Social Problem Poster

For this project, I wanted to address violence. I initially wanted to examine the innate tendencies for humans to commit acts of violence. However, I ultimately decided it was best to offer solutions. My final poster explores the sociology of violence prevention.

Logo Development

O r i g i n a l  P h o t o 

Great Mind in Design Presentation

Great Mind in Design

I will be creating a project about....

Pattern

B a s e   S h a p e s 

P a t t e r n   S w a t c h  

F i n a l   P a t t e r n 

Grid Typeface

B a s e  L e t t e r s

P r o c e s s 

F i n a l   A l p h a b e t 

Layers

D i g i t a l  C o l l a g e

O r i g i n a l  C o l l a g e

Herarchy

Cropping and Changed Meaning

Original Photo by Philippe Pottier

Portrait cropped and placed on gradients

Border Play

Positive/Negative

Seeing Color

Michael Bierut Reflection

In this video, Michael Bierut recounts his history as a designer, including the thought process that led to a number of specific and ingenious design outcomes. Michael Bierut became a designer when he noticed that a truck's design had a meaning behind it. He wanted to create the moment he experienced--the moment when he noticed a type/image had a meaning to be realized as you looked at/analyzed it (something I think of when I think of fedex).

One project that I found particularly interesting, and important, was " nuts.com ". For this project, Bierut designed the boxes for deliveries ordered from nuts.com. Two things struck me as important in his explanation of this project. First and foremost, the influence of good design can be clearly seen in that sales went way up from changes in packaging. This is  particularly important because, as Beirut points out,  redesigning packaging doesn't cost anymore and yet can lead to increases in revenue. Secondly, and I found this of more personal importance, I liked that developing an anti-corporate, fun and whimsical brand identity can be as successful as other forms of brand development.

Another project, reinventing Saks Fifth Avenue branding and designing new packaging with the new brand identity provides an answer to the important design questions: how one is fashionable and how one is timeless? Bierut explains that a lot of clients who come looking for a classic and/or fashionable logo, often are looking for 1) their old logo (timeless) or 2) a specific logo of someone else (fashionable). This led to Bierut's creative solution for his clients at Saks--he manipulated the old logo into an entirely new, yet familiar, composition. This allowed his design to be timeless (it contained elements to the classic and original logo design) while also creating a project that read as unique and fashionably abstract (while the elements of the old logo were there, they read in a completely different way).

I really liked this particular video. I think Bierut did a great job at showing his audience what his thought process is when approaching a design project. It gave me a good idea of important things to look at consider when starting a project--what is the best approach for this brand; what design elements relate to the existing brand or the desired brand outcome; how do we approach this project in a whimsical or professional way, and further, which approach is appropriate?

Interaction of Color

Color Wheel

Typographic Texture

Physical Texture

t y p o g r a p h i c  t e x t u r e 

Marian Bantjes Interview Response

In the Creative Inspirations video, Marian Bantjes and colleagues reflect on Marian's recent career change. After over a decade of operating her own firm, Marian Bantjes completely changed the way she created. In the year following her departure from her firm, she focused completely on personal projects. While she wasn't receiving freelance work, she was able to further establish her personal style and market herself with creative valentines among other mail out projects. After the year ended, Marian still wasn't getting work; she was, however, getting feedback. Colleagues throughout the design community were responding to Marian's unique designs, and this pushed her to keep creating as she was creating.

There are industry standards for how designers work. Typically,  designers are able to work in a variety of styles and branches of design, and clients have a good deal of control over the final design. Marian Bantjes works in a completely different way. After stepping down from her firm and establishing her style in the community, she is now hired by clients who are coming specifically for her work. They are making a choice to relinquish control over the design outcome in exchange for a product of Marian's unique style. For Marian, this means a more personal approach to designing.

This video has important implications for me. I never considered that design had a place for highly personalized work, work that reflects a style clearly belonging to one individual. This gives me courage to find my voice of expression in the art community, and to use it to create something that uniquely reflects my way of perceiving and interacting with world.

Scale, Depth, and Motion

o u t s i d e / i n s i d e 

m o r e / l e s s 

f u l l / e m p t y 

o u t s i d e / i n s i d e 2 

c o m e / g o 

d a r k / l i g h t 

h e r e / t h e r e 

l i g h t / h e a v y 

n a r r o w / w i d e

u p / d o w n