Behind the scenes look at my postcard

The process of creating this postcard helped to demonstrate how imperative it is to be able to understand and be familiar with all three of these applications, so that the visuals you create can be as effective as possible. Mandating students to use all three applications forces them to become more familiar with all of them and ultimately a better designer.

When creating my postcard I decided to use a black background that has three spotlights coming from the top, that helps to illuminate the upper third of the postcard. I chose this background because when I think of public relations I think of being in the spotlight and being the spokesperson for a company or organization. In order to succeed in public relations you need to be willing to step up and get your message out no matter what the circumstance is, so I believe the spotlights help to add a unique effect to the postcard.

I chose to use the lime green colored text for the header, sub-header, and graphic because I felt that it contrasted very well with the black background. It helped to let the text and graphic pop off the page and set the hierarchy for the postcard. At first glance, you immediately see the lime green and it communicates exactly who's postcard it is and what career path I am heading down, which I believe are the two most important components of the postcard.

I chose to you use a font titled new athletic 52. I used this because I ideally would like to work in sports PR in some capacity so I thought this added another interesting feature. I also thought making the font color white would help it make it much easier to read. The font was also larger, and bolder and made reading it a lot easier on the viewer's eyes.

In terms of the design hierarchy, I chose to have my head shot photo cover over a third of the postcard so that viewers know what I am ultimately trying to highlight. Secondly, I tried to emphasize the header, sub-header, PR graphic, and the graphics of the different sports equipment. This helps people to put a name and general idea of what I want to do without even reading the text Lastly, I decided to put the least amount of emphasis on the text in the middle. It does cover a strong portion of the postcard but I just feel as though when people take a a quick glance at it they'll be able to depict exactly who I am and what I want to do by looking at the other components.

Having the ability to use all three applications was definitely a necessity for this assignment. There were just so many different elements needed to finish the project properly, that you needed to know how to use all three. These elements including having to use Photoshop to properly crop and trace your photo, using Illustrator to edit graphics so they are ready to be placed in InDesign, and finally, use InDesign to help put it all together in one place.

What does your logo say about you?

A well-thought-out and creatively designed logo can be the difference between a company making it or breaking it. It is like finding the holy grail if people reach the point where they can instantly recognize your logo and identify it with your company. Some companies take a more simplistic approach, while others choose to captivate you with an array of different colors and graphics. Both ways can be effective if the designer or designers take the time to carefully construct the logo and have a strong grasp of who their target audience is. Here are some logos from a variety of different companies in the world that includes a brief description of what makes them effective.





This is the logo for the German automobile manufacturer BMW.
The balance, symmetry, color scheme, and pattern used in this logo help to make it both captivating and easy on the eyes. In addition to that, the design is very simple and is free of unnecessary components that distract the viewer from seeing the proper message. It also gives off a sleek, shiny look that almost helps signify that offers luxury vehicles.

This is "Jumpman" logo owned by Nike that refers to it's Michael Jordan-related merchandise. This is an extremely recognizable logo among not only sports fans, but to a majority of the people in the United States, under 35 years old. What makes this logo so great is how it takes an incredibly well-known moment in NBA history and turns it into such a simple looking and minimalistic logo that everyone is still able to recognize and relate to. The designer(s) did an excellent job of emphasizing Jordan in the logo and not adding anything else to divert your attention. "Less is more," definitely holds true in this instance.

This is the logo for the free web browser Mozilla Firefox. The vibrant colors and graphic used helps to make this an extremely arresting and captivating logo. The use of the bright, fiery yellow-orange colored fox forces you to stare at it for an extra couple of seconds. Also, the idea of wrapping the fox around an image of the earth like that to show how your internet-service is available all over the globe, is very creative and well put together.

This is the logo for ESPN anchor Scott van Pelt's new show. This logo is literally just a silhouette and somewhat animated version of what he looks like with headphones on. The simplicity of this logo is what helps it to be so relatable and well-designed. It is symmetrical, balanced, and again, doesn't have any unnecessary components to divert attention. Any one who has ever watched Sportscenter should appreciate this logo.

The final logo is the logo for Lowe's, a home improvement store. This logo is simple and its design does a great job of identifying what exactly it offers to a customer, by having its name surrounded by an outline of a home. The color blue they use also is soothing on the eyes and almost helps you to imagine that you are outside improving your home on a beautiful, sunny day. This can hopefully help to instill positive thoughts among people when they think of the company.




These five logos help to demonstrate how either approach can be effective. For example, when comparing both the "Jumpman" logo and the Firefox logo you can see how Nike used a more simplistic approach by just placing a basic, white silhouette of Michael Jordan on top of a black background, while Firefox went with a more vibrant colored and cartoonish looking graphic of a fox. This blog hopefully helped to show just how important it is to have a strongly designed and well-thought-out logo.