Sparkling Variety in Graphic Design

Designer’s Eye is a series of articles in which I offer a graphic designer’s view of the world.

Projects LARGE, small, and in between

Sometimes people aren’t quite sure what a graphic designer does. I have a pet project that I work on every year that illustrates the scope and variety of the work I produce as a designer.

The Graphic Excellence Awards, administered by a trade association, Printing Industries of the Gulf Coast, is an annual competition for printers. Early on in the project, the client and I meet to decide the overall theme for the evening and we decide what promotional items are needed.

Sometimes the theme is based on the venue. This year the gala was held at the beautiful Crystal Ballroom of the Rice Hotel, so we selected an image with cascading jewels to use in the pieces I was to design. My objective was to create an image and concept versatile enough to be used in all of the materials the project required.

The first piece I designed was the “Call for Entries” mailer and entry form. Printers fill out the form and submit printed samples of their work for the competition. I also designed an advertisement for placement in the trade publication and provided web-friendly artwork for posting on the client’s website.

As entries for the competition began to arrive, I designed an event invitation to be printed and mailed to association members and the printing community. After all the entries were in and the judging was complete, I assembled a PowerPoint presentation featuring photos of each winning entry. The presentation provides entertainment and is the highlight of the gala.

I designed a certificate that was printed, framed, and presented to the winning companies. I prepared trophy art for the top awards and submitted artwork to the awards shop. As we approached the day of the event, I designed a program that outlined the events of the evening and also recognized the many sponsors. I also created signage for use during the event.

There are many ways a graphic designer can help you communicate clearly and effectively with your audience. Not every project has a scope this wide, but a designer can help you understand the choices and select the products that will work best for you!