Redesign Project 1 - Report Cover

Redesign Project 1 - Final Product

Here is the first project I completed for class. I don’t know yet how to save a word document as an image (so if anyone knows how to do that I would appreciate some help). Because I don’t know how to save a word document as an image for uploading to the blog, I printed out the finished product and then scanned it into the computer and saved it as a jpeg file. In other words, it appears slightly tilted and the colors are not as rich as they appear on the computer screen, but that is only because of the way I had to upload the image to the computer and the blog.

Contrast

I chose to use navy blue for the text and lines at the top and bottom of the page because the color closely resembles the color of the actual Meals on Wheels logo. The navy color I used is more professional looking though. I chose to use beige as the other color, because it is across from blue on the color wheel and the colors make a good contrast. I also used hints of white to mix it up a bit.  

Alignment

I aligned the title of the proposal along with an image of the meal delivery service in action and the names of the people involved in creating the proposal. I did so to draw the audience’s (Meals on Wheels) attention to the fact that the proposal is aimed at Meals on Wheels, and the members of the team who created the proposal are responsible for asking Meals on Wheels to consider the security system. (That makes sense in my head but my wording might be confusing. Luckily I’m not going into a career where I have to explain things…ha, ha.)

I placed a Meals on Wheels logo in the top left-hand corner to place emphasis on the professional side of the organization, and to appeal to the organization (Meals on Wheels). I changed the color of the logo to a more neutral and professional black and white so that the colors would go with the color scheme of the report of blue and beige.

I placed the name of the course, the professor, and date of the proposal at the bottom left-hand corner of the page because I feel that is the least important information and that way the information is aligned with the Meals on Wheels Logo at the top of the page.

Repetition

I only repeated the lines at the top and bottom of the page because I think it gives the page and all its elements a sense of unity. I also think it’s a bit unorthodox to use centered lines along with columns.

Proximity

I placed the image of the meal delivery service in approximately the middle of the page because it offers the most visual and emotional stimulation. Both images used are the same distance from each side of the page.

I still plan to make a lot of revisions to the cover later in the semester after we have gone over all the principles of design in more detail, but I think that overall this cover is much more professional and respectable looking than the one I started with.

Design Principles: Report Cover Redesign

For my first project, I will complete the report cover redesign. I might ought to wait to do this project until later in the semester but I'm going to go ahead and give it a shot! I worked on the proposal with peers in ENGL 2311, and I don't feel that the cover is of the same quality as the proposal itself. In other words, the cover is no good. For the redesign I will be using Microsoft Word, but I will steer clear of using a generic word report cover template like me and my group did when we first created the proposal.

I think the image used does not look professional enough, even though it is the official logo of Meals on Wheels, which is the business at which the proposal was directed. I think that one or two images of someone delivering food to the elderly would be much more effective and would add a more professional quality to the document.

Design Principles as They Pertain to the Redesign

Contrast - The first thing I plan to change is the color scheme. For one thing, there are three colors which I now think is too many for a professional document. I don't know yet which colors I will use, but I know I will pick colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel to create contrast. I hate the orange color and the green color, and the orange and green together.

Repetition - This design principle is the least important for this particular assignment, because there is not much that needs to repeated on the cover alone.

Alignment - There are alignment problems all over the place! For one thing, the font should not be centered. The current alignment looks unprofessional, and there is no rhyme or reason for it. Another thing I plan to change is the huge '2010' placed in the top right corner. Currently, the year looks like the most  important piece of information, like it's an important yearly report which it isn't. Also, I am going to change the placement of the title of the report and the Meals on Wheels logo because they are not aligned.

Proximity - I plan to change the placement of the Meals on Wheels logo and the name of the report. It looks unprofessional to place them so close together and in the middle of the page. I will also change the proximity of the text of the members of the team and the course name and number because I now think it looks tacky to have the text double-spaced.

Overview of 5 Semester Design Projects

Business Card Redesign (Todd’s Shack)

I chose to redesign a business card because I think it will be an important skill for any career, especially one in technical communication. The card I have chosen to redesign was done by my ex-step dad, and it looks extremely unprofessional. The two biggest changes I plan to make to the card are to spread the information out and to make the more important text stand out in some way. The way the information is presently laid out, it looks sloppy and cramped. The information is not easy to see either. Also, the background image has no correlation to the information being provided. The image would be okay if the owner of the business card was a travel agent specializing in African safaris, but he is not. He is attempting to promote his own eBay business which he runs out of his home.

 

Book Cover Redesign (I Can’t Tell You)

I have chosen to redesign a book cover, because I plan to write a novel of some sort later in my life, and it would be great if I was able to design my own book cover. I have chosen to redesign the cover of my favorite book I Can’t Tell You by Hillary Frank. It is my favorite book, and in my opinion the cover is too plain and does not do the novel justice. The green color seems awkward, and the abstract image of the man on the cover seems impersonal. I plan to find an image more suitable to Hillary Frank’s writing style, and to change the background color of the cover.

 

Redesign of Resume (My Own)

I have chosen to redesign my own resume because it is in desperate need of an update. Also, being able to design effective resumes will help me considerably in my career in technical communication.

Report Cover Redesign (From Previous Tech Comm Class)

I completed a proposal in Intro to Tech Comm with a group of peers, and the one thing I would change about the proposal is the cover. I plan to first change the colors because I do not think they look good together. I also plan to change the images used and the placement of the text to make it look more professional.

Brochure Creation (Heritage Oaks Nursing & Rehabilitation Center)

This will be my most significant project. When my grandmother had to stay in a nursing home for a short time, my mom gathered quite an assortment of brochures and information from different facilities. The way the information was provided by the Heritage Oaks Nursing and Rehabilitation Center really bothered me, because the handouts seem somewhat unprofessional. The information is just scattered around and is not written well. The information is not presented well either. The font should not be centered, there should be better headings, and there should be a reason for certain information to be emphasized. I plan to coordinate these two one-sheet handouts into a well-written, professional brochure with images.

Information Design Assignment Ideas

I am a Technical Communication major, and I think one assignment that would help me prepare for a career in tech comm is to design a pamphlet with technical information included in it. I might actually be asked to create one in my future career.

More practical assignments that would help me in my tech comm major would be to design a business card, design a mock home page for a website, and to put instructions for a technical subject into three different types of documents. All these assignments would prepare me for any career in tech comm.

Also, my minor is Natural Resource Management so one assignment that might help me would be to design a professional looking report cover. Such an assignment would help me in my future career, since one area of NRM I would likely go into is writing professional reports and proposals for ranchers or biologists in the field of resource conservation.