This class focused on using Adobe CS6 version of Illustrator and exercising our skills in creating vector graphics. I enjoyed the class and each assignment but this was by far the worst instructor I have had yet. There was no obvious love of teaching that came through in any of his feedback or guidance to students who needed extra help. Fortunately I came into the class well prepared because I use illustrator on my own quite a bit, so I didn’t need any of his help. I enjoyed the class none the less. It was nice to be asked to design for several separate purposes.

We made an apple each week for 5 weeks, the 6th week we turned each of those apples into stamps- this was my favorite assignment. I enjoyed the research of stamps and the little details that make a design actually look like a stamp vs. a small illustration with scalloped edges. 

We designed a logo for a vacation destination of our choice, I chose Paris, and I really like how mine turned out. 

We had two assignments involving article layout. Previously to this class I always used indesign to layout articles, it’s nice to know in CS6 Illustrator has adopted some of indesigns tools and works well for one or two page designs. 

Below is a design brief for the two projects that stretched out over 5 weeks. In the posts over the next week you will see one design a day. I hope you enjoy. 

 Apple-A-Week First Exercise

Overview of this Series of Exercises

You will create five different illustrations (one for each week of the course through Week 5) of an apple, each rendered through use of the tools and effects in Adobe Illustrator. 

Spot Illustrations Project

A spot illustration is a small design element that is added to holes in designed communication vehicles like magazines, newspapers, electronic zines, and blogs to name a few. During the Golden Age of American Illustration (1880–1920), professional illustrators would carefully conceived and composed spot illustrations in order to enhance content, set a mood, and create eye-flow for the reader.

A spot illustration may range over any subject and can be any style; cartoon, whimsical, wash and line, halftone, or silhouette. Basically, any free-floating illustration may be called a spot.

The Assignment

You have been hired to create three spot illustrations* that relate to a specific text selection. You will explore rough designs for the three illustrations before rendering your final solution as individual illustrations using Adobe Illustrator. Finally, you will present the illustrations at actual size, in relation to the text selection, in a demonstration page layout created in Adobe Illustrator.

(Source: tiffanyneumann.com)