rachel does design

rachel schaub, professional writing and english literature student at the university of oklahoma

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info a penny, info a pound

I know that pun’s terrible. Trust me, I do. Consider it an aesthetic choice.

This week, I put the finishing touches on my infographic project in Canva and filmed a screencast of the design choices I made throughout the project. 

I really liked working on this project, and I think it’s one of my favorite designs thus far. I designed the graphic for the University of Oklahoma’s law school, and the information describes the law school’s incoming class for the 2017-2018 school year. 

I learned so much about design this semester, and I think creating this blog helped me think more actively and critically about the concepts I learned each week. I was able to really interact with ideas and my own sentiments about design projects in a way that I don’t think I would have done without the accountability of this blog. 

Writing about all of my fears and failings on a public forum did make me nervous at the beginning of this experience (and, to be honest, it still does). I don’t like the idea of leaving behind documentation of moments where I fell short out in the world, but I think it’s a good step toward showing my growth as a designer. I already feel like I’ve grown a great deal over the course of this semester, and I’m excited to continue posting my work here. 

I’m working to curb my perfectionist tendencies, but it’s still hard to know when to close down the software. For me, I’ve learned that there comes a point in every project when continuing to tinker with small changes does more harm than good. I still worry when I see small issues, but I’m becoming better about fixing the small change and closing the window. 

I’m attaching my infographic below. Here’s hoping I keep moving forward as a designer from here.

[racheldoesdesign-blog]

wrapping things up

For my last project of the year, I’m working on an infographic that I’m designing in Canva. In the next week, I’ll post the graphic and a video explaining how I went about the design.

Going forward, I’m working on finding a source to design from. I’ve got a good idea of colors and the kind of graphic I’d like to make, but I still need specific facts and figures before I work on the design. 

Once I compile a list of information bits, I’ll go about designing the graphic. I want it to look simple but contain a lot of information, so I’m sure the process will involve a great deal of trial and error. I’m excited to work in Canva again, though. I haven’t used it since making my social media suite a few weeks ago.

I’ll continue to post progress here throughout the next week.

[racheldoesdesign-blog]

future talk

I’ve really enjoyed using this blog to reflect on design projects and post on updates the past few months. I’m definitely planning to continue, especially now that I have more of a handle on design software. 

I’ve kept up a professional website, including a resume and portfolio, here. Feel free to go take a look if you’re so inclined! I’m currently working on linking this blog to the site to centralize all of my work. 

I’m going to be building out my writing and design portfolios in the next few months, and I’ll keep both areas updated with personal and school projects as I do. 

This has been quite the learning experience so far, and I’m excited to keep growing as a designer. There’s definitely more to come!

[racheldoesdesign-blog]

looking back, looking forward

This semester, I’ve worked on quite a few different projects in different mediums. Now that I’m taking a closer look, I can clearly see the ways I’ve grown as a designer and practitioner of public relations.

I think all of my projects share a similar aesthetic, and it’s interesting to see how my style has grown and changed through different projects. My first project, the business card and newsletter for Allied Arts in Oklahoma City, marked the first time I designed with the client at the forefront. I tried to match colors and overall feel to what I could glean from the organization’s website and mailings, and I ended up with a concept that fit easily with existing materials. I learned that public relations design involves understanding the client but updating design using individual ideas and elements.

Keeping the client’s goals at the center was difficult, but it was the guiding principle of the semester for me. After each project, I worried about how to tweak and adjust the design further to match the client. Happily, in my most recent project, I feel like I finally nailed down the client’s brand. Even better, I felt good about how elements from the client married with my design vision.

I read through all of my posts from this semester just now, and while I’ll probably never move away from my perfectionist tendencies, I think I can use what I’ve learned about design to create something I can be proud of. I’m looking forward to posting more design work in the future!

[racheldoesdesign-blog]

right on target: finishing up the newsletter

I spent this week finishing up my newsletter for Target. I used the dummy layout I posted last week, but I ended up reworking a lot of the design as I added stories and photos. 

My first issue was the incorporation of Target’s logo. I wanted to elevate the design of the newsletter, but I didn’t know how to do it in a way that made sense. I also wanted to make sure the logo was prominent, so using up two columns of the design for an off-center logo was my solution. 

I found myself going in and fixing minor problems in the design over the course of the week. I think the reason I was so focused on getting it right was due to the higher visibility of the design client. Because the public for my newsletter, which I envisioned as Target employees, is much larger than some other publics I’ve designed for, I felt a higher degree of pressure to complete the design well. 

I designed much of my publication around the white and red of Target’s logo. I used Helvetica as my display type, since it’s the font in the logo. I tried to use photos that included reds or the Target logo when possible.

I ended up really liking my final design, but I spent much more time than I did on any other project on this newsletter. However, now that I’m looking at it again, I’m seeing a few things to continue playing around with. 

I’m adding the pdf of my design so far, so feel free to take a look and leave comments!

[racheldoesdesign-blog]

news to me: designing a newsletter

This week, I started work on a newsletter for Target. I struggled at first to create a design that wasn’t too derivative of their current look but still fit in with their social media and online presence. After spending some time looking through their news posts and corporate websites, I think I’ve landed on an idea I can go forward with and continue fine-tuning. 

I really liked what I did, but I’m still struggling to avoid overdesigning. Right now, I think my newsletter is really simple, but I’m not sure what I can add without making the newsletter look cluttered. 

I think I’m still unhappy with my final design because I want it to look more polished. Choosing a more prominent client as opposed to local programs and businesses means, for me, designing to a higher standard. I’m posting what I have so far, and I’ll continue posting progress in the week to come!

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can i canva it?

This week was another one for learning how to manage new software and programs. I created a social media design campaign on Canva for the Science Museum of Minnesota, which is opening a new Omnitheater show in the spring. I grew up in Minnesota and used to love the Omni, which is basically an immersive IMAX experience. The shows are always focused on scientific principles or processes, and their next exhibit is about the power of engineering. 

Working on a project that I felt more personally invested in was really rewarding, but it also made me work slowly. I hesitated to make choices with the design, probably because I was so nervous about doing badly. I took a leap and sent my designs to the public relations department for SMM, so fingers crossed that they’re interested!

Canva was a pleasant surprise this week. I loved the simple interface and the tutorials, which I think helped me learn the system as well as improve my design skills. I loved the easy access to backgrounds, photos, and elements on the program. One pitfall, though, is the tendency (at least for me) to fall into a premade design that I didn’t put much work into. The site offers premade greetings, text designs, and even full layouts, and it sometimes seemed much simpler to use something that had already been created than create my own design. I avoided the trap, I think, but the site seems like it could make a designer lazy if they’re not careful. 

I ended up quite proud of what I created this week, though it took much longer to design than it has in previous weeks. All of the design, from conception to submission, occurred within the span of one week, which also helped me learn how to design on a much tighter schedule. I’m adding my Facebook cover and Instagram post designs below - feel free to comment and let me know what you think!

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photoshop can be your friend: looking back on direct mailers

Well, my second project is finally wrapped. I struggled to navigate Photoshop and kept waiting for it to get easier as I worked on the direct mailers. Though it still takes me an embarrassingly long time to set up a new layer and transform objects, my frustration levels are much lower now. 

The most notable differences between InDesign and Photoshop for me are the organization of the toolbar and the layering of the design. 

The toolbar was probably the most disorienting aspect of this project. I’ve worked with InDesign much longer, so I found myself seeking out the tool third from the top and trying to use it before noticing it was different. I got better about slowing down and switching tools more carefully, but the layout of the bar felt like an unnecessary shift, especially as I worked on my first draft of the first mailer. 

The layering in Photoshop as opposed to InDesign also threw me off while working on the project. Photoshop provides layers in a sidebar and allows for reorganization of which elements are in the front or back of the design. However, many design elements require a new layer, and it’s crucial to make sure you’ve clicked the right layer before you transform it. In InDesign, however, all design elements are movable and interact with one another in one design document. Photoshop’s layering process frustrated me, especially because it took me much longer to learn how to transform layers within my design. However, I feel much more confident in my Photoshop abilities than I did at the start of this project. 

I had big plans for these mailers. They were all conceptual and showcased different elements of OU in unique ways, but they didn’t really capture the stakeholders I had defined for the project. While I like the design I’ve ultimately come up with, I still feel the urge to tinker with the design in small ways the more I look at it. 

I think that I’m still fiddling with the design because I made it using new software. I’m still not sure what possibilities Photoshop holds for my project, so I’m not wholly satisfied with my finished product. However, I am proud that I was able to put something together that more accurately represents the two groups I targeted at the beginning: high-achieving out-of-state high school seniors and their parents.

Were I to start over, I’m not sure what I would do differently. I think I would have taken more time to simply play around with different elements of Photoshop, but I don’t know that my design would have changed in noticeable ways if I had done so. One thing I do know is that I put a lot of work and thought into this project, and I’m proud of how that reflects in the finished product.

Here’s my mailer for students:

And their parents:

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on marathons and sprints

Well, this project has been a big reminder that I’m not nearly as well-versed in design software as I thought I was. 

I’ve been working in Photoshop the past few weeks instead of InDesign, and the differences between the two continue to trip me up. After about five hours staring at the screen and resisting the urge to slam the laptop closed and walk away, I have drafts of both direct mailers for my OU Recruitment Services project. While InDesign feels like a more complete document where a designer can add elements, Photoshop feels like a collection place for different documents. Though small, this difference continues to slow me down on Photoshop. I think I’ve caught on to the differences in the two programs’ toolbars, at least.

My first stakeholder for the mailers was out-of-state prospective students above accepted ACT/SAT scores and GPA. The second stakeholder, related to the first, is their parents. While the first mailer focuses on students and the ways they can come tour or apply, the second focuses on academic options for students and an encouragement for parents to bring their kids to campus for a visit. 

To me, the choice of second stakeholder followed naturally from my first group. I am trying to present the same information in two unique ways, which I’ll keep working on as I polish these drafts.

I’m still working on where to add a mailing address on the first mailer, but I’m liking the way I incorporated logistical elements into the second mailer. The design of the first hasn’t changed much, but I’m hoping to keep working on it as I move into next week.

Here’s the mailer I came up with this week:

And a reminder of the mailer I worked on last week:

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hold on: defining a second stakeholder for direct mailers

This week, I’m working on direct mailers for a project for OU Recruitment Services. My first stakeholders are out-of-state prospective OU students above the accepted ACT/SAT scores and GPA. Because I want my second stakeholder to relate to the first group I’m attempting to reach, I am defining the group as the parents of high-achieving out-of-state high school students. 

This group is closely linked to the first group, but it is distinct in that its focus will be on encouraging their students to apply and registering their student for an out-of-state weekend that includes a tour and small group meetings with a professor.

While the first direct mailer was concerned with applying to OU and registering for a visitation weekend, this second mailer focuses on informing parents of OU’s academic offerings and attending an information session and tour with their students. 

As I move forward, I’m hoping to make the mailers look distinct but related. I’ll be posting updates!

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finding direct-ion in direct mailers

This week, I worked on a draft for my first direct mailer design. I found myself back at square one software-wise, since I’m using Photoshop instead of Indesign. I had to edit my ideas down to something I knew how to do for my first draft, but I’m hoping to figure out how to create some new elements by my next draft. 

It was frustrating to go back to basics this week, but I think it helped me put what I’ve learned to use. I know how to power through frustration with software now that I’ve gone through it, so I wasn’t nearly as upset this time around. I didn’t even slam the laptop shut! 

Though I was still a little irritated at relearning how to do basic tasks, I really like the direction my design is going in. I think knowing that I can create something worthy of pride made me more willing to forgive myself for missteps or mistakes. It was a challenge, but I’m posting my progress below. It’s been quite the week, but I like this design as a starting point.

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school stakeholders

For my next project, I’m working on creating direct mailers for the University of Oklahoma’s recruitment program. This project requires an understanding of stakeholders, which are individuals in a specific group that a direct mailer targets and calls to action. 

My first stakeholder group is going to be out-of-state prospective students (age 17-18) above the accepted ACT/SAT scores and GPA. OU places a high emphasis on National Merit students from outside Oklahoma, and those students may be included in this group, but it is focused primarily on high-achieving students from outside Oklahoma who have not yet applied to OU. 

This mailer will be focused on getting stakeholders to apply to OU and convincing them that the school offers unique experiences, academic and otherwise. 

Here’s hoping all goes well as I move through the project!

[racheldoesdesign-blog]

moment of truth

Well, I’m finally wrapping up my business card and letterhead project. It’s been a long road, but I’m actually feeling pretty pleased with the overall design. This week, I sought out a lot of feedback and went over critiques from earlier in the project. Hearing positive things about my design and working to improve and make constructive changes made me take more ownership of my design. 

My biggest worry when I started this project was how I would ever feel like a design was truly finished. If you don’t remember from my typography post, let me bring you up to speed: I’m a perfectionist. I struggled throughout this project with posting drafts I thought could be improved, but I’ve gotten better about going through the design process naturally. I’m not forcing it any longer. 

I had a slightly different idea at the start of this design, as you can see in my research post, but I’m really happy with my designs at the end of this project. I think I’m more willing to embrace uncertainty and think through aspects of projects more thoroughly at the close of this project. I’m not searching for an immediate solution as much, though I still have moments of impatience. Part of that feeling probably comes from a higher level of comfort with InDesign and Photoshop. I feel like I know what I’m doing, which lets me explore the possibilities of the project a little more. 

I don’t know if I will ever pitch this design to Allied Arts, but I’m at least feeling confident about the design as a whole at the project’s conclusion. In future projects, I think I’ll spend less time staring at the screen hopelessly and dive in more quickly. This design evolved from a tentative experiment with creating shapes in InDesign, so playing around on the programs was really helpful to me from the start. I’m attaching my final designs below. Let me know in replies or my inbox what you think!

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heading in the right direction: letterhead design

This week, I worked on a letterhead design to complement my business card for Allied Arts. Quick refresher: Allied Arts is an arts education and outreach nonprofit in Oklahoma City. I wanted to take the colors from the business card with me into the letterhead project this week, and I think I managed to do so. Aside from the letterhead design, I also gave more design feedback this week. Doing so was interesting because I don’t consider myself a seasoned designer, so I struggled to trust my own advice. I would come up with a comment or criticism, but second-guessed myself often as I wrote it out. I wound up deleting and rewriting my comments for most of the time I spent on feedback. 

I think I’m still self-conscious in terms of my designs and those of others because I’m new at this. I don’t have much experience to back up my opinions, but I need to learn to trust my instincts. As I looked over my business card design from last week, I saw a good deal of things that I liked much more with a little distance from the design. 

Decisions I made instinctually and then questioned were less intimidating and worrisome this week. This week, I found myself making choices about specific elements faster. Maybe that’s because I was working on a similar concept as I was last week, but I think it’s because I trusted myself more.  I’m excited to keep working on this concept, and I’ll post the final designs when they’re finished. 

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it’s in the cards: working on letterheads and business cards

This week, I researched and began designing a business card for Allied Arts in Oklahoma City. The project required a great deal of competitor research. After putting together a mood board on Pinterest, I started work on the project itself. The biggest challenge for me during this project was working with InDesign to create pieces and designs (like stripes) that I hadn’t practiced before.

I watched a lot of short video tutorials and went back to earlier videos in order to really nail down the design of the card. It’s not quite perfect yet, and I want to spend a lot more time playing with the pattern on the front of the card, but I’m really proud of the way it’s coming together. If this project has taught me anything, it’s that I need to take my time and really work on a concept for design before jumping into a project. 

I opened my InDesign document and started messing around with a design before I made my mood board and did much research into Allied Arts, and I ended up scrapping everything I was working on. I didn’t have an idea of where the design was headed or what I wanted to create, so fiddling around with lines and fonts wasn’t doing anything for my progress on this project. 

Once I took the time to really dig into the organization and its mission, I had a much easier time putting a concept together. Allied Arts is a community arts nonprofit that fosters engagement and education. Once I knew this, I could put together a design with bright cohesive elements that built off of one another. My design isn’t quite finished yet, but I’m happy with how it’s coming together.

I’ve worked on adjusting my expectations for the time these projects take. I don’t slam the laptop screen shut when I’m frustrated anymore, at least. I spent the span of a few days working on these business card designs, and though I still don’t know everything, I’m learning more and remembering some aspects of putting a design together. I’m not happy with the stripes on the front of the card because they’re bulky and look too simple, but stripes were surprisingly difficult to learn for some reason. I pulled the colors from the logo using swatches on InDesign, which took what felt like an embarrassingly long time to do. I’m not finished with the project yet, but I’m posting what I have done so far. I think I’m obsessed with the tweaks I want to make on this project because I want it to be perfect, but I’m working to be happy with progress and the skills I’ve learned, as well.

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communications strategy brainstorming

- My biggest goal with this design is to create some kind of pattern or image to bring a visual element into the business card

- In terms of visual language, I want to use clean, clear lines but give a sense of community and connection which is why I’m so interested in a graphic or pattern

- I think the community aspect of the organization is one of the key things I’m trying to communicate with this design, but I’m not incredibly sure how to do so

- Some kind of repeating or intertwined pattern could be good in terms of community, but I like the idea of watercolor as well because it gives off a thought of spreading and running and it has a more direct art connotation

- I feel like the business card I want to design is two sided, with a straight design and name on one side and information on the other side

- But I can’t decide if it’s better to get it all on one side - I want the card to be visually interesting beyond simple lines, but I don’t know too much about making a pattern, so it might be more effective to make a one sided card

- Also, a one sided card puts every design element together, which I like the idea of seeing

- Fonts-wise, I want to keep the lines simple and stick to something readable and clear, especially if there’s a pattern drawing attention elsewhere

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arts in action part two: competitor analysis

While working on this project, I’ve done research on not only Allied Arts, but its peer organizations and competitors as well (I touched on this in my earlier post). The main competitor for Allied Arts, in my opinion, is Oklahoma Arts Council. Both organizations advocate for arts in Oklahoma, program events, and grant funds for projects. Allied Arts is different, though, in that it’s not a state agency like Oklahoma Arts Council, but a nonprofit. 

I created a board on Pinterest to showcase some campaigns and designs from Oklahoma Arts Council to draw inspiration and comparisons between the agency and Allied Arts. Oklahoma Arts Council uses a great deal of arts photos, such as students doing pottery or performers taking a bow, to highlight the effect the organization has on the community, something that would benefit Allied Arts as well. The board (located here) shows not only website design and event graphics, but covers for online publications as well. These online publications are different in message than what Allied Arts should create, in my opinion. They’re a function of doing research and yearly reports as a government agency and don’t focus on the community aspect of arts engagement like Allied Arts emphasizes. 

Because of this difference, the message and design of Allied Arts should be more simple and user-friendly. Allied Arts is community-oriented and committed to inclusive arts experiences, regardless of medium or geographical location. Unlike messages that share statewide research results, the message of Allied Arts should focus on engagement and programming as well as the positive effects such programming has on communities.