Jessica Tait BFA: Essay

When I was a kid my parents always told me I was good with computers and they always thought when I grew up that I would end up working with them. I was never good at art and always disliked when I had to do art projects because mine were just never quite as good as the rest of my class. As I was getting ready to go to college I had no idea what I wanted to study. I thought I was going to study physical therapy, then social work, photography, and elementary education. As I was trying out these different subjects, graphic design was always in the back of my mind but I never pursued it. I got my Associates Degree from Utah State University and then went to Utah Valley University to begin studying elementary education. After that semester I was planning to transfer to Weber and I had decided I was not passionate about elementary education. This was my turning point. I hadn’t taken a single art class in college and now I decided I was going to take the plunge and pursue graphic design.

Since I have transferred to Weber I have taken all art classes and it has been the most fun, challenging, and rewarding experiences I have had in all of my schooling thus far. I have developed such a passion for design. Don’t get me wrong, I have been extremely frustrated by design and art but I feel as though I have grown so much since I have started this journey.

I can’t wait to learn more and become more familiar with the software and all of the things it can do. I am excited to continue taking advantage of critiques and getting helpful criticism to challenge me and help me improve. I hope to learn to perfect the details. Design is in the details and even when I think I have it right, there is always more that can be done to make things that much better through problem solving and being aware of the small details. I am grateful that I am able to do something that I am so passionate about and be able to work with my hands and with technology. I am so excited to see how much more I learn and grow this year, and the years to come, in design.

Identification Document

1. Tait: "The Letter," Adobe Illustrator, 8" x 8", Typography and Publication Design, 2015

2. Tait: "Woodblock Print," 8" x 8", Printmaking, 2015

3. Tait: "Website Design," Adobe Illustrator, 1024 px x 3665.5 px, Web Design, 2015

4. Tait: "The Book," Adobe Indesign, 13" x 8.5", Typography and Publication Design, 2015

5. Tait: "I," Screen Print, 8" x 8", Printmaking, 2015

6. Tait: "Publication," Adobe Indesign, 17" x 6.5", Typography and Publication Design, 2015

7. Tait: "Symbol to Identity," Adobe Illustrator, 15" x 21", Graphic Design, 2015

1. Jessica Tait BFA: The Letter

"The Letter," Adobe Illustrator, 8" x 8", Typography and Publication Design, 2015

Our assignment was to create a composition using three letters of our choice from the same typeface.

2. Jessica Tait BFA: Woodblock Print

"Woodblock Print," 8" x 10", Printmaking, 2015

We were asked to create a woodblock print of at least 2 colors of a sketch in our sketch book that we hadn’t created something with yet. I made a three color block print and printed it on rice paper.

3. Jessica Tait BFA: Website Design

"Website Design," Adobe Illustrator, 1024 px x 3665.5 px, Web Design, 2015

For this assignment we were asked to design a brochure website with four different sections.

4. Jessica Tait BFA: The Book

"The Book," Adobe Indesign, 13" x 8.5", Typography and Publication Design, 2015

Our assignment was to choose a book from Project Gutenberg top 100 List and design a dust jacket (without side flaps) for that book. We were also asked to create a title page, table of contents, and format 25 pages of the book with at least two chapter headings designed.

5. Jessica Tait BFA: Screen Print

"I," Screen Print, 10" x 5", Printmaking, 2015

For this assignment we were asked to create a screen print and use at least two colors which could include black. The theme we were supposed to work with was “identity.” This is a self-portrait and the text says "We must not be anything other than what we are."

6. Jessica Tait BFA: Publication

"Publication," Adobe Indesign, 17" x 6.5", Typography and Publication Design, 2015

For this assignment we were asked to choose an artist and find information about the artist as well as pictures of the artist or the artist’s work. Once we gathered our information we were asked to create a 16 page publication made of 8 two page spreads. I have selected the cover and 4 different spreads to show.

7. Jessica Tait BFA: Symbol to Identity

"Symbol to Identity," Adobe Illustrator, 15" x 21", Graphic Design, 2015

Our assignment was to create a symbol using a basic shape of our choice. After we created 9 various symbols we were asked to choose one and create a company name for it. We then designed the symbol and type together to best represent the company. We were then asked to put it together into a professional presentation.