TIPS

That "ah ha" moment just occured. I really enjoyed looking at all of these outstanding portfolios, but being realistic I'm not positive I could re-create what I saw. Yet seeing the bright side of things there are tips to take a gander at that should assist me, you or anyone to create a portfolio that is our own. Here are a couple of sites:

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/02/26/10-steps-to-the-perfect-portfolio-website/

http://www.coroflot.com/public/help_portfolio_tips.asp

Portfolio Biz

After looking at the portfolios of many individuals it isn't hard to say that everyones portfolio will look different. DUH. I mean everyone has different purpose which is displayed by the pieces an individual includes. I like writing, but do you think people really want to read a book of text...eh not likely! Although I may not be the most creative or talented in the design aspect the way in which the materials are presented is key. Presentation, packaging, etc. are the best ways to get yourself in the door in any situation. I went hunting down some sites that would show me different ways others package their work and this is one I found:

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/11/26/50-beautiful-and-creative-portfolio-designs/

Presentations

For most PR and Advertising majors the end of the year is not necessarily filled with a gamut of tests and papers but projects and presentations. As we approach the end of semester many classes such as PR Campaigns and Ad Campaigns have very important pitch presentations. This semester Professor Joye Gordon showed and posted this link on presenting. In summary it is a short clip of how to best present with three simple rules. Check it out here!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGZyG0Jchjo&feature=related and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-8EQPpA4DM

3D

It seems as of lately movies, images etc. in 3D are the best thing since sliced bread. If it is such a big deal, then I suppose we should probably learn about it just for fun and the chance to get creative. Here is a link to a 3D tutorial extravaganza!

http://www.instructables.com/id/Creating-a-3D-effect-with-image-editing--software-/

Apple

Who knew that a great site to check out could be the Apple website?? Ok, well probably everyone did but I just now thought of it. We use Apple products almost everyday and specifically for our majors, PR and Advertising. To know more about the products we use and the software the Apple website offers information on its products, a store to buy and TUTORIALS. I believe everyone would easily be able to find the website, but the link is posted here as well.

http://www.apple.com/

Job Hunt

Althought I am not a senior just yet it never hurts to be on the look out for available jobs. As I have been talking with my graduating friends I have learned that finding a job or perhaps getting the job is not always easy. The economy is less than satisfactory and the job market is quite comparable to that as well. I did a simple google search for PR firms and found this site:


http://www.schwartz-pr.com/services.php?gclid=COvMneaRpaECFQqF7QodShckxQ

The link opens into the types of PR Schwartz Communications focuses on. Extra links allows us curious kiddo's to look through their information and get a handle on their business. If I were to want to apply here, I would definitely check out the site and learn about them prior to sending a cover letter and my resume. Planning for a future and job search also requires that we not only find the companies but educate ourselves on them as well. We think being a student is hard, just thinking about the work it takes to even get hired and then what it will be like to rise through the ranks in our careers. I think one extra year is my saving grace, I might as well start applying now!

"Oh The Places You'll Go"

Well here is some food for thought..or what ever. I think these quotes could end up being not necessarily inspirational but a day maker and perhaps get you to think a little more positively about those end of the school year stressors as well as any stress you may be having about graduating!

These are from the book by Dr. Seuss " Oh the Places You'll Go"

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go

You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed.
You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you'll be the best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

End of Semester madness

I feel like the poster of the Mad Hatter sort of describes the emotions of many students at this point in the semester. With final projects and tests coming up there is a vast amount of work to get done yet so little time. I suppose when professors hand out those sweet sheets, outlining the class eventually as students we should take them and get to work. Yet as we are college students, I feel like the majority of us may never take that hint. So as I am currently blogging I have a "GAGILLION" things running through my mind such as the last two flash projects, my portfolio and a few other things for other classes. I wish there words of inspiration that could motivate us all but all I can think of is Dr. Seuss and his book " Oh the Places You'll Go". In a sense I am hoping that even if we all don't create a portfolio as outstanding as others, one day we will eventually end up in a career that accepts the talents and intellectual abilities we do posses.

I really enjoy this poster because of the color used. I think that the design and colors used really make Johnny Depp stand out. I think that from his image the text doesn't have to be the main focus, the consistency between all of the posters allows the viewer to understand this is an advertisement for "Alice in Wonderland"

ALICE IN WONDERLAND

I went and saw the new Alice in Wonderland by Tim Burton. I thought that it was a very different design then the original. Perhaps that is because real people and not cartoons were acting out the plot. I feel like the design of the setting and characters was very unique. I enjoyed the way they used the characters and objects and settings as the consistent factor through the advertisements of the movie. I found a few online and thought it would be cool for anyone following to check them out. Feel free to comment on what you like and dislike about the ads and how you would change them.

Adobe ONLINE

Well I have to say that my title probably doesn't really do much for this post. I simply was searching around on the internet for more tutorial resources. I found this link

http://www.layersmagazine.com

If you go to the site it has all of the Adobe programs at the top and all you have to do is click on the one you want. From there you are taken to the specific tutorials for that program and you can go through them until you feel like going to a different program or exercising the skills you learned from the other. I know that working in one program after awhile can be BORING! Therefore, I find this site refreshing in the sense that when your attitude changes there are plenty of options to try out.

Tutorial library

The last few tutorials I have posted were from the same site, you can find a ton more on photoshop at this link:

http://www.technobuzz.net/photoshop-tutorials/

Some of the tutorials are simple others take a little more effort. Although if you are skilled in the Photoshop software they will probably seem like a piece of cake. Check out the site if you are interested in changing typeface and adding effects to images through, color, lighting and many more options!

More Photoshop

Summer is quickly approaching, although it doesn't seem like it will be coming without a large work load including tests, projects and other such things related to school. I was reliving the glory of spring break and the idea of a beach and heat when I found this tutorial on adding reflections onto sunglasses. Check out this link:

http://www.photoshopessentials.com/photo-effects/sunglasses/page-3.php

Text enhancement

Text can be really boring!!!! I found a cool tutorial that could be used for I think both Advertising majors and also Public Relations. Both require creativity and a need to reach several types of audiences. This tutorial is a little longer than my last post and it takes a bit more time and attention to details! Here is the link:

http://psd.tutsplus.com/text-effects-tutorials/create-a-spectacular-grass-text-effect-in-photoshop/

Comic book tutorial

I was hunting for some cool photoshop tutorials and I found one about making comic book images in photoshop. It is a pretty simple and quick tutorial and there is a lot of freedom once the initial steps are completed. Here is the link:

http://www.photoshoproadmap.com/Photoshop-blog/2007/09/13/give-your-photos-a-retro-comic-book-effect/

Creativity

Obviously after my portfolio presentation and looking at everyone other portfolio in class I would say I seriously lack the creativity gene. I think by seeing other people's work and creativity I may be able to change my template work into my own. I hope that from viewing portfolios with different typeface, color, lines, etc. it will inspire some miraculous creativity that will help me create better and more original pieces for my portfolio.

PR newsletter

I followed one of the links on Dr. Pearce's blog. I am a PR student and Newsletters are a pretty popular type of media we use to reach our publics. I found one that I really liked. The link

ishttp://www.evokeresponse.com/

I think the design is really simple and cool. The use of graphics or pictures on every page is entertaining. Not everyone is all about reading so if there is a way to grab a readers attention with photos and have a little bit of text on each page more than likely I think a better response will be had. Check out the site, see if you like it as well :).

I found the link for my student led demo. If you click on it you should be able to explore other tutorials available on the site as well. Enjoy!

http://www.photoshopsupport.com/tutorials/jf/art-history-brush-painting-effect/art-history-brush-tutorial.html

My student led demo

If you weren't in class on the day of my student led demo, I am posting a little bit about it so that you to can try it out. I am just getting started with the program Photoshop so my tutorial may seem like a piece of cake if you have any experience.

When I did my tutorial I actually found it from a website offering assistance to those who may be entirely lost when it comes to digitally enhancing or changing photos, etc.

This tutorial taught me about the art history brush and how to use it to change a high resolution photo into a painting. The image I used was the same from the tutorial , a simple flower which is at the top of my novel.

Tutorial:

Simple, easy and fun.

Follow these steps and you should be good to go.

1. Choose the art history brush

2. Go to the top of your screen where the tool bar for the art history brush will appear

3. Choose the size of the brush on the left side of the tool bar, we want to use a dry brush tip such as 66.

4.On the far right of the tool bar you should be able to toggle the brushes options palette.

5. In the brushes palette double-click the SHAPE DYNAMICS and change the roundness jitter to 50%.

6. Click on the COLOR DYNAMICS option and change the hue to 10%.

7. Back on your toolbar at the top change the style of the brush to tight and short

8. Also change the area to 50 px.

( all of the adjustments you made can be done on the art history brush tool bar, except for the brushes palette adjustments)

9. These are all of the changes you need to make, you are now able to paint away.

Something I learned after my tutorial is that it is always a good idea to create a second layer so that you don't damage your original :)

You can also add different effects such as mulitplying, darkening, lightning, etc. to bring contrast and other design ideas to your painting!

Adobe Flash

Well I am not sure if you could classify this as a technique that I have learned, but more of a lesson. When working in Adobe Flash you definitely have to be on top of your game. Paying attention to the littlest of details, for example, putting the Drawing Object option on when creating a shape on the stage so that later you can properly edit it without changing other elements on the stage. For the latest ATC Project, I was working on was all about coding. If you haven't started on it or if you have did you have any hiccups? It was a challenge to get everything set so that it ran properly. I guess you could say this blog is just a heads up slash advice for anyone who may share the same problems that I have experienced. If you have any advice on how to fool proof your work on Flash, by all means comment and I will gladly accept the information!

James Cameron's AVATAR

I was looking on line the other day for a tutorial. I found one on how to create your own AVATAR. I wanted to get more experience with photoshop while having fun. I thought if you wanted to try it out and let me know if you have any tips on how to make it easier for a beginner like me that would be great. Here is the link

http://free-web-design.co.cc/create-james-camerons-avatar-movie-poster-in-photoshop-tutorial.html

Have fun with it and comment with any tips you might have :).

First Blog

This is my first blog for MC 557 - Advanced Advertising and PR Techniques. Hopefully throughout this semester I will be able to post some really neat techniques that I learn, examples of great design, etc. Feel free to follow my blog and make comments and critiques.