I am teaching Desktop Publishing in fall 2020 at Lamar University. It is effectively a design class that covers all media. The students are required to build a portfolio of their assigned projects upon which they will be graded. I decided that I should do all the assignments myself to serve as examples. Of course, I am not going to claim they are all great, or that I necessarily spent the amount of time I expect them to spend on the projects, but that is the privilege of rank.
Assignment 1: Combining graphic and text
Combine two words (flower+child, elephant+man, etc.) to expand the concept and create a visual for your hybrid word. Type the name of your hybrid with a font that captures the feel of your image, then write about the process.
I wrote: I chose to combine a fish and a shell. Mainly, I chose the fish because I liked the image and worked back from there. What would go with it. I thought of “fish sticks,” “Fish Hooks,” “Rumblefish” (it’s a movie). I settled on “Shellfish” which immediately led me to think of a seafood restaurant. I chose Athelas as the font because it looked like the signs on the beaches of my hometown, a slightly Victorian feel. Then it was simply a case of putting “Seafood Restaurant” underneath. I used a blue for the sea and all caps to distinguish it from the larger type.
Assignment 2: Creating a logo
The assignment was to create a logo for a company. This could be an existing company, or a ew company. They could develop from the combination exercise or go in a different direction.
I chose to use the combine word as a logo for a restaurant
I wrote: Then it was simply a case of putting “Seafood Restaurant” underneath. I used a blue for the sea and all caps to distinguish it from the larger type. The logo will reproduce well on a T-shirt or menu (a later assignment will involve designing a menu).
