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COURSE HOME
ADVANCED TYPE & LAYOUT
PROJECT SUMMARY - Form
ART 2230 Advanced Type & Layout - Kerry Gonzales
ASSIGNMENT OUTLINE AND SUMMARY
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Forms are complex and take a considerable amount of time and planning to organize so that someone does not have to guess what or where to complete information. It is our job as the designer to make form-filling easy.
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Forms, whether online or in print, are among the most difficult design problems to be solved. This project will require students to create and design a form for print. However, the same problem-solving techniques could be used for an online form.
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This printed form will be made of 3-parts or copies. One copy for the cake company, another for delivery, and a third for the customer. The same design will be printed on white, canary (pale yellow) and pale pink paper. This will be to simulate a carbon business form and its ease of transferring information for records and multiple parties use. New technology throughout various industries have eliminated the use of carbon paper resulting in carbonless paper.
Yet there are still companies who use carbon paper for special forms. Making practice and education on this topic important.
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Keep in mind that the form may look great on white and canary paper but not so much on pink. Some slight alterations may need to be made so all colors work well.
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Company name: Patty Cakes Specialty Cake Company
Company may be abbreviated to: Co.
Website: pattycakes.com
HAND COMP
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This was the most challenging aspect of the assignment for me, when you think of a form and its layout, it seems pretty self-explanatory and straight forward. Sketching out a form and working out some of the more technical questions might seem unnecessary. But like all projects or assignments, sketch work and planning are very important.
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The challenging aspect for me was how to represent some of my ideas in relation to the content of the form. It wasn’t until the intermediate comps that I started to plan out where some of the content would sit as far as the layout or design, I was going to end up working with.
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The other challenge for me, is being full time with my employer and my schooling, often times my sketch and doodling was completed at work, on scratch paper that was left over from medical forms and needed to be disposed of. This was not a great practice but was often time the uncaptured work are quick and garbage but and act as a mental / creative exercise to work shop ideas. I have a few of these but most of what was done I didn’t keep. This isn’t always a great practice to have, but for me it works.
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I think everything was pretty successful. There are only minor issues in the final hand comp that I could have worked out better. But again, the hand and sketch work were challenging in this assignment, and definitely more than others.
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COMPUTER COMP
This was the easiest part of this assignment / project. I was able to take my hand work and move it to the computer fairly quickly and easily. I am happy that this is becoming easier with every project that is completed in my education. Finding new techniques and tools to work more quickly and efficiently.
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The most challenging aspect was my illustration and custom Type-Logo, converting my sketch design and graphics proved to be difficult for me. I am in an illustration course and decided to put some of my new knowledge to the test and see if this would work better than Photoshop or InDesign. This wasn’t completely in my skill range quite yet. But I was able to produce both the type logo and graphics in illustrator to a satisfactory level.
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There were also areas from the hand comp that were in much need to be adjusted, you lay something out and it seems to work, but then you realize that you missed something or forgot and it makes the movement and adjustment difficult on paper. But with the computer comps you freely add the areas that were missed in.
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Which in my case were a few things… small things, but also very important or crucial items to the successful completion of the project. Computer is always the easiest for me. I feel this is true for many artists, but I never want to lose the ability to compete the hand work. I truly believe that while technology makes somethings easier, it also makes our creative playground smaller in ways, it can make many artists lazy or too easily rushed to a finished line of only partial success.
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I am truly happy with my form. I would have loved to do the other form, but the one that I have chosen works and has great aspects of successful artistry and design.
FORM PROJECT
PROCESS AND FINAL OUTCOME
Total Completion Time: 22.88 hrs
1. Research & Brainstorming
Design Process Step Summary
I started with first going over the details of the assignment in an effort to determine the direction I was hoping to take this. When I found the company name that we were going to do, my mind was a buzz with ideas. But mainly because of the cute small-town bakery with quality the name Patty Cakes Co. inspired for me.
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After that I went straight away to the brainstorming and webbing of ideas. Working out how I wanted it to appear. Then gathering some samples of other forms and some logo ideas that went along with my thoughts for the assignment.
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COMPLETION TIME SUMMARY - 1.27 hrs
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Design Process Step Summary
This is always a struggle area for me as an artist’s; not so much that I don’t do it as much as it is that I don’t show it very well or capture the sketches and doodles that I do. Often times because of my time constraints with work and school, I do doodles and sketches at work. many are done in the off moments when the ideas are fresh on my mind and I just let them flow. When these moments do happen thought they tend to be on scrap paper from the office that I am not allowed to keep because of patient information. So, I usually just let it be a sort of creative exercise and playground for the ideas. Then when I’m in my studio a lot of the ideas that I have end up shifting to the next stage of thumbnails. This is still an area I need to work on capturing more. I know that once I am a artists in my studio for realties it will be easier to keep my doodles and sketches rather than rely solely on the mental memory.
I do have to say that the type-logo was way fun to play around with, and for some reason i decided to break out the water colors and play with tinting the precursor to the graphic and type logo.
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COMPLETION TIME SUMMARY - 1.35 hrs
Design Process Step Summary
I loved the direction these were going. At this point I was going to do one more, but then landed on the ideas of the top left and bottom right as being my favorite, and as I mentioned with the logo / company name in the research and brainstorming stage it felt cutesy so I wanted to maybe play with the floral element from the top right.
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I knew where I was going to take this and I was very happy with the direction from here.
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COMPLETION TIME SUMMARY - 2.08 hrs
Design Process Step Summary
I loved these. The one on the left was my favorite and I really felt it had a “patty cakes” feel to it. I was concerned with duplicating some of the illustration work and if it would be overly complex for just an order form. But in the same I also know that high end companies—even the ones that tend to be cute—are all about specialty look and elements that make them stand out. So, a little embellishments and embroidery like this on an order form could play into a signature look.
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I did however end up going with the one on the right because of popular opinion / feedback, and some of the simplistic ease that it would have for me as an artists and student.
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Both were in my opinion to be excellent designs, and would have their place. I just ended up playing it safe. These were way fun to sketch out. Which is why they look as good as they do, again with the pen, pencil, and some water colors too.
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COMPLETION TIME SUMMARY - 3.62 hrs
Design Process Step Summary
The final hand come came together well. it definitely shows the direction and intention of the end product. It is of course a bit heavy and dark, with the graphics and logo being a bit large. There are also several elements of the design that were missing from the artwork. But this gave me a good layout to transfer / replicate into a digital media.
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I like the way that it looks, but there are also areas that I feel perhaps could be improved on, even in regards to a hand comp.
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COMPLETION TIME SUMMARY - 2.84 hrs
Design Process Step Summary
this was a complete replicate and transfer to the digital media. It has the same look and feels right as far as the layout and design. there were only several elements that had to be added in, but were going to need to be work shopped during the design process.
The most challenging aspect of this stage was my illustration and custom Type-Logo, converting my sketch design and graphics proved to be difficult for me. I am in an illustration course and decided to put some of my new knowledge to the test and see if this would work better than Photoshop or InDesign. This wasn’t completely in my skill range quite yet. But I was able to produce both the type logo and graphics in illustrator to a satisfactory level.
Overall it came together well and I was pleased with the start that I had going.
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COMPLETION TIME SUMMARY - 3.06 hrs
Design Process Step Summary
And this is when the magic really happens, the job of the artist and their ability smooths things out and sets a project apart from those of success and less successful outcomes. Anyone can build a form but as an artists and designer this is when we use our skills, knowledge, and abilities to fine tune the details.
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There is always a lot of back and forth, I did include some of the feedback from Kerry Gonzales who is the instructor of the course to show the execution and flexibility from start to finished as they represent the presence of the client in this work. with the suggestions and feedback that one may or may not receive.
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I felt in this instance the alteration “requests” or “suggestions” could show another side to my ability with extended instruction and flexible response.
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COMPLETION TIME SUMMARY - 7.33 hrs
Design Process Step Summary
Not the most exciting aspect of the project however it is a important stage as this will play into the actual delivery of a product that the client has requested and paid for. This is the industry production piece. there is no bleed on this from because of the contained artwork with in the margin space, just a standard composite form with trim and information slug.
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COMPLETION TIME SUMMARY - .42 hrs
Design Process Step Summary
Last but not least in the design process is the finished piece. The project in a clean and complete presentation form. The first image of course, is the form in its completed design. The second image is the project presented in a Mock Mount ( as this would have been in person to be presented before the class, only not really mounted, just a mock up ), then lastly is the image of the forms laid out on my drawing table.
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This project had its challenges, but came together quite nicely and I am happy with its professional appearance that it now shows in my abilities.
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COMPLETION TIME SUMMARY - .91 hrs
The forms laid out on my drawing table, a filled out from ( top left ), an assembled form with three sheets representing carbon transfer paper mock up ( top right ), three forms in proper color sheets to show how the design transfers or reads on the different colors. ( bottom three ).
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