All posts tagged Graphic Design

Design Process: Summer Experiences Postcard

By On December 14, 2011 In Writing With No Comments Permanent Link to Design Process: Summer Experiences PostcardPermalink

When presenting my portfolio, I’m always inevitably asked, “What was your contribution to this design?” Or, “Were you heavily art directed?” Or, ” Was this your concept?” These are good questions. In a final portfolio, it’s hard to know how deeply the designer was involved in projects. So as often as possible when receiving final, printed samples of my work, I’m going to throw a quick blog post up to show the evolution of that design. (Although honestly, I can’t see myself ever putting something in my portfolio that isn’t nearly 100% my concept— granted I may have received influential, excellent feedback along the way from others.)

Here’s a postcard I recently designed for a high school summer program at Wash U. The following are my original concepts presented during a client-editor-designer meeting. Going into this meeting I knew these things: that the client wanted to use the yellow and royal blue colors of their current website. And that the client wanted to showcase photos they took during a previous high school summer workshop. The photos in these drafts, I will note, do not reflect the color corrections done in the final printing stage.

Here is the second round of designs reflecting the client’s edits.

And the final design:

Ho ho ho

By On December 6, 2011 In Writing With No Comments Permanent Link to Ho ho hoPermalink

Ain’t Trickin

By On December 2, 2011 In Writing With No Comments Permanent Link to Ain’t TrickinPermalink

I’ve been listening to a lot of Anya Marina lately, and one of my favorite songs of hers is “Whatever You Like,” a cover of a popular rap song. It’s oddly pleasing to hear a mousy voice sing lines such as, “Stacks on deck, patron on ice. We can pop bottles all night.” And, “Everybody knows you ain’t trickin if you got it.” I’m loving the contrast of sweet and baller shot caller and thought it’d be fun to do a quick lunch-time-fun-time design of it. Hehe.

Light

By On November 8, 2011 In Writing With No Comments Permanent Link to LightPermalink


Tonight’s sky in Illinois + the Pacific Ocean this past August

Style Sheet Round 1

By On September 21, 2011 In Writing With No Comments Permanent Link to Style Sheet Round 1Permalink

I’ve been thinking for awhile now that I should reconsider my identity “Clevertype.” It’s not that I don’t like it— and I may end up sticking with it in the end. But I’m not totally convinced it embodies everything it should. Just a little background: I established “Clevertype” to represent my identity as a writer and designer. So, “type” as in my ability to play with words and letters when writing as well as my strong consideration of writing and use of typography when designing. I also consdier the word “type” to represent a character of being, as in: I’m a clever type of girl.

Anyway, I’ve enjoyed this identity, but I want something that embodies me more as a person, a brand that doesn’t lean so heavily on my writing and design self. Yah. Or, I don’t know. As I’m typing this, I’m kind of thinking I don’t make sense. Hmm. Translated: I probably don’t need a new identity, but I’m going to come up with one just for kicks. Because this is how I like to have fun… often on Friday nights… with wine… and it’s pathetically fantastic.

So! Below is my first attempt at understanding my identity (or at least my desired identity) as I rebrand myself. I gave myself 30ish minutes to scan the Web and my computer and find images that pleased me in terms of content, color, texture, etc. I didn’t think too deeply when doing this. Just picked what I liked on a gut level. I also chose fonts and a color palette. Funny side note: I thought establishing a color palette would be a task in and of itself, but the colors easily presented themselves to me when I compiled the images. And I feel like the colors of this composite strangely match my personality… gentle, quiet but with an occasional punch of red and unexpected darkness. Interesting. (I may be totally full of shit in writing this. Pretty sure I am.)

The plan from here is to do this exercise a few more times and see what feelings and colors emerge. Then, I’ll choose my favorite aspects of the composites and create a refined style guide. From there, I’m thinking I’ll brainstorm words that are evoked from the style guide.

Should be a good time. I’m certainly curious to see how it turns out.

The 8.5 steps of 8:30 a.m.

By On September 21, 2011 In Writing With 1 Comment Permanent Link to The 8.5 steps of 8:30 a.m.Permalink

A close-up look at my workday morning ritual

1 | Dump coffee into French press. Too bad my grinder is buried somewhere deep in a box in the basement. Ho hum.

2 | Add hot water. We have a machine at work that dispenses hot and cold water. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, amazing!

3 | Push filter down to separate coffee grounds.

4 | Pour coffee into pug mug painted by a handsome man.

5 | Add hazelnut.

6 | Open Capri Blue Volcano candle and take a whiff + deep breath.

7 | Check email, social media and inspiring blogs.

8 | Turn NPR Morning Edition or Pandora on and start designing.

8.5 | Appreciate surroundings and people in my life.

Repeat all steps at 2 p.m. if feeling drowsy and unproductive. It really helps to “restart” your day in the afternoon. Gets the creative juices flowing.

She’s a thrifty one, that girl.

By On July 24, 2011 In Writing With No Comments Permanent Link to She’s a thrifty one, that girl.Permalink

Hey! Guess what. Spending too much money on purses is lame. Finding vintage pieces on the cheap cheap cheap is rad. Here’s a handful of purses I found at Goodwill (Yes. Goodwill!), a couple of which went on to be art canvases.

Go on and get down with your thrifty self.


Real leather. Word.


I decoupaged this one with magazine pieces.


Old bowling bag


Unleashed my inner Munch and painted this one.


Shiny little darling

Lost designs

By On July 20, 2011 In Writing With No Comments Permanent Link to Lost designsPermalink

As I’ve been burning backup DVDs of my work the past few days, I’ve stumbled across a few designs that never saw the light of the printer for various reasons. So sad when that happens. Here’s a tribute to a few I would have liked to develop further.

Employee BBQ T-shirt
Really bummed this event didn’t happen. This is a first draft design for the back of the T-shirt. I was going to then apply this style to a poster, goodie bag, bandana, sticker and prize ticket. Yeehaw! (More like Yeenaw.)

MU Health System Strategic Plan
Three cover mockups designed to show relation to the MU Health Care strategic plan

Healthy Steps program bi-fold brochure for Ellis Fischel Cancer Center
I’m not a huge fan of using stock photos, but I don’t hate this layout.

Logomotion

By On June 30, 2011 In Writing With No Comments Permanent Link to LogomotionPermalink

I thought it’d be cool to start showing behind-the-scenes glimpses at some of my design projects. To me, the brainstorming, experimenting and evolving of a design is as important as the final product.

I recently created these designs for the Center for Integrative Research on Cognition, Learning and Education at Washington University in St. Louis. The client wanted some type of circular motif or feel to communicate the acronym “CIRCLE,” of course. They also hoped to bring in a bridge motif to suggest the connectedness of cognition, learning and education on campus— how these parts are integrated and lead to one another. These are some rough sketches.

The final logo is below. For the most part, I’m happy with it and think it communicates unity as well as progression among the three parts… at least I hope it does!

I speak the truth and only the truth.

By On June 24, 2011 In Writing With No Comments Permanent Link to I speak the truth and only the truth.Permalink


I was going to write a legitimate post today. But then I didn’t. Whoops.

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