This resume was designed with the idea of presenting to a construction based company.  It has an effective design layout and well coordinated color scheme as well as a an interesting background of a construction blueprint.  All of these elements combine for an effective design.

This flyer is has an eye catching design which combines orange and yellow to create a colorful vibe within the flyer.  The afro pick immediately shows that the event is centered around hair and adds to the overall effectiveness of the flyer.

The brochure was a very enlightening assignment which taught me many useful things I could use throughout the other projects during the semester.  The instruction was very clear and thorough which produced a solid example of a brochure.

I found my postcard to be the least effective project I created this semester.  Although the overall design is decent, the photos I had to choose from were undesirable.

This is a very effective logo.  It demonstrates the effectiveness that simplicity can have on a logo design while also communicating the exact message and goal of the company it represents.





















This business card has a very simplistic and professional looking design.  It is straight forward with a large emphasis placed on the logo of the company.  The employees name is large enough to be read at a distance with the corresponding contact information neatly centered below everything else.

Competent Logo Design

The five logos that show a high level of effectiveness and branding are Nike, Michael Kors, McDonald's, The Home Depot, and the Buffalo Sabres.

Each of these logos contains clever design elements which help to achieve their goals and ultimately make their logo a house hold name.  Nike is a logo that every person knows.  It is a simple black swoosh who's semi-diagonal orientation which gives the viewer a feeling of motion.  Nike is an athletic sports wear company and their logo helps the viewer to understand the goals of the company.

Michael Kors is a particularly interesting brand that shows the importance of repetition in branding and advertising.  The company uses the initials "M" and "K" which clearly represents to the viewer Michel Kors.   They are a fashion design company that specializes in trendy, high end clothing and accessories.  I have noticed that when they design a purse or something similar, they put their logo on the bag a seemingly infinite number of times.  As a person who has never bought a purse, I still know a Michael Kors purse when I see it because of the repetitive use of a simple logo comprised of the designers initials.

McDonald's has a very strong logo design.  Many fast food companies have put many research and marketing dollars into figuring out the scientific causes of hunger.  The color combination of red and yellow has been scientifically proven to illicit a hunger response from a person viewing the colors.  Many fast food chains such as Chic-fil-A, Checkers, Hardees, and many more food companies use the color red in their logos in order to efficiently reach their goals.

The logo used by The Home Depot is very effective.  It has the entire company's name within the logo written on a diagonal axis which helps to initiate the idea of moving forward.  The background color is a bright orange which is often seen on construction sites being used as safety gear.  The color combination in association with the company name The Home Depot, tells it's viewer that this company has a large array of home related goods.  The orange coloring suggests the goods are focused on a home improvement or construction theme.

The Buffalo Sabres logo has long been hailed as one of the best logos in modern sports.  Yes I am biased because I am a fan of the team, but it is actually something which has been objectively commented on by graphic designers as well as fans of the sports world.  The charging buffalo is representing the name of the city obviously while the dual crossed sabre swords represent the team name.  The logo consists of blue, gold, and white with the main images in the logo being filled in white.  It is by far one of the most visually communicative logos I have seen that expertly gets it's message across to anyone familiar with sports.

How a good design layout can change your life

There are several techniques that can be used to effectively communicate a message through graphic design. What is important, is how the individual pieces of the design come together to complement one another in order to not only direct but also to please the eye of the viewer.

Magazine Layout

This two page spread has a very interesting effect on the viewer at first glance. The eye is drawn either to the photo of the woman, or the large swrling font of the “S” in the word “Siren”. The font of the “S” almost accents the shape of the model's hair and it creates a pleasing yet subtle repetition for the viewer. Then you have the colors. The black and white combination creates a clean looking article but it goes beyond that. On the left, there is a vast amount of white space which is obstructed only by the title of the article and the small columns of print. The page on the right is taken up by a large amount of black with a grey background. The lack of empty white space on the right compliments the large swaths of white space on the left which creates a genuine balance for the viewer.

Resume

This resume leaps out at the viewer with the applicants named in large, clean cut font, with the “i” from the applicant's first name extending down the page to create two columns. It almost resembles a flyer for a band or concert venue. The resume has a very smart layout and it starts with the very clever use of the applicant's name to build the entire structure of the page. She also included her contact information above her last name which almost can go unseen but it works very well. Then in the “Skills” section, the applicant uses an appealing tapering effect by simply organizing the words with the longest on the top or bottom and then creeping in toward the middle where she has written the shortest word. The section titled “Work Experience” has three bolded headings which clearly show the reader her employers and job title. She then lists her job duties in a smaller font which helps the reader organize items by importance. 

 In the “Education” portion, the applicant lead with five bolded items and then followed it up with the specifics written in a smaller and unbolded font. This repetition is not only eye pleasing for the viewer but it also helps to maintain the flow of information by it's level of importance. Then there is the final section titled “Professional Activities” which does a great job of communicating a message of professionalism. It is often not a sub heading that you see on resumes but it can go a long way in convincing the viewer that you are a cut above the rest. The layout is similar to the “Education” section although it is structured much more like a paragraph rather than a list. The applicant uses the same font techniques as earlier to continue their effective method of communicating the important information first.

A good design layout can transform what would otherwise be an unappealing message into one that demands the viewers attention. It can change your resume from being “just another one in the pile” to the most exciting resume in the pile. A smart and well executed design layout can be the difference between a missed opportunity or a massive success, but it takes a bit of planning.

Communication strategy

There's a lot to consider when evaluating how to communicate a certain message.  Our brains are constantly bombarded by different mediums of communication everyday, each of which trying to deliver a particular message.  So the inevitable question that arises is which strategy works the most efficiently when trying to convey a message as simply as possible?

The method of delivery often times is subject to what goal is trying to be accomplished.  For instance, if someone were trying to convey a list of groceries to a friend who was going to go shopping for them, a written list would be much more effective than verbally listing each and every item.  The written communication delivers an exact request in what could be an otherwise frustrating scenario if forced to remember everything from a verbal exchange.  Conversely, if two people were hanging wall cabinets, a verbally communicated direction would be much more efficient than writing down what needs to be done next.  When trying to express emotion to someone else there is often times a merging of more than one medium of communication.  If someone is angry, generally there is a visual and verbal representation of that.  The two mediums combine to create a full picture of how someone may be feeling at a particular time.

Visual communication is more particular when trying to convey a message.  A street sign for example must be direct and easy to interpret while a person is driving.  Something as simple as a "STOP" sign is a great example of how to effectively communicate a message visually.  Red is a color which has been ingrained into our society to mean many different things and one of the most commonly know is that "red means stop".  Combine the red color of the sign with the white and bolded lettering that spells out "STOP" and the sign easily tells drivers when and where they must stop their vehicle.  However, images are substantially important when trying to deliver a message.  There is even a case to be made that the stop sign itself creates a recognizable image wherein the viewer need not read the words and still fully comprehend the message.  Images deliver a direct representation of a message and can highly effective tools when trying to communicate visually.

One example of highly effective visual communication is from the band Phish.  They are classified as a jam band and the sound and music style could be described as wavy or loose.  Enter their logo, Phish logo.  The main visual is of a fish with bubbles coming out of it's mouth, and within the fish is written the band's name "PHISH".  The letters and color scheme are somewhat psychedelic which gives the viewer a baseline idea of what style of music the band may perform.  The combination of font and color reinforce the message of what the band might sound like, while the word "PHISH" and the surrounding image of a fish reinforce the name of the band.  Repetition, even subtly, can be very effective.

It is particularly important to know your market demographic when choosing a symbol to represent a person or business.  Take Superman for example, superman logo.  To anyone in the english speaking world, the logo is a red "S" on a yellow background inside of a red diamond shape.  Okay, simple enough, the S stands for Superman.  However, Clark Kent does not read it the same way.  On Clark's home planet, that symbol stands for hope.  He originally chose the symbol because it meant that, however his audience interpreted it another way and subsequently named the man of steel, Superman.    The symbol arguably does still inspire hope, however it most certainly has an entirely different meaning than what Clark had originally intended on.  Although this is just a fictional story about a made up superhero, it illustrates a strong point about how symbols can be defined differently based on who is interpreting them.

The Buffalo Sabres have an intriguing logo.  It is one of the few logos throughout the National Hockey League that uses no letters and only an image to convey it message, buffalo sabres logo.  The logo is rather clever.  It depicts a buffalo charging between two crossed sabre swords.  The colors are those of the team the symbol represents and the combination of images quickly communicates it's message to anyone even remotely familiar to the NHL.