Me, My Macbook Pro, and Adobe CS 6

So I mainly started this blog to talk about my creative side. As a graphic designer, all I do is use my imagination and my skills to create beautiful graphics. But before I showcase my work, I should talk about myself, where I started, and where I am now.

I started getting really interested in art while I was in middle school. I started on Paint Shop Pro 7 and use to make fan art for actors or musicians I loved to create pixel dolls, too. By the time I hit high school,  I had a hard time figuring out what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go for college.

In my Senior year, I was still making fan art, learning about web design. I was already coding websites, myspace layouts and blog layouts all on my own. I realized that I could do this for a career. So, I dropped math and science and started art classes that year.  It was tough, especially since I had no experience before then; I was mostly self-taught. But through hard work and practice, I was able to gain skills, create a portfolio and I applied to SUNY Farmingdale.

I got into the Visual Communications program there, met great friends that I still have today and graduated 4 years later. I'm now working as a graphic designer; Learning new skills, gaining more confidence and just showing what I can do with my creativity and imagination. Best part is that I get to have a lot of fun. I work for the Girl Scouts of Suffolk County. I'm sure most of you know who the Girl Scouts are, but here is just a short explanation:

"We are a non-profit youth organization. We are helping girls become great people who change the world with their courage, confidence and character. We don't just sell cookies, we go camping, we learn new skills, we help our communities, and aspire to be successful in whatever we choose."

It's a lot of fun, but its hard work and we volunteer with our spare time. And I get to design different things for girls, adults, volunteers, and much more. It's all about being eye-catching and really connecting with a younger generation. 

But back to the main subject...

During college, I started to freelance under "Anise Design".  The name is kind of a hommage to my ethnicity. Anise is a type of seed similar to Star Anise, Fennel, and Licorice. It's use as a medicinal herb and it's very a simple, white flower plant. I thought it was pretty and I liked that idea that it was different, even exotic, but helpful in some way. That's how I wanted to represent my design. It's simple yet creative. I also like to consider myself a very technical designer and a perfectionist. 

Here is where my freelance brand started and where it is now. 

My First Brand Design - 

I started with this design half way through college. I chose aqua and brown as my base colors. I also chose a very fun font with rounded edges and customized the logo with stars as the counter (the space inside certain letters, such as "o" or "b"). My business cards were a custom size; much smaller than standard size cards.  Also the business cards and even my letterhead had one rounded edge. I basically wanted to make it fun and I thought it was awesome.

Obviously as time went on, I took more classes and learned more about design. And I realized that it wasn't the greatest design.  Also it was a hassle to cut the corners to round them. I started to hate it and wanted to change it up.

Second Brand Design - 

My palette of colors became darker. This one has yellow-green, light yellow and dark gray. I chose a new font with more of an edge and was a script. I actually created this in my final year at school. This was what I gave out during interviews. It took some time for me to find a job; about 6-7 months. 

Thankfully, I was hired at my current job. I've been there for 2 1/2 years. And I've grown as a designer since then. I have been given more responsibility in my organization and I started to broaden my ideas and find other inspirations. 

You can visit my website, www.anisedesign.com, to see some samples of my work and the second brand design. I never really got to finish my website. The page up there now is just a one-page website just to have my resume up there and some of my portfolio pieces.

My Final Brand Design (for now) - 

Currently, I have changed the colors again. I went for a turquoise color and standard black and white. Also kept the with gray to compliment the turquoise in my website. I changed the font of my logo again to a different script font that is smooth, connected and girly.  My last logo had too many hard edges and points that I really didn't like. It's a little whimsical and reminds me of a old-school bakery but that is my retirement dream, to open a bakery.

Besides that, I haven't had a lot of time to spend on making this brand complete. I'm hoping to get that urge to finish it and have it for whenever I do decide to look for another job. 

Point is...

This is my story and the journey I'm on to become a great designer and be successful and happy with my life.