Critique

This first week was a contest for a feature and cover design in the February 1st issue. Our assignment was to design a cover and two spreads that went with the story of Heather Carver, a woman who victoriously battled breast cancer to later write a one woman production titled "Booby Prize."
My version of this story was not to focus as much on the breast cancer aspect, but of the production and the elements that helped Carver through her recovery. I decided to focus on the clown nose that seemed a very prevalent part of Carver's recovery process. Also, the play involves clown antics, so the idea to use a circus/clown theme seemed appropriate.
I drew my graphics on the computer (you gotta love the pen tool!) and decided to base my design off of those in addition to my photo placement. I thought that the photos were an integral part because it was a clip for the photographer as well (I wouldn't want to put a thumbnail on my page!). My headline text, called Carnival, really stood out to me as I was searching for a good font. I paired it with primary colors and let the rest be standard, stylized text for "Vox."
I ended up not being as happy with my overall package as I had liked to be, however I didn't think I did too bad. I was more impressed with how well I aligned everything–which isn't always the case when designing! I believe I would have had a better experience designing this first assignment if I wouldn't have been so distracted with all of the "problems" I had encountered this past week outside of school (ex: my wonderful 1985 Chevy Celebrity decided to stop working right before my first class!). The exhausting phone calls and e-mails to Juggle my rides to-and-from campus have been harder than I had ever imagined.
I always try and learn from each assignment/piece I design. After glancing through magazines lately, I have decided that I would really like to go bold with my text for at least one of the assignments this semester. I love "Entertainment Weekly" and how well text is displayed in its features. I would also like to play more with my Photoshop and illustration skills this semester. I guess we'll just have to see how far I can go with the time restraints.