In the print world, my work spans several arenas, which anyone who has worked within print can attest. Within print, I have designed posters, document covers, tabs, advertisements, page layouts and on occasion a fun art project. We may live in a digital world, but print still offers a robust realm for creativity and exploration.
The branding suite is a vital and unique business tool that works for individuals and corporate entities. It creates a consistent visual identity for whom it represents, allowing the audience to immediately recognize the person or business based upon identifiable visual cues. If done correctly, a branding suite and its elements can become instantly recognizable the world over, and even become ubiquitous in society and popular culture.
I designed my business card to feature my professional side with a well laid out grid and sharp design, as well as my fun side with my tagline and some vector artworks. Combined they tie into my overall visual identity and display professionalism and creativity.
While some may argue the need for letterhead is minimal with the proliferation of email and other forms of digital communication, I think there is an art to writing a letter. And all the better to be done on official stationary, which sports your logo and brand identifying markers which I have developed here.
As a leave behind, I created a mini portfolio book designed in the style of an activity book. I think this captures my abilities as a professional designer, my creativity, unique solutions to design problems and fun nature in one effective package.
The origins of poster art can be traced for centuries, when the first advertising and informational broad sheets were collected and used as home decoration. Since then, many different styles and genres have developed. And while print may not be king of the mountain anymore, posters will always have a significant place in the world.
One of my first scholastic projects, and still one of my favorites. The goal was to develop a poster for a radio show in the style of a movie poster, with influences of a famed designer. I'm not sure what was more fun, listening to the show for inspiration, or visually walking through the career of Milton Glaser.
To advertise employee participation within our company for the annual marathon in Pittsburgh, some of the participating runners asked me to design a poster to encourage others to sign up. I really like the end result of the design and visuals combined with the textual information. The layout, placement and design came together well and flow easily and enjoyably. One of my first ventures, and major successes, with the scary pen tool!
Here the goal was to develop a poster for a fictional art show based upon a particular style of art. I chose one of my favorites, Constructivism, and used a mix of Constructivist style imagery blended with art tools and bold typography. The results I still find enjoyable, and this proved to be another sanguine trip with the pen tool.
Print can encompass more than just posters. It also includes page layout and design, advertising, desktop publishing, art and so much more. Here is a small cross section of examples of the many types of print work I have developed.
Typically I work in page layout and design, but often I am restricted to working in Microsoft Word for ease of document sharing. This project, redesigning a newsletter, allowed me to branch out and get to know InDesign better. Not only did I learn more of the program, but improved my utilization of visual hierarchy and emphasis.
I was tasked with creating a typography portrait of a celebrity of my choosing. I chose Dave Grohl, who I find endlessly fascinating and talented. This was a really fun project, and gave me a new appreciation for typography. My lovely wife was so fond of the portrait, she had it framed. I call that a seal of approval.
This developed from an assignment to create ficticious advertising for a real event, in this case a comic book convention. As such conventions are much more than comics, I parlayed this knowledge and my love of Star Wars into an advertisement meant to play on the emotions. I think it works, with a bit of tongue in cheek humor.