Semester 8 & 9.6

when I presented it to the class I brought it in a box to not only protect it, but so I could have that 'surprise' element. The messages that others had used had some serious 'doom-and-gloom' aspencts to them. As the school as drilled into their heads, one student's was barely decorated, afraid to add too much and clutter it up. However, the one critique was that it needed more.

I presented mine with all the theatricallity I could, complete with a built-in lighting system. We had previously talked about brainstorming everything that everyone could do for a project and then pulling back to avoid the clutter; finding what the project could do without. I confessed that with this particular project I insisted that I keep every idea. I further confessed that if I were to add anything to it, I would have had a mini-music option. I said I knew was possible but I didn't know where to find the mini-disc players. I felt bad because the other students did.
I further confessed that up to that point I had been trying to entertain with my projects instead of trying to communicate, as a Graphic Designer is supposed to. And I said that the stage was why; that was my upbringing, where I had come from. With my previous assignments, that was what I was trying to recreate.

The theme was intended to uplift, encouraging people to stand in the 'center stage' of life and not in the wings.
I got nothing but proud approval from the class. They said they could almost hear the kids singing from the stage and the colors pulled them in. They went on and on about the color, detail, and layout. I showed them the comparison with the original photo so they could see the extensive Photoshop work I had to do to recreate the missing figure's pieces, which they were impressed with.
When I showed them the lighting they ran to turn off the classroom's lights. The reaction envoked a surprised but excited "Ah..." from the group.
The one critique I received was in reference to the fonts I used, which I couldn't argue with. Over all, it was a very positive experience.

Now I just had to present it to my mom...