Design portfolio

DESIGN PORTFOLIO
TAMARA MITCHELL

EFFORT/REWARD: GOOD EXAMPLE
 This business card is low effort and high reward. At one
glance the reader easily locate the main title and subtitle
of the card.
 The text is well-grouped, easy to find, and visually
appealing.
 There is plenty of whitespace around the text to make
it legible.

 This map is high effort and high reward.
There is a lot of detail on the map, but it is
well-organized.
 Pictures are directly connected to locations
on the map.The principle of embodiment
is reinforced through these pictures of
actual places and animal life on the map.
 Captions are used to further explain
pictures.
 Graphics are used to represent local places
on the map and increase the visual appeal
and communicate important
information.

 This magazine is high effort and high
reward.There is a lot of information on
this page, but it is anchored to a center
image that represents the core topic.
 Smaller pictures are linked to regions
on the center image to reinforce
relevant subtopics.
 Captions are structured with color and
bolded text to highlight the most
important information first.
 There is plenty of whitespace on the
page to make the information legible.
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EFFORT/REWARD: BAD EXAMPLE
 This sign is high effort/low reward. It
is difficult to read because it relies
entirely on text that spans from
top to bottom and left to right to
communicate with the audience.
 All text is given equal importance
by making it relatively the same size.
It is difficult to know where to look
first.
 There isn’t enough whitespace
used to emphasize one area of text.

EFFORT/REWARD: BAD EXAMPLE
 This magazine layout is high effort and low
reward.The text is too close together to make it
readable.
 The image of text on a text-heavy page makes
reading the article seem even more daunting.
 The black and white images with black and
white text only emphasize the business of the page.
 Event thought this quote is in a section apart from
the rest of the text, it is still lengthy and increases
the amount of effort it would take to read the
page.
 There isn’t enough whitespace used between
paragraphs and lines to emphasize one area of text.

THEME: GOOD EXAMPLE
 The theme of a dairy is communicated
through color choice.
 The twine is an element induces
historical nostalgia that reminds the
audience of the “good ole days” and
moves the reader from the business card
to the green text.The business card,
with a more modern feel, contrasts
with the twine and communicates a
modern resurgence of country-fresh farm
products.
 The earthy, brown packaging materials
used in this advertisement reinforce the
message of an “all natural” dairy.

THEME: GOOD EXAMPLE
 The title “Fish Fry” is the largest text
making it one of the first things an
audience sees on the page.
 A blue, white, and gray color scheme
implies that the fish are fresh from the
ocean.The darker blue color makes the
center text look like its on a sign.
 Simple fish graphics are swimming
toward the sign and are repeated to
reinforce the fish fry concept in a
tasteful and professional manner.

THEME: BAD EXAMPLE
 Using more than two fonts doesn’t reinforce the tone
communicated through fonts.
 The flyer is a jumble of fonts, colors, and images. It doesn’t
effectively communicate one theme.
 Although a photo of an elephant and heart images can be
effective, the repetition of both is excessive and confusing to sift
through.
 A definite color theme hasn’t been selected.A variety of pinks,
purples, blues, black, grays, reds lacks focus.
 There is too much text on the flyer. Stronger words could be
used to communicate theme.

THEME: BAD EXAMPLE
 The theme is professional website
design for businesses, but the color
swatches and pencils make the design
look like an interior design project.
 The image of the website on devices
is small, but should be the focus of
the theme.
 The words “EstablishYour Online
Business” reinforce the theme, but
they are smaller than “Eye Catching.”

PICTUREVERBS/CONCRETE NOUNS: GOOD EXAMPLE
 The theme of the sign implies that women
shop and men are the target audience that
make purchases. Although this fact may be
arguable, the words on the sign are
effectively grouped next to pictures.
 The sign plays off of the verb “into”;
stating that each group is “into” something
different, but implying that you should get
“into” their furniture. Although the verb
“into” isn’t used only in one visual way,
using the verb in three contexts boosts
its effectiveness.
 The concrete nouns “leather” and
“margin” effectively contrast two
perspectives and are stronger than saying
“chairs” and “money.”

 The picture verbs and concrete nouns
highlight a single exhibit in the museum.
Since the museum is familiar to the area, it
is okay to focus the message on the single
exhibit to communicate excitement about
new content at an established museum.
 The concrete noun “Mastodon” is enlarged
and extended across the billboard to show
its size. It’s also a better word choice than
“Woolly Mammoth” because one word
produces better emphasis.
 Vanishing is an effective picture verb
highlighted even further through the
choice of white text (absence of color) on
the billboard..

 Picture verbs and concrete nouns enhance the images on the
bottles instead of supplement them. Actually, the words are
placed on a clear bottle, directly on the oil itself to enhance
the connection.
 “Infused” is a picture verb that implies placing one item in
another. This concept is shown through the bottle’s packaging
- The oil that shows through the clear bottle paired with the
image of the chili, lemon, or mint is connected through the
word “infuse.”
 “Olive Oil” labels the contents within each bottle. The words
are paired with either “chili,” “lemon,” or “mint” to clarify the
available oil choices.The terms are precise.
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PICTUREVERBS/CONCRETE NOUNS : BAD EXAMPLE
 Since “gifts” is a vague term,
repeating it is ineffective. Concrete
words to represent gifts should be
used.
 Using the word flowers on top of
pictures of flowers isn’t as
effective as describing the
impact of flowers through picture
verbs. People buy flowers for people,
not for flowers.

PICTUREVERBS/CONCRETE NOUNS : BAD EXAMPLE
 Pointy pencils coupled with the
concrete noun “Eye” doesn’t
convey webpage design skills.
 The red picture verb “Catching” is
highlighted on the page and sits next
to sharpened colored pencils, color
swatches, and an image of electronic
devices.These don’t seem to be tools
to attract customers.

AUDIENCE: GOOD EXAMPLE
 The design is simple, but professional.
 The shape of Oregon is used to highlight the
action-oriented word “go.”
 The Oregon is moved toward the left edge of
the page to indicate movement and action.
 The color green highlights the word “go.”
 This sign is for action-oriented business
people.

AUDIENCE: GOOD EXAMPLE
 The sign is targeting Oregon State University
Students.This logo implies that the club is fun and
professional. It uses the shade of orange used for
Oregon State branding.
 The image of the video game controller
connected with the university title is fun and
interesting. It’s appropriate for attracting gaming
students.
 The Latin words and laurel leaves carry a serious
tone communicating that only those who are
interested in the professional aspects of gaming
should join.

AUDIENCE: BAD EXAMPLE
 Although the marketing needs to target
business professionals, the colored pencils
against a random blue background seem to
target artists or educators.
 The largest, brightest image on the page is a
set of colored pencils.This isn’t relevant to
the topic of website design because it’s not
recognized as a tool of website design.
The computer and mobile device should be
the focus.
 Pairing the image of sharp colored pencils with
the highlighted words “Eye Catching”
seems more hazardous than helpful.This
doesn’t engender trust with future
professional clients. It doesn’t convey
competency with web design.

AUDIENCE: BAD EXAMPLE
 The audience for this advertisement is
parents who purchase ORAcle books for
children; yet, the picture shows a teenager, a
different audience, reading the book.
 The word “Your” could be removed
because it targets the reader of the
book instead of the parent who
purchases the book.To target parents
simply say “Get ORAcle” or “Get ORAcle
Today.”
 Since this particular book is more of a
textbook, using the words “Engaging
Reading” makes the product sound more
like a magazine than an educational
textbook.

VISUAL CONTEXT: GOOD EXAMPLE
 This picture is easy to understand at a
glance. Since this is a children’s museum, a
picture of a child heightens visual context.
 In this photo, museum is used as a verb (As
in,“My child museums”).The child in the
photo is actively experimenting.
 The word reinvented is paired with an
image of a child who is participating in a
scientific experiment.The smile shows
positive results, but the marks around the
eyes indicate that everything is trial and
error.
 The red in the beaker matches the red in
the OMSI title reinforcing OMSI as an a
place children can experiment.

 The picture on the billboard shows the
results of a theft and is relevant to
the topic at hand.
 It looks like this particular picture
matches the architecture of a local
park. Similar trees and brick paths are
part of this area in the city. The
relevance of the message to the
area is even clearer because of this.
 The billboard is placed in the city
where there is a high crime rate.Visuals
in the environment are part of the
overall message.

 The relation of the background image
to the magazine is strong. Not only is
this an entrepreneur, there is an article
about him in the issue.
 The title of the article overlaps with
the person highlighted in the article.
 Visual context could be strengthened if
the background included a picture of
the entrepreneur in action, in his office
or with his company instead of just
sitting and smiling in a random chair.

VISUAL CONTEXT: BAD EXAMPLE
 Giving an example of the survey
topics and fake answers instead of
using an image makes the
advertisement text heavy.
 The image of fake survey answers
are also very negative.They do not
add to the overall design or message.

VISUAL CONTEXT: BAD EXAMPLE
 Although the images and shapes are connected to the
message in some way, the excessive use of hearts and
images of an elephant do not communicate as effectively as
one centered image. In fact, it may be confusing for the
audience to select which image is most important.
 Images should be used to reinforce the message of the
piece. Instead this poster uses a crown to reinforce the
name of the elephant instead of the call to action or point of
the poster.

EMBELLISHMENT/ENHANCEMENT/EMBODIMENT: GOOD EXAMPLE
 The message of the sign is enhanced
by showing the types of crops that
grow in the area.
 The visuals of crops play off of the
words “A Place to Grow” and
effectively enhance the message on
the sign.

 The magazine cover contains a
rendering of what the Big Bang
Theory could look like. By visually
representing the central article in the
magazine, the message is enhanced.

 This sign visually communicates
the directions given through the
words on the sign.The image
enhances the image by showing the
consequences of an earthquake on
the area around it.
 This makes the sign accessible to
individuals who speak different
languages. For this reason, the sign
may also be considered embodiment.

 The scientific table of elements is
imitated in the middle of the sign.
Instead of adding information it is
reduced to enhancement.
 Instead, the table could be arranged
visually showing elements of good
design instead of trying to
imitate scientific design.Although
the current table is visually
interesting, it’s not educationally
effective. Good educational design
should be both.

EMBELLISHMENT/ENHANCEMENT/EMBODIMENT: BAD EXAMPLE
 Although the art has for separate
ends, it is difficult to surmise
whether or not the four-sided cross
symbolize the “4 Daughters”.
 This is an example of unnecessary
embellishment.The message of the
sign could be communicated without
it.

 The purpose of pink ribbons is to raise awareness for
breast cancer.Turning the ribbon into a pair of legs
is a poor attempt at using a body part to reinforce
the image women. Although attempted, this is
not an enhancement of the message.
 The pair of legs doesn’t enhance the message of
raising awareness for breast cancer.
 Instead, altering the ends of the ribbon to look like
legs changes a powerful symbol into
unnecessary embellishment.
 The white lines curving around the outside of the
sticker is another element of embellishment.

 The image of the tree is
unnecessary embellishment
because it doesn’t seem to
reinforce the message of the
advertisement.
 Placing words inside the tree that
relate to the theme of the poster do
not help to make the image of
the tree relevant.

PROXIMITY: GOOD EXAMPLE
 The “S” connects the “OSU” to the
video game controller to reinforce the
message.
 The Latin words are paired with the
laurel leaves to create a border with
the bottom text.
 The laurel leaves lead up toward
“OSU”. Grouping information and
leading the audience to view
different informational groups
through placement of text and images
is something that this sign
demonstrates.

PROXIMITY: GOOD EXAMPLE
 The title text is easy to read because it
is centered and grouped close
together.
 The words reinforce the message of
traveling a trail. Each word is slanted
upwards in groups.
 The word “The” is intended to be the
beginning of the trail and is grouped
with “Oregon”.
 Arrows are placed before and after
“Distillery to remind the audience of
the type of trail.

PROXIMITY: BAD EXAMPLE
 Placing the image of the beaver at
the top of the sign is problematic
because the sign does not discuss
beavers.
 Text could be divided into
sections with subheaders to make
it easier to read.

PROXIMITY: BAD EXAMPLE
 This flyer appears to be
disorganized and difficult to read
because elements are randomly
placed on the page below the title.
 It would help to increase the
whitespace by moving elements
further apart.
 Elements could be better grouped
together in sections. For example,
the information on the hearts could
be gathered together.

ALIGNMENT: GOOD EXAMPLE
 The title text is highlighted by
placing it at the top and centering
it.
 The sections relating to content
within the magazine are left
aligned on different parts of the
page.This reinforces the sub-
themes relating to the central focus
of the magazine.
 A reader of this magazine would be
able to quickly locate content
because left alignment makes the
text legible.

ALIGNMENT: GOOD EXAMPLE
 This sign is visually interesting
because the three words are aligned
according to the rule of thirds on
the vertical and horizontal areas of
the page.
 Each of the three words is sized to
maintain consistent alignment
on both sides of the text. Since the
middle word is smaller it is
emphasized through the use of a
larger font.This type of alignment
also helps the sign to look
professional.

ALIGNMENT: BAD EXAMPLE
 The title text is too close to the top of the
page. It should either be centered on the
page or left aligned with the text so it
doesn’t seem to be floating off into space.
 The alignment issues in this article make it
overwhelming to read. One issue: this
article doesn’t have enough spacing in
between paragraphs and lines.
 The text flows from the top of the page to
the bottom of the page. The text should be
aligned in a way that gives it more
whitespace.
 Another whitespace issue that could be
fixed with better alignment:There is very
little padding around the pictures. The
center margins are too close together.

ALIGNMENT: BAD EXAMPLE
 This sign is difficult to read because it
mixes center alignment with
right alignment.
 Center alignment is especially
confusing when trying to
differentiate between the main
header at the top and the example
reviews below it.

REPETITION: GOOD EXAMPLE
 The sign repeats the name of the
attorney through the visual of the
scales.The visual is carefully chosen.
Although there are a variety of scales
that could have been selected, the
designer selects the scales of justice
to reinforce the message that
Donald L. Scales is a lawyer.
 The office name and location is
reinforced by using the same font. In
this case, the repetition of font
choice adds visual interest and
improves legibility.

REPETITION: GOOD EXAMPLE
 The colors of the beans are repeated
throughout the multi-colored words
“The” and “Vegan” – This is an effective
way to link the food to the title.
 The image is visually appealing because
the type repeats colors in the image.
The greens, mauves, and browns reinforce
the “earthy” tone.The message that is
conveyed is one of health through all-
natural food.

REPETITION: BAD EXAMPLE
 The repetition of the red color isn’t
the best choice because it de-
emphasizes the rose. Using a white
background would help the rose to
stand out.
 The repetition of the rose shape in
the alignment of the body text makes
the text is difficult to read.
 The repetition of the rose shape in the
space between the rose and the body
text also creates insufficient
whitespace needed to emphasize one
area of text.

REPETITION: BAD EXAMPLE
 It is clear that the sign is about elephants
and some sort of love because of the four
elephant images and multiple hear images.
Still, repeating hearts and elephants does
not communicate a compelling
reason to participate in the bake sell to
help Prince. It is confusing to look at.
 Although the central picture of the elephant
is the most visually interesting, it isn’t
necessary to repeat the image throughout
the page to emphasize it’s equal
importance.
 Repeating hearts doesn’t help focus
the audience on the most important
message first.

CONTRAST: GOOD EXAMPLE
 The word smoke embodies the
concept.This sign effectively
contrasts a smooth white texture
at the bottom of the word “Smoke”
with the dissipating text at the top
of the word.
 Contrasting black background and
white text draws attention to the
words and message.

CONTRAST: GOOD EXAMPLE
 This sign uses contrasting color to
effectively communicate the restriction
on smoking.The immediate image of
the black cigarette with the red line
through it quickly communicates
the central message through
enhancement.
 This sign is easy to read because the
large title text contrasts with the
smaller text.
 Whitespace also contrasts with text
to make the text stand out.
 The contrasting colors, red and black,
emphasize “Oregon’s Workplace Law”
and connect it to a contrasting symbol
for no.

CONTRAST: BAD EXAMPLE
 The blood red background with a
red rose on top of it does not
emphasize the flower. Contrasting
the flower with the background would
better help to connect the sign with a
floral shop.
 There is a difference between
intentionally using different objects and
words for contrast, but the
inconsistent use of the word “and” and
“&” does not help with contrast.
 There isn’t enough whitespace used
to contrast the body text with the title
text.

CONTRAST: BAD EXAMPLE
 This sign is difficult to read because
the smaller sections of text are gray
on a gray background.
 The section of white text presents
particular legibility issues when it is
placed against the white shirt of the
background image. This is a problem
because it communicates the
purpose of the issue.

COLOR: GOOD EXAMPLE
 The high contrast colors add interest to the
design.The colors also help reinforce the
core message of the piece. Black and white
are used around the edges of the card and
on the name “Oregon Dairy” and “Farm
Fresh” and “Family Fun” and reinforce the
idea of country-fresh farm products.
 The market, restaurant, and gift shoppe are
effectively connected to the rest of the
design through the contrasting red and
green colors. Repeating green in the grass
and on the subtext emphasizes the home-
grown products. Using red in the barn and
on the words “The Market” again reinforces
the idea of farm fresh.

COLOR: GOOD EXAMPLE
 This Oregon State club follows brand
guidelines for color. For this reason, color
reinforces brand. So, in this instance,
color connects the club to a larger
organization.

COLOR: BAD EXAMPLE
 This design doesn’t seem to communicate
sports.The colors selected aren’t’ traditionally
associated with sports.The colors are also
excessively bright.

COLOR: BAD EXAMPLE
 Although the triad color scheme is
attempted, the designer chooses to use
two variations of the yellow color.This
makes the design seem busy and less
organized.
 There are also two variations of the red
color.The different shades of red are more
pronounced.This affects the message
because it looks less visually appealing and
organized.

STYLE: GOOD EXAMPLE
 This is a good example of font “traveling”
around the sign to reinforce the concept
of the Oregon trail.The typeface is
elegant, but bold.The makes the font
legible.
 The concept of the trail is further
communicated by placing the sign on the
surface of the trail.The border around
the logos appears as a trail.

STYLE: GOOD EXAMPLE
 This design works. High
contrasting colors (red and green,
and black and white) and textures
(smooth wrapping, rough string,
and a raised card) add visual
interest and remind the viewer of
common themes and materials
from farm life. This helps
communicate the authenticity and
value of the all-natural farm
products sold by the company. It
also helps that the acutal gift card
wrapping is displayed.
 Round and arched shapes contrast
the straight lines.The arched “The
Market” repeats the rounded
design of the cow spots and green
grass lines and contrasts the
straight lines of text.

STYLE: BAD EXAMPLE
 This design does not communicate fun
& excitement.The image is
aesthetically pleasing, but the
landscape image without cars and
people makes the city look like a
ghost town.
 The text is plane, white, simple, and
centered on the page. The designer
could experiment with color,
alignment, and proximity to make the
words on the page more interesting.

STYLE: BAD EXAMPLE
 The curled, uneven letters do not lend
the topic “Your Rights as aWorker” the
serious consideration that it deserves.
 The bright colors and cartoonish shapes
make the topic seem fun, but
unimportant.There also doesn’t seem to
be a foundation for the color choice.
 I’m not sure what these shapes are or
what they have to do with worker’s
rights.

TYPE: GOOD EXAMPLE
 This button is well-designed.The large,
bold text emphasizes the call to action
“Vote.”The typeface with thick, bold
letters is easily read from short
distances.
 The sharp corners on the letters
mirror the corners on the stars.
Straight lines, and no-nonsense edges
are on the font and stars shapes are
an effective way to reinforce the them
of the button through typography.

TYPE: GOOD EXAMPLE
 The font is eye catching - It looks like
it is exploding off of the page. Large,
red letters emphasize the feeling of
movement by placing weight on the
vertical part of the typeface and
lengthening the horizontal marks on
each letter.
 The message is emphasized through
contrasting font types.The arching
title font embodies the raffle ticket
and contrasts with the blocky subtitles
and text.

TYPE: GOOD EXAMPLE
 The lowercase letters are understated and simple.Yet, the
rounded corners communicate and informality that would not
be emphasized by a typeface with sharp corners and hard
edges.
 Imperfection is emphasized through the break in font pattern
and the spacing and slant of the last two letters in the word
“imperfecle.”The alignment of the final word in the sentence
is different than the rest of the letters resulting in an emphasis
on the word. The letters and font are reinforcing the theme of
the piece by demonstrating a that mistakes are easily made.

TYPE: BAD EXAMPLE
 The typography doesn’t match the mood of the
presentation topic. Using a no-nonsense font is
fine for formal topics. Instead, the designer
could select a typeface with more weight and
rounded letters.The font type and color could
mirror the shapes and colors in the supporting
photo.
 Since this is a PowerPoint presentation,
legibility is important. Using a white font
color against a background with white
diagonal marks makes the words difficult
to read.This problem may be even more
pronounced for those sitting in the back
of the room.

TYPE: BAD EXAMPLE
 Placing the letters within words and
between words equal distances apart
causes problems for this sign.The kerning
should be lengthened between words to
de-emphasize the “F” with the “ART.”
 The blue coloring that begins at the black
letter “F” and encircles the “AR”
augments the spacing issue because
emphasizes the connection between the
“FAR.”

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