For this project, my objective was to create four postage stamps themed around anything that came to mind. Each stamp shown here pays homage to a work of fiction I enjoy. The aesthetics of each stamp are heavily influenced by the works that inspired them, so I had an easy time with things like font selection.

Though I certainly enjoyed making these, I did have some difficulties. Color theory is my biggest weakness here, which isn’t helped by my mild colorblindness. My color choice was primarily guided by intuition and the color schemes of each inspiration. I likely committed some mortal sin in color theory without even knowing. The color overlay on the image of the ship in the Invader Zim frame looks especially odd and I’m not really sure how to fix it.

I believe that these stamps are in the best form they could be given my skills at the time of writing this, for better or worse. This project also feels like the first time I’ve really had to think on every essential aspect of design I’ve learned in tandem with one another. All I can really say for now is that I hope to keep growing and try to improve on the foundation I have.

– Miles Klipfel

So this project was my first foray into actually making something in Photoshop. I’m not really proud of it but it’s there and it’s probably the best it will ever be. I had a hard time conceptualizing an actual core idea for what the image would look like (I eventually chose “Fork in the Road” if you couldn’t already tell). The only creative choice here I’m somewhat proud of is how I used the color gradient in the background to support the idea of two potential paths represented through a contrast in color. The vector pattern in the background does look a little too busy to me; The best I could do with remedying that was adding a drop shadow to the fork’s layer to make it pop away from the background. I had an oddly hard time finding suitable images for the project and even now what I have might not fit the quota for resolution (the grass looks very crunchy).

I intuitively know there is something else wrong with this but I can’t tell what the exact issue(s) could be. Maybe I should have made more obvious cracks in the road where the fork pierces into it. On a more positive note, I think I’m actually making progress with learning Photoshop’s fundamentals for once. I might just start making random images for my own amusement in my spare time, I could use a new hobby. I guess I like my final product here. I’m not sure if I’m proud of it, but I like it.

Compared to my first project, I’m actually kind of proud of these compositions. Some of them seem actually striking and the anglerfish one got a complement from another student. I did kind of have a hard time using figma to its fullest potential and I am disappointed in the outer space frame. I also had to shed my habit of relying on symmetry.

I also had a hard time with being consistent with my color schemes, partly due to my mild colorblindness. I only got a creative momentum going once I focused more on just making a striking image rather than fixating on the colors, though it will probably cost me on my grade. One figma tool I really got comfortable with was the gradient tool, allowing me to fill shapes with color compositions that aren’t just flat and lacking depth. I especially enjoyed using the linear color fills to simulate lighting in the seascape frame.

Overall, I think I’ve gotten more comfortable with figma as a program and I think I’ll only improve from here as long as I can keep up with the pace of the class.

Despite intuitively knowing how flawed these images are, I can’t think of any way to improve upon the current product without outright scrapping a few of the frames. All I can do for now is continue to learn and get a sense for some of my design habits, both good and bad. I hope I can eventually make something I actually feel proud of.