“Right and wrong do not exist in graphic design. There is only effective and non-effective communication."
― Peter Bilak
In early 2019 I got my first chance to work on a real world design project for Leathered Pearls by Kendra Delano. I was given over a hundred images of Kendra's handmade jewelry pieces and was asked to make display ebooks for each jewelry collection. I edited every photo, designed every cover, and laid out every spread for six collections under the guidelines and with the material Kendra provided. The biggest challenge I faced was the sheer number of images I had to work with myself.
By mid-2019, I was recommended by Professor Walt Hines to Dr. Kevin Cooper, the Dean of Advanced Technology, to be hired as a contingent worker to design a logo for the Aviation and Marine program, and publications for three other new programs IRSC was working to launch in the next year.
After graduating from IRSC's Graphic Design program, my first client was a familiar local named Toni Thomas who had just started a new business with her husband called Golf Car ER. They wanted to be the go-to, Expert Repair shop for Golf Cars, with a type of "medical emergency" theme. I designed their logo, business card, and an array of marketing materials designed to introduce them to the local community.
2020 brought in a new year with endless opportunities. Instagram filters were surging in popularity, and I had some ideas of my own that I wanted to execute even if just for my own use. Spark AR Studio had just became available to the public in late 2019; free to download, free to make filters, and free to publish those filters on your Instagram or Facebook profile. While searching for answers to all my budding questions, I found the Spark AR Community group on Facebook, and I haven't stopped learning about the program since.
My first idea, Pierced Elf Ears, required me to design my own 3D models of long, pointy ears with piercings to use in Spark AR Studio. The Spark AR Community pointed me to Blender, a completely free and powerful modeling program. These new tools led me to a snowball of inspiration, and currently I have more projects in development than I do published. New Instagram filters coming to @shaephantom in 2021!
Through the Spark AR Community Facebook group, I met Sarah E Photography, an independent wedding photographer looking to turn her professional wedding photo light presets into filters for Instagram. I made four filters for her, and taught her how to manage the publication process herself. Sarah referred me to her friend Nicole of Map + Compass Photo, a fellow wedding photographer looking to make a filters of her own. I was elated to help these independent women bring their visions to life and boost their audience engagement.
I love being able to develop solutions for my clients. I love being able to help them push their business off the ground by strengthening the foundation from which they lift from. Though my focus is Branding and Marketing, I’m also learning more about augmented reality and 3D modeling tools, package design, product user experience design, and any position responsible for creative innovation.