Erin E. Sullivan's Blog

For my Advanced Graphic Design class I am directing a branding project of a made up wine company in which I have named “Snŏbb”. This project involves logo design, package design, and a web site. I am currently finishing up the logo, but I need a designer’s anal perspective on which is the better of the two I am presenting. The only contrast of the two is a one point stroke thickness difference in the stuck-up nose that I have merged in with the breve of the “o”. I want the breve to be able to stick out but I also want the nose to be noticeable, and I cannot make up my mind. Which would you prefer? Continue reading

A very important design technique is using a grid as the foundation of your work, whether it’s print or web. According to Exploring Typography by Tova Rabinowitz, the book quotes:

Creating layouts can be made easier by using a grid, which is a framework of guidelines that form an underlying structure for the layout of a document or web site. Grids are used by designers to aid in the logical placement of design elements, to maintain consistency among related layouts, and to establish a sense of rhythm throughout a design. Using a grid streamlines the design process because it allows designers to reapply their design decisions to multiple layouts, rather than beginning a new one each time. Grids are especially helpful in saving time on large projects.

To give you several examples where we commonly see grids, they are used in websites, magazine layouts, calendars, and even term papers. When you look at a design, in most cases you do not see an actual grid, but you are definitely seeing it in the works. Continue reading

I am currently taking a class that is labeled “Experimental and Illustrative Typography” which explores the creation of typefaces and using type to create dynamic work. For one of the assignments, I had to create a design concept that is influenced by a typographic style movement that dates before the year 1980. This was the perfect opportunity for me to explore a very difficult typographic style that I have always had interest in creating ever since reading Dan Brown’s Angels & Demons: Ambigrams. This project obviously was not easy. Continue reading