My New CV

I have recently updated my CV with a new look and content. I feel that this latest design reflects my character and my work very effectively.

Hopefully this will help kickstart my career in the design industry.

The PDF version can be viewed and downloaded from here.

Book Cover Final Design - The Guardian

After much tweaking and feedback from my client I have created the final design for The Guardian book cover. The design now features a young girl's face within the silhouette of the angel image. The text is the same as previous drafts, with the added subtitle of "the brotherhood series".

I decided to add some falling feathers into the background and a blue hue overall which I think adds more depth the the design.

The book will be first released as an e-book on Amazon's Kindle store and hopefully will become published into print at a later date.

I have thoroughly enjoyed working on this design and with my client, Lindsay. She has been very helpful with her feedback and constructive with her criticism, it was a great insight into client/designer relations in the design industry.

Please follow Lindsay's blog and twitter for all the latest news on the The Guardian.

Book Cover Design - The Guardian

My work friend has asked me to design a cover for her first ever book. The book is called "The Guardian" and is a teenage fiction novel featuring angels and demons.

With this knowledge in hand I created a mood board to show my client what ideas I had in mind.

The mood board featured various imagery of angels, artistic styles and various types of font that I believe would work well. My client was happy with what I had shown her and picked out her favourite font from the selection I had provided.


For the next step,  I created a mock up design using standard dimensions of paper-back book covers. I decided to to use my "crouching angel" drawing that I had created earlier, however I went over it with a brush tipped pen and water to create calligraphy effect.

I went for a grungy/dirty feel as I think it works well with the drawing style and the genre of the book.

I added the title and authors name using separate fonts, if the book is published I will have to make sure  that I've bought the licence to use these fonts.

After some feedback from my client I have created a second mock up design for the cover. 

My client wanted the cover to include a young woman's face as to reflect the main female character in the book. I drew a sketch of a face, scanned it in and manipulated it on photoshop so that I would be in the back ground of the image, but slightly faded so not to conflict with the rest of the images in the design. I also amended the author's name to her chosen Pen name.

I am now awaiting feedback of the second cover mock up.

Follow Lindsay's blog to find out more about the book and to keep up to date with developments.

Portfolio

I have created a portfolio to showcase my best work up to now. I have tried to keep the design similar to my CV and blog to create a continuing brand identity. I like the simple, clean design and the bold but easy to read font.

I have decided to keep it in only electronic format and plan to save it on a branded USB stick which can be given out (see image below). The electronic format means that I can also email it to companies and easily add new pages.

I have saved it as a PDF as this is a industry standard for publications such as my portfolio and it allows computers and applications of various types to open it without any change to the layout of the document.

See my portfolio here.

Eye-catching Graphic Design

The main aim of graphic design is to appeal to the target audience while also reflecting the subject matter appropriately. This can be done by using various design techniques and strategies.

Typeface 

Typefaces are an extremely important component of graphic design and can completely change the way a person reacts to a piece of design. A typeface can change the way a person feels about a company or organisation and can attract a certain type of person or, in turn, repel a certain demographic of people.

Basic font structure like Serif and Sans Serif can completely change the whole feel of a piece of graphic design. Serif fonts give more of a personal and flowing feel and for that reason are commonly used in books. Sans serif fonts have more of a cleaner, modern feel and are often used for signage and advertising due to being easy read quickly.

There are many more font structures to be considered when designing such as; italics, boldness and kern. With over 200,000 typefaces to choose from it is very important that a graphic designer chooses one that will best suit the overall design.

Typefaces were an important device used in propaganda posters,

they communicate the message just as much as the imagery.

The bold, capitalised writing complements the whole poster design.

Logos

Logos are an extremely important aspect of graphic design, they can make a brand instantly recognisable to a person and reinforce a company's identity. The most effective logos are the simplest, a simpler logo is easier to recognise and sticks in a person's mind more so.

The ultimate aim for a organisation is to have a logo that sticks in the public's consciousness to the extent that a person would recognise anywhere at anytime and know what it represents. Some brands to achieve this feat include Nike, McDonalds, Apple and Disney.

Images 

The use of images in graphic design is very important. Whether it's an illustration or a photograph an image can catch a person's eye and make them notice the design. Imagery can be used to make a piece of design almost look like a piece of art, which in turn makes it more personal and memorable for people. It can help communicate a product or an idea in a way that words could never do. Imagery allows an organisation to evoke emotions and feelings in people to it's benefit. It cannot be denied that images play a powerful role in graphic design.

Photography has been used in graphic design since the invention of the camera. It allows realistic and detailed images to be used and has become an art form in it's own right, with the advent of digital manipulation it is possible to create amazing images that turn heads but still have a sense of realism.

Illustration has been used in graphic design in some form for hundreds of years, such as the first illustrated bibles of the middle ages. Illustration can take any form, it can be realistic or completely fantastical, it is truly up to what the designer is trying to achieve. In recent years, illustration has been used more in many large companies' marketing  campaigns as the medium tends to feel more personal and friendlier, which is qualities often sought by massive, faceless corporations.

Photography can used to communicate a powerful message.

Illustration can add a unique style to a design.

Graphic design, like all design, is used to engage with people and to communicate ideas and concepts. The use of typefaces, logos and images allow the designer to connect with people effectively and hope fully catch their eye. It is very important that designer thinks about these components when creating.

Book Cover Photo Manipulation

As part of my design project for the The Big Sleep book cover competition I created an image that show cases the design on a real book. I used Adobe Photoshop to over lay the design onto a photograph of a book with the same dimensions. 

I believe that this image allows you to see what the design would look like in the real world and works well to communicate the design message.

The Big Sleep Book Cover - Final Design

I have created the final design of the The Big Sleep cover for the Penguin Design Award and I have just submitted it to Penguin. I am happy with the overall design, even though I had difficulty creating it on Adobe Illustrator.

I now have to just wait for the competition to close on the 9th April and for the entries to be judged. Fingers crossed I get through to the next round!

You can view the full Final Design here.

Texture in Graphic Design

The use of texture in graphics is very important, as textures can change the whole feel and identity of a product. One of the most common ways to add texture to graphic design is by using various types of paper; a heavy gauge paper can give a luxurious, high quality feel. A coarse, rustic paper can give a homemade or vintage feel to a design.

Source:seanwes.com

Another way to add texture is by using various manufacturing a printing techniques. Debossing and embossing is a prime example. Debossing and embossing is adding a sunken or raised surface to the paper or card, this effect is usually used to make letters and logos stand out and gives the design a high-quality feel. The use of high gloss and metallic inks is also quite common and again, gives the design a high-quality, luxurious feel.


When a graphic design is purely digital, textures are usually added by use of layers and give the illusion that the image is on a physical material e.g. a canvas screen.