The Road to Graphic Design Part One: SkillShare

In the past, I have wanted to learn more about design but going back to school isn't financially viable. So, I decided to teach myself through books (reviews to follow), online tutorials, and Skillshare. On my first go around with Skillshare, I decided to start with the basics. The most basic of them for me was "Fundamentals of Graphic Design: Making Meaning with Words and Images", where you are tasked with the concept of creating a contemporary art exhibit poster for an upcoming show.

The idea was based around "Uncommonwealth" and the play on words like "Uncommon Wealth" and "Un Commonwealth" which are meant to be about changing how we see the world, finding beauty in unconventional places or a place with unconventional values. Unlike the rest of the class, I took a more literal and typographical approach, choosing not to let one singular art piece be the focus of the poster, especially since I was using the concept of a college showcase which involves multiple artists.

The more I though about it, the more I wanted to focus on typography and images within text. I started to drift towards the idea of the eye, which is how we perceive visual information. I looked into the eye and the shape of the eye and first wanted to super impose words into an actual eye image. However, I though that it would be too confusing unless it was a very zoomed in image and then the idea of finding that image or taking the image and altering it for the project seemed too involved. Then I started focusing on the shape of the eye. I also focused on the information and text I would need to incorporate into the posted and decided on playing with the idea of repetition, rules of thirds and text.

I used the title of the exhibit "Uncommonwealth" to form the eye, even down to the iris (which is inverted and warped). It was a lot of fun and a great introduction into my creative process and the design process itself. The open ended aspect of the subject matter made it difficult to decipher if the project was successful but hopefully there will be some feedback from classmates soon.

Final Project Below: