Some of the finished product :)

Here are a few old layouts and some recent ones i just finished.
I'm still working on a couple more designs...

its just a peak! enjoy :)

almost there!

well i finally am comfortable moving forward on my book. I have got some wicked pictures that i cant wait to show off, and to show off a side of my creativeness i have not fully explored before. I pushed myself with this one! i really wanted to exceed the boundaries of my comfort zone with when it came to the design. Just like the images themselves, i want to dazzle the mind and stimulate the senses. I want to be bold and daring.

I really liked going downtown to take those pictures, perhaps i will go downtown and take journey to find a couple more to finish my book off :) "the final touch"

Design DRAMA!

Well i am in a rut.......however perhaps "rut" is not the best word to describe how terribly STUCK i am....

I have tried to work through a few different layout designs and concepts, and nothing i have done thus far is really exciting me. I am not feeling it, none of my designs are motivating me. I am not sure how and where to place the pictures, where to place the text, the size of elements, color options. I'm just totally overwhelmed, confused and just not sure......

I just feel that i don't have enough content to create a book of substance and creative value. I feel its to simple....

Reg HELP! im in need of a MAJOR design breakthrough and miracle.

Moving forward....

At least thats what in trying to do when it comes to my book. I have however made some progress, and some major changes. After a discussion with Reg, i decided that im going to scratch the "English professor" narrative and take a different approach. I have decided that i am going to still hold to my initial idea of "pairing" images of different album covers together, but not just two at a time, sometimes 3, 4, even 1 at a time to mix things up and keep interests peaked. However, instead of the "scholarly" narrative in my original thinking, im going to take a more abstract and creative approach to the narrative. I'm thinking that i would use certain words, phrases and spliced lyrics from certain songs that would create a story/relationship/stimulated meanings between the selected images on the page. I am aiming for a funky design both graphically and typographically.

These are my thoughts, lets see how they come to fruition....

Stay tuned!

My secret stash!

after much exploration and deliberation, i have finally decided what i want to do my second booklet exercise on. I have a vast collection of photographs of graffiti art that can be seen all around the downtown Toronto area. I love graffiti art, i think it is beautiful, creative, stimulating, colorful, free, surreal, expressive, and a showcase of hidden talent. This art form is ranges from all different types, styles, representations and meanings. I am jealous for the fact that i can never even think of making a wall my canvas and creating a Utopian fantasy world like these artists do.

The photographs i have selected for my booklet are my favorite ones out of my whole collection. i wanted to narrow my focus down....quality not quantity!

I love the play on color, lines, shading, form, texture, and shapes; the whole aesthetic and visual language of graffiti art really fascinates and interests me.

I really enjoyed traveling around MY urban landscape (Toronto) and taking these photos over the years. The lens captured their beauty so perfectly. I love the anticipation of what other creative wonders await around the next alleyway or corner :)

My To-Do-List

1) Find my Images

- which ones stick out to me
- which ones are most interesting
- lots of elements to analyze
- find which ones pair up together to make an interesting contrast/comparison
- do they create a story when beside each other?
- unspoken narrative
- nit pick into the finer details that a previous viewer might have not noticed before (what are those details?)
- how to showcase the specific covers
- what to talk about, how to write it
- which ones to pair together, why are they paired?

2) Find my Narrative Voice

- “English professor”
- scholarly and academic
- a more “serious” narrative
- interesting and humorous contrast between the scholarly take on the album covers and the more “youthful” and wacky personality of the covers themselves
- something a teenagers/young adult would be more interested in rather then a scholarly professor, this makes for a more interesting and humorous narrative and contrast
- more images then text, I want the images to be the main focus
- text will be minimal and to the point, clear and concise
- the voice is having a conversation with the viewer
- i have to establish the voice and make it clear and concise, understandable and readable

3) The Design

- bold, daring
- graphic impact
- experiment in type
- vivid colors or more neutral colors so that the images stand out…?
OR
- Subtle, simple, clean and quiet so that the viewer is surprised when they delve deeper into the book
- Progressive disclosure
- explore more exactly what style I want to focus on

4) A Name for My Book

- encompasses the whole premise of the book on one word or two
- bold and daring like the covers
- make a statement
- send a message (whats is the message?)
- entice the viewer
- peak interest

blah

Hey whoever is reading this,

just finished picking out my template, i like the black one over all the others, its chic.

And the weather is CRAZY out there! i love it