Creative CV

In today's lesson with Terri, I learnt about what criteria is needed for an exceptional creative CV. I learnt that a generic black and white CV is appropriate in retail or catering however if I did ever want to explore the industry of creative media I will have to change things. I will have to evolve my CV into something creative, eye catching and originative where I express my skills of colour theory and typography in order to sell myself. By doing this it will set me apart from other applicants and guarantee me a better chance of getting a job.

This example of a CV is something which would be adequate enough for a none creative job. It is boring, simple and very much forgetful. However, if you are wanting to enter the world of creative industry you need to make a staple CV in order to set you apart from the crowd! This CV shown lacks colour, variety and individuality. The words blend into the background and nothing is memorable for the employer. This could risk your chances of getting the job because there is absolutely no proof that you are a creative person, leading to it being underdressed due to the simplicity.

In order to gain inspiration on creative CV's I did some research. I began on pintrest in where I found hundreds of examples. I found this creative CV and it stood out to me immediately due to the captivating house style, engaging subheadings and the consistent use of shape theory. The clear house style displayed to me that the person behind this poster is organised  and pays to attention to detail, improving their chance of employability. Furthermore, the use of circles represents wholeness and 100%, inferring that they will be committed to this job. As well as this, by using subheadings it shows that they are confident because they have a lot to say and they know exactly how to represent themselves.

 

This is another CV I have found on pintrest, it stood out to me in different ways. There is a selfie on this creative CV which can be deemed unacceptable and susceptible to discrimation. This is because immediately you will be judged on your appearance rather than your skills and experience. Therefore, it can be deemed as unacceptable. As well as this the CV is very feminine with the floral design and 'girly' colours. If the company are looking for a male figure then they may not acknowledge this CV due to the colours. However this CV is suitable because it is laid out logically, most recent things first. By doing this it allows the employer to learn about your most recent jobs and awards without looking too deep into it.

The Gestalt Theory

Gestalt is a theory of the mind. It is a German word meaning shape or form of a psychological concept based upon how the human brain reacts to visual perception and how we unconsciously group entities together based upon their similarities. This theory was created in the 1920's by Max Wetheimer, Wolfganag Kohler, Kurt Koffka and Fritz Perls who were all fascinated in this modernistic revelation. They all teamed together to test the ability of the brain, research the capability of it and extend the knowledge behind how and why we see things in certain idiosyncratic way. Since then it has allowed humans to understand: why we unknowingly judge and group things together within seconds of seeing it and also how we can see something as a whole yet we can break it down to allow us to perceive it differently.

 There are 5 main principles of The Gestalt Theory:

Closure: Closure is when the brain sees an incomplete image and unconsciously puts it together to allow us to visualise a full image, even though one is not there. For example this image on the left is showing 6 pentagons. The arrangement they are in replicates one of a football's markings and they are also all within an invisible outline of a circle, yet it is still incomplete. Therefore, our brain automatically puts it together because we recognise it and it completes the image of a football.

Proximity: Proximity is where the brain sees shapes near each other and automatically categorises them together. As an example I have used this image on the left, it has 16 solid black dots in it. Due to the position they are in we put them together and see two rectangles instead all because they are near each other.

Similarity: This theory is when if objects have similarities then we will group them together regardless. For example this picture has differences in it, the white circle with purple outlines, but our brain somewhat ignores it and still classes it as equal, because it is still a circle.

Continuity: This theory is when the brain can process an image as it is but it visualises it from left to right as it is programmed to see it that way. In the Western world we read from left to right, we write from left to right and surprise surprise we see things from left to right. This image illustrates a 2 swirls overlapping and it is annotated with which part of the picture we see first due to this continuity theory.

Symmetry: This is the theory of when we see a symmetrical image our brain atomically jumps to the conclusion that it is pleasing and fulfilling. This is because at whatever angle we wish to view it from it stays exactly the same and immune of fault. This can be then continued and used as communication tool which is very impressive.

Review Of Posters

1) This gig poster is a perfect example of the usage of triad. 3 opposing colours have been used, but because they are evenly spaced out on the colour wheel they do not clash whatsoever, they compliment each other. When white is against black the colour is exaggerated so the typeface is made excessively readable. This is very suitable as it is a gig poster therefore it will not be studied long at, it will only be glanced it. Meaning the more attention to the writing the better. Furthermore, the basic yet pretty colour of pink as the background works with the poster to amplify the writing and make it conspicuous whilst also still looking appealing to the reader. As well as this the main caption of the photo demonstrates the usage of Serif Font. This is very effective as it creates an idea of sensibleness and matureness to the poster. This is because Serif Font is traditionally used in formal and mature situations, but the effect it has on this poster is good because people know it will be an adult event. Despite this, the 2nd font used is a Sans Serif Font with tight tracking and narrow leading. This presents quite a condense and cosy feel foreshadowing what the environment will be like at the gig which is being advertised.

2)  This movie poster is very remarkable in the sense that it incorporates so many techniques and theories behind it all. The first thing I notice on this poster is the triad of colours, specifically the dominating colour red. Red symbolises danger, blood and pain which is very suitable on this poster due to a shark just feet away from a swimming woman. Gestalt's theory of continuity is also used. This is because we naturally start looking at the top left of the corner, here we are greeted by the huge word 'JAWS'. Then as we slowly let our eyes fall we are unexpectedly met with a huge deadly shark. Foretelling us that we are never 100% safe from danger and just because the surface is safe it doesn't mean below it is. This is very appropriate as it hints at the film but it doesn't give too much away. In addition to this, the colour blue represents calmness and white shows purity however they are both overshadowed with the colour dangerous colour red, inferring that danger can be in the calmest of places. Once again hinting at the film but not giving too much away. The typography used in the titles of poster is a Sans Serif Font with tight tracking, this suggests restriction and control ironically in contrast to the dangerous and murderous shark.

3) At first glance this poster looks unsymbolic and boring, however the more attention you pay to it the more you grow to love it. Black and white are they only 2 colours used in this, they are complementary to one another meaning that they are opposites in the colour wheel. By them being opposing it means that they become artistically abstract and do not clash, but they compliment one another. Black is a very sophisticated and classy colour which is very fitting as this poster's target audience is middle aged +. Also white represents cleanliness and simplisticness which people of that age group appreciate and recognise. This poster cleverly involves gestalt's theory of closure to incorporate the 2 main attributes of the food festival. 3 bottles of wine are at the bottom of the page, and a white shape is surrounding it to make a fork in disguise. This is extremely effective as it not only fun to figure but it does still relate to the audience. The typography is extremely minimalistic with the Sans Serifs font, no kerning, average tracking and narrow leading. There is definitely a more than average amount of leading but no ascenders or descenders protrudes onto the media line so it is still legible.

4) This festival poster uses Gestalt's theory of symmetry to portray beauty and complexation at any angle. This transfers fluently into the idea of this festival as it shows that anyone who attends will be accepted and treat well. Also the analogue technique from the colour theory is used within the butterfly to show organisation and thoughtfulness, it also is aesthetically pleasing to see colours from the same part of the colour wheel next to each other. A bright and beautiful butterfly as sit on a depressing and grey background. Grey represents maturity and sensibleness but by a bright creature covering this it shows that for this festival you can feel fun and youthful, and not felt forced into acting like an adult would. Making this festival come across magical and a place of escapism making it very appealing. Furthermore, the titles is in sans serif font, with average tracking and leading. This gets portrayed as very laid back and chilled, which foreshadows what the majestic festival will be like. The colour orange dominates the poster as it in the centre of the butterfly and centre of the page. Orange represents vibrancy and fun, once again successfully describing what the festival will be like.

Colour Theory

Colour theory achieves a logical structure for colour and it is used to portray emotions in order to relate to the target audience. It satisfies the visual effects of a specific colour combination in order to seamlessly demonstrate set things. Colours in themselves can convey emotion, consistency and also help set a mood, demonstrating the importance of it. Colour theory is mainly used in media within newspapers, magazines and adverts where colour is necessary for it to succeed.

Prominent research was done by Joe Hallock in 2003 and Malamed in 2011. However, Sir Isaac Newton (1706), developed the concept of refraction, developing further into the colour wheel ordeal. Johann Wolfgang Van Goethe added physiological meaning to the colour wheel and over time more research and more research has evolved it into what it is today.


Complementary - Opposite colours in the colour wheel







Split Complementary - Variation of the complementary colour scheme


Analogues - Group of 3 colours that are next to each other in the colour wheel


Triad - Uses colours that are evenly spaced around the colour wheel


Tetradic - Uses 4 colours arranged into 2 complementary pairs


Monochromatic - Containing only 1 colour


I then visited a website called www.color.method.ac.uk in which I tested my understanding of each colour theory and put it into practice by matching the theory to different colour scheme. 8.2 was what I scored overall, but I did find it very interesting.

Personal Meanings of colours:

Black - Fashion, sophistication, mystery 

To me a product I think of with the thought of black is shoes. I imagine a strong, independent, empowered woman walking down the street in a pair of jet black shoes. Black doesn't have to be a sad colour, it can be alternatively a strong and sophisticated colour.

White - Purity, light, security, cleanliness

A product I think of when imagining the colour white is soap, basic, simple, bog-standard soap. This is because no matter how many times it has been used it still retains a bright white. White also represents cleanliness and soap is a cleaner.

Grey - Maturity, strength, stability

To me grey represents modernisation and maturity. A way I often interpret this is by technology. I immediately think of a laptop due to the fact that they are a clean, basic colour but because of this they can relate to anybody.

Yellow - Sun, Summer, Energy

The colour yellow represents sun, summer and happiness. The object which best symbolises all of these attributes to me is a blossoming flower.

Green - Life, Growth, Activity

Green suggests a lively, healthy and growing environment to me. I best suit this colour with meadows as they are home to a variation of shades of green and life thrives there.

Pink - Beauty, love, sensitivity

To me pink is best described as a sensitive, humble colour which presents beauty. It is a very pretty colour therefore I naturally link it to makeup.

Red - Danger, passion, romance

Red is a very iconic colour, it symbolises passion and romance to me. Therefore, the best thing I would describe it with is seductive red lips.

Blue - Peace, integrity, cool

Blue demonstrates calmness and coolness to me so a thing which best reminds me of this is the sea, as it is soothing, calming and beautiful.

Typoghraphy

Typography is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable and appealing when displayed.
They key factors being:
- Typefaces
- Point Size
- Line Lengh
- Leading
- Tracking
- Kerning


LEADING

Good Example

This example of leading is very good due to the fact that the distance between each line of text is appropriate as you can read each line clearly and thoroughly without any interruption. This is because the ascenders and descenders of the letters and not overlapping whatsoever. If they were overlapping it would cause a distraction to the reader and it would mean you would have to focus on the words individually in order to understand them. This is massively time consuming and it would cause a big problem when needing to scan a text, eg in a leaflet, for particular information.

Consequently, amplifying the idea that appropriate leading does not only need to be aesthetically pleasing but also it has to be readable. 

Bad Example

From this example I can interpret that the leading, space between the baselines, is too short. The result of this is that part of each letter protrudes onto the median line. For example the letter L is an ascender and on the example above the peak of it is sitting on the upper baseline, portraying a squashed and unorganised feel. Spatial manipulation is very important in anything that relies on being read, eg a poster, because if it is unreadable then what is the point in it? In this example there is absolutely no negative space, this saves up on space on a page and can be a positive but in this case it is too extreme, making it not very legible.

KERNING
Kerning is adjusting the space between 1 or 2 characters in a word.

When selecting a font the majority of them will have specific default kerning, this is because the spacing between the letters will feel and look more natural. However, if the text we have selected does automatically have a variation of volume between the characters, we can resolve this by altering the kerning in the settings in the program we are in.
Traditionally the amount of negative space in kerning will be equal, as it illustrates a neat and organised feel - this is the reason behind people altering it in order to fit their preferences.

TRACKING

Tracking is the space between each individual letters in a word.

Tracking affects the overall density of the text as the degree of increase/decrease of space between the letters can impact profusely. Altering the tracking can leave a different impression on the reader. For example if the tracking is loose it interprets a care free and informal style. Yet if the tracking is tight it can come across very uniformed whilst also freeing up more space on the page.

LEGIBILITY

It ensures each individual character is distinguishable from all the other characters in the font. Select a typeface with appropriate clarity of design for the intended use.

  

READABILITY

Essentially the way in which typeface is presented. What should be taken into consideration when being a typeface designer is line spacing, leading, tracking, italics, justification and position of the page. It is very important for it to be readable so it can be understood.

SERIFS AND SANS-SERIFS



Serif Font is represented by the font 'century old style'. The characters have thick and thin strokes in this and they also serifs. Serifs are when certain typefaces have a slight projection finishing off the stroke of a letter. They come across rather uniformed, formal and they also are targeted at an older audience due to the style of the aesthetic. They are targeted at the older audience due to the traditional and uncontrolled sizing of each characters. By having thin and thick strokes it illustrates a natural and flowing design, which is very readable and understandable due to the flow aspect.

San Serif Font is expressed by the font 'futura book'. The ascenders are plain and the strokes are all even in width. This comes across as really manipulated and forced in the sense that everything is the same width, the tracking is relatively wide and kerning is not used. Suggesting that this text has been dramatically altered to be suit for a fit purpose. The result of this is that it relates to a younger audience due to the neat and plain appeal it has which younger people will enjoy - even if it less readable and legible.

FONT FAMILIES

I collected these pictures from Pintrest. They stand out to me because they have very fitting criteria for each individual photo. The colours may be minimalistic but I do find them all overall extremely aesthetically pleasing and interesting.

All of the fonts chosen are in a family together, the bold text are met with more simple one but none clash and they work seamlessly together.

Production Log

With Terri we began the lesson by discussing what creative media is and what things fall under it. We then proceeded to make a mind map on the board. We did this to get our minds thinking and to also understand what things we can do currently in order to reach our full potential of being a creative media student. After we had a 5 minute research session in which we found out what jobs best suit Creative Media Students, like myself. I googled 'creative media jobs' and came across the page http://creativeskillset.org/job_roles. This page was exceptionally useful as it had nearly a thousand jobs all linked to creative media on it. After researching was over ideas were then collected and put into a mind map on the board. I find mind maps easy to follow therefore using one of them instead of a list did benefit me.
Overall, this was really helpful as it lead me to think of a variety of careers, which I was not aware of, which I could possibly have with my college course.
Working as a group we then decided what skills and attributes would best collaborate with a selection of 8 jobs. There were jobs from photographer to screenwriter. This task was also very useful due to the fact that it helped me visualize what individual skill would best work which each job. Consequently, prompting me on what job I feel I could possibly succeed with in the future.

I then proceeded to make a 6 word page document discussing 2 out of the 8 jobs, the pros, cons, how I could get into the industry, salaries, hours, travel, etc.

In summary I found today with Terri very useful due to the fact that I like her teaching style and I understood everything that she spoke about. I also learnt plenty of new things about creative media which will prove useful in the future.

6 page word document discussing the pros, cons, how I could get into the industry, salaries, hours, travel, etc.

Mood Board

This is the Mood Board I made today. The 5 main colours are purposely used to represent the 5 different meanings of Project Collect. I did it this way so I can clearly differentiate all the title's and progress to understand what images best fit where.

As you can see I have also added several small phrases within each section, I made them all a lighter shade of their title in order for it to be clear that they are a branch off it yet do belong there. The phrases are there to remind me what the certain part is portraying/what it needs to.

 

Overall I am happy with my mood boared and i feel as though it will be a useful document as i can refer back to it whenever and gain inspiration in the future.



Project Connect

 

Project Connect is made up of 5 components: Responsibility, Purpose, Self Development, Consistency and Respect. The purpose of these are to develop a variety of vital skills, in order for me to become more employable in the near future, and a more well rounded person. Additionally it will provide me with more confidence and a general structure which I can use within college to make me a better student. In the meantime the 5 departments of Project Connect will optimise my team working skills, problem solving, positive attitude and general motivation to strive and succeed in my personal and work life.

Today, the 20th September, I worked in a group of 3 to represent and practice team work. Our goal as a team was to recognise and capture all of the 5 main attributes around college and the local community. We had two hours to complete this task and we did it by taking pictures of objects, which we as a team decided fitted the individual adjective, we also interviewed other college students on their opinions behind Project Connect. As well as this we explored the college in search for Project Connect posters in which we can evaluate at a later date. All in all me and my team walked around the college, then around the gardens behind and then eventually we found a welcoming park to sit and explore our imaginations. All in all enlightening us on photography and verbal communication to a mixture of people.

The purpose of this was to be able to collect information, photos and ideas for a poster about Project Connect, what it means to us and how others can interpret it. But first of all we are going to make a mood board, featuring todays gatherings, to kick start the process and our creativity.

Me

Heey, i'm Rebecca Hague. I'm a 16 year old student studying Interactive Media at Barnsley College. In this blog I am going to include my self development, portfolios and an overview of what I've been doing in lessons. All in order to help me keep track of all the projetcs and work over the next few years.