Erin Singleton's Portfolio

Top 10 Designs:

1.) Stationary Package2.) Kaleidoscope Patterns3.) Photography Alphabet 4.) Surrealism Poster 5.) Color Wheel6.) Feather

7.) Fair Use Poster

8.) 3 Letter Designs

9.) Key Logo

10.) Car Mosaic 

This year in Intro to Graphic Design I have progressed greatly as a designer. I have learned many skills and tools and have created many designs, logos, and posters. I worked with a Macintosh computer and used the programs Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe Indesign to complete my projects. This portfolio is an accumulation of my 10 best designs from the previous year. These designs contain many concepts and strategies I have been taught over the year such as color schemes, rhythm, balance, proportion, and emphasis. Also, each color design either uses CMYK or RGB color modes. Coming into this class I lacked pretty much all artistic ability but throughout this year I have improved and expanded my knowledge greatly. I do not believe I have developed a style yet, but hopefully with more practice I will. Overall the class has been very challenging, but it has taught me to work hard and do my very best.

Throughout the year I have progressed a lot. I started the year off having no idea what it meant to be a graphic designer and I had much difficulty with the programs. Now I can proudly say that I am comfortable and can easily maneuver through Photoshop, Illustrator, and Indesign. From the first semester my work has improved so much as I continued learning new techniques and strategies. Throughout the year I have learned my strengths and weaknesses while designing. One of my greatest weaknesses was probably my creativity. In the beginning of the year I was worried because I already knew I was not creative at all. With practice and experience, this class has helped me improve my creative ability and I have impressed myself with some of the designs I came up with. I was also not very good at functioning and using computers but throughout this class I have become very comfortable with them. This class has also helped me realize that procrastinating is not such a great idea. I like to take a lot of time on my work and make it perfect, so with all the stressful deadlines I know I must get to work right away. I have to manage my time wisely to ensure that I will be able to turn my project in on time. My skills as a designer have also increased because of this class. I now see designs or logos differently and know the effort that has been put in to create them. In my opinion composition is very important to a design. The way the elements are arranged on a page plays a major role in the way the design looks. I have learned that the “Z Pattern” is very important to consider when creating a poster. In this class I was taught about color and how to use it. I have learned all the color schemes such as monochromatic, complementary, analogous, and triadic. I have also learned when it is appropriate to use certain colors. Warm colors are very bright and bring attention to the design. They are lively and often used to warn someone of something such as a stop sign does. Cool colors are calming and relaxing. They make you feel safe and display trust. Overall, I am amazed at everything I have learned this year!

In my opinion as the year progress, my designs became better and better! The items I found most challenging were the assignments that were done in Photoshop. I definitely favor Illustrator over Photoshop because I think it is easier to use. Most of my designs displayed in my portfolio were created in Illustrator. I am the most proud of my stationary package, which includes a business card, letterhead, and envelope. When completing this assignment I was really stressed and having a hard time creating the logo.  Once I finally focused and got down to business I was proud that I was able to make all the elements flow together and create a good design. I think the project I gained the most insight or knowledge on was the photography alphabet project. During this project we had to find objects that look like the letters of the alphabet. This assignment taught me to look at the world differently and see knew things I would have looked past before. If I could choose one item to work on further, it would be my typography feather. The actual picture of the feather had much more detail and design that I would have loved to add, but unfortunately I ran out of time. Throughout the year, the way I plan my work has changed greatly. I have found that I benefit greatly from sketching. It helps me get my ideas down on paper and get them organized. I also don’t wait until the last minute to do my projects anymore. I use my time wisely and meet the deadlines. In the future, I would like to improve my skills as a graphic designer. I would like to become more creative and produce more original designs. I would also like to improve my speed and get my projects done quicker.

In conclusion, my experience in Intro to Graphic Design has been a great one. I have learned more things than I ever thought possible to learn in a year. I was taught three brand new programs on the Macintosh computers. I have learned about design elements, logos, typography, and even photography! I have learned my strengths and weaknesses while designing and look forward to improving them. My craftsman ship has improved greatly and I hope to develop a style later on. This class has been a great learning experience and though I will not be continuing graphic design next year, I plan to take the skills and strategies I learned in this class to other areas of my work. All in all graphic design was a very challenging class but that is what made it fun and entertaining. I was never bored in this class and would recommend it to anyone!