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finalportfolio

Haley NelsonGraphic Design IIFall 2012

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contents

Transformation Project page...................................................................................................00

Layout Project page...................................................................................................00

CD Package Project page...................................................................................................00

Concert Project page...................................................................................................00

Stamp Project page...................................................................................................00

Bottle & Package Project page...................................................................................................00

Design Magazine Project page...................................................................................................00

Changed Documents page...................................................................................................00

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transformationproject

Transform a lowercase a into a lowercase k. Choose a typeface and a of your choice. Consider your typography knowledge. Develop the metamorphosis of your typeface in seven steps. Consider the negative space in conjunction with the positive, as well as the gestalt principles.Start working by hand on this project. Use pencils, markers, rulers, on layout or tracing paper. You must then transfer the final symbols to the computer for the final presentation.

Each step of the metamorphosis should be presented centered in a 2” x 2” white square. Consider the proportion between the figure and the background. The composition should be black over a white background. No gray values are allowed.

objective solution

After choosing my typeface for this exersice, I struggled with how to approach the letters to change them. I deicded to choose a typefacet that has the least amount of flourishes but was also weighty. I then transformed the lowecase a into a lowercase k but prying open the roundness of the a and turning them into the lines of the lowecase k.

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The transformation of a lowercase A to a lowercase K.

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layoutproject

This assignment deals with the use of typography to create an organized visual informational hierarchy. Graphic design involves communicating and presenting conceptual or practical information in visual form. This requires, in part, an understanding of the information in order to present it in an organized and understandable manner. One way to do this is to build a hierarchy of the material in order of importance. One can delineate these different kinds of information typographically with the use of layout, graphic elements, font choices and variation, point size, placement and spacing.

objective solution

I decided to approach this project but using the form of a newspaper. In doing so, I was able to push the boundarys of normal layouts so I could have larger text that was very close together but still have a legible layout.

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A layout in the style of a newspaper.

The grid is an underlying structure organizing data. It articulates space according to a pattern of oppositions: vertical and horizontal, top and bottom, rectangular and diagonal, and left and right. If used well it provides perceptual organization, coherence and consistency.

A well-conceived grid alone will not ensure effective design. It is an organizational tool, and must be used creatively to maximize communications potential.

Grids can help answer compositional questions such as balance, proportion, sequence, unity/harmony, and contrast.

The process to generate alternate visual solutions to a problem can be described as follows:•Definitionofneeds•Criteria and limits of the design problem•Production of many preliminary sketches•Refinementofselectedsketches•Analysis of roughs•Selection/decision•Implementation and preparation for print

Graphic DesignBasic Concepts and Principles

IntroductionDesign may be considered as an instrument of organization. It must perform in

response to human needs. Design is an urgent requirement, not a cosmetic addition. Graphic design can save time

by presenting information more clearly. It enhances communication, it helps people to understand a given message and accelerates learning. Design is finding the best solution to a problem within the limitations of the problem.

Graphic designers communicate and express themselves in four distinct ways. They need to have a working knowledge of typography, illustration, photography/video, and symbolism.

The Graphic Design Process

Perception and Composition

Figure GroundSimilaritySimilarity helps to facilitate grouping: Objects that resemble one another tend to be viewed as belonging together.

ProximityProximity facilitates grouping: Objects placed close together tend to form a figure.

ClosureTendency toward closure: Missing visual information is filled by the brain. The eye closes the open parts of a figure because it wants to see a whole rather than a collection of parts.

ContinuityTendency toward continuity: An interrupted linear figure is similarly filled in by the brain.

Typography

Letters and words need to be spaced in a logical, consistent manner to appear optically correct, and achieve optimum readability.

In letter-spacing there are three standards. Minimum space is used between cursive (oo) letters, or between inclined (xy) letters. Medium space is used between vertical and cursive letters (lo). Between vertical letters (ll) maximum space is used.

Good word-spacing is achieved by making all space intervals between words “look” the same. Words must not appear to run together or be spaced so widely as to appear to be separate units. One system is to imagine a lower case “n” between words. This gives a moderate word-spacing.

Spacing

The Grid

LayoutComposition with Type and Images within a design. Layout involves the following set of interrelated basic design principles:

BalanceBalance is best created by moving around “optical weights”, big and small items, dark and light items, varieties of shapes.

ProportionGood proportion is achieved by deciding on space between image and type, between type and the edge of the paper, between columns of type, between type-size, line- length and leading, between different visual elements, etc.

SequenceSequence is created by directing the viewer. By arranging images in such a way that an edge or a force from one flows into an adjoining one. One does not leave to chance the order in which the viewer perceives the items in the layout.

ContrastContrast is achieved through differentiation in size, color, and shape. Giving the same graphic emphasis to several elements will make them compete for attention.

SymbolismAsymbol is a representation, verbal or visual, of a concept, object, idea, etc., the meaning of which is mutually agreed upon. In graphic design, the effective use of symbolism, combining and relating symbols, enhances the expression of ideas. It creates recognition, association and meaning.

Typography is designing with type, not the designing of type. It involves 1) choosing and using type, and 2) the application of design principles to the setting of type: the arrangement, style, and general appearance of matter printed with type.

Tendency toward figure-ground: There is a tendency to interpret visual data as objects against the background, or figures against a ground.

Visual perception involves a complex interplay of both inborn and learned responses to visual stimuli. The Gestalt laws of perception summarize tendencies that appear to be innate or inherent in our biological heritage and which undoubtedly serve as the basis for our concept of composition in visual art.

Each design problem has unique differences and an infinite number of possible visual solutions. After problem identification, the process follows a cyclic pattern from preliminaries through refinement, analysis, and selection to implementation. The process grows by constantly checking backwards.

In the design process, the establishment of priorities is essential. Designers must be able to judge and gauge the relative importance of factors as they relate to one another. Priorities set the functional and visual criteria in communications.

“To design is much more than simply to assemble, to order, or even to edit; it is to add value and meaning, to illuminate, to simplify, to clarify, to modify, to dignify, to dramatize, to persuade, and perhaps even to amuse. To design is to transform prose into poetry. Design broadens perception, magnifies experience, and enhances vision. Design is the product of feeling and awareness, of ideas that originate in the mind of the designer and culminate, one hopes, in the mind of the spectator.”

– Paul Rand, Form + Content

Unity/HarmonyUnity and harmony are achieved by “fitting” all visual elements, type, illusions and photos into the style/mood of the layout.

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cd packageproject

In this project, you will be taking the first step on integrating typography, imagery and composition principles being asked to design a CD for an artist/group of your choice. Another learning objective of this assignment is to prepare you to design a multipage piece in a small size and scale and all the limitations the size and the shape of the layout will impose.

objective solution

After choosing my bad (Arcade Fire) I chose to move in the direction of their earlier album covers but with my own twist. My love for medical illustrations, old paper and deep red is what came out of my brain storming. I chose to do a discography of the bands studio works, which included three discs and made the decision to empoly the dimensions of a DVD case.

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The front of the CD case.

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All three CDs.

The inside of the CD case.

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concertproject

In this project, you will complement the CD you have just finished by designing a poster, an event ticket and an envelope for the ticket for the same artist/group of your choice

objective solution

After making the decisions to employ old paper, red and medical illustrations, the ideas for my ticket, poster and envelope came easy. I wanted to showcase the work and style I had created for the CD into this and I thikn everything compliments nicely.

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The envelope for the concert ticket.

The Vic Theater

July 24, 20138 p.m.

Doors open at 7 p.m.All ages show

$10 general admission

Reach the Sea Tour

The Vic Theater presents:

Arcade FireJuly 24, 2013 8 p.m.Chicago, IL

The Concert poster.The concert ticket.

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stampproject

For this project we will be designing a stamp for a designer. You must choose a designer that is part of the design history. Working with the stamp format requires careful attention to scale. Similar to issues involved in designing a mark or logo, the final image is small. How does one create a powerful design with imited graphic elements that works on a small scale?

objective solution

After being given the list of designers to choose form, I made the decision to use Piet Zwart. I loved his use of primary colors and shapes and felt that it would be interesting to put on a postage stamp. His use of overlapping colors also inspired my work.

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The stamp at large scale and actual size.

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A book of stamps.

The stamp on an envelope.

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bottleproject

We are going to develop the graphic pieces for an alcoholic beverage of your choice. You must come up with a name for your beverage and design the pieces for it accordingly. The graphic pieces that are part of this project are: The label/cap of the piece (if applicable). and a packaging for it. The packaging type will vary depending upon the type of beverage you choose to design. If wine, whisky, vodka a box is more suitable. If beer, a 4 or 6-pack sounds more fitting. The packaging, is often the best and last chance to attract a viewer/consumer. Design the packaging for your product. Think of all the items mentioned above and how you can use your design expertise to pair the technical aspects with the concept.

objective solution

After choosing to have gin as my liquid, I knew I could really go a little out there with the design. I chose the name “Basalisk” for my gin and ran with it. I chose a green snakeskin background with a stone interior. I used a gold, serif font in order to show a sort of ol-world feel to the customer. I also wax dipped my bottle to add that touch of elegance and old-world again. I wanted the bottle to really pop on the shelves but feel expensive at the same time. The targeted age range for this alcohol is 35-50 year olds.

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Front and back of the box and front label of the bottle.

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magazineproject

For this project you are going to be asked to design the new design magazine named 2D/3D. In your project, you are going to design the logo, 2 options for the cover (front and back), the masthead, the contents page and the articles for the 2D and for the 3D Designer. One of the chosen designers must be chosen as the main article and the other, by consequence. will be the secondary. The main article must have at least 3 spreads and the secondary article at least 2 full spreads.

objective solution

After choosing David Carson for his ‘out there’ designs, I then chose Ron Arad for his equally ‘out there’ designs but also for his balance of simplicity. I tried to mimick a little bit of David Carson’s style in the first front and went in the opposite direction for the second cover. The inside of the magazine is a combination of geometric shapes and lines. The simplicity of this deisgn lends to many different options within the magazine, which can be seen.

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Logos for the 2D/3D Design Magazine

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2D/3D Magazine cover options.

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Pages 2 & 3 (masthead).

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Pages 4 & 5 (contents).

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Pages 6 & 7 (interview spread 1).

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Pages 8 & 9 (interview spread 2).

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Pages 10 &11 (interview spread 3).

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Pages 12 &13 (expose spread 1).

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Pages 14 &15 (expose spread 2).

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changeddocuments

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The grid is an underlying structure organizing data. It ar-ticulates space according to a pattern of oppositions: vertical and horizontal, top and bottom, rectangular and diagonal, and left and right. If used well it provides perceptual organi-zation, coherence and consistency.

A well-conceived grid alone will not ensure effective de-sign. It is an organizational tool, and must be used creatively to maximize communications potential.

Grids can help answer compositional questions such as bal-ance, proportion, sequence, unity/harmony, and contrast.

The process to generate alternate visual solutions to a problem can be described as follows:•Definitionofneeds•Criteria and limits of the design problem (problem identification)•Production of many preliminary sketches (thumb-nails)•Refinementofselectedsketches(roughs)•Analysis of roughs•Selection/decision•Implementatio(andpreparationforprint).

Graphic DesignBasic Concepts and PrinciplesIntroduction

Design may be considered as an instrument of organi-zation. It must perform in response to human needs.

Design is an urgent re-quirement, not a cosmetic addition. Graphic design can save time by presenting information more clearly.

It enhances communica-tion, it helps people to un-derstand a given message and accelerates learning. De-sign is finding the best solu-tion to a problem within the limitations of the problem.

Graphic designers com-municate and express them-selves in four distinct ways. They need to have a working knowledge of typography, illustration, photography/video, and symbolism.

The Graphic Design Process

Perception and Composition

Figure Ground SimilaritySimilarity facilitates group-ing: Objects which resemble one another tend to be seen as belonging together.

ProximityProximity facilitates group-ing: Objects placed close to-gether tend to form a figure.

ClosureTendency toward closure: Missing visual information is filled in by the brain. The eye closes the open parts of a figure because it wants to see a whole rather than a collec-tion of unrelated parts.

ContinuityTendency toward continu-ity: An interrupted linear figure is similarly filled in by the brain.

Typography

Letters and words need to be spaced in a logical, consis-tent manner to appear optically correct, and achieve opti-mum readability.

In letter-spacing there are three standards. Minimum space is used between cursive (oo) letters, or between in-clined (xy) letters. Medium space is used between vertical and cursive letters (lo). Between vertical letters (ll) maxi-mum space is used.

Good word-spacing is achieved by making all space in-tervals between words “look” the same. Words must not ap-pear to run together or be spaced so widely as to appear to be separate units. One system is to imagine a lower case “n” between words. This gives a moderate word-spacing.

Spacing

The Grid

LayoutComposition with Type and Images. Layout involves the following set of interrelated basic design principles:

BalanceBalance is created by moving around “optical weights”, big and small items, dark and light items, varieties of shapes.

Proportion

Good proportion is achieved by deciding on space between image and type, between type and the edge of the paper, between columns of type, between type-size, line- length and leading, between different visual elements, etc.

SequenceSequence is created by directing the viewer, for example, through the use of lines, real or implied; by arranging images in such a way that an edge or a force from one flows into an ad-joining one. One does not leave to chance the order in which the viewer perceives the items in the layout.

ContrastContrast is achieved through differentiation in size, color, and shape. Giv-ing the same graphic em-phasis to several elements will make them compete for attention.

SymbolismA symbol is a representa-tion, verbal or visual, of a concept, object, idea, etc., the meaning of which is mutually agreed upon. In graphic design, the ef-fective use of symbolism, combining and relating symbols, enhances the ex-pression of ideas. It creates recognition, association and meaning.

Typography is designing with type, not the designing of type. It involves 1) choosing and using type, and 2) the ap-plication of design principles to the setting of type: the ar-rangement, style, and general appearance of matter printed with type.

Tendency toward figure-ground: There is a tendency to interpret visual data as ob-jects against a background, or more precisely, figures against a ground.

Visual perception involves a complex interplay of both in-born and learned responses to visual stimuli. The Gestalt laws of perception summarize tendencies that appear to be innate or inherent in our biological heritage and which un-doubtedly serve as the basis for our concept of composition in visual art.

Each design problem has unique differences and an infinite number of possible visual solutions. After problem identifica-tion, the process follows a cyclic pattern from prelimi-naries through refinement, analysis, and selection to implementation. The pro-cess grows by constantly

“To design is much more than simply to assemble, to order, or even to edit; it is to add value and meaning, to illuminate, to simplify, to clarify, to modify, to dignify, to dramatize, to persuade, and perhaps even to amuse. To design is to transform prose into poetry. Design broadens perception, magnifies experience, and enhances vision. Design is the product of feeling and awareness, of ideas that originate in the mind of the designer and culminate, one hopes, in the mind of the spectator.”

– Paul Rand, Form + Content

checking backwards.In the design process, the estab-lishment of priorities is es-sential. Designers must be able to judge and gauge the relative importance of factors as they relate to one another. Priorities set the functional and visual criteria in com-munications.

Unity/HarmonyUnity and harmony are achieved by “fitting” all visual elements, type, illu-sions and photos into the style/mood of the layout.

The grid is an underlying structure organizing data. It articulates space according to a pattern of oppositions: vertical and horizontal, top and bottom, rectangular and diagonal, and left and right. If used well it provides perceptual organization, coherence and consistency.

A well-conceived grid alone will not ensure effective design. It is an organizational tool, and must be used creatively to maximize communications potential.

Grids can help answer compositional questions such as balance, proportion, sequence, unity/harmony, and contrast.

The process to generate alternate visual solutions to a problem can be described as follows:•Definitionofneeds•Criteria and limits of the design problem•Production of many preliminary sketches•Refinementofselectedsketches•Analysis of roughs•Selection/decision•Implementation and preparation for print

Graphic DesignBasic Concepts and Principles

IntroductionDesign may be considered as an instrument of organization. It must perform in

response to human needs. Design is an urgent requirement, not a cosmetic addition. Graphic design can save time

by presenting information more clearly. It enhances communication, it helps people to understand a given message and accelerates learning. Design is finding the best solution to a problem within the limitations of the problem.

Graphic designers communicate and express themselves in four distinct ways. They need to have a working knowledge of typography, illustration, photography/video, and symbolism.

The Graphic Design Process

Perception and Composition

Figure GroundSimilaritySimilarity helps to facilitate grouping: Objects that resemble one another tend to be viewed as belonging together.

ProximityProximity facilitates grouping: Objects placed close together tend to form a figure.

ClosureTendency toward closure: Missing visual information is filled by the brain. The eye closes the open parts of a figure because it wants to see a whole rather than a collection of parts.

ContinuityTendency toward continuity: An interrupted linear figure is similarly filled in by the brain.

Typography

Letters and words need to be spaced in a logical, consistent manner to appear optically correct, and achieve optimum readability.

In letter-spacing there are three standards. Minimum space is used between cursive (oo) letters, or between inclined (xy) letters. Medium space is used between vertical and cursive letters (lo). Between vertical letters (ll) maximum space is used.

Good word-spacing is achieved by making all space intervals between words “look” the same. Words must not appear to run together or be spaced so widely as to appear to be separate units. One system is to imagine a lower case “n” between words. This gives a moderate word-spacing.

Spacing

The Grid

LayoutComposition with Type and Images within a design. Layout involves the following set of interrelated basic design principles:

BalanceBalance is best created by moving around “optical weights”, big and small items, dark and light items, varieties of shapes.

ProportionGood proportion is achieved by deciding on space between image and type, between type and the edge of the paper, between columns of type, between type-size, line- length and leading, between different visual elements, etc.

SequenceSequence is created by directing the viewer. By arranging images in such a way that an edge or a force from one flows into an adjoining one. One does not leave to chance the order in which the viewer perceives the items in the layout.

ContrastContrast is achieved through differentiation in size, color, and shape. Giving the same graphic emphasis to several elements will make them compete for attention.

SymbolismAsymbol is a representation, verbal or visual, of a concept, object, idea, etc., the meaning of which is mutually agreed upon. In graphic design, the effective use of symbolism, combining and relating symbols, enhances the expression of ideas. It creates recognition, association and meaning.

Typography is designing with type, not the designing of type. It involves 1) choosing and using type, and 2) the application of design principles to the setting of type: the arrangement, style, and general appearance of matter printed with type.

Tendency toward figure-ground: There is a tendency to interpret visual data as objects against the background, or figures against a ground.

Visual perception involves a complex interplay of both inborn and learned responses to visual stimuli. The Gestalt laws of perception summarize tendencies that appear to be innate or inherent in our biological heritage and which undoubtedly serve as the basis for our concept of composition in visual art.

Each design problem has unique differences and an infinite number of possible visual solutions. After problem identification, the process follows a cyclic pattern from preliminaries through refinement, analysis, and selection to implementation. The process grows by constantly checking backwards.

In the design process, the establishment of priorities is essential. Designers must be able to judge and gauge the relative importance of factors as they relate to one another. Priorities set the functional and visual criteria in communications.

“To design is much more than simply to assemble, to order, or even to edit; it is to add value and meaning, to illuminate, to simplify, to clarify, to modify, to dignify, to dramatize, to persuade, and perhaps even to amuse. To design is to transform prose into poetry. Design broadens perception, magnifies experience, and enhances vision. Design is the product of feeling and awareness, of ideas that originate in the mind of the designer and culminate, one hopes, in the mind of the spectator.”

– Paul Rand, Form + Content

Unity/HarmonyUnity and harmony are achieved by “fitting” all visual elements, type, illusions and photos into the style/mood of the layout.

Re-do of Project 2. Left: original Right: Re-Do

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