Document Design(S)The products below are assignment-based projects from an introductory design course at James Madison University.
Personal Logo
02/05
Message from the designer:
This project was focused on manipulating fonts/typography to express a feeling or meaning. I chose to create a personal logo that represented my design style. At first, I wanted to pair a script and a serif font for a luxurious and timeless look, but the script manipulations I originally used did not align with the playful and sarcastic tone that I use throughout my portfolio, so I decided to add an element of “odd” to my logo by manipulating the O shapes. It now encompasses the classic style I hoped for while still representing my brand.
WRTC Hallway Poster
02/28
Message from the designer:
The goal of this project was to demonstrate an understanding of color and repetition. I chose my colors based on the JMU WRTC brand colors, each letter representing its designated concentration within the major, using the specific HEX codes provided by the JMU Brand Guide. I chose these colors to emphasize the different tracks that are represented by each letter (Writing, Rhetoric, and Technical Communications). I implemented repetition by repeating the use of quantities of 4 throughout the piece. I used four images, aligning with the four letters, and four subjects overlapping the text. This poster is intended to be displayed in the hallway of the WRTC building, so that students, future students, and visitors, can see what WRTC looks like rather than just reading what the major is about. I hope this poster inspires future, or current, JMU students to learn more about what WRTC has to offer.
View the Illustrator file
Infographic: Texas Population Growth
03/25
Message from the designer:
This project was created to demonstrate an understanding of contrast and proximity in the form of data visualization. I chose an infographic representing the Texas population increase over the past 20 years. I implemented contrast through the color blocking in the Texas flag. The title text also uses color contrast to stand out against the star. Proximity is used to organize information through the use of enclosure. Enclosure is visually organizing information so it is easier to interpret. I chose to do this by using dashed lines and color blocking. I also use proximity to achieve a hierarchy of information. Visual or informational hierarchy is the organization of information from most to least relevant, or in a specific order or pattern. For example, Austin is placed furthest to the left of the cities because it is the most populated city.
Feature Article
04/17
Message from the designer:
The goal of this project was to demonstrate an understanding of grid-based design and alignment. Grid-based design is the use of rows and columns to strategically place content for better visual interpretation. I chose to match a serif font with a script font for the title because it aligns with the subject of the article which is about the royalty, delicacy, and precision of tennis. I chose to add the green embellishments/graphics on both pages because I knew I needed an element that was carried across both spreads for consistency. I decided to use a text-wrapped image on the second spread because I knew that designing using columns would require some element to disrupt the columns to make the spread interesting. Using the irregular image of the tennis player allowed me to disrupt the columns in a way that still allowed my text to remain on grid. It was a strategic design choice to have the text on page 4 separated by the arm of the tennis player. While splitting text is not encouraged, I incorporated it to keep the layout interesting.
