Website refresh

I'm in the process of refreshing my website by incorporating new images and text. The motivation behind this update? I've noticed that some of the existing mock-ups lack the clarity I desire.

The signage was all designed in Adobe Illustrator, following brand guidelines. This new event signage mockup was done in Photoshop with mapping onto surfaces, nice shadows and glows, giving it a realism that AI has made us all expect.

Let me bring my expertise in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator to design a visual experience for you that reflects my commitment to delivering quality design.

Behold the phone app mockup, once more crafted through the artistry of Photoshop's surface mapping. Check out those remarkable shadows and glints—pure design magic!

I've incorporated additional signage to highlight my consistent involvement in MEEA signage every year (excluding 2021—curious about what happened that year?).

Check out this awesome compilation featuring MEEA signage, welcome banners, phone app interfaces, badges, brochures, PowerPoint presentations, and booth designs! Each element not only contributes to building brand awareness but also exudes distinctive styling, ensuring your events leave a lasting and memorable impression.

Click here to visit my website:

How to Make Awesome 3D Printed Keychains

 

My latest hobby is 3D printing! I love it. I have a Elegoo printer. I think it stands for elegant goo, but I could be just making that up. LOL. The goo, in this case is resin, which I’ve been collecting in a number of popular colors to do my printing in. One can download ready-made files to print, for instance if you wanted a stand for your mini mixer, or a case for your Raspberry Pi. But if you want to do custom, branded work, it’s best to make it yourself. Here are 10 easy steps to create your own branded keychain. Of course, if you don’t have a 3D printer, or know the software, you can hire someone to do it for you, like me.

1. Take your client’s logo, convert the logo into a vector graphic & save as SVG file 
2. Open up Blender, a free 3D graphic software and import your SVG logo
3. Adjust to keychain size
4. Extrude the logo to desired depth
5. Add a backing
6. Add key ring hole
7. Download design as STL file
8. Open Chitubox, a free slicer software, and import the STL file
9. Prep the image according to your CD printer’s requirements and save as CTB file
10. Print with your 3D printer

Video Adds Value to Virtual Meetings

Every animation starts with a storyboard, and every story needs a hero. Our hero is the 2021 Midwest Energy Solutions Conference logo.

I like to start with a hint, and then the big reveal, followed by a conclusion.

4 second storyboard

I created this short animated logo in Adobe After Effects. I took the logo into Adobe Illustrator, and changed the color profile to RGB, and copied the 2021 to a new file. I gathered my assets in AE, and animated it. The number graphic "2021" starts out at 0 seconds at 1500% and rotated 90 degrees. Below it is a white rectangle shape with feathered edges, that I use effectively as a mask. And on a layer below that is our hero of the story, the logo, who will be revealed as the 2021 and mask graphics rotate and scale into place. Fade to white. Fin.

Then I output as mp3.

Here's a 10 second video. I found a public domain clip of the bean, desaturated it to grey scale, and let the logo slide up and fade in. Then surprise, text appears with the date & time of the upcoming video conference.

Virtual world for a virtual conference

 I created some assets in Blender, a 3D program.

These are the awards in real life (irl)

I made a virtual logo. Why did I put my name on the award, for the LOLs!

I used the conference letters as reference for modeling the logo in 3D. 

The welcome banner 

And I made a virtual welcome banner set in a virtual conference hall, again based on the banner used last year. 

Designing for Virtual Meetings

Since the 2020 Pandemic began, my design work for meetings has virtually disappeared. I used to do banners, signage, menus, apps, badges, podiums, wall clings, programs, etc. for events from coast to coast. And then I would travel out to the events and work them as a tech expert. What fun staying at luxury hotels, meeting tons of people, eating gourmet food, and working really long hard hours. Lord! I miss it!

But I'm nothing if not adaptable. I've been doing graphic design for virtual meetings. Because having graphics helps relieve the monotony of Zoom talking heads, and gives people a break from feeling like they have to look alert for hours because they're on camera. 

I made over 100 PowerPoint slides for one meeting. There were slides several opening slides and slides for each panel, with the name & photo of all the members of the panel. Then a version of that slide, with "Up Next." Then individual slides for each speaker, in case their video goes out. And an overall "Please stand by" for technical difficulties. 

 

 

I've learned how to do 3D design (mainly to build my robot minions) for printing and animation. More about that in my next blog!

About Caren

Please visit my new website: CarenDesign.net

Hi, I’m Caren Bordowitz, a graphic design professional. I grew up on the shore in New Jersey, moved to New York and studied graphic design at the School of Visual Arts, NYC. I worked in New York and New Jersey doing magazines, catalogs, ads, packaging, annual reports, and all other kinds of design work for many years.

I have worked for Toys"R"Us, Western Illinois University, and Sodexo. My freelance design work includes program booklets and banners for event planning.

I have three wonderful sons. My hobbies are stain glass making, quilting, wood working, travel, and growing a vegetable garden.

Mmm...coffee

Motivational Quote

" I can tell you I don't have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long career"
-Bryan, from the movie Taken