View Screen Reader-Friendly Version

STEAM Training Workshop

MODULE 1

Content by Kayla Clark (Kiss-Cut Studio) & Ariane Peralta (East Carolina University)

WETLAND FLYER

Objective: You have 20 minutes to create an 8.5" x 11" flyer using the content provided at the link below. You may include additional visual elements such as shapes, lines and icons if you feel able and comfortable to integrate them.

Download project assets (images + text) here

Action: Save your 'working' file, duplicate your artboard before moving into the next design phase.

COLOR + ACCESSIBILITY

PSYCHOLOGY OF COLOR

DEFAULT COLOR VS. CUSTOM COLOR

Pre-loaded Illustrator swatches
Power of a custom palette

HEX COLORS

Visual representations of color based on binary code.

  • First 2 characters represent the amount of red present in a specified color
  • Second 2 characters represent the amount of green present in a specified color
  • Third 2 characters represent the amount of blue present in a specified color

SOURCING COLORS FROM PRE-MADE PALETTES

GENERATING PALETTES FROM IMAGES

Adobe Color

CONTRAST & ACCESSIBILITY

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are standards to measure accessibility for various vision acuities. WCAG is graded by the following system:

  • AAA is the highest level of contrast.
  • AA is mid-range level of acceptable contrast
  • A is low or minimum level of acceptable contrast
  • Fail does not pass as an acceptable contrast level

WhoCanUse

WCAG Chrome Extension

REFRESHER: APPLYING FILL & STROKE TOOLS IN ILLUSTRATOR

Recoloring all elements within illustrator:

  • Select content
  • Click 'Edit'
  • Click 'Edit Colors'
  • Re-color Artwork
  • Experiment with new combinations!

Objective: In your new artboard, apply an updated color palette to your flyer. Check for contrast/accessibility with the WhoCanUse tool.

Action: Save your 'working' file, duplicate your artboard before moving into the next design phase.

TYPOGRAPHY

TYPE STYLES & CLASSIFICATION

Where we've been, where we're going.

Spotting Nuances

ADOBE FONTS

Typographic resource, includes commercial licenses

Access Adobe Fonts here.

Objective: In your new artboard, thoughtfully choose several typefaces that would be appropriate for your flyer. Test them in your flyer. Decide which works best, then apply it to the flyer.

Action: Save your 'working' file, duplicate your artboard before moving into the next design phase.

HIERARCHY + INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE

TOOLS TO CREATE HIERARCHY

SCALE
COLOR
CONTRAST
DIRECTION/FLOW

SIZING TYPE (FOR PRINT)

Display Type, or headlines, create emphasis. Minimum size: 14pt

Text Type, or body type/copy contains the bulk of the writing. Appropriate size ranges between 8pt–11pt.

Objective: In your new artboard, Decide which elements can be re-sized to prioritize certain information. Be sure to apply appropriate type sizes.

Action: Save your 'working' file, duplicate your artboard before moving into the next design phase.

GRIDS + WHITE SPACE

GRIDS

Grids are foundational visual organizational tools. Grids are used as roadmaps in the design process.

WHITESPACE

Difficult to achieve, easy to appreciate. Remember to give each element in the composition space to 'breathe' (padding).

Demo: Brainstorming via Thumbnail Sketching

Objective: Use a pen(cil) and paper to sketch 4+ new flyer layouts, establishing a grid as you sketch. In your new artboard, digitize your sketch by re-arranging existing elements.

Action: Save your 'working' file, duplicate your artboard before moving into the next design phase.

BONUS: Break Some Rules

OVERLAPPING ELEMENTS

Particularly images or spans of color + display (large) text.

STACKED TYPE

Remember: pros and cons of stacking/vertical type.

CROPPING IMAGES

Sometimes, showing less is more.

Objective: Duplicate your artboard. In your new artboard, Decide if there are appropriate ways to 'break' the rules. Implement them.

Action: Review your past files. Wow! Make final changes and save your working file.

TEMPLATED/PREMADE RESOURCES

CREATE TEMPLATED CONTENT

SUBMIT FILES

Action: together we will review exporting artboards to a .png format. Use the following naming mechanism for your flyer versions: lastname_first_wetlandsflyer_version#

MODULE 1 COMPLETE! PREPARE FOR MODULE 2

Credits:

Created with images by Nattapol_Sritongcom - "Pastel tone purple pink blue gradient defocused abstract photo smooth lines pantone color background" • Menyhert - "Broadleaf cattail or bulrush (latin name: Typha latifolia) in a wetland in The Netherlands" • Chaiwat - "Explosion of multicolored dust on black background." • MarekPhotoDesign.com - "old letterpress metal type printing blocks" • Pixel-Shot - "Female hands with newspapers on light background" • zentrady_i3ell - "White paper with graph line pattern background " • MclittleStock - "top view blue devices home modern web design city business website" • Nattapol_Sritongcom - "Pastel tone purple pink blue gradient defocused abstract photo smooth lines pantone color background"