Hello, my name is Melissa and I am currently a senior graphic design student at Oregon State University. Currently on campus I am the Executive Director for Promotion & Outreach for Associated Students of Oregon State University. I'll be graduating in the spring of 2015 and will be searching to start my full-time career in graphic design. I am looking for the start of my career to take place in the Portland area or in surrounding cities.
I have a desire for creativity, and a passion for design. I constantly strive to challenge myself to improve my work.
My desire to design helps me reflect upon visual problems and overcome them.
Design, Drawing, Painting, Photography, Web Authoring,
UX design, and mobile app design.
Outside of art related interests I enjoy being active outdoors with biking, hiking, camping, and golf. I also enjoy cooking, baking and playing videogames in my down time.
INTERESTS
THE STORY
PROCESS
1 Gather Information
To start my process I gather all the information needed to get the ball rolling. The type of information I need is to know the audience, find the message I want to portray to the viewer,
and get a good idea of what the end goal is. If I’m working with a client I make sure to know the deadline, dimensions, what their vision is for the piece, and ask if they can provide examples
of what they have in mind. This step evolves into setting up outlines of my process. I like to keep
track of what I need to achieve each step, that way I can make sure to achieve my end goal.
2 Research
Research is a huge step to design. Researching helps me soak up ideas and get inspiration to
carry me through each step. Research makes a strong base to build upon; it provides me with better knowledge. This knowledge can help me further develop ideas or set me apart from
others. Having a wide range of research can show through in anyone’s work.
3 Brainstorming
After gathering some inspiration and knowledge I then start the brainstorming step. I may take some examples from my research and develop mind maps, or wordlists to help me stay focus
on what message I want to portray. It can also provide me out of the box ideas that can be
more abstract.
4 Sketches
Having the wordlists fresh in my mind I then can start sketching. I like to make several quick sketches to get out a variety of ideas down on paper. Some may be good, some can be terrible, but it’s good to explore all options. With the ones that stand out to me I then go back and get
into more detail on the concept, and develop a stronger meaning behind the sketches.
5 Versions
After being drawn to particular sketches, I design several versions of the sketches, either drawing by hand in more detail or taking it to the computer. After exploring many options on the computer
I like to present them to the client and receive feedback. The client can look at the plethora of options and combine different elements from the examples. It lets the client be involved in the developing process.
6 Revisions
I strive to encourage my client to be open with me about what they want to see in the revision process. I desire to garner ways to change or improve the project from their feedback. I want my clients to know I have no problem with revisions, and make sure they are truly satisfied in the end.
I love being critiqued because it gives me a chance to grow and make me a stronger designer.
I love to learn and improve myself, and being critiqued lets me learn from that experience.