The initial design:

The objective of this project was to "create a brochure which effectively utilizes a grid and compiles with all conventional rules of typography." I was to create an effective design for an University club of my choice by conducting an interview, and using the information I was given to create a well-made, high-quality brochure.

First I had to choose a club. The Arkansas State Art Student Union was one that I was the most familiar with, and what I thought would be the most challenging to make effectively. I brainstormed different layouts, logo designs, and photo choices, eventually cutting everything down to a general idea of showing the club's creativity through minimalism, since the impression that I got from speaking to the club's secretary was that they were a laid back, creative group. 

I contacted the A.S.U.'s secretary and created a transcript to refer to while making the project. I then made 20 different brochure layout thumbnails, chose one that I thought was the strongest, and went to work in creating the initial design in Adobe InDesign. While not a strong start, I received a multitude of constructive critique that allowed me to revise and polish the design. For example, I added color to the background, changed the typefaces, and scaled some of the pictures to fill the background in order for the piece to be more optically balanced. I then brought my piece back in front of my peers in order to gain more insight before the final design. After this, I changed typeface color and fixed spacing, creating the final design. I printed a physical copy of the piece, trimmed and folded it.

This project pushed my eye for layout to a new level. I initially thought that I had a fairly good eye for design and layout, even if I had trouble putting it into action with software. This project taught me how to use InDesign more effectively. This new sense of the basics of design and the software used in my career field will help me create future projects more efficiently and expertly.