CDM Brochure

Assignment
o This was a project assigned in my Graphic Design II class.
The goal of this project was to create a magazine spread to
promote the Communication and Digital Media department
at Carthage College.
Target Audience
o This project was aimed towards perspective students and
their families.
Insight (what you observed)
o While brainstorming for this project I did some research on
the different majors that fall in the department and I
noticed that there are some classes that have to be taken
by all of the majors in the department
Approach (get analytical)
o Because of the similar classes I decided that I wanted to
somehow display that idea in the layout of my design so I
experimented with different types of unfolding layouts.
The idea (heart of it all)
o The similar classes within the department led me to the
theme of connection. With that theme I created a layout
that is all connected and unfolds into one united piece.
Why it works
o This design works because it accomplishes what was
assigned, while also illustrating the theme that I used to
create this design.
What I learned
o I learned that printing is an important thing to consider
when designing any layout. You should always have a place
in mind to print and how it needs to be printed when you
are designing.
Writing Center Poster Series
Assignment
o This project was a submission that was received through
Draft, which is the graphic design group at Carthage
College. The writing center on campus contacted Draft for
a series of posters to advertise for three workshops that
they were going to be holding.
Target Audience
o These posters were aimed to target the student body on
campus.
Insight (what you observed)

I was given written information that needed to be laid out in and

eye catching way.
Approach (get analytical)
o I wanted to create something simple that could be read
quickly since these would be hung where people will glance
at them as they pass them on the way to class. The goal
was to be simple, but eye catching.
The idea (heart of it all)
o Because I wanted to keep it simple I made the title the
main focus of the poster hoping it would catch peoples
attention so they would stop to read the rest. I kept the
type layout clean and simple and added a subtle pattern in
the background to add a little more interest to the piece.
Why it works
o It works because the clean layout and bold type catch your
attention and makes for an easy read.
What I learned
o I learned that what is on screen and what actually prints
out doesnt always look the same. On the first prints of the
purple posters the pattern was not visible.
One Ice Cream Advocacy
Assignment
o This project was a submission that was received through
Draft, which is the graphic design group at Carthage
College. A student organization was hosting an ice cream
advocacy event.
Target Audience
o The target audience was the Carthage College Campus.
Insight (what you observed)
o This was an ice cream advocacy event for a petition to
electrify Africa. I wanted to somehow combine those two
topics in my design.
Approach (get analytical)
o After going through some of my ideas I decided that I
somehow wanted to incorporate ice cream and a light bulb.
The idea (heart of it all)
o The idea finally came together as using the light bulb as
the ice cream in an ice cream cone.
Why it works
o This poster works because the image that was created with
the light bulb and the ice cream cone illustrates what the
event is and also what the event is for.
What I learned

o During this project I learned that if you sit down and work
through a few different designs you can come up with
something that will really illustrate your idea.
International Week
Assignment
o This project was a submission that was received through
Draft, which is the graphic design group at Carthage
College. There was a week of events that was happening
on campus that needed a poster and flyer to advertise the
days and times of events.
Target Audience
o These pieces were aimed towards the Carthage College
Campus.
Insight (what you observed)
o When I got this project I noticed that there was a lot of
written information to fit in a small amount of space.
Approach (get analytical)
o Because there was so much information that needed to be
displayed I decided to come up with a simple layout where
information could be easily accessed.
The idea (heart of it all)
o My idea was to go with a layout that would look similar to
what you would seen on a smart phone for a calendar that
would show your upcoming week with the events that you
have scheduled. Once I had all of the information laid out I
decided to give it a little bit of and angle just to add
another level of interest to help it stand out a little more.
Why it works
o This design woks because all of the information was
accessible and organized, which worked for the promotion
of this week of events.
What I learned
o This project gave me experience with a really short
deadline. It also taught me to work with last minute
changes before print.
Proposal Series
Assignment
o This project initially started as a poster for a gallery event
hosted by Draft, which is the graphic design group at
Carthage College. The gallery was for recreations of movie
posters. After I created the poster I really liked it, so I
decided to turn it into a jewelry store series by including a

postcard and an engagement ring box because of the

theme of the movie that I chose.
Target Audience
o This project was created for a gallery that would be
displayed at Carthage College.
Insight (what you observed)
o I decided to recreate the movie poster for The Proposal. I
decided that the best way to do this was to include the
actual proposal that occurs in the movie.
Approach (get analytical)
o Because this scene was already on the current movie
poster I needed to make some changes to my design. One
of the things that I wanted to do was to create it all out of
graphics rather than image.
The idea (heart of it all)
o Because I really wanted to illustrate what was happening
at that moment in the movie I decided to create the
proposal scene out of the lines that were being said in the
movie at that time. I made each person out of the lines
that they were saying and that scene.
Why it works
o It works because the poster both illustrates that specific
scene in the movie and also advertises for the movie. After
I created the poster I really liked it, so I decided to turn it
into a jewelry store series by including a postcard and an
engagement ring box because of the theme of the movie
that I chose.
What I learned
o I learned that if you create one strong piece that you like
you can build off of that design to create a strong series.
LFHP Packaging
Assignment
o This was a project that I received from Lake Forest Hearing
Professionals. They recently started selling hearing
protection on Amazon and wanted some packaging to send
their products out in.
Target Audience
o The target audience is people of all ages shopping for
hearing protection.
Insight (what you observed)
o I noticed that there were two very different size products
that needed packaging so I was going to design two
different sized boxes.

Approach (get analytical)

o Lake Forest Hearing Professionals has a very clean logo, so
I wanted to keep my design simple.
The idea (heart of it all)
o Because I was working with an existing identity system I
needed to keep the packaging design within that identity.
Keeping the design clean, simple, and professional would
fit with the current identity.
Why it works
o It works because it fits within the existing identity system
and professionally advertises the business.
What I learned
o Through this project I learned that consistency is important
when working with an existing identity system.
Type Cube
Assignment
o This was a project assigned in my typography class at
Carthage College. The assignment was to research a
famous typographer and to display these findings in a
creative way on a 6x6 cube.
Target Audience
o The target audience was my typography class.
Insight (what you observed)
o I had a lot of information that I needed to incorporate on to
six different faces, but somehow make them feel united.
Approach (get analytical)
o I wanted to make all of the faces of the cube to feel like
one united piece instead of each on feeling like its own
individual piece.
The idea (heart of it all)
o I wanted to make all of the faces of my cube feel united
instead of separate. To do this I picked out some of Paul
Rands most famous logos and overlapped over the faces
of the cube to help them feel connected. I then added the
information between the logos.
Why it works
o It works because the repeating patterns and overlapping
logos unite the sides into one piece.
What I learned
o This project helped me to learn about layouts for threedimensional artwork and package design. I got to
experiment with how things line up when the flat design is
folded into the three dimensional box.

Ultimate Software
Assignment
o This was a project that I completed for Ultimate Software.
They wanted a slide to display to introduce a global
conference.
Target Audience
o The target audience was employees of Ultimate Software
from many different locations around the world.
Insight (what you observed)
o The Ultimate Software logo is clean and professional which
means that the slide that it is going to be displayed on
needs to be just as professional
Approach (get analytical)
o I needed to create something clean and simple so it
doesnt take away from the logo.
The idea (heart of it all)
o Because it was a global conference I wanted to incorporate
that somehow in the display. I incorporated a globe in the
background behind the logo to keep the design looking
simple and corporate.
Why it works
o It works because it professionally displays the information
that was needed in a way that represents the theme of the
conference.
What I learned
o I learned that sometimes simple is the best way to look
professional.
Islamic Awareness Association
Assignment
o This project was a submission that was received through
Draft, which is the graphic design group at Carthage
College. Islamic Awareness Association was a new group on
campus and they needed a logo.
Target Audience
o The target audience is Carthage Students that are starting
the club and the Carthage College community.
Insight (what you observed)
o This new club needed a logo that would stand out to others
and represent what they stand for.
Approach (get analytical)
o I wanted people to be able to identify what the logo was for
without any words having to explain it. To accomplish that I
had to create something that would be iconic.

The idea (heart of it all)

o For the logo I combined two iconic Islamic symbols. I
created a mosque in the crescent moon with a star over it.
Why it works
o This identity works for this group because it represents
who they are and what they stand for.
What I learned
o Through the process of creating this identity I learned that
logos can directly represent something and be identified
for exactly what they are, or they can have a more abstract
look to them.
Ravinia Poster
Assignment
o I created this poster to enter in a contest for Ravinia.
Ravinia is a big outdoor theater in Highland Park, IL. Every
summer they hold a series of musical events. Each
summer they have a different theme and a contest to
design a poster to advertise the theme of that summers
events.
Target Audience
o The target audience for this piece was the Highland Park
community and Ravinia fans.
Insight (what you observed)
o Because the theme was Summer is Here I needed to
somehow weave together music and summer to create one
united design.
Approach (get analytical)
o One of the things that reminds me most of summer is a
firefly. I wanted to incorporate this iconic creature into my
design, especially because Ravinia is a park like setting.
The idea (heart of it all)
o Because I needed to incorporate music with the firefly I
decided to turn the tail of the firefly into the neck of the
guitar. I then added music notes falling from the wings to
make it look like the firefly is soaring through the air.
Why it works
o This design works because it illustrates what Ravinia is
about. It shows that they are all about enjoying music
under the summer sky.
What I learned
o When creating this poster I learned how to create a glowing
effect. This was something that I felt was necessary for the

piece and will probably be skill that will be used again in

my work.
Meadowsweet Brochure
Assignment
o This piece was created for Meadowsweet Ranch, which is
located in Spring Grove, IL. They provide riding lessons for
all ages and teach riding through a way which the rider and
the horse can better connect with each other. They wanted
a brochure to advertise this style of riding that they teach
as well as advertisement that they welcome people of all
ages.
Target Audience
o The target audience was people of all ages looking to
become more connected with horses.
Insight (what you observed)
o The two main things that they wanted advertised was the
style of teaching that they use and that they welcome all
age groups.
Approach (get analytical)
o I needed to figure out how to equally inform the audience
of all of this information in one brochure.
The idea (heart of it all)
o I decided that the teaching style needed to be described in
words for people to clearly understand how it works, but I
could illustrate all ages by including pictures to illustrate
that idea.
Why it works
o This works because it clearly organizes all of the
information that needed to be included while also
promoting the ranch.
What I learned
o This project taught me how to organize a lot of information
into a small amount of space without making it look
crowded.