Production - Cover Page

 Hi Blog! Today I'm going to be using my cover template to make a new one using the picture of Tigger. I ended up settling on this idea because I got more high quality pictures of Tigger than I got of Nini, even though the story is more interesting.

But, I am still using Nini in a module. I think I'll make it a larger module, with a lot of writing so I can make a proper inclusion of polydactyly. I started by just shoving in the picture of Tigger into the indesign template, but some stuff needed to be moved around.

This is how it looked originally, and the puff and plug were messed up so I had to take a while to rearrange layering and placement so that Tigger wouldn't block anything. He's a bigger cat, so I had to play around with it for a while.

This is how it ended up today! I think I'm going to go back and look if I need to make any changes to the cover if need be. I can't spot anything right now, but I'll dedicate a day to editing.

Production - Gaby's Interview

 Hi Blog! Today I interviewed Gaby about polydactyly, and she had a lot more info about the condition than I initially thought, so it'll be easy to write about. 

She gave a lot of info written into text, so I don't think I'll need to follow up like I did for Lana.

She also sent a voice note, so listening to that gave a lot of context about the condition and how it can affect her sometimes, but her quality of life is mostly unaffected. The fact about Ernest Hemingway was actually really interesting, so I think I'll include it somehow.

Production - Picture Day 2

 Hi Blog! Today I went to take pictures of Gaby's cat, Nini. While there, she had another cat over to pet sit, so I took advantage and took some pictures. I don't know the cat, so I think I'm just gonna use the pictures to fill up my table of contents.

This is my favorite picture of Nini! I tried to focus on her toes, but I couldn't get a solid picture of her full body. So, I'm gonna shift from a main story on polydactyl cats to catnip for Tigger. It'll be much easier, since I have better pictures.

This is my favorite picture I got of Nini! The lighting isn't great because she wouldn't come inside, but I think the quality turned out alright.

I'm gonna make a more informational mod for this, since the condition is kind of rare and apparently genetic, since her sister kitty also has it.

Production - Lana's Interview

 Hi Blog! After the picture taking earlier, I began interviewing Lana over text, then called her to get some more elaboration.

It isn't much, but I got her to explain catnip and the effects it has on her cats. I think I'll have to get more research on my own to get enough information for copy, but I think this is good for now.

Since we used a lot of treats, I also interviewed her about the treats we gave Winnie for a module about cats and their favorite treat flavors.

Production - Picture Day 1

 Hi Blog! Today, I went to take pictures of the first cats, Lana's cats. I had to reschedule Gaby's cat to tomorrow, so that's when I'll update the blog.

Lighting was harder than I expected, and the room was dim. So, we changed plans and starting using camera flash instead. I tried to get photos that didn't have red eyes, and I got a few that I think are really good.

We used treats to get them to do different little movements and I found out that Tigger really likes catnip, so I think I'm gonna settle on a dominant story on catnip. Here's my favorite photo from today.

Here's my favorite of Tigger, I think I'm going to use it for my cover image.

Planning - Table of Contents Design

 Table of Contents Layout

Hi Blog! Today Im also making my table of contents before I have the actual pictures just to make a mockup. It won't need too much changing other than placing the pictures in the placeholder squares.

In InDesign, I started with just a basic layout and we decided to have a vertical headline.

Then, I added placeholder page names and boxes to put unused pictures in.

Then, to finish it off, I added color and our design elements. We also decided to add page numbers as a marketing tactic for our future responses to CCR.

This takes a lot off my plate during production, so I'm hopeful that I will have plenty of extra pictures to use for these placeholders.

Planning - Cover Design

COVER DESIGN

Hi Blog! Today I'm gonna make a rough draft of my cover before I have my pictures to have it all laid out ready. 

Im starting in InDesign and going to use the first cover I made to make sure I make it conforming to all conventions.

I started with this sample picture and added a masthead using Paw Post (the title we decided on) and some preliminary design elements like the shapes.

Then, using canva and shapes, I made some puffs and plugs to make some article names and a bar at the bottom. For readability, I also included white boxes so it could contrast from the cover image.

This is gonna be really useful when I have the images and the articles decided so I can just plug it in quickly without much thought.