Visual Design Portfolio
Elissa Stanton
Table of Contents
Posters . 7 Fliers . 21 Books . 29 Branding . 37 Author . 45
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P
osters
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Poetr y Broadside Harryette Mullen’s poem, Elliptical, is a structurally unique work that beautifully captures the thought process and the development of negative stereotypes surrounding minorities, particularly among whites and African Americans. When assigned the task of illustrating the poem in a poetry broadside, I was initially unsure of how I would approach the design. After some brainstorming I came up with an idea to illustrate the thought process. I think my design helps visually enhance the meaning of the poem. I separated the phrases into thought bubbles to put into context the words. In the poem, the elliptical phrases represent a hushed series of comments or thoughts. To me the words seemed to evolve throughout the poem to create a more exaggerated state. I could see
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how one negative though or comment could quickly spread, causing a complete misrepresentation of a group of people. That idea is what inspired my illustration. My design uses a light blue color for the thought bubbles to create a quiet, whispered tone. I used a more formal serif font to represent the voice an apparently sophisticated majority group. I used silhouettes of men and women to visually communicate the dark nature of their thoughts, words, and attitudes, and to illustrate the secretive environment in which rumors are often spread. Lastly, I used a dotted gray line to link the conversations, and hopefully orient the reader so they know which bubble to read next.
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Decision Map This projected challenged me to communicate an internal thought process through a visual map. The map represents my personal thought process when deciding to cut my hair or not. Through this project I realized how complicated simple decisions can be when they are visually mapped out. There were many other small choices I needed to make in order to make an educated large-scale decision. My design attempted to create a sophisticated infographic using a creative, illustration-based style. I used pink, yellow, and light blue to accent the youthful style and typeface. I wanted the poster to reflect the creativity involved choosing a hairstyle that fits your personality and lifestyle. I was challenged to use limited words in my design, and I enjoyed illustrating the specific hairstyles. I am particularly proud of this project because I created all of the symbols and illustrations myself using Adobe Illustrator!
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Sensor y Map My perceptual map documents the senses I experienced while eating my favorite taco at Torchy’s Tacos. I created symbols to represent different tastes and textures and illustrated each ingredient involved. I chose to use bright colors and Rockwell typeface to mimic Torchy’s design style. I liked the concept of using spoons to illustrate the liquid ingredients. This project helped develop my Illustrator skills and challenged me to represent complex ideas visually.
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Geography Map This map represents my daily bike ride across campus. I create a design that looks clean and simple, and clearly illustrates my route. I included symbols to represent landmarks along my journey to try to develop a sense of emotion and personality in the design. My design also visually highlights the time I spend on the journey, which is an important reason I ride my bike sometimes rather than walking.
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AIGA Awards Poster I created this poster in Typography 1 for the AIGA Awards. The document would be printed on a full poster size. I chose to make the names of the award winners the focal point of my design. I used color and type weight to emphasize the names and experimented with how far I could push the kerning without losing legibility. I used a cool color scheme that contrasts well against a dark background. The contrast draws the reader into the design. The information at the bottom of the poster is organized and aligned with the names above. I created hierarchy through different size, weight, and alignment of the text.
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Adventure Poster The poster includes images of everything I will need for an urban adventure. I chose to include mostly necessity items and a few items just for fun. The items I chose worked together to create a calm, warm color scheme. After shooting and editing photos of the items I arranged them on the poster. I wanted to create balance in my design by placing larger items on opposite sides and balancing the colors throughout. I tried to piece the objects together in the most efficient and aesthetically pleasing way possible, rather than following a specific plan.
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F
lyers
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Adver tisement Redesign For this advertisement redesign I took a very poorly designed mattress advertisement and created a graphical, clean design. My inspiration for this redesign was the princess and the pea fairytale. I used the graphic image of inspired by the fairytale as the focal point and then organized the information around the image. I used a geometric typeface to complement the angular graphic and simplified the information down considerably. I chose to make the word “sale� the largest textual element, so that users will automatically understand the purpose of the document. Below I placed the company name as a subtitle and some information about the sale underneath. This design uses graphics, hierarchy, and alignment to achieve a sophisticated advertisement redesign.
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after
S A L E Matter Brothers Mattress Company Locally Owned for over 30 years, we offer quality mattresses for affordable prices. We buy directly from the manufacturer providing you the lowest price possible. All purchases include free delivery.
before
Naples Store 7200 US41 North Across from Pelican Bay 239-598-3330
Ft. Myers Store 11750 South Cleavland Avenue 239-275-3968
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Flier Redesign This flier redesign is advertising a yoga class being offered for the next semester. The original document was filled with unnecessary text and strange photos. I read over the original flier and took out the most important information to use in the redesign. In the redesign I organized the information to introduce the topic, why students should take the class, and who to contact. I used a large graphic of a women doing yoga to immediately connect the audience with the information. Lastly, the design and color scheme reflect a calm, peaceful yoga experience, while still attracting a reader.
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Menu Redesign
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This is a menu redesign for Bennu Coffee, a hip coffee shop in East Austin. The old design was a basic list of drinks on a white sheet of paper. Inspired by the business’ current logo and atmosphere, I created a new menu that organizes the many food and drink options available to customers. I created graphical banners
for titles to make the information pop from the page. I broke up the information into large headings and subheadings. I aligned all the prices to the right and used different font styles to create hierarchy. My color scheme reflects the business’ dimly lit interior and indie feel.
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B
ooks
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Type Book In my typography class I was assigned a project to create a type specimen book illustrating a particular typeface. I chose to illustrate the uses of Scala and Sans Scala in my book. I chose a cool color scheme of purple and teal because wanted to create a academic, research tone. I thought the typeface would be appropriate in a research or professional setting, so I attempted to carry that into the design by using long vertical lines and brackets. Through the project I also learned the basics of book design and structure, which I have been able to carry into other projects.
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For this project I designed the page layout for an essay beautifully written by Mary Helen Specht about her experiences in Nigeria. I chose to design the pages for a publication in a creative journal. I used a simple two column grid for easy readability and pulled out select quotes to break up the text and balance the composition. For illustrations I researched Nigerian art and found a few illustrations to complement my design. I based by color scheme off the large illustration I used as inspiration.
Essay Layout 29
Fulbright Conference Program This project was an assignment in my advanced typography class. Our class was asked to create designs for the annual Fulbright Conference program book. We were each given content from the previous year’s conference program and asked to redesign the document based on an original slogan and modern design style. The contents of the program include a detailed schedule, maps, speaker biographies, and session information. For my design I used the slogan “Writing the Next Page,� since the Fulbright organization is known for having writers and researchers that promote social justice and progressive ideas. I used a soft, cool color scheme to reflect an academic and professional aesthetic. My design includes a geometric pattern that evolves from page to page and reflects the slogan. Through my design, I hoped to achieve a well-organized document that maintains balance that is fresh and modern.
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Ministr y Por tfolio This project was completed for some friends who are preparing to work in a Christian ministry in Indonesia. Since the family will be moving there for several years, they are working to raise financial support from family and friends in the United States. This portfolio includes information about the couple’s past ministry work, the goals and structure of their work in Indonesia, and how other people can get involved. In my portfolio I have included a selection of pages from the 10-page document. I used a professional orange, blue, and brown color scheme that reflects the purpose of the document. I also created a few infographics to communicate statistical information and a timeline of past ministry work. This was one of my first experiences designing something for an actual client. I really enjoyed working with the couple on the design and creating a document that meets their needs.
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B
randing
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Branding Package This project is a complete branding package for a potential business I would love to someday open with a friend. To the right is the design stylesheet that includes everything involved in the brands visual identity, as well as the business’ mission statement and background story. The business is a coffee shop and bakery that focuses on fostering a sense of local community while supporting education for children around the world. When developing this brand, I used the adjectives relaxed, creative, and generous to represent my ideas and direction. I immediately wanted to include a symbol of a sun, because this image represents the ideas of hope, community, and education that the business is founded on. I developed a color scheme, starting with yellow, and choose a deep purple as a complementary color. I chose an earthy green as a accent color to complement the relaxed and generous attributes of the business. When designing the logo I combined the symbol of a sun, my color scheme, and the business’ name in a balanced and unified composition.
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My print materials include a letterhead, report cover, business card, menu, and a journal to be used as the extension item. The letterhead includes a side panel with my logo, business name, and address. For the report cover I used my patterns and textures to create a geometric design that is traditional of report covers. I formatted the report title in the same geometric shape and included the logo in the bottom left corner. The business card was a challenging piece to design since it is so small. I decided to simply place my logo on one side with the pattern and included the necessary information and tagline illustration on the back. The menu design includes black stokes with beveled edges to divide each section and a combination of the brand’s typefaces. Lastly, I included a journal with the business logo an extension product. These products all work together to communicate a distinctive visual brand for Leswpa Coffee & Bakery.
Logo
Variation
Patterns & Textures
Tagline
Typography Quicksand ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
Garamond ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
Colors
Symbol
Mission
Story
Lespwa Coffee & Bakery seeks to foster local community and provide hope to children around the world by providing quality coffee and baked goods to local customers and using profits to sponsor education for young people globally.
This business is the product of two dreams coming together. Meredith has a unique heart for education and leadership development in Haiti, and a passion for all things coffee. I love the metaphoric connection bread and baking have to family and community, and I’ve always wanted to create a physical place to represent that. As friends and colleagues, Meredith and I decided this endeavor was worth diving into together and hope that Lespwa will become a place of inspiration and community.
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The branding package includes a business card, report cover, letterhead, menu, logo and style design. My package also included a journal with the company logo.
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Button Project
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This project was an exploration into two local Austin hot spots. I was assigned to go experience two new places in the city and record my observations. After visiting these places, I wrote instructions for how to experience the place and created buttons as a prize for someone who might complete my adventure. The buttons of the left page are for a local gelato place called Dulce Neve. The little shop is owned by an adorable Italian couple, decorated with soft colors and succulents, and known for the best gelato in town. My buttons and their packaging reflect the shop’s playful aesthetic and Italian style. Each button features and cup of gelato dressed with Italian flare and the packaging includes hand-crafted illustrations of the shop’s succulent garden. The buttons below reflect an experience at the Barton Creek Farmers Market. While experiencing the farmers market, I took photos of different fruits and vegetables to use in my designs. On two of the buttons I created vector symbols for a beet and carrot. For the third button I created a simple typographic mark to represent my earthy, yet clean experience at the Barton Creek Farmers Market.
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bout the author I am an aspiring writer and designer studying English writing and graphic design at St. Edward’s University in Austin, TX. When I am not playing volleyball, eating, sleeping, or studying, I enjoy exploring the city, baking bread, and going camping. I look for inspiration everywhere and I love all things homemade.
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