Pro Bono Design

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Pro bono publico (usually shortened to pro bono) is a phrase derived from Latin meaning “for the public good.” The term is generally used to describe professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment as a public service. I believe pro bono work is something every designer should take part in during their career as a graphic designer. It’s also a great way to build a portfolio if you are a student studying graphic design.

In the past 10 years as a professional I have work with several non-profit organizations in Lawrence, Topeka and beyond. I have had a long-term relationship with Van Go Mobile Arts, Inc which helped pave my way to work with other organizations including Kansas Art Therapy Association, Willow Domestic Violence Center, CIS of Ottawa, CIS of Kansas, Douglas County Aids Project, Cornerstone of Topeka and Five Alive Teen Suicide Prevention Program. It has been with great please to serve all of these amazing organizations.

I look forward to building more relationships. If you know a non-profit that is looking for a designer, tell them about Jackie Berra. I’d be happy to meet with them to discuss their needs.

Media guides galore

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Working for a University that has 14 sports means I am given the opportunity to design media guide covers. A media guide is a sports-related press kit, distributed as a book or binder. It features information relating to the team players, history, statistical records and other similar items. Media guides are usually distributed to sports journalists to assist in their broadcasting of the team game.

Not only is it my job to design the covers, but I often design a template for the inside pages so that the cover and inside have a common theme. Sometimes the overall look and feel is left up to me, other times the  Coach or Media Relations Director has a certain vision. Either way I enjoy the process very much. It’s my goal for next year to have a common theme for all the media guide covers under the Kansas Athletics umbrella.

 

Photography

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Carolyn Davis tip off, Kansas vs. Kansas State. ©2012 Jackie Berra

From time to time I get the chance to take pictures at certain Kansas Athletics events, including Kansas basketball games. My most recent opportunity was last night at the KU vs KSU Women’s Basketball game. My task was to take photos and post them to @KUGameDay on Twitter. I am grateful to have such a cool job that allows me to sit court side and snap photos.

I will be doing this a lot more for the Women’s games and I look forward to every minute of it. Some of the pictures aren’t that great, trying to capture an action shot to tell a story. However, some of them turn out pretty darn cool and I am very proud of them. The photo posted here is one that I am extremely happy with how it came out. I hope to post more photos in the coming weeks and months.

Logo Design

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I love designing logos. It might be one of my most favorite things to do as a graphic designer. From beginning to end it’s an adventure. The color palette, shape, font have to work together.

This is a chart I found on Smashing Magazine’s website, that identifies the steps that should be taken in the logo design process. However, time isn’t always of the essence. The brief may just be a quick conversation, so it’s up to the designer to do the rest. That might be why I love designing logos so much, I get joy out of taking someone’s words and  turning them into something graphical.

As a visual communicator I am hired to do a specific job, I have received the proper training and have the tools to create logos. Just like a business owner has a tools to run a business. As Robert Goulet (played  by Will Ferrel) would say, “Hey, you wouldn’t hire a clown To fix a leak in the john. So why do you let these hooligans tear down the biz? Yeah.”

Paul Rand, one of the world’s greatest designers states that “a logo is a flag, a signature, an escutcheon, a street sign. A logo does not sell (directly), it identifies. A logo is rarely a description of a business. A logo derives meaning from the quality of the thing it symbolizes, not the other way around. A logo is less important than the product it signifies; what it represents is more important than what it looks like. The subject matter of a logo can be almost anything.”

I have added several logos to my portfolio, some are old and some are new! Check them out here!

Welcome 2012

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It’s the new year, time for resolutions or at least time to make them, then break them. Starting this blog is one of the things this new year that I hope to continue. As I mentioned before I am not the best will grammar or spelling, but the more I do it, the better I will get. Right?

I look forward to the design world of 2012 and what it will bring. As far as my world of 2012 design, I hope to make it bigger and better than the last. Stretching my abilities and spending more time making things AWESOME.

If you are thinking about making something AWESOME in your life, contact me! I would love to help you with a new website, logo or a special invitation or announcement!

Calendar for a cause

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A couple of months ago I finished the layout for the Willow Domestic Violence Center 2012 Red Shoe Calendar. This was my second year working on the calendar and I feel honored to be able to work with Willow on this project. You can purchase the calendar at the following locations or order online via Willow’s website.

And make sure to mark your calendars for The Red Show Walk on May 5th (if you buy the calendar, it’s already on there for you).

Where to purchase the 2012 Red Shoe Calendar:
Esquina
The Oread
The Eldridge
Lawrence Memorial Hospital Gift Shop
Langston Hughes
Hair Experts
Lawrence Arts Center
Landmark Bank
Prairie Patches
The Etc. Shop
Lawrence Journal World
Yarn Barn
Central National Bank
Garry Gribbles
Stich-On Needlework
Ortho Kansas
The Corner Store (Ottawa)

The Willow Domestic Violence Center provides safe-shelter, peer counseling, advocacy and other services to survivors of domestic violence in Douglas, Franklin, and Jefferson counties.

Taking Flight

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Almost complete, this is a media guide cover for KU Track & Field. It has been a fun and tedious experience. Jeff Jacobsen shot the photos and had the vision. It was my job to execute it and make it look AWESOME. I channeled the movie 300 for the color palette.

I love working in Photoshop (for photo manipulation only, text is whole other story), especially when it’s something I have never tried before. There are so many valuable tutorial on YouTube.com and on the web, that it makes my job easy. I am not saying that you do not have to have talent to use Photoshop, a lot of the work behind the work is experimentation with using different filters, layers, brushes, effects. You can get the same result several different ways. I am pretty happy with the result and I am proud to work with such an established photographer and visionary. I hope I get to work on more project like this, as it was truly a unique one.

 

A simple holiday greeting

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Tis the season to send cards and emails to family, friends and business contacts. Kansas Athletics send out their own version of an ecard and Women’s Basketball and Men’s Basketball send out a card as well.

However, Media relations did not have their own version. So I thought my coworkers would like something to send to their media contacts, wishing them a happy holiday. The design was simple and easy to insert into an email.

I think it’s always nice to receive something from someone during the holidays, it gives you a sense that you are important in their eyes. It’s also a good opportunity to touch base with someone you haven’t heard from in a while. Networking is key in the business world and sending a card or ecard can get you a leg up on the competition and put you in the front of someones mind.

New website for the New Year . . .

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A lot has happened this year. I started a new job with the University of Kansas Athletics Department, developing, designing and executing the majority of creative projects for Kansas Athletics. My responsibilities include developing creative to promote all 18 sports which includes posters, media guides, game program covers, tickets, brochures, schedule cards, flyers and promotional items. I am responsible for completing projects from concept through print production. I also serve as the in-house printer including large format printing.

So far, it’s been a blast. It’s a whole other world inside university athletics and even more so working in the Media Relations department. My coworkers are hard-working people, I often feel like a slacker since I am not writing new articles in the wee hours of the morn.

I am proud to work here for several reasons, including the fact that I am an alumni. It has always been a dream of mine to work in a University setting. The atmosphere is different than your typical corporate setting.

I hope you enjoy my new site. I am going to start displaying projects I have completed for the University, as well as, freelance projects. I am also going to try and write more. Since it’s never been one of my best talents, I figured the more I do it, the better I will get. So bare with me. I am not the best with grammar or spelling.