University Libraries at Virginia Tech

Graphic Design Assistant

Since the spring semester of 2021 I have worked as a Graphic Design Assistant for the Communications Department at the University Libraries at Virginia Tech. I collaborate with the Creative Services Coordinator to assist the communication team in creation, distribution, and management of visual content across libraries in publications, digital and physical signage, and social media platforms.

The content I design includes, but is not limited to, graphics, posters, flyers, social media content, and animations.

Context:

University Libraries at Virginia Tech

Duration:

5 months (in progress)

Date:

March 2021 – Present

Tools:

Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects

Cover design by Trevor Finney

Fall 2021

IMAGINE Magazine

Context:

I had the opportunity to work on the IMAGINE: University Libraries at Virginia Tech Magazine, a bi-annual magazine distributed to over 7,000 alumni and donors.

“The goal of the publication is to illuminate the evolution of the University Libraries at Virginia Tech from a keeper and curator of knowledge to an engaged partner in research, publishing, and other academic and scholarly activities.”
~ Ann Brown, Director, Strategic Communications

My Role:

My main task was to design two spreads for the publication; one about a student assistant at the University Libraries, and the other about a famous architect and educator. In addition to these two spreads, I helped to concept ideas for all spreads, provide feedback on all designs, assist with final proof checks, and create designs for the web version of the magazine.

Story One

Context:

This story covers the work experience of Casey Haney, a metadata student assistant in the University Libraries’ digital imaging and preservation department. She spent her time as an employee “cataloging digital items, such as scanned old photographs, rare documents, and 3D models of items, including delicate, preserved insects and historic fossils” (Elise Monsour Puckett).

Prompt:

The goal with this design was to highlight Haney’s broad portfolio of work, while leaning into the ‘metadata’ aspect of the article.

*Photo of Casey Haney provided by Casey Haney*

Keeping in mind all of the artifacts Casey worked on during her time at the University Libraries, as well as the fact that we needed to tie in the concept of ‘metadata’ somewhere in the design, I decided to go with a coding-inspired spread. Each artifact would be an outline vector graphic, with callouts describing the ‘metadata’ of each artifact.

After taking the sketch into Illustrator, we began looking for ways to take the design to the next level and be more engaging with the reader.

Design elements we wanted to try included playing around with color, adding glowing or moving elements, and tying the whole page together.

Glowing line frames portrait, adds movement to page

Small details add to coding-inspired design

Yellow, glowing graphics are spread throughout design

Quote box is framed by similar glowing line

Dark shape helps contain text and tie top half to bottom half

Story Two

Context:

This story covers the life and work of Leonard Currie, a renowned architect and educator.

“Before coming to Virginia Tech, he was the founding director of the Inter-American Housing Center (CINVA) in Bogotá, Colombia, an Organization of American States program that addressed the urgent need for low-cost housing in Latin America. After leaving Virginia Tech, Currie taught at the University of Illinois in Chicago for 20 years, then returned to Blacksburg to practice architecture. He spent the rest of his life dedicated to helping Habitat for Humanity and provided free architectural consultations for people who couldn’t afford an architect” (Elise Monsour Puckett).

Prompt:

The goal with this design was to showcase Currie’s extensive amount of work as seen through his photography.

*Photos courtesy of Special Collections and University Archives*

These are some iterations I created in Adobe Illustrator based off of some quick sketch concepts. Ultimately, we chose to move forward with the two designs to the right as we felt these had the most potential to effectively showcase Currie’s photos.

Each design had its own unique narrative. Designs in the top row placed students at the work desk of Leonard Currie, while designs in the bottom row placed students in a classroom looking through a slideshow of Leonard Currie’s work.

While the whole team liked both design concepts, we felt the dark, ethereal style in version 2 lent itself better to the mood of the written piece. Next steps to finalize this design were to find techniques to portray a projector, whether through lights or textures.

Handwriting-style font adds personal touch; contributes to design narrative

Photo from design is integrated into story itself

Projector effect created using dust particles and layered light

Photo breaks layout; connects text field to design field

Film strip graphic adds subtle interest and nods to design theme

Creative Direction:

Trevor Finney

Context:

Designs for IMAGINE Magazine, University Libraries at Virginia Tech, Vol. 2, No.2

Link to Magazine: https://lib.vt.edu/magazine/fall-2021.html

Spring 2021

Cheesy Nights

Context:

I had the opportunity to design an Instagram post promoting an event called “Cheesy Nights” at the University Libraries at Virginia Tech.

“Cheesy Nights began in 2011 with $100 for cheese, butter, bread, and a small griddle. During fall 2019 finals week, volunteers from across the Virginia Tech community, the region, and beyond served close to 4,000 sandwiches […] In the last nine years, this project has grown and encouraged thousands of students to keep studying and working hard during finals week” (Ann Brown).

My Role:

My assignment was to design an Instagram post that would grab the attention of students scrolling on social media and encourage them to stop by the library for this event.

The plan was to use engaging and eye-catching graphics to recreate the warm feeling of being at home, cooking a hot meal. I also wanted to create a sense of connection because many students were remote during the semester.