50 Years of Chino: A Biographical Photo Book

My boyfriend turned 50 years old on January 1st.

While decade birthdays are usually special in my book, a half-century decade birthday is triple special! COVID-19 ruined all hope of being able to throw my handsome SO a surprise birthday bash—something I was really looking forward to. I came up with what ended up being the next best thing: a family gift.

His kids will tell you it was all my idea, but the truth is, I wouldn’t have been able to pull it off without their help. I also got his aunts and grandmother to contribute and in the end, a masterpiece was born.

The entirety of this book was handmade: the cover (binders board, book cloth, photo paper, PVA glue), the interior (invitation paper) and the text block (Epson Presentation Paper Matte). I collected images and messages from everyone and designed the layout in InDesign, printed everything out in-house (literally, in my house), and assembled the book on my own.

This project was the most emotionally invested project I’ve worked on in years.

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Special thanks goes to Titis Liz, Luz, and Penny, Grandma, Jocelin, Jasmine, and Ricky. Without you, this gift wouldn’t have been as special. <3

Short Blurb: Adobe MAX Day 1

I have never been to a design conference.

I’ve always wanted to go to one, but when you see how much they cost… <___<

Anyway, one COVID blessing, I guess, is Adobe MAX being FREE this year! Just need an Adobe ID, and the conference is your oyster!

I, so far, have watched the keynote. Conan O’Brian was hilarious (vice presidents of vice presidents), but the entire presentation was amazing and definitely got me yelling at my iMac the same way I did for one of the last PANTONE presentations I watched. (This is a positive.)

Some things to be aware of:

+ Illustrator for iPad

+ New Recolor Artwork panel

+ An improved way to create patterns

+ Photoshop updates including the Sky Replacement tool and Neuro Filters

I highly recommend watching the keynote, as it’s CHOCK full of information and excitement!

Also, Adobe understands the importance of coloring, so they put together a coloring book for all of us to enjoy.

So…enjoy!

Design Quickie: Vogue Challenge

This past summer, a new trend surfaced online called the #VogueChallenge. In short, it was a creative way for BIPOC to showcase their work (in modeling, beauty, art, etc.) through imagery using the famed publication as a template during the height of the #BlackLivesMatter movement.

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Field Trip to The Viaduct

Before the semester even started, an email appeared in our TU inboxes from our Visual Communication and Branding professor: “I’m planning an in-person meeting.”

I was a bit (very) skeptical about meeting in person for class, especially since there was a very strong reason why our classes are online this semester. Originally, my response was "NO, NO WAY. NOT IN THIS PANDEMIC! WHAT IN THE WORLD." (See: “WHA THIT HEO?!”) After I heard it wasn't going to be 2.5 hours of ice breakers and awkwardness on the first day of class, but rather a chance to see each other (for the first time in, what, six months?) in a beautiful outdoor space with a chance to network with other designers from a local firm called Cohere, I was immediately in. The only thing that got in my way was my mode of transportation. (I decided to drive in…it was faster to do that anyway.)

I am so glad I decided to go. We met two of the nicest ladies who are designers by day and botanists by night (okay, maybe not botanists, but definitely urban gardeners!), who took time out of their busy schedules to tell us all about how The Viaduct came to be, a little bit about Cohere and what they do, and gave us some insight on a branding project they’re working on for a local hotel.

What made this trip even better was being able to meet our professor in person. I already know everyone else who showed up Thursday night (except for the one guy, Branden), so it was almost like a (much needed) reunion. We all masked up and took a “class photo” and throughout the night, Kathy (our prof) snapped shots that she later shared with us on our free-for-all discussion board (thank you!).

And even better - I expected to go back to my car to see a ticket from PPA on there, but was disappointed (in a positive way) to see that they showed me no love. ;P

The space is beautiful, and it’s open for other plein-air -type events they host. Plus! They have chickens running around! There are also harvests and flowers for sale, and it’s in an area where you can take a few short steps to grab a drink after whatever event you’re attending in the man-made space.

Thank you, Kathy, for arranging this for us and thank you to Dylan and Victoria for hosting a fun evening full of interesting discussions and an awesome networking opportunity. It was worth the trip!

Photo cred: Dylan Garner/Victoria Costa

“Okay, everyone: JAZZ HANDS!”

Photo cred: Dylan Garner/Victoria Costa

Poster: Red Robin (YUM!)

Project: Serif Vs. Sans Serif Effectiveness in Advertising
Type: School Project
Class: ADV5503 Persuasion and the Marketplace
Photos: Google search

Two posters designed for an experiment to determine whether serif or sans serif typefaces are more efficient and effective in eliciting positive emotions in print advertisements. The subject of these posters is one of four; only two were present in the experiment. This was not one of the four.

Each set of posters were set in both serif and sans serif type (one family each) with varying weights.