Sunday, November 27, 2016

Logo Development Project Phase 2: Final Design and Production Art

Hello Students,
For this project you will review the 15 examples you created in the prior project. Identify the strongest example(s) and further develop them, resulting in a single logo rendered as final production art. This assignment has multiple deliverables, so focus on reading and understanding the expectations laid out below before beginning.

Final Logo Development Project:

  • Take the strongest example of your previous project and develop it further, explore it's design, create 3 strong variations of your final design, explore layout and graphic options, choose the best version and render it as final production art meeting the deliverables below.
  • To evaluate your best designs, email the finished results of your previous project and or the current state of your designs to me as JPG's and I will email feedback and offer suggestions on how to progress and refine your design.
  • For final production art you will create and post a version in black and white and one in color, you will also post your 3 pencil sketches alongside your final vector artwork. Presentation and quality counts. Show the versatility of your logo design with different sizes, colors and how it might be used against different backgrounds, white on black, black on white etc.
Deliverables:
  • 3 Logo design variations based on strongest design(s) from previous project. Email these to me for feedback before proceeding.
  • When given feedback, render your 1 final logo rendered vector art, in both color and black and white/white on black and in 3 sizes from large to small (64X64 pixels). Alter or edit smallest version if needed for clarity
    • To clarify: Final Logo is posted as...
      • Full Color
      • Black on white background
      • White on black background
      • 3 sizes from Full size, to small (think business card size) to Icon size (64X64 Pixels, unique pixel art modifications may be needed)
Grading:

3 Logo Variations are Due by Friday, Final Logo artwork is Due Next Wednesday - Mr.W


Previous Student Examples: Low Performing:


This design shows poor execution and failed to meet assignment deliverables. There is no attention paid to the quality of the line work. The logo is not describable. The logo is not expressive of it's organizations purpose.


Medium Performing:


This logo shows good craftsmanship but received a poor rating as it was appropriated from a pre-existing design


High Performing:

These examples showed strong design skills, good craftsmanship and students met required deliverables for the assignment. Strong original designs can be a shining example in a young designers portfolio.









Sunday, November 13, 2016

New Project: Logo Design and Development


Students,
For this in depth project, you will create a series of logo designs to explore different logo creation styles and then sketch and design a final logo design for use in your portfolio as a work sample. Once complete you will use this logo to create an identity package, which is our next project. Read the assignment details thoroughly!

I recommend you use Illustrator for this project. You could use the final logo design as the center piece to your final portfolio website, so consider logo themes that describe you and will work well in different environments.

Overview - Rules and Principals of Logo Design:
1. A logo must me describable
2. A logo must be memorable
3. A logo must be effective without color
4. A logo must be scaleable. So it should look good at 12"X12" and 1"X1"
5. A logo should be appropriate for it's audience and brand



Logo Design Assignment Details:
There are 5 logo examples below, you will create your own logo designs, 3 for each of the 5 styles for 15 designs. You will then design a final design utilizing the best of all styles, for the final design you will pencil sketch 3 different designs before evaluating the best choice and completing final artwork.
Create an imaginary company, organization or think of what you would like to do if you begun your own business. For instance if I was doing this assignment I would create logo's for Wilson Enterprises, Wilson Design Group or Wilson Co. etc.

Create 3 versions of each of the logo style examples below:

1. Typeface only: Create 3 logo's using a different font for each one. Pay attention to spacing between your letters. Think of clever ways you can make a simple font-only logo have impact. Use color, proximity, contrast to your advantage.



2. Typeface's combined: Create 3 logo's that use 2 different fonts, make your font choice strategic to add emphasis and draw attention.



3. Typeface plus an art element: Create 3 examples of an arranged logo that uses a typeface plus some simple elements, rectangles, lines or dots. Sketch on paper to aid your creativity if needed.


4. Typeface plus a shape or symbol: Create 3 examples of a logo that uses a typeface and an image or symbol that is relevant to your logo's subject matter. Sketch on paper to aid your creativity if needed.



5. Shape or Symbol logo with typeface: Create 3 examples of a logo that makes the symbol or shape dominant and the typeface subordinant. Sketch on paper to aid your creativity if needed. Include a written explanation and description of your symbol or imagery.




Due Dates: Logo designs 1-5 are due Tuesday


Previous Student Logo Developments:

High Performing:
These examples show strong design development, consistency and good application of the principles and elements of design. Additionally they all show strong technical skills.










 Medium Performing:
This set of designs shows progression and focus on design elements and principles up to a point.  Perhaps too much polarity in the more advanced designs failed to yield a refined conclusion. Sometimes a train of thought must be explored deeper to yield an effective resolution to a design problem.


Low Performing:
This low performing result fails to meet assignment parameters. Additionally it does not display mastery technical skills or understanding of design elements and principles.





- Mr.W

Thursday, November 10, 2016

Logo Design Evolution Writing Assignment

Overview: This is a short writing assignment where you will research the logo history of a brand or company of your choice. Use the Internet to research the design, show different versions, and discuss the language behind the design. Below is a short video about the Apple logo, it covers the original versions and shows it's progression and development to its current form.




Research Assignment:
  • Use the Internet to research the history of a logo of your choice. Choose a brand/company/organization that has been around a while for the best results.
  • Read about the history of the logo design and the symbolism or meaning of the logo. Use search terms such as "history of the "brand X" logo" or "symbolism of "brand X" logo". Try different search terms and read everything you can find.
  • Does your brand have different versions of the logo design? Download 3 examples. They could be older versions, newer versions or versions that were used in other countries.
  • Seek to answer these questions: When was the logo originally created? How does the original logo design differ from the current logo design and why? Does the current logo design retain any elements from the original logo design? What is the meaning of the logo design? What does it symbolize? Are their any hidden symbols or meaning in the design?
  • Save bookmarks or download any information you find. Take notes to use in your writing assignment.
Writing Task:
Write a 2-3 paragraph summary (14pt text, 150 words minimum) of what you have learned about the logo you chose to research.
Answer these questions in your paper:
  • When was the logo originally created?
  • How does the original logo design differ from the current logo design and why?
  • Does the current logo design retain any elements from the original logo?
  • What elements define this logo's "DNA" or "style".
  • Show examples of the logo design progression over time
  • What design elements does this logo demonstrate (ie; color, patterns, repetition, alignment, etc) and how does it utilize them?
Paper should be typed in Microsoft Word, Pages or Google Docs, or in your blog. Post your content to your blog for full credit.

Student Example:


Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Writing a Good Great List of References

Students,
It is incredibly important to develop a great list of references. These references will help you obtain jobs, college admissions or acceptance into special programs.

Who makes a good reference?
  • Employer
  • Co-worker
  • Teacher
  • Coach
  • Counseler
  • Present or past employer
  • Family friend
  • Anyone that can speak highly of your abilities, skills and worth

References to avoid:
  • Anyone under 18
  • Personal friends
  • family members
  • Anyone who cannot speak highly of your abilities or skills

Important Tips:
The format of your references should match your resume exactly, same header, same fonts.
Do not include references on your resume
Include at least three references
All references should be responsible adults who know you well and can speak to your character and skills
Always ask whether or not someone is willing to be a reference before including them in your list
Verify the contact information before handing over to an employer

Format:
Use the following format for your references

Persons Name:   Bob Smith
Email:                b.smith@molandspring.com
Address:            123 Fake Street
                          Santa Cruz Ca, 95060
Phone #:             (831) 555-4321
Title and              Business Owner
work place:         Moland Spring Bottled Water

Grading:
Your resume's and reference lists are graded assignments. For a total of 10 points, grading is as follows:
2Pts - Resume and List of References is complete per Handbook Guidelines
2Pts - Resume and List of References is well formatted and easy to read
2Pts - Resume and List of References contains no typos or errors
2Pts - Resume and List of References are two separate documents with consistent style, font and header
2Pts - Resume and List of References are emailed to me as PDF files with descriptive file names (don't send a file called "untitled.pdf")


Friday, November 4, 2016

Long Term Project: Portfolio Development

Hello Students,

Having a polished and professional looking portfolio is key to your success in finding work after High School and moving on to developing a career. Download the ROP Portfolio Handbook to use as a guide for creating your own portfolio, a requirement in all ROP classes.

Portfolio's are due by the end of the semester and must be ready for presentation, evaluation and critique (make it perfect!). You will complete a digital version as a PDF file for evaluation. Class winner will be able to print and prepare their portfolio for inclusion in the Portfolio Showcase competition. Everyone can print a copy to keep and report covers will be provided if possible.


Remember that the best portfolio in class will be sent to the portfolio design competition that ROP has at the end of each school year, your portfolio will compete against other graphic design classes across the county, and there are prizes!
A judge evaluates print portfolio's from past entrants...
Portfolio Cover Design Assignment:
  • Design an eye catching cover design for you your portfolio
  • Include your name, the title of this class, the school you are currently attending and the year
  • Design your cover for standard letter size 8.5X11 inch paper
  • When you are done post your portfolio cover design to your blog
  • Cover design is due on wednesday

Portfolio Development Long Term Assignment:
  • Your portfolio must be created in Indesign and the final file must be a multi-page PDF document
  • Use the Pages palette to create multiple pages for your portfolio with Indesign
  • Your portfolio cover, table of contents and all materials should look clean and consistent. Use consistent design style across all aspects of your portfolio, this includes color, typography, layout and style

Your Portfolio must contain in this order: See portfolio handbook for more details...
  1. Cover page with your name, class title, year. Spend some time on this, it should show good design skill and be reflective of your personality
  2. Table of contents
  3. Letter of Introduction
  4. Resume
  5. Handwritten Job Application 
  6. List of References
  7. Letter of Recommendation -  cannot be from your ROP teacher or a family member
  8. 3 or more work samples with written explanation about the work, why is it important to your career choice? What did the project entail, what were the challenges and difficulties? Give us details.
How Your Portfolio Is Evaluated:
  • Contains required content and format
  • Well organized
  • Free of grammer problems
  • ROP related work samples
  • Shows creativity
  • Nice appearance
  • Shows skill development
  • Appropriate for use in job search
  • Professional appearance
  • Nice presentation
A print portfolio can take many forms, it can be professionally bound, stitched by hand or bound with a spiral ring... how will you create your portfolio, what will make it stand out above the rest?

Tips For Winning The Portfolio Competition:
In the last few years the portfolio competition has gotten fierce, especially for the graphic design category. Other schools have printing facilities that we don't, so you must use your creativity, ingenuity and eye for design to stand above the rest. Consider purchasing a large format portfolio binder and printing work samples at 11X17", or consider making a hand-bound book format to showcase your work. The limits are only contained by your creativity!
Use this as a rough guide to laying out your own portfolio...
Ok, have fun!

Student Portfolio Cover Design Samples: