Sunday, April 22, 2012

Job Search Analysis 3

Junior Creative Designer
The Junior Creative Designer will primarily provide assistance to the creative team designers on a variety of different projects (brand promotions, packaging development, online and print advertisements, etc.) to ensure the projects are both accurate and completed by the scheduled deadline. Responsibilities of this position are project planning, development, management, and execution; assisting with the management of all print and online materials, including updates and revisions; maintain consistency throughout all the brand properties as well as give strategic suggestions to improve products and brand presence; assists as the contact to outside vendors and other departments; good understanding of digital media, branding, and interactive design; and contributes to other communications and related assignment as needed.

Education Requirement: Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design, Visual Communication, or comparable study. 

Preferred Skills & Software:
·      Experience in creating print documents, pre-press to press checks.
·      Adobe CS: Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, etc.; Microsoft Office: Excel, Outlook, Word,     Powerpoint.
·      Video editing, HTML, and social media experience is preferred.
·      Exceptional communication, organizational, and management skills.
·      Self-motivated, problem-solver

Salary Range: The salary range for a Designer (print, web, and interactive) is $40,000 to $55,000.

Years of Experience: Entry-level position


Thursday, April 19, 2012

Lawsuit Article Review


The North Face Apparel Corporation vs. The South Butt LLC

In December of 2009, The North Face Apparel Corp. filed a lawsuit against the The South Butt LLC—a parody apparel line created by University of Missouri student Jimmy Winkelmann. The North Face filed the lawsuit based on allegations that The South Butt was “marketing apparel that directly and unabashedly infringes and dilutes The North Face’s famous trademarks and duplicates The North Face’s trade dress in its iconic Denali jacket.” The South Butt was created as a parody of The North Face. Its brand identity (logo, tag line, apparel, etc.) is remarkably similar, if not exactly the same, as The North Face. Does piracy under the assertion of parody make it okay? The lawsuit was settled in April of 2010. However, the terms of the settlement agreement were not disclosed. 































Article sources:
Image sources:

Job Search Analysis: Position 2

RELEVANT Magazine: Designer

Job Description: The Designer position is involved in a vast range of design projects. These projects include: magazine and book design, marketing campaigns, content-driven website design, story graphics, client projects, and beyond. Print is the foundation at RELEVANT, however digital media also plays a significant role in what we do. Therefore, a versatile designer who has experience in both print and web are preferred. The ideal candidate filling this position is a creative, big picture thinker and problem solver who stays current with the latest design trends and has an exceptional ability to self-manage.

Education Requirement: Degree in graphic design or equivalent experience

Preferred skills & software:
·      Proficiency in Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator is required
·      Experience in editorial and marketing design and motion and digital design
·      Able to multitask, meet deadlines, and work in a team environment
·      Knowledgeable about typography
·      Interest in RELEVANT’s audience and subject matter

Salary Range: The salary range for a Designer (print, web, and interactive) is $40,000 to $55,000.

Experience: 1+ year of agency or media experience


Sources:

Monday, April 16, 2012

Adobe Software Tutorial

Photoshop: Quick HDR Effect 


Start Image















End Image



















Steps:

Step 1: Duplicate the original image.
Step 2: Name the copy Shadows/Highlights. Go to Image > Adjustments > Shadows/Highlights. Set the Shadows and Highlights amount to 50%. 
Step 3: Duplicate the layer and name the copy Desaturate. Go to Image > Adjustments > Desaturate. Then change the layer blending mode to Hard Light. 
Step 4: Duplicate the original image and name the copy Blur. Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and set the radius to 40 pixels. Then move the layer on top of the other layers and set the layer blending mode to Soft Light. 
Step 5: Flatten the image and save. 



Source: http://www.icanbecreative.com/quick-hdr-effect-photoshop-cs5-tutorial.html
(image was taken by me.) 

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Job Search Analysis: Position 1

Graphic Designer/Marketing Coordinator

Job Description:
The Graphic Designer/Marketing Coordinator assists with the development and implementation of marketing/advertising initiatives by designing, planning, and producing graphics for copy, advertising, online, mailers, newsletters, multimedia presentations, and other printed materials. Regularly coordinates with various outside vendors to complete projects. Maintains, tracks, and replenishes promotional materials. Prepares marketing reports. Collaborates with CRM to maintain and analyze databases.

Education Requirements: Bachelor’s Degree

Preferred skills & software:
Applicant must be proficient in Adobe CS5 (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign,); Microsoft Office products; and some social networking tools. Familiarity with web design coding (CSS, HTML) and knowledge of pre-press procedures is preferred. Close attention to detail. Exceptional organizational and interpersonal skills. Able to manage several projects and project deadlines simultaneously.

Salary Range:
On average, a Graphic Designer/Marketing Coordinator earns a salary of $38,000. However, this range varies significantly with location, experience, industry, company, and the like.

Years of Experience:
2+ to 5 years of experience. A minimum of 3 years work experience, as a graphic designer, is preferred.


Sources:

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Final Project

Bulletin:
The purpose of the bulletin is to inform individuals who attend Sunday service about the service, church activities, etc. Therefore, the target audience is people attending the church on any given Sunday. Considering the content that appears in the bulletin will vary, the call to action will change from week to week depending on the individual (i.e., member or visitor) and the church activities.  

Project Specifications:
  • Trim size: 8 in. x 11 in.
  • Margins: .25 in.
  • Bleed: .125 in.
  • Folded (folds to 5.5 in. x 4.5 in.) 
  • Black and White  
  • Master Image List items: Vector Image 

The price to produce 500 bulletins is $32.43.

Brochure: 
The purpose of the bulletin is to create awareness for the First Baptist Church of Girard and inform them about the church's ministries. The target audience is individuals who are  seeking a church to attend, with the call to action being to visit the church. 

Project Specifications:
  • Trim Size: 16 in. x 5 in.  
  • Margins: .25 in.
  • Bleed: .125 in.
  • Folded (folds to 4 in. x 5 in.)
  • Color
  • Master Image List items: 4 Color Raster (2), Duotone Raster, Vector Image 

The price to produce 500 brochures is $261.37.



Bulletin Thumbs

Bulletin Rough 1 - outside
Bulletin Rough 1 - inside

Bulletin Rough 2 - outside

Bulletin Rough 2 - inside
Brochure Thumbs

Brochure Rough 1

Brochure Rough 2
Brochure Folding Dummy

Bulletin Folding Dummy
 
Brochure - Front (right); Back (left)
Brochure - Inside

Bulletin - Front

Bulletin - Front and Back

Bulletin - Inside



Copyright: 
The First Baptist Church logo used in the bulletin and brochure was created by me in Illustrator.
The raster images in the brochure were free downloads from creativeswap.com.
All other elements, in both the bulletin and brochure, were generated by me using Photoshop and InDesign. 

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Adobe Tutorial

Selective Coloring Effect in Photoshop

Before
After



Step 1: Quick selection tool to select the basketball. 
Step 2: Invert the selection (Select > Inverse). 
Step 3: New adjustment layer (from icon in the Layers Panel), select Black & White. 



Sources
Image: downloaded from flickr creative commons (http://www.flickr.com/photos/47611288@N00/3222971810/)

Monday, April 2, 2012

National Logo Redesign - JCPenney

Reason for the Rebrand:
Earlier this year JCPenney unveiled a new logo design. In addition to the new logo, JCpenney announced (on January 25, 2011) that they are performing a complete renovation of their marketing strategy as well as their product line. JCPenney CEO Ron Johnson made the following statement regarding this announcement: "The department store is the number one opportunity in retail today. We are going to rethink every aspect of our business, boldly pursue change, and create long-term shareholder value, as we become America's favorite store. Every initiative we pursue will be guided by our core value to treat customers as we would like to be treated - fair and square. Beginning February 1, we will have Fair and Square Pricing, making every day a great day to shop. We will create tremendous excitement through monthly promotions that are in sync with the rhythm of our customers' lives. And we will transform each and every jcpenney store over the next four years with a month-by-month, shop-by-shop roll-out of exciting new merchandise initiatives.” In recent years, JCPenney had experienced declining sales and numerous store closing. This rebranding initiative is undoubtedly a response to the department store’s recent struggles. The new logo looks to be an attempt to modernize their look in hopes of increasing sales.
http://www.shoppingblog.com/2012pics/jcpenney_new_logo.jpg


Characteristics of new logo:
According to JCPenney, their new logo is intended to remind consumers of the American Flag and their “commitment to treating customers Fair and Square.” Additionally, the imagery of the square will play a significant role in the companies marketing campaigns. As you can see in the picture to the right, the new logo consists of a red square outline and a blue square in the top left hand corner with ‘jcp’ in white text. It’s a very simple, clean design that depicts a more contemporary feel than their previous designs.

Implementation:
JCPenney began its implementation process on February 1 with the unveiling of their new logo design and announcement of the planned overhaul for their marketing strategy and product line. In August of 2012, JCPenney will begin updating their stores nation wide with their updated look and new merchandise. The implementation of these new initiatives is expected to conclude by the end of 2015.

Opinion:
In my opinion, JCPenney has been long overdo for a total transformation of their brand. The old JCPenney logo didn’t elicit any sort of representation of the brand, which only added to the confusion of their brand identity caused by the company’s overuse of sales events. While the new logo design is moderately boring and not exactly eye-catching, it has to potential to be effective. If JCPenney is able to successfully employ their new marketing strategy and create the imagery they desire with their new logo, it could become an exceptional representation of the brand. In turn, creating a strong brand identity and clear positioning of the company in the minds’ of consumers. As it seems, they are off to a good start, since beginning the rebranding process the department store’s stock value has increased and the outlook for 2012 is bright.