I’m finishing up the last couple weeks of my third round of graphic design courses. Although I’ve enjoyed taking a photography class this term, I’ve realized it is not my strength. I much prefer print design, which goes along with my recent project: a branding campaign for my church (examples can be found in the portfolio section). I’m learning yet another program in the Adobe Creative Suite: Photoshop. It’s very complicated – and frustrating for me – because every element has it’s own layer, but I’ve already put my new photo editing skills to work on touching up our family Christmas card picture!
Checking in
This week wraps up my second term of graphic design classes. It was a challenge to my time management skills to juggle two classes this term, but I loved every minute of it! I realize that this is what I want to be when I grow up! And that’s a good feeling!
One of my classes was on desktop publishing. I learned a new computer program and created a magazine cover, tri-fold brochure, four-page newsletter and children’s book cover (of course, I made a cover for my mermaid book)!
In the other classes I learned about the language and practice of media arts! It was all about storyboarding, lighting, camera angles, sounds, and analyzing commercials. For my final project I created a script for a 30-second commercial for a non-profit organization!
I have next week off and then start another round of classes! I’ll post some of my projects in the portfolio section of this blog.
Class Conclusion
As my Graphics & Layout in Print Media class comes to a close, I am excited about all I have learned in the last eight weeks. Although I still have a long way to go until I’ve mastered Adobe Illustrator, I am impressed with how much more I know now compared to the start of this class. I look forward to learning more as I continue my graphic design study, to build on what I know about color and contrast, font and focal point, hue and hierarchy.
As for the “clients” I served in these class projects, I learned that less isn’t always more. I think more interaction and contact with a client helps a designer know the best way to represent that company/product/event. I am one who likes collaboration and brainstorming and that was lacking in these assignments. I can see how a medium-sized design firm could offer a client so much more potentially with more minds to mingle ideas.
As design and technology continue to merge and technology advances, I worry about the principles and elements of design being overcome by flash and fast-moving graphics. Many students in the class agreed that simplicity is best in design and that consistency is key, but how do we balance this with an ever-changing world that wants everything fresher, better, faster?
I think contrast and typeface are most important when designing, especially in this digital fast-paced world, where things need to be ingested quickly. That is the point of design, isn’t it, to get a message across? To inform? To invite?
Shakespeare in the Park Poster – Final Design
It was difficult deciding which sketch to make into my final poster. I decided to go with the silhouettes, mostly because I wanted to practice using the pen tool. I like the light and dark and the subtly of the people. I originally did not have any red, but the professor suggested using more contrast and color to make it more eye-catching.
Here’s the one I handed in to be graded:
Poster Thumbnail Sketches & Design Brief
According to Robin Landa in Design Solutions, a poster grabs a viewer’s attention with cooperation between image and type, interesting visualization and consideration of composition. A good composition must not only grab attention, but also set it apart from everything else out there that wants to be seen and communicate its key message clearly. To do this a designer must identify the message and the audience it’s trying to reach.
I played with a few different ideas with the Shakespeare posters – from a starry sky, to a lit balcony to a park. The sketch with “Montague vs. Capulet” was inspired by a boxing match poster. I tried to play up the light versus dark theme and to use some of the more famous lines from the play.
Since my handwriting is difficult to read, I did some mockups on some of the sketches, especially for the one in the bottom right corner (below). The background is quotes from Shakespeare’s plays. I did them in a script font in a light gray color, so they are mostly background, but a closer look and one can read all the greatest lines of several of his plays.
DESIGN BRIEF For Poster Project
Designer: Kristin Graham
Prepared By: Kristin Graham
Date: July 27, 2014
Project: Event Poster for Shakespeare in the Park
Size Specs: 24” x 36”
Client: Kings & Queens Theatre Company, New Plains, VT
Overview: A community theater company wants to advertise their Shakespeare in the Park Summer Play, Romeo & Juliet. They would like posters to hang in local businesses.
Design concept: The poster design will be vertical and reflect the theme of the play.
Audience: The target audience is teenagers and adults who like theater, especially Shakespeare, and/or families looking for summer evening outdoor entertainment.
Design Restrictions: The poster must grab the casual passerby’s attention and communicate the following information: title of the play (Romeo & Juliet), cost (free), time and dates (7:00pm Thursday through Saturday evenings in July 2015), and location (Smithville Park, New Plains, VT), as well as the theater company’s name (Kings & Queens Theatre Company), website (www.kingsnqueenstheatreco.com) and the director’s name (Anthony Stillwell).
Competition: There are so many others events going on in the summer that this poster must stand out and draw people in to see this play.
Takeaways: The audience should see this poster and know instantly that is advertising the play Romeo & Juliet. The design should reflect the theme or certain familiar aspects of the play (possibly the balcony, love, star-crossed, family feud). The information about the play (Shakespeare in the Park, date, time, location, etc.) should be clear and easy to find.
Advertising/Stores: The best places to hang this poster are in local shops and restaurants, especially those surrounding the park and those involved in the local Chamber of Commerce. Hanging the poster in shops and restaurants of neighboring towns would bring in people from a large geographic area. Other ideas for places to target are coffee shops, local colleges, libraries, museums and events bulletin boards.
Another recommendation is to contact the local newspaper to get the event listed on their calendar page.
Poster Design Inspiration
For our second class assignment, we were to chose one of three clients who needed a poster designed. One of the options was a poster for Shakespeare in the Park. I decided to focus on Romeo & Juliet for my Shakespeare in the Park poster (because it is the play I know best). The first idea that came to mind was the poster in our text book (figure 2-4, p. 23). I like the contrast, which also reflects the theme in R&J of light and dark. Another theme in much of Shakespeare is that things are not always what they seem, and this is reflected in the hidden images of the dagger and heart between the couple.
I like the combination of initials over the heart in the poster below and how the letters are not only connected, but the arm of the R is really a dagger (again, things are not always what they seem).
I was thinking about the star-crossed lovers bit and imagined a starry night, kind of like the poster below, but with stars instead of windows.
I like the idea of using a lit balcony as an isolated image in the middle of the page to determine the weight of the image (like figure 9-17 in our textbook).
But I also like the use of text as an image in the poster below to include some famous quotes from the play. Again, I like the high contrast between the text and the background. I also like the script typeface, which unites the individual words into one blended image.
However, considering my novice skills with Illustrator, a text-driven poster may be what I’m able to create at this point:
This poster seems to use the same type family and uses different sized text to emphasize and unite the information.
A poster of Shakespeare in the Park needs to convey the following information to the public: event title, play name, location, time, date, cost. The image used needs to help grab the viewer’s attention.
Here are some initial ideas/sketches:
Images Cited:
http://media-cache-cd0.pinimg.com/736x/a5/06/3e/a5063eb604ade096ed1ef76536ec0b14.jpg
http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/4/147536/1974360/rj%20cargo%20lg.jpg
http://imgc.allpostersimages.com/images/P-473-488-90/76/7605/VU2F300Z/posters/sonnet-18.jpg
Ice Cream Company Logo & Stationery
The goals to creating a successful visual identity are consistency, clarity, and communication. A company’s visual identity must be consistent, using the same design and logo throughout all its external communication methods from business cards to letterhead to its website. The design must be clear and easily identifiable. Use of color and line should represent the company’s vision, goals and product. This design is a pictorial communication with an audience, one that gets a message across quickly and clearly. It becomes an icon or symbol of that company, so that when someone sees it, they know what to expect.
The Ice Cream Company “client” not only wanted a name and logo, but also stationery and business cards. In order to build a brand, all communication from the company must be complimentary. I decided the pink and white stripes would make great stationery, so I took the logo:
And built off the design to create letter head and envelopes:
And business cards (again incorporating the strips and the logo):
Mock-ups of Ice Cream Company Logo
From the 12 thumbnail sketches of the logo design, I narrowed it down to three that best fit the client’s requirements for the logo: it must contain a box, a truck and ice cream and only be three colors.
Jubilee Gourmet Ice Cream Shipped with a Cherry on Top!
In the original sketch, I named this Dip & Ship, but I played with the “cherry” tagline and came up with Jubilee. I liked the tagline and the design incorporated everything the clients wanted. I made the box into a truck with a scoop of ice cream coming out of it. The cardboard box is conveniently the same color as a ice cream cone. And, there is of course, a cherry on top! This logo could easily be printed as a sticker to be put on boxes or made into magnets with the website address for reordering.
Cow Licks: From Our Farm To Your Freezer
This Logo didn’t have a box, but I liked the idea of the ice cream coming straight from the farm and playing with the idea even more with cow print on the truck. Again, I put a scoop of ice cream on top of the truck and designed the name to fit into the scoop.
eScoops: Deliciousness Delivered
I liked this design best. It incorporated everything the client wanted and had the nostalgic feel I was going for. The pink and white stripes in the background, not only reflect vanilla and strawberry ice cream, but look like wallpaper one might find in an old-fashioned ice cream parlor. Here again I used the box/truck with a scoop of ice cream coming out of it. I had another version of this that I liked better, but it didn’t have the box/truck that the client wanted:
Logo Designs
Logo Sketches & Design Brief
Thumbnail Sketches
The second step in this design assignment was to sketch 10 different logo ideas. This was challenging considering the constraints from the “client” (use only three colors; include a truck, a box and ice cream). As a firm believer in brainstorming, I thought outside the box and let my imagination wander. I really liked the Aloha Ice Cream sketch, but it wasn’t even close to what the “client” wanted. I played with the Neapolitan trio-colors, the nostalgic old-fashioned ice cream parlor, and a few fun names and taglines. It would help to know more about the personality and product of the company. What distinguishes them from the competition?
DESIGN BRIEF for Ice Cream Company Logo
Designer: Kristin Graham
Prepared By: Kristin Graham
Date: July 13, 2014
Project: Company Name, Logo, Stationery
Client: Online Ice Cream Company
Overview/Concept: An ice cream company is launching an online business. Costumers will be able to order ice cream online and it will be shipped to them. This is the old concept of “ice cream in a box.” The name of the company and logo must reflect the concept of shipping ice cream.
Consumers/Audience: This company will attract fans of their specific ice cream, connoisseurs of ice cream, and people who live in remote areas where good quality ice cream may not be easily available. Since shipping costs are high (overnight shipping is required to keep ice cream from melting, as is the customer being home to accept delivery), so the average customer will need to be willing to pay more than they would at the grocery store for ice cream. Uniqueness in ingredients and flavors will attract customers and distinguish them from the competition.
I don’t think many people know about buying ice cream online, unless they have visited a local shop and have seen an advertisement about shipping. They may be interested in having the ice cream shipped home to enjoy with family and friends, thus possibly increasing the customer base or to send as a gift.
Design Restrictions: The client would like a logo that includes a shipping truck, box and ice cream using only three colors. The logo must be inside a taller rectangle. The logo should indicate the company’s objective: to ship ice cream.
Competition: There are a number of online ice cream companies. At eCreamery.com, customers can customize their flavors and packaging to create a unique ice cream. Graeter’s and Bassetts, as well as New Orleans and Boulder Ice Cream companies, sell their pints online for purchase, increasing their customer base outside their immediate geographic area. Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream and Raw Ice Cream Company specialize in ingredients that appeal to those who eat a specific kind of diet.
KMG Design 
