Midterm - Courtney Acostagrates

Courtney Acostagrates - Midterm

I think that many times simplicity and brevity in images can be more attention grabbing than complexity and clutter. My goal with this banner was to create interest in the product, Fabulous, precisely but keeping the banner itself very simple. It was my intention that the brevity of the banner entice the visitor to scroll further down the page to find out more.

I began with a pink background, and placed a yellow gradient layer above. To both of these layers I applied a smooth 18pt inner bevel.

Above that I created a text layer on which I typed "Fabulous" in dark brown. I then rasterized the text, and applied the drop shadow and bevel and emboss effects. Finally, I stylized the word with the wind filter. Unfortunately, this effect cannot be readily seen in the compressed .jpg version that I have posted to the blog.

From a picture that I had taken of a garden, I initially attempted to use the quick select tool to isolate a couple flowers. I later learned that it is much easier to do this using a mask and thus extracted the yellow flower image in this way. To the flower I applied the outer glow and bevel and emboss effects.

Finally I added a second text layer in which I typed "See for yourself" and to this I applied the outer glow effect.

I think that this is a successful banner. The color scheme is effective in that the yellow gradient on the left balances the yellow flower on the right. The combination of pink and yellow creates a sense of vibrancy and the brown lettering mirrors the brown center of the flower. The wind filter used on the word "Fabulous" creates a sense of movement. If I were to do this project again, I think I would like to experiment with uniting several images. I was inspired by the banners of some my classmates and think that, when done well, this can be very visually appealing.