Jordan Cook 's Graphic Design Canvas

Introduction      The world is changing, and as we move into the future, technology is evolving tremendously. GPS systems have been installed in our cars and telephones, and they can help us with various tasks due to satellite services.      Some of the services they provide are directions to a destination, unlocking vehicles, locating someone’s phone, radio stations, and more.      I have chosen to complete the exercise Big Brother Is Not Only Watching, He’s Brewing Cups Of Coffee For You! out of the book CAFFEINE FOR THE CREATIVE MIND – 250 EXERCISES TO WAKE UP YOUR BRAIN written by Steven Mumaw and Wendy Lee Oldfield . Big Brother Is Not Only Watching, He’s Brewing Cups Of Coffee For You!      Big Brother Is Not Only Watching, He’s Brewing Cups Of Coffee For You! Instructs you to list at least ten every day, time-saving and helpful ideas for GPS/satellite navigations in your life. List Of At Least Ten Things: ...

Introduction      There are many genres of photography out there today such as landscape, wildlife, pet, street, travel photography and so much more. No matter what genre you choose to focus on, certain settings are used for each one. The exposure triangle plays a major role in taking a photograph, and the triangle's three parts (aperture, iso, and shutter speed) are instrumental in taking these photos, especially in different types of light sources.      The article I have chosen is in the November 2023 rd edition of Photoshop User Magazine named Walking The Tightrope Of High ISOs – Visual Storytelling written by Ibarionex Perello .      Perello has been a photographer for a substantial number of years. His favorite types of photography include street and travel photography. He also discusses tripods and how he has owned various types and whether they were expensive or cheap. He mentioned that the price didn’t matter. What mattered ...

Introduction      I have learned a tremendous amount about graphic design this past month. As a class, we have been digging our heels in and working hard to complete our projects, while practicing and learning known effects and techniques to help create what we envision.      In saying that, our final project was to create a Photoshop User Magazine that could be a future design. We had to include 5 subjects in the magazine that we learned about these past three months, take an original photo or create an AI-generated image, and the Photoshop User Magazine uses specific fonts for different elements of the cover and layouts. Photoshop User Magazine Dec-2023 Edition      After I received the assignment, I had a thought in my mind that stemmed from Jack Frost and a winter scene. I generated a Jack Frost Character that was unique and eccentric. It took me a few tries to get the character that I wanted with Generative Fill, but I found just...

Introduction      The Holiday season is approaching quickly. Everyone will be hustling and bustling through the streets gathering gifts, sweet treats, and food for their feasts. You have those who go out spontaneously and purchase what they need, and you have those who review ad after ad and coupon after coupon trying to find exactly what they want for the best deal.      As a graphic designer, a possible project we may take on is designing the ads that people see everywhere. We are to design 3 ads:  8.5inx11in magazine ad, 8.5inx5.5in half-page ad, and a 2000pxx2000px Instagram/Facebook ad. Audience/Message      The product I chose to promote is Dom Perignon Vintage 2005 Champagne. This brand is elegant and proud giving you a sophisticated feeling.      This brand of Champagne is of the upper echelon. I am gearing my ads to those who want to splurge for the holidays and to those who are dedicated customers who ...

Introduction      Heart of Florida Legal Aid Society (HOFLA) is a non-profit organization that provides FREE legal services to low-income individuals throughout the 10 th Judicial Circuit of Florida . This includes the counties of Polk , Hardee , and Highlands . Their services include: Family Law      Divorce with Minor Children      Child Support      Paternity and Custody Domestic Violence      Representation for survivors seeking injunctions for protection and other civil  relief. Immigration Law      Relief under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)      U-Visas      T-Visas      Delayed Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Pro Se      Help for filling out forms for those electing to represent themselves in legal matters. HOFLA Contact Information:      Website: HOFLA.org  ...

Introduction Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and let your mind wander.     I  am about to ask you some questions that are asked over and over again throughout our lifetime. They are asked so much that they are ingrained in our souls. The questions are: What do you want to be when you grow up? What is your profession?      The real question is: If you had no restrictions and everything was readily available to you, what is it that you would choose as your profession? What is your dream job? I hope that everyone loves what they do, and I hope they are never really “working” a day in their life.      The profession I choose to become is some sort of ROCK STAR ! There is no greater feeling than to hear the crowd chanting the lyrics of your songs and maybe even your name. It is exhilarating jumping around the stage with a mic in your hand. Rock Star      Rock Star is the name of my creative exercise. It is in the...

Introduction      There is beauty in many places that we come across. Just yesterday we were driving down the road, and the sun was setting behind some grey and white clouds in the middle of a bright blue sky. You could see the sun's rays bursting out from behind the clouds, and the reflection of the water and other objects made the sky turn shades of pink and orange. It was beautiful, and I decided to snap a shot while we were driving down the road. It was a good picture, but I felt that it had much more potential.      There is an article in Photoshop User’s magazine October 2023 rd edition titled “BRING LIFE TO YOUR PHOTOS IN LIGHTROOM CLASSIC” by Serge Ramelli this article made me think of this picture. This article explains how to take an ok/boring photo and bring out its full potential.      The photo Serge Ramelli used was a picture taken in Paris, France capturing the Eiffel Tower in a distance lit up during the “blur hou...

Introduction      Layers play a significant role in Photoshop. Using layers from the Layers Panel you can retouch photos, change the colors, and manipulate the composition. Working With Layers In Photoshop in Photo Effects written by Deb Pieti is the article I read. I found this article in the October 2023 rd edition of Photoshop User magazine. Deb's topic of conversation is to restore an old photo using layers and touching on generative fill. I generated the photo below with Generative Fill. I think it did a decent job. The Layer’s Panel      You can find the Layers Panel by going to Windows and selecting Layers. Here you can find the layers list and groups which can help you stay organized.      To create a group, hold the ctrl/command and select the layers you want. Then press ctrl/command g. A folder will appear and all of the photos you selected will be hidden away in this folder. Another important factor is naming your file...

Introduction      Do you remember what it was like back in elementary school? We were probably learning simple addition problems such as One + One or One + Two and so on. Now for those of you who went to school, I would hope that you know the sum of One + One. For those of you who went to school and don’t know, oh boy is all I have to say! One + One = TWO! Who KNEW?      The exercise I chose is One + One = Two , 9 Best Exercises To Spark Creativity In Ideation written by Agne Strimaityte . I found it on innovationlab (link below) as I was browsing somewhere new to find ideas for creative exercises. https://innovationlab.net/blog/9/best-exercises-to-spark-creativity-in-ideation/      This was an interesting exercise. The instructions were to partner up with one person and come up with an object that started with the first letter of your surname. Instead of choosing an object that started with the first letter of my surname, I c...

Introduction NOWHERE TO RUN by RITTZ      There is never a dull moment when it comes to creating art. Art is beautiful, peaceful, serene, loud, direct, in-your-face, etc. It is whatever you want it to be, a voice full of meaning and emotion. Art is how we express ourselves.      This week's project was to choose a song and create a set of at least 5 images to promote its emotional impact. Our client is a record label, and they are trying to get this artist out into the world.      The song that I chose for this project was Nowhere To Run by Rittz . Rittz is signed with Strange Music Inc. which was created by CEO Travis O-Guin , and cofounder Tech N9ne .      Nowhere To Run is a sad but motivational song. Rittz expresses that he is struggling tremendously. He has a dead-end job and cannot afford to pay his bills. He works opposite schedules from his girlfriend, and he feels like giving up on everything, including ra...

Introduction      Lightroom Classic (LrC) is popular amongst graphic designers, photographers, and other users. Even though it is popular, LrC runs into performance issues, like any other software program. This past week I found myself at my laptop for hours trying to use the Content-Aware Remove tool to remove some powerlines in a photo I shot for a project. It was lagging so I began researching ways to help improve LrC’s performance.      Coincidentally enough, I’m flipping through the pages of Photoshop User’s October 2023 rd edition - 24 th Annual 100 Hot Tips , and I find an article specifically talking about the performance issues I am having. The article is called Fine-Tuning Lightroom Classic’s Performance by Rob Sylvan – Under The Loupe . Fine-Tuning Lightroom Classic’s Performance      Sylvan explains that a cool feature about LrC is that it uses previews for certain operations instead of full-resolution raw files. Usin...