Assignment 1 : Jake Poster

After conducting the interview with Jake during last weeks class, I had to decide if Jake’ likes and dislikes shape who he is or if who he is determines what he enjoys. I opted for the later when approaching this project. Driven from my mind were intricate lay-outs of flying footballs and crowded concert stages in favor of more calm and collected ideas. I’ve known Jake for over a year now and he always presents himself as calm, relaxed, and with an air of confidence. These were the main traits that I focused on when designing this poster. Other details that I wanted to include, due to their importance to Jake, were friends, family, and respect towards others. Jake made it apparent that one of the few things that can upset him is disrespect either to himself or others. I selected a background image of a dock jutting out into a lake with a majestic view to offer up the feeling of peace and calm. The stock image was too small for the poster’ dimensions so I had to add in 1-2” on either side using Photoshop. The gentleman on the dock was removed from another stock image and his shadow was added; both tasks accomplished using Photoshop. In my attempt to convey disrespect as Jake weak-point, I hand drew a geyser of water, scanned and imported it into Illustrator where it was traced, colored, and the text was added. I also placed a submerged Phish logo to the right of the dock using Photoshop (Jake has seen Phish 40-something times in his life). Finally, I placed these images into InDesign and added the text to the dock. I wanted this to symbolize the importance of and support from his friends and family. I am pleased with the end result. I openly admit that my skills in all three Adobe programs are in their infancy. What I want to do and what I know how to do are light years apart. I still feel I achieved the desired look and conveyed what it means to be Jake.