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Reflection
During the course of this semester, I have experimented to find my unique style, establish a professional identity and learnt to creatively problem solve. Through the different aesthetics explored I looked at what the color, line and form were saying. Color, form, and line underpin the projection and reception of a professional identity. The keywords I chose were minimal, chic, and natural which supports my design choices to establish a brand that appeals to the target audience. I found that Millennials and Gen Y consumers seem most drawn to the idea and aesthetics of minimalism. Throughout the visual process, I formulated a style guide to ensure visual consistency across my work that is both easy to manage as well as visually appealing. Taking inspiration from minimal graphic designers such as Kati Forner, I developed a elegant, modern portfolio with dark green and a light beige as my prominent colours. The logo is simplistic, integrating my name's initials as well as my colour palette along with the serif typeface which complements my aesthetic. At its core, the purpose of my portfolio is to showcase a collection of my work, skills and style that form my brand image.

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https://juanedevos.myportfolio.com

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Reflection
A self-map is a combination of ideas and concepts into a visual narrative. Identity is a fluid concept that takes several forms and evolves over time, it corresponds to many epochs and circumstances. Self-representation includes appearance and constructing meaning through visuals. I chose shades of green to evoke and communicate a projected mood and ensure visual consistency. The form promotes energy, motion, and serenity through the use of repetitive, curved lines. I decided on a topographic map of Table Mountain, a prominent landmark in South Africa where I’m situated. Alongside this image, I included GPS co-ordinates, adding an element from my cultural background. The visual process conducted provides a trigger that can be used to represent a look and feel for my identity. A key aspect to project my identity is a memorable style to form a self-representation along with visual signs to deploy a key message. Style is a tool of communication that reflects concerns which is influenced by me as a designer. My self-map reflects minimalism as well as a chic and natural approach. Combined with the photograph is evokes realism and portrays a sense of my personal identity.

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I chose a simplistic logo that integrates my name's initials as well as my colour palette. The typography complements my aesthetic and together the elements form my brand image, which is minimalistic, chic, and natural.

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This series of minimal visuals communicates the process of my daily routine. I start the day by waking up to an alarm at 8am and checking my phone. I then proceed to make breakfast and get started with work or attend classes. After lunch, I continue with work till late afternoon when I then allow myself to unwind. My evening consists of dinner, taking a shower then a little later, bedtime, which is usually around 11pm. The pictograms clearly illustrate the concept using a balance between abstraction and meaning, maintaining a consistent style that is easily recognisable.

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Inspired by my abstract experimentation, I developed this digital drawing using Adobe illustrator to reflect my chosen style. Minimal lines and solid colour shapes form this image which aids in emerging my professional identity.

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Three best experiments in aesthetics, style, and media

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Three best experiments in aesthetics, style, and media

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Colour evoking freshness; complimentary colours opposite each other on the colour wheel.

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Three best experiments in aesthetics, style, and media

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Three best experiments in aesthetics, style, and media

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Using the approach of expressing identity through key words, I translated my chosen words into colour, line and form that convey a natural, minimalistic style by means of abstraction to reduce the form to the bare essence of the object. Inspired by Mattise's art prints, I created something similar.

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Reflection
A self-portrait is more than just a representation of oneself; it is a work of art in its own right. Creating a self-portrait is thus a process of bringing oneself forward over time — of building oneself rather than simply depicting oneself. There are no neutral photographs, each one depicts meaning, harnessing aesthetics and different styles. The close-up images of my eyes is a fascinating way to see a subject from a different viewpoint as you start to see new details that were just a blur of colour from a distance. The reason behind this camera angle is that a person's eyes reveal a lot, and you can get a sense of a person just by glancing into their eyes. I opted for black and white photographs to evoke a mood and emotion that colour images simply cannot, it gives an air of elegance and realism.

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Three best experiments in aesthetics, style, and media

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Three best experiments in aesthetics, style, and media

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The continuous line drawing follows an organic and minimalistic style in which a single, unbroken line was used to create an image of a flower that is simple yet captures the essence of the shape. The line keeps the same thickness throughout the whole piece and flows in both sharp and smooth corners, inspired by the flowers encountered in my second every day.

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Voeux 2016 is a packaging/flyer design

Helene Glowinski creates playful and colorful objects in paper and cardboard. Her works give way to prints and images by developing a universe between motif and illustration, where fantasized landscapes and cubist typographies come together.

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Style Inspiration: Tekla Evelina Severin

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Style Inspiration: Tekla Evelina Severin

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Colourist, Designer, Photographer
Tekla seeks to find the lines, shapes and distinguished colours in everyday objects, landscape or surroundings. Her work, which is packed with bold, captivating photographs of people, architecture, objects, and still life, reveals her passion for extraordinary shapes and colour combinations.

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Graphic Design
Ben Grandgenett is a Brooklyn-based graphic designer and art director who is currently the Deputy Art Director at The New York Times Magazine. An aspect I love about his work at the magazine is that the content is ever-changing as well as the way he experiments with typography.

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Graphic Design
Kati Forner launched her creative studio in LA, developing comprehensive identities for beauty, fashion and lifestyle brands. Her style is minimalist and elegant which strongly ties into the work I wish to produce.

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Graphic Design
Gabby Lord is an Australian designer and art director, living in Berlin. She is passionate about print and screen design and works on a wide scope of projects. I admire her clean style, all her work keeps the same essence of simplicity, ranging from interesting patterns of colour to black and white magazine layouts. She has a fun and quirky identity that extends thorough her works.

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Minimal, Chic, Natural

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I aspire to create change through empowerment by connecting people to solve crucial issues and know my role as a designer, aiming to deliver a wide range of services while maintaining professionalism, enthusiasm, and commitment.

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Design is the process of creating constructive and inclusive experiences by integrating research with one's own creativity and envisioning to solve challenges, plan, and fashion the morphological features of an object, a work of art, or a decorative scheme etc.

Why: Designers serve people and the environment by solving issues, innovating, challenging, investigating, and bringing about change.

How: Designers use research to help them communicate solutions through various art forms and mediums.

For whom: For society as well as the environment around us.

What: Designers draw on their own experiences and knowledge, but delve deeper by empathizing with the user in order to profoundly comprehend the problem and produce beautiful, practical solutions.