Illustrator
I started a new job at my high school as a “dedicated substitute”, which basically means study hall teacher, so I thought that this design idea would be appropriate. I wanted to try this 3D “inflate” effect that I saw on social media a while back so the idea or theme of the composition wasn’t thought about too deeply at all. I used the first school items that came to mind in order to take up some room in the background. I decided on the font because I felt as if it had a childish, handwritten feel to it. Once my composition was laid out I grouped all the items of it together and simply applied the 3D inflate effect to it. After applying the effect, I messed around with the lighting setting to give it that natural shine that it has.
All in all, I’m very satisfied with how it came out. I think it looks super cool and brings a new element of realism and 3D that I don’t normally have in my designs. It did get me thinking, it’s a little crazy that so much detail could be applied to an entire composition by only hitting two buttons. It almost feels like a cheap way of achieving an effect but at the same time very effective and convenient. I can’t fully discern my feelings on the ease of the whole thing at the moment.
-August 28, 2025-