Crafty saves!

During my last quarter at SCAD, I took a Portfolio Preparation class that has prepared me in ways I can't explain! While it is an elective course, I would suggest EVERYONE going into the design industry take some sort of class in graphic design. My professor, while a professor of Interior Design, did her undergrad in Graphic Design, and therefore had incredible insight to graphic layouts and visual presentation. While Interior Design is NOT Graphic Design, it seems we are almost expected to have a foundation understanding of graphic layouts, whether it be for our presentations/project proposals or self-promotion. Now, don't get me wrong, I think that as creative thinkers, we certainly have an "eye" for what is visually pleasing, whether it be the interior of a building or a magazine layout. However, Graphic Design is a completely different area of expertise, and a lot harder than it looks (no pun intended). Anyway, the point I'm getting at is that because we Interior Design students did not have four years of graphic preparation, our professor urged us to look at examples of graphic layouts that inspired us, and use them to prompt our portfolio designs and resumes. Also, we were urged to be original with our portfolio cases, which can cost around $150!

You don't have to tell me twice to save money through DIY... so instead of splurging on the Pina Zangaro portfolio case I headed to my local Lowe's and found two pieces of metal (Can't tell you what section at this point...). Size 12 x 18, they were perfect for my 11x17 portfolio format! I drilled some holes to line up with the piano hinges i purchased (also at 12" and from Lowes) and also a pop rivet gun and rivets. The pop rivet gun looks intimidating to a newcomer, but is very easy to use! a few pumps of the trigger, and I had myself a Pina Zangaro impersonator!




For finishing touches, I used sandpaper to create a brushed aluminum effect, and I buffed the edges of the metal because they were very unrefined and sharp . Total cost was about $30, since I borrowed the rivet gun from a friend. Saving $120 means a LOT when you have tons of other projects, presentation boards, and process books to print! Hope this helps others in the same situation!

Also while in Portfolio class, I looked into an alternative to the average business card. My original inspiration came from the portfolio case, and I wanted the brushed aluminum. This, of course, was wildly expensive. However, I splurged/made a deal with a local metal cutting service company in Savannah and made 60 brushed aluminum business cards for $145... a deal compared to other options. As a cheaper, more mass produced alternative, I bought plexi material from our arts supply store and made use of the laser cutting machine that was *magic word* free for students to use. Using AutoCAD, I created the design for my business card with a cut-out of my logo. After cutting these out, I used your basic 1" mailing labels to print the information, and then adhered them to the back and front. The cut out in the plastic, covered by the labels, creates the effect of embossing- another characteristic I found to be rather costly. Here is the finished product, however, the images do not do the colors justice. I could not fix the contrast enough