Vandre Graphic Design, LLC

Finding direction

vandregraphicdesign — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 22:20:06 +0000

Wow, after the Lake Mills Arts Festival wrapped up last month, I realize that I need to move my ambitions in a direction that’s been calling my name–publicity! I’m the Chair of the Lake Mills Arts Festival and I headed up the PR for the 2010 fest, as I’ve done for the past five years. You know what I discovered (with the help of some good friends)? I’m really good at this stuff. I mean, REALLY good! I like promoting the event, designing things to promote the event, and taking center stage at the gazebo in Commons Park to announce our winning artists and our entertainment. What could be better? I like doing it and I seem to have a talent for doing it! Now, I just need to find more ways to incorporate more publicity into my life. If you have any ideas, I’d love to hear them!

New logo!

vandregraphicdesign — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 21:14:49 +0000

My favorite project as of late has been the creation of an updated look for the Lake Mills Arts Festival.

I had another freelancer in the community do a take-off on our current logo,

she came up with a few designs

and I took those and molded and shaped it into several other designs,

settling on the committee in charge, with this one:

It keeps the art nouveau typeface and color palette, while adding in the stylized gazebo and tree elements which make a lot more sense than the previous city scene. After all, the art festival takes place in Lake Mills’ downtown Commons Park, which is studded with all kinds of trees and a lovely gazebo. The artists comment on the shade trees every year and the gazebo is the focus of the park.

The logo will be used on our website, blog, and all of our printed literature. I think this turned out to be a good look for us. What do you think?

Filed under: Graphic Design

More drop-down menus!

vandregraphicdesign — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 20:57:25 +0000

I’ve now implemented drop-down menus on my pottery client’s website.

I feel like I’m getting pretty good at using this code. I even bought myself a book ($1.00 at St. Vinny’s on Madison’s east side), the other day on javascript. Maybe I can teach myself some more funky things to utilize on the web!

Filed under: Web Design

Big projects going on

vandregraphicdesign — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 17:25:59 +0000

After weeks of staying fairly quiet, I have a new project to work on at work. It’s a large catalog that I’m not only designing, but helping to paginate–this is a first for me! There is a bit of a learning curve involved, but I find myself enjoying seeing the “big picture” of this project. It makes me feel like I really understand what this book is going to be all about.

At home, I’ve been working on two websites. One is for the art festival website I help run and the other is for a client. Both sites required drop down menu navigation, which is another new thing for me. With the knowledge of another designer in my community, I’ve been able to place, understand, and get the code to work. It’s been very exciting to grow.

Drop Down Menu

There’s always something new to learn, right?

Filed under: Web Design

What is Web Design?

vandregraphicdesign — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 15:30:31 +0000

To me, web design is anything created for use on the World Wide Web to market or sell something.

Items that may be produced to market electronically include:
- web sites
- e-mail blasts
- blogs
- other social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter

Web design includes more than just design:
- SEO (search engine optimization)
- CSS (cascading style sheets)

To see some samples of websites I’ve designed, visit my website.

Posted in Web Design

What is Graphic Design?

vandregraphicdesign — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 15:24:38 +0000

To me, graphic design is anything that is designed for print and web to generate sales. Currently, I design catalogs that market supplies to schools and libraries. The catalogs are then turned into e-catalogs and our company website features these online.

Specific items graphic designers create include:
- logos
- business cards
- brochures
- catalogs
- websites
- posters/fliers
- signage
- widgets

As you can see, the items range widely over various mediums and sizes. To see some samples of graphic design, visit my website.

Posted in Graphic Design

Haiku II

vandregraphicdesign — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 22:06:06 +0000

Branches shelving snow
Crimson berries cloaked in white
By noon, raindrops fall

Written: Winter, 1998

Posted in Past Poems

Haiku I

vandregraphicdesign — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 22:03:09 +0000

Ice covers the lake,
thick fog coats the winter air
At dusk, the geese fly

Written: Winter, 1998

Posted in Past Poems

Home

vandregraphicdesign — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 17:59:59 +0000

Welcome, fellow artists and writers!

Hi, I’m Sherry. Thanks for reading!

Professionally, I am a graphic designer working at a large corporation in Janesville, Wisconsin. At heart, I’m an artist and a writer, all day, and all night long.

I started this blog as a way to express my interest in three main areas: art, design, and poetry.

While my blog will also discuss art and design, I specifically intend to focus on my passion for poetry and how I can combine my skills as an artist and poet to get published.

I am looking for your comments and your advice on where to submit my poetry, on what you like and don’t like and why you like or don’t like it. If you have something you’d like to tell me off the radar screen, please contact me via e-mail.

Posted in Art