//MEGANCARY graphic designer
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EDUCATION MFA Candidate (2010 - present) Savannah College of Art and Design Graphic Design, 3.5 GPA
BFA (2009) University of South Alabama Primary - Graphic Design, Secondary - Painting. 3.98 GPA, Summa Cum Laude
WORK EXPERIENCE Graphic Designer (June 2009 - present) Crown Products
Responsibilities include the design of all electronic media including web banners and graphics, e-mail marketing and social media management. Additionally, I create specialty items including custom direct marketing pieces and high-end catalogs. Other duties include product photography and product development design.
Art Director (June 2007 - present) Negative Capability Press
Responsibilities include interior and exterior design and typesetting of books. Additionally, I am responsible for most of the company’s marketing duties.
Student Assistant (June 2006 - May 2009) University of South Alabama Responsibilities included assisting students and trouble shooting graphic design soft- ware and Mac hardware. I also operated several large format Epson printers.
TECHNICAL SKILLS
ACHIEVEMENTS
Silver Addy® Award (2010) Print Collateral Crown Products, AAF Mobile Bay
Silver Addy® Award (2010) Interactive Web Design (w/B. Davis) Crown Products, AAF Mobile Bay
Progress Through Ideas Award (2010) Ebsco Industries Employee of the Quarter (2010) Crown Products SCAD Honors Scholarship Recipient
AFFILIATIONS AIGA AAF Mobile Bay Golden Key Honour Society Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society
Adobe Photoshop CS5 Adobe Illustrator CS5 Adobe InDesign CS5 Adobe Dreamweaver CS5 Adobe Flash CS5 Adobe Acrobat CS5 XHTML/CSS
ADDITIONAL SKILLS Catalog & book production Website production E-blast creation Digital illustration Product photography & design Competitive analysis Copy writing Social media management QR code design & optimization Research
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PROCESS BOOK 02 References available upon request.
6711 Overlook Road // Mobile, Alabama // 36618 // 251 454 7510 // megan.cary@gmail.com
Megan Cary | GRDS 709-OL | Project B | Process Book
Project B: Book Cover Redesign
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4/17/10 8:56:01 PM
PROCESS BOOK Megan Cary | GRDS 709-OL | Project B | Process Book
Project B: Book Cover Redesign
Assignment
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Topic
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Visual Research
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Brainstorming
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Thumbnail Sketches
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Rough Sketches 12 Type Studies 14 Digital Comps 15 Revised Comps 16 Analysis 18 Final Design Solution 19
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Megan Cary | GRDS 709-OL | Project B | Process Book
Project B: Book Cover Redesign
CONTENTS
Overview:
You will utilize the design principles reviewed last week—color, unity, Gestalt, space, dominance, hierarchy, and balance—as well as the knowledge you have acquired about type selection, to create a bookcover design. The design must be primarily typographic in nature.
You will need to lay out the template using either InDesign or QuarkXPress. The layout should be accurate and should include crop marks and bleeds. All imagery used should be original work. Additionally, all five surfaces must be designed.
Process:
You will submit a JPEG file of each one of the panels, plus one of the whole jacket. The maximum size should be 550 pixels wide for the flat version. The panels should be saved at apx.100 pixels wide.
You will design a full-color, wrap-around book cover of your choice, including the front and back covers, spine, and both flaps. The design solution must be primarily typographic, with the title a minimum of three words. Visuals may be used to enhance the design, but they must be secondary to the typography, the primary focus of the assignment. The choice of book is up to you, but it must be previously published, since you will be required to post both your redesign and the book’s original design. Please scan the original front cover at 72 dpi, approximately 1” x 2”. Keep the file size under 15 KB. As an example, the design of a book on the American Wild West could feature a hot-metal, serif typeface typical of the era and complement it with a more modern sans serif for the byline. A book on cooking or entertaining might use a typeface with a calligraphed flourish, and a book on urban habitat could incorporate a grunge or graffiti-like scrawl.
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Megan Cary | GRDS 709-OL | Project B | Process Book
Project B: Book Cover Redesign
ASSIGNMENT
I began the research and topic selection process by exploring my extensive book collection. I have always been an avid reader and own thousands of books from all types of genres. I selected several different books that I have read – a serious book, a science fiction novel and a fun mystery. I sat down and really thought about my choices. I knew that a serious book would involve serious subject matter and fonts. As I began to think about the science fiction novel all of my initial design ideas were based on imagery. The mystery novel however, brought numerous typographic ideas to my mind. After careful consideration I decided to choose the more light-hearted book because I felt I could explore many more typographic choices. The mystery novel I chose was Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination. Wikipedia summarizes the plot as a book that “delves into the world of espionage as it follows the adventures of freelance journalist-turned spy, Olivia Joules. While covering a face cream launch in Miami, Olivia meets the alluring international playboy, Pierre Feramo. Suspicious that he is an international terrorist, she follows him to Los Angeles, Honduras, and the Sudan, while he is under the impression that she is falling in love with him.”
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Megan Cary | GRDS 709-OL | Project B | Process Book
Project B: Book Cover Redesign
TOPIC
After selecting my topic, I began to research various book cover designs. To the right are some interesting examples I found of type-based book cover designs. On the second page are some standard mystery novel designs. I found that most of them relied on imagery rather than type to convey their message. At the bottom of the second page are some more examples of typographic book cover designs. These examples of visual research were also followed up by a visit to my local bookstore where I examined many books in the mystery section. I also browsed around the store for more interesting examples of typographic designs. Afterwards, I felt that I had a good foundation to move forward in the design process.
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Megan Cary | GRDS 709-OL | Project B | Process Book
Project B: Book Cover Redesign
VISUAL RESEARCH
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Megan Cary | GRDS 709-OL | Project B | Process Book
Project B: Book Cover Redesign
VISUAL RESEARCH
brainstorming word list
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Megan Cary | GRDS 709-OL | Project B | Process Book
Project B: Book Cover Redesign
BRAINSTORMING
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Megan Cary | GRDS 709-OL | Project B | Process Book
Project B: Book Cover Redesign
THUMBNAIL SKETCHES
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Megan Cary | GRDS 709-OL | Project B | Process Book
Project B: Book Cover Redesign
THUMBNAIL SKETCHES
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Megan Cary | GRDS 709-OL | Project B | Process Book
Project B: Book Cover Redesign
THUMBNAIL SKETCHES
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Megan Cary | GRDS 709-OL | Project B | Process Book
Project B: Book Cover Redesign
ROUGH SKETCHES
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Megan Cary | GRDS 709-OL | Project B | Process Book
Project B: Book Cover Redesign
ROUGH SKETCHES
Olivia Joules and the overactive imagination (toms handwritten new) Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination (Inkburrow) Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination (Hand of Sean) Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination (Handwriting - Dakota)
Praise For Olivia Joules and The... (Courier Regular) Praise For Olivia Joules and The... (Courier Std Medium) Praise For Olivia Joules and The... (American Typewriter) Praise For Olivia Joules and The... (Century Regular)
Praise For Olivia Joules and The... (Times) Type studies done in preparation for the digital comps. Ultimately Hand of Sean and American Typewriter were chosen.
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Megan Cary | GRDS 709-OL | Project B | Process Book
Project B: Book Cover Redesign
Type Studies
The first digital comp I posted to the discussion forum.
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Megan Cary | GRDS 709-OL | Project B | Process Book
Project B: Book Cover Redesign
DIGITAL COMPS
After posting my initial digital comp to the discussion I received some helpful feedback from my professor and my peers, including blocking off parts of the text on the back to enhance the mystery of the novel. The other students also suggested moving the title text more to the center of the page and encouraged me to mock up the flap information so that I could repost revised comps for more feedback. On the right and the next page are examples of my the revised comps that I reposted for final feedback. Below are the changes that I made to the final design after receiving final feedback on these comps: • Kerning for all type over 18pts • handwritten type was brightened • black elements were removed to keep a more consistent red-marker look • the spine width was reduced because of a measurement error and the back publisher logo was removed. • general imagery tweeks and leading were also checked and fixed.
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Megan Cary | GRDS 709-OL | Project B | Process Book
Project B: Book Cover Redesign
REVISED COMPS
The final digital comp posted to the dicussion forum. Blue lines indicate the folds of the cover.
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Megan Cary | GRDS 709-OL | Project B | Process Book
Project B: Book Cover Redesign
REVISED COMPS
What is the purpose of this design?
What are the elements of your layout and development?
The purpose of this design is to redesign a full-color, wrap-around
My final solution is layed out in a 21” x 9.5” area. The flaps are each
book cover of my choice, including the front and back covers, spine,
4” x 9.5,” the spine is 1” x 9.5 and the front and back covers are 6”
and both flaps. The design solution must be primarily typographic,
x 9.5.” These measurements are the same as the original cover. I
with the title a minimum of three words. Visuals may be used to
chose Hand of Sean as a display type because of its bold, thick,
enhance the design, but they must be secondary to the typography,
handwritten strokes and I also used American Typewriter because of
which is the primary focus of the assignment.
its similarity to a classic type-writer face. My color palette is primar-
What did the research process consist of?
ily white and black (paper and text) with red marker accents to grab the viewer’s attention. The woodgrain background and manila folder
I began the research process by exploring my extensive book collec-
colors are both neutral and accent the main palette. The design was
tion. I have always been an avid reader and own thousands of books
built in Adobe InDesign and the background images (folders and
of all types of genres. I selected several different books – a serious
wood) were manipulated in Adobe Photoshop.
book, a science fiction novel and a fun mystery. After careful consideration I decided to choose the more light-hearted book because I
What type of production does this design require?
felt I could explore more typographic choices.
This design would be printed on a matte finish cover stock and a
What are the goals and objectives of the design? My goal for this design solution was to create a unique and intriguing
gloss spot varnish would accent the red elements and the author’s photo to create hierarchy.
design that would entice a potential buyer to purchase this book. I
Did you achieve the project and design goals?
wanted the type to reflect both a stark type-writer and a hastily hand-
I believe that I did. The solutions meets the requirements of the as-
written note. I wanted the design to be fun and, at the same time,
signment and is light-hearted, fun, mysterious. I feel the imagery ul-
somewhat mysterious.
timately supports the typography and does not overpower it. Overall it is well-balanced and dynamic.
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Megan Cary | GRDS 709-OL | Project B | Process Book
Project B: Book Cover Redesign
ANALYSIS
Final cover design (trim size)
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Megan Cary | GRDS 709-OL | Project B | Process Book
Project B: Book Cover Redesign
FINAL DESIGN SOLUTION
coverfinalindesign.indd 1
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Final cover design (with bleeds/registration marks)
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Megan Cary | GRDS 709-OL | Project B | Process Book
Project B: Book Cover Redesign
FINAL DESIGN SOLUTION