STA Blog

Shape and Pattern Training

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Assignment: Create and Learn more Shapes and Patterns

Step 1: Create three shapes

These shapes had to fit three styles – free and lazy, direct and authoritative, and energetic and fun.

After this, I was tasked with creating various patterns and shapes within adobe illustrator with a set color pattern. I had already known about the basic pattern tool, but was able to play around with it to create something more energetic and exciting.

 

This ultimately came off very 90s – but in a good way.

What I Learned:

  • Patterns are more interesting if there is variety – in shape, in color, even in rotation
  • The pathfinder tool is extremely useful for merging or separating two separate objects or images
  • You can make many, many shapes with the pen curve tool! I love this tool!
  • Sticking with one color palette is…tricky, but very fun and rewarding. I enjoyed working within constraints on this one.
  • Lining up shapes is great, but if you purposely misalign it can make for an interesting pattern (see: top left.)

AI Logo Design

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AI Logo Design

Last week I began working on the logo design training. I wanted to create a logo for my brand that I could you for my website.

Main Roadblocks:

  • Trying to figure what my brand is? Who am I? What purpose will this logo hold?
  • Not making the design overly complicated since logos can be small.
  • Typography… how do you choose which font is best for a logo?

Deciding Factors:

  • Rose or the crown… not both
  • Typography… try to choose a cohesive font.

 

 

Fun Art Things

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FUN ART THINGS

 

I decided to show some stuff I have been working on for class outside of work. For my advance print class I made this huge textile and added a lot of embellishments to it.  The project took hours to do.

 

I now have a final project that is supposed to be on display in a show in the art building and honestly I have no idea what to make after this last one I did. Last night I scanned my face to try to inspire some ideas but I got nothing that I feel like will get me a good grade in class because sadly that’s what it’s about.

 

Also Maddy and I went to the letterpress event and the opening to Austin Design Week it was super fun and great and I got to walk away with a print!

 

Week XII

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Week XII

CoLA Refresh Project

This week, preparing for Phase 3, we were mostly compiling a list of department contacts in a spreadsheet. Besides some amusing inconsistencies with the list of majors/programs/unknowns, not too much to remark on. Besides that and some unfinished trainings, I did get a design sidequest from Suloni:

LAITS location – map illustration for web

My instructions here were to update the old LAITS location map from the site.

I liked the warm, retro palette of the old design, so I reused it for my first draft (misreading Suloni’s instructions to draft a colorless outline first)

Suloni asked me to redo it with less outlines and a sleeker, flatter modern look, as well as a cooler palette, so as of writing, this is my current draft!

web refresh update~

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As of last Monday evening, the redesigned Dean’s sites are live! You can view them at the same URL as before. Everyone involved has expressed their satisfaction and excitement w/ the sites, so I was very happy to be part of this effort. Here are a couple screenshots.

 

Now that that’s finished, and pending any help / edit requests (which usually go to Public Affairs anyway), the COLA refresh team has started finding and reaching out to contacts from all the units in COLA (this includes departments, centers, institutes, research units, programs, and so forth). There are over a hundred of them, so it’s a pretty big undertaking that requires a bit of back and forth.