Portfolio Design: From Concept to Final Product Layout

1. art 127 :: graphic symbolism week 16 :: a

2. :: in-class example • Elf Design - Logo Design Process • http://www.elf-design.com/processLogo.html

3. :: in-class example • Ian Landsman’s Weblog - Creating a Business Logo • http://www.userscape.com/blog/2005/01/31/creating-a-business-logo/

4. :: today’s agenda • Today is a working day • choose which designs you would like to add to your portfolio • work on any sketches that you need to “clean” up • scan your sketches, then clean them up in Photoshop • design your 8.5 x 11 layout for your chosen portfolio items • what is the narrative of your portfolio entry?

5. :: in-class presentation • how to prepare your web site to become a portfolio entry • gather all of your assets • creative brief • sketches • all iterations of your digital logo designs • save out 300dpi images of your content (sketches mainly) • make a folder to place all of your content • clean up your illustrator files • consider copying and pasting all assets into one file • digitize your sketches (scan them, clean them up, save them out as uncompressed .tiffs) • design your layout • you can use either Illustrator or InDesign

6. :: in-class project • Tips for digitizing your sketches • “clean” up your sketches before scanning them • use a thick black marker in order to get a high contrast scan • adjust the scanner contrast settings before scanning • scan your sketches at 300dpi • clean them up in Photoshop • erase dirt and unnecessary artifacts from your scan • don’t go crazy with this, they are sketches after all • adjust your image (levels, contrast, etc.) • save out all images as uncompressed .tifs into the folder that you made for all of your portfolio content

7. :: in-class project • tips for designing your portfolio layout • design the layout for how you want to show the progression of your designs from sketch to final • consider a diagram/flowchart/heirarchy tree showing the full design process on one page • use the layout example that I show in class as an example if you like, but please feel free to design your own as well • you can design your layout in either portfolio or landscape view • things to keep in mind: • what is the narrative of my portfolio entry? • beginning, middle, & end • beginning: what is the primary design problem at hand? who is the client? what is the targeted audience? what is your primary goal/objective for the site? what are the major obstacles? • middle: what steps did you take to try to solve your design problem(s)? • end: how did you ultimately solve/resolve all of your design problems? • how can I best show this full design problem solving process from concept to final design?

8. :: in-class project • elements to consider including in your portfolio entry: • your name, the class, the date • a project title • brief description of the project (1 or two paragraphs at the most - consider including your primary goals/objectives, main design problems at hand, and target audience) • very rough sketches • very clean sketches • thematic titles/captions for all images • color studies • typography studies • multiple rounds of designs • a diagram/flowchart/hierarchy tree that demonstrates the full design process on one page

9. :: last homework assignment due :: 12.08.05 • Portfolio entry items • assignment: Choose one or more designs that you produced in this class and prepare them to become a part of your personal portfolio. Design the layout of your portfolio entries in such a way that demonstrates the full design process from concept to final product. • format: • digital:800x600 72dpi .gifsor .pdf file of your portfolio entry • printouts: 8.5” x 11” sheets of paper