Photo Design Project

By Robert Wagner (photo credit by my super-awesome niece, Rachel Little)

Video Description

Description
By using photography and design skills, create a project that encompasses a consistent color scheme from the image.

Process (Programs, Tools, Skills, Focus Principles) 
For this  project, I wanted something with more color than the white, and other shades of white that our snowy climate currently offers, so I checked through our recent family photos that our niece lovingly took for us (using the Nikon D5200 we purchased as an early Christmas present in November 2014), and I found the above photo. As I looked into my daughter’s eyes, it hit me that this photo speaks about visual communication with our children, so I went to work on that. After uploading the photo in Adobe PS, I adjusted the levels, variance, and selective color to arrive at what I felt was visually pleasing. The actual colors that I chose for the text and background color in the boxes, came from eye-dropping a sample from the background, another sample from the background, and one from Lydia’s eyes.

Color Scheme
I used a monochromatic color scheme, focusing on the greens in the background, with a few bluish-green variants in some of the text and background boxes. Because I pulled these colors off of the photo, I gave them custom names such as “leaf background” and “eye color”.

Critique
I received some great advice from Marci Grimaud on our Facebook draft in which she made me aware that my text was super-close to the edge of the photo (that’s a no no). I was glad she said something, so I addressed that before going to print, and then I realized I had to cut the edges off still to make it a full bleed so… oh well. Lesson learned, that’s WHY we have to leave .5 inches between the text and the edge. Fortunately it still came out okay, but I will watch for this better next time. Additionally, the instructor clued me in on the mixed message that my original font sent with a mature message.

Audience
This piece is really intended for young parents, or parents with young children. There is a lot that children will tell you, if you know how to listen with your eyes.

Message
Look into your child’s eyes when they’re sharing something with you, feel their experience, and get the whole message, or in other words, put down the #$%@ phone! (that says “darn” in case you were wondering)

Fonts Used
MS Reference Sans Serif / Sans Serif and Segoe Print / Script

Thumbnail of original

Image Source
Taken by my niece for our October family photos at Wheeler Farm in Murray, UT using our Nikon D5200. These cameras are wonderful prosumer cameras.

Thank you for stopping by!