My First Project on Adobe Illustrator
As a design student, I have a lot of projects to do using only Adobe Illustrator or only Adobe Photoshop. This was the first project I did using only Adobe Illustrator. The design brief was to create an Iconic Era Travel Poster in the Bauhaus theme and elements. I had to trace a building from a photograph reference (without using ImageTrace), color it and give shadows and textures if necessary. Then I had to use that to make a poster of A3 size, and add a body of text with proper type settings. And I was allowed to use only 2 spot colors. This project took me some time to complete, and I think I could've made it better but time management is also key in design. Hence, I had to manage my time and yet produce a decent poster.
This project taught me a lot of things:
1. I learnt the basics of Adobe Illustrator, got familiar with the workspace, the tools, their properties and uses. I learnt how to organize my files and layers for efficiency and readability, and how to label the layers properly.
2. I learnt a little about typography and how the right typeface will make all the difference to the design. I learnt about the different types of font families, leading, kerning and the importance of consistency. When it comes to type, less is more. Readability and balance is of utmost importance, everything else is secondary.
3. A wide range of colors and shadows and highlights can be created using only 2 contrasting colors. Actual skill lies in being able to work with a smaller amount of colors and yet being able to produce quality work.
4. Every element in a design must be consciously placed. There has to be a valid reason for the presence of each element in the design, and it should contribute to the overall quality of the design.
5. Always keep the design elements and fundamentals in mind.
6. And finally, there is no right or wrong design. There's only good design and bad design. And a good design isn't noticed. It does the job, conveys the message and that's it. But a bad design is always going to be noticed.
The process of making this poster was exciting and sometimes frustrating to me. But I absolutely adored every step of it, it reminded me of why I want to do this for the rest of my life. I hope to learn so much more, and grow more as a designer in the following months.
