Katelyn Boulton - Visual Communication: December 2013

I'll be the first to admit, photography and I usually don't go well together. Regardless to say, I've procrastinated this assignment for just shy of two months. And because I did so, I'm treating you to not one, but many of the photos I took.

The above photograph plays on the rule of thirds in a few different ways. (Disclaimer: I cropped the photo just a tiny bit, so that the rule of thirds would be more prominent.) The sun, as it peaks over the mountains in the distance, rests on the bottom right point in the rule of thirds grid. The mountaintops and horizon line touch the bottom rule of third gridline, allowing the sky to take up the top two-thirds of the image. The road and signs act as graphic vectors, guiding your eye through the photo and towards the sun. The viewer should have an understanding that, if they were in a car on the road, they'd most likely be traveling toward the sun. The diagonal lines of the power cables create movement, also sending the viewers' eye to the sun, the focal point of the image.

This photo, too, lends itself a spot in the rule of thirds. The "Do Not Enter" sign is positioned in the left third of the photograph, sending your eye immediately there. However, upon further observation, the viewer's eyes travel down the road, as it acts as a motion vector. The tops of the houses provide a diagonal line, sending the viewers' eyes to the road. The "Do Not Enter" sign is an index vector.

The sign that's closest to the viewer rests in the right third of the photograph. Your eye should first be drawn there but then direct itself down the diagonal line of the signs and path of the road. The signs, road, and power lines, act as both motion and graphic vectors in this image, guiding the eye down the road and out of the image. While they each act as vectors, they also play out the diagonal rule, in that they provide movement and direction to the image.

The trees closest in the image rest on the left third and right third of the image. The homes play on the diagonal rule, giving movement to the photo. There's also a figure-ground relationship between the bushes and trees that are in the foreground of the image and the houses and plateau that are in the background of the image.

Similar to the image directly above, the tree in the far right of the photo is where your eye should first be directed; it rests in the right third of the photograph. The mountains and a few of the clouds rest in the bottom third of the photograph, and the bushes, trees, and homes are in the foreground while the mountains are in the background. The branches on the tree closest play on the diagonal rule, directing your eye up and out of the photograph.

The more I look at the above photo, the more I'm drawn to it. The snow-covered shrubbery, the Dixie-red rock and the dust-covered clouds are in the bottom third of the photograph, allowing the bright blue sky to take up the top third of the photograph. The clouds and mountains play a little bit on the diagonal rule, providing movement in the image. The shrubbery is in the foreground, while the red rock and clouds are in the background. The highest cloud on the far right acts as a motion vector in a way, sending your eye out of the image.

Now, as much as I'd love to take credit for this photo, it was actually my husband who captured this shot. I thought I'd post it anyway because it plays on the rule of third perfectly. The largest icicle rests on the left third of the photograph, while the largest of the smaller icicles extends down to the top third of the photograph. The icicles act as graphic vectors as they hang from the rooftop of a house. The light purple against the dark purple of the exterior paint on the house play on the diagonal rule, sending your eye back and forth along the bottom third of the image.

Warmhouse Coffee Advertising

I chose two communication artifacts: an advertisement and a rewards card. Both artifacts are a way for our company, Warmhouse Coffee, to market its business. Because I don't have any graphic design experience, I spent probably way too much time making both the ad as well as the card. However, I'm very pleased with the results. Let me explain the design elements I used for each piece below.

Magazine Ad

(would format to fit a standard 8 in. X 10.5 in. page)

original photo (below) by Andrea Watkins Photography

photo illustration by Katelyn Boulton

When I created this ad, I had a vision - It's a chilly evening in Tacoma, Wash., (the location of our company) and the winter has found its way with its first snowfall. Cold weather might've stopped people from leaving their houses before, but thanks to Warmhouse Coffee, it isn't stopping people from leaving their houses now! Instead of keeping to their inside quarters, the young couple above decided to beat the weather only for a short time until making it to Warmhouse Coffee, where they know they can "Stay Warm."

The red and brown shades in the ad create a warm tone, while the soft, gray colors of the trees seen through the window make it obvious that it's a cold evening outside. The couple is dressed for colder temperatures, but they are able to shed their coats and wear only light layers while inside Warmhouse.

The rule of thirds is incorporated into the ad, with the subject (the couple) positioned in the bottom right third of the photograph. Even though they're sitting, their height is extended up to the top right third of the photograph. The window is positioned in the top left third of the photograph, and the table and empty chair extend across the entire bottom third of the advertisement. The rule of thirds is also incorporated in the window, with the window frame positioned in a grid-like pattern, where the intersections of the lines meet at particular points. However, the offset window framing is intentionally asymmetrical to illustrate that the window extends out of the photograph's frame. This is an example of the law of closure. I added a filter to the photograph of the trees outside, allowing for the snow to be in motion, as if it's snowing in present time.

I placed the saying, "Stay Warm", beside the couple to draw the viewers' eyes toward the couple, as they are the subject of the ad. I then placed the Warmhouse Coffee logo in the bottom right of the ad because that's where the human eye is naturally drawn. I also outlined the logo in a tan color, the same color as the framing in the window allowing again, for an asymmetrical balance between the two corners of the image. I left negative space above the couple so that the ad is easier on the eyes and not too text or image heavy. The negative space also send the eye down toward the subject of the photograph.

original photo by Andrea Watkins Photography

Rewards Card

Lauren designed our logo and used two font types. The cursive of Warmhouse was strategically used because it's a softer font type, resembling a mother or grandmother's handwriting, two people who make everyone feel at home. The cursive is welcoming and inviting.

For the back of the rewards card, I chose a serif font type because serifs make individual letters and words easier to read when on print material. I chose a paper-sack-like color to fill in the background of the card because our products are also packaged in paper sacks which are recyclable, an element of Warmhouse letting our customers know that we strive to take care of the earth we live in. Outlined in an orange border, the card and logos are able to pop out and make the card easy to find in a wallet with several other rewards cards piled on top of each other. The burnt orange color was used throughout our products because it's a warm and bold color and is said to make people hungry. I spoke with several people who drink coffee, and a handful of them liked particular brews that had bold flavors; their opinions support our decision to have burnt orange as one of our company's colors. The use of the logo and colors of our company on our rewards card, as well as our magazine ad, is an example of the law of continuity.

The grid-like pattern of the logos is easy on the eyes, due to each logo having an equal amount of space between each other as well as the four sides of the card. Because the logos are placed around the outside edges of the card, it helps to frame the text in the middle of the card; this is important because it draws people to the center, so they know right away that this card is the Warmhouse Coffee Rewards Card.

Project Bloopers

Like I said already, I don't have any graphic design experience, so I spent hour after hour, day after day (literally) putting together the ad and rewards card. Not only was I trying to be a graphic designer, I was also trying to incorporate as many design principles as I could. In the ad, I played around with the placement of the logo, different tag lines, and the window framing. In the rewards card, I played around with the placement of the logo (or logos), color and font. Below, I've included a number of "bloopers" along my way of creating these designs. There were a lot of "takes" throughout this project.

Ad - Take One