Crash Course This activity was ment to introduce us design students to the design process. We were first given a partner (client) and a packet (to guide our ideas.) My partner was Peyton Daul, a junior here at SNC. We discussed our courses and our living situations and came up with some problems we were both facing. Peyton had very long and stressful tuesdays and thursdays and found it difficult to get up early those mornings. The next step in the process was to create a solution to my clients problem. I decided to design a new energy drink just for Peyton. We were given ten miuntes and a small pile to phisically create what we had come up with. Sadly I did not actually get to make a new beverage, but I did design a 3D model of what the can would look like! During this activity I was very nervous to be working with someone I had just met. Having to identify a stranger’s problem then come up with a solution was a difficult and uncomfortable task. Being able to talk to my partner, however, did give me good insight on what kind of solution would best work. Given the short amount of time we had, it was tough showing my work to my partner especially knowing if I had more time my final product would have been up to my own standards. I normally try to take my time when working on any project and I like to try out multiple methods if possible. If I had to do this project again I would probably add more detail to my final sketch. If I had done this, I may have gotten off to a quicker start knowing exactly what steps to take. All in all, the thing that would have helped the most would be more time.
Dot Line This was our first offical design project. It was ment to get us creating an abundance of different iterations. We were given very strict rules to follow including colors of paper and types of shapes. Along with this we were given a list of words and had to create a 4”x4” composition depicting these words using only dots and lines. I tend to focus on craft when producing work. I think the little things really matter so I spend a lot of time on perfecting my piece in order to have a clean finished product. I do find myself working quite fast, however this can help get ideas on to paper even if it’s a very rough draft. This project changed my views of abstraction because it forced me to associate meaning with some things as simple as lines and dots. I tend to find that abstract art is just random so I really learned a lot creating my own abstract piece. At first I was expecting it to be very hard to represent my ideas with lines and dots but as I played around, I learned that there can be a lot of meaning in very simplistic works. I think this exercise was very important in teaching about composition and negative space. I think a lot of the time people aren’t very aware of these elements but this project gave us a chance to step back and assess how the composition affected us.
Letterforms Part of graphic design is being able to work with text. This project introduced us to all different kinds of text including fonts, serif and sans serif, kerning (letter spacing) leading (spacing between lines of text). As a class we created a serif alphabet by carving small sheets of linoleum. We were then tasked with thinking of a word we could use to depict only using the letters of that word. For this word, we were to create a mind map, a strait print, a typographic variation, a modification, and one more of our choosing. To create these prints we used our carved letters and ink. With this project I learned a lot about letters and fonts in general. I found it very interesting to learn about serif fonts and sans serif fonts and how something as simple as little feet on a letter can completely change the message you want to get across. I think this project was a good way to step back from type that is almost like second nature to me and focus on aspects like kerning that I had never known about prior to the assignment. I think this assignment really helped see the affect a word can have on its own. If I were to do this project again I would continue to work on the spacing between my letters and keeping them all on the same base line. I tried multiple methods to do this but I’m sure there are plenty I hadn’t thought of. I would also like to get cleaner prints in general. Overall this project was not my favorite, however I think it was a really good way to explore typography.
Object This project was designed to help focus on one particular subject and work iteratively. I began by choosing my subject matter: a leopard gecko. I created many different iterations of the geckos including contout line, college, and master artists iterations. This project also gave the opportunity to work with Adobe Photoshop and InDesign.
Iterations
With this project I learned about the different poses patterns and types of leopard geckos. The media that was most challenging for me was the text college because I found it difficult to get text that added to my piece rather than being random. I did like one of my text colleges because it said “moving” which gave the impression that the object itself was moving. Other than that one, I did not like text college. In contrast, I really enjoyed the geometric college. I thought it was interesting to create shapes then piecing them together to create my object in all sorts of different poses. I’ve never used photoshop before and I
found it really helpful for making minor edits. I used the clone stamp a lot to take out minor things like dirt or glue spots or fingerprints. I also used it to complete a pattern that happened to be in the background of my college. This is something I will definitely use again and as I get better with the software, use in a more complex manner. Something I wish I had time to try would have been a 3-D iteration of my object. I think this would have added some diversity to my final poster and would have been a fun way to explore my iteration in much more depth.
PSA Poster Public Service Announcments are messages usually produced by the government or large organizations to inform the public on a variety of issues. For this project we had the chance to work with a partner as our client. My partner was Lucca who chose the organization “Biking for Babies.” She provided me with the text and information for the poster. I created over 20 rough sketches then went back to my client for her opinion. I then began working digitally using Adobe InDesign.
It was challenging to use type only for this project; however I really like how my final product turned out and I don’t think it would have been the same had I been able to use images or color. This project like all of our other ones, had a lot of limitations and restrictions. I think this makes me a stronger designer because it forces me to work differently and get out of my comfort zone. I used a few of the reversed out text boxes to create some separation in my work. I think this helped a lot with the negative space because even though it was just a black box, it is still different from the paper colored background.
I also played around with font size and bolding the more important information in order to create that visual hierarchy. I think this was a difficult part of the project because there were many limitations on what you could use to accentuate the important information. This project taught me that less is more. In the past I’ve had opportunities to create posters digitally however I tend to overload them with clipart and way too many fonts. The restrictions on this project showed me that sticking to the basics can create a work that is just as strong if not stronger.
BIKING FOR
BABIES
2 0 2 2
National Ride
Our mission is to renew the Culture of Life one pedal stroke at a time. On our National Ride, you will bring others closer to Christ through physical grit, witness for life, and prayer. You are joining the mission of Biking for Babies to renew a culture that treasures, celebrates, and respects every life, from conception until natural death, for the dignified gift that it is.
Riders need good cycling habits to lay down the miles on public roads for something bigger than themselves. Physical preparation is essential. Riders ride 120+ miles each day at 15-20 mph with a team of 6, covering the nation in prayers for the restoration of the Culture of Life.
We ride to support Pregnancy Resource Centers, centers where women and families receive health care, pregnancy tests, counseling, clothing items, budgeting classes, parenting classes, love, and much more support.
Each July, missionaries bike almost 2,700 miles in seven days, sacrificing their personal time, wants and needs for women and families in unplanned pregnancies.
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bikingforbabies.breezechms.com/form/22missionary
20x20 Presentation This project was a short presentation of 20 slides, 20 seconds each. This gave me the chance to research and share the work of a designer who intrested me. I really enjoyed having the chance to do my own research on a well known designer and being able to apply my knowledge of design. This project also gave me the opportunity to present my findings in a professional manner.
I was drawn to Khoi Vinh because of all the work he had done with and for Adobe. This semester I’ve learned a lot about creating art digitally and Adobe is essentially the most important tool for that. I was also drawn to his wide variety of design. I find many artists get good at one or two things and just stick with that but Khoi continues to push himself into his work and even fields that are not yet popular. The only thing that worried me when presenting my slides was the 20 second time limit on each slide. When writing my talking points I found it difficult to stay in that time frame. I found Steven Heller’s work to be quite interesting. I really like how to art books and I often buy them the second I see them. I thought this work was very similar to those books I like and I would be really curious to see the contents of an entire Steven Heller book.
Vocation Questions After this semester, I’ve taken a deep interest in design. While I’ve always enjoyed art and want to continue creating art in my future career, I had never thought of pursuing work as a designer. I have often thought of working in marketing but the business aspect of it scared me. Design has given me a new perspective on advertising and marketing. I believe if I could be supported financially, I would want to design for a living. Seeing my work out in the world would not only be rewarding but would push me to work harder in each and every project. I also like the idea of working with others and creating something that one can only picture in their minds. This class has helped me to understand what exactly design is and has pushed me in the direction of pursuing a career in design. For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved creating. As a child I was always cutting, gluing, drawing, painting and crafting. In high school, I took every opportunity to take any art class available to me. While I wasn’t always a fan of school, art gave me a reason to get myself there every morning. I want to share my love of art with anyone willing to listen. Alongside my love of art, is my love of teaching. When I discovered St. Norbert College had an Art Education program, I knew it was the place for me. I never believed I would be able to combine my love of art with my future career, but this major has given me the perfect chance to do exactly that. I believe I have been called not only to share art but to teach art to young students. I want to give others the chance to appreciate art through school the way I have.
This book was made as part of the Introduction to Design at St. Norbert College in fall 2021. The fonts used include Century Gothic, Bernard MT Condensed, and my own handwriting. It was digitally printed and saddle stapled at the college’s print center.