In this second rotation, I needed to make a vinyl decal of something that has three different colors. This rotation is different from the others due to the fact it allows even more freedom than the previous ones. The only restriction I have is that it has to be 12 inches x 12 inches. I started thinking about what kind of decal I wanted to make. I wanted it to be relatively meaningful since I won't always have this equipment around.
So I thought about important events are going on in my life, and since I am joining the air force, I thought that the symbol would be perfect. I realized though, that the modern logo is too simplified and doesn't have enough colors for the requirements of this project. So instead, I went with the WWII version with the star and red bars.
So I thought about important events are going on in my life, and since I am joining the air force, I thought that the symbol would be perfect. I realized though, that the modern logo is too simplified and doesn't have enough colors for the requirements of this project. So instead, I went with the WWII version with the star and red bars.
First of all, I needed to separate the differently colored portions of the logo. Since I have had experience with Photoshop in the past, I used that program and the "lasso" tool to split apart the shapes onto different files.
Before I headed out to the vinyl cutter, I realized that I didn't even need to make the star gray at all. Since I already needed a background for my decal, I could just leave the space empty and still fulfill the requirements for three separate colors, since white is a color. This eliminated another step in the process of making a vinyl decal.
Once I headed over to the vinyl cutter, I began the process of cutting out each individual pieces of my decal. I had to set up the cutter with each of the files and the respective colors. I almost did not have enough red vinyl to create the red bars shown above, but thankfully I did. I made a few mistakes along the way but overall I am very satisfied on how they cut out:
After I finished making the decal, I decided to give it to my father since he is an Air Force veteran. He really enjoyed it and wanted to put in his office at his workplace
I really learned a lot this rotation. I never knew the process for making vinyl decals was that time consuming, so now I see them in a new light. This project taught me a lesson of thoroughness. If you don't take the time to make sure everything is correct, then it won't work. On the more technical side of things, I learned how to operate the vinyl cutter, improved my skills at Illustrator, and understand the work it takes to make a vinyl decal.