Friday. A day when just about everyone was already in the state of procrastination that accompanies so many student weekends (the state where you have all the best intentions to get your homework done, and yet somehow…). But not just any Friday. Of all the Fridays from last semester it was the first Friday of my life that I would create an Indesign poster all by myself. Both of the previous two weeks I had enjoyed the luxury of channeling my wife’s artistic abilities for the purposes of advertising our Humanities Facebook group. This Friday would be the first time I was left to my own left-brain, black-and-white way of thinking to create a document that was supposed to be embraced by the masses of the Technicolor world we live in. So, with the noblest of intentions I set out to create my first advertisement all on my own. I will never forget the emptiness that accompanied that first blank document. A whole white page with nothing on it.
The only formal training I had received had been half-hearted observations while I watched my wife work away at making the previous posters. She had made it look so easy! Anytime she needed to do anything to an image or text it was a manner of seconds! SECONDS!!! In contrast, I remember spending twenty minutes trying to figure out how to even enter text! Nevertheless, it came to pass that I was able to finish my first poster all on my…well…okay, she was in the room doing her homework, and was asked numerous amounts of questions… In the end it four hours. FOUR! ON A FRIDAY! Yes, it did leave a serious dent in my ego. But now, I stand before you to say, “Thank you HCSC for providing me with the opportunity to learn what Indesign is. Thank you for the time I was able to spend stepping into the new world of design. Had it not been for you, and your Facebook group, I would have lived my entire life oblivious of what it takes to make a quality poster.”
Haha, I'm glad to see that you've got some new tools under your belt!
ReplyDeleteIf it makes you feel any better, I've likewise spent ridiculously long amounts of time pushing random buttons on programs during crash-course experiences. Ctrl + Z has saved my life many a time.
But I have to admit, your four hours paid off! That flier looks dang good.
Tim, I like it. Knowing that I am going to use these skills after my time here is one of the only things that keeps me spending outrageous amounts of time on projects, InDesign etc. I am glad that you learned how to use InDesign. My sister is using it right now to store her photos (adding little texts and effects to the pictures). I think your time investment will pay off; although, I do give you a caution, my second and third experiences with InDesign, were almost as painful as my first. It takes a little while. Anyway, best of luck and the poster looks great
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting how modern technologies can create beautiful documents in very little time, if one knows what he or she is doing. Those boot camp experiences in our life often serve as the foundation for an easier future, as hard and frustrating as it is to do at first. While computer programs may seem to be the root of life stresses, it is crazy to see what we can create virtually in comparison to the tedious process of a printing press. May your future trials prove that struggle to be worthwhile.
ReplyDeleteI like this because you have a good voice in it. You're telling a good story that still answers the prompt. That is cool how HCSC can teach so many principles, like how to design cool things. That is something I hope to learn in time.
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