Blog Posts

Color Relationships

The color relationship that I have chosen is a red monochromatic color relationship. This relationship appealed to me because I like the color red and I want to explore the different shades and tints of red. I am very excited to explore this color!

Observations

Texture 1

I have noticed that in Richmond there are a lot of places with brick walls. The texture is very rough it gives off a rustic vibe. Where I’m from there aren’t a lot of bricks unless they are accents. For example, all the houses in my neighborhood have typical siding and only brick accents.

Texture 2

I have noticed that on most sidewalks right before you cross the street there are these yellow bumpy pieces of cement. They look like yellow legos and they are meant for the visually impaired. It helps them detect when they are leaving the sidewalk. I have seen many of them where I live, especially in the busier areas.

Texture 3

As I walk through all the buildings at VCU I have discovered that they all have very similar carpet designs. They range in color, but they all have a grey base. These carpets are duller and scratchier than the carpets and rugs that I have at home.

Thing – Light

The reason that I took a picture of these lights because they are a very popular decoration to have in dorm rooms. Almost every dorm room I have been in has these lights. Many students dislike the fluorescent lights and I have noticed that Christmas lights are a favorable alternative. I have some in my room at home for decoration and I also have some in my own dorm.

Place – Amphitheater

It was very nice outside today in the first time in a while so lots of people were sitting and hanging out in the amphitheater. There is not a lot of places like this where I’m from but we do have lots of parks that are similar. I think that this area is one of my favorites because of the grassy steps. It makes for a great place to relax and get homework done!

People

As I have been at VCU I have met a lot of amazing people. I made new friends who actually understand who I am. That is all thanks to VCU’s amazing diversity. I truly feel at home here.

Practice Makes Perfect

For the ducky picture, after I completed the requirements I played with the different layers. I added a new ducky and added 3 more eyes to the original duck. I also changed the beak by duplicating it and layering it. After that, I added different filters to each layer.

For the palm tree I decided to create a crazy distortion and then I added the embossed filter. I also played with the different colors and the intensity of the filter.

For the ranch house picture, I played with the different layers. Each layer has its own filter. I pixilated the jacket, and made the hat more defined. I blurred the boots and sharpened the original image.

The sunflower is my favorite one because I was able to make each flower unique. I also learned how to make a background pattern using the paint bucket tool. Two of the flowers are sharpened, each at different levels and the other three all have different filters on them. Some of the flowers only look a little bit different because I wanted them to contrast against the flowers that were extremely distorted or changed.

Name Your Brand

I have chosen to design for Victoria Secret’s Athletic Line. I enjoy their styles and I love their clothes. They have very nice fabrics and it is very inexpensive.

Culture – Witchcraft

I wanted to pick something that was different so I have decided to chose Witchcraft as my culture. More specifically European Witchcraft. I have learned many new things researching this culture. Many witches were seen as practicing the devils work but most of them were actually natural healers. Witches have been around for a long time, the earliest record of witches is from the bible. Witchcraft can even be traced back to greek mythology. Even today witches are still being persecuted and burned at the stake. There are many different religions related to witchcraft, Wicca as well as paganism are the most popular forms.

Witches have a-lot of different fashion interpretations. I am going to choose a mix between a modern witch and witches from the 15th and 16th century. A common fabric used between both is cotton. There aren’t any specific symbols that are incorporated into the designs. Most witches blended in with their surroundings for fear of standing out and being persecuted for practicing witchcraft. It will include a lot of dark colors like reds, dark blues and maybe some yellows.

Trend Research

After doing my research i have discovered that next seasons summer/spring active wear is going to be amazing! Many of the new patterns will have a futuristic look and feel to them. Next year some patterns will look and feel like chameleon scales with iridescent finishes. The clothes will also focus on aiding those who wear them by giving them extra support to protect against injury and aid recovery. Sheer fabrics and mesh panels will be used a lot more, as well as similar fabrics that will have seam-free construction. This will allow for multidirectional stretchy materials. Designers will also be sure to use more eco-friendly stretchable metals as well as ceramic coatings and self-healing fabrics to make fabrics as sturdy as possible. For my specific brand and culture sheer light fabrics will be the best as well as sturdy fabrics because i want to have a comfortable line that also gives a lot of support. My favorite fabric that will be introduced and used more frequently is rubber fabrics and rubber patterns. I think that it would be really cool to do rubber knee pads for support as well as doing rubber panels around certain muscles to define them more.

Next year is going to be a mix of innovative and modern trends. One that stood out to me would have to be that they are trying to make as many eco-friendly materials as possible. Being eco-friendly is very important to me, and i want to incorporate as many biodegradable fabrics as possible. Another trend that stuck out to me was that they wanted to create fabrics that were supportive, for example, using rubber panels and fabrics. I think that providing support to customers is very important because if they feel good in the clothes they wear then they will want to be loyal to that company. Loyalty is very important to me as well. They are also panning on bringing back old trends like the toweling, to provide a more comfortable fabric that absorbs sweat and is also breathable. To make it look more modern they will be using burnout effects to create texture and patterns. Share 10 photos that support what you see.

Brand/ Product Review

Victoria Secret has many new items for their new Spring/Summer collection. But there are a few that need an update.

First is the Victoria Sport Knot-front Crop Top. I think that the fabric that is used could be updated and that there is more to be done to the pattern, i think that it is a bit too plain for the new season. I would also have more bright color options as in the new season brighter blues and greens are a must. I have a pattern that has a bright blue and a contrasting orange and i think that if that pattern is printed in a sheer fabric it will be a best seller.

Second is the Victoria Sport Ribbed Crop Henley. I think that this peice is a little outdated with the buttons also it isn’t very practical for working out. The cut of the shirt also seems to be too tight and most active wear is more comfortable when it is looser. That is one of the trends that is coming in the next season because it focuses on comfort. I would remove the buttons and add more fabric so it isn’t too tight around the arms. I would also add a front pocket to make it more stylish and add a bright pattern to contrast on the black fabric. I also think it would be interesting if the shirt was mesh and the front pocket was a solid rubbery fabric.

Next is the Victoria Sport Graphic Zip Hoodie. I like the style of this design but i think that the fabric needs to be changed to something tighter and more form fitting. Then add in rubber elbow pads to add support. Next S/S season is going to be focused on helping athletes recover and also be comfortable. Elbow pads are also very unique and stylish. I would choose to make the jacket in a darker purple pattern with hint of blue or green. The elbow pads would be a solid color, most likely the color that isn’t prominent in the pattern that i choose.

Lastly i would change Victoria Secrets Knockout Sport Mid Rise Pocket Capri style. I like the fabric that they used. It is a metallic fabric which is shown to be really popular in the 2020 S/S season. The only think that I would change is the cut outs to a brighter mesh pattern. I think that most women would be more comfortable with mesh fabric rather than cut outs. I think that a bright mesh would be a nice contrast to one patterns as well.

Logo

For this design i used contrast by making one antler darker than the other. Since my brand is called the other half I wanted to make sure that both halves contrasted with one another. I also decided to choose a cursive font to add in a fancier aspect.

For this design i wanted to add in a moon because my culture worships the moon. It is very important in the Pagan and Wiccan cultures. I changed the colors around and went in and added lighter colors on the left and darker colors on the right to add in contrast. Again because my brand is called the other half fashion and therefore I wanted on half to be lighter and the other half to be darker. I changed the font by bolding it and taking out the fill to make it look more outlined. I liked the contrast between the black and white in the text.

For the last one I decided to do another moon but only one because I wanted it to be more simplistic. I took out a lot of the area of the mood to make it seem like it was breaking away into two different parts. This is because of my brand name the other half. I decided to choose a font that was similar to the design itself to create a more cohesive look.