Honors Theses

Date of Award

2008

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Department

Art and Art History

First Advisor

Virginia Chavis

Relational Format

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

The professional graphic design portfolio is a window into the graphic designer’s soul: reflecting both the personal style of the artist and the artist’s ability to adapt their skill and creativity to the needs of a particular project. The designer’s portfolio is also his introduction to the interview and career processes. This portfolio was created to reflect the designer’s lifelong interest in publications and to become the first step in a graphic design career. The project included development of the design pieces; printing and mounting the portfolio; and creating a digital portfolio by designing a website in Adobe Flash. The printed portfolio and the digital portfolio will be used to give a short multimedia presentation to fulfill the preceptorship requirement of the Honors College. The portfolio includes eleven pieces: Study Abroad Japan poster; Thacker Mountain Radio poster; Mud Daubers poster; Neilson’s advertisement; magazine spread; stationery and brochure for a professional psychology practice; stationary for a soybean farming operation; Hummingbird Nectar package design with product photos; Deep End novel with product photos; Rowan Oak advertisement; and a Study Abroad postcard. These pieces were chosen based on overall creativity, variety of projects and relevance to the interviewing employer. Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe InDesign were used to create graphics, scan and edit photos, and lay out the pieces. The result is a creative and professional portfolio that is a critical element in a young graphic designer’s first interviews and career path. The portfolio is to the graphic designer what the first book is to the writer, the research publications are to the scholar or the symphony is to the composer: a window into the soul.

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