Graphic Design

Process Portfolio
Alyssa Hernandez
Place and Photo Exploration

For this semester long assignment, we were told to

choose a place we thought was important to us. The
place that I chose was the Multicultural Resource
Center which is located on campus here at
UW- Stevens Point. I began to take photos of the
MRC and tried to capture things that stood out to me
in this space. We had to choose three photos out of
50 that were essential to the meaning of the space.
From then on we manipulated the photos to get a
better look and focus on shapes.
Symbol Set
Once the images were manipulated we were told to select a symbol from each photograph. To make things easier, I focused on parts of the
photos that stood out to me. At this point, I wasn’t sure about any of my symbol choices as they were very complex but I was going to work
on this moving forward.

For my first symbol, I wanted to focus on the stapler on the table. Once I had
isolated it, I began to manipulate it and ended with my first version of my
symbol. It has many sharp lines that give it a unified look.

The overall photo of the couch had repetitive features. On some parts of the
couch, it almost seemed like there was a pattern and a good portion of the
photo was black. I ended with a figure that had many lines that pointed in
many directions.

There was a lot more detail in this photo once it was manipulated. Once I
had zoomed in, I decided on a very small part of the photo. It contains many
organic shapes that have more depth to them.
Symbol With Letterform
Once I simplified the logo I decided to use the letter “Q”. In one
of the earlier versions, I applied it directly to the symbol. Later
on, when I found the symbol to be too complicated I simplified
it again and then rotated the letterform. This time the letter-
form was not directly applied.

For my second symbol, I decided on an exclamation mark

!
because it was similar to my simplified symbol allowing it to
blend in. Although the letterform works, it adds to the
complexity of the symbol. Ultimately, once I landed at my final
version of the symbol, I directly applied the letter “X” to create
some negative space.

For this symbol, I decided to use an asterisk. I decided to

directly apply on the lower corner to create some negative
space. I thought I had simplified it enough but I did end up
going back to remove parts that stood out. I then enlarged the
asterisk and placed half of itn the symbol.
Flags
For my first symbol, I wanted to connect the dynamic feeling of the MRC. I decided
to place the symbol in the middle as I thought it was most effective there. My color
choice was based on the MRC logo and the variety of people who show up at the
center every day.

I decided to focus on the brightness of the MRC and how loud it can get. I didn’t think
that this symbol would look good with stripes or anything else because of how long it
already is. Due to this, I just placed it in the middle. The orange stands out in
comparison to the other colors and also connects to my place. I also made the
letterform red to create some contrast.

I again decided that in the end, the symbol worked better when it was placed at the
center. I decided on the colors because they are warm and bright much like the MRC.
I added bars at the top and bottom to create a bit of an illusion, almost as if the circle
in the middle were to roll off.
Patterns
I created two patterns one in black and white and the the other with
color. The black and white pattern flips the symbol and also makes them
fall in a hexagon shape. The other pattern was done by creating a radial.
As for the colors I wanted to connect it back to the warm-like feeling of
the MRC.

For these patterns, I wanted to make sure that the symbol was still
visible. For the first pattern, I rotated, flipped, and mirrored the symbols
to end up with my final. For the color version, I wanted to focus on the
letterform and bring out color through that just like I did in the flag.

I experimented a lot with this symbol for patterns. In the end, I decided
to line them up in rows with mirrored versions of the pattern. For the
second one, I wanted to connect it back to the flag with my color
choices. I also thought that the symbol was presented better close
together.
Logos
At this point, we began to turn our symbols into logos. We had the option to consider a business or nonprofit. All the businesses had to
include a location, its purpose, and a tagline. For this part, we were able to experiment with color more and connect it to the meaning of the
business. I decided to focus on the logos and only worked in black and white for this section of the work.

X - pedition

Young Quest
EXCITE. EXPLORE. EXPERIENCE

Evergreen is a small 123

plant shopAve,located in
Wisconsin X-pedition is an outerwear clothing brand Young Quest is a non-profit organization
downtown Milwaukee.Milwaukee,
Ivy Wilson
Store Owner
They strive
WI 5320
to
414 - 012 - 3456 | cell
that is based in Milwaukee. X-pedition based inYouth
Milwaukee whose mission is to
Lily Eastwood
Program Coordinator
provide healthy, beautiful plants to their
www.evergreen.com strives to provide the
123best quality
Wisconsin inAve,
its assist low-income families. They offer
___________________________

Carson Holt Milwaukee, WI 53202 123 Wisconsin Ave, [email protected]

customers. products
Clothing to its customers.
Designer 414 - 123 - 4567 | Office recreational
Milwaukee, activities
WI 53202 www.at youngquest.com
no cost to kids
Blossoming forever–green. 414 - 012 - 3456 | cell
[email protected] under the age of 12.
LEARN SOMETHING NEW!

Tagline: Blossoming forever-green. Tagline: Explore. Excite. Experience. Tagline: Learn something new!
Business Cards
X - pedition

Young Quest
EXCITE. EXPLORE. EXPERIENCE

123 Wisconsin Ave, 123 Wisconsin Ave, Lily Eastwood

Carson Holt Youth Program Coordinator
Ivy Wilson Milwaukee, WI 5320 Milwaukee, WI 53202
___________________________
Clothing Designer 414 - 123 - 4567 | Office
Store Owner 414 - 012 - 3456 | cell 414 - 012 - 3456 | cell 123 Wisconsin Ave, [email protected]
www.evergreen.com [email protected] Milwaukee, WI 53202 www. youngquest.com

Blossoming forever–green. LEARN SOMETHING NEW!

I decided on a green, pink, and yellow shade X-pedition had a clear color scheme for me I wanted to associate one color to it that
for the color scheme of this business. While since I think my flag design worked well. would stand out. I decided that the
the the business name contains a color, I I decided on orange to connect it back to teal-like color did that effectively and had
wanted to steer away from that and incor- the flag design. I think it also aligns well a youthful feeling to it. Overall, I think the
porate colors that aligned better with my with the tagline of the outerwear clothing color represented and aligned well with the
business idea. brand. mission of the non-profit.
3D Symbols

For my 3D symbol, I decided to work on my X-pedition logo and expand on that business. I wanted to emphasize the different forms that
made up the symbol. I decided to expand the individual shapes so they could all stand. In my first mock-up, I also added color but ultimately
decided that it didn’t look as well as I expected. I then refined the shapes and sizes to create my final product.
3D Photo in Place

I took a photo of my work with a green screen. Once I had done that, I worked on removing the background to isolate my work. I wanted to
place my installation in the lobby of what would be the office building for X-pedition. I though it would work well as a statement for the brand
when walking in to the building. Once I chose my background, I continued to manipulate my work so the orientation aligned better with the
room’s perspective.
 Conclusion
Overall, I enjoyed working on the projects in this course. I learned a lot about myself as a designer throughout the semester. At the end of
this, I have now begun to see a style starting to develop with my compositions. One of the biggest takeaways from this class and learning
experience is that work can always be refined. This was true when some symbols were complex and didn’t fit as logos.
It took some time to get used to the programs we used since it was all new to me. Once I got the hang of it I was able to work faster and
create more solutions for our projects. I am glad about the work outcomes as I never thought I would have been able to create work like I
have this semester. I have also gained an appreciation for the work that goes behind making logos and any decision when it comes to design.