Graphic Design Bootcamp

For this week’s PR publications assignment, I was given the opportunity to learn an overview of Adobe Photoshop and InDesign. I had used Photoshop only a handful of times in the past, and I had never really experimented with InDesign. Therefore, I was eager to learn the intricacies of each program and finally liberate my inner graphic designer.

As a relative novice, I was excited to tackle Adobe InDesign first.   In order to familiarize myself with the program, the first thing I learned to make was a flyer. Throughout the process, I learned how to import photos into the program, scale those images to the necessary size, and place text boxes and filler text in appropriate spaces to visualize how a publication would look as a finished product.

As a second InDesign assignment, I was asked to experiment with typesetting by attempting to recreate a fictional publication known as Candy Magazine. I found this assignment to be slightly more challenging, because it required a deeper level of experimentation. At times, it was difficult to understand where to place individual text boxes. Furthermore, although font sizes and leading sizes were given in the demo product, I found it was difficult to get my copy to mirror that of the original.

Overall, however, I found that InDesign was quite similar to the interface of Photoshop. The only significant issue I encountered while using the program was adequately refining images – a job that is better suited for Photoshop.

Therefore, the next assignment provided an overview of the essential functions of Photoshop. Following a brief overview, I was shown various methods of how to remove image backgrounds and then asked to do this myself. Since I had used Photoshop on a few prior occasions, I had already learned how to cut out an image; however, refining that image still remained a labor-intensive task. In order to make my image as precise as possible, I had to continue decreasing the size of my selection tool, which nearly spiraled into a never-ending process. As someone who is mildly obsessive compulsive, I found this process to be oddly frustrating and enjoyable at the same time.

In reflection, it turns out that my Photoshop and InDesign proficiency remains at that of a want-to-be graphic designer. However, I am still steadfast in my determination to better my work, and I am excited to encounter new projects with these programs in the future.