My Creative CV Feeback

This is my completed Creative CV.

As you can see it is very different to the typical black and white, simple and portrait page layout CV. I wanted it to be eye catching, unique, charismatic and fun with a landscape layout - I feel as though I have achieved most of these things.

Today I had my feedback given by Jo and Terri.

What went well

I believe that I successfully used colour theory consistently in my CV. I used a triad of colours: green, purple and black - all to represent different things. Green promotes activeness, health and it is also related to nature, therefore it also symbolises growth, which is suitable as this can be transferred into the work place. The colour purple suggests creativity, luxury and imagination, which is also all relevant, as the job I am aspiring to obtain is one of a creative nature. Furthermore, I used the colour black as it does not only show formalness and authority, but it also gives my work a structured look to it. This because it effortlessly breaks the page up into sections, as I have used the colour sparingly.

In my CV I have used a handful of theories and principles in order for me to be able to portray my personality in a creative way. I have incorporated features of Gestalt's theory. One being the Similarity Principle, which is when the brain sees similarities in objects and instantly groups them together. One example of me using this is when I discuss my contact details, at the bottom of the page. There are 4 individual parts to it, all with similarities. These include the icons used, colour and text, yet the actual content is different. However, because there are several similarities they congregate and form there own section. Another theory of Gestalt's I used is the Continuity Theory. This is when the brain can process an image as it is but it visualizes it from left to right as it is programmed to see it in that way. Consequently, I decided that all my most important information, name and job applying for, should be in the top left corner. Purely due to the fact that it is proven that the brain naturally looks at that first, making it more likely that the employer will remember it.

I have routinely used shape theory in my CV to embody different messages. For instance, I have repetitively used arrows to represent direction, ambition and a target. In this case the 'target' is to get the job, and because I have used it a significant amount, it proves that I really want it. I have used 4 different types of arrows and by doing this it promotes the idea that I am prepared for change, new people and environments. This will be appealing to the employer as they will get to understand that I am a versatile and committed person. Another shape theory I have used is circles. Circles demonstrate wholeness, seamlessness and perfection - which I would be willing to transfer into this job. Furthermore, it will be very effective in my CV as my employer will once again recognise this.

Finally, I involved typography thoroughly in my work. I used a decorative font for my name because I believed that is the most eye catching and bold typeface to use. My name is one of the most important things on there, therefore the more attention brought to it the better. I used a swirly typeface because that shows fluidity and creativity, which are both attributes what the employer will be seeking for. I altered the leading from loose to tight because I believe that it made my full name become more prominent rather than just my first, as there is less separation between the two. I also manipulated the tracking of both of my names so they were perfectly in align with one another, giving it a neat feel to it. I tightened the 'Rebecca' tracking, as it has more characters and I loosed the 'Hague' tracking as it has less. As well as this I used Font families in my CV. Font families are when several typefaces are collected together, they compliment one another and do not clash. For example, I would not use 3 decorative fonts and one minimalist one as that is too dramatic and would feel unorganised, hence they would reflect badly on me and my chances of getting the job. Subsequently, I used 1 decorative font and 3 very minimalistic fonts, which are in a font family, in order for me to achieve a methodical and sleek vibe. I made sure each typeface had appropriate sized kerning, leading, tracking and point size in order to optimize legibility and readability.

What could've been improved

To say that the first ever time i opened Adobe Photoshop was 3 weeks ago really makes me feel proud of myself with what i have achieved. The only thing i would improve with my CV is the amount of negative space on the left hand side of my poster. All of my information is on the right hand side of the poster, which is ok, but i wish i would of added more detail to the left to balance it all out. If i had of done this I'm sure my CV would have overall looked more equidistant, however i am still really happy with my end result.

Fit the brief? / Completed to my best standard?

Personally, i do believe that my CV does fit the brief. It involves everything which I have learnt in this unit from Colour Theory to Typography to The Gestalt's theory. Subsequently, showing off my skills whilst fitting the brief. As well as this i do believe that  i completed this work to my best standard. Firstly it took me 3 hours to prepare for it. In this time i searched for CV inspiration, best Font Families and Jo helped me draw out a generic plan. All this evidentially shows that i did want to complete the work at a high standard. I also put extra hours in on my CV and in my theory in order for my work to be up to date and of a good quality. 

My Project Connect Posters

My task was to create a couple of Project Connect posters, incorporating all my newly learnt Photoshop skills, which is relatable to my peers. The 2 themes I focused on in this task were Self Development and Consistency. I did this because I believe I could be really creative within these 2 themes within project connect. For both posters I decided that an A3 size page will be most suitable, therefore after immediately opening up Photoshop I changed present to 'International Paper'. This then gave me options of a variety of page sizes, I selected A3, this made the page portrait. However, I thought that a horizontal page was more poster-appropriate, so I swapped the height and width around, in order to give me this. Now the width is 297 millimetres and the height is 210 millimetres.

1. This is my first poster, my goal of this was to have minimal writing, with a bigger focus on the background and the custom shape tool in which I were planning to insert. The first thing I did was mind map what pictures are relatable to consistency. My mind directly went to sunrises because even in the darkest places you can find light. So I proceeded to google images of sunrises and I came across this tranquil and beauteous image. I loved it because it had a handful of colours throughout it but I did only want to focus on a couple. I converted the image to black and white mode immediately. I then used the history brush tool, on the RGB setting, altered the size to an appropriate one, and then drew over the sky to revert it back to colour, yet the other bits of the image are still monochrome. After this I began to use shape theory, I went onto the custom shape tool and found this 'yin-yang' symbol. Yin yang symbolises dark to light which is relevant to this image and theme. This is because the background suggests that light is found in darkness and you have to be consistent and patient to witness this. As well as this, the yin-yang is in a circle, circle means wholeness and infinity, which reinforces the idea of consistence. The yin-yang in an example of Gestalt's theory of the closure principle. This principle is when the brain sees an incomplete image and unconsciously puts it together to allow us to visualize a full image, even though on is not there. This is very suitable as i am trying to appeal to Creative Media students, and they will know about this principle. I kept the shape black because I believe that it is effortlessly bold. Also, in colour theory black represents modernisation, power and mystery, which all appeal to teenagers (my target audience.)  After this I decided that involving the word 'consistency' is vital, so I starting engrossing typefaces theories into my poster. I went to dafont.com, downloaded several typefaces, all with a swirly and carefree criteria. I did this because I believe that teenagers will feel more influenced this than rather than traditional and boring typefaces. After doing this I then imported them onto Adobe Photoshop, in which I tested a lot out and then came to the conclusion of this one. I liked it because it was a Sans Serif Font, which relates to teenagers as it easily readable, legible and informal. I then loosened the tracking to infer a carefree and relaxed vibe, which is also massively relatable. Soon after i began to use colour theory and I changed the colour of the typeface to pink because it represents sensitivity, beauty and patience which is all approachable by teenagers. Pink is also in the colour of the sunset, therefore by involving it, it ties in the typeface and image together, making the overall aesthetic very pleasing.

2. This is my second poster for Project Connect, this one is dedicated to the 'Self Development' attribute of it. I used a purple and black house style because purple indicates creativity and spirituality and black represents authority. By incorporating these 2 colours it means that I used the complementary section from Colour Theory. Complementary is when 2 opposing colours from the colour wheel are used, they do not clash but they compliment one another, despite the differences. As well as this I have involved shape theory into my poster. I have done this by repetitively using arrows to represent direction, ambition and a target. As well as this when you look from left to right, Gestalt's Continuity Theory, you can see that the arrows are growing in size. This symbolizes movement, improvement and growth. Relating back to Self Development as it is about self inflicted improvement in which you are constantly trying to better yourself. I chose a decorative font for my title because I believed that it had a lot of charisma and boldness to it. I once again used purple, but a different shade to the background. The typeface has loose tracking and leading. I did this to create a understated and spacious vibe, which relates to the act of self development. This is because in order to improve sometimes you have to be in a spacious mind set. Underneath this I included a quote I find on google. I believe this quote to be very relatable, pleasant and appropriate for this poster. I made all the tracking align to create a square shape. Squares show authority and structure, which is also related to this poster. I used  the closure principle from Gestalt's theory in order for the square shape to appear without it actually being there. This is because the arrangement of the text replicates one of an incomplete square. I used the underline tool to underline 'yourself'. I felt the need to highlight this because you do need to focus on 'yourself' more than anything else, in order for you to develop sufficiently. I decided to blur the background on the outsides because that is where the two pieces of typefaces are and if the picture in the background was not blurred I believed that it could alter the legibility and readability.

Critical Report on Project Connect

I aim to write at least 1000 words on the Project Connect pictures that I took on my 1st week at college. I will be evaluating them with all my theory knowledge which I have learnt in the past 2 weeks.

1.

 

This image above is the traditional Project Connect logo which you can find on google images. At first glance I interpret the image as being quite boring, however the more attention you give it the more you grow to love it. The text repeatedly used in this image is Sans serif font. The characteristics, which distinguish this typeface, are visible plain ascenders and descenders and also the strokes are all monoweight, meaning that they have consistent even width. The text is in central align, this means that it is permanently in the centre of the page, drawing the attention of the reader to this point. The tracking and kerning are reasonably small, and the leading is normal, resulting in the legibility and readability being good and there in no prominent negative space. Negative space promotes emptiness and incompleteness however we are reassured that this isn't the case as there is none. The idea of wholeness is then reinforced when 5 outlines of circles are all linked together for the logo of the company. Shape theory explains that circles represent humbleness and completeness, therefore by involving circles it justifies that by doing this you in return will feel satisfied and whole. Furthermore, because they are connected it suggests that you can make connection, interact with other people and also be satisfied with fullness and teamwork. The colour mode used in this logo is CMYK, however in this individual case it has 6 different colour theories used in this image to portray a variation of things. Firstly, grey is used in the typeface as grey expresses formalness and maturity and by putting it in the title it symbolises that it is a serious and prestigious thing. The next colour used is yellow, it illustrates a warm, energetic and friendly feel. This plays a key role in the logo looking bright and approachable. The colour purple is then used, purple is a royal and luxury colour thus enforcing that it is an empowered company. The colour red represents urgency and excitement, making the client believe that they need to do it. After this, orange is used. Orange indicates warmth and security, portraying a comfortable and stable environment. Finally the colour green is used. Green is a 'doing' colour meaning that it is always related to an action. It also embodies growth and harmony, making it very much appealing.

 

2.

 

I found this poster on the walls of the stairs during my task of finding Project Connect Material. The first thing what stands out to me is the bold feature in the centre of the page. Gestalts theory of closure has been used to effectively incorporate the two main attributes of the reasoning behind the poster. The letter R is made by a black solid shape with a transparent fist punched through the middle. It works by the brain seeing an incomplete image and unconsciously put it together to allow us to visualize a full image, even though one is not there. The arrangement this specific image replicates the letter R, for Respect. I believe that this is a very significant effective as it reminds people how important respect is needed, and if it is not given there could possibly be physical serious consequences, yet it is still done subtly as the meaning in the theory used in the poster. Underneath this there is some more text reinforcing the idea of how critical respect is. The typeface used in Sans Serif font, I find this appropriate as this poster is in a college therefore, casual and modern font will be more digested by the young students rather than Serif Fonts which is more serious. Serif fonts have the features of serifs, which is a slight projection finishing off a stroke of a letter and also a variation of thick and thin and strokes. This can make the legibility and readability difficult, yet that is extremely important in posters, therefore it is brilliant that it is not used. Complementary colour theory is used in this poster, this theory is when 2 opposite colours in the colour wheel are used. Because, they are opposites they do not clash but they compliment one another and eventually create an abstract and contrasting colour scheme. The yellow suggests intellect and warmth, which cooperates with the poster beautifully as it is all about positivity. Black is then used for the typefaces and image, I believe that this it show protection and formality. As well as this it does an excellent job at standing out and bringing awareness.

3.

The next poster I will be analysing is this one which I discovered on a stair case. However, there are variation versions of this poster, for the different branches of project connect, scattered around college. In project connect responsibility is consistently represented by the colour purple, I find this to be appropriate as there is always going to be a structure in the colour theory of each individual segment. Purple demonstrates royalty and spiritualism, which both intends responsibility, therefore it is a very fitting colour. In this specific poster the colour mode CMYK is used, this is because it is ultimately the best colour mood in printing, as it prints bright colours brilliantly. The main colours use split complementary from the colour theory: yellow, purple and red. They are a variation of the colour wheel, however because they are all very different there is a risk that they could clash, however in this case they do work well together. 3 images of acts of responsibility are placed in this poster, they are mainly neutral colours: grey, black and white. However they are splashes of red in it, red is the colour associated with Barnsley college therefore by it being in there it redirects it back to the idea that you should be responsible within a school. Along the bottom of the poster these is a white rectangle and within there are logos all linked to college and responsibility, the placement of this is important because people read by the continuity theory. Therefore by them being at the bottom in summaries the whole display and plays a key part in helping the reader understand who the people/companies were who influenced this poster.

Production Journal

Photoshop
In today's lesson Jo taught me the basics of Photoshop. This included a quick tutorial and tour of the navigation bar, the appropriate size of page and also what to save it as. Also Jo set us a set of tasks which we needed to complete.

Initially, I loaded Adobe Photoshop CC 2014. I then went to file and new, bringing up a new windows. This 2nd image then appeared, where it says 'present' I then clicked on it and it came up with a several options. I then clicked "international paper" which is the best option when creating generic projects, also with what I am going to do today this page preference is the most effective. By choosing the international paper it can automatically set the page size to A4, A6, A5 and A3. Today I learnt that an A4 page width is 210mm and 297mm in height, and A3 is 420 mm wide and also 297 in height. Memorising, these digits will be important in the future when I need to alternate between different sizes in other programmes. After this I learnt about the importance of resolution and the ideal settings for individual things. For instance,72 pixels/inch is suitable for just the screen, the quality is good but not exceptional. However, if you're wanting a super high quality piece of printed work then 300 pixels/inch is more suitable because there are more DPIs. The more DPIs mean more pixels per inch, resulting in more detail. During this project we will be using two main colour formats RGB and CMYK. RGB stands for red, green and blue and CMYK means cyan, magenta, yellow and key. However, the colour mode I will be using is CMYK due to the fact that it is more suitable for magazines and posters because of the brilliant vibrancy of colours.

1st Tutorial

Marquee Tool

The first thing I did was explore the marquee tool. The marquee tool is on the left hand side navigation bar, to reveal all the tools: Rectangular, Elliptical, Single row and single column, you have to keep hold of the land hand side click of the mouse in order to expand it. The marquee tool is used to draw a selection of shapes, ovals, rectangles and squares and manipulate them. To draw a rectangular marquee you choose it, draw a box on the document, hold down the shift key inside the box (you hold the shift key so it stays in that particular shape and does not become distorted), drag the cursor outside the box and release when ready. After doing this I added the colour pink with the paint bucket located on the left hand side navigation bar.







Smooth Edge Effect

The next thing I did was try out the 'smooth edges effect'. To do this you use a rectangular marquee tool, as you normally would. You then go to 'select' > 'modify' > 'smooth' and then alter the 'sample radius' from 1-16 depending on how rounded you want the edges. Bearing in mind that the higher the number the rounder the edges will be.


The smooth edge effect transforms sharp corners and edges into smooth and less rigid shapes. After spending a significant amount of time this is what my page looked like after playing with all the marquee tools and then modifying them by controlling the smoothness. I have used an arrangement of colour to show the significance and individuality of each shape. Furthermore, I used an assortment of sample radius to give me a variation of shapes and diversity.


Create my own brush

The next thing I did was create my own brush on Photoshop. There is a generic variation of shapes of brushes on Photoshop however I found that they are not very specific and original. Therefore, I googled for some ideas and came across this understated yet pretty purple heart. I copied it and then pressed 'ctrl v' so it pasted it directly into Photoshop. Then I went to 'edit > 'define brush settings' > then 'rename' - I renamed it to love heart. After that I went to my most recent brush, which was at the bottom, clicked on it and then I changed it to any colour from the colour wheel, I chose grey as it represents modernism and sophistication.

History brush tool

The next task we had to complete was to master using the 'history brush tool'. The tool is on the left hand side navigation bar yet until today I was blatantly unaware of its existence. What you can do with this tool is change the colour mode of your picture to 'greyscale' and then decide where you want colour to be seen/or not to be. This technique is very clever as you can control what you want the audience to focus on and what you want to be left in the background. So the first thing I did was create a new page with the 'international paper' sizing setting. Next I copied this image of Winnie Harlow from google and 'ctrl v' into Photoshop. I chose this picture because I find her variation of skin tones and rouge lips very interesting and domineering, therefore I decided to play around with the image and visualise the effect of it. I continued to select the image > clicked mode (at the top) > grayscale > click 'DON'T FLATTEN'. This then makes all of the image grayscale/black and white. Then I once again selected the image > mode > RGB > 'DONT FLATTEN' - the image then remains grey scale. I then clicked on the history tool in the toolbox and decided what size brush would best suit this image. However, due to her proportions I had to change my brush size 3 times to fit the outlines. You can change the size of the brush by clicking shift and either '[' or ']' to make it bigger or smaller OR you can move the bar up or down at the top left hand side of the page. I used '[' or '] the majority of the time because I find it somewhat easier to control. I chose her lips to re apply colour to as deep red suggests power and confidence. And I chose one of her arms because it shows that she is scientifically 'different' yet she is stunning, successful and powerful young woman despite the odds.

Guides

The next thing I did was set up some guides in Photoshop in order for all my work to be align thus looking neat. The first thing I did was make sure that my horizontal and vertical ruler is visible. Then I clicked the horizontal one and dragged it down to create a new horizontal line. Similarly I clicked the vertical ruler and dragged it to the right to create a new vertical guide. I then clicked the move tool, on the top of the left side bar, to complete it.  

Custom Shape Tool

After this I learnt how to use the custom shape tool and all the functions it has. The function is has is to be able to insert unique and interesting shapes in which are different to the stereotypical squares or circles. The custom shape tool is a great way to show off your creativity and open mind, which would all look great in my creative CV. To do this you go to the navigation bar and click the symbol with the title - 'custom shape tool'. A small variety of shapes then appear however if you are after more, they do provide a 'see all' tab in which you are gifted with hundreds to select from. When you have decided you simply click it in and it copies it onto the page. You then press 'ctrl and T' and then 'shift' in order to resize it. When you are happy with that you can use the 'colour fill tool', select a colour and then click the item in which you want a product. As you can see I choose a mixture of CMYK and RGB colours for no reason other than curiosity.

Warp

Another technique I have learnt today is how to warp images on Adobe Photoshop. The first thing I did was use the marquee tool to draw a basic rectangle across the top of the page. I did this because I had an idea of potentially using it in my creative CV or posters in which I placed some text over the top for a title. Either way I used the rectangle because it is a basic yet easily manipulated shape. From then I added a gradient of the colour purple, it morphs from a pretty lilac into a domineering dark purple - representing courage and improvement. I used a monochromatic colour scheme because I believe that it indicates an organised and confident style. To make a shapes colour gradient you simply click the 'gradient' tool on the left hand side tool bar, then you select where you want the darkness and lightness to appear by dragging the arrow from which ever side you wish them to appear. To warp the I mage you simply right click it, a box appears and you select 'warp', from this a grid appears over the object. Here I learnt that if you eg: drag the middle bottom circle the object will follow it  stretching it out, or dragging it up it will push the image up, creating a slimmer middle. I decided on pushing both the top and bottom outlines in to create a slim and sleek central area. This technique is very effective as you can make any image cooperate with you and provide you with what you want as you can force it to.

Opacity

After doing this I decided that the shape needed more depth and work on it. So I discovered the opacity level feature in Adobe Photoshop, allowing you to adjust the opacity layer. It is measured on a scale of 0 -100, 0 being transparent and 100 being totally solid and opaque. To do this I selected my object, then went towards the layer box, clicked the right hand side of the numbers to bring up a scale. I then clicked the small arrow on the slider, dragging from right to left until satisfied with the chosen opacity. I ended up deciding on 40% opacity due to it looking sophisticatedly faded yet also strong.

Stroke

A stroke is when you put a border around an image or background, any thickness, any colour. By using a stroke it can tie a whole piece of work together and make it look more finished. I practiced using a stroke on both an image and a background. To do it you either click on the layer you wish to apply it to or you double click on the thumbnail of the image - both on the bottom right hand side of the screen. Then you right click, select 'stroke' and then a set of options comes up which allows you to control the intensity you wish to have it. You can manipulate the width, colour, opacity and mode.


Blur

In adobe Photoshop there are a variation of settings in which you can alter an image easily. I decided to explore the blur effect and see how I could use it. To begin this I googled New York City, as soon I am going there and I find it a place beautifully photographed. I inserted a very hectic image into Photoshop, and I wanted just the bright yellow cabs in focus, everything else blurred so I began my mission to do this. I selected 'filter' on the top navigation panel and then scrolled down to blur gallery. I then selected 'Iris Blur' which is an eye shaped blur tool, which is great if you are wanting a curvature to your blur. I then continued to drag this down, making it bigger by pushing the arrows out, and I increased the intensity to make it more noticeable. It ending up sitting perfectly on the yellow cars, whilst also vastly blurring the background.

After this I decided to use the blur tool again on another image. This time I used the 'title shift' blur option in which you can still blur images but the shape you do it with is a rectangle. Below you can see that I used a picturesque mountain and lake as my image. I decided on blurring the top and bottom and with this tool I was capable of doing so.

Filters

Filters can be very easily added to an image in photoshop.
First off I selected a background for my page, I then inserted a stunning picture of Beyoncé in which I hoped to be able to edit successfully. You can add filters to images by clicking 'filter', 'filter gallery' and then a box comes up with ten's of filters readily available to chose from. For this certain image I selected 'Stain Glass' on a low cell size and intensity. Overall, this was very effective as it did look edited yet it did not look overdone or too dramatic.






Type Mask

I also learnt how to use the horizontal/vertical type mask tool. First off I inserted an image of a purple and blue star filled sky. I then used the vertical type mask tool, selected a cool font and began to write adventure. I used the marquee tool to use it rather than the move tool because if I had of done that then the image would have a missing gap there - and that is not what I want. I used the marquee tool to guarantee me that the typeface will have a mixture of colours in it. After being happy with the positon I then, went to 'FX' and chose the shadowing and visual effect options. Once done, I copied and pasted my work onto a new layer. The result is a the lettering with the image inside it. This method look excellent plus it is a skill highly appreciated therefore I am really considering involving this in my creative CV.