Reflection: Week of 2/11

This week, we were given Assignment 3! I was looking forward to this project in particular, as it is similar to one currently assigned in my other class, Communication Design Fundamentals. Furthermore, the Project 3 deliverables from last semester’s students partly inspired me to take this course.

What makes this assignment different from my other is that we are given two formats to play with. While the first set of limitations haven’t resulted in any differences between both formats, I have a feeling that the next set will, especially when it comes to pictures.

During our class exercise this Thursday, we evaluated the allowances and limitations of certain design principles/rules of the assignment. My group was given contrast, which for the purpose of our assignment, translates to bolding lines of text. One realization I made during the exercise was that the bolding of several lines can sometimes have an opposite effect and draw your eye to the lighter weights. As demonstrated in the picture below, the bolded groups draw you to “Presentations,” which is helpful, but also “present,” which is unhelpful.

Although I was unaware, the professor pointed out that most people choose weights that were two steps away from each other. This helped distinguish lines from one another and made the bolded words pop dramatically. Going forward, I will make sure to pay attention to the subtleties of these rules and take advantage of their allowances.