Kayaking

   Now, I'm not an enthusiast or anything, but I love kayaking. Anything to get myself out of the house and into the sunshine. Now, it's a little early for kayaking, but I went anyway. I didn't intend to flip, so why should I worry about the temperature of the water, right? I got some pretty decent images out of the trip, so I thought I'd share...

Lily Pads

Uprooted Tree

Sunset

Portfolio Day

The end of the term finally came. What we were all gearing up for was the completion of our portfolios, and we all finished in time. Kudos! We had a special day dedicated to showing off our portfolios to our families, friends, and local business owners looking for employees. My portfolio is displayed below.

Thinking back over all my classes, this class was by far my favorite. I can actually hold the benefit (my portfolio) of all my time spent there. Not only that, but also for the amazing people I got to work with. Most of us are now moving on to the work force or to another school. Good luck, guys!

Redesign #9

 

Goal: Create a catalog of textures. Make your own images. Include an index and order form. 4/8 pages shown above.

Redesign #8

 

Goal: Draw a stippling to use as an image on a wine bottle. Create a front, back and cap label for your fictional winery.

Redesign #7

Goal: Create a multipage document that includes type, pictures, and an index/menu. Create a theme that will draw attention... i.e. Facebook.

Chicago

 

 

   Every once in a while you need to get out of town, ya know? Explore the world and come back home with a new perspective and hopefully, if you're an artist, some inspiration. Well, my little escape came in the form of a weekend in Chicago.

   This wasn't my first time there, of course. I've made a little habit out of going there every couple years to see the following: 1) the Art Institute of Chicago 2) a Broadway Musical 3) the Blue Man Group.

 

  

 

 This trip I did two out of three. There was a special visitor's promotion going on, so I got to see the: Adler Planetarium, Shedd's Aquarium, Field Museum, and the Art Institute. All of which are within walking distance and sight of eachother. Lucky me, because I'm horrible with directions. Unfortunately, my next stop was across town. After a two hour state of confusion about where I was and where I needed to go, I caught a later than intended showtime by the Blue Man Group. I simply can't get sick of that show, and I highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen it before. I got a lot of pictures from the trip, and had a lot of fun...but all vacations must come to an end. 

   I'm back in West Michigan now. No muse or lightbulb has appeared, but I'm feeling much more upbeat and focused. That can't be a coincidence, right?

Redesign #6

Goal: Choose a letter of the Greek or Phonecian alphabet. Write a description of what that letter symbolizes. Create a three page layout with the elements of symbol, title, and body copy on each page. First page must emphasize on the symbol. Second page must focus on the title or name of the letter. Third page must draw attention to the body copy of the description.

Redesign #5

 

Goal: Create a visual identity system for yourself. Include logo, business card, envelope, letterhead, and two promotional pieces.

Museums and Deck Guns

Great Lakes Naval Memorial and Museum

Last weekend my friends and I decided to break out of our usual routine, and we found ourselves on the U.S.S. Silversides in Muskegon, MI. We had a blast on the self-guided tour of the sub, posing and mugging for the camera. I'll never claim to be a master of photography, but I found myself thinking ahead of what I could do in Photoshop to make some cool shots. I ended up making this panorama of myself manning the Silversides deck gun.

Jayhawk Baseball

March 20, 2012 -- Muskegon Community College Jayhawks crush Alma College 13-0. The Jayhawks started the 2012 season by winning 10 out of 11 games. In this particular game they threw 6 no-hit innings out of 7, and a Jayhawk stole two bases after Alma lost control of the ball.

It was a great game. I'm glad I was on campus to get some pictures, including this one, for the college newspaper.

Redesign #4

 Goal: Create a multipage document explaining the different meanings of three chosen colors in four selected countries. 3/8 pages shown above.

Redesign #3

 

Goal: Create three book jackets that resemble an existing book series.

The Bay Window

It’s hard to get your foot in the door when going into the workforce. You want a job? Employers want to see experience on your resume. For designers, they want to see a great portfolio too. How are you supposed to get experience if no one will hire you before you get it?

Luckily, I found an internship opportunity through Muskegon Community College early on in the pursuit of my associate’s degree. There was a desperate need for help on the college newspaper after the Muskegon Chronicle published a story pronouncing the Bay Window dead. Read the article here.

I helped with the paper’s resurrection at the start of the next term, and got myself some design experience in the process. I was learning as I went, as was everyone else. Working for a newspaper presents a unique set of challenges for a designer: there are strict design rules to maintain visual identity and unity, teamwork between page designers to control the amount of content per page, and tight deadlines that can keep you up all night. It is stressful.

After my internship was up, I realized I was hooked to the job. I really wanted the paper to survive. I believed in it. It was worth it.

Not only does it offer a great opportunity to graphic designers, like myself, but to photographers, website designers, musical artists, creative writers, columnists and reporters as well. It helps these students either get their work published or their accomplishments and events publicized. It provides paychecks in a bad economy, credits toward a college degree, extra credit for students struggling in classes, and internships for experience in desired work fields. Overall, the paper is much more than something to read.

I’m happy to say I’m the lead layout designer this year, and I’m getting others involved. The paper isn’t dead. Hopefully it never will be. It’s far too valuable a resource to the students here at MCC.

To get involved, you can do one of the following:

email baywindow@muskegoncc.edu

call 231.777.0542

visit room 208 on Monday afternoons at 3:30pm

Redesign #2

 

Goal: Design a poster expressing your position on a civil rights topic. Use only shapes, color, and type.

Regular Season Ends

For all you who are unaware, I'm involved in a competitive women's volleyball league. We've been doing very well, only losing to one team thus far. They are newcomers to the league and are led by one of our team member's daughters. The situation has created a friendly rivalry between our two teams, so it's looking like the upcoming championship game will be very interesting. Tournaments start next week!

Redesign #1

 

Goal: Recreate a masterpiece and put it on a poster design for an upcoming art exhibit.