Highlighted Works

Graphic Design II – Mark

Graphic Design I – Symbol Matrix Methodology

Typography – Type Specimen Poster

Critical Assessment

My studies in Graphic Design have challenged me in new and exciting ways. I feel one facet of design I have been able to exercise well is balance within my designs. With my Mark in Graphic Design II, I needed to balance the neat, conventional framework of the design with the spirit of wildness that I wanted to capture. I need to bring two conflicting ideas together without one overpowering the other. When I was designing the symbols for my Symbol Matrix Methodology, I focused on line weight and white space since I couldn’t use color. With the Type Specimen Posters, I focused on balancing the limited color palette of the risograph, as well as the different opacities.

I think my strength in design is communicating meaning. The main concept behind my mark was escaping modernity, and I feel I conveyed that by combining two symbols that already have meaning–the Warbler is native to the Greenbelt and the circle border is commonly used in similar logos–and creating a new meaning. With the Type Specimen Poster, I wanted to show how the typeface could be used with color, size, and placement to communicate multiple meanings.

I feel I could greatly improve my skills as a designer by merging this identity with my identity as an artist. I feel that I’ve been seeing the two as separate, and this has limited my creative process. Whereas I saw my art as a way to express myself, I felt design was more about meeting the expectations of others. However, seeing the work of my fellow students has shown me that if a design isn’t truly my own–even if it does adhere to the expectations and needs of others–it won’t truly succeed. In the future, I want to focus on combining these two ideas to stretch the creative limits of my designs.

Over the past two years, I’ve learned quite about the world of design. At first, it seemed like there were rigid rules that I needed to adhere to so I could be successful, but now I realize they’re more like guidelines. I’ve also learned that design is about creating new meanings where there once was none. I’ve also learned a lot about how similar the design process is to my writing process: start by getting as many ideas down as possible, don’t delete or erase things that aren’t “good,” strengthen the things that work and either cut or improve the things that don’t. Sometimes I get an idea right away, other times I need to explore different themes to figure out what direction I want to go. The process doesn’t always happen in the same order or move at the same pace. I just need to let the creative process do it’s thing, and if I just hang tight for the ride I’ll come out on the other side with something I can truly say I’m proud of.