First off, wow!  What a class!  So much juicy info for someone starting out.  Thanks, Dylan!

 

Now onto the project:

I chose the Lightbulb Co. brief because I have made brochures for just about every school I've worked for.  Learning Illustrator was a HUGE help in this area because working in Publisher wasn't any fun...  Needless to say, I was excited to read a brief for an education company.  I felt like they really did a lot of the heavy lifting in terms of already having a logo, stock photos, etc.  There wasn't any need for custom illustration work.  However, I did end up searching for a couple stock photos because the brief stated that the photos they found didn't really represent the diversity of their students and they wanted shots of students doing real work.  I also felt that the photos focused on younger students and didn't represent the fact that the company serves students through 8th grade.  

QUOTE

I think this was the hardest part for me because I've never charged anyone for my design work like this before.  Generally speaking, I was the only one at my school site who A) had some know-how when it came to design and B) actually agreed to do the work.  I figured it would take me between 4-8 hours to complete everything since a lot of the leg work was already done for me.  This brought me to a total of $200 because I am so new at this.  I wasn't sure if that was going to be too high or too low.  It was hard to guess how much time onboarding would take since I'm not actually corresponding with anyone.  Thankfully it took me around the 4 hour mark to complete, so I was making pretty good per hour.  Still feeling unsure about this part of the work.  Guess that comes in time, right?

BROCHURE #1

I decided to go with the vibrant feel of the postcard that was provided and came up with 3 different options.  The first is super vibrant and full of the quirky early 90s pattern they provided.  I chose blue as the main background because it was much easier to look at than the other brighter colors as a whole.  The color also conveys trust, which is something that people need when deciding who to entrust their children's education to.  I know they talked about not wanting to plaster their logo everywhere, but since I wasn't sure what kind of copy they would really end up with, I went ahead and used the logo where I thought appropriate.  *I would definitely ask this question when corresponding with the company.* I would also let them know that I decided to introduce Proxima Nova as a font in place of the Apex font because all the serif fonts together felt too heavy to me.  I did end up creating a quick graphic that showcased their values as a company because I thought it was important.  This would be something else I would need to clear with them.    

OUTSIDE:

INSIDE:

BROCHURE #2

The second option is a lot calmer without as much of the pattern work everywhere.  I also went for less vibrant shades just so they can see what that might look like.

BROCHURE #3

The third follows the same layout as the second but in the vibrant colors of the first.

This project was a lot of fun!  Can't wait to get some feedback.  Which would you choose if you were Lightbulb?  What changes would you make?

 

Maybe I'll go start on the second brief now...

 

Save the Date Brief

This brief was super exciting because I got to pull out my illustration skills.  Still not sure about this whole pricing thing...  And... I misspelled his name at the top.  Oops!  That would need to be changed.    

When I read that they were from the south and wanting to do a beach wedding, those two ideas combined really well for me because I am from the south.  When I think about southern beaches, those antebellum homes with fantastic shutters and tons of palms come to mind.  I went with this direction because they were wanting to steer away from the expected nautical beach themes.  Palm fronds are ALL over pinterest, and they were wanting to steer clear of that as well.  I felt like combining the palms with the house frame and some wildlife would keep it from looking just like every other tropical save the date out there.     

I assumed that they were wanting to go with a standard 4X6 postcard size, which is something that would have to be cleared up in onboarding as well as how they intend to print the work.  I started with a concept sketch of the front, which is really messy...  In my correspondence, I would flesh out my ideas for her better so that she wouldn't be totally frightened away by the sketch.

Concept Sketch:

 

Because it is an evening wedding, I went for a darker background, but I provided a light option just in case she wanted to see what that might look like.  I stretched her color palette a little and added in that turquoise on the shutters and a few other greens too.  I kept the back simple because there is a lot happening on the front side.  I was assuming the card would be sent in an envelope.  If they plan on sending it just like a postcard, then I would need to rearrange some things on the back to make it appropriate.

I am not a hand letterer, so I followed Dylan's example of purchasing one off Creative Market and tracing it.  I liked this "Paris" font because it follows her guidelines of not being overly formal.  I think it still is appropriate for an evening wedding, though.  

DARK OPTION (preferred): 

BACK:

LIGHT OPTION: