Intro to Marketing & Self-Promo (WK1) - Design Blog

This week, with the restaurant assignment, felt way more technical than I anticipated...in a good way. I thought that because I have a small business, this would be an easy week for me. I was very wrong. 

I spent a lot more time thinking about hierarchy, spacing, and structure, and how these things meshed with the visuals. Things like how the logo scales, how type behaves in different layouts, and how much negative space is actually needed started to matter more. It made me realize how much polish lives in the tiny details.

I paid closer attention to consistency across applications, like how the branding would translate from logo to menu to social graphics. I’m getting better at slowing down and building things with intention instead of just reacting visually. The small technical decisions are what make everything feel cohesive and professional instead of just “done.”

On top of that, coming up with the restaurant name took much more time than I thought it would. It wasn’t just about picking something that sounded cool. It had to match the vibe, the cuisine, and the overall brand direction. Once the name started to feel right, everything else felt easier to build around it. Designing the physical space was another layer I didn’t expect to think so deeply about. Choosing materials, lighting, textures, and decor forced me to treat the brand like a full environment, not just a logo. I could really see the vision coming to life as I built the mood board and chose images that best conveyed my ideas.

I've learned so many different things this week, but primarily how beneficial it is to begin building a business "backwards" (well, backwards to me). At first, it didn't make sense to me how it could work this way. Now that I've done it, it's like a lightbulb went off. It made choosing a name and designing the interior much easier and more authentic.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Graphic Design Theory: Project 1

Image
Hello again! Long time, no speak (haha).  This week, we were tasked with creating a 3.5" x 2" business card in Adobe Photoshop, being mindful of our use of color, whitespace, typeface, and C.R.A.P. (Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, and Proximity).  I have some experience with Photoshop, and this still proved to be a challenging assignment - I couldn't stop picturing the business cards I had previously made, which go against many of the rules we were taught this week. I really wanted to start from scratch and learn the proper process, versus just editing an old design!  I spent a solid 30 minutes getting reacquainted with the program before creating this. There was a lot of trial and error (mostly error) before I decided this was the route I wanted to take. I used my small business as a guideline, as it gave me a jumping-off point for the color palette.  My business colors are black, purple, and silver/white, and I have a tendency to use imagery that reflects th...
Read more

Social Media and Digital Marketing (WK1) - SMART Goals (Vans)

Image
*Please click the image to enlarge for clear viewing* I know, I know...I went over the top when completing this assignment. I've finished quite a few SWOT analyses and SMART goals (before The Art Institute closed, I took an E-Commerce and Social Media Marketing course, as well as doing these for my own business); therefore, I am intimately familiar with this process. I have a preference for coordinating branding when it comes to assignments like this, so naturally, I applied that to my SMART goals to match my SWOT analysis.   
Read more

Digital Illustration (WK2) - Project 3 "Identity Package"

Image
For this assignment, we were asked to create an identity package using our own subject and original artwork. I chose to redesign my business identity and go with a more "metal-inspired" approach.  For the updated logo, I created a font by drawing it by hand first. I knew I wanted it to look vampiric, but also take inspiration from band merchandise that I've seen over the years.  I was able to get more comfortable with the freeform gradient tool, which is what I used for the letters in the new logo.  I also used the gradient mesh tool for the moon, which I believe helped to give it some dimension. I learned a lot about this tool while doing this project, and I'm excited to use it more in the future!    For the second part of the project, I needed to create stationery using the new logo. I liked the idea of putting a trim at the bottom (demonstrated in the textbook), so I drew the heart chain on paper first and then traced it in Illustrator (I'm not a very skilled...
Read more