Resume Design + Internship Pondering

For this assignment we were asked to draft updated copy and a new design for our resume in anticipation of applying to design firms for summer internships. After being out of high school for 7 years, having completed a degree at UBC, and having done many freelance design jobs, I found it a challenging task to condense everything into a page but still have ample descriptions for roles performed. In the end, I decided to focus on showcasing the information with typography at the forefront of importance. There was very little room for multiple columns or overly “designing” it, although I decided I would like to showcase my fun, graphic illustration style with a few illustrated icons. To further this sense of informal fun and personality, I decided to illustrate my profile picture as well.

I have accepted a 2-month summer design internship at Hangar 18 for July and August, but I am also trying to get in touch with Vancouver Coastal Health to do health communication pieces, in addition to my own freelance work. I am very passionate about trying to better people’s lives and I think redesigning health communication pieces would be an untapped way to accomplish this.

Line Length + Leading Exercises

For this assignment, I created mock layouts for 5 very different design contexts: children’s storybook, non-fiction book, magazine, annual report and college textbook.  Below are the pages for the college textbook, non-fiction book and children’s storybook.

For this children’s book page, I imagined it as being one half of a spread in which the opposing page would be a full-bleed illustration. The book I imagined would be square (6×6″). It seemed appropriate, considering the young audience, to limit the text and keep the type clear with large leading for easier reading. Colour coding of important terms also seemed like a good idea in order to help with optimal readability. The font I chose is Gill Sans Schoolhouse, which is a font that is used in many school environments for young children (signage, etc). Because of this, it seems like a font that they would already be used to seeing and digest more easily. As seen above, the point size is 14 with 19 point leading, and the line length is roughly 50 characters per line. This design is clear and highly readable. 

 

The second piece is for a college textbook, and focuses including a wealth of information in close-quarters, as is typical for the average liberal arts textbook, much to most students’ dismay. For this piece, I decided to use Minion pro for its touch of elegance and for its readability. When used at 12/14.5, the density is not as apparent, and the line lengths are around 62 characters per line, perfect for flow of reading. In terms of layout, the sections are clearly distinguished with paragraph spacing, colour and font choice (Frutiger is used for accented type sections). Overall, students would be able to clear at all times which section they are in and what their reading progress is. 

 

 

For the third piece, the non-fiction book, I decided to go with the classic Times New Roman. While not the most exciting of typeface choices, it has proven its readability time and time again (no pun intended!). With the type set at 10/12 points, in a one column grid and wide outside margins, the reader will feel comfortable with a standard reading experience for a dense, intellectual piece. With the way it is set, the line length is 57 characters which is perfectly fine and expected for this type of reading activity, where your interest is secured and it can be assumed that the reader has dedicated a certain chunk of time to sit down and actually consume the piece. 

 

 

 

SPD Competition: Magazine Layout Assignment

For this competition entry and class assignment, I chose to pick the category of a “How-To” for a young, hip magazine. With this target age group, and subject matter most read by them, I wanted to bring engagement with the material to the forefront of my design. After a lot of topic exploration, I became completely enamoured with the idea of creating a flowchart to help people navigate the large number of music festival choices we have here on the West Coast. I know from personal experience that the options become a bit overwhelming, and that an information graphic paired with this concept would be very engaging.

The final 2 spreads feature fun and bold display type as well as dynamic, colourful illustrations. These combinations seem both appropriate for the subject matter of music and summer festivals, as well as being especially attention grabbing when readers flip through the book. The lack of copy recognizes that for a topic like this, the reader will most likely want to meander through little chunks of information, as well as just spending time to appreciate and be drawn in by the illustrations.

Below you will find my process work, including layout sketches, flowchart progression, rough sketches, and illustration inspiration.

I hope you enjoy looking at the spreads as much as I did making them!

The Final Spreads:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Colour/Design/Illustration Inspiration:

 

Sketches:

10 Design Lessons from “The September Issue”

Vogue’s world of high fashion seems as far removed as possible from my life of wear-whatever-is-clean with hair hastily thrown up in a top-knot- or so I thought, before watching the movie “The September Issue”. Vogue Magazine’s internal runnings has countless parallels to the design and publishing world that I am aiming to break into in the next few years, so much so that it is worth commenting on.

Anna Winters, the Editor-in-Chief, reigns over any and all decisions that need to be made for Vogue magazine to run smoothly and to the highest caliber possible. Throughout the film, she appears to be the poker-faced fashion dictator that simultaneously irks and awes all who work under her (not to mention the press and the world at large). Much like a Creative Director in an agency, she is involved in most choices, from the seemingly most menial to the highest of levels. Her decisions influence not only the course of the magazine, but also fashion trends globally. In terms of her impact on Vogue itself, she performs such roles as choosing models, having the final say on all spreads and design and, arguably most importantly, tells people the hard truth about their ideas.

Anna’s most crucial counterpart in Vogue, aptly the second-most featured person in the documentary, is Fashion Editor Grace Coddington. In this position, Grace imagines and oversees the feature photo shoots for the magazine, including sourcing and selecting the clothing and accessories and styling the models. Grace’s vision and creative abilities are constantly, in the movie at least, fighting against Anna’s power as final decision maker. Grace says, at one point, “you have to beat your way through to be felt and feel necessary…[and] have to be tough to withstand the heartbreak”. This heartbreak is a common thread throughout the film, as  ideas and creations are constantly cut without remorse.

Watching Grace struggling to cope with artistic rejection and disappointment even after her 20+ years in the business was very surprising and sobering. I often combat the same disappointments, but have often consoled myself with the belief that these feelings would diminish the more times I faced them through my work. As Grace puts it, “You care a lot about your work and it gets thrown out…it’s hard to go on to the next thing”. The knowledge that these feelings will stay with me, perhaps throughout my whole career, is at once troubling and comforting, as is the knowledge that I will have to continually work on developing a thicker skin. As mentioned in the film, fashion, much like design, is not about looking back, it’s about looking forward.

It struck me as interesting that, at Vogue, the Editor in Chief acts much like a design agency’s Creative Director would. I don’t have direct experience working with a Creative Director at this point, but my impression is that they would not be as cold, aloof and dictatorial as Anna appears to me (or, perhaps, this is wishful thinking!). My sense is that there would be more of a creative dialogue that occurs between the Anna’s (Creative Directors) and the Grace’s (Art Directors) of the design world and things would not lean so heavily towards accepting the top-down orders without question, even though they would still be the one ultimately responsible for the execution and final product.

Throughout watching, I loved seeing the pervasiveness of the design stages I have come to know (idea generation, idea pitching, sketches, mock-ups, etcetera) in both the magazine production process and the design process. It seemed, at times, that Anna acted almost like a client in many situations, with the other employees trying working through their ideas only to have the ‘client’ shoot it down in the end. The magazine world seems more disjointed than a design studio, because the various creative departments will work on shoots or projects without the go-ahead of the Editor in Chief first. These situations seem to beg disappointment more than in a design agency.

Even at such a high-level of sophistication and production, it surprised me that things still went wrong as much as they seemed to in the making of a single product. It was interesting to watch things unfold with their cover photo shoot, and see the communication disconnect between the highly coveted photographer and what Vogue actually envisioned. These creative miscommunications, it seems, can happen at any level.

 

Apathy is Boring Poster Campaign (Student Project)

 

For one of our design assignments, we were asked to select a social cause to design a poster for that would engage the target market we identified. I decided to chose an organization called Apathy is Boring (apathyisboring.com) which uses art and technology to educate Canadian youth regarding democracy. I decided to target millennials (18-30 years old) and moved onto the brainstorming and thumbnailing process. 

From this, I created 30 different thumbnail concepts (to a varying level of success…) :

 

The top three concepts that emerged from this were:

 

 

1. The Label Series: Various grad photos, as well as an option with a grad photo composite, where labels have been stuck on top of the grad’s faces with common misperceptions of millennials. At the bottom, it would have a call to action to prove these labels wrong, and direct viewers to the Apathy is Boring website. 

2. QR Code Vote Registration spot: Millennials often blame being too busy for one of the reasons for not getting registered to vote for elections. This campaign idea would bring the registration to them- at a bus stop, on the streets, on the sea bus, etc. By scanning the QR code on the poster, the viewer would be taken to a site where they would be able to register in a convenient way. 

3. Pull-Tab Poster: This poster concept focused around the idea of millennials taking what they need. This was interpreted literally, with double-sided pull tabs created attached to a poster (one side with something we need, the other with specific information and call-to-action. This concept was the one I settled on as the final version. 

 

The Final Poster

 

For this poster, I created the pull-tabs (as mentioned above) but also added in a message that would only be viewed once all of the tabs have been removed. 

Sushi = Design

In class today we watched Jiro Dreams of Sushi, a 2011 film by David Gelb, and were asked to contemplate the parallels between Jiro’s passion for sushi and being a designer. 

According to the film, the top qualities and skills required to be a top sushi chef include: never complaining, self discipline, aspiring to improve your skills, cleanliness, impatience and passion. While cleanliness is definitely not a prerequisite for a successful career in graphic design, the other points seem equally useful for both professions. Perfectionism, often seen as the hallmark trait of a good designer, was also referenced multiple times in the film as necessary for sushi-dom. 

Jiro makes the case for cultivating flavourful simplicity in one’s work, as well aiming for good work over exclusive work. It is all too easy to get caught up in trying to reach fame and fortune in the graphic design world, and it is humbling to sobering to realize that the ultimate satisfaction comes from looking beyond and above yourself to improve and elevate your craft. 

Another intriguing point to come out of the film was that around needing to have an adequate palate for discerning good from bad (whether that be in a literal taste palate, or a sense of good design). Key to developing this sense is the commitment and strength of spirit to persevere through the arduous skill-building process comprised of years and years of trial and error. 

Ultimately, this endearing movie leaves you with greater inspiration to commit to the field and the training that excites you and challenges you simultaneously. 

Prometheus In-Class Poster Design

For our assignment, we were asked to select a thriller/horror movie that we would like to design a poster for, within the time constraints of 5 hours. I took 3 of those hours to create an alternative, illustrated poster for Ridley Scott’s Prometheus. 

I decided to narrow in on the character of David 8 (played by Michael Fassbender) because of his duality and complexity throughout the film. As with the real-world poster series, I chose to keep type minimal and, instead, drive attention of the audience to the movie through the mysterious, android face of David. I believe that, hardwired as we are, faces are an extremely successful mechanism through which to  capture attention. In addition, I employed an eery colour space (inspired by the movie itself) to further the tone of the illustration and film. 

Yay, Michael Fassbender!

Standing Apart: Poster Design for Urban Landscapes

This week’s foray into design is focused on the means by which posters do (or do not) separate themselves from a visually cluttered landscape. Many designers, myself included, lose sight of the context that their work will be seen in (a messy, half-covered city lamppost, for example) and fail to incorporate ways of attracting attention that are specifically effective for that environment. Below, I will discuss some examples (in-situ) that I have photographed at various times.

 

1. Vancouver Intersections (various artists)

This poster series focused on various well-known Vancouver intersections, where a mixture of designers interpreted each cross street in a fitting manner. The final posters are found in Skytrain stations in Vancouver, where they have been elevated to an almost gallery level. Their large size and simple, beautiful designs  are effective at capturing the interest of the broad audience that inevitably is exposed to them in a mass transit area.  Because of the location and, I imagine, a partnership with TransLink, there is no poster clutter competing for attention. The challenges specific to them are injecting a quick dose of levity, pride and happiness to people that are rushing, possibly stressed, and navigating the crowds. Their reliance on strong typographic elements and high contrast colours makes them instantly visually appealing.

 

2. Tasting Table’s Lobster Roll Rumble

I took this picture while I was in NY this summer, because I inevitably couldn’t stop staring at it wherever I walked to. It was at least 30″ high, and instantly overcame all visual clutter that it was near due to its simple and bold imagery. In a city where you are over-inundated with ads on a constant basis, the decision to pare the poster down to its most simple visual elements results in a poster that you want to stop and look at. While this event is most likely catering to a narrow audience, the poster is highly accessible in its fun design approach (with almost child-like illustrations and hand-lettering) that broadens the appeal. In the scenario here, where people will be both walking immediately by it and seeing it from across the street, the big, bold colours and type are key to success. 

 

3. Creativity is My Weapon (Artist Self-Promotion Poster)

I found these posters patterned and plastered on building facades, and was immediately drawn to them for their simple yet powerful message. While bright, eye-catching illustrations can make a poster, the distinct absence of colour and image can be equally rewarding. This stripped down aesthetic paired with a provoking statement draws a passer-by’s attention easily, as it functions almost as a visual resting point from the busyness surrounding it. The size of the poster (tabloid) was not very large, and yet it was simultaneously impactful at a close distance as well as from farther out. 

 

4. Arts Club Theatre’s Avenue Q

Always a good source for simple, visually appealing design collateral, Arts Club did not disappoint with the advertising material for Avenue Q earlier this summer. The audience for these posters is likely existing theatre-goers as well as adults who simply enjoy comedy. Relying on comedic copy, simply laid out in a clean sans-serif is a brilliant design choice that is extremely fitting for the show it is trying to advertise. Because Vancouver isn’t necessarily a thriving musical hotspot, the decision to omit the title of the musical, instead focusing on the easily recognizable graphic of the warning label, was effective in broadening the appeal to a more general audience. The posters were situated by Granville Island Market, an area bursting over with visual activity and no shortage of things to pull your attention. Relying on the two most attention-grabbing colours (red and yellow), and pairing them with high-constrast companions, was an extremely effective means of initially captivating people walking past. 

5. Vitacoco Coconut Water (Transit Shelter Ad)

Vitacoco has found a simple yet elegant way of attracting their hip, down-to-earth, health-conscious (and presumably female) target audience with this poster series. From the limited, nature-inspired colour pallet to the trendy-but-still-original execution of hand lettering and narrow sans-serifs, the design team has specifically tailored the aesthetic to best reach this narrow group. The simplicity and balanced nature of the poster, however, does not alienate those outside of this very targeted group, nor is it condescending in its treatment of the target. My favourite aspect of this poster is how, at a distance, it is quirky and intriguing, and yet when you’re close to it, the complexity in the water-colour appearance of the text maintains your interest. Because of this, it is equally as effective in communicating with those using the transit shelter as with drivers going by. 

 

Poster Analysis

For this assignment, we were asked to select a series of posters that we think are successful at overcoming the unique challenges inherent in poster designing (as well as taking advantage of the unique opportunities). I picked a selection of posters that are both functional and eye-catching, and will highlight their specific triumphs below.

1. The Design School Advertisement: Portland State University’s Graphic Design Student Show (poster series)

This poster concept is highly innovative, mainly for its extreme versatility and outside-the-box thinking. The poster itself is fairly simple, with interesting type hierarchy that immediately catches our attention. The large header letters are very captivating, made even more interactive by the fact that their fill is changed depending on their context. Not only can these die-cut posters be attached to interesting surfaces in order to vary appearance, but there is also the possibility for a meta-poster, with a photograph being taken with someone holding the poster up against a surface (as in the photos above). Both solutions are visually unexpected, and evoke a light-hearted, quirky tone that catches our attention with its uniqueness befitting of the design school.

2. The Cultural Advertisement: Guimaraes Jazz ’09 al Centro Cultural Vila Flor 

In the sea of colour and impersonal digital typefaces that exists on every street pole covered in posters, this piece of cultural advertisement is a treat to the eye. It stands out specifically to the musically inclined, with its organic movement of type and illustration creating a flow mirroring the jazz medium itself. This fluid, hand-created typography, as well as the way in which it has been almost converted into the musicians instrument, is completely unexpected and entirely engaging. While the copy isn’t minimal, its complexity and human irregularity and personality adds to the desire of wanting to read the text as it flows across the photography. Again, despite all of this potential business, type hierarchy is clearly maintained (the title of the event and the date are by far the most prominent pieces of information). Because of this original approach, I would argue that it was very successful.

3. The Gig Poster: Explosions in the Sky (D.KNG)

This poster’s success is due almost entirely to unexpected juxtaposition of content in a beautifully rendered way. Show posters, having a short life span, do not necessarily need to do more than echo the sentiments of the band in a visually engaging way. This particular solution, with its eery colour scheme and tone, is definitely sensitive to the music of the band it is representing. This sensitivity makes it very successful in appealing to niche fans of alternative and post-rock music, who are already primed to this aesthetic. I especially love how the minimal size and content of the copy draws our attention first and foremost to the double-nature of the illustration, while the type is secondary. Its beauty would most likely entice fans to want to take it off a wall and put it up in their own room!

4. The NGO Poster: Amnesty International, 1995 (Israel)

This poster was created for the Israeli branch by graphic designer Lemel Yossi, and is very impactful in its simplicity. Its success hinges on three main factors: negative space, colour and typeface. The negative space illustration is clean and easy to grasp, but has a strong emotive message attached to it: you can offer a helping hand, and there will always be many in need of it. The colour contrast employed by Yossi is very stark and visually stimulating, mirroring the powerful and charged message that Amnesty International is aiming to communicate without words. Finally, the bold, all-caps sans-serif chosen, and the juxtaposition of it against the thin sans-serif of “International”, heightens the presence of the organization in a pronounced way. By shifting typographic hierarchy towards the word “Amnesty”, the first impression of the poster is more focused on what the organization stands for, rather than about it in itself.

5. The Job Fair Poster :Liberty University Camp Fair 2012

This poster is successful because of how immediately charming and tactile it appears to the viewer. The designer has taken something that most students take very seriously (the looming, anxiety-ridden prospect of career searching) into something fun and engaging. I love the brave and unexpected take on a poster, and how the designer challenged himself to create something tangible in the physical world, and convert it to the digital medium through photography. The act of having this miniature, paper world paired with digital typography creates a surprising amount of depth and visual impact. Type hierarchy has been established with very clear, modern, minimalist typefaces, all of which lends itself to making this terrifying activity more approachable and easily communicated to its target audience (presumably unemployed students).

Exercise 2: Grids in Layouts

In this exercise, we were asked to design two different double-page spreads to feature two short stories for placement in a magazine. As a long fan of the story, I decided to select The Wind and the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. This beloved classic is both playful in its appeal to children through animal protagonists, yet also classic through its wonderful writing. I chose to highlight this distinction through my two design layouts. 

My first concept (above) is called “Playful”. Through the use of whimsical illustrations, decorative type, pastel colours and dynamic colour blocks, I wanted this layout to immediately appeal to the child at heart. The low-opacity yellow block provides layers of interest with the illustration, and allows your attention to follow the line towards the start of the story. As the story draws you in with details of their small-sized worlds, so does the text layout by beginning and finishing each page with quirky, narrow text blocks.  The asymmetrical placement of the illustrations emphasizes their off-beat nature, and creates a flow through the story. 

 

My second concept is called “Refined” and takes inspiration in reviving the modern adult’s love of this classic story in a clean, minimal way. The design hinges on the engaging paper-cut illustrations, which entice you to look deeper and deeper into the circles of leaves. The first page, clean and fresh, is balanced nicely by the 3-column grid of text, again balanced out with another pleasing illustration. The simplicity of the sans serif title, as well as of all of the graphic elements, provides a sense of fresh modernity.

 

While I wholeheartedly love the clean and pleasing look of the second concept, I would select the first spread because I think it more strongly engages the reader in terms of flow, and immerses them in the quirky nature of these talking creatures.