your voice can make a difference!

Historical Figures - Quote Design

Learning without thought is labor lost ~ Confucius
Quotes can provide people with hope, inspiration, understanding, curiosity, enlightenment, or any other fulfillment that one is looking for. As you read famous quotes, how do you feel? What images come into your head? What do you think a quote would look like if it could be turned into a design?

Your task is to find a famous historical quote that you find interesting in some way. From this quote you will research its origins and how it relates to a time period, movement, body of work (books, artwork, etc), or event. From this information you gathered you will draw out a series of designs and choose one that will be made into a small poster using Illustrator.

Take a Look at "20 Examples of Beautiful Typography" and "25 Beautiful Examples of Typography Portraits" for inspiration.

For the requirements and expectations go to the handout Below:

Why are you so emotional?! Vent through text.

The variety of lines or compositional choices you make in your designs make a strong impact on your work. If you draw a line in a particular fashion it can express a mood or an emotion you are experiencing.

Expressive Lines: Convey emotion based on their character and weight. This type of line is often found in Abstract Expressionist works, but expressive lines can also be used to punctuate an idea or emotion in representational works.

Think about an emotion you have experienced. What did it feel like? Does it fill you with RAGE or with a deep sense of calm. Are you relaxed with no worries in the world or feel really anxious and need to get away quickly? How could these feelings be represented in line form? What would an Angry line look like? What would a happy line look like?
Try to use the variety of lines in all of your designs and specifically whenever you are trying to have the viewer feel something from and be moved my your work.

Check out the Handout for the assignment Below.