Created with Paintshop Pro for posting on Social Media Sites, website, and City of Ballinger Buildings
I was asked by the Chamber of Commerce, to create a “Cartoon” map of the downtown area of Ballinger for visitors. I really like the designs that Fun Maps USA creates, so I took their style and adapted it to the City of Ballinger. I already had the layout of the streets and lots created in Autocad, so I decided to create the buildings. Once I had the lines created, erased the ones that were in the way, and checked it a dozen times or so, I moved the file to Illustrator, and traced it to remove some pixelation. I then used Paint Shop Pro, (only program I had at work), to add the colors, signs, text, and any other touch ups. All this was done while virtually “driving” down the street in Google Earth. I added the map to the city’s website and the Chamber is currently distributing it in the city attractions brochure. Here is the finished product:
I was asked to do some photo editing and layout design for a family album recently. All the information was provided in a simple word document, so I wanted to spice it up a little by adding some historic photos, and making the layout more similar to how a published book would look. I found a number of old photos, fixed any problem areas, and laid out the design. I did the entire project using Illustrator and Photoshop. Here it is.Family History (Proper Layout)
I was given the opportunity to design some posters for a fundraiser being hosted by the City of Ballinger. Originally, they wanted a simple design with a white background, but I made a couple others to see if they would like something a little more flashy. They ended up choosing the “Wanted” poster style. Here are each of the designs.
The playoffs are in full effect and I felt like making some colorful designs of two of the league’s best…while they are currently sidelined due to injury. 
I am a huge fan of the television series Breaking Bad, and I was trying to find a new wallpaper for my Playstation or Desktop. I looked around and found some really interesting art created by fans, and I wanted to do something similar to this particular design. I liked the bright color scheme and the cartoon style concept. I created the following two using Photoshop and Illustrator. I’m still in the process of making a couple more for some of the other main characters.
I created these for a TSTC project to gather interest from both upcoming High School Graduates as well as older/non traditional prospective students. The Billboards were each a basic design high lighting the students and future jobs that could be in the future. I wanted to keep them clean/simple, as well as use the red, white, and blue from the TSTC Logo. The Postcards are a little different. The first design is somewhat of a take on the new Windows phone app Flipboard, as well as the basic look of the text message thread on the iPhone. The target audience for this one is for the younger crowd. The second postcard design is geared to the Technology fans, and I was hoping to get some attention with the neon lights against a steel pegged background. Finally, the first facebook post is geared to really any age group, and people who really want to make a difference in helping others. The second is geared once again the the tech savvy crowd, or even the art lovers. Bright images against a slick silver background I thought would be attention getting.
Billboards
Postcards (Front and Back)
Facebook Posts
I can’t take full credit for the idea of a Beatles’ Christmas card, because I have seen some in the past, but I did wanted to make this design all my own. My Mom is a huge Beatles fan and is going to see a pretty recognized cover band in January. I thought I would create a card to celebrate both Christmas and the upcoming concert. I used Photoshop to design it. First, I found a great photo of the band setting around in heavy coats so I thought that would be perfect for Christmas. I had to cut around each member to delete the original background. Next, if found some vector Santa hats, re-sized, shaped, and angled them to fit properly. I found a fireplace background and attempted to make them look like they were setting around listening to a Christmas story. With some shadowing and dark strokes, I managed to put them into the scene. On the inside of the card, I used an old cursive font that closely resembled Lennon’s style. With it I wrote “Look forward to seeing you at the Rock Box soon! Merry Christmas!” Next, I found each of the member’s signatures online and added them to the card. I printed both sides and the project was complete.
I like to create personalized cards every once in a while and decided to do so for my mom’s birthday. I found a Photoshop template online for the average card measurements and went to work. I knew pink and purple would be my main colors so the background was easy to do. I added a texture filter to the main area and then created a beveled border with a glass filter around the edges. The flowers I found online were all the same color, so I adjusts the color balance to get more of a variation. The vines originally had their own background but I adjusted the opacity to lighten it. Lastly, I chose a feminine cursive font and proceeded to the inside of the card. I left the vines the same and took out the flowers to leave some room for a personalized written message. I liked the poem that I found online so I added it to complete the card.
My niece helps my Mom with the desert making at Christmas every year and a good opportunity came up to make her a nice photo for her hard work. My mom took this photo with her phone camera so it was not the best quality, but I figured I could toy with it and make it in to something memorable. I used Photoshop 5 to do so. I knew I wanted a white background to symbolize winter and I also wanted to erase the cabinets in the background. I decided to use a star shaped brush to mask the unwanted area and trimmed out a candy cane frame I found on the internet. I also cut out some pictures of random Christmas cookies I found as well. I thought the font I chose added to the time of the season.
I was able to do some freelance work for Invigor Animation Studio in Abilene, owned by Adam Allegrucci. He has had a long relationship with many of the car dealers around the area, and he gave me a chance to make some revisions of his designs, as well as come up with a couple of my own. All of these were completely designed using the tools in Illustrator, along with some vector images found online, and the vehicle pictures sent from the businesses. The first one, I simply changed the colors, information, and some vehicles. The second and third designs were a complete revision of colors and graphics. The New Years design was a complete change of the header, with fireworks, new colors, and a mirror ball.
I had a chance to do some logo design recently for a new business venture. The customer is a wife of an oil rep or something. She said oil companies would always send her and her husband free t-shirts, but they were somewhat masculine for a female to wear. Her idea was to create her own shirt company focusing on the oil field but geared more towards women. Here are some of the ideas I proposed to her. I created the majority of each design in Photoshop and than converted them to vector designs in Illustrator.
It was tough to come up with a concept that focused on the name, but eventually I decided to use “droplets of oil,” and she ended up choosing the first design. It’s a simple text with the font adjusted to add some drops over the ‘i’s, as well as a woman’s head shape in the main larger droplet. Below are a variation of color schemes. Personally, I like the original black and white scheme the best.
One night, I just had the urge to do something with nature as the subject. I found this desert like color scheme online and really like the feeling. To me, the shape resembled a tree, and the colors somewhat seemed sepia tone. I immediately thought of Africa. I decided to use some filtering in Photoshop to change up the style and mesh together the colors a little more. I than used some tribal tattoo designs (roots, lion, zebra, elephant, giraffe) and masked them within the design. I then added a layer beneath the design and used some brown and yellows to make the animals look like they were parts of the tree. Later, I added some leaves with the handy paintbrush tool in Photoshop; plus, some other plant life on the ground and within the design. I filtered the picture a couple different ways (wind, cutout, water paint) and added some blurring to mix it all together.
For my final project in my Advanced Digital Signage class, we were assigned with created a number of signs of Texas State Technical College. I chose a number of different subjects, programs, and ideas; and also tried to keep the overall look professional, with a touch of art. All of the designs were created in Photoshop. Each design had various shadow, glow, stroke effects and filters. I wanted them to be similar but also have a uniqueness.
Part of a final project for Advanced Digital Signage, I made six different TSTC commercial and promotional ads. I added audio to some, and left it quite on others. If you notice though, I think I used all songs and samples from Tron Legacy. I used a number of different programs for the project. I spent some time in Photoshop designing layouts, backgrounds, and text style. For some of the audio, I used Audacity to record my vocals and lace them with the music. As for the video, I mainly used Window Movie Maker, but toyed with Premiere Elements on some.
Book Store Commercial
Career assistance ad.
Take a Tour Promotion.
Average Education Costs.
Simple, quick look at some news around the campus.
Menu board of the weeks lunch and dinner plates.
Programs Used: Photoshop CS5
I decided to make some examples of the media types that will be used in the marketing of N-Tune Music and Sound. The first design I made is for a simple front and back flyer/circular, and will be sent out with the bulk of newspaper ads, sent out before “Black Friday.” I chose to use the colors and designs that the company website uses, along with some products that will be sold at a discounted price during the date. On side one, I displayed six items, along with their listed price, the savings percentage, and the discounted prices. This is to help the customers see that they will be saving a huge amount of money, if they purchase the products during the given time. Also, I used the text “2 Days Only,” to highlight a limited time offer and to put some attention on spontaneity. Side two also has a number of items at a discounted price and once again looks to grab attention with “Black Friday Sale.” The circular itself is mostly giving information to customers and uses the products and discounted prices as a selling point. The information on the products, as well as the location and dates are all listed to give the viewer all the information that they need to join in the sale experience.
The second design that I created could actually be used as a billboard or a digital sign. I decided to place it on a digital sign board, and personally think that the sepia tone imaging works very well at night especially. I wanted to make the “N-Tune” name stand out more than anything in the design so I put a contrasting red/black gradient against the background. I chose to use a picture of Jimi Hendrix holding his guitar with a huge smile on his face. I thought this might draw the viewer in and give them of sense of connection to happiness, when teamed up with the slogan. The slogan itself is a quote I have heard and personally agree with. “No Music, no life. Know music, Know Life,” is a great way to speak to someone who is looking to feel acceptance, express creativity, or just be their own individual. Also, in the background, I chose to add some musical notes and a sunburst to texturize the design a little more.
The final design I created is a billboard that displays a number of guitars and just has one quote. “Pick on these for awhile,” which is kind of a joke if the viewer looks at who said the quote. It also presents the viewer with the thoughts of picking one up to buy, or picking the strings themselves. My thought was initially to have a nose and a single guitar with a finger in between the two. The tag line was going to be something like “pick it, your choice.” I thought that might be a little to visual and may gross some viewers out, so I decided to leave it somewhat subtle. The tag line can be understood weather the viewer looks at the quote recognition or not. As for the design itself, I used a simple black background to make the guitars stand out. I also, once again wanted the company name to stand out, so I used a bright red/white gradient. Beneath the name is the company location and information. Additionally, I added the different colored, angled, red lines to the background to keep the image from being too boring. I also added the fact that the store was a “Top 100 Dealer” nationwide to appeal to the customers, and gain their respect. The ads purpose is to once again create spontaneity along with creativity. Additionally, it offers the viewer a chance to be an individual while also giving them a chance to own something beautiful and quality made. Along with this, a feeling of confidence can be achieved once the viewer grabs a guitar and learns to play it. For a closer look at all of the designs, I have included the imaging in separate files.
This advertisement is based on a fictional novel that I created the book jacket for. The book tells a story of the lives of two brothers trying to survive in war torn United States ravaged by nuclear fallout. To capture the emotion, as well as create some controversy, I decided to use the image of a burning American flag and images of gas masks. Within the fire, I wanted to use the radiation symbol that I displayed on the cover. I also thought that some made up reviews would give the advertisement a legit design.
Programs Used: Photoshop CS5
I created these design for a fictional online coffee shop. I created the gold bags to symbolize richness of the ingredients used. For each flavor, the combined ingredients are displayed clearly along with a font to match their personality. Programs Used: Photoshop CS5
Corey Van Zandt 