Logo

My logo is taken from the original 100 marques project done at the start of Level 5, this example using simple shapes to illustrate the letterforms A & M, both my initials. The loose box allows me to manipulate not only the monotone colour of the logo to match the background and contrast with whatever additional imagery that I use around the logo. But it also opens up interesting opportunities for logo manipulation, while the A and M letterforms must remain where they are for legibility and to ensure that the logo remains recognisable as my own, the other lines within the logo are free to change, animating the width and height of the logo would make for interesting graphic opportunities. The open space in the middle of the logo could interact with a photographic element or the logo could even expand out, forming the border of the page and making the work appear more structured.

Neon

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

When coming to creating the logo and format in context, many different techniques could be used, a style that I like the look of is this neon type style. Thin lines work to border and highlight the text that it is mimicking, as well as a neon glow being used to illuminate the dark background and expose additional elements such as the logo or other letterforms.

Different colours could be used for different topics/projects to help to split the portfolio up, while the style remains similar enough to still be considered the same brand.

I think this effect looks clean, minimalist and contemporary however the very dark background and only small elements of light alongside the dark grey letterforms barely showing up with the glow of the neon lines put the legibility in question, neon may not be the best approach for this particular project, even if the aesthetics are extremely clean and professional, additionally the black background makes the page appear smaller, making me concerned that once I input work onto a black page, it will look out of place and thinking perhaps a lighter background would be more appropriate, however, this would then potentially rule out the use of neon shapes and lines as the effect would then subsequently lose its striking look if placed on a light grey/white background.

I think this effect should be kept in my mind for a later project, while it is a very aesthetically pleasing look, it does not seem very appropriate for the showcasing of my work in the format of a portfolio/website.

Photography

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Another element that could be imported into my portfolio is photography, using a photo of yourself is a common practice that I found within my research, however, I do not think that this is a necessary part of a portfolio, some photos look natural when placed into a portfolio, they are stylised correctly and do not look too forced. However, they are often placed inappropriately and overall seem an element that is not needed, running the risk of taking too much focus away from my work and achievements just to see a photo of myself does not sit high on my priority or hierarchy list for my portfolio.

The duotone style and non-portrait photo here appears more natural on the page, as it would form a background rather than sit as an individual image with hard borders on a screen with other elements it appears as it should belong there more, the photography format gives the viewers something interesting and striking to look at, the large variance in colours are pleasing to the eye and the inclusion of duotone techniques allows me to implements some more specialist colour palettes that would attract more attention to my work from a long-distance away.

While the duotone technique and colour is positive, the framing and content of this photo do not outright speak “Graphic Designer”. The photo speaks more of a web-based IT Company, Creativity is not an element I get from this photo. The colours are the only element of the photo that helps to translate the industry of graphic design, this paired with the fact that I could still translate these interesting and contemporary colours in a number of different and potentially more successful formats other than photography say to me that perhaps photography is not a well-suited technique to my portfolio and perhaps I should stick with a more geometric style aesthetics that are so prevalent within actual Graphic Design Projects throughout Level 5.

Memphis & Patterns

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Finally, the technique of Memphis pattern interests me, light and thin shapes and illustrations nicely reflect my work while the thin lines would not take away too much focus from the work that’s being shown. Almost any colour scheme could be employed with the technique of Memphis as well as the technique giving me plenty of room for creative development. I would begin with basic shapes and understanding the rules of Memphis patterns and then proceeding to evolve and develop my style to make it my own. Both bright and dark backgrounds work effectively as long as the patterns placed on the background correctly reflect the background colour. This opens up opportunities for including both a light and dark mode option within the website, this is often used by many companies in order to make the UI a more tailored experience for the user.

negatives with Memphis pattern would be my lack of experience with the creation of repeating patterns as well as the potential for the style to go wrong, from my research it seems that it is extremely easy for a Memphis pattern to be slightly wrong and then proceed to look very dated and undesirable, while I imagine that it would be easy to create a pattern that is too simple or too heavy, a heavy pattern would take too much attention away from the work while a pattern that is too light would be less detrimental however would still not convey a sense of design proficiency and therefore hurt the quality of the work that would be showcased throughout my portfolio/website.