bogackim – Just another DMA Sites site

Project 4: Map Infographics

For project 4, our task was to create a map of any town. I picked a section of Buffalo NY for my map. There were a handful of simple features I learned throughout this project such as setting an object in the front or back of another object. I made several changes to my final project as the critique was beneficial to me. I changed the color of the side streets so that they could be set apart from the main roads. This project was fairly easy but it required a decent amount of time to complete. My submission could be improved by including more roads to the map. This would create greater detail in the map. There isn’t really a way my professor could improve this project. Screencasts were posted online which made it very easy to follow along. Most of the things I learned in this project and other projects throughout the year, I used for designing my hockey equipment. I strongly believe that I will use the skills I learned this year on future projects regarding photoshop and Illistator. Both versions of my project are included below.

Unfinished Project
———————————————————————————————————————————-

Project 3: Package Design

For project three our goal was to create a package design for Elmhurst. Using labs six, seven, and eight helped create a near finished product. I found an image of a coffee mug from https://publicdomainvectors.org/en/. I added a quote from Henry Schwartz that would be seen on the carton. I made some changes based on the project three critique. I replaced the apple slice with an apple since the colors did not work out. I also included cinnamon with the apple to help the buyer have a better understanding on what they are purchasing. I changed the color of the font to red so that it would match with the overall design better. I included both versions on my project below. The first image shows the first version, the last image shows the final version. One thing I learned was how a package is designed. Illustrator is a great way to accomplish this task. This project was not very challenging because some of the work was already done from previous labs. My submission could be improved by modifying the background so that it has a different design. One way our professor could improve this project is to include another demo on background design. The possibilities are endless so it would help to have another example. Other than that, the professor did a good job with providing instructions. This knowledge could possibly be applied to our next project. Everything I learned in Illustrator is also helping me with a side project I have. As you may know I play hockey and I have an opportunity to design my next set of goalie equipment. I am working with people from Bauer Hockey (who are also using Illustrator) to come up with a final design.

Bogacki Lab 8

For lab 8, our goal was to learn how to type on a circle. This was something that I’ve never done before so it was cool to see how text could be curved around an image. I also learned how to change the spacing between the 1 and 5. I didn’t run into any problems or find this lab challenging. The instructions were easy to follow. The professor could improve this lab by allowing us to use our own images and text to make our labs unique. Other than that, this lab was great to learn how to type on a circle. This knowledge will be applied to the upcoming project 3. My lab 8 can be seen below:

Bogacki Lab 7

For lab 7, our goal was to create shapes and fill them in with colors from our color palette that I made on coolors.co. This lab was fairly easy because of the fact the instructions were easy to follow. One thing that was a little challenging for some reason was when I tried to fill in the individual boxes. I later learned that I had everything selected. My submission could be improved by creating different shapes so that the overall design would be more interesting. There isn’t really a way the professor could improve this lab since there was a video posted on how to do this lab. I will apply the knowledge I learned in this lab to project 3. My final lab can be seen below:

Bogacki Lab 6

For lab 6, our goal was to familiarize ourselves with image tracing. One thing I learned was how to use certain tools in Illustrator. This was something that I have never done before since I don’t use Illustrator that often. This lab was pretty easy to do since it had minimal steps. It also wasn’t that challenging as we basically just needed to resize the logo. The final logo I created for lab 6 can be seen below. My submission could be improved by making the logo stand out more. This could be done by using different colors. I don’t see how the professor could improve this assignment since it was a short lab and a video was posted on D2L. The knowledge from lab 6 and and will be used for project 3.

Bogacki Project 2

The goal for project two was to create composite images from project one imagery. One thing I learned was how to remove a background from an image. This project was fairly easy as we basically just modified the images we had from project one. This project was not very challenging however, it did take some time to make sure the requirements were met. My submission could be improved by adding more detailed images to the final composited image. The professor could improve this project by posting due dates as well as critique dates on D2L. This knowledge can be applied to future labs and projects as it is important to know how to do things like removing a background from an image. A reading called “Photoshop Compositing Basics” helped me throughout the project. It gave me a better idea on what composite images are and even showed some examples. After our critique in class, I have made some changes to the final piece. I flipped the bison so that everything looked like it was flying/moving to the right. I also made the background lighter because the one I had before was very dark and did not fit the “heavenly” theme. I also made the text look like it was flying to the right along with hockey player Ryan O’Reilly. The final image for project two can be seen below.

Bogacki Lab 5

For lab 5, we had some practice with the pen tooling Illustrator. One thing in learned was how to create curves with the pen tool. This was something I never really done before but is very useful to know. This lab involved parts that were easy and others that were more challenging. For an example, creating the flower was more challenging than creating basic curves. The professor could improve this assignment by creating a slower demo to follow along. These skills could definetly be used for future labs and projects. The pen tool could be used to trace certain objects or even create new shapes. Screenshots are included below.

Matt Bogacki Lab 4

For lab 4, we used methods for generating dynamic background imagery in photoshop using built in tools. This lab includes subtle blurs, brushed metal, cloud effect, gradients, and shapes.We also used an image to select an area of consistent texture. There were a couple things that I have learned throughout this lab. I learned how to apply a cloudy and blur effect. This was something I have never really done before so it was interesting to see how it was done. This lab was pretty simple because of the fact that we did it in class. If anything was confusing, we were be able to ask questions in class. My submission could be improved by modifying part 2 of this lab. It would be better to find an image that has a similar color throughout so that the final piece would look like one smooth image (rather than seeing squares). The professor could improve this assignment by giving a list of other effects for us to experiment with. Overall, this lab would be very beneficial to future labs and projects since these effects could be used to take our photoshop skills to the next level. Images from lab 4 are included below:

Matt Bogacki Project 1 Portfolio

The goal of this project was to create a portfolio of 16 images that have a personal meaning. As you can see from the images above, hockey was the main theme here. Hockey is a sport that has changed my life. It is a great way to meet new people, reduce stress, compete, and just simply have fun. With that said, I figured that the sport of hockey was perfect for this project. One thing I learned during this project is how to use InDesign. The level of difficulty was minimal however, I did have some issues throughout the project. This was an application that I have never used before so it was interesting to use it for this project. One thing I found challenging was getting use to InDesign. My submission could be improved by modifying the images even more to perfect them. Re-taking a couple pictures would also help to improve the quality of this project overall. One way the professor could improve this project is to do more demos to clarify a couple steps. These skills could be applied to future projects if any images would need to be modified.

Bogacki Lab 3

The goal for this lab was to get familiar with many of the features that photoshop offers. One thing I learned was that the eraser has many modes/features. It can be set to contiguous or discontiguous and can changed based on what background you have selected. One thing that was challenging was trying to work around and erase the background near the hair. This really required attention to detail to make sure that the background around the hair was gone. The professor could improve this lab by allowing us to use our own images to experiment with. My submission could be improved if I spent more time with the eraser tool to make sure that none of the hair is erased on accident. These are tools that definitely can be used in future labs/projects. The ability to be able to use the eraser and pen tool would be beneficial to any project dealing with editing photos or images. I included the final image for lab three below.