Personal Review of COM 322

For my final blog post, I wanted to write my own personal review of the course and what I gained from the last fifteen weeks. This was my last semester of undergrad, so I really wanted to take everything I could from the courses I was enrolled in. I was truly excited about taking a course that revolved around graphic design because it is such a massive part of almost every career field. I, for one, am hoping to continue working within graphic design and maybe even do some freelance work if permitted.

I feel that I learned so many different techniques throughout the semester. I have much more confidence when it comes to design pieces. I feel that I have gained the knowledge of what images work, what fonts should be used in certain areas, and what colors are the best choice. Every project we were assigned allowed us try our hand at something new. If someone asked me to name my absolute favorite assignment of the semester, I would struggle to pick just one.

The initials project was a great way to get our feet wet. We could try different things without worrying about a grade and just have some fun before really getting into the complicated art of design. The magazine layout forced us to work with a designated theme and find a way to make the story interesting and attractive. The instant book could be anything we wanted. We could make it personal, comical, emotional, simple, abstract, and complicated—as long as it was in black and white. A small limitation that pushed us to use things besides color to tell a story. The poster pushed us to stand up for a social issue that we believe in fighting for. Words, images, color, there was no limit, so long as it had a concrete meaning. And lastly, the brochure brought in the marketing side of design. We were creating a piece that was meant to sell and educate our viewers on a specific person, location, organization, and so on.

I am truly grateful for this course and what it has taught me. It opened up a new door for me, and I really hope that I can continue to progress within the art of graphic design. I developed a real passion for it and will be forever proud of the work I produced. Thanks for a great semester, Professor Greenan!

Importance of Font, Color, and Image.

There are many important factors that give a graphic design piece it's identity, but there are three elements that I feel top the list.

Font.
Color.
Image.

The font that a graphic design artist selects acts as medium for delivering the words on the page in a certain manner. A commonly used font, such as helvetica, gives off a more professional, simple, and clean-cut vibe. A script font is sometimes harder to read, but does add a bit of a fancy and classic air. A serif font can be used to look more traditional, like the fonts used in older books.

The color that an artist incorporates into their work has the ability to bring a specific emotion to the viewer. A deep shade of blue can cause the piece to feel melancholy and depressed. A lighter shade could bring a sense of calm. A bright yellow or red is bold and hard to ignore. A black and white color scheme allows the viewer to focus on the content rather than be distracted.

The images that are selected can bring the work to life. They can put a face with the words being said. They can cause the audience to associate a single image with the message. They can enhance the message. Images aren't necessary vital to every single design, but when you used, they can bring a sense of reality to a design.

Brochure Critique

Our final day of class was this past Monday, where we spent some time passing around each of our completed brochures. I honestly can't say that there was one I didn't like or find creative. I was extremely pleased with the response that my brochure received. People mentioned that it seemed professional and well balanced, while Professor Green commented on my ability to select fonts that mesh well. I was genuinely happy with the response because this piece was a bit more fun for me to work on, rather than the heavily emotional project I've done most of the semester.

As mentioned in a previous post, my brochure's purpose was to promote and educate everyone on one of my favorite musicians, Ed Sheeran. The color scheme I used was a mixture of orange, black, and white. I was apprehensive about using orange as a main color, but I felt it was necessary since Ed is indeed a ginger and uses the color quite often!

SIDE ONE:

SIDE TWO:

I wanted each page to serve a specific purpose and have it's own identity, but without straying too far that it seemed completely random and out of place. Also, for picture selection, the three images that I chose to use helped give the page more if it's identity. For instance, on the biography page, we have a more quirky photograph of Ed. The tour page features an image of him performing. And the social media page has a picture of him with a piece of paper saying "HI!" on his tongue.

If anyone is wondering why there is an orange paw-print on the front page, it's because Ed has made that paw-print on of his signature logos, along with a plus sign. Staying on the topic of the front page, I didn't include any images because I wanted to emphasis the fact that Ed Sheeran is a very music first artist. He is actually quite awkward in interviews and would much rather let his music do the talking.

I would love to get some more feedback on my brochure! Some of my friends suggested that I actually mail the brochure to Ed's management team! Haha :)

Nikolay Saveliev

I'm dedicating this blog post to an up-and-coming graphic design artist, Nikolay Saveliev, whom I discovered while reading Print Magazine's 20 Best Graph Artists Under 30. Saveliev, who is originally from St. Petersburg, Russia, studied at the Rhode Island School of Design. While still studying, Saveliev left for NYC, where he tried his hand at go-go dancing. After realizing that it wasn't one of his best decisions, he returned to school to complete his degree before trying the NYC scene one more time. 

Through the variety of branding jobs he worked, Nikolay developed his own style of illustrations where he could create his own worlds. Eventually, he gained attention through his designs via freelance and personal projects. Saveliev says that he is influenced by 80's New Wave Music and even religion, even though he isn't particularly religious from a personal standpoint.

"I like the higher-up mysticism," he says, "which is a lot like design, a lot like art--it's trying to communicate something that's not tangible until you create it." (credit to printmag.com) 

Here's one of Saveliev's featured works on printmag.com:

Brochure Options

For our final project, we have been asked to design a tri-fold brochure that can focused on practically anything we so choose! When I first approached the project, I was torn between doing a brochure on the lovely city of London, or a brochure about myself to be used as a resume piece. As I debated between the two ideas, I was listening to one of my favorite artists, Ed Sheeran, a fairly unknown British singer songwriter. It was then that I decided I wanted to dedicate the brochure to him!

At that point, the music geek in me was pretty darn excited to work on a whole project that was devoted to a great musician. I figured that the brochure could include things such as a short biography, discography, upcoming tour dates, and so on!

As of right now, the brochure is looking good. I have two more pages to complete before I can call it a day. I tried my best to make the brochure truly reflect Ed through the symbols, images, and colors that I selected. For instance, Ed is known for his ginger hair, so he tends to emphasis that by using orange as a major color when it comes to his album cover, merchandise, and promotional material. So, it's safe to say that one of the three colors I'm incorporating into my brochure is indeed orange!

The biggest obstacle I've faced during the process has been finding a way to fit in all of the information without crowding the pages or cutting of any words. Luckily, with some sizing adjustments it's coming together.

Can't wait for it to be completed! Only two more classes left, then we're done for the semester. CRAZY.

Mental Illness Awareness Poster

As I mentioned in my previous post, I created two social awareness posters because I was having difficulty deciding between my two ideas. For the poster that I selected to submit for grading and critique, I focused on the awareness of mental illnesses. 

Approximately a month before my dad passed away from cancer, I was professionally diagnosed with severe depression. Throughout the next three to four years I struggled with daily tasks because I had very little want to do much besides hide in bed and listen to music. It got to the point that my part-time job was suffering because I would call in more than half the time and I had to withdrawal from multiple courses during multiple semesters. During these struggles, I was supported by amazing and loving people, however, I did encounter a few individuals who felt my depression was something I could fix with positive thinking or maybe even the flick of a switch. It wasn't until last summer that I was able to come off of anti-depressants, and yet I still have moments where I find myself stuck in similar place as before. 

Here's my poster:

For my slogan/tag line, I wanted to use something that was direct and firm, without being rude. I feel that "IT'S REAL. Even if you can't see it." describes precisely the message I wanted to get across. Although mental illnesses can't be seen from the outside, they are very serious in nature and do have a profound effect on a person's well-being.  I used two different fonts, one that was serif and one the was helvetica light. As for the color scheme, I consciously choose to use blue because it is so commonly associated with sadness, melancholy, and depression. 

Feedback and comments are welcome :)