Reflection on Design Project Alpha

For the first mission in my publications course, I tackled a well-rounded design package featuring a business card, letterhead and original logo for Juggle Whatever, my friend’s entertainment business. From crafting the company’s message to chipping through draft revisions and pitching the polished final product, it’s been a process.

I’m not normally a process person. I buy groceries when my pantry looks hungry and push laundry day back like a madman. My design process tends to take an equally spontaneous, messy and wasteful approach — so I valued this project’s careful structure. Moving forward, I hope to apply the research-driven design steps I’ve internalized to create more efficiently and effectively.

I’ve shown my friend drafts of my work — which he received kindly. (Although, he wasn’t 100% satisfied. Welcome to client work!) I’ll likely adapt a version of the logo and business card for my friend’s use. I’ve learned to stay flexible and loosen my mental deathgrip on my favorite ideas. Good medicine, overall.

Undoubtedly, every intensely rewarding aspect of my first design project involved experimentation. I designed my first “real” logo and toyed with Igor Borisenko’s Triangulator tool for the polygon pattern anchoring the designs. If I could offer one advice snippet to future publications students, I’d offer this challenge: experiment widely and fail quickly. In my experience, ideas that click start to create themselves, taking on new self-animation.

Now, let’s jump into round two.