Jordan Cook 's Graphic Design Canvas

Introduction      Have you ever looked at a pencil and wondered how did we come up with this object? It has become a pretty handy invention, I must say.      I found this creative exercise in a blog post called 10 Activities To Generate Better Ideas created by IDEO U . IDEO U has a podcast named Creative Confidence Podcast , and they brought on Brendan Boyle an IDEO U partner and founder of IDEO U Play Lab . Brendan Boyle discussed “how to bring playfulness back into the workplace”. He listed 10 activities that he uses with his team. The link is below for more information and activities. https://www.ideou.com/blogs/inspiration/10-activities-to-generate-better-ideas      The activity I chose is called Pencil Questions . First things first, obtain an image of a pencil. The one that I looked at was a sharpened yellow-orange pencil with a pink eraser in a silver piece with a blue strip in the middle of the silver piece. Next, you ar...

Introduction      Every city has the top places that people would visit if they happened to stumble into that area or plan a trip. I have chosen the City of Winter Haven for this project. The City of Winter Haven is small, and most people have probably never heard of the name. Even though it is one of the smaller cities in Florida, there are some events, parks, and places that represent this little hidden treasure.      For this project, we are supposed to create five postcards that tell a story and represent a specific audience. I have chosen five beautiful pictures that represent Winter Haven.  When I was assigned this, I had a few of these in mind because I visit them from time to time. City Of Winter Haven Post Cards Postcard 1 Dr. Martin Luther King Park I created two masks for this photo, the subject and the background.      For the subject, I increased the contrast by 21, the highlights by 61, the shadows by 25, the ...

Introduction      What generation were you born in? I was born during what we call the “millennial generation”. We had house phones growing up, but there was another way to communicate that some people may not know of. If I remember correctly, there were still a few of these still hanging around. It is crazy to look back and try to remember whether they still existed or not because there was a major shift and advancement in technology as I was growing up. These were used all of the time when people needed to get in contact with someone, and they were traveling around town or in general. You’d pop a quarter in (back when these first came out they cost a dime) and you could dial the number of whomever you needed to contact. It also had shelter covering it so that the technology would not get destroyed, and we wouldn’t get electrocuted. Have you guessed it yet? It is...Superman! I'm just kidding. It is the good ole PAY PHONE BOOTH .      They seem ANCIENT...

Introduction      As I am coming into my fourth course, Digital Image Editing, Photoshop is becoming the main attraction. We are delving into its depths and revealing how much a designer can make Photoshop work for them, manipulating an image to their style or the style that the client is requesting.      The Photoshop article that I have chosen is called “Animated Special Effects With Photoshop” written by Corey Baker. This article is out of the August 2023 rd Photoshop User Magazine edition.      “Animated Special Effects With Photoshop” talks about motion effects and how they draw the viewers' attention to the design or image. It thoroughly explains how layer effects can create light around the edges. Photoshop’s “Timeline” is also used, further enhancing this “lit up edge” with gradients that create an animated, traced look. This article lists 29 steps on how to implement this technique to an image of a pair of headphones.  ...

Introduction      ADOBE MAX 2023 was just released at the beginning of this month, and I must say there are quite a few exhilarating features that have been updated across the Adobe Creative Cloud. These new features are included in Illustrator, Photoshop, Lightroom, Premier Pro, and more. This is all thanks to the new Firefly Model. What an exciting time for all creatives. This new release just skims the surface of what Adobe will look like in the future. New Features      Illustrator has a new “Text to Vector Graphic” . This allows the user to create a wide amount of various editable vector graphics. You can manipulate them in any way that you need to get the form and effect that you were aiming for.      Photoshop has two HUGE improvements. AI is slowly creeping into the back door, and it will continue to speed into the future. "Generative Fill" and "Generative Expand" are the new features. They are incredible. Generative Fi...

Introduction      For specialty project 2, I decided to choose wildlife photography. I mean, who doesn’t love to take tons and tons of pictures of the beautiful creatures we encounter on our journeys whether it be animals in your local vicinity or animals from your travels abroad? I LOVE it. I love trying to get a photo that is in focus and will show off the detail and personality of the animal being shot. Animals are the most beautiful living beings. Wildlife Photography      With that being said, certain tips and tricks can help you take better shots of wildlife in their natural habitats. It may not be the easiest photo to capture, but if you are PATIENT and a little bit lucky, I bet you could shoot a great one, maybe even better than you thought you would.      Wildlife can be quite difficult to shoot because there are so many factors to consider. It is encouraged to not shoot during direct midday lighting. This could give you harsh...

Introduction      It is a Sunday afternoon, and I am sitting here wondering what most people do on Sunday afternoons. Right now, 2 of my kids are in their room watching a movie, and the other 2 are outside playing. My partner is scrolling on Facebook, and I am about to begin my creative exercise. This is probably a regular Sunday for us unless we go to the park, the beach, or a festival.      My creative exercise for this week is called “It Keeps Things Hot And Cold!” . This exercise also came out of the book CAFFEINE FOR THE CREATIVE MIND 250 EXERCISES TO WAKE UP YOUR BRAIN by Stefan Mumaw and Wendy Lee Oldfield .      I bet some people remember when their mom or dad packed their lunch for school. There was a container that stored hot and cold food or drinks, and it went inside your lunchbox. Do you remember, the lunchbox thermos? It has been a long time since I have heard this word, and honestly, I don’t think my mother ever bought...