PPP2: Self promotion.

PPP2.
SELF PROMOTION. 
CREATIVE CV.

Today I started working on the creative CV section of my self promotion. 

Knowing that the inside trays of my box have the measurements of 105mm x 105mm means that I know I will have to create something that will fit inside these boundaries. 

At first began considering a corsatina format, a corsartina format means that I would be able to concentrate a large amount of information into a smaller surface area by taking advantage of the folded sections. 

One way in which I thought that I could manipulate this even more, was to take the sections of information I had created (previous blog post; hobbies, skills, interests etc) and devote each section of the corsatina to one of these sectors. This would create both a flow of information throughout the format, and make it clear and easy for the user to read. 

However I feared that this format might look slightly boring and almost quite tedious to read is the eye will be constantly moving in the same direction along the line of the corsatina. I am always looking for more ways to make my work interesting, and so I looked for another way in which I could fold paper that didn't involve the outcome to seem so mundane. 

Knowing again, that I would need to be able to fold the piece of card or paper into a small square shape I looked for a format of fold that would allow me to do this. 
This is when I came across the map fold. 

The map fold also allows for a larger amount of information to be concentrated into a smaller surface area. It also allows me a larger workspace to create something on once the whole page is unfolded, leaving opportunity for more experimental layouts. 

I began to think of layout ideas and how I could really represent my growth and journey whilst on my degree at Leeds college of art. This is when I thought of the idea of a tree formation. 

Much like a tree, a designer has many layers, and many skills which they have honed and crafted over a number of years. I felt that this also linked to the idea of my box, in which layers have to be removed to discover more and more things about myself. 

A tree is also constantly growing, representing the idea that I have come to a halt in my design career but I am constantly growing, and also, striving for the top. 

Below is the first sketch I have created following this idea, here I have drawn a tree that is split into 5 sections, thus representing the 5 sections of information I wish to include on my CV. Pointing away from the illustrations are arrows which will point towards spaces in which I will discuss each of the 5 sections. 

I liked this idea, however I felt that it could be improved with more creativity, and I also wanted to further highlight my interest and skills in illustration. I also wanted to make the CV seem more personal and friendly. 

I continued deliberating and started to come up with the idea sketched below. I have used the same tree formation, however I have added a few extra details. On each section of the tree trunk I have illustrated an animal which lives inside a tree, the information linked to each section (hobbies, skills, interests) is shown coming out of a speech bubble of each of the animals mouths. 

This would display my interest in illustration, add friendliness, and show that I am a fun designer, who is able to link many piece of design together (box layers to tree layers etc).

In terms of colour pallet, I want to keep using the same colours as in my other branding for consistency. Using a larger range of colours may make the branding start to look more inconsistent as I have now tied in the visual of image illustrations rather than solely text. Therefore the only colours I will be using are a range of mint and white. I will create depth, light and shadow by layering different shades and using gradients. 

I started the illustration by building up the layers in the tree - The 5 layers of skills and interests that Built me as both a person and a designer. 

I added details to the sections of the tree as I really want to show of my illustrative skills through my branding. 

Next I moved onto beginning to add in details and digitalise images such as the animals I sketched up on my design. 

I did however feel that when layering these up against the tree that they began to blend together. Although this did not look too dramatically bad, I feel as though It is my job as a designer to identify and fix these small issues, and therefore wouldn't want a possible employer to see this when viewing my pack. Therefore I changed the colour of the tree to brown, although my colour scheme was originally strictly mint and white, I found that adding brown to the combination was complimentary rather than distracting. 

I then added the details of all the speech bubbles in, in varying shades of mint. I thought that this format gave the idea of a traditional creative cv a fun twist. I wanted my self branding to make me appear quite friendly and approachable, and so I found a narrative style such as this very fitting. 

Next I moved on to work with the top section of my cv, which would include information such as; my name, job, email, behance, current education and where I am based. Also included in this section would be a small overview about where I currently stand at the moment. I carried on the tree motif throughout this section as it reiterated the idea that I communicated in my 'small overview' that I am built up on layers (of skills collected etc) much like the layers which a tree has. (The older the tree - the more layers, the more experience in graphic design the more layers) I had also mentioned that I have gained so much more knowledge and skill in my time studying, I know that there is always room to grow - Another reference to nature. 

Below is the whole design combined together, I am very pleased with the final design as I believe it sets me apart If a potential employer were to look through a pile of self branding, however I also believe that it is a strong reflection of some of my strengths and interests within graphic design. 

To finish off the creative CV, I created an outside cover which would fold in half and wrap around the outside of the folded paper like, so that the cv would be opened like a book, and unravel like a map fold. 

Here is the cv printed and assembled: