Digital Process Poster

I created a poster in InDesign summarizing the process of designing two and three-dimensional models inspired by Carleton Varney's design style. I chose an object from nature, a scallop shell, that reminded me of Varney's style and created an abstract concept of a room based on it. I am proud of how my 2-D and 3-D concept models turned out, and I think they reflect both Carleton Varney and a seashell.

I designed the 20x32" poster in two columns so the text would not be too wide to read. I used sans serif fonts for the titles and serifed fonts for the body text of my concept statement to maximize readability. I used pink and blue strips of color to bring some color to the upper left part of the composition to balance the photo of my 3-D model and to show a bit of Varney's love for stripes. I like the way my poster turned out, but I think I could have made the process sketches look neater by making them all the same width and adding a border to them.

Design Résumé

This is a résumé I created using InDesign. I have created résumés before, but they were plain, black and white Word documents. Since most jobs I will apply to are design-related, it is important that my résumé shows my design skills rather than just my work experience. While creating this résumé, I worked with gradient feathering in my logo and adjusting the opacity of my background to remove harshness in the design. I also tried different formats to maximize the readability of my résumé. I think it turned out well, and I look forward to using variations of this résumé when applying for jobs in the future.

My Own Logo

I created a logo for myself using my initials, JC. I started by considering my personal design philosophy, and concluded that I want to create spaces that are both calming and fun. This was my first time using a Wacom tablet, and I really liked the technology! The tablet is a little difficult to get the hang of, but my skills improved the more I used the tablet.

A few early logo ideas


I chose the umbrella sketch as my favorite. I think that it is a good abstract view of my initials, and it also expresses the to two elements I wanted to convey: serenity and fun. Unfortunately, the final umbrella drawing isn't perfect, and I hope to improve my Wacom sketching in the future.

Final logo

Mixing Gouache Paints

Before I created my color project inspired by Carleton Varney, I had to learn to mix paint colors. In this color chart, I mixed the twelve primary, secondary, and tertiary colors shown in the third row. The top two rows are tints of the original twelve colors and the bottom rows are their shades. I painted 1" by 1 1/4" swatches onto bristol paper and then glued them to a 9" x 12" sheet of bristol paper.

Drafting

In March, I also worked on drafting for the first time. I began by measuring all the details of a room on campus, from overall room dimensions to door openings to window sizes. After a lot of measuring and a couple drafts, I transferred a plan view, three elevations, and a materials key to the first sheet of 24"x36" vellum.

The second sheet of vellum shows an axonometric view of the south and west walls of the room as well as a section drawing and detailed drawing of the floor molding. A materials key is also included with additional materials to the first sheet.

I am proud of how my first drafting project turned out. There are a few errors on each page, but I had fun drawing rooms to scale and representing materials through different symbols.

Inspired by Carleton Varney

     Over the past few months, I have created several designs inspired by Carleton Varney, owner and president of Dorothy Draper & Co. Inc. Bold stripes, bright colors, and floral patterns  are a few major staples of Varney's design style, and I have incorporated those elements into the following projects.

Color Project: March 2012

     In this design, I created a pattern and color scheme inspired by Varney's style. I mixed 60 colors of gouache paints using red, yellow, blue, black, and white. I created the 12 primary, secondary, and tertiary colors and two tints and two shades of each.

     The design was inspired by Varney's words,"I think in terms of walking through a beautiful garden that makes people happy." The alternating diagonal lines symbolize a journey throughout the design, as if the viewer is wandering through a garden. The pointed corners where diagonals meet suggest movement through the design, which Varney often creates through baroque styles. The flowers are included to show the garden itself. The colors I have chosen depict the quote because of their natural flow; each flower, for example, has petals of the same or similar colors. Also, the overall color placement is interesting to look at and evokes a positive, happy feeling.

     The geometric flower shapes in the design are meant to reflect Carleton Varney's love for floral patterns. The horizontal, vertical, and diagonal stripes are inspired by a rug Varney designed that can be seen here.

     Within individual pieces of his designs, Varney often uses monochromatic or analogous colors. Then he complements those colors with surrounding pieces in a project. To illustrate this in my design, I used groups of monochromatic and analogous colors and surrounded them with their complements. This can be seen in the reds and greens in the upper left of the design, in the oranges and blues on the upper right, and in the yellows and violets at the bottom of the design. Another element of Varney's style that is incorporated into this pattern is a gradual change from a tint to a shade. This is included in the monochromatic sections of the design, especially the oranges in the upper right, which range from the lightest tint to the darkest shade.

A few final thumbnail sketches I created while refining my pattern

Draft of color placement within pattern

Final painting on 18"x18" illustration board.

Line Project: February 2012

In this design, I created a black and white design which included elements from Carleton Varney's style as wells as a three-dimensional effect. I used thick, bold lines and flower shapes in the design to represent Varney's style of design. To create a 3-D effect, I drew bigger flowers farther from where the lines converge and smaller flowers toward the vanishing point. I decided to make all the lines vanish at a point in the visual center of the board so the viewer's eye would be immediately drawn to the smallest flower and the most interesting part of the design.

Final line project on 18"x18" illustration board

Choosing a Designer: January 2012

     I chose to begin this series of projects relating to Carleton Varney by research famous interior designers. After seeing some of Varney's designs and reading about his career, I became very interested in him. I started my Varney-inspired projects by researching his background and design style. To show my understanding of some important aspects of Varney's life, I created a poster including a summary of his background and design style, photos of him and his designs, and a few quotes that encapsulate his style. I designed the poster itself in a way that reflects Varney's design style; in other words, I tried to design the poster the way Carleton Varney would do it if he made it himself.

Carleton Varney poster on 24"x36" foam board