Visual Communications Portfolio

PortfolioSheila Wilkerson

Contact me

SHEILA WILKERSON

e. [email protected]

w. sheilawilkerson.wordpress.com

Contents

PHOTO DESIGN

MAGAZINE SPREAD

LOGOS

LETTERHEAD

BUSINESS CARD

MONTAGE

WEBPAGE

FLYER

EVENT AD

Photo DesignDESCRIPTION

Full-bleed, 8 1/2 x 11 photo design project that includes an original quality image, a consistent color scheme based on that image, with text and a few design elements.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

Demonstrate photography and image editing skills. Create a layout incorporating photo, color scheme and typography skills.

PROCESS

I staged the lemonade and lemons outside and then took several photos in the morning light with my Canon Rebel DSLR camera. I used Photoshop to size and crop the photo to 8 1/2 x 11 and begin the photo design. I used layers for non-destructive editing to adjust image levels, saturation, color balance, and to sharpen the image. I used a yellow-monochromatic color scheme to keep the design clean and elegant. The yellow hues in the text were selected from the photo. I varied the typography to create contrast and interest.

PROGRAMS USED

Adobe Photoshop

DATE February 7, 2015

COURSE Comm130, Visual Communications

INSTRUCTOR Caryn Esplin

Magazine SpreadDESCRIPTION

Two-page 18 x 12 inch magazine spread for an LDS Church magazine.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

Write an inspiring, personal spiritual story using 400-800 words. Then create an engaging layout using at least two images to communicate the message to the audience.

PROCESS

After writing my story in MS Word, I sketched possible layouts for the project. Then I created a digital shape map in InDesign based on my sketch, so I could visual where the images, title and body copy would go. I placed the body copy in text boxes and threaded them all together. I used paragraph styles to keep the design consistent. The text boxes are arranged to simulate the rise in the hiking path. Using my own images, I created faux Poloroid photos in Photoshop. I also croped the image of the hiking path. I chose colors for the title based on the colors in the images. The project was printed on 18 x 12 paper and trimmed to 17 x 11.

PROGRAMS USED

Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, and Microsoft Word

DATE March 28, 2015



Our family enjoys visiting Grand Canyon National

Park. There are many paths down the canyon available for hikers of all levels of experience. However, we’ve never strayed far from the canyon’s rim because our children were too young. Now our family is older and ready for a hiking adven-ture. Located near the visitor center is a pavilion with signs explaining the various trails, their difficulty and recommended provisions. Guests are strongly cautioned against trying to complete long, strenuous hikes in one day.

Our most recent visit was in early spring and the trails were still icy; even clampons (shoe spikes) were suggested for some paths. Considering all the warning signs and the activity level of our group,

we chose to hike to a point on the South Kaibab Trail called Cedar Ridge. The course was only three miles, round-trip, but the vertical drop was nearly 1,200 feet. We laced up our shoes, and donned our backpacks loaded with sports drinks, water and trail mix—we felt well prepared.

The path’s descent started quickly with switchbacks head-ing down the face of the canyon wall. Luckily for us the warm temperatures had melted most of the snow and ice, and the trail was easy to manage, especially down-hill. Occasionally one of us would slide in the loose dirt, but it wasn’t a big deal. Our ten year-old son, Jimmy, kept bounding ahead out of sight despite our reminding him to stay where we could see him.

It didn’t take long before my muscles were protesting and my breathing was heavy. I kept reminding myself to take it slow and steady. Jimmy was now the last person in the pack, I hung back with him and my 13-year-old daughter, Isabelle. We stopped often to catch our breath and quench our thirst. My husband, Mark, and my 12-year-old daugh-ter, Bailey, had gone on ahead. The family hike that was initially so fun, was becoming miserable. I asked Isabelle, “When you were walking down, did you ever think it would be this difficult going back up?” Her hasty reply was a resounding, “No!” We were both surprised with how challenging it had become to recover from our journey down the path; going back up was infinitely more dif-ficult than we had imagined. I remembered a passage in “For The Strength of Youth,” which reads,

“Some people knowingly break God’s commandments, planning to repent later…” I realized that this hike was like some of the choices we make in life. The tough jour-ney uphill was the price we had

to pay for the path we’d taken ear-lier. We didn’t think it would be so hard to return to our starting point. Had we realized the determination and stamina required, we may have turned around at Ooh-Ahh Point or never started at all.

Of course, we kept climbing upward one step at a time, ever thankful for the bodies given to us by our creator. I’m proud of everyone’s efforts and endurance. Stepping off the trail at the top was exhilarating and empowering. We did it! So it is in life, when we are required to work hard to overcome our transgressions, we “will know for [ourselves] the power of the Atonement and the love God has for [us]. [We] will feel the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ, which will bring [us] great strength, and [we] will become more like him.”

NOTE

1. For The Strength of

Youth, p. 29

The weather was perfect—not too hot, not too cold, and the view was spectacular. In no time at all it seemed, we had reached Ooh-Aah Point, a little more than half way to our turn-around point. After a little rest and refreshments we kept going deeper into the canyon.

The day grew warm as it approached noon. I was thankful I had left my jacket in the car. My shoes and pant legs were covered in loose red dirt from the trail. The hike was going great, and everyone was having a good time. As I kept walking down the trail, the thought of walking back up to the trail-head entered my mind, but I just dismissed it thinking, “How bad could it be?” Finally we made it to Cedar Ridge; the one-and-a-half mile downhill trek had only taken about 50 minutes. We posed for some pictures and had more trail mix before beginning the climb back up to our original elevation of 7,260 feet.

The Price We Had To Pay

Abide ye in the liberty where-with ye are made free; entangle not yourselves in sin, but let your hands be clean, until the Lord comes. —D&C 88:86

Recovering from choices isn’t always easy, but the journey is well worth it.

2 New Era Apri l 2015 3




LogosDESCRIPTION

Three logo variations created with vector graphics for the same company.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

Create three completely different variations for a company’s business. Research what type of logo would best communicate a company’s brand and design.

PROCESS

I used Illustrator to created three different logos for the Chips Ahoy cookie brand. I did this by using the Shape tool and Pen tool to create common shapes that I manipulated into my desired shapes using the Pathfinder tool and the Free Transform tool. I chose colors based on audience appeal.

PROGRAMS USED

Adobe Illustrator

Chips Ahoy!

ChipsAhoy

O R I G I N A L

Original

Real Chocolate Chip Cookies




LetterheadDESCRIPTION

Letterhead that is part of a stationery set.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

Design a new logo and stationery for a company. The letterhead should have the same look and feel as the business card.

PROCESS

Since the company name is Matrix designs, I researched how to visually communicate a matrix. Using Illustrator I created the logo made up of shapes in varying colors and opacities to represent development of a design. I sketched layouts for the letterhead keeping in mind the desgin of the business card. I then designed the letterhead in InDesign. The masthead is designed to be flexible for different company employee names and titles. Function was also considered to allow for the most printable area for content.

PROGRAMS USED

Adobe Illustrator and InDesign

MATRIXdesigns

Sheila Wilkersonexecutive director

1629 East Main Street, Mesa, AZ 85212 • 480.354.3344 • matrixdesigns.com • [email protected]




Business CardDESCRIPTION

Business card that is part of a stationery set.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

Design a new logo and stationery for a company that makes a connection between the customer and the company. The business card should have the same look and feel as the buiness card.

PROCESS

I created a logo and the letterhead for the stationary set first (see letterhead on previous page). Using InDesign, I created the 3 1/2 x 2 business card to complement the letterhead. I made a two-sided horizontal card, so I created a complementary brandmark for the company in Illustrator. Both of the logo images where linked in InDesign to allow for easy editing. The card is designed to be flexible for different company employee names and titles.

PROGRAMS USED


MATRIXdesigns

MATRIXdesigns

1629 East Main Street, Mesa, AZ 85212 • matrixdesigns.com 480.354.3344 • [email protected]

Sheila Wilkersonexecutive director




MontageDESCRIPTION

Poster with blended images depicting a spiritual theme.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

Create a poster that is spiritual in nature. Demonstrate ability to blend multimple images with intermingled pixels and no hard edges.

PROCESS

I designed a layout with Christ as the focal point. The design flows from the hiker to the Savior to the Title. Using Photoshop I blended three high resolution images with masks and the blending brush tool. I applied a filter over the layer with the hiker image to give it a canvas look. I chose to make the title orange to contrast with the blue in the background.

PROGRAMS USED

Adobe Photoshop

DATE March 14, 2015



WebpageDESCRIPTION

Screenshot of a webpage I created to showcase a logo and the design process to a customer.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

Create a webpage to display an original logo and demonstrate html and css skills.

PROCESS

I created this logo for another project using Illustrator. I converted the file type to a png file and resized it using Photoshop. I indentified the hex colors using the Eyedropper tool for use in my webpage style sheet. I also created the cookie background in Photoshop using an image I created in Illustrator. I used TextWrangler text editor software to work with html tags, and css code in order to style the webpage.

PROGRAMS USED

TextWrangler and Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator

DATE January 24, 2015



FlyerDESCRIPTION

Black and White promotional flyer.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

Create an informational flyer that is attractive and inviting to read using design principles and typography.

PROCESS

I created this project in InDesign. The images and event information was provided by the client. I thought about the audience and message when sketching layouts for the flyer. I chose to emphasize the leadership aspect of the conference. I used the shapes to help direct the readers eyes so they can skim for the information that is most important to them.

PROGRAMS USED


LeadershipCONFERENCE

GRADUATE

Oct 21Lincoln Convention Center

8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Do you want to have the competitive edge in business?Come learn how at Vouant Communication’s

annual Graduate Leadership Conference.

Vouant Communications is devoted to helping tomorrow’s leaders gain essential leadership skills in the workplace. During this dynamic three-day seminar, attendees will meet with top executives of Vouant Communications to discuss breakthrough leadership techniques, while cultivating attributes

of leadership that will market to any employer.

Conference is available to graduating seniors. Space is limited. Registration and more information

are available on the website.

www.vouantcomm.com/leaders

DATE January 30, 2015



Event AdDESCRIPTION

Promotional ad for a charity fundraiser.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

Create a color ad to promote a fundraising event to a target audience. Use a high quality scanned image and Microsoft Word.

PROCESS

I scanned the card image from a magazine using an Epson XP 820 printer. I inserted the image in Word and created the flyer using text boxes and shapes. The event title is the focal point of the ad. I designed the ad to mimic the square shape of the greeting cards shown in the image. I made use of the event theme when choosing colors of red and pink.

PROGRAMS USED

Microsoft Word

CARD MAKING WORKSHOP

JAN 31

Make Cards 6 $20 for

Help Give Someone a Smile

WORKSHOP

BRING A PAYING FRIEND TO RECEIVE

A FREE GIFT

MAKING

2 – 4 pm JAN 31 MESA

ARTS CENTER

201 W. Brown Rd.

Make Cards 6 $20 for MESA

201 W. Brown Rd.

ARTS CENTER

BRING A PAYING FRIEND TO RECEIVE

A FREE GIFT

Make Cards 6 $20 for

You can change a life forever All proceeds benefit Operation Smile to provide a free surgery for a child suffering from a cleft lip or palate, saving them from a lifetime of pain, shame and isolation.

Fee includes all pre-cut supplies, envelopes and adhesive.

Documents

Visual Communications Portfolio