Just realized, I should probably direct traffic to my blog that I've keep up-to-date. It's tarrynlambert.tumblr.com. You're also welcome to follow me @ohhtarryn on twitter!

CD Cover

Musique Concrete

Business Card

Resume Re-design

Memo

The one concept that I learned in Information Design this semester is repetition. Before even receiving this assignment, I noticed how I have grown from this course. I work in the mass communications design office, and my co-worker was working on his resume. He asked me to check over it.

I scanned the page and noticed inconsistencies throughout it. There was different type throughout the page as well as various formats. Some things that should have been put into the same group, such as job titles, were bolded and others were not. On the right side of the page, there was also different alignment.

I might have noticed this before the class, but I am not confident that I would have caught everything. After taking the class however, I could not ignore the disparities. I pointed out the difference in alignments and formats that he had not noticed.

I understand repetition throughout design will help me in my future career. If I design something, I can make the font, color, alignment or other items repeat throughout the page to bring together a concept. I can then create variety by purpose, instead of having multiple formats become a distraction to the viewer.

Repetition is in anything we create. Like Dr. Rice said, even if there is a design without repetition, there still is repetition by default. The fact that nothing is repeating consistently, means that it is repeating.

Repetition creates emphasis. If you repeat something, you are showing its relevance and importance. You show that you have a purpose for putting it on the page. Instead of looking like you randomly chose a color, alignment, or other format, repeating it shows you chose it for a reason.

Repetition will always be in our society. Throughout advertisements, and other media, repetition is used. (Even as I copy and paste this into a blog post I realize the repetition. Besides the first paragraph, the first three paragraphs start with I, and the last three with the word repetition. I did not even realize this was happening until I started to put spaces into between the paragraphs.) I noticed repetition before this class, but not as much after taking information design. One needs to be consistent when sending a message, as to not distract the viewer from the information being presented.
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Design #5

For my last design I decided that I wanted to make myself a business card. I’ve always wanted to get business cards, but I’ve never had the time to design one. When I went down to Austin for part of SXSW there were a bunch of designers and artists that handed out their business cards. I think that if I do any sort of freelancing work, it is important to have a business card to hand out that look professional.

For my business card design I decided that I wanted to have the card tie into my website and resume that I designed. I wanted to create a consistent brand throughout by using similar colors. I even took the background picture from my website to place on the card. I then erased part of the image to make it look as if the image was ripped and placed onto the card. After that I organized the text to fit inside the ripped spaced to create a new form of alignment.

The thought of the design behind my business card was that it would be printed on plastic. At first, I decided that I wanted to print it on a clear card, but later decided that my design would go better on a frosted plastic card. I felt like the picture fading and text would create a better contrast against a frosted card than just a clear one. I also wouldn’t want my card to fade too much into its surroundings, but rather blend with a frosted appearance while still standing out.

The reason I would want to print a business card on plastic would be to stand out from other freelancers or candidates for a job. When you hand someone a business card they automatically feel it before they even look at the card. As far as rhetoric goes, the card made of plastic makes a statement in itself. The card makes an impression of being able to last longer than an ordinary business card. If it were printed on plastic, it would be a sturdier card compared to others.

If my business card were to get coffee spilled on it, the hot java would be easily wiped off. No matter if the card were to land on an organized or unorganized desk, it would retain the same quality it contained when it was first handed to the potential client or employer.

Eventually, I want to redesign my website, resume, and business card, but at this point I want everything to be consistent and don’t have the time to redesign my website. I also want to be able to use it for a while, and get all the time and effort that I spent creating it out of it. I would actually like to design a horizontal scrolling flash website, and be able to pick new colors again. Then I would want to create a new resume, and business card to match. I think the second time around I might want to have a slightly bolder main color than pink.