Graphic+Design+and+Desktop+Publishing


 * Sunday, October 18, 2009**

The color lecture and demo were also really interesting to me. I’ve been learning (or trying to learn) about colors, mostly from HGTV. My color choices have been very pastel in the past, and I’m learning to appreciate bold colors. I’m trying to incorporate more color and contrast in my newsletter at the moment. The newsletter making process has been fun, once I figured out how to get started with InDesign. In the beginning, I was completely lost and spent quite a bit of time watching all the tutorial videos. I spent a few hours on the Lamar Island in Second Life last night with Flora, Dr. Y, and a bunch of other people. Dr. Y had to create a new deck on top of the mountain, so we can all fit! I was able to create some objects and change the color of an object with my script. We got to shoot each other with the watermelon launchers, and then Dr. Y passed out some radioactive tea to everyone. I really haven’t teleported to many places. The random places that I have been were mostly deserted. I didn’t get to see the in-game Halloween parties that someone mentioned, but I don’t think I’m missing out. The animation, to me, seems more two-dimensional and lacks the realistic feel that many other games have. The avatar movement was also awkward, although I do like the flying ability. I find the scripting language complex and not user friendly. I understand that SL appeals to some because of the ability to create and individualize a vast variety of objects from intricate jewelries to large buildings, but I would not have chosen this game on my own. The idea of using video games in education has been around for the past several years. Personally, I believe that it’s important for us to understand why kids like video games. Kids play video games because it offers immediate feedback in a goal oriented, competitive environment. My high schoolers love (I mean LOVE) the World of Warcraft, and they talk about the game ALL the time. They come to class all sleepy because they stayed up all night playing. HALO is another contender, but WOW is by far the winner. We say that kids nowadays lack attention span, but they don’t. Kids have great attention span, and they can sit in front of the screen and play for hours. What video games do is that they engage our kids. I know that, as an educator, I have a great deal to learn about the making of something as engaging as a video game. I don’t believe that the solution is so much in making an educational video game, rather incorporating the principles and making education engaging. In a newsletter, contrast creates conflict and interest by varying elements like color and font. As the design elements are used in repetition throughout the newsletter, an overall sense of design unity is created. Alignment of columns and photographs properly enhance readership. Proximity of elements, such as photograph with the relating story, allows the reader to make visual association. In any newsletter, the overall layout should be clean, attractive, and user friendly. The front page should be distinguished from the rest of the newsletter. Vital information should be clearly listed. Jump lines or jump heads should be easily identified. Text should not be obstructed by images. Content should be current, age appropriate, and relevant. Attention to details and creativity should be evident. I just followed the rubric for the Week 5 Assignment. Distinctive design for page one (10%) Logo (10%) Dominant graphic each page (10%) Effective use of text columns (10%) Jumped copy properly identified, in any (10%) Cutlines (10%) Overall design (20%) CRAP rules (20%) Total 100% Each element independently can be evaluated, but each also influences the overall appearance of the newsletter. The improper use or lack of any single element can take away from the visual unity of the project. The use of CRAP should be evident throughout across all the categories. Attention to details and creativity should also be demonstrated in each category. Knowing the purpose and audience is critical in creating a newsletter. The purpose should be conveyed on the front page as well as in the overall design. At first glance, the reader should have an idea of what purpose the newsletter is intended to do. Is the newsletter informing us of local events, selling company products, or educating us? There should be a primary audience and secondary audience. These elements should meet the criteria weighted in on the evaluation of the first page and the overall design. The time and skills required underlines the grading for this assignment. A polished product will take time and skills, but because we come from different background of skill levels, grading should be evaluated on the understanding and application of the basic design principles. Some of the essential errors in creating a newsletter as a classroom project with students are not allowing sufficient time and guidance on resource management. It is not always necessary for the teacher to take the students step by step through the process. In fact, learning through self exploration proved to be valuable for students, but such learning takes time and careful planning on the teacher’s part. For public distribution beyond the classroom, some essential errors to avoid may be crowding with too much image and text or a lack of association among the various elements in the newsletter. The overall organization and style of the newsletter creates a lasting first impression and hooks the reader in.


 * Project: Newsletter**