{InDesign portfolio}

Business Flyer: Though it might not be what you'd consider a business, if I could start a company right now, I would start a magazine. This flyer for a local magazine with contributions from community members about community activities, supported by community companies. This flyer is intended to be an aid in getting the company started. The large quotes direct the viewer's eyes to the words 'your words here', which makes the viewer question the purpose of this ad. The information in the brackets is meant to provide the necessary details to answer any questions the viewer would have about the magazine. It's set up in paragraph form, with different sized words. The words that are larger are supposed to catch the reader's eye through emphasis. Though there is a variety of color in the flyer, it does not detract from the overall appeal and coherence of the flyer. The logo on the bottom right is simple, yet helps the viewer remember the company name of the connection between the company and the magazine itself. I'm a firm believer in simplicity-I believe that the more simple and bold an advertisement is, the more appealing and effective it will be. Simplicity is a design principle that is seem throughout all of my work.

Music CD Cover: For this CD cover, I chose to use a photograph taken by a good friend of mine, Taylor Wilkins. I love the lines in the picture-the streak of light helps to create movement. Despite the fact that this streak of light is located at the bottom of the picture, the boy's arm draws the eye upwards to the name of the band, fixed at the top. Even on the back of the cover, the element of line is important. The brackets (a favorite design of mine, as you can see) around the track names brings the eyes to the center, as well as provide interest. The brackets help to focus on the track names, while something that would normally be seen as clutter, such as the logo or the barcode, and copyright are all on different sides. The picture used on the back of the cover uses the same image as the front, which helps to provide a sense of unity. The lines carry over, and the color theme stays the same. The simplicity of the album artwork is appealing, and it serves to spark interest in someone browsing through CDs at the music store.

Advertisement: My advertisement is meant to advertise and event that I made up, called Man's Best Friend Adoption Day. The graphic element on the left of the paw is intended to immediately catch the viewer's eye, and show that this event has to do with pets. The viewer will notice this before they even read the title, which further implicates the event's purpose. The paws become less transparent as they move up the page, which causes the viewer's eye to move through the ad. The paw with the least transparency is placed next to the title at the top, which places the emphasis at the top of the ad. The word 'friends' is larger, and because of this, along with the paws placed to the left, it makes the viewer think positively about pets as friends. This gives the ad a happy feel. The bracket on the left helps to isolate as well draw attention to the paragraph of listed information. Important facts about the event have been set in bold, which highlights their importance. The fact that variations of only one color and simple fonts were used makes this ad simple. An ad is meant to attract people to the event or service provided, and to provide information about the event. I believe that simplicity is crucial to these two aspects of advertising.

Company Logo: For my company logo, I chose the Green Acres Landscape Company. The primary design element in this logo is line. The word 'green' is seen as part of the link, which gives the word emphasis, unity, and power. The logo itself is green, which further ties the logo together. The leaves that are placed extended from the vine help to show what kind of company this logo is intended to advertise. Even the lines in the leaves help to provide movement. The fact that all the lines are curved gives the logo a very natural feel, which is appropriate for a landscaping company. The fact that the leaves are pointing downwards moves to viewer's eye to the words 'acres' and 'landscaping', which gives the viewer the full company name. The fact that the vine and the word 'green' run together gives the logo a fluid feel. This makes it easy on the eyes. A logo should never be busy, as it distracts the viewer from the actual purpose of the logo. Though the font used for the word 'green' is different from the font sued for the words 'acres' and 'landscaping', it does not take away from the unity of the logo. It helps to add emphasis and variety to it as a whole.