The last week of my graphic design degree at the Vancouver Island University is quite a milestone. Its those last few group chats, lectures and feedback workshops that don’t just prepare you for the next class, but the great real world of the design industry. I would like to reflect closely on the evolution of my branding identity. From birth to its growing stages and current spotlight, the designs behind Farzanah Allinoor are represented through this very symbol. The ideas, visual stories and symbolic messages that pour out of your heart and soul during creative sessions are all my brand. I want to use my illustrative and graphic design talents to speak loudly, creating movements, missions and narratives all across the world. I want to continuously build off the diversity of society in enriching my works to grow with me, as my voice. The creation of the logo, Farzanah Allinoor, encompasses the very growth of this young designer/doodler/daydreaming scribbler right here.
Concluding our last year of our graphic design degree has a surprisingly peaceful ring to it. I almost enjoy completing projects and plopping them into a portfolio layout, visioning my conversation with future employers as we discuss each project. I realized how grateful I am to have a portfolio class in our final year, allowing us to have a chance to create, curate and critique out brand system. The closer we get to our last day of our undergraduate degree, the more each final project receives more love and attention from me, as reality hits like a ton of bricks.
The frantic search of digging through your drawers for perfectly matching socks very much relates to the creation of a portfolio collection. One piece must complement, contrast and speak uniquely to the rest of the outfit. Yet each component must not be less than the other, non shall overpower another? What will bring down the rest of the outfit? What will contradict the rest of your emerging style?
I find that even in my last and final two projects of my undergraduate degree ever, I still madly run marathons in search for my own unique style through varieties of experimentation. The strength in diversity within works, talents, projects and skillsets never fail to impress. The complete and harmonious compilation of a portfolio is your living testament, your documented trophies of some sort. It was enjoyable scrambling through past works to prep, mock up and dress neatly for their debut in the portfolio showcase of all time. But the most satisfying feeling I have recently discovered is completing and adding most recent projects and reminiscing upon your learning journey and evolution as a young designer.
As the term comes close to its satisfying end, completing projects, perfecting portfolios and staying sane has been top priority these days! I wanted to share my latest works for Business design, which brought out a vast range of challenges for me, yet helped me to discover new diverse levels of my style. I’ve realized I don’t need to be trapped in specific colour pallets and type choices to maintain an iconic style. As a young designer completing a degree, barely exposed to industry work field experience, I hope to force myself to continue extensive research and surveying in preparation for each design problem I encounter. The more challenges and new types of problems we face, the better of a chance we have to expand our visual thinking process and produce state of the art works. Note to self: serious companies such as law firms can be fun to create a visual story behind!
Meeting a wide range of talented designers based in Vancouver Island was an excellent opportunity to gain feedback from industry professionals. Our lovely review session evening in downtown’s Input Co work location presented great socializing and networking advantages. Our class witnessed hands on advice and real life after grad stories from designers who’ve experienced exactly what we will be in the next month!
I had the privilege of enjoying a one on one review session with Alain Champagne, creator of design firm Creatures of the Night. He provided me with useful insight on the direction I hope to market myself as an illustrative designer. His work in package design, specifically craft beer and coffee branding intrigues me, as his style uses an expressively modern yet classical/ancient vibe. Deciding on the type of illustration and design I want to focus my career in has been quite a struggle, as I find myself dipping my toes in a vast range of seas, from comic work to simplistic infographic imagery. Understanding that I have the control in the specific directions I hope to drive my work is challenging. Its only a matter of further experimentation in learning about my style that can help me succeed in the field.
Surveys, brainstorming exercises, research and inner exploration; All these lovely tasks lead up to the creation process of our visual identities. I wanted to stay true to the new direction i’ve decided on. Designing a brand identity incorporating both professional structure and free flowing vibrancy has its challenges, however I feel quite happy with my end results. Keeping the monogram both sleek and futuristic yet fun and playful allows my range of design skills and personality to be spoken for visually. The colour palette and typefaces both equally harmonize a structured and vibrant tone, perfectly representing a professional but creatively unique brand. It is significant that I portray all angles of my creative skillset in order to fully belong to this identity. I feel confident that this creation can be morphed, upgraded and versioned into different styles to suit different vibes, as it is quite open and simplistic on its own.
I heavily feel I will continue with this direction, as our mood-board exercise opened me up to new styles and senses which contribute to keeping my works diverse, experimentative and continuously growing and developing.
I want to create unique and engaging stories within my designs. I aim to encompass a narrative within each piece I craft, holding its own symbolic language. I want to visualize emotion, memories, feelings and sensations. My designs will make you taste a quenching truth, empathize a touching message, smell an honest wholesomeness and enter eccentrically unique dimensions.
The overall mood will be calm, modern, clean and refreshingly playful. The typefaces, universally clear and comprehensively gentle. The colours, daringly electrifying yet solemnly soothing. It will provide peaceful relief yet introduce a thrilling impression. It will allow comforting familiarity yet indulge in edgy freshness.
I hereby present to the public the latest release of a true and honest brief outlining my designer identity. Within this document one can find a general scope of skills, qualities and mission statements about my creative profession. As I hope to pursue a successful and enjoyable career in illustration, I’ve ideally visioned a lovely firm located on the Venice Beach district of Los Angeles, California. I ran off to this lively spot a few times to clear my head and experienced life changing moments. It seems to still be a place I can identify as flourishing and encouraging for my continuously morphing character. A medium sized firm, yes. More than one floor yet less than 10 stories tall of a building. You basically know everyone you work with but there are different teams such as marketing, writing, editing, art, photography. If you imagine the advertising firm Don Draper tried starting with his partner after he branched off from his largely developed position at Sterling Cooper in the series Mad Men, that’s where i’d work. I loved when the marketing team thought of a concept and said “call in art to start working on this“ or “bring in art to hear their take“. I want to be in that art team using visual concepts to best communicate a thought evoking and meaningful story to the audience through illustration, photography, video and type. I want to represent the front covers of significant magazine issues, novels and much more in presenting an entrance visual for a story. I feel that my odd and sometimes low brow style adds a sort of mood or emotional content to my work, which I hope to further develop diversely.
I find it scary asking others how they perceive me to be. It was always one of my least favourite exercises since kindergarten. As shocking as it may seem, I found this excruciating experience fun and helpful. Based on the feedback i’ve received from friends and family, I learnt a lot about myself. It feels quite exposing and almost selfish to impose a survey of yourself onto others. I was honestly incredibly shy and embarrassed to read the answers received yet anxious and excited at the same time.
I’ve learned the many ways I’ve shaped others lives, what I am viewed as, and the type of energy I radiate to others. It all starts to create a foggy but almost visible identity of who I am to myself and the world. You know when you imagine your sort of coat of arms or shield type symbol that would represent you and your powers in Warcraft or some fantasy medieval world? Its happening.
Exploring our unique individualities as designers comes with thorough self evaluation. As we begin our term rebranding and visually creating our personalities, we ask ourselves key questions in order to pin point the very highlights and significant skills that shape us.
The first question I find quite hard to represent who I am with only three words. I feel it important to focus on my main traits such as my emotionally empathetic need to make people’s lives easier and happier. I feel we all have creative bones in our bodies, however I feel I apply creative problem solving and ideation to many aspects of my life.
In terms of interests, find myself quite interested in illustration and drawn narratives such as character design, comic stories and plain old fun doodles. I enjoy creating life and excitement in my work with the addition of some personality through unique characters. I do find myself a naturally organized and efficient worker. I was praised for my efforts in going above and beyond in my performance and work during my internship experiences.
Where am I going. Do we ever know? Maybe my ideas towards my future goals would be a great way to start answering this question. I want to better society through my creative processes and projects. I want to stand up for issues that mean a lot to me through empowering campaigns and initiatives to start movements and change. I believe in using our skills to the best of our abilities in order to better the planet and society we live on. With such a diverse and talented human race, every soul has the power to make meaningful changes. I want my design journey, my reputation and my message to the world to always work towards a great cause that means something to me.
One can never truly create a successfully meaningful and useful solution unless empathy is a core factor in their process of designing. To deeply understand the needs of one’s audience through research and surveys is the most accurate method to accumulate an emotional passion towards the issue. I personally find strength in my work specifically created towards a cause or idea that I truly empathize for. Our design research projects gave us an opportunity to explore the world of issues and focus our concentration on designing solutions for chosen topics.
It is highly evident that a matter with deep concern and care will be reflected within the work produced. It can be easy to assume and use our own personal opinions and preferences when it comes to design. However, I myself have learnt that conducting proper efforts and information regarding an issue will expose one to the diverse varieties of needs our society is made up of.
Design thinking is a creatively planned approach to gain best results in project and work ethic outcomes. Through true empathy, thorough research and constructing of prototypes/experimentation, one can expect successfully accurate designs based on realistic human centred needs. Our design approaches and production of creativity mimic the very process we should be aiming to achieve in our daily lifestyles.
What is life but a complex labyrinth of dreadfully tangled issues of identity crises, love, emotional highs and lows, struggles, achievements and pure confusion. Let us focus on a personal struggle, such as self value. Lately living in a new town has brought on a lot of stress from experiencing racism. It can be quite devaluing to have members in a society around you verbally display their wishes for your disappearance. I could sit around frustrated and sad, or I could start a project. I decided to make an instagram post about it, gaining numerous responses of support and similar stories. This initial step of reaching out, emphasizing with others and conducting research/surveys among the public lead me to the creation of an art zine. Before I knew it, art pen pals from across the world wanted to take part in creating poetry and visuals in relation to the theme of self value and worth. As the project begins ideation by many artists, the ideal solution is to present works to bring comfort, relation, support and inspiration to viewers. Testing this zine is yet to exist in the future, and only evolve after experiencing responses and feedback. Stay sane friends!
Our 2019 Graphic Design Graduation event should be highly emphasized as a showcasing exhibition of every student’s talents and strengths through project displays, visual identities and user interactions between our audience and each set up.
A memorable event in which both potential employers, friends, families and ourselves as fellow designers must contain the element of intruiging wonder within the crowd. Design should be represented as unique, facinating solutions to our everyday problems. They should inspire, innovate and spark creative insights to any viewer present. Ideally, the showcasing portion of the night should shine a spotlight on each creator to share their design experience to better inform our audience on the diverse and complex variations graphic design has impacted.
The art of the design process is applied to solving problems and creating solutions in many different forms. Event planning comes with a unique application of a planning process as it is an overall physical experience impacting users in the moment, and affecting their experience afterwards. It is a momentous slice of time is which one has the power to engage and influence their guests through an atmosphere geared to express a central focus or message.
In light of our grad planning, this article was quite the eye opener is exposing the complexities in event design. The fact that many guest interact and respond to information in numerous ways in a challenge in itself. To design an ideal grad show event, the display, programming and overall production of the night must suite the proper audience attending. Knowing ones audience is key in utilizing the advantages of an event. Whether it be for potential employers or friends and family, their must be efficient contact and flow within the guests and the presenters (designers in our case). In my opinion, iconic event/conference settings are the most memorable and impactful. C2 Montreal and C2 Melbourne were showcased as some of the best in putting on events. To be “wild and inventive“ is what I feel affects viewers physically and mentally. New and creative ways of presenting information for users to breath in as a new scope of discoveries creates momentous relationships.
For my take on our graphic design visual identity, I chose to play around with the shifting knobs on an amplifying/tuning machine to emphasize the different characteristics and strengths we as designers have. The colour theme is quite electric and fun, stressing on the fact that our class is represented by our vibing energy and fully charged minds of creativity. The hands add individuality of one controlling their own shifting direction in what they feel they exceed in best. The font chosen is a simplistic and clean typeface to create a welcoming and fun yet edgy and sleek atmosphere. The logo can be used in the negative form as well as a variety of colours from the pallet. My overall goal was to enhance the creative diversity and individuality within our graphic design graduating class.
Launch | Possible Visual identity plan for VIU Graphic Design Grad Show
In preparation for our final year’s graphic design grad show, our class’s logo ideation process aims to grant life to this year’s visual identity. I chose to go forward on designing a “Launch“ concept (one of the voted possible titles) exhibiting visual factors I feel best suits the edgy character of our groups uniqueness.
My experience transferring to VIU’s graphic design program has been beyond adventurous, which i’ve hoped to capture in this fun and tasteful identity design. The colours create a productively amusing atmosphere of progress, success and excitement towards the great beyond. It mimics our designers as powerfully fuelled souls with distinguishing outlets of creativity. The bold, punchy mood speaks for our constantly innovative individuality and striving will to design until death, and afterwards.
As this process has only just begun, I do hope to keep an electric energy in our brand identity in showcasing our graduating class accurately!
The film Design Thinking presented various interesting views on designing, problem solving, the process and the professionals behind the scene. I found the film quite fascinating in understanding the many issues and problems which spark innovation, as well as how the projects are executed to best suit the needs of the audiences.
I found David Kelly’s quote on involvement and passion in design quite true and real. One cannot hope to solve a problem from the outside looking in, but must completely surround themselves with the people, issues and solutions revolving around their idea. I also believe that the thought of one being born creative or having artistic characteristics in their genes does not define a successful designer. Designers involve themselves in business, communities, research, institutes, prototype problem solving and critiquing constantly. It is not a spontaneous and unplanned outcome. Seeing the process of prototyping from huge developed companies taking random tools and materials to visualize their ideas was indeed enjoyable as it helps to reinforce the fact that one must ideate to the max, flushing out their mental thoughts into physical form in order to trouble shoot products to the best of its form
Natasha Jen had a bold and filter free view on the ridicules of the design process and its needs. Although she strongly feels designers already have background knowledge on using cartoons to enhance a children’s MRI scanning room, I must beg to differ. I understand her point, we do have a lot of knowledge of our own that we use to create, ideate and execute. I feel her understanding of the design process is inaccurate, hence the constant slams. The process can seem limiting or limitless, it is a basic outline/structure to be applied to problem solving in many forms. It is not a concrete five step one way process, it can be approached in many directions forwards, backwards and upside down with constant feedback, critique and re solving all the way through. Post it notes are a method of ideation, it is a common tool for brainstorming that truly works as a visual set up of instant plans and inspirations spitting out of a creators mind. These steps may or may not be applied to design, or may be heavily or barely applied, however the after product of thorough planning, research, surveying and exploration outside your own mind reflects a successful solution. How can we truly problem solve for the great diverse society without steering away from our own personal knowledge and opinions? The process highlights key facts in setting up a sturdy framework behind the final product.
We are exposed to numerous opportunities for change on a daily basis just by living. Every encounter with a service, product, interaction or experience presents ideas for change to better suite the comfort of society. How first world can problems get? Behold!
Improving the drawing experience with an efficient and convenient tool composed of multiple pen point sizes, ideal for switching line weights smoothly without searching through your endless realm of multiple pens.
My infographic design aims to educate all audiences on the most successfully structured journey through problem solving. The Design Thinking Process visually displays the necessary steps to follow in order to ideate and design usable and necessary solutions.
Infographic design on the Design Thinking Process
My structure choice resembles that of a winding road, or twisting snake. I deliberately chose to steer clear from a straight linear path to reflect that the end result cannot be met or even clearly seen unless the step before it is properly addressed and completed. Although one can visualize an end result, they cannot clearly see or meet this ideal solution until they encounter the design journey every step of the way.
The use of soft and friendly font/icon styles aim to appeal to a general public as an approachable and non intimidating process which can be applied to any situation or profession if used accurately. The colours and style display a progressively fun and curious notion of design planning and research. The goal is to present the process as easy and useful for anyone to utilize.