This was a poster created to be apart of a series of posters that coincide with my other classmates. In this series, "Snapshots of Success", each of us were assigned a different attribute that successful people usually have, and in some cases, the successful ability that was holding some of us from being successful. Depicted in my final piece, Is an archer taking aim at an apple placed on a man's head, standing in a field. The quotation "Don't waste time calculating your chances of success and failure. Just fix your aim and begin.", is fixed to form an aiming line for the archer, and is used to give the piece depth. The borders were used to give it the appearance of a Polaroid with a handwritten FOCUS to ensure that the audience understands, true success comes from great focus.

I created a fictional cover for Esquire magazine using a similar style to theirs, and with original photography. Esquire uses a lot of graphic design type covers on every issue without having a set style. A lot of the time, the cover uses texts in interesting ways, from distorting text to make it look like a wall, to actually writing the teasers on the cover model itself. Colors vary, and is always eye catching. I took a photo of myself positioned on a wall, and turned the wall into the text to make it seem as though I was leaning on the magazines lead stories.

Photo Restoration

In this project, I had to find a photograph that was in need of restoration, and use the original and retouched photo in an advertisement. I found a photograph that was taken in the 1940's that had been wrapped around a pen for safe keeping. As you can see the original had been severely damaged with crease marks and tears. I rebuilt many parts of the officers' uniform and several portions of the background. I also altered the color settings and levels to keep the black and white photo fresh, and restored it from its aged discoloration.

The Next Chapter

This past week I have spent a lot of time reliving the past, and thinking about the future. A handful of my friends were graduating with their Bachelor's Degree from the University of South Florida, and had a week full of events in celebration. Each day was like a different year. On Monday, we recalled Freshman year, when we all discovered beer pong, and all sorts of other drinking games for the first time. Tuesday, Sophomore year, we attempted to drink sophisticated high shelf drinks, mixed to perfection and Wednesday, Junior year, was the pub, with darts, pool, and plenty of fluids. Thursday put everything into perspective. Tired of the party we had been living, we watched some sports, played some poker, and just talked about what is next. For a few of them, college is over and their life as a professional is beginning. A couple are going on to get their Master's Degree, and live the lifestyle a little more. But either way, it seemed as though it was the last time that all of us were guaranteed each other's company. I now have several cities across the nation I have to start planning trips to, and wedding dates to save in my planner. Our youth is finally out of reach, and the real world of responsibility is pulling at us. When leaving high school, it was hard to let go of a lot of your childish things, but were able to do so because of the better things to come. That chapter ended, and in doing such, opened up this chapter of my life. I never knew how this chapter would end, but I sure did enjoy it every page along the way. Now, I see that my "book of life" still has a long way to go, and that the next chapter holds many more surprises then the ones before, and even though I will always miss those childish things of yesterday, whose to say I can't bring a few of them with me?

Web 2.0

With information and data being more valuable then software on today's interent, it lead me to the question, "Is the World Wide Web ready for WWeb 2.0?" Mind you, web designers on the world wide web are the one's who have been actively pushing towards the new development online. But what about everyone else. As content management systems keep growing, and slowly creeping into every aspect of the internet world, it makes me wonder what the new World Wide Web is going to be like. The new wave is coming, and the Apple Iphone is the perfect example. All forms of multimedia are capable with this new piece of technology, and it isn't just the software that enables this "machine" to harness the technology it does. It's the entire platform. It serves as a standard, flexible, light-weight, multi-device platform, and proves that Apple and iTunes are ahead of the Internet curve. Web 2.0 is coming, and I pray that the world prepares themselves, and is ready for the "boom."

Blog, Blog, BLOOOOG!

So, it finally occurred to me. I discovered blogging is a more intricate part of today's society, in obtaining credibility in the business world. I was first assigned these blogs as a part of the class assignments. We were to blog on topics related to graphic design and what we learned in class. I was skeptical and did barely enough to get by. This last month, I've practically fallen off the radar, and even wrote this whole experience off completely. Then I came in contact with a good friend of mine through a social network. A status update I had placed caught his attention, and he decided to shoot me a message. As we were conversing, I discovered he is in the industry, and knows quite a few people around the country. Recently, he has put me into contact with a few people that are working professionals and has been very crucial to me trying to find employment after college.
People, the metaphorical light bulb that hangs over my head is officially turned on, and I do "see the light". Had I not participated in the social network, he would not have remembered to even contact me. Had I not put something credible in my status, he wouldn't have thought twice to ask me what I'm trying to do after my degree. Its the same for other things. Blogging, tweeting, social networking. All can give the ability to people, to network themselves and build their credibility amongst their peers. I feel revamped about everything I've learned to this point, and am regretful it took this long to see the potential in what I wasn't even attempting.

File Sharing and Piracy

While researching for my page on file sharing and piracy, Ive started a debate within myself. The point of the web site I was creating was to influence the user who would be viewing my page. But instead of caught myself arguing my own thoughts and opinions. With each and every article I read, I would go back and forth. One moment I was anti file sharing and all for the rights of artists and performers. Then I would read some more, and want to fight against the corporations for the attempts at constricting the internet because it doesn't fit their own agenda. Then it came to me. Everything involved in this conflict (and with many others as well) depends on your own agenda. Everyone has something to gain or something to lose, and depends on your perspective as to which side you would take. Is file sharing stealing? Sometimes. Is it wrong? Sometimes. Are all forms of file sharing piracy? No. So in all the time I have spent researching articles, and reading other people's facts and opinions I have finally come to the conclusion that I have no real side to take. In some aspects I agree, while in other aspects I disagree. It doesn't seem to be a topic where a lot of people straddle that fence, but I think believe it takes a mentally stronger person to realize this and take their stand.

Web Design

The last 4 weeks of my student career have been with filled with learning experiences in the field of Web Design. I was instructed in HTML code and CSS style sheets, and it all seemed to just be a lot of technical coding, and that layout elements on a page would be simple. Boy was I wrong! Not only did coding seem to prove more difficult then anticipated but the layout and design of my pages never seemed to go exactly as planned. Positioning was, by far, my hardest obstacle. I would decide on my concept, and thumb nail out different possibilities. Then when I sat down to begin placing all the elements into the page caos insued. Text would begin to float, pretty much, whereve it wanted. Pictures would line-up in positions that ruined the entire format and flow of page, not to mention wouldn't make sense. Even links and buttons would chose to move around the page however they wanted.
I began to get frantic and panic with these free-willing elements moving across my page without my permission. Typing code, then changing the code, then changing it again would only make matters worse, and the inconsiderate images and text still refused to sit in their place. After I calmed down, and took the time to read through what I was trying to do, I was able to learn and understand different tags and commands and what their purpose was. Patience is a virtue. An invaluable one when it comes to web design. Only after I was patient and clear-minded was I able to create willingly and successfully. To view my first projects go to
Web Accessibility or Guerrilla Marketing

Guerrilla Tactics

I have recently been inspired, thanks to my last project for my web design class. In researching different forms of advertising and marketing, I came across the term Guerrilla Marketing. Guerrilla marketing is type of advertising, that is low in budget, yet creative and unique, and engages the consumer to create a buzz. This buzz spreads the word about a product or causes awareness for different events. How some of these guerrilla marketers come up with this stuff is absolute brilliance.
The bubble gum company Hubba Bubba, simply placed pink balloons on the mouths of models posing in already existing advertisements. The balloon looked just like these billboards were blowing a Hubba Bubba bubble. When target audiences looked at these advertisements, I bet they didn't even know what the original billboard was supose to be promoting. All they could think about is blowing their own Hubba Bubba buble.
Aqua Teen Hunger Force's (popular cartoon on AdultSwim/Cartoon Network) ad agency placed dozens of neo-brite style signs composed of a Mooninite, a character seen on the show, in urban cities and highly visible locations around the United States. This led to the 2007 Boston Mooninite scare and attracted different kinds of reactions from Boston city officials. Many thought that the kind of attention gained from the stunt would be negative, but the ratings that were recieved were a lot more then, I believe, anyone expected.
The research I did on the guerrillas of advertising was not only interesting, but also consuming. I caught myself just staring at viral videos on youtube, and googling pictures of unique ad campaigns. No wonder this form of marketing has been so successful! Just trying to research it forces you to look at the advertisements. Infact, I think I'm gonna go see how big I can get my Hubba Bubba bubble as I watch Adultswim right now.

Advancing Past the Advanced

It is quite amazing how quickly a person can go from not knowing a thing about particular subjects, to in a short time have enough knowledge to hold their own. I spent a long weekend recently attending my sisters wedding. Just introducing and catching up with family members whom I haven't seen or even met since I was a young child. In passing, casual, conversation I began telling my long college career story. It started with graduating high school, and continued to the several college and universities I attended, and ended with my current education process at Keiser University. A few of my cousins and uncles began to heckle me with a few questions regarding graphic design and I suppose a few of my responses surprised them. As it turns out, another distant relative of mine was dating a recent graduate of a design school in Texas. We were introduced and as the conversation carried on, we began debating on fonts, designs, and all sorts of different topics. To my surprise I not only kept up with the conversation, but I feel as though I took over. Quoting different graphic artists and even discussing the documentary "Helvetica" dominated the differences in open and showed that even though I was merely a current student, persuing a 2 year degree, I knew enough to compare myself with a 4 year degree graduate. My family seemed fairly impressed, but not as much as my debater.
Even more recently, I was catching up with a fraternity brother of mine from years back, when we began discussing web design. As it turns out, he had graduated from the University of South Florida with a degree in computer sciences, and has been working repairing computer hardware, updating software, and even designing websites from time to time. He told me of the hardships he had experienced in learning HTML and PHP and all the fun internet languages of yesterday and today. I kept up with him pretty decently, and when I told him I have never even read a HTML text page before 3 weeks ago, he was astonished. A profesional, working in the industry, could not believe that only after less then a month of education, that I was at a point of knowing and understanding a few basics in his world.
Sitting back and looking at how far I have advanced in such a short amount of time only makes me more excited to find out what is to come for me. If I can do this much, so quickly, what can more time and experience bring?

Typography

An aspect of every day design that no one notices are typefaces, and they are everywhere. Labels, signs, flyers, name tags, and packages are all loaded with Font types, and are all chosen with purpose. Fonts have the ability to make you feel certain emotions, and react with certain sentiments. Everything a graphic designer creates, there is a message that is being portrayed, and in these messages the designer wants the consumer to feel a specific way. Typefaces evoke those emotions and force a consumer to want, to understand, or even to act. 

My world of Design

I spent most of my life trying to find myself, and trying to find something that I was good at. As luck would have it, it would take a second try at college, and a random chance meeting to discover that graphic design might just be for me. 2 months after I entered the world of Keiser University, I've found myself exploring the world around me in a light I had never seen before. Text, and fonts, and colors, and designs, all made by famous and infamous alike. People spent countless hours and days to create what drives others to buy and to want. Graphic Design plays such an intricate roll in the everyday lives of Americans, as well as the world. To be able to not only just see these strategies play out in front of my eyes, but to also be able to judge and critique these works, I feel I am an informed citizen. I am a citizen with the power to not fall prey to propaganda. A citizen who may one day make the propaganda.