Indeed.com

I only have a year and a half left before I graduate. I need to start thinking about what I will do with my Computer Art degree once I am out in the real world. I know I would like to continue doing what I do: graphic design. I went on indeed to research some jobs that are looking for graphic designers. I found one job in NYC working for The Standard Hotels. They need a graphic designer with one or two years of experience who is highly proficient in adobe software mostly indesign, illustrator and photoshop. They also need someone with a proactive attitude with a collaborative work ethic. These job requirements are no problem for me, however they ask that I have background in other programs like Excel, and Google Docs and familiarity with UX, app design and Sketch. These are programs I am not as familiar with but I could definitely learn. I would also like to get a little more work/internship experience before entering the field. This is the type of work I am interested in joining after I am done with my studies. Here are pictures explaining what the job entails and more requirements.

 

DIELINE

Upon looking through the Dielines blogs, I found one that really spoke to me. It was about how a Greek Island influenced the packaging for Loukoumi; also known as Turkish Delight.

As a native of Greece I thought of course a Greek island would influence a designers work, it impacts mine everyday! To some, this logo might not mean anything, but to me, this flower epitomizes the Greek islands. It is seen cascading over shops, arches, houses and railings in the narrow streets. This personal connection immediately drew me to this blog post in the first place!

For designer Loukas Chondros, he was especially inspired by the Island Syros, who’s ancient name is Ousyra (hence his product name). His design process behind this package is genius. Chondros chose a geometric, cubical/rectangular, grid design based on three elements. The first element is the capital and main port of Syros, Hermoupolis, because from afar, the houses looks like cubes stacked on top of each other. The second element is the Loukimi because is cut into “small rectangular bite-sized pieces”. The third element preserves the tradition of how Loukoumi is served, typically on a “handmade embroidery which is made using a grid as a guide.” Through these ideas, Chondros was able to come up with a unique design with a sentimental meaning behind it.

Chondros says something in this blog that really stuck with me. He says ““Inspiration is best brought to life if it’s realized through a combination of what the core ingredients are of the corresponding personal experience. First comes the sentiment, then the imagery around it, and finally something new, but near and dear to you.” This is such a good technique to refer back to whenever stuck on a design. The answer is always within!!!!

P.S. I loved how he thoughtfully placed the logo to hug around the corner of the box so when two of the same are placed next to each other, the flower logo is seen on a wider, flat background. Just brilliant… Bravo Loukas Chondros!

Online Portfolio

A great website to show off your own creative work or to explore others work is Adobe’s own portfolio sharing website.  The site is easily navigable and can be created through your behance projects posted on your account.  Adobe creates a portfolio template that you can edit and personalize just for you and your style.

I found this site to be useful because you can explore other peoples pages to get inspired for your own.  There are countless amount of themes for one to select from, so you can pick one to really represent yourself and your work.  Personalization is the most important thing when it comes to showing others your work because without it, it is harder to grasp what your personality and style is.  

Self Promotion

(https://www.behance.net/gallery/21295655/Shameless-Self-Promotion)

I found this graphic designer by the name of Kyle Robertson to be successful at promoting his own work.  Within this self promotion, Kyle includes different versions of his electronic “signature”; like his actual signature, developed version, and a final version within a ‘crest’.  He also includes a color palette of his name logo and the fonts that he uses.  Robertson shows his style being used in a tabloid newspaper format, which makes up his strongest work.  He shows his work how it would look if it was printed and his seal was being used on a paper.  He also includes his resume which is very clean and minimal looking; it really is an informative piece and overall great example of his style and work.

Look at this #1

Personally, my favorite part about graphic design is the process of making logos, whether it is for an individual or a whole company. I have started to make logos for Twitch streamers and build their identities based on what they want their image to be to their viewers. I have been doing research and found a website I wanted to share if you want tips to making a logo for your client. It breaks down all the important steps into making a logo and showing how important communication is with your client to make sure they leave happy and recommend you to others.

The Logo Design Process of Top Logo Designers

Online Portfolio

An online portfolio example I found is a website called Wix.com. Wix is a website that is targeted at all different types of artists from photographers to web designers. It’s a straight forward website that allows easy navigation and helps you create a beautifully designed professional site. Wix can be used by anyone and you don’t need any coding or website building skills!

Six includes over 500 different templates as well as thousands of other features completely for free.

WIX

Great Design Blog- Jared Polin

I don’t follow too many design blogs, but Jared Polin is a well known photographer and videographer that I have been following for a few years.  Ever since I had purchased my first DSLR camera for my 16th birthday, I had wanted to expand my knowledge on photography, design, and portraiture.  Jared Polin is an talented, well-rounded photographer, who has an extensive collection of photographs.

I find his online website to be designed very successfully.  He has such a wide variety of photographs, from portraits to landscapes, so his minimalist looking designed website highlights his work well.  When you open his site, you are first asked to “enter” his photo world.  Recently, his mother has been experiencing health problems unfortunately.  The first collection of photographs you see is of his mother in a hospital bed, which is quite personal.  He has a whole collection dedicated to his mother– it is full of tasteful portraits of her.  One may have an emotional connection to him through his photographs which I find touching.

His website is mainly white space with simple sans serif, black text.  The basic look puts a large amount of emphasis on his photo work.  I found his blog to be quite successful!

Wix

Wix is a popular website builder that allows users to create a website for free without any knowledge of coding. I myself have used it and I consider it to be very reliable albeit somewhat slow to use. Nevertheless, I was able to create a surprisingly professional-looking portfolio that highlights my skills as a UI/UX designer.

One of the reasons I love Wix is that the interface is extremely easy to navigate and it’s very easy to use. All you have to do is drag components from a sidebar and then you can adjust settings straight from the component itself. There aren’t many controls to fiddle around with which can be good and bad. Having limited options is never great for fine adjustments, however it can be incredible for an easy to use program which I believe is the best way to go. The color scheme, typography, and simplistic style offer an enjoyable and productive method of building a website.

Even though it’s a free service, it is possible to upgrade to more premium plans. This gives the user the ability to block ads, increase bandwidth, increase storage, and plenty more options. Here’s the link: wix.com

And here are some examples:

Ambiguity of Positive and Negative Space

Piano forest by Jason Cho is a beautiful example of the use of positive and negative space in an ambiguous way. The trees in the center of the piece mimic the black keys on a piano. When looking at the picture a person can’t help but go between the image as two different ides, piano keys and trees in the forest. Even though the coloring might be simples, the simplicity really captures the concept of piano forest perfectly.

 

Seen in the Real World: Typography

When I was shopping for my room decor in my new apartment, I wanted to find letter to represent my initials in my living room. I fell in love with this letter style and it was originally a regular wood that I painted myself. My favorite part of the lettering would have to be where all the lines meet to make the “K” as we all are use to seeing. the negative space on the two lines on the top part of the “K” are very pleasing to the eye and when light hits it a certain way it creates a very beautiful long shadow.