Although this model begins with experts, the model illustrates the importance of the audience, as highlighted by the red outline. It also illustrates the importance of the process of iteration.

The Most Important Thing I Learned...

I’ve always viewed design as a method for presenting information in an eye-catching way, but I never gave much thought about how an end user may use that information. Therefore, the most important aspect of document design I learned this semester is visual rhetoric, especially with respect to user-centered design and usability.

I tried to remain true throughout the semester to Jakob Nielsen’s five variables of usability: learnability, efficiency, memorability, error avoidance, and subjective satisfaction. Some projects lent themselves better to a combination of the five variables, which allowed me to develop a better understanding of the various applications of document design.

My first redesign project was a business card for a construction company that focused on proximity and alignment. Then, I redesigned the cover for a business proposal that highlighted the use of contrast.  My third design was a marketing brochure that also highlighted contrast in color and alignment. My fourth redesign (and my favorite) was a business website that really concentrated on culture and perception. My last design, a graduation announcement, relied mostly on perception.

Even though my five designs focused individually on various other design elements, they all incorporated the concept of visual rhetoric. It was always important to keep the end user in mind when planning and executing my documents, especially the website redesign, because the sole purpose of creating a document in the first place is to relay important information to an audience and allow the audience to use that information in a productive way. As each design project came and went, I was able to more realistically evaluate my readers’ needs and develop a more comprehensive idea of how to present my information.

I appreciate the knowledge I gained about visual rhetoric because I can see the theory’s application in my career aspirations. My goal is to become a freelance editor, revising documents across a broad spectrum of industries. Having a solid background in the concept of visual rhetoric will enable me to analyze a document and to apply Aristotle’s Rhetoric Theory (ethos, logos, and pathos) to any document I edit. As I have learned throughout my studies, editing is not only about grammar, punctuation, and spelling; it is also about design and usability. A document may be free of grammatical errors, but that doesn’t really matter if someone can’t use the document for its intended purpose. Knowing how important visual rhetoric is in planning and editing a document, I can help a client develop an effective proposal, brochure, article, or even a book because I have the knowledge to do so now.

I think everyone has some sense of what visual rhetoric is. However, I think most people design a document based on their own assessments, needs, and wants. I did that before this class. Now, I know that my audience—the end user—is the most important aspect when planning a document, and my goal should always be to present the most learnable, efficient, memorable, error-free, and satisfactory document possible for a successful experience—for both my client and myself.

5th Re/Design: High School Graduation Announcement

Introduction

My fifth and final redesign started off as something completely different than what it ended up being. My plan was to redesign an employee evaluation form and focus on alignment and usability. When I finished the forms, I realized that I had improved the alignment and usability—but the redesign was boring, and I couldn’t imagine spending at least five hundred words talking about it.

At the same time, I was designing a high school graduation announcement for the daughter of a coworker. I had no intention of submitting the announcement as a class project until I decided I didn’t want to submit the redesigned evaluation forms, and the announcement turned out pretty good after all.

Apparently, graduation announcements have changed a lot since I graduated from high school. Gone are the days of foil colors and fancy fonts. Today, kids want fun and personal announcements—announcements that show off their personalities. So, that was my task in designing this graduation announcement. Jennifer only had two requests: that I use the picture she provided and incorporated some scroll designs somewhere.

Design Principles

Contrast

Jennifer had a classmate take a variety of pictures. Of all the ones she had to choose from, Jennifer liked the black and white photo taken in front of an abandoned building here in Lubbock. I liked this photo because it provided ample room for text. Naturally the black and white photo would provide definite contrast for whatever font colors I chose to use and any additional colors I wanted to add. I didn’t want to use too many colors, so I used black and her favorite color: pink. I used the pink in her name and also in the scroll designs on each side to tie the whole announcement together. I contrasted the pink font with a black font for the graduation details.

The font was contrasted too by the types of fonts I chose. I went with Scriptina for Jennifer’s name and Miles for the graduation details. Jennifer loves Bradley Hand and asked if I could incorporate that font into the design, but I thought Bradley Hand took away from the overall effect of the design. I chose Miles because it was tall and precise, whereas Scriptina was long and flowing. Together, I thought these two fonts contrasted yet complimented each other very well. After Jennifer saw the design, she was glad I decided against Bradley Hand.

The last way I contrasted the text was by making one line of the details smaller than the rest of the text. I thought “…invites you to her graduation from…” was less important than her name and the rest of the details. It provided just the right amount of contrast between her name and everything else.

Repetition

Because the entire design is simple and really only consists of seven single elements, repetition was a little limited in this design. However, my major area of repetition was color. The pink and black fonts were also used for the colors of the scroll designs on the sides.

Alignment

I know, I know, I know—center-aligning text is a mistake often made by inexperienced designers. However, I chose to break the rules here and go ahead with a center alignment because it just looked better than a left alignment.  Jennifer’s pose lent itself well to the text being centered because both the photograph and text worked together for a balanced appearance.

Proximity

I actually designed this announcement with a 3/4 “ bleed all the way around. (What you’re seeing would be a finished product). So, proximity to edges was an important thing to consider. I didn’t want to throw her picture or the scroll designs too close to the original design because they would be cut off after printing. Grid lines were a useful tool for making sure I didn’t put anything too close to the edge.

I kept all the text on the left side of the announcement. Even though the text of Jennifer’s name is different from the text of the graduation details, the design still allows viewers to know that it all belongs together.

Perception

This will be printed as a 4”x8” announcement in a matte finish. The cost associated with this is already a little high for Jennifer and her family, so it will only be printed on one side. Therefore, all the information and impact had to happen all at the same time.

The announcement obviously presents Jennifer during her senior year, ready to graduate and enter the awaiting world. So, the focus is all on Jennifer. I wanted people to see her but to also get the information they needed. (Had I had the opportunity and the family had the money, I might have considered adding a map of the Eagle Athletic Center to the back of the announcement for those unfamiliar with the location.)

I was also fortunate to get a good, mature picture of Jennifer to use. I’ve known Jennifer for five years, and she has grown into a beautiful young woman. I thought this picture was an excellent way for Jennifer to show everyone how much she’s matured over the years.

Culture

As I mentioned before, graduation announcements have changed a lot over the years. Most traditional announcements consist of the metallic school colors and some sort of graphic pertaining to the school or mascot. But when Jennifer’s mom showed me some of the announcements she received last year, only one of them was traditional. The new norm is to go all out on a very personalized announcement, especially for students graduating from private high schools like Lubbock Christian.

Rhetoric

Well, the purpose of a graduation announcement is to let invitees know when and where a ceremony will take place for a particular person, and I accomplished that task with the text.

Conclusion

I think I’m most proud of this design because it’s actually being used. Jennifer and her mom were very pleased with the way it turned out, and I was happy that I could produce a piece they liked and that I could also use for my portfolio. I was able to implement Jennifer’s requests and also incorporate the basic design elements learned in class, which produced a lovely high school graduation announcement.

Redesign 4: Alexandra & Company Website

Background
I redesigned the website for Alexandra and Company (http://www.alexandraandco.com/), a company that manufactures and sells college sorority items. The primary reason I wanted to redesign this site was because the original looks more like it sells products to young girls rather than to college-age woman. It needed a redesign for an older audience.

So, my task was to lighten the colors without being partial to any particular sorority, bring the products front-and-center (since that’s the whole point of the website anyway), and present products and information in logical ways.


Design Principles
Contrast

The existing website had some issues with contrast­­ regarding colors and text. First, the dark brown background didn’t seem to suit the website at all. Plus, the two shades of brown (lighter brown on top with the logo versus the darker brown beneath the banner) were too similar. I wondered why they chose to do that since the blue striped divider separated the two sections well enough.

Additionally, the existing site had way too many fonts in way too many colors. Most of the colors had trouble standing out from the dark background, too. Because the company’s products are available in a variety of colors, I think they tried to bring that through into the design of the site itself. By doing so, however, all the different colors make the site seem disorganized––even though most of the designs are carried over from page to page.

To address these issues, I scaled down the color scheme for the redesigned site. My banner is gray with black and white text with a shopping cart and telephone contact information in the right-hand corner. It was important to me to use colors that would not show favoritism toward any particular sorority since sororities are territorial that way. I didn’t want to shun potential business with bad color choices. Plus, by using those three colors in my banner and by leaving the main body area white, I was able to draw attention to the colors in the products themselves instead of distracting from them. The white provided a clean slate upon which the products could stand out.

A good example of contrast, too, is the larger picture on the home page of the featured item and the smaller pictures below of the new arrivals. I wanted people to know that the featured item was being highlighted, but the new items were also important enough to be featured on the home page.

Repetition

Although the original site had repetition in most of its design, I wanted more. So, again, I used the same colors on all the pages to enhance the unity of the site. I also used the same two fonts on all pages: Corbel for the majority of the text and Edwardian Script for the word “company” in the banner. The section headings are larger and bolded, and the product categories and text are smaller and unbolded. Yes, the font sizes and characteristics are similar, so that’s why I’m considering this design choice as repetition instead of contrast.

It was also important to me to keep most of the product pictures the same size to maintain continuity and order.

Alignment

As always, alignment is the most important design element to me. I think alignment is what makes or breaks a professional design. The original website has a couple of alignment issues I think could be improved. First, the site utilizes various alignments that could be streamlined. Then, the main menu for the site is located in the top right-hand corner of some of the pages. I thought this was a bad choice because, as we’ve discussed, American culture is accustomed to reading or viewing things from left to right. The menu seems out of place in its current location.

To address these issues, I went with mostly a left-aligned website. The title in the banner is located in the upper left-hand corner, but the words are aligned together on the right side. This offered a little contrast to the rest of the site. Next, I arranged the site’s main menu across the top of the site underneath the banner. No matter what page a user is on, she can navigate through the site easily using the main menu. I guess you could say that I went with a center-alignment on the main menu, but it was the best place for the menu in order to make it accessible all the time.

The left-hand side of each page also includes an upcoming events section. Because this company manufactures products and sells to distributors, representatives attend various shows throughout the year. This area is a good place to advertise these events to make sure people catch the company when at shows.

Proximity

To me, proximity and alignment go hand-in-hand. Obviously, the name of the company (and site) is important for people to know who they are doing business with. Something I noticed about the existing site was that it really didn’t say what the company did. What do they do? Who do they sell to? You really didn’t know the answers to these questions unless you specifically went to the website. However, if you just stumbled across it, you might be uncertain that the company offered what you needed. I wanted to make sure people knew they were on the right site from the beginning, so that’s why I incorporated a slogan into the banner. The slogan lends well to the company name and serves to brand what the company does.

I boxed the main menu into a black, decorative divider to offset it from the rest of the site. The links for the pages on the main menu were equally spaced to individualize them. I did the same thing with the bottom banner with the basic company contact information: address, phone number, and link for terms and conditions.

Likewise, the submenu and upcoming events sections are set off to the left side to show that they are completely different from the products being offered. I used vertical and horizontal eyelines to separate all the sections as well as actual divider lines between sections. However, I kept the descriptive text for each product top-aligned and close to its corresponding picture to show a connection between the text and the picture. In this sense, the images serve as information graphics in that they provide a visual representation of products available. (These products are typically personalized with a sorority’s letters, so they could also be considered promotional. For the purposes of this website redesign, the images are more informational than promotional.)



Perception



As I mentioned in opening this blog posting, the existing site seemed like it catered to young girls rather than college-age women. My intention for the redesign was to grow-up the site so that it fit the demographic that the company sells to. The site I designed became sophisticated yet remained subtle so that the products sell themselves.



Culture



The intent of the site is to sell promotional items to college sororities. College women comprise the culture of the company and the site, so it’s important that the site represents them well. The existing site fell short on that with its mismatched colors and juvenile appearance.



Rhetoric



Again, the purpose of the site is to sell products. It’s like a store where you select your items and put them in your shopping cart. Therefore, since the site is asking for money, professionalism is expected on the part of the user, which would appeal to the user’s ethos. The user expects and deserves to feel safe when making financial transactions, so including a privacy and security policy on the site (which both the existing and redesigned do) helps lend to the site’s credibility.

The existing site sometimes didn’t make sense in its product order. For example, on the retail web store page, the product categories on the left-hand side are listed in alphabetical order, which puts miscellaneous items in the middle of the list. In my mind, the word “miscellaneous” means everything left over. It didn’t make sense to me to put this category in the middle of a list, so I reordered the categories on my redesign, hoping to appeal to users’ logos with a more practical product order.

Obviously, properly displaying the products could appeal to viewers’ pathos and make them want to buy the products. By decreasing the number of colors used to design the entire site, I allowed the viewers to focus on the products themselves. Potential buyers may find the better layout and overall cohesion more appealing.


Conclusion
Obviously, I didn’t design every page of the site. The idea is that the top and bottom banners would remain the same throughout the site, and the rest of the information would change only slightly. Therefore, there really wasn’t a need to redesign the entire site just to reiterate the same points.

I think this is a good stepping stone design for the site in that it matures the company’s image for its intended audience. However, I could see the company’s web designer and developer creating a site that is even more robust with features but that still maintains a unified identity and good design principles.

Love isn't Always Love: A Visual Composition for ENGL 3360

The premise of my visual composition is that while love is an ideology of kindness and respect for some, it is a reality of hatred and abuse for others.

I’ve made my argument by utilizing compelling images of abused women, children, men, elderly, and animals. It was important to me to include these different demographics because they are all victims of abuse, although our culture focuses on women and children. I used a variety of images, most of which reflected exactly the point I wanted to make. However, I chose not to use some of the most gripping images I found during my research because they were too graphic for the argument I was making. Honestly, they made me a little uncomfortable, which means they probably would have been the most powerful in making my argument, but they seemed overkill in achieving the effect I wanted with this piece.

My argument depends primarily on pathos, although it uses logos and ethos as well. The images of abused individuals and animals clearly affect normal viewers and create feelings of sadness. The entire composition, however, does not move a viewer to action. Action was not the intent of this piece; the sole intent was to stir emotion, which the images do very well. Additionally, the piece appeals to the logos of viewers, and this is done by incorporating the text “Love isn’t always love” into the middle of the images. The text triggers viewers to question their idea of love and how they express it as well as how they receive it. Likewise, the composition appeals to the ethos of viewers because the issue of abuse is one of right and wrong—at least in American culture and many others throughout the world. Although the composition itself does not urge viewers to act upon its argument, they may eventually want to get involved in an organization that acts on behalf of abused individuals or animals.

My intention for this project was simple: I wanted to call attention to what different people consider love. As mentioned earlier, most of us consider love as a nice show of affection. Love should exist between parents and children, husbands and wives, partners, animals and owners, and so forth. However, this is not the case for some. I wanted to bring the issue to light by offering a contradiction between the word love and the images included in the composition. I accomplished this by grayscaling all the images and then coloring the larger LOVE red. Gray induces sadness or gloom, and red—in this context—represents blood shed by individuals and animals in abusive situations.

I didn’t really have any inspiration for this project. I suppose I just wanted to make an impact in a way that would cause viewers to think about an important issue beyond just the superficial idea that abuse is wrong. It is hard to ignore bruised children and malnourished animals.

The biggest challenge I faced during the creation of this project was finding the right images. I wanted very compelling images, but some images I found were even difficult for me to take in. I found some that were very accurate portrayals of abuse, but I could not bear to use them because they were so graphic. On the other hand, the greatest success I encountered was that the project turned out much like I hoped. I think this is because I have some experience using Photoshop, so that helped out a lot. I don’t think I could have done the same thing in a different program with as much success.

I see that what I have created fits into the course readings, discussions, and overall themes because this composition speaks volume with very little supporting text. I probably could have just used the images without any text, and the images themselves would have been compelling. However, I wanted to give the project a defining voice and message, so I had a little control over that. What I created was a different kind of composition, and it was more effective than had I written a five-page essay over the same topic.

The majority of my composition was created with photographs taken by other individuals. The only part of the composition that was created by me was the text, although I did have control over where each picture would be placed. So, in essence, this project is not unique on a small scale, but the overall composition is unique.

I think the effectiveness of my essay is about 4. The message is good, but it’s not original, although I like the contradiction. This isn’t just a straight-up anti-abuse campaign. Most people aren’t abusive or abused, but everyone is an audience to this. This doesn’t say, “You shouldn’t abuse,” and it doesn’t say, “Please help those who are abused because they may not be able to help themselves.” It basically just compels viewers to observe something they may not otherwise observe. I think the incorporation of images of men, elderly, and animals is pretty effective. Most of the time, you just hear about women and children being abused, but abuse happens to all creatures. And, actually, I found the pictures of the animals most difficult to take in. I think that’s because they tend to be most abused since animal rights are less prioritized than human rights.

The overall idea of this composition relies on the concept of love and how different people define that concept. It’s different for everyone, and it’s not always what we assume it to be. Many times, we are forced to believe that cruelty equals love because that’s what we experience. But, as this essay reveals, love isn’t always love.

The Culture of Graphics

Graphics serve as a form of communication within and between cultures. Graphics can help represent an idea, provide clarification, or give direction for viewers. That’s the interesting thing about graphics: they can stand alone or work together with text to convey a direct message, and it’s up to the viewing culture to decide how to interpret the meanings behind the graphics.

Graphics are a growing communication media in the United States. Because we are a nation of convenience, we revel in the idea that a picture is worth a thousand words. We’d rather see one image instead of reading one hundred words to gather the same information that the single image provided. Icons and symbols are becoming part of our everyday lives because these representations make our lives that much more simple and convenient. We press buttons with certain pictures on them and we act in certain ways because of other pictures and what they mean. In theory, then, we are a nation controlled by pictures. It’s pretty crazy to think we are so easily manipulated by circles, triangles, and squares—and these are mere representations and not direct commands themselves.

We also design things with particular cultures in mind. Websites are designed with certain age groups or demographics as targeted customers, and companies spend millions of dollars to portray hip, trendy idealism to young people. Others spend the same amount to cater to responsible, professional adults. Children, musicians, teachers, and scientists—these are all groups of varying cultures that demand different approaches, and no one likes to cater better than the United States.

My current redesign project utilizes both information and promotion graphics to appeal to a certain culture. Text provides information on products individuals can buy, but accompanying information graphics display the actual product to bring the product to life. No longer does a buyer have to rely solely on text for a description of a product; now she has the ability to actually see the product before she buys it. In this manner, these images serve as both information and promotion graphics.

My entire redesign project—including the product images—should have a culture appeal since the design is tailored to college sororities. Sororities have a culture all their own, so redesigning a website for a company that sells to sororities must hit all the right keys. First, it should appeal to college women. Next, it should provide many pictures for women who want to see what they can buy. Then, it should be easy to access and even easier to use. Lastly, it should make those college sorority women want to come back and make future purchases. So, there are many things to consider with the culture of sororities, but information and promotion graphics make this type of redesign a breeze.

All in all, graphics play a vital role in providing information to viewers, whether they are in the same or different cultures. Images help define information into what is credible and what is simply neat. The use of the images is really what makes the difference.

English Department Flyer Redesign

For the English department flyer redesign, I focused on staying true to Tech's identity guidelines by using the proper color schemes and fonts. This way, viewers could easily identify the flyer with Tech even before reading it.

I have to be the first to admit that designing takes me longer than it probably does for most people. I’m a bit of a perfectionist, so every placement of text or imagery has to be just right before I can move on to the next part of a design. So, attempting to put even a simple flyer together during one class period was a little stressful; I didn’t even finish. However, I think the design idea is evident.

The biggest design element in my flyer is the curved line down the left-side of the page. This mimics the curved line that one might see when logging onto the Raiderlink site. Next, I designed the text to following the curved line of the design block. This exemplifies the fact that eyelines don’t necessarily have to be completely vertical or completely horizontal to be effective—everything just needs to be equally distant to be effective.

I also used the double-T logo in the left-hand corner that overlaps the curved design as well as the white space. This was the only true Tech designation I wanted to use; I figured anything more would be too heavy and interfere with the real message of the flyer.

As for the rhetoric of the flyer, I wanted the flyer to speak on a professional level since many of the jobs listed were professional. And, since Tech is a professional organization, the two seemed to go hand-in-hand. Student could envision themselves landing a good and professional job by choosing a career path that could potentially start in the English department.

As I mentioned earlier, I wanted people to instantly associate the flyer with Texas Tech, so the perception is just that: red, black, white, and gray equals Texas Tech. And, that goes back to professionalism, as well. Because Tech is professional, the English department and careers that can result from studying in English must be professional.

With culture, the colors associated with the flyer make one really feel like they would be part of the university if they study in the English department. Everyone wants to be part of a group, especially in such a large organization like a college, so being part of a larger organization would appeal to the culture of the student body.

Overall, I liked my design, but I liked a lot of the other designs that were created during class. To see what other students created in such a short amount of time was amazing. It was also interesting to see how the entire class worked on the same project, seeing as how we’re always working on something different. This project offered a unique perspective on how everyone sees design individually. It should be interesting to see what the flyer ends up looking like.

Texas Tech Typography

I really like Tech’s recommended typography, and I especially like that the university has a pretty strict style guide to enforce its selected typography (among other design elements). As a paying student, I’d like to think my money is going to a professional institution. The selected typography, Charter and Helvetica Neue, help present a professional front to viewers of Tech’s printed and online material. It also helps Tech maintain its control over the content, organization, and design of the information provided on behalf of the university.

It works out well that Tech’s color scheme is red, black, gray, and white. These colors work well in combination and in contrast to each other. They’re all pretty strong colors alone, so together they create a fairly unified design. I also like that Tech has specified which colors are used where and when. I know style guides can be a pain, but it’s a set of rules just like anything else. All the university is trying to do is reinforce its appearance to internal and external audiences.

The font selection is good. I like the use of Charter for major headlines and some paragraphs and Helvetica Neue for subheads and body text. Both fonts are clear and easy to read, but they offer enough contrast to work well together. The choice of an oldstyle font for larger text and a sans serif for smaller text enforces the contrast while maintaining the integrity of clear type. I don’t think anyone would have a hard time reading any print or online publications using Tech’s style guide.

I also like the fact that Tech considers font replacements in some instances. Font replacements such as Times New Roman and Arial are so much more accessible than Charter and Helvetica Neue, which require purchase to use. Plus, there’s a good chance that most people would never notice the subtle differences between the two fonts unless placed side-by-side, so the replacements are logical and appropriate. They are also free and pretty standard.

It’s nice that TTU has also specified a script font for use in special occasions and for material that requires a touch of fanciness. I’ve seen Edwardian used on graduation announcements, and it’s a lot easier to read than other script fonts which almost seem TOO script. This font is used only in rare cases, but it’s essential in presenting a nice, elegant design.

What I wish Tech would consider is adding a decorative font to its style guide. There are a ton of decorative fonts to choose from, and the university wouldn’t even need to consider an outrageous font—just something a little different for fun material. Adding such a font might broaden the possibilities for Tech’s print and online documents.

Overall, I really like Tech’s typography and the considerations given to replacement fonts. I also like the fact that Tech is ensuring its identity by reinforcing the way other elements of design—such as emblems, seals, and signatures—are used so as not to give the wrong impression of the university.

Graffiti Garden Brochure

Introduction

This project consists of a marketing brochure for an up-and-coming venue. The business makes its money as an evening bar/lounge that features live music throughout the week. However, the unique attraction to this venue is that it allows people to come in during the day and create their own graffiti on a section of wall for free. Then, once the walls are full or after a certain amount of time, the sections are disassembled and sold the public, and all the proceeds are donated to various non-profit organizations. The idea is to let people come in and express themselves through graffiti and then sell that graffiti to the growing sector of art collectors who value that genre.

(Note: This is a made-up business, so that’s why the text is the typical Lorem Ipsum filler text. Cool idea—just not fully developed, and I didn’t want to overwhelm myself with the business details. I wanted to focus on the design.)

Design Principles

Contrast

My primary contrast comes from the pale yellow/gold text on the black background. I realize the purple on the cover isn’t as much of a contrast as white would have been, but I was attempting to utilize different colors. I’ve used white before, and although I like it, graffiti is notorious for appearing in bright colors. Although purple and yellow (and even the blue “shadowing” effect on the cover and back) aren’t exact contrasting colors, I played the warmness of the yellow against the coolness of the purple.

I also utilized contrast in my font selections. I am a font freak; I could spend hours looking for just the right font to compliment a design. Luckily, I found a decorative graffiti font for my covers, but I contrasted that with a simplistic font for the headings and main text. I’ll get more into my type later, though.

Repetition

Repetition is used by using a black background on all pages. Also, yellow, purple, and blue are the only colors used (except in the photographs in the interior spread).

Overall, the grid and eyelines within the document are repetitive. The interior left-hand page mimics the design of the right-hand page in that the columns and sections are broken up identically. “The Mission” lines up with “The Nightlife,” and the same goes for “The Atmosphere” and “The Experience.” I also made sure that each section began with the word “The” and that

“The” was a smaller font size than the word it preceded. (That was actually done by accident. When I realized the font sizes differed, I actually liked the way it looked, so I changed them all to be the same. It was my attempt at a concordant relationship with my fonts.) Another attempt at a concordant relationship was that I chose to place the address and phone number in all lowercase letters unlike the headings on the inside spread. It’s the same font and color; it’s just a different case.

I also used the two yellow dots from the cover on the back, as well. This was a very subtle attempt to tie the two pages together.

Alignment

I actually used two different vertical alignments, but I used them on different pages. The cover contains a right-alignment of yellow text, but the interior spread uses a left-alignment. I thought mixing the alignments would be okay since you’re never looking at the different alignments at the same time.

All the columns of text also line up horizontally across the spread. The photos I used also fall into one column of space.

Proximity

On the cover, the name of the venue is located at the top. Although the words are not in the same font or color, one can see that they are related because they are close to each other. You know to read the word “Graffiti” first because it is farther left than “Garden,” and “Graffiti” also appears higher.

It was important to include the address and phone number on the cover for quick reference. Those are grouped and isolate at the bottom right-hand corner of the cover. All of these are right-aligned.

Each section on the inside spread is also grouped together so the reader knows where he or she should move to when the column ends. This is done by creating blocks with the headings. For instance, the first section, “The Mission,” is two-columns. When the first column ends, the reader knows to move to the next column on the right instead of farther below because another heading appears below the first column. It’s a break in the section without explicitly saying that a break exists.

Perception

My overall goal of this brochure was to establish a hip, young new thing to do while contributing to a good cause. Although the good cause part would be something someone would have to read about within the text, I wanted to portray something a little edgy and artsy while maintaining a professional image. I think the decorative font does a good job representing the artsy and edgy aspect and that the clean lines of the main text appeal to a more professional perception.

Culture

Much of our society perceives graffiti as being bad (especially since it is illegal, after all), but there is real expression and artistic quality to a lot of it. Graffiti can be some of the easiest and most accessible art to do since it really only requires a can or two of spray paint. Maybe by taking something illegal and turning it into a fun activity, people can express themselves in a way that they never could before. It could be pretty therapeutic.

The cultural impact of this document is to appeal to someone who wants to experience something different. The name “Graffiti Garden” alone sort of strikes up curiosity. Is it an art exhibit? Kind of. Is it a cool name for a bar? Sort of. What is it? The design peaks curiosity, which opens up possibilities.

Rhetoric

As mentioned, this design is supposed to appeal to people looking for something different. Most of these people will be young. Many young people hang out in bars, so if they see something like this and read about how they can contribute to the graffiti art that will eventually be sold for a good cause, it actually makes the time they spent in the bar productive and beneficial.

Hopefully, the document says, “Hey, look at me, pick me up and read me. I’m cool, hip, a little cheeky, and definitely something you’ve never heard of.”

Color

I chose the black background because black is usually thought of as a dirty color (in contrast to white which is pure and clean). Graffiti can also have that perception, so I thought it fit the overall design really well.

As mentioned before, I tried to use the typical bright colors in graffiti. After all, people who graffiti things aren’t trying to subtly blend their work into the environment. No, they want it to stand out, so that’s another reason why I simplified the cover with the purple, blue, and yellow text.

I also tried to choose photographs that utilized the same colors as my font since I’d chosen the font before the pictures. Had I found a really cool photo first, I would have pulled the colors from it and used those.

For added emphasis, I put a yellow border around my pictures to tie them in with the text.

Something that may not be entirely obvious is the really ghosted word “graffiti” in the background throughout the document. It’s definitely a lot more obvious on the cover than elsewhere; I didn’t want the ghosted text to interfere too much with the text on the interior spread, so it’s hardly noticeable at all. This effect isn’t so important in an online document, but I thought it could be really cool in a printed brochure. My idea was that the brochure be printed on glossy paper but the ghosted text be printed in a matte finish. This, however, is costly, but cool usually is. The effect still works well in the online document.

Type

I used a definite decorate font sparingly for attention grabbing. I made sure that the font wasn’t hard to read because, had it been, it would have defeated its purpose. I would have found a different one to use instead. However, this one (Grand Stylus) worked really well and fit the theme of my document design.

I also wanted something that was easy to read for my body text. I didn’t want a serif font because I thought that might look too amateurish for the document. It’s not hard to pick a cool font for a title, but finding another one that works well with the cool title font can be tricky. I didn’t want someone to think I only paid attention to the title, so I also spent some time looking for just the right sans serif font for the body text. Since my title was sort of wide and elaborate, I wanted a sans serif font that was a little taller and simple. The font I chose (Orator Standard) fit just what I was looking for.

Conclusion

I have to admit that this wasn’t my favorite project, but it turned out okay. I typically do a lot of my work in Photoshop because I’m so much more comfortable in it, but the free trial on my laptop expired. So, I was forced into using InDesign—which isn’t horrible since something like this would be created in software like that anyway. So, I had a little learning curve involved in this, but nothing too bad. I’m interested in learning more about InDesign and about how I can use it better.

Significance of the Gutenberg Press

It's difficult for me to personally quantify the significance of the Gutenberg Press. My life has known technology far beyond the limits of the Press, but I am capable of appreciating the path that was laid by the early technology.

Oral communication was the first method of documenting history. As we all know, however, stories can become altered over time with various storytellers adding their own twists to history. Once a written history of events was established, a little more lasting solidarity was ensured. But the reality of old, written histories was that writing took so much time that only one copy of anything existed. Eventually, armies of people were enlisted to begin scribing and copying texts for preservation.

When the Gutenberg Press was introduced, a revolution occurred that changed the course of written history. The Bible was the first mass-produced book by the Press and the first mass-distributed book throughout European lands. Now, various texts could be printed and released to audiences everywhere.

Advantages and disadvantages exist regarding the introduction of the Gutenberg Press. Most people undoubtedly argue that the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages, and there was a time when that was true. However, with increased Internet accessibility and increased globalization, some may see the initiation of mass-printing with the decline of the sacredness of books.

When there is less of something, that something automatically becomes more valuable. That’s simple economics. But people also want information, and that’s what the Gutenberg Press provided. Information was being spread world-wide, and people had the same access to information as his or her neighbor. Therefore, people were no longer just being told what was written in the Bible or other texts—they were actually getting to read and interpret it for themselves.

Today, the Gutenberg Press is a thing for history books. Our technology has far exceeded what the Gutenberg Press could provide, and now the spread of information no longer requires printing. The Internet spreads information much faster than any printing press ever could—without using a single drop of ink. This has major implications to printing worldwide.

As mentioned earlier, the demand for something affects its value. When only one book in the world exists, the value of that book is immeasurable. But when additional copies are introduced, the value goes down because that text is now accessible by everyone. And then when the same text is available online and accessible by multiple people simultaneously FOR FREE, the value of printed text practically no longer exists. Information is so readily available that people can take that information and rip it off to their own advantage.

Obviously, the positive significance of the Gutenberg Press is that it allowed the flow of information across the world, but it also decreased the value of printed information over time. With recent inventions of electronic book readers, the value of printed information is almost nonexistent.  Eventually, the value of a printed book will once again be immeasurable because that book will reside in a museum. People will no longer hold multi-page books in their hands. Rather, they will possess a single electronic device that relays the information to them. Books themselves will be history.

Substitute re/design

I've decided that I want to substitute one of my original designs (the employee handbook) for a website design. Obviously, I'm not redeveloping a website; I'm just proposing a new design. The reason I want to substitute is because the employee handbook I was planning to redesign really didn't include a lot of color. The website redesign, however, opens a lot of doors when it comes to color.

The website is Alexandra & Company, a manufacturer of novelty sorority items and a division of Stephen Joseph, Inc. Right now, I don't think the website looks like it caters to sororities unless you read some of the text. I think it looks like it caters to young teenage girls. The color combination is lacking, and the text is hard to read. Plus, the menu is on the right side of the page, and that's my biggest issue with the site.

I think a lot of this site can be cleaned up to produce a look that caters to its intended audience while keeping a little playfulness. It just needs to be cleaned up.

Meaningful Weekend Photo

I noticed some new growth this weekend on an ivy that I've maintained for ten months now. I got the plant last April when my mother was in the hospital; I guess it was my way of coping and nurturing something since there was only so much I could do for my mom.

I use this plant as a symbol of hope for my mom's health: as long as the plant is healthy and continues to grow, then my mom's health can remain constant as well.

Utilizing the Principles of Page Design

I used various principles of page design in my re/design submitted Thursday night. My primary design goal was to utilize the entire page, even if what I was covering it with was simple and basic. So, I began with a blue, gradient background in an effort to tie in different elements (i.e., the company’s colors and design). Then, I developed a white area for my text so that I could utilize the best contrast possible. Although it was a simple business design, I think it was well planned to deliver the most impact.

One of the most important principles I used was enclosure. You can see right away that I have framed my text into a plain, white environment. This provided for great contrasting of the blue text from the blue graphic background.

The design was balanced with the contrasting colors of blue and white. I went from a graphic blue background to a completely white text area, so the contrast between the two helped define the overall balance of the design.  

Since this cover set doesn’t include a lot of text, it doesn’t require readers to focus too much on what it’s saying. Therefore, this design works well for readers who like to skim or scan.

I’ve also connected all the elements on the pages by staying true to a color scheme. Obviously, the blue gradient background stands out, so I pulled the same dark blue into my text. I also inserted two horizontal blue lines into the text area as well to help frame the text.

The sequencing is also important because I listed the title first and then followed it with the subheading of the company’s name and date.

I also utilized Z-patterning. I left-aligned the title of my proposal cover but then right-aligned the supporting text to keep the readers’ eyes moving from left to right. I used the power zone concept for the main title as well, and then another power zone was the subhead on the cover page.

My design is also quite asymmetrical, and that was done on purpose. As I stated in my original blog post regarding this design, I wanted to make sure the text was positioned higher up on the page rather than centered on it. Therefore, I placed the text area where readers eyes might naturally fall—in the upper half of the design, leaving the bottom majority left to encompass the graphic background.

I incorporated some negative space into my design as well to help boost the contrast. Some might think that I left too much negative space in the text area under the main heading, but I would disagree. I wanted the title to stand out above everything else, so creating negative space around it will help accomplish that goal.

I did not use a grid system for this design since it was so simple. However, I do plan to utilize one and incorporate some visible eyelines into my next design. My plan is to do something a little more complex and intricate—maybe a poster or a flyer instead of a business document as my last two re/designs have been.

Design 2: Business Proposal Cover & Back

Introduction

This project presents the cover and back pages of a business proposal. Ideally, these pages would be included in a comb-bound proposal package with front and back clear sheet protectors—much like a report.

The purpose of this re/design is to present a more professional front to potential as well as existing clients. The company that would utilize this proposal design is an environmental, safety, and engineering consulting firm located in Lubbock, Texas. Ideally, when people think about the environment, they think about a blue sky or green trees or recycling bins. Likewise, when people think about safety, they think hard hats and yellow caution signs. Lastly, when people think about engineering, they think blueprints and construction equipment.

Because the consulting company is small (comprised of nine total employees), it must streamline a proposal package that can be used for all of the services it offers--but not all at one time. A company might be interested in safety services but not in environmental services. Plus, I'm hesitant to put a picture of green grass and blue skies on the cover of a proposal for an area where trees are rare and the sky is more likely to be brown. A pretty picture would be representative but not realistic; and instead of creating an image of something that a potential client may not relate to, I'd rather just use a simple but bold graphic.

Therefore, I went with a design that was universal and that could serve as an identifier for the consulting company. The blue is the company's signature cover, and the lines in the design incorporate the company's logo on a grander scale.


Contrast

I chose to utilize a dark blue graphic background for these business proposal pages. I chose the color and graphic for specific reasons. First, blue is the consulting company’s signature color: it’s incorporated into the company logo that appears on the back cover. Secondly, the shape of the graphic—the perpendicular lines that comprise the structure of a globe—is also in incorporated into the company’s logo. Therefore, these two elements combined tie the consulting company to the document itself.

The contrast comes into play where I have broken up the dark graphic background by including a clean, white area for my text. However, I didn’t just go from dark blue to white. I transitioned the contrast by bringing in a dark blue horizontal line to border the white top and bottom edges of the text area. Therefore, I have a type of divider from the graphic to the text. The dividers convey the message that the viewer’s eyes should be focused on what is between the lines.

Additionally, I utilized the same dark blue color into my text so that it jumps out from the white. The title, “Proposal for Environmental Compliance Management” is a 30-point Cambria, bold, for added emphasis. The subtitle where the client’s name and address is located is set in the same typeface but in a smaller 14-point font. I wanted the subtitle to be less emphasized than the heading because, mainly, the client knows what the company’s name and address are. They should be more attracted to what the proposal is than to reading where their company is located.


Repetition

I have a few forms of repetition throughout this document. First, my repetitive use of color is evident. My thematic colors are blue and white because, again, those are the consulting company’s signature colors. I have repeated the dark blue graphic background on both cover pages, and I also incorporated the same white text area with the two horizontal dark blue divider lines. Additionally, my font selection has remained consistent on each page: dark blue Cambria.


Alignment

My alignment remained relatively elementary throughout the document design. My placement of the white background for the text was intentional. I chose not to center the text area in the center of the page because of the existing color gradient in the graphic background. You can see that the background contains lighter shades of blue toward the lower right-hand edge of the page. Putting the white text area in the center would have saturated the document with lighter colors and would have made the document heavier in certain areas. Plus, American readers’ eyes naturally gravitate toward the top of a document since that is where text typically begins. Obviously, I didn’t place my text area right at the top, but it is situated higher up than the center.

Another factor for the placement of my white text area was because of the lines in the graphic background. The dominant downward sloping line would theoretically intersect with the title. I wanted visually to match these two elements up so that the graphic and the text meshed well.

I placed the background image on the document so that the dominant downward sloping line would also meet up at the right-hand corner of the page. American audiences tend to flip pages of documents either at the top or bottom right-hand corners. The original graphic was much larger than the 8 ½” x 11” space I was working with, so I really had my choice of positioning the graphic in the most effective way. Therefore, I chose intentionally to have the dominant downward sloping line intersect with the bottom right-hand corner of the page as an subconscious cue for the reader to flip the page.


Proximity

Just like repetition in this design, I maintained simple proximity as well. Again, I positioned the graphic background so that the dominant downward sloping line would intersect with both the first word of the title on the cover and the right-hand corner of the page. And, I positioned the white background above the center horizontal axis of the document so that the eyes naturally begin in that area.

The title, "Proposal for Environmental Compliance Management," is the most important textual element on both pages. Therefore, it has been set apart from the rest of the text. Although the title technically has been left-aligned, the title is long enough that I was able to also center it on the page. Then, I grouped together (but set apart from the title) the customer's information.


Perception

Overall, my intention for this document was to present a clean, clear, and professional front to potential clients. Additionally, I wanted a design that would work for various sectors of the business without overstating that it belonged to one sector versus another. In other words, I wanted a streamlined proposal cover set that needed only updates to the text in order to be usable for every proposal prepared by the consulting company. 

Another underlying aspect of perception regarding this design is branding. My goal is for people to automatically think "Benton & Associates" when they see the colors blue and white with a resemblance of a globe attached to it. Eventually, people might not even need to read what the text says to know what an artifact is attached to. 

Culture

The hope of consulting companies is that they don't accidentally market to too-small of a potential client base. Designing individual proposal covers for each proposal could be costly in terms of overhead since the company could potentially quote up to 30 different projects. Therefore, efficiency was key when thinking about the company's needs. 

Moreover, taking on a very generalised design doesn't exclude any particular sector, and it doesn't highlight just one area of our services, either. We're not only marketing to safety clients but also to environmental and engineering clients.


Rhetoric

These documents say professional, and they will be used by various project managers to solicit business. They will also be used by potential clients for information purposes. The important part of these proposal pages is that they let the customer know that we are a serious, professional company capable of taking on whatever their needs are. Plus, and as already stated, they relay a persona of the company without much text: the colors and graphics work together to represent the company.

Conclusion

This project produced a realistic concept for proposal presentations. It works for the consulting company because the text on the cover page can be easily manipulated to fit any proposal needed without compromising any professionalism in the design. It also works for the client because it provides the introductory information about what the package is about: title (what the whole thing is), client (yes, we've prepared this thing for you), and the date (because all parties need a reference date). Plus, the back cover page indicates who prepared the entire package, and that is important because a company marketing its services always wants to be reached easily.

This may not have a really cool design, and it may not present a ton of information--but it's not supposed to. It says exactly what it needs to say: that it's professional and that the consulting company doesn't hide behind false advertisement.

Three important concepts of design...

At this juncture, I think the three most important concepts of design are repetition, culture, and perception. Repetition provides structure, culture provides expectations, and perception provides results. Together—along with other design elements—these concepts provide a firm foundation for developing a strong and unified document design.

Repetition plays such a vital role in document design—for both the designer and the viewer. Repetition can be used effectively to present an idea in multiple ways. A designer can take a relatively complex idea and present it in an elementary way so that the viewer has no trouble understanding what the message is. In the same way, a good use of repetition can help a viewer relate all elements of a document back to the overall message. Repetition can be used to connect various aspects of a document to each other in a uniformed manner. Repetition can be specific color schemes, words and phrases, or design elements used multiple times throughout a document. It can also be the absence of anything consistent.

Additionally, culture is important also. It is important for a designer to understand his or her audience and what their expectations are for a particular document. If a certain color or a certain phrase is associated with a certain issue, why should a designer go against a norm and throw a viewer off in his or her expectations? Likewise, a viewer is familiar with a certain expectation, and that expectation should be met in the design of the document. However, if a designer knows his or her audience well enough to know when those norms can be broken without experiencing a negative reaction, then the best approach should be taken every time. A designer can choose to break certain design rules in order to relay the best message.

Lastly, perception is important. Perception is closely tied to culture because perception is dependent upon the viewer, although perception does not rely upon a viewer’s expectations. Perception is what is seen or derived from a document. What does the viewer see? What does the viewer take away from the document? Has the document given the viewer what he or she needed, or does it leave him or her wanting? Perception can also leave long-lasting positive or negative impressions on the viewer. If a document is designed to catch viewers’ attention, will be arouse curiosity or resentment? A designer must consider these questions and anticipate answers in the preliminary stages of design. If a designer is going for an offensive campaign, he or she must also consider the consequences of such actions.

Overall, each concept of design is important, but repetition, culture, and perception are the most important because they affect the viewer the most. These concepts must be explored by the designer up front before a design can be implemented since the implications could be extensive. By exploring these concepts in depth, a designer can incorporate the most effective elements so that a viewer can take away the most effective message.

Assignment 1: Business Card Redesign

Like most of the class, I tackled the business card redesign first. My goal was to create a professional by using most of the information already presented. This proved to be challenging because there was so much information to begin with. But, I think I accomplished my goal.

Contrast

The fundamental design element used in my business card is contrast. I contrasted the black text (Arial) with the plain white background. I think that was my intent from the beginning. I like the cleanliness of the white business card. Plus, the construction industry isn’t a flashy one, so the simpler the better. That’s why I also chose the simple text, too. Originally, I wasn’t going to incorporate any graphics because the card was already so full, but based on Tiffany’s comment to my blog post on Tuesday, I decided to add a simple graphic to add a pop of color. (The image I chose was purchased legally through iStockphoto.) I didn’t want an image set in the field with a lot of varying colors, so this one works really well. The main colors are black and yellow; the yellow adds just enough contrast from the black and white but not enough to overpower the card.

I also contrasted my text just a little by changing the font size and style in areas. The company name is the largest and bolded more since it is placed at the top. Next, the contact name is the same style of font as the company name, but the contact name is two points smaller. Below that, I took the bold typeface off the addresses and phone numbers but kept the size the same as the contact name. Finally, the company services are displayed in the smallest font size (six-point font). The reason I did this is because the eyes naturally go from top to bottom, and the most important information is generally located at the top of documents with the least important at the bottom. So, I did this to help the eye down the text of the business card.

Repetition

Well, since my card design is fairly simple, my repetition comes from my font and color use. Again, I relied heavily upon black text, and then I also pulled in black with the image I chose. With my font (although I changed the font size some), I kept the font consistent throughout.

I repeated my image and the world “Construction.” Really, though, the image was just there to reinforce the idea of the construction industry. The graphic is unnecessary because the card says what it needs to say. But my thinking was that if someone merely glanced at the image (maybe upside down for some reason or from a distance), he or she would be able to identify that the business associated with this card was in the construction industry—all without having to read any text.

Another element of repetition (which isn’t exactly noticeable) is the loop I wanted to create when people look at the card. My intent was, because culturally we begin reading at the top left, was to lead the reader from that point down the business card and then to have the reader’s eyes glance up to the graphic. Then, the arm of the backhoe would lead the reader’s eyes back up to the name of the company. At no point would the reader’s eyes be lead off the card. It was a subtle perceptual element I wanted to introduce here.

Alignment

The primary vertical alignment for the business card is flush left, but I also have an invisible vertical right alignment between the graphic and the word “Equipment” at the bottom and an invisible horizontal alignment between the graphic and the cell phone number. I made sure also to leave the same amount of white space on all four sides so that the alignment was consistent.

Proximity

Obviously, I grouped items together based on their relationship to other things. As a whole, I grouped my text on the left side of the business card and my graphic on the right side. On a smaller scale, though, I focused on grouping the address information together and the phone number information together. However, I intentionally isolated the company name, the contact name, and company services. I wanted people to see those items individually.

Other Design Concepts Explored

Again, my card is simple. However, I eliminated minimal information and just cleaned up the card. I incorporated a graphic only because I assumed the business wanted a graphic. After all, the business’ original card used three unrelated images. I narrowed my graphic down to one that related specifically to the industry of the business. Plus, the image I chose is easily identifiable with the construction industry.

And, I also chose to go simple rather than over-the-top. The company is comprised of two employees, and they obviously don’t have time to focus on a business card. But that doesn’t mean they can’t have a professional look to what they do. Other people in the construction industry—or potential clients searching for a construction company—don’t want to see excessive, flowery design. They want to see strong, bold colors and straight-to-the-point information.

Job done.