 |
| Click to enjoy: http://labs.good.is/ |
Friday, April 27, 2012
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Online Portfolio Hosting
Here are some sites to check out when considering online portfolio hosting. These are free, and some can be upgraded to paid sites that will give you mo' bettah options. Explore and see which suits you best.
Flickr.com (a Yahoo site)
Photobucket.com
Picasa.com (a Google site)
Blogger.com (another Google option)
Wordpress.com
Carbonmade.com
Behance.net
Deviantart.com
For demonstration purposes, here are examples on a couple of sites where I have work and personal photos.
Behance http://www.behance.net/?search=holly+harvey&user_tags=
Picasa picasaweb.google.com/hollymharvey/
Flickr www.flickr.com/photos/hollix
Add a comment below if you have suggestions or to share your experiences.
Flickr.com (a Yahoo site)
Photobucket.com
Picasa.com (a Google site)
Blogger.com (another Google option)
Wordpress.com
Carbonmade.com
Behance.net
Deviantart.com
For demonstration purposes, here are examples on a couple of sites where I have work and personal photos.
Behance http://www.behance.net/?search=holly+harvey&user_tags=
Picasa picasaweb.google.com/hollymharvey/
Flickr www.flickr.com/photos/hollix
Add a comment below if you have suggestions or to share your experiences.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
PDF Interactivity Options and Media Conversion
Place audio and video files like any graphic or text file (File > Place). Then customize with the Media panel (Window > Interactive > Media).
The "Poster" is the image that is displayed in your document.
 |
| InDesign: Poster Options |
 |
| InDesign: Controller Options |
 |
| InDesign: Video PDF Options |
Media Conversion
Incompatible file formats (such as AVI or WAV) won't embed in the PDF and be interactive. Use Adobe MediaEncoder (in the Applications folder) to convert them to compatible formats (such as Fv4). Drag and drop files into the window and follow the on-screen prompts.
 |
| Adobe MediaEncoder Queue |
 |
| Adobe MediaEncoder File Conversion |
Monday, April 16, 2012
Colorrrific!
Light, as you may already know, is a pretty tricky thing. It is often described as waves or particles or radiation or energy. We see it reflected off the surfaces of objects or projected from computer monitors. Light is received by our optic nerves and transmitted to the brain which interprets it. Different wavelengths of visible light are interpreted as different colors. While physics or physiology are important, in this class we're mostly concerned with how we interpret and use color in our layouts and designs.
The visible spectrum (above) can be visualized as a rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet. The primary colors are red, blue and yellow. Think of them as prime numbers. They are as simple as it gets. The secondary colors are a mixture of two primary colors: red + blue = violet. Equal mixtures of primaries (or secondaries) makes a neutral gray. (See the color wheels below.)
We see color that is reflected from an object. If all colors of the visible spectrum are reflected, we perceive the object as white (all the colors of the spectrum combine to make white light). If only the red light waves are reflected, we perceive the object to be red. If little or no light is reflected, we perceive the object to be black. Reflected light is described as subtractive (if you mix colors together, color gets absorbed, subtracted or taken away.) Remember mixing all your finger paints to make that yukky brown? That's subtractive.
Another word for color is hue. If a color is fully saturated, it is at its most intense. If it is desaturated, it is less intense. "Baby blue" is less saturated than "cobalt blue."
A tint is a color that is a color that has been lightened, as if it had white added to it. Pink is a tint of red. A shade is a color that is darkened. "Forest green" is a tint of green.
White and black are neutrals. White reflects all the wavelengths of light, and black absorbs all. Grays can be neutral if composed of equal amounts of color. Sometimes grays can lean toward a color, and be considered warm or cool accordingly (blue-gray, for example.)
Here is Photoshop's color picker with examples of saturated and desaturated colors, tints, shades and neutrals:
Wikipedia explains this better than I can:
Colors opposite each other on the color wheel are considered to be complementary*. They have nothing in common. For instance red is complementary to green, green is made of the primary colors blue and yellow which have nothing in common with red. Complementary colors seem to vibrate when placed next to each other and have an energizing and sometimes shocking effect on a color scheme.
Colors near each other on the color wheel are called analogous. They are harmonious color combinations because they are similar or have something in common. For example, violet, blue and green are analogous because they have blue in common.
The Color Wheel
Primaries, Secondaries and Neutrals
Another way to think of color is in terms of temperature. Warm colors are red, orange and yellow. Cool colors are green, blue and violet.
Colors also have cultural, social and emotional baggage. There was a time when you would seldom see anything but red, white and blue used in political advertising because of the patriotic sentiment that the designers are trying to evoke. Likewise, blue is an unappetizing color so it might be used judiciously in food packaging. On the other hand, reds, yellow, browns and greens - colors which we readily associate with edible items - are frequently employed in food advertising and packaging. Think about that the next time you have a blue M&M or sports drink.
Colors are subject to trends, too. Every so often fashionistas elevate certain colors while others fall out of favor. I wouldn't expect to see a trendy new house appointed with avocado green carpet and harvest gold appliances (like those of my 1970s childhood).
Lighting the way
When humans started fooling around with light, they discovered that if they projected colored light it behaved differently than reflected light. In the case of light, the prime units of color are red, green and blue. Your TV screen and computer monitor use this scheme to represent colors and thus pictures. Grab a magnifying glass and put it up to the monitor and you'll see. (Really! It's cool!) This model of representing color is known as RGB.
You might also notice that the combinations of red, blue and green don't make the same colors as you might expect them to based on the color wheel. "Red and green make yellow?" you ask. So they tell me. It's not very intuitive given our understanding paint mixing and color wheels.
CMYK, or how printers do it
To commercial printers, artists, designers and soon to you, intrepid interpreters, color is ink. Unfortunately for our brains, we have to leap between RGB representation on a computer monitor to a CMYK printed page. Never fear. Explanation is on the way.
Full color images are printed by what's known as four color process (or process color). Generally, just four colors of ink are used to approximate the colors we see in the visible spectrum: Cyan (blue), Magenta, Yellow and Black or CMYK (K represents black). There are special instances where additional colors are added during printing, but that's not for us to worry about.
A full color image, such as the one at right is separated into the four colors below for process printing. These separations are made into negatives which in turn are used to make printing plates. Each of the plates is used to print its corresponding color, and the colors are registered or aligned so that the colors match up and create the "full color" image we see on the page.
CMYK Composite
Below is a representation of each separation of the full color picture above. As each ink is printed on the page, the colors combine to create the full color image. Think back to the color wheel and the primary colors... blue...red...yellow.... Since there is a lot of green in the foliage, it's natural to see lots of yellow and blue in that area. But what you might find enlightening is the amount of magenta and black there too. These colors help make shadows and highlights and give depth and richness to the color of the foliage.
It all adds -- uh, I mean subtracts -- up
Process printing inks are semi-transparent which means that they allow some of the other inks to show through. Inks are also printed as halftones, so that some of the paper will show through too.
And even though we talk about the color building up, keep in mind that it's really "subtracting" light (but don't tell your printer that or he'll give you a really funny look and think you're sniffing the ink). Dark colors (created by densely built-up inks) absorb more light rays than they reflect and thus subtract light that your eyes would otherwise see.
Halftone screens consist of dots that control how much ink is deposited at a specific location. Varying their size and density creates the illusion of variations of gray or continuous color. For a process color image (four color or full color), four halftone screens are used: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black-one for each ink used in the printing process.
In traditional print production, a halftone is produced by placing a halftone screen between a piece of film and the image and then exposing the film.
Get out that magnifying glass again and take a close look at newspaper and magazine photos to see the tiny dots which create the "photo." Note also how high quality glossy magazines use a finer screen (dots) and newspapers use a coarse screen. This is because of the type of paper and printing unique to each medium.
Spot Color (Pantone or PMS Colors)
Sometimes you might want to just use a single color of ink, or perhaps black plus one color called a spot color. You'll be specifying a Pantone or PMS (Print Matching System) color . Printers have books of color swatches from which to select these colors. These colors come either ready-mixed or are custom-mixed by the printer. Pantone colors libraries are available in InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop. These libraries, as well as specific CMYK colors, allow designers and printers to speak the same language because what is baby blue to you might be a horse of a different color to your printer!
Models vs Modes of Color
Until now we've been discussing color models. Models are methods of defining color, whereas modes are particular to Photoshop, specifically, how the application defines color. Here is a list of Photoshop's modes:
Bitmap - uses only two colors, black and white, to represent images. (Note: This is not the bitmap file format ".bmp" you might see generated from some PC applications.)
Grayscale - uses 256 shades of gray (more correctly, black).
RGB - based on the primary colors of red, green and blue. This is how your monitor displays colors and how scanners scan images. After a picture is scanned, it needs to be converted to CMYK for printing.
CMYK - based on the Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black process printing model. This is the color mode used for printing color images.
InDesign and Illustrator create images in either RGB or CMYK modes.
*com·ple·men·ta·ry
Pronunciation: "käm-pl&-'men-t(&-)rE
Function: adjective
1 : relating to or constituting one of a pair of contrasting colors that produce a neutral color when combined in suitable proportions
2 : serving to fill out or complete
3 : mutually supplying each other's lack
4 : being complements of each other
5 : characterized by the capacity for precise pairing of purine and pyrimidine bases between strands of DNA and sometimes RNA such that the structure of one strand determines the other
- com·ple·men·ta·ri·ly /-'men-t(&-)r&-lE, -(")men-'ter-&-lE/ adverb
- com·ple·men·ta·ri·ness /-'men-t(&-)rE-n&s/ noun
- complementary noun
com·pli·men·ta·ry
Pronunciation: "käm-pl&-'men-t(&-)rE
Function: adjective
1 a : expressing or containing a compliment b : FAVORABLE
2 : given free as a courtesy or favor
- com·pli·men·ta·ri·ly /-'men-t(&-)r&-lE, -(")men-'ter-&-lE/ adverb
source: http://m-w.com
** Adapted from Adobe Photoshop Help.
‡
What would you say about the color scheme of this logo? (What relationships do these colors have to each other? Cool? Warm? Complementary? Analogous?)
The visible spectrum (above) can be visualized as a rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet. The primary colors are red, blue and yellow. Think of them as prime numbers. They are as simple as it gets. The secondary colors are a mixture of two primary colors: red + blue = violet. Equal mixtures of primaries (or secondaries) makes a neutral gray. (See the color wheels below.)
We see color that is reflected from an object. If all colors of the visible spectrum are reflected, we perceive the object as white (all the colors of the spectrum combine to make white light). If only the red light waves are reflected, we perceive the object to be red. If little or no light is reflected, we perceive the object to be black. Reflected light is described as subtractive (if you mix colors together, color gets absorbed, subtracted or taken away.) Remember mixing all your finger paints to make that yukky brown? That's subtractive.
Another word for color is hue. If a color is fully saturated, it is at its most intense. If it is desaturated, it is less intense. "Baby blue" is less saturated than "cobalt blue."
A tint is a color that is a color that has been lightened, as if it had white added to it. Pink is a tint of red. A shade is a color that is darkened. "Forest green" is a tint of green.
White and black are neutrals. White reflects all the wavelengths of light, and black absorbs all. Grays can be neutral if composed of equal amounts of color. Sometimes grays can lean toward a color, and be considered warm or cool accordingly (blue-gray, for example.)
Here is Photoshop's color picker with examples of saturated and desaturated colors, tints, shades and neutrals:
Wikipedia explains this better than I can:
In colorimetry and color theory, colorfulness, chroma, and saturation are related but distinct concepts referring to the perceived intensity of a specific color. Colorfulness is the difference between a color against gray. Chroma is the difference of a color against the brightness of another color which appears white under similar viewing conditions. Saturation is the difference of a color against its own brightness. …What a nice color
A highly colorful stimulus is vivid and intense, while a less colorful stimulus appears more muted, closer to gray. With no colorfulness at all, a color is a “neutral” gray (an image with no colorfulness in any of its colors is called grayscale). With three attributes—colorfulness (or chroma or saturation), lightness (or brightness), and hue—any color can be described.
Saturation is one of three coordinates in the HSL and HSV color spaces. Note that virtually all computer software implementing these spaces use a very rough approximation to calculate the value they call "saturation", such as the formula described for HSV and this value has little, if anything, to do with the description shown here.
The saturation of a color is determined by a combination of light intensity and how much it is distributed across the spectrum of different wavelengths. The purest color is achieved by using just one wavelength at a high intensity, such as in laser light. If the intensity drops, so does the saturation. To desaturate a color in a subtractive system (such as watercolor), you can add white, black, gray, or the hue's complement.
Colors opposite each other on the color wheel are considered to be complementary*. They have nothing in common. For instance red is complementary to green, green is made of the primary colors blue and yellow which have nothing in common with red. Complementary colors seem to vibrate when placed next to each other and have an energizing and sometimes shocking effect on a color scheme.
Colors near each other on the color wheel are called analogous. They are harmonious color combinations because they are similar or have something in common. For example, violet, blue and green are analogous because they have blue in common.
The Color Wheel
Primaries, Secondaries and Neutrals
Another way to think of color is in terms of temperature. Warm colors are red, orange and yellow. Cool colors are green, blue and violet.
Colors also have cultural, social and emotional baggage. There was a time when you would seldom see anything but red, white and blue used in political advertising because of the patriotic sentiment that the designers are trying to evoke. Likewise, blue is an unappetizing color so it might be used judiciously in food packaging. On the other hand, reds, yellow, browns and greens - colors which we readily associate with edible items - are frequently employed in food advertising and packaging. Think about that the next time you have a blue M&M or sports drink.
Colors are subject to trends, too. Every so often fashionistas elevate certain colors while others fall out of favor. I wouldn't expect to see a trendy new house appointed with avocado green carpet and harvest gold appliances (like those of my 1970s childhood).
Lighting the way
When humans started fooling around with light, they discovered that if they projected colored light it behaved differently than reflected light. In the case of light, the prime units of color are red, green and blue. Your TV screen and computer monitor use this scheme to represent colors and thus pictures. Grab a magnifying glass and put it up to the monitor and you'll see. (Really! It's cool!) This model of representing color is known as RGB.
RGB Color Model
When red, green and blue light is mixed equally at full intensity it creates white light. This is known as additive color. By adding the red, green and blue light together you create white light, the full visible spectrum. On the other hand, if you take light away, it becomes black --- the absence of light.You might also notice that the combinations of red, blue and green don't make the same colors as you might expect them to based on the color wheel. "Red and green make yellow?" you ask. So they tell me. It's not very intuitive given our understanding paint mixing and color wheels.
CMYK, or how printers do it
To commercial printers, artists, designers and soon to you, intrepid interpreters, color is ink. Unfortunately for our brains, we have to leap between RGB representation on a computer monitor to a CMYK printed page. Never fear. Explanation is on the way.
Full color images are printed by what's known as four color process (or process color). Generally, just four colors of ink are used to approximate the colors we see in the visible spectrum: Cyan (blue), Magenta, Yellow and Black or CMYK (K represents black). There are special instances where additional colors are added during printing, but that's not for us to worry about.
A full color image, such as the one at right is separated into the four colors below for process printing. These separations are made into negatives which in turn are used to make printing plates. Each of the plates is used to print its corresponding color, and the colors are registered or aligned so that the colors match up and create the "full color" image we see on the page.
CMYK Composite
Below is a representation of each separation of the full color picture above. As each ink is printed on the page, the colors combine to create the full color image. Think back to the color wheel and the primary colors... blue...red...yellow.... Since there is a lot of green in the foliage, it's natural to see lots of yellow and blue in that area. But what you might find enlightening is the amount of magenta and black there too. These colors help make shadows and highlights and give depth and richness to the color of the foliage.
It all adds -- uh, I mean subtracts -- up
Process printing inks are semi-transparent which means that they allow some of the other inks to show through. Inks are also printed as halftones, so that some of the paper will show through too.
And even though we talk about the color building up, keep in mind that it's really "subtracting" light (but don't tell your printer that or he'll give you a really funny look and think you're sniffing the ink). Dark colors (created by densely built-up inks) absorb more light rays than they reflect and thus subtract light that your eyes would otherwise see.
How process color builds up to appear to be "full color"
Color gamuts (Photoshop)‡
A gamut is the range of colors that a color system can display or print. The spectrum of colors seen by the human eye is wider than the gamut available in any color model.
Among the color models used in Photoshop, Lab has the largest gamut, encompassing all colors in the RGB and CMYK gamuts. Typically, RGB gamuts contain the subset of these colors that can be viewed on a computer or television monitor (which emits red, green, and blue light). Therefore, some colors, such as pure cyan or pure yellow, can't be displayed accurately on a monitor.
CMYK gamuts are smaller, consisting only of colors that can be printed using process-color inks. When colors that cannot be printed are displayed on-screen, they are referred to as out-of-gamut colors--that is, outside a CMYK gamut. (See Identifying out-of-gamut colors (Photoshop).)
Important: The gamut for an RGB or CMYK image depends on its document profile. (See About color management.)
 |
Broken link :^( Looking for another version of this graph
Color gamuts: A. A Lab color gamut B. An RGB color gamut C. A CMYK color gamut |
 |
| Color gamuts, different RGB colorspaces compared to the visible spectrum http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_space |
Halftone screens consist of dots that control how much ink is deposited at a specific location. Varying their size and density creates the illusion of variations of gray or continuous color. For a process color image (four color or full color), four halftone screens are used: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black-one for each ink used in the printing process.
In traditional print production, a halftone is produced by placing a halftone screen between a piece of film and the image and then exposing the film.
Get out that magnifying glass again and take a close look at newspaper and magazine photos to see the tiny dots which create the "photo." Note also how high quality glossy magazines use a finer screen (dots) and newspapers use a coarse screen. This is because of the type of paper and printing unique to each medium.
Left: Grayscale image, halftone screen with black ink. Light areas have smaller dots, dark areas have larger dots. Right: CMYK color image, halftone screens with process ink at different screen angles; correctly registered dots form rosettes.
Spot Color (Pantone or PMS Colors)
Sometimes you might want to just use a single color of ink, or perhaps black plus one color called a spot color. You'll be specifying a Pantone or PMS (Print Matching System) color . Printers have books of color swatches from which to select these colors. These colors come either ready-mixed or are custom-mixed by the printer. Pantone colors libraries are available in InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop. These libraries, as well as specific CMYK colors, allow designers and printers to speak the same language because what is baby blue to you might be a horse of a different color to your printer!
Models vs Modes of Color
Until now we've been discussing color models. Models are methods of defining color, whereas modes are particular to Photoshop, specifically, how the application defines color. Here is a list of Photoshop's modes:
- Bitmap
- Grayscale
- Duotone
- Indexed Color
- RGB Color
- CMYK Color
- Lab Color
- Multichannel
Bitmap - uses only two colors, black and white, to represent images. (Note: This is not the bitmap file format ".bmp" you might see generated from some PC applications.)
Grayscale - uses 256 shades of gray (more correctly, black).
RGB - based on the primary colors of red, green and blue. This is how your monitor displays colors and how scanners scan images. After a picture is scanned, it needs to be converted to CMYK for printing.
CMYK - based on the Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black process printing model. This is the color mode used for printing color images.
InDesign and Illustrator create images in either RGB or CMYK modes.
*com·ple·men·ta·ry
Pronunciation: "käm-pl&-'men-t(&-)rE
Function: adjective
1 : relating to or constituting one of a pair of contrasting colors that produce a neutral color when combined in suitable proportions
2 : serving to fill out or complete
3 : mutually supplying each other's lack
4 : being complements of each other
5 : characterized by the capacity for precise pairing of purine and pyrimidine bases between strands of DNA and sometimes RNA such that the structure of one strand determines the other
- com·ple·men·ta·ri·ly /-'men-t(&-)r&-lE, -(")men-'ter-&-lE/ adverb
- com·ple·men·ta·ri·ness /-'men-t(&-)rE-n&s/ noun
- complementary noun
com·pli·men·ta·ry
Pronunciation: "käm-pl&-'men-t(&-)rE
Function: adjective
1 a : expressing or containing a compliment b : FAVORABLE
2 : given free as a courtesy or favor
- com·pli·men·ta·ri·ly /-'men-t(&-)r&-lE, -(")men-'ter-&-lE/ adverb
source: http://m-w.com
** Adapted from Adobe Photoshop Help.
‡
Sunday, April 15, 2012
The Rise of the Slacktivist, Graphically Illustrated
And a tasty graph illustrating what non-profit organzations are doing with social media. (Click through to go to the web page with story and full-size art.)
 |
| http://www.nonprofitmarketingblog.com/site/comments/ what_are_nonprofits_doing_with_social_media_six_interesting_stats/ |
 |
| http://www.nonprofitmarketingblog.com/site/comments/ what_are_nonprofits_doing_with_social_media_six_interesting_stats/ |
Friday, April 13, 2012
Eight Seconds? Try Six
It should come as no surprise that recruiters spend only a short amount of time reading resumes.
"According to TheLadders research, recruiters spend an average of 'six seconds before they make the initial "fit or no fit" decision' on candidates."
 |
| http://www.cdn.theladders.net/static/images/basicSite/pdfs/TheLadders-EyeTracking-StudyB.pdf |
"The study used a scientific technique called 'eye tracking' on 30 professional recruiters and examined their eye movements during a 10-week period to 'record and analyze where and how long someone focuses when digesting a piece of information or completing a task.'"
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/heres-what-recruiters-look-at-during-the-6-seconds-they-spend-on-your-resume-2012-4?utm_source=twbutton&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=careers#ixzz1rwDjk9ez
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Creating and Maintaining a Portfolio for Employment
A portfolio is a tangible representation of your education and work
experience. It is an organized collection of your work which will allow
you to demonstrate to a potential employer your strengths, skills and
achievements, and an expression of your special qualifications and
unique abilities. Use it to show a potential employer why you are the
right person for that job or internship.
A portfolio can contain, but is certainly not limited to:
Create your portfolio by collecting anything that relates to your academic or work experience. Collect everything (yes, everything, then organize it later). Keep your collection of documents current by adding to it as your experience grows. Then when it comes time to organize you'll have a good selection to choose from.
The projects you will create in this class offer you the perfect opportunity to begin assembling an employment portfolio. In this class you will design and create several documents suitable for portfolio pieces. These assignments allow you the opportunity to create portfolio pieces to exhibit your creativity and ability to use CS3 software.
Next, organize your portfolio to demonstrate your abilities and achievements. There are many different ways to organize your collection including chronological, topic or subject (such as Math or English), and lesson or ability (such as teamwork or communication). Depending on the type of case or binder you choose, organize each item in individual sleeves or pages. Be sure to include a brief, descriptive caption for each item (the exception might be documents such as your resume, letters and transcripts). Use tabbed and labeled dividers to separate sections and keep everything neat and tidy. Add to it as you learn, grow and create new projects; clean out older projects that don't represent your current level of ability or interests.
When the time comes to go to an interview, customize your portfolio for the specific position. Filter out unnecessary documents and include only that which pertains to the particular skills needed for the position. For example, if the job or internship requires public speaking, be sure to include proof of your ability, such as an outline of a presentation you have given or a photo of yourself addressing a group. Limit the size of your portfolio to 15-20 pages. Also, remember that portfolios are a reflection of the individual. In all my years I've never seen two that are alike and there is certainly no single "correct" way to assemble your portfolio. It will represent your personality and unique abilities.
Finally, you can present your portfolio during your interview. Be sure to inform your potential employer that you have a portfolio of related material that you can bring to your interview and ask what material might be important to bring.
E me
Electronic and "disposable" portfolios are becoming more and more common. Potential employers can view these in advance of your interview. In the case of online portfolios, employers can search the internet looking for a person with your qualifications and contact you via email through a link on your site. Portfolios that are sent to a potential employer on CD or other portable media are considered "disposable" as they may not necessarily be returned to you.
Electronic portfolios are created in much the same way you would your traditional portfolio --- collecting, organizing and customizing --- but instead of compiling everything in a three-ring binder, work is documented electronically (for example, by scanning, digital photos or pdf files) and compiled so that the potential employer can view your work on a computer.
If you have the technical ability, you can create your own. If you're electronically challenged, enlist the aid of a friend or professional. As mentioned above, your electronic portfolio can be in the form of a website, CD or Power Point presentation. Keep in mind that the format should be cross-platform (compatible for either PCs and Macs) and industry-standard software (for example, PDF, html or Power Point).
Further resources
Here are only a few of the dozens of resources on the Web. Read more about portfolios, what they should contain, and how to organize them:
http://art-support.com/portfolio.htm
http://jobsearch.about.com/cs/resumes/a/portfolio.htm
What to Include in your Portfolio (PDF download, Ball State University)
http://www.uwrf.edu/CareerServices/ResumesAndApplicationMaterials.cfm
Electronic portfolio information and hosting:
http://www.behance.net/
http://www.photoshopcafe.com/tutorials/portfolio/portfolio.htm
http://www.impactfolios.com
Example of online portfolios
http://erinadamsphoto.com
http://www.philipchudy.com
http://www.squidlock.com
A portfolio can contain, but is certainly not limited to:
- Your resume
- Letters of recommendation or commendation
- Transcripts
- Class assignments
- Photos of projects or displays
- Outlines of lectures or presentations
- Photographs of yourself at work
- Transcripts
- Certificates of achievement
- Academic recognition
- Examples of brochures, handouts, flyers, etc. you've created or helped create
- Samples of your writing
- Examples of hobbies or special skills
Create your portfolio by collecting anything that relates to your academic or work experience. Collect everything (yes, everything, then organize it later). Keep your collection of documents current by adding to it as your experience grows. Then when it comes time to organize you'll have a good selection to choose from.
The projects you will create in this class offer you the perfect opportunity to begin assembling an employment portfolio. In this class you will design and create several documents suitable for portfolio pieces. These assignments allow you the opportunity to create portfolio pieces to exhibit your creativity and ability to use CS3 software.
Next, organize your portfolio to demonstrate your abilities and achievements. There are many different ways to organize your collection including chronological, topic or subject (such as Math or English), and lesson or ability (such as teamwork or communication). Depending on the type of case or binder you choose, organize each item in individual sleeves or pages. Be sure to include a brief, descriptive caption for each item (the exception might be documents such as your resume, letters and transcripts). Use tabbed and labeled dividers to separate sections and keep everything neat and tidy. Add to it as you learn, grow and create new projects; clean out older projects that don't represent your current level of ability or interests.
When the time comes to go to an interview, customize your portfolio for the specific position. Filter out unnecessary documents and include only that which pertains to the particular skills needed for the position. For example, if the job or internship requires public speaking, be sure to include proof of your ability, such as an outline of a presentation you have given or a photo of yourself addressing a group. Limit the size of your portfolio to 15-20 pages. Also, remember that portfolios are a reflection of the individual. In all my years I've never seen two that are alike and there is certainly no single "correct" way to assemble your portfolio. It will represent your personality and unique abilities.
Finally, you can present your portfolio during your interview. Be sure to inform your potential employer that you have a portfolio of related material that you can bring to your interview and ask what material might be important to bring.
E me
Electronic and "disposable" portfolios are becoming more and more common. Potential employers can view these in advance of your interview. In the case of online portfolios, employers can search the internet looking for a person with your qualifications and contact you via email through a link on your site. Portfolios that are sent to a potential employer on CD or other portable media are considered "disposable" as they may not necessarily be returned to you.
Electronic portfolios are created in much the same way you would your traditional portfolio --- collecting, organizing and customizing --- but instead of compiling everything in a three-ring binder, work is documented electronically (for example, by scanning, digital photos or pdf files) and compiled so that the potential employer can view your work on a computer.
If you have the technical ability, you can create your own. If you're electronically challenged, enlist the aid of a friend or professional. As mentioned above, your electronic portfolio can be in the form of a website, CD or Power Point presentation. Keep in mind that the format should be cross-platform (compatible for either PCs and Macs) and industry-standard software (for example, PDF, html or Power Point).
Further resources
Here are only a few of the dozens of resources on the Web. Read more about portfolios, what they should contain, and how to organize them:
http://art-support.com/portfolio.htm
http://jobsearch.about.com/cs/resumes/a/portfolio.htm
What to Include in your Portfolio (PDF download, Ball State University)
http://www.uwrf.edu/CareerServices/ResumesAndApplicationMaterials.cfm
Electronic portfolio information and hosting:
http://www.behance.net/
http://www.photoshopcafe.com/tutorials/portfolio/portfolio.htm
http://www.impactfolios.com
Example of online portfolios
http://erinadamsphoto.com
http://www.philipchudy.com
http://www.squidlock.com
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Make a Table in InDesign (Without Hammer or Saw)
A
table consists of rows and columns of cells. A cell is like a text
frame in which you can add text, inline graphics, or other tables.
You can create tables from scratch or by converting them from existing
text, or export them from other applications. You can also embed a table within a table.
When you create a table, the new table fills the width of the container text frame. A table is inserted on the same line when the insertion point is at the beginning of the line, or on the next line, when the insertion point is in the middle of a line.
Tables flow with surrounding text just as inline graphics do. For example, a table moves through threaded frames when the text above it changes in point size or when text is added or deleted. However, a table cannot appear on a text-on-path frame.
When you create a table, the new table fills the width of the container text frame. A table is inserted on the same line when the insertion point is at the beginning of the line, or on the next line, when the insertion point is in the middle of a line.
Tables flow with surrounding text just as inline graphics do. For example, a table moves through threaded frames when the text above it changes in point size or when text is added or deleted. However, a table cannot appear on a text-on-path frame.
Below are some important features to get you started. For a video tutorial on creating and formatting tables, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0081.
Create a table from scratch
The table you create fills the width of the
text frame.
- Using the Type tool
, place the insertion point where you want the table to appear.
- Choose Table > Insert Table.
- Specify the numbers of rows and columns.
- If your table contents will continue on more than one column or frame, specify the number of header or footer rows in which you want the information to be repeated.
- (Optional) Specify a table style.
- Click OK.
The row height of a table is determined by the specified
table style. For example, a table style may use cell styles to format
different parts of the table. If any of these cell styles include
paragraph styles, the leading value of the paragraph styles determines
the row height of that area. If no paragraph style is used, the document’s
default slug determines the row height. (The slug is based on the leading
value. In this context, a slug is the approximate height
of the highlighting in selected text.)
Create a table from existing text
Before you convert text to a table, make sure
that you set up the text properly.
- To prepare the text for conversion, insert tabs, commas, paragraph returns, or another character to separate columns. Insert tabs, commas, paragraph returns, or another character to separate rows. (In many instances, text can be converted to a table without having to be edited.)
- Using the Type tool
- Choose Table > Convert Text To Table.
- For both Column Separator and Row Separator, indicate where new rows and columns should begin. Choose Tab, Comma, or Paragraph, or type the character, such as a semicolon (;), in the Column Separator and Row Separator field. (Any character you type appears in the menu the next time you create a table from text.)
- If you specify the same separator for columns and rows, indicate the number of columns you want the table to include.
- (Optional) Specify a table style to format the table.
- Click OK.
If any row has fewer items than the number of columns
in a table, empty cells fill out the row.
Selecting Table Cells, Rows and Columns
Using the Type tool , do
any of the following:
To switch between selecting all of the
text in a cell and selecting the cell, press Esc.
Using the Type tool , do
any of the following:
Using the Type tool , do
any of the following:
You can also select a table in the same
way you select an anchored graphic—place the insertion point immediately
before or after a table, and then hold down Shift while pressing
the Right Arrow key or Left Arrow key, respectively, to select the table.
Selecting Table Cells, Rows and Columns
When you select part or
all of the text in a cell, that selection has the same appearance
as would text selected outside a table. However, if the selection spans
more than one cell, the cells and their contents are both selected.
If a table spans more than one frame, holding the mouse pointer over any header or footer row that is not the first header or footer row causes a lock icon to appear, indicating that you cannot select text or cells in that row. To select cells in a header or footer row, go to the beginning of the table.
If a table spans more than one frame, holding the mouse pointer over any header or footer row that is not the first header or footer row causes a lock icon to appear, indicating that you cannot select text or cells in that row. To select cells in a header or footer row, go to the beginning of the table.
Select cells
Using the Type tool , do
any of the following:- To select a single cell, click inside a
table, or select text, and then choose Table > Select >
Cell.
- To select multiple cells, drag across a cell border.
Be careful not to drag the column or row line so that you don’t
resize the table.
To switch between selecting all of the
text in a cell and selecting the cell, press Esc. Select entire columns or rows
Using the Type tool , do
any of the following:- Click inside a table, or select text, and
then choose Table > Select > Column or Row.
- Move the pointer over the top edge of a column or
the left edge of a row so that the pointer becomes an arrow shape
(
or
), and then click to select the entire column or row.
Before and after selecting Row
Select all header, body, or footer rows
- Click inside a table, or select text.
- Choose Table > Select > Header Rows, Body Rows, or Footer Rows.
Select the entire table
Using the Type tool , do
any of the following:- Click inside a table, or select text, and
then choose Table > Select > Table.
- Move the pointer over the upper left corner of the
table so that the pointer becomes an arrow shape
, and then click to select the entire table.
Before and after selecting table - Drag the Type tool across the entire table.
You can also select a table in the same
way you select an anchored graphic—place the insertion point immediately
before or after a table, and then hold down Shift while pressing
the Right Arrow key or Left Arrow key, respectively, to select the table. Formatting Tables
Use
the Control panel or Character panel to format text within a table—just
like formatting text outside a table. In addition, two main dialog
boxes help you format the table itself: Table Options and Cell Options.
Use these dialog boxes to change the number of rows and columns,
to change the appearance of the table border and fill, to determine
the spacing above and below the table, to edit header and footer
rows, and to add other table formatting.
Use the Table panel, the Control panel, or the context menu to format the table structure. Select one or more cells and then right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) to display a context menu with table options.
For a video tutorial on creating and formatting tables, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0081.
Use the Table panel, the Control panel, or the context menu to format the table structure. Select one or more cells and then right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) to display a context menu with table options.
For a video tutorial on creating and formatting tables, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0081.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Monday, April 2, 2012
How Does Your Table Measure Up?
Here's a table that owes its beauty to typography and design alone:
 |
| http://mashable.com/2011/07/20/spotify-infographic/ |
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Chart Fodder
These sites are rich with data:
If those don't float your boat, you can try digging around in these sites:
Visit my Delicious.com Infographic collection for inspirational eye candy:
Happy hunting!
If those don't float your boat, you can try digging around in these sites:
Visit my Delicious.com Infographic collection for inspirational eye candy:
Happy hunting!
Study Guide for April 9 Quiz
The quiz scheduled for April 9 will be a sort of "practical" exam: I'll give you a printout of a flier, you will recreate it. You'll need to match the typefaces and layout as precisely as you can.
You will need to be able to:
You will need to be able to:
- Create a new document
- Place, scale and rotate art
- Match basic typefaces
- Create and format text using Character and Paragraph panels
- Create basic shapes such as a rectangle or ellipse
- Use the spelling checker
- Export and print a PDF
Infographics or Infoporn?
You've seen them. You've used them. But just what are infographics? Simply put,
An infographic combines data visualization and illustration to communicate, inform, persuade or even indulge in a little humor.
Basic types of information graphics
There are two types of infographics: objective and subjective.
Objective graphics present information without bias in such a way that the reader can draw his/her own conclusions. They are intended to educate or even document events. In an objective infographic, all data and points of view are represented equally.
Subjective graphics are often intended to be persuasive and may have an agenda. Information may be edited or left out altogether. This is not necessarily bad -- simply be aware of bias inherent to the graphic.
A subset of subjective infographics are considered indulgent, entertaining or amusing, particularly because they communicate no data or information whatever. They present content for the sake of the content alone.
What makes a good infographic?
Infographics take on many shapes and forms, from tables and charts to complex illustrations, but any good infographic
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_graphics
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Information_graphics
"Information graphics or infographics are graphic visual representations of information, data or knowledge. These graphics present complex information quickly and clearly, such as in signs, maps, journalism, technical writing, and education."
-- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_graphics
An infographic combines data visualization and illustration to communicate, inform, persuade or even indulge in a little humor.
Basic types of information graphics
There are two types of infographics: objective and subjective.
Objective graphics present information without bias in such a way that the reader can draw his/her own conclusions. They are intended to educate or even document events. In an objective infographic, all data and points of view are represented equally.
Subjective graphics are often intended to be persuasive and may have an agenda. Information may be edited or left out altogether. This is not necessarily bad -- simply be aware of bias inherent to the graphic.
 |
| New America Foundation/Good/DeepLocal |
A subset of subjective infographics are considered indulgent, entertaining or amusing, particularly because they communicate no data or information whatever. They present content for the sake of the content alone.
What makes a good infographic?
Infographics take on many shapes and forms, from tables and charts to complex illustrations, but any good infographic
- Will have a meaningful relationship between content and form (presentation)
- Will suggest or allow high-level conclusions to be drawn from either a user-defined (objective) or persuasive (subjective) presentation
- Can stand on its own
- Cites data source(s) for legitimacy
- Shows accurate comparisons (see cookie graph above)
- Is clearly titled, labeled and captioned
- Start with data and clear goals or a good question. Organize the information!
- Ask yourself what it is you want people to understand from reading your graphic. Can the reader obtain high-level information from your graphic?
- Avoid the look of objectivity if the goal of the graphic is to be persuasive (in other words, be honest).
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_graphics
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Information_graphics
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)