OUGD402 STUDIO BRIEF 2 - CREATIVE RESUME DEVELOPMENT

Following on from my adapted logo and business card design, I had to then change my creative resume design, so that it was more in fitting with my new identity.

This is as far as I have gotten with updating it, the photograph will be changed, I just placed it in there to see how it would look against the rest of my layout. I wanted to keep the general layout of it similar to my previous design, as i thought it worked well, but just to make it look less feminine and more sleek. I changed the typeface for the whole of the page to LFT Etica Display, again making my name a slightly heavier weight to make it stand out better. I changed my logo to my new one in the top right corner, and removed my contact information from the top section as well as I thought I didn't need it twice on the page, and I thought the top band would look crowded with it on. I used the semi circle from my logo in the centre of the page, in the same way I had previously used the mono printed circle to form a backdrop to my photograph. I extended the semi circle quite far to the edges of the pages, and made the text line up with the corners of it, so it appeared as if the text was balanced on the rim of the circle, and I was sitting in it, almost like a bowl. I had the software I was able to use at the bottom , which I thought helped fill in the little gap at the bottom, and the coloured also broke up the blue as well nicely. At the bottom there is a band of blue where my contact details are, creating an effective footer for the page. I think when I take my actual photograph for my creative resume, I should ensure I am wearing professional clothing, but that still reflects my personality as style, but maybe doesn't look as much like I'm on holiday as this photo does (which I was so I'm not surprised). I could try taking the photograph in black and white, as I think this would create a very professional appearance, and mean that no colours than I am wearing will clash with the colours on my creative resume either.

This creative resume was just a quick mock up to see how it wold look for my critiques presentation, but since then I took out a DSLR camera from the photography studios and got one of my peers to take a more professional photograph of myself to use on my Creative Resume, as the one I have used at the moment is very clear I'm on holiday.

Photograph of me with the background removed.

This photograph has now been applied to my Creative Resume, and I think this makes it look a lot more appropriate and finished, not like I've just made do. I think it still needs some work doing to it though, as I am not satisfied with the overall aesthetics of my Creative Resume, I think it still needs a lot of work done with layout and positioning, maybe even changing of the typeface as well.

Research:

I decided to research into layouts of creative resumes, as I felt I was pretty stuck in different, contemporary ways to present my creative presume in. I want something clean and well spaced out, easy to read, but still conveys a certain kind of personality.

I like how the information on this resume is divided into two columns with one clean line, but then into sections further by diamonds filled with specific illustrations, presumably to relate to the content of each set of information. This helps break it up simply but allows illustration to come through in her resume, rather than just being text and lines. I want to include colour in my resume though, and this one is just black and white except for the photograph of the woman. I should think how to include this subtly, so it doesn't appear overwhelming.

This is a covering letter which I thought was very simple but conveyed a lot of information and was well laid out, with contact details along one side separated by a simple line, and then the letter on the other side, with a thick band across the top with the designers logo bold and clear. I like the use of icons to show what piece of information is below, again similar to the previous creative resume above. I also like the simple colours, how the majority of the page is black and white, only the main banner and sub heading banner are in the mint green colour, which highlights them as being really important. The not excessive use of colour also makes this design look clean and simple.

This design really caught my hire, mainly from the "hire me?" being so large and the only thing on one page. The colours were also fascinating, going so well together, but also shows a fun personality and that as a designer you have a good knowledge of colour. I really like the little illustrations on the iPad as well, which ass a playful, quirky aspect to the collection. The resume is actually really simple in comparison, however still employs the fun, illustrative, grid like design as the rest of the products. 

Layout sketches:
Based on the research I undertook shown above, I produced a few sketches to try and get my ideas onto paper , seeing what does and doesn't work.

I wanted to keep my main name or logo at the top of the page, as I thought this is the first place you would look to, and if a possible employer only looks at the top of the page, at least they will know my name or logo. I experimented with a plain band across the top, or a cut off part of my semi circle logo as well, or even just the name BEX, as I want my designs to be clean and uncomplicated and I thought that trying to incorporate some sort of shape into my main banner may make it too complicated. I also wanted to still keep my photograph in my resume as well, as I thought this conveyed who I am pretty well, and it's nice to be able to put a name to a face as well. I tried separating off different parts of my resume with lines, and then little circle outlines where the lines intersected, mainly just to add a small bit of detail to it. 

Updated designs:

I tried one of my designs without the logo on the banner, just in the bottom right corner very small, so that it's included but only just. I wasn't sure about this decision as I feel like my logo should form a more important part of my resume. I really like the software logos, they add an interesting element to my designs, being one of the only non text aspects. I thought to include my own name amongst the information, rather than just Bex, as I think it's important to be addressed as my actual name via communication, rather than just Bex. I was a bit stuck as to what to include in the bottom box however, maybe just a bit about myself, although I have kind of covered that below the course I am on, maybe identify my work ethic perhaps. I also made the lines and circles separating the information the same colour blue as my logo, which makes them not as bold and overpowering, but in the background slightly. 

I tried making my logo the top banner, and I actually really like this as the banner, as it isn't too complicated, but still includes my name and logo, and adds a bit of extra colour into my resume too. Because this takes up a lot more space than just my name, I had to move "Creative individual" further down so that it wasn't central but in line with the rest of the information, which I think I prefer as it makes everything a lot more even, and also means I have filled up the blank space at the bottom too, without adding in any extra information. Perhaps I could try making the software symbols a little bit smaller as they are uite large at the moment, and also making them either the same blue as my logo or different shades of grey, as I think their colours stand out a bit too obviously as being different, and I don't think it is necessary for them to be their actual colours, they're recognisable without them. 

I tried making the software icons the same blue as my logo, to make them still stand out but blend in a little bit more to the page. I think this works quite nicely, however they are still quite obviously there on the page, bright blue amongst a lot of black text.

I then tried making the software symbols shades of grey, choosing a shade of grey directly horizontal from their original colours, so that although they are grey, they are different shades and add a subtle design element to the page. I also increased the weight of the separating lines up to 2pt rather than 1pt, as I thought they looked a little bit insubstantial against the rest of my resume. I didn't increase the weight of the circles however as I thought this would make it look a bit more interesting, although now I'm not sure, as they are quite hard to see properly against the lines.

I increased the circles stroke weight to 1.5pt, as I thought at 1pt they were too delicate and fine, you couldn't see them very clearly, but when I put them up to 2pt, they were a bit too bold.

I wanted to incorporate more of my practical side into my creative resume, as this is the whole basis of my branding and business cards, and I thought this wasn't been shown enough in my creative resume. I made clipping masks of the mono printed pattern from my business cards using the circles that join the dots together, and using this pattern for the dots, adding a subtle element of printing to my creative resume. I quite like this, I think it adds a bit more depth to my design, and helps to break up the white as well, adding more colour to it.

Reverse side:
I decided I wanted to put something on the reverse side of my creative resume, some sort of pattern incorporating designs from my creative resume front and my logo and business cards, to tie everything together.

Here I used the circle mono print clipping mask and the vertical line from one variation of my creative resume front to create this pattern. I feel it is a little feminine though with the circles being so small and dainty.

I tried to make the previous pattern less feminine, so changed the mono printed circles for the vector blue circles, only this time filled in. I also enlarged them too, to fill up more space creating a denser pattern, which I thought would help make it less feminine. I think that this does make it look a lot less feminine, but the circular pattern still looks slightly feminine just by the structure.

I then thought about a more abstract, geometric pattern using the semi circular part of my logo, as I thought this would help it to look less feminine. I changed the opacity so that you could see the overlapping parts of the semi circles, creating more of a pattern. I quite like this design and the overlaying effect, however feel there is too much white space. I also want to include more of the mono printed patterns, again to reflect my practical side and well as my digital designs.

I put in some of my mono printed semi circles to the design, again changing the opacity to create different intensities of colour. I think they look a little oddly placed here though, it all seems a little forced.

I then added more semi circles in both plan blue and mono print, and filled the whole page with these patterns. I also tried to arrange them so there was no awkwardly placed semi circles, but all fit in nicely. I think this works a lot better that my previous layouts, however I still feel it looks a bit uncomfortable, possibly forced. Maybe I should try a less abstract design.

I tried a completely different approach as I didn't think the pattern idea was working very well in appearing effortless and unisex. I put samples of my work joining them together with the same circles and lines pattern used to separate the information on the front of my resume. I think this appears fresh and cheerful, and gives potential clients an insight into the work I have produced in the past as well.

Final Creative Resume:

In the end I chose to not have a back design on my resume, as I thought it added too much complexity to my design, and I couldn't find a pattern which looked unisex but also in the style I produce my work in, which was in fitting with my self branding design.