The Final Layout and Continuity Project turned out better than anticipated due to excellent peer feedback. This assignment was particularly challenging as it required us to apply our knowledge of all three Adobe programs we have learned: InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop. The inspiration for my fictitious business, Regal Rock Co., is rooted in my family’s love for gems and stones. We often visit charming little rock shops, and our home is adorned with a variety of gems and stones. I selected the most vibrant pieces we own and initiated the design process with cell phone photographs of the rocks, which I then edited in Photoshop.
The first consideration was correcting the color in the photos. The light in our house is very yellow, so I had to manually adjust the temperature and tint in the “Camera Raw Filter” settings. I also adjusted the exposure, black point, highlights, and contrast of the images. When they looked great in Photoshop, I used the eyedropper tool to record the primary colors from the rocks and gems in the photos.
I then moved to Illustrator and began working on a vector image for a company logo. After much internet research, I created an object resembling a ring, necklace, or bracelet with gems and stones represented by joining circle and triangle shapes together. In the center of the ring, I placed two mirrored, elegant letter R’s, representing the name Regal Rock. I grouped all the elements to complete the design. I exported the vector logo as a PNG to make the background transparent. I changed the color and repeated the export until I had the logo in several colors for use in InDesign.
The real magic happened in InDesign as I paired the photographs and logo with impactful typography. I had anticipated that choosing a theme for the social media campaign would be complicated; however, with the primary colors chosen, the logo completed, and plenty of photographs, it was more a matter of creatively piecing things together until a theme emerged. It is as minimalist as I could manage while following the required assignment criteria.
As the R’s in the logo are a script style, I chose a French Script typeface for the company name and call to action. Accordingly, I used the san-serif typeface Lato for the tagline and body copy, which contrasted the fancier script nicely. I began with the main poster and utilized the aesthetic that emerged for the subsequent graphics. The poster has three photographs I chose to group near the center of the frame. Above the photos, you’ll find the logo, company name, and tagline. Below, you’ll see a descriptive paragraph and a call to action. The tagline and explanatory text are distinguished with different colored backgrounds (the two primary complementary colors from our stones). Using these colors throughout each design gave the project a continuous brand feel.
During peer review, it was pointed out that the text on the main poster was challenging to read. I corrected that by adding a color block behind the text and adjusted the other elements accordingly. A peer also pointed out that my logo was too small and competed with the tagline. Accordingly, I applied the principle of hierarchy and enlarged the business name under the logo and reduced the size of the tagline and call to action. This produced an overall coordinated look throughout the graphics and brand continuity.
For the 4×6 advertisement, I used one photograph for the background and overlayed the logo and text in the whitespace. A similar one-photo-backdrop design was used for the billboard and Instagram advertisement. Per peer review suggestions, I also adjusted the logo and call to action on these graphics.
The most challenging aspect of this assignment, by far, was the 16” x 10” brochure. I had to think critically about the information hierarchy while choosing which elements to place on the four adjoining canvasses. Composing the body text for the pamphlet also took quite some time, and I looked through several rock shop websites for inspiration and offerings. Per peer review suggestion, I put color blocks behind the text to make the body copy more readable and changed the font color to white. This really made the information pop and improved the overall visual appeal.
I like this assignment because it helped me navigate the three Adobe programs faster. In the beginning, I would have to look up a tutorial to execute minor changes in the design; however, after this assignment, I feel somewhat fluent in the programs. I even made a flyer for my dad’s office Halloween party that was quick, simple, and looked professionally done!
Ultimately, peer feedback transformed my graphics from mediocre to professional. The suggestions were critical for improving and completing this project, and I am delighted with the results.
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