Vanessa Jones
I am a candidate for a Bachelor of Arts in art with an emphasis
in graphic design. My first realization that I wanted to go into the design
field was my sophomore
year in high school when I was intrigued with a desktop publishing class. I
was very excited to hear that one of the visiting designers from last year
expressed
to us the importance of being organized in the design field because I view
that as one of my best qualities. That piece of advice furthermore confirmed
my decision
of wanting to be a graphic designer.
As far as subject matter goes that is usually left up to the client; however,
when given the freedom I like to incorporate bold eye catching images. I make
my art to inform or persuade my audience about a particular topic that interests
me. For example, I broadened my horizons last semester by taking a Japanese culture
class in which I incorporated that acquired knowledge into some of my prints
in printmaking. On average I work relatively small because it emphasizes more
details which I love to enforce. I choose to work realistically rather than abstractly
because I gather ideas from things around me that I relate to in my art.
I love to emphasize contrast and texture in all of my art because they display
a powerful emotion. I believe that these two concepts will be beneficial when
I go to pursue a career as an advertising designer. I want to work in an exciting
field where technology and creativity are excelling beyond their limitations.
Another concept that I like to incorporate in my art is humor. I think that something
funny definitely leaves the audience with a lasting impression.
I have absorbed a large amount of influence by working with my peers. The exchange
of ideas and sketches is such a great learning experience. I am inspired by
works of Paul Rand who is a very famous graphic designer. He incorporates simplicity
and wit into his artwork making it easy to recognize and remember. My favorite
design that he has done is the IBM logo. I love how he applies texture to the
letters by applying horizontal lines. The use of one color keeps it simple
yet
effective. I love even more how he took the same logo and transformed it into
a rebus. (A rebus replaces letters with pictures or symbols.) He used an image
of an actual eye and an image of a bee to replace the “I” and “B” in
IBM. That is such a creative technique that I would like to apply my work in
the future of creating logo designs.
Henry Wolf is an advertising designer and photographer that I have recently
became interested in. He exploits the use of white space and bold photography
into his
art. My favorite design that he has done was the 1958 cover of Harper’s
Bazaar. He used a high contrast of black and white with the allowance of negative
space to play a big role. I have incorporated this technique of simplicity
into my photography for a dramatic appeal.
Design is not only an area of emphasis for me nor a career, it is my life. I
love designing my own cards, invitations, CD labels and covers. I also design
t-shirts and fliers for my sorority. I work as a designer for the Murray State
News and the Shield yearbook. Design is all around me and I could not imagine
my life with out it.