Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Picture book progress!
Here are some of the spreads I have put together so far! The text isnt formatted yet so try and look past that! :)
Monday, October 18, 2010
Character Designs Cont.
Here is the basic design for the Dad character... not too sure about his face...
Character Designs
I've just added some designs I have come up with for the characters in my picture book. The book is aimed at a young audience from the ages 3-6 years old.
I wanted to make the characters simple and have a go at making them with digital collage of textures and patterns.
Let me know what you think :)
xx
I wanted to make the characters simple and have a go at making them with digital collage of textures and patterns.
Let me know what you think :)
xx
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Online Design Basics - News Online
1. What is Pacing?
Pacing relates to all elements in an online news story and the way that they lead a reader through the story. Pacing helps to keep the reader interested and ensures that they do not get overwhelmed or bored with too much or too little information. If pacing is not achieved, the reader may decide to leave the site as it is too difficult for them to find what they need or get to where they want to be.
2. True or False: A reader spends more time with a print edition than they do with an online news presentation.
FALSE. Research undertaken by the Poynter Institute suggests that consumers are more likely to read an online news presentation for longer then they would with a print edition. I believe that this may be due to to the fact that these days many people are work in office environments where they are faced with the Internet up to 8 hours a day. Also, in reading news online the reader is offered a lot more interactivity, allowing them to venture to other stories and websites.
3. What are some tools that online designers create in layouts that help readers remember key information?
Some tools that designers are using to help readers remember key information in news stories consists of things such as: Q&A, timelines, fact boxes or a by-the-numbers box. Having these interesting and different techniques to communicate with readers keeps them interested in and tern helps them to remember key information.
4. What is the simplicity equation?
The simplicity equation refers to the following suggestion:
Clear links + identifiable location = happy readers.
This equations talks about how important it is to have clear links on the navigation panel to help the readers identify where it is they want to go.
5. What is the first thing someone sees and the most important element of your site when the viewer first logs on?
The most important element of a successful online web design is that of the navigation bar. When a viewer logs onto your website the navigation bar is the first place they go to find what it is they are looking for. If the navigation bar is unclear or hard to use the reader may be tempted just to leave the site due to it taking too long or being to hard to find what they are looking for.
Pacing relates to all elements in an online news story and the way that they lead a reader through the story. Pacing helps to keep the reader interested and ensures that they do not get overwhelmed or bored with too much or too little information. If pacing is not achieved, the reader may decide to leave the site as it is too difficult for them to find what they need or get to where they want to be.
2. True or False: A reader spends more time with a print edition than they do with an online news presentation.
FALSE. Research undertaken by the Poynter Institute suggests that consumers are more likely to read an online news presentation for longer then they would with a print edition. I believe that this may be due to to the fact that these days many people are work in office environments where they are faced with the Internet up to 8 hours a day. Also, in reading news online the reader is offered a lot more interactivity, allowing them to venture to other stories and websites.
3. What are some tools that online designers create in layouts that help readers remember key information?
Some tools that designers are using to help readers remember key information in news stories consists of things such as: Q&A, timelines, fact boxes or a by-the-numbers box. Having these interesting and different techniques to communicate with readers keeps them interested in and tern helps them to remember key information.
4. What is the simplicity equation?
The simplicity equation refers to the following suggestion:
Clear links + identifiable location = happy readers.
This equations talks about how important it is to have clear links on the navigation panel to help the readers identify where it is they want to go.
5. What is the first thing someone sees and the most important element of your site when the viewer first logs on?
The most important element of a successful online web design is that of the navigation bar. When a viewer logs onto your website the navigation bar is the first place they go to find what it is they are looking for. If the navigation bar is unclear or hard to use the reader may be tempted just to leave the site due to it taking too long or being to hard to find what they are looking for.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Typeface Research: Baskerville
THE HISTORY OF BASKERVILLE
The Baskerville font was designed by type designer, writing master and printer, John Baskerville. John was born on the 28th of January 1706 in Wolverley England and died in 1775 in Birmingham England at the age of 68. He spent many years perfecting and improving existing fonts such as Caslon, however in 1730 John began developing his own style of font which was to become the beginning of Baskerville. John studied the ease of reading various faces and found that fine-stroked types were actually easier to read when printed in smaller sizes- a characteristic essential for books. It was this finding that lead to the design of Baskerville, a font that is characterised by its finer strokes. John Baskerville designed and first published the Baskerville font in 1757. Baskerville is a typeface that still to this day reflects John’s ideals for perfection, simplicity and quiet refinement.
During the time when the Baskerville font was designed, many other type designers throughout England claimed that John Baskerville’s font was too thin and stark in contrast to the fonts present at the time (such as Caslon). John’s fellow contemporaries believed that the typeface was going damage the eyes of anyone who try to read it. Despite this the Baskerville font was much admired overseas by the likes of Benjamin Franklin.
Baskerville fell out of use in the early 1900s with the onset of modern typefaces such as Bodoni. However in 1917, Baskerville was revived by a man named Bruce Rogers, for the Harvard University Press. In 1923 Baskerville was again revived, although this time in England by a man named Stanley Morison, for the British Monotype Company. The most recent revival of the Baskerville typeface was in 1996 when it was used as the basis for the design of the typeface ‘Mrs Eaves’, designed by Zuzana Licko.
Baskerville is still widely used today with many modified versions being created since its design in 1757. The refined feeling of the Baskerville typeface makes it an excellent choice when you would like to convey dignity and tradition. Baskerville is a typeface that is and will be continued to be celebrated as one of the best ever typefaces for printed books thanks to its traditional thin and start lines.
The Baskerville font was designed by type designer, writing master and printer, John Baskerville. John was born on the 28th of January 1706 in Wolverley England and died in 1775 in Birmingham England at the age of 68. He spent many years perfecting and improving existing fonts such as Caslon, however in 1730 John began developing his own style of font which was to become the beginning of Baskerville. John studied the ease of reading various faces and found that fine-stroked types were actually easier to read when printed in smaller sizes- a characteristic essential for books. It was this finding that lead to the design of Baskerville, a font that is characterised by its finer strokes. John Baskerville designed and first published the Baskerville font in 1757. Baskerville is a typeface that still to this day reflects John’s ideals for perfection, simplicity and quiet refinement.
During the time when the Baskerville font was designed, many other type designers throughout England claimed that John Baskerville’s font was too thin and stark in contrast to the fonts present at the time (such as Caslon). John’s fellow contemporaries believed that the typeface was going damage the eyes of anyone who try to read it. Despite this the Baskerville font was much admired overseas by the likes of Benjamin Franklin.
Baskerville fell out of use in the early 1900s with the onset of modern typefaces such as Bodoni. However in 1917, Baskerville was revived by a man named Bruce Rogers, for the Harvard University Press. In 1923 Baskerville was again revived, although this time in England by a man named Stanley Morison, for the British Monotype Company. The most recent revival of the Baskerville typeface was in 1996 when it was used as the basis for the design of the typeface ‘Mrs Eaves’, designed by Zuzana Licko.
Baskerville is still widely used today with many modified versions being created since its design in 1757. The refined feeling of the Baskerville typeface makes it an excellent choice when you would like to convey dignity and tradition. Baskerville is a typeface that is and will be continued to be celebrated as one of the best ever typefaces for printed books thanks to its traditional thin and start lines.
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