Polly's Online Portfolio computer graphic design fall 2024

The first project I created in Photoshop is an old-fashioned styled postcard showcasing the lively lakeside town of St. Joseph, Michigan. Because this is the first piece of art I created with Photoshop, I learned a lot. More specifically, I learned how to work with selection tools such as the Magic Wand, Lasso Tools, Marquee Tools, and more. My goal for this project was to incorporate as many colors and images as I could in order to capture all of the fun that comes from the city of St. Joseph while also making it look organized and aesthetically pleasing. I feel like this project could have turned out better, but I continue to give myself grace as this was a new experience for me and I did what I could with the knowledge I had about the program. I hope the audience is intrigued by my piece and able to see that a small Midwestern town such as this can be more than what initially meets the eye.

This piece showcases a living room within a home, decorated two ways, 40 years apart. One side heavily showcases the retro side of the 1980s with bright colors, patterns, and outdated items that have lost their popularity over the years whereas the other side is simple, colorless, and dull, which is similar to the popular styles of home decor today. Through this project, I learned how to add shading to certain items to make them look more realistic and fitting for the space. I wanted to give people the chance to see the difference 40 years can make to the world through pop culture. In a way, I wanted to get out a message that shows how items and styles from the past had more personality and class than nowadays. It just takes a creative eye to see that. I feel like I had the right idea for this project, but I could have taken a slightly different approach to it. I hope the audience is able to gain an appreciation for the past regardless of whether it’s their style or not. At the end of the day, we wouldn’t have the styles and aesthetics we have today without those of the past.

This piece of art I have designed resembles an original movie poster made from only four colors. The movie I have created is called Kate and Mal which is based on a game my younger sister and I used to play as kids. I chose a main color scheme of blue and purple as those were the colors we often associated with the game. During the creation of this piece, I learned how to change the colors of a photograph from many to a limited selection of colors chosen by me. With this project, I wanted to bring alive the magic of my sister and my childhood by turning what was a simple roleplay game into a movie concept as we had always wished for. I feel as if I did a good job portraying the look and vibes I wanted to through this piece of art as well as working with what I had to (in terms of my level of knowledge in the program). I hope that the audience is intrigued by what I have created and I hope to spread inspiration to those who view this piece.

I have created a media cut book cover based on the popular novel by Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games. Through this project, I learned how to work with selection tools such as the lasso tool and magic wand better than ever before. While creating this piece, I wanted to be able to include as many Easter eggs as possible on both the front and back of the book with items such as a loaf of bread to symbolize the character of Peeta Mellark, a charcoal black backdrop to represent the coal mines in District 12 where the main character's journey begins, a hand holding up three fingers as a reference to the three-finger salute that also originated in District 12, flames as a reference to the popular phrase in the book “the girl on fire", and more. Since this is the fourth project I have constructed through Photoshop, I feel my skills have improved drastically. Because of this, I am super happy with how it turned out as a whole. I hope my audience is intrigued by the series of The Hunger Games after reviewing this piece as I truly believe that both the books and movies are stories people should come across at least once in their lives.