pin stripes aren't just for cars

One of my friends in going to Japan this summer and requested that I design him some business cards to pass out to the businesses he will be visiting. This is the first business card I've designed for someone not in the design field.

Without a logo, I had to use the font and layout to create visual interest. I also wanted his card to stand out among the usual boring layout for business cards. I chose the dark red for two reasons, 1. he loves red 2. it automatically catches the eye. Not to mention it is very classy when placed with black, white and gray.

I got inspiration from other business cards I looked at and turned the contact info on end. By graying it, I add texture, but leave the other info to stand out. There is a visual hierarchy in this design. Lining everything up is the key to this design. His majors/minors are lined up perfectly with the last letter of his last name. Then the contact info is lined up with the majors/minors. After lining everything up, I realized the card needed some form of solid structure, aligned text wasn't heavy enough. So I added a pin stripe. It adds that extra weight and structure. The contact info and major/minors have something to be grounded to. Not to mention it separates his name from the other info. The pin stripe adds a classic look, which will be (hopefully) appreciated in the business world, I mean, why else would they put it on suits?!

A new frame of mind

Not too long ago I bought a set of 10 black picture frames in various sizes at Target (the smallest is like 2.5 x 3.5 and the largest is 8 x 10) . The possibilities were endless on how and with what I could display. I decided to print off a different word for each frame. The size of the frame impacted the size of the word chosen. I chose words that have meaning to me and remind me of certain truths in life. My existing decor, rust reds, burnt oranges, chocolate browns, and avocado greens, decided the color pallet.

I hung these up by myself....using a leveler. The picture doesn't do it justice of how straight these are in real life. I am very proud of myself for tackling such a task. I secured them with the 3M command velcro strips.

This is a classy, simple way to decorate. I highly recommend it, though don't get too fancy with your fonts, unless it goes well with your existing decor.

Russian Constructivism Inspired Flyer

"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God,

did not consider equality with God something to be grasped -

but made himself nothing,

taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man,

he humbled himself

and became obedient to death -

even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place

and gave him the name that is about every name,

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father. "

Philippians 2:5-11

Just recently I designed a flyer/shirt for this retreat. The theme for the retreat was " Down is the new Up" illustrating how Christ humbled himself, made himself a servant, and God exalted him. An illustration using arrows would be used to convey this concept to the students. In my designs I used arrows and then I realized that I needed some more inspiration. Arrows reminded me of Russian Constructivism which reminded me of one of the albums of the music group Franz Ferdinand...so I did some research and was inspired and this is what happened. In order to give it that feel I needed simple colors. Black, and white were a must. Red was used in Russia, but I didn't want to favor the U of A colors. I went with a light bright blue. Neither feminine, or too masculine. Since it is the Spring retreat, I thought a bright blue would fit.

The theme of the Russian Constructivism continued in the san serif, bold fonts.

The arrows show movement and illustrate the point being made. This is really a simple, fun design, and I am very proud of it. It was made for the shirts as well, but everthing that was black is white and everything white was the color of the shirt. So the arrows are black on the shirt. "Sand" was the color chosen for the shirts, it went well with the design and the blue.

Yay for Russian Constructivism!

Lilies

Wow, it has been a long time since my last post. I apologize, so several posts will follow this one to catch everyone up on what I've been up to!

This blog is not just for my design, but a place where I can post things I believe have good design elements. Lilies are one of those. I received these for Valentine's Day from a special someone. I love lilies. Their form, color, in this instance the simple white and green, their shape and texture, and most of all, their aroma. My apartment smelled like lilies for for 2 weeks straight! Lilies are bold, but delicate and with an exotic flair. He did good!

Deeper Life Retreat logo

"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take rest. Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly" Matthew 11:28-30 The Message.

This is the theme for our Deeper Life Retreat. This is the logo I came up with. When I think of grace, I think of the Jars of Clay song "Grace" and that song personifies grace as something that can be poured... a liquid of some sorts. I think of blues and greens and fluidity. This retreat will be focused on the personal aspects of our Spiritual (i.e. The Holy Spirit) life. I have represented the Sacraments in my design, all connected with lines (of grace). I also wanted it to have a modern stained glass feel. Stained glass was used to illustrate the Bible in an illiterate society. the goblet/wine = Christ's blood,

the pitcher = baptism/water from Christ's side,

and wheat= Christ's body broken for us

Rhythms of Grace = Rhythms in our relationship with God.

Life Community Logos

Here are the Life Community group logo samples. The concentric circles in green is the Wesley logo, so for the Life Community groups I thought it would be fun to make them different colors... now which color scheme to choose! I don't want anything with too much green or red. I wanted to the font to be fresh but not too trendy. I have my personal favorite of the 4 but I'd like to know what you think. I think this is a really fun and descriptive combination mark (logo with name)

The Gathering Logo

The Gathering.... our weekly corporate worship event at the chapel. A time for our Life Community groups to come together and fellowship. The font on this is "the" Wesley font in the Wesley logo. Since the Gathering happens in the Wesley chapel it is only fitting that the Gathering is similar bit different. I have outlined it in green instead of using a fill color. The logo itself is composed of 3 equilateral triangles with the illusion of advancing into space and to echo the themes of the Trinity. The Wesley Chapel is based off the equilateral triangle (as a symbol of the Trinity) with beams supporting it... so this logo is very similar to what the inside of the chapel looks like, this space where we come to worship. I have replaced the "A" with this logo/shape for two reasons. 1: The "A" in this font is a triangle and 2: I wanted to put the logo in a new place other than above, or on either side, I wanted to mix things up!