Final

Well, it has finally come. My last week of Graphic Design is here, and the final project was to create a brochure for our 21st Century program, e-Communication. When we first received the project, I really tried to envision my last two years in e-Comm. So far, we have learned the basics in web design, graphic design, animation, and video. In this last year I have gravitated more toward Graphic Design and Video. The special thing about e-Comm, is that it really gives you a taste of what you can eventually do for a career. 

In my brochure, I tried to incorporate a piece of each section into the poster. I found several pictures on our website, and chose my pictures based on how they expressed the strand of e-Comm they represented. Once I selected the pictures I wanted, I took them into InDesign to compile them proportionately. I then saved it as a PDF and brought it into Photoshop. The school colors here at Olathe Northwest are black and blue, so I created a new layer over the poster, and filled it with a dark blue color. I changed the opacity to about 20% so it created a nice blue film over the pictures.

 Next, I went to Illustrator. I used the original logo for e-Comm as a template of sorts, and used the pen tool to cut out a sparkly Blue solid color in the shape of the E logo. The cool thing about the pen tool is that it creates a very detailed trace of what you want, so it was very simple to create the logo out of the sparkly pattern. After that was finished, I decided to take the logo back to Photoshop to add it to the poster. I overlaid the E on top of the poster so it was the most prominent. I changed the opacity, however, so that the photos behind it were not lost. 

I sat there looking at my poster and realized that the strands that were written in one picture, were too dark to be seen, so I hid the E and used the text tool to write in the words in a white type so they would be visible. I altered the opacity so they wouldn't be too bright, and then, to be sure that everything was clean enough, i went back to the original picture and used the clone tool to erase the original words so that the slight variation between them and the new, more visible font, would not clash. I reapplied the E and looked at the near-finished product. The only thing missing was the slogan. After thinking about it for a little while, I decided that an appropriate slogan would be, "Beginning with the end in mind." It speaks to the fact that e-Communication is a college level program that is here to help young students realize their potential, and to help them decide what their career could be. It is here to help students plan their future.

Personal Logo

Over the course of this year, my Graphic Design class has been working to perfect our own personal logo that not only defines us, but possesses all of the qualities of a truly classic logo. When I started this process, I decided to make sure I fully understood what is essential to a good logo. First and foremost, a good logo must tell a story. This is a key point in the designing process, because Logos need to reflect the person who uses it. My logo has undergone several variations, with heavy changes that I have made whenever I thought of a new way to portray myself. Designing a logo for yourself is not simple. Not only do you have to know who you are to accurately convey what you want to say to your audience, you also must understand that the first design will never be your final product.
 In Graphic Design, you always need to realize that you will undergo trial after trial before you get what you want. This is a world where there are limitless ideas, and plenty of ways to create them. You essentially are labeling yourself, and the first time you try to do it, you wont get it right away. This process is trial and error, a crucial part to figuring out what you want to say to the world. you can't move forward without making a few mistakes first. An important step to take is to sketch out your ideas as detailed or as basic as you want, as long as you can easily see where your ideas take you.

While my logo tells a story about me, so does the process of getting to that story. you can see the path it takes to get to the end product, which, in itself, is an excellent way to physically see the thoughts that went into creating that perfect design. It is incredibly difficult to find what you want to say about yourself, and then being inventive enough to be able to share it with everyone.



 Once you understand what you want to say, you must be conscientious of how you are designing your logo. While it may seem more important to simply put together your idea so you can decide if its right or not, you also must be sure to pay attention to the smaller details. While it seems unimportant and pointless, things like font spacing, type face, B&W adding color, Placement/Composition, size, angle, overlap, and transparency are all major factors as well. If you were to send off a logo without any focus on any of those details, it would have the potential to be problematic.
You always want to stay on the simpler side in logo design. A good rule of thumb is to imagine your logo blown up on a billboard. If no one can read it as they are driving by, then they won't care about you. Simple may seem boring, but if its understated, it can be classic and timeless.

Designing logos means you know how to tell a story. You know how to take an image and turn it into a meaningful symbol that everyone can comprehend.

When I thought of how my logo could tell my story, I thought about how I came across to other people, what i loved most, and where I could see myself going with my career. All of these things made me thing of several different aspects of my logo. I primarily wanted to stick with bright or cheerful colors, because I generally am a positive person. I wanted my Logo to present itself in a way that was neat and orderly as well. I have looked at so many different ways to style my logo, and at times, I wasn't even sure if it was telling a story or not.

I then realized that I was getting too far away from what I originally wanted. I wanted a classic logo that portrayed me as a person. Since my initials are H.O., I decided to play with a retro font that made it possible for my O initial to be a ring around the H initial. I was so happy with my final product, because I feel like it really Conveys who I am, where I am going, and what I like.