Printing & Paper vs. E-Waste

The past few years, people have been trying to get the point of recycling across everyone's heads and being environmentally friendly. But not everyone really cares to follow it. We have so much stuff  made from recycled things nowadays but what about when it goes into the art world? As technology grows, we look to finding new ways to recycle everything. So in the design world, what about printing or doing everything electronically?

We often go for what's easy for us. For example, paper wise, we can either go buy a book or read it electronically. We still send out cheques or do online banking. We always send e-mails instead of letters now. Most things are available electronically rather than having it on the old fashion way of paper. But what's the cost of having things electronically? How do we recycle that? It's said that electronics are environmentally costly to make (with lead, mercury, arsenic, gold and silver), suck coal-fire-powered electricity to run and create a multi-ton and toxic waste. Are killing trees really worth poisoning the world? I would rather have things done with paper than everything be electronically. Also, it's personal preference as well. Whatever is easy is the first option. It kind of makes the society lazy too. I personally do online banking instead of wasting paper for monthly bills because its quicker and easier and more time efficient.

I think everyone could go on talking about being environmentally friendly on and on and on but we would all be stuck in the middle because there are cons and pros to both sides. One doesn't kill trees but make toxic waste and the other side kills trees but they are more recyclable to produce new products paper wise. Feel free to share opinion on this!

Portrait Photography

About a year ago, I was holding a professional camera for the first time ever in my hands. I had no idea how to take photos or what to watch out for when taking a photo, what all these buttons mean, even how to hold the camera really. So, since the the past year and a bit, I began to like photography a lot. I don't think I'm the best or anything and I'm sure I need improvements here and there but I think I take decent photos for a person who had no idea about photography. 

Recently I did a photo shoot for someone that just signed a contract with a record label in Germany even though he lives here in Ontario. Well, to help him start on a good spot I offered for a photo shoot that he could use professionally.

 

This is one of the many photos that are decided to be the final good ones. I think this photo ended up being successful because the lighting was great. It wasn't too harsh but not dull either and with a white card on the other side, it gave a soft brightness on the opposite side of his face for a balanced look. I guess I can count these set of photos I took as my first photography job for my own line "deLight Photography" even though it was just for helping out. Feel free to comment for improvements!

 

Organic Package

In one of my classes, we had an organic packaging project assigned. Out of all the organic products anyone could think of, I chose to design a package for soy milk that kids could appeal to kids and parents more to take to school maybe. I got to say that I went through so many concepts and ideas to stick to one. Neither one worked out and I wasn't feeling it as you could say. So I called it Soy Kids®.

I was about to do a package shaped like a soybean but then thought it might be too lame. So, I made a cube shape for it. Something different and new, but unusual. It would fit well in any bag to take with you, so why not? Being in second year for graphic design program, it's still tough to design a package from scratch when you have to come up with the name. It requires so much time and effort, plus the creative thinking. But, what better way to prepare for the real world.

Movie review

So, over the weekend I went and saw the movie called Gangster Squad. I thought it would be some kind of boring movie at first. But, I was quiet surprised because I really liked how it was made in a way to remind the older days like the 80s and 60s. I know that everything is getting better in technology and we have more futuristic films out in the theatre and modern, but somehow they get boring. It's like every movie pretty much has the same story line. You could even predict the ending of these movies by watching the trailer. I really liked how Gangster Squad had the older feel and look to the movie and how it was filmed. I recommend it!

Strength and Weakness

Every graphic designer has a strength and a weakness. But how do we make that weakness work out with our strengths to make something creative. For example, I am good at photography and illustration in my own opinion. I like taking the pictures, I love setting up the area to take a photo of. It gets me very excited and feel more professional even though I'm still a student. With illustration, I keep trying new things every time and to be honest, I didn't know how to work with the program called Adobe Illustrator back in September, I knew nothing about it. I still struggle with photoshop as well still even though I think it's cool but Illustrator just draws me in more. So when I take my photos, I try to take them as good as possible so I don't need to go into Photoshop and use my non-existing skills.
But I am terrible at package designing, at least that's how I feel every time I get a packaging project. I do my research every time and go through many ideas, but then when it gets down to making a very cool package, it goes downhill. I don't know if I'm trying too hard thinking to make something great. Packages I make for projects, make me nervous when it comes to showing it to other people for opinion because I feel like my ideas are not creative enough for them. For the graphic designers out there, share some tips for me to make some cool package!

Trends

Now that 2012 is over, what's up in 2013?!

I was researching for trends on everything for 2013 to get a better glimpse of where design is going and what's going to be more popular. And it seems like the winner is typography. I see informational blogs talking about type is going to step in and take a big role in especially web design. Oh and a bit of illustrative style too. They expect to see more simple innovative ideas for web design. More white space to be used.

Typography and layouts are big part of this too. They want to get rid of flash because some mobile phones like Apple don't support it very well to see on screen. In my opinion I don't think that's very important because it should be about the website and not how much stuff your phone can do. No one needs to be addicted to their phone that much. 

Large images are to be used this year to make more of a visual appeal to the website as background and have typography flow with it. Sound very modern and chique already. there are many websites out there could use something like that. For example, some spa's have ok looking websites but big picture with nice type on it could make it even better.

Since our society lives in the Facebook and Twitter world creeping people away, looks like we are going to see more of that. Everyone on earth is going to be on these social media websites. At some point, they do get annoying though. It's like, really?

Besides that, we have been seeing a lot of bright colours here and there especially in fashion. But for web design, we are expected to see calmer colours to modernize everything and make it flow better.

Well, I hope to see some cool looking websites out there this year!

Thai Express Ad

Ok, we all know good, amazing advertisements and then the terrible, horrifying advertisements ever made. Well, I took a picture of this one advertisement that was on a bus while I was on another bus. First thing I said when I saw it was "....oh my god".

Sorry it's a bit blurry thanks to crappy phone camera of course. No joke, Thai Express has nice boxes for their take out. I really like them with colour designs and shape wise. But, what on earth is going on with this ad?? I saw it a few months ago and just remembered as I was going through the phone. Why is that box bigger than her head???? If they want to advertise th box and not the girl, they should've just done a shot of the box since they obviously suck at laying it out and photoshopping that box there! My eyes hurt when I look at this ad. One of the worst ads I ever saw in the area I'm living in.