Alex's Wonders

 Instructions Create a poster for an upcoming event, movie, or concert. The format is 24 x 36 @150 ppi. Think about who the audience is and what you want them to do. How do your images, graphics, and colors combine to encourage the intended audience to take the desired action? Export as a .jpg. Create a blog post describing what you did and why you made the design decision you made. Content For this week’s project, I put my focus on creating a movie poster for Marvel Studios’ upcoming Avengers: Doomsday . Since Marvel fans expect something big, dramatic, and polished, I wanted to give off that “blockbuster energy” right away. When building the poster, I began with the background, opting for dark, stormy green tones that evokedd tension. It felt like the right move to set the stage for a villain-centered story. For the subject , I went with a strong focus on the character front and center, locking eyes with the audience to create intensity and connection which is why I chose our ma...

This week I spent some time really trying to get a better grasp on hierarchy in graphic design. I always kind of knew what hierarchy was in theory, but after watching the video, it finally started to click in a bigger way. Honestly, what helped me the most wasn’t just what was being said, but the way the video itself was put together. The motion graphics, the editing, the way things flowed visually it all felt like the video was practicing exactly what it was teaching. That made it way easier to follow along and actually remember the points being made. One of the big things I took away was just how much size and scale can change the entire focus of a design. Another was the role of contrast , not just in color, but even in type choices and spacing. And then there’s visual flow , which I realized I don’t always think about enough. It’s not just about making something look good, it’s about guiding someone’s eye through the design in the order you want them to see it. What I liked most ...

       Hey y’all, welcome back to another weekly blog. This time around, I wanted to play with a creativity exercise from a great article by IDEO that’s all about noticing the world around you and actually capturing what catches your eye. The whole idea is pretty simple, when you have an idea or observe something intriguing, take note of it. Doesn’t matter how you record it notebook, voice memo, random sketch on a napkin the important part is that you’re building a habit of collecting ideas before they fade away. So, I decided to head out into the world and jot down four things that struck me as crazy intriguing that ,I've seen around the world and also how I could flip them into creative inspiration: The way light hits rain puddles at night. That rainbow shimmer instantly makes me think of a color palette for digital art. Imagine using gradients that mimic oil-slick reflections for a poster background dark, but kind of vibrant at the same time.   Old abandone...

 Instructions You are to create next month's edition of a national magazine (not gaming). Do you want to see your smiling face on the cover of The Rolling Stone? This is your chance. You are to emulate the style, typography, layout, and all of the elements of the magazine as closely as you can. Use your own original article titles and images. Content  For this project, I had to design a magazine cover by emulating the style and layout of a real publication. While the prompt mentioned national magazines like Rolling Stone , I decided to take inspiration from something a little different but just as recognizable to me, the Walmart GameCenter covers you often see in-store. They’ve always caught my eye because of their bold typography, simple layouts, and ability to make one game feel like the must-play title. I wanted to capture that same energy with my own version. The cover I designed features Hollow Knight: Silksong , a ...

 Instructions Create a travel poster for a place you would like to visit. Imagine a travel agency or the tourism department has hired you to promote their location.  Specifically, we are looking for you to identify and connect with your target audience, to focus on the most compelling reason for your audience to travel to the location, and a call to action that encourages members of your intended audience to act upon the message/image. You are required to combine text with at least five images to create your masterpiece. The format should be 16 x 20 @ 150 ppi. Content This week’s project had me diving into travel posters, and honestly, it was one of the most exciting design prompts I’ve worked on in a while. The task was to create a 16x20 poster at 150ppi that could sell a destination to potential travelers, mixing at least five images with text to deliver a clear message. I decided to focus on Dubai , because it’s one of those places that feels almost unreal futuristic, ...

  This week I wanted to focus on something that sounds simple, but gets complicated real quick: layering in Photoshop. At first, I used to think layering was just about stacking images or type on top of each other, but even since I started with Photoshop journey, to now I’m finally starting to see that it’s more about building order than just piling things together, but actually bringing all your pictures to orchestrate a much deeper picture, and build an actual message is images. Not just cool looking pictures.      The real key I learned this week is how much layering ties into visual hierarchy. If the hierarchy isn’t right, the layers just become noise. The video I watched broke this down in such a clean way. It showed how organizing your design with clear ways to guide the eye, almost like giving the viewer a map of what matters most. That one tip clicked for me instantly suddenly I wasn’t just placing things randomly, I was actually directing how someone wo...

  Hey y’all, welcome back to another weekly blog. This time I wanted to dive into a prompt that’s straight out of " Caffeine for the Creative Mind"  and honestly, it’s one of the weirder ones yet. The challenge was simple on paper but tricky in practice: create something purposeful out of a turkey carcass. Sounds gross, I know, but that’s the fun of it. The whole idea is to push yourself to see potential where you normally wouldn’t. Here’s where I landed with five ideas: Garden Sculpture – Instead of tossing it, imagine drying out the carcass and turning it into a funky garden ornament.  Desk Organizer – The ribcage could actually act like slots for pens, pencils, or paintbrushes. Its a really weird holder, but definitely a one-of-a-kind desk accessory. Bird Feeder – Hollow it out, string it up, and pack seeds inside. Other birds get a meal, and you’ve just turned leftovers into something that gives back to nature. Mask or Costume Base – With some creative c...

 Instructions Make a collage. Not just any collage, but one that shares your personal passion with us. Select a theme and gather at least 12 images that can be combined into a cohesive masterpiece. We are looking for an emotion (your passion) and a message (Typography is Way Cool). The challenge you face is combining the images in a visually pleasing manner. We are looking at how you make selections and blend images, your visual hierarchy, your controlled use of color, and your ability to tell a story with a single composition. Content      This week’s project was a little different but honestly really fun I had to make a collage that shows off one of my personal passions and still make it feel like a polished design piece. The whole idea was to use at least twelve images and blend them together in a way that tells a story while keeping things visually interesting and under control. For me, I decided to lean into a mix of my blossoming interest in photography,...

 Instructions Create an 8.5 x 11-inch flyer at 150 ppi in Photoshop for an upcoming party or community event. You are allowed to use three colors (black counts as a color, but you can change the saturation and brightness within the same hue) and one typeface family (you can change style, color, and size). If you use images, ensure they conform to the color limits.  Content      For my flyer, I wanted to represent something close to me Puerto Rico and the broader Hispanic community. That idea became my anchor point when picking colors. I leaned heavily on a palette that kept blue and red at the forefront, not only because they’re bold and eye-catching but also because they directly tie back to Puerto Rico’s flag. The dark navy background gave me space to layer details without losing readability, while the lighter blues helped bring contrast and balance. Adding white into the mix gave me flexibility, making sure the text popped and guiding the eye through the lay...

  Hey y’all, welcome back to another weekly design blog! This week I’ve been diving deeper into something that’s easy to overlook, but makes such a huge impact in design, typography. I’ve always known fonts matter, but after watching a really helpful breakdown on the psychology behind typefaces, I started seeing how much more is really at play. It’s not just about picking something that “looks nice.” It’s about how a font can change the way someone feels about the message in front of them. And what better time to learn than now since we recently picked up on this topic.      One thing that stuck with me is how typography builds trust . Serif fonts, for example, have this timeless and reliable vibe. They make you feel like what you’re reading is established and credible. On the other hand, sans-serifs are clean, modern, and approachable they almost invite you to stay and pay attention without overwhelming you. Picking between the two isn’t just a style choice, it’s a...

  Hey y’all, welcome back to another weekly blog. For this week’s creativity exercise, I wanted to dive into something that’s been on my mind a lot lately: color and mood. The exercise goes like this: pick five different moods and create unique color palettes for each one. The catch? Don’t just stick to the obvious stuff like “happy” or “sad.” Instead, push into more complex, layered moods and see how colors can bring them to life. Color palettes are one of those tools that can completely transform the feel of a design. They tell stories without words, and they set the emotional tone before a viewer even has time to think. With the help of ChatGPT, my very good friend, I was able to pick out some great mood selections to create color palettes. So here’s what we came up with: 1. Nostalgic Melancholy Palette: Dusty rose, sepia brown, faded teal, cream, muted gray. This one is all about that bittersweet feeling when a memory is warm but also heavy. Think of old photographs that ma...

 Instructions Create a 3.5 in x 2 in business card for yourself using Photoshop. Pay special attention to your use of C.R.A.P., color, whitespace, and typeface. What emotional impact are you trying to make, and how do your design choices help create the desired impact? Please do not use your real contact information, as it will be posted on your blog and therefore visible on the Internet. 1 - Export your finished piece as a .png. 2 - Create a blog post that talks about what the project was, what you were attempting to achieve, how your design decisions helped you reach your objective, and what you learned from doing this project. 3 - Post a link to this discussion as a new thread. 4 - Comment on the posts of at least 3 of your classmates with constructive feedback. ...

Hey y'all! Welcome back to my blog, and this week I was tasked with creating a post on something that I learned about this week, and what better way than taking a deeper dive into the world of color theory. Cause recently I've had some insight into the world of color theory and it's vast knowledge, and It’s one of those things we always hear about, but actually taking the time to understand how to use it changes on how we think about using the very concept that is "color". And what better way to understand it better than to turn to some helpful people on the internet to help us better understand it. So this week I came across a video by Pikat (linked here if you’re curious: Check it out! ) and it broke down color theory in a way that finally clicked for me. Instead of thinking of colors as just “bright” or “dark” or “cool,” I started to see them as tools for storytelling. Every palette has its own emotion calm blues and greens can relax the viewer, while sharp r...

  Hey y’all, welcome back to another weekly blog. I’ve been having fun with these word-of-the-day style prompts, so here’s another one for the collection. The idea is the same: take a fresh word, understand its meaning, and then stretch your imagination by creating seven sentences with it. Think of it like a mini storytelling workout fast, playful, and a good way to spark new ideas. Today’s word is “vigilante” , a person who takes the law into their own hands without legal authority, usually in pursuit of justice. It’s bold, rebellious, and definitely layered with tension. With the word in mind and definition in my hands, I decided to get brainstorming on some of these sentences, and here is what I came up with: The town’s quiet nights ended when a masked vigilante began leaving warnings painted across the mayor’s office walls. She never called herself a hero just a tired vigilante cleaning up the mess that the police kept ignoring. Whispers spread about a mysterious vigila...