Christian Dunbar - Project 2 - Illustrator

For project 2 (Illustrator), I designed presentation pages for my "Teardrop Lamp." It is a 7' pendant light that I built earlier this year.

I designed the concept board using a 3 column layout, with a 1.5" margin on top and bottom. In the left third, I placed a full-length shot of the light. The center was comprised of a vertical rectangle, filled with gray. Here, I listed the lamp title, dimension and materials, and inspiration in the top third. The middle of the center column was left empty, and the bottom section was filled with 5 product detail images. These were also laid out in a set of 3 columns, and were full bleed to the edges of the rectangle. I used 32 pt Optima for the title, 24 pt Optima bold for the dimensions, 18 pt Optima bold for the headers, and 18 pt Optima for the listed materials and inspiration. In the right column, I placed an image of a water drop. I created this image by converting a color image from color to black and white, and then lowering its opacity. Then, I stretched the drop vertically, so as to match the shape of the lamp on the opposite side of the board. Lastly, with the rectangle tool, opacity tool, and color tool, I created a light sepia background. Sepia was chosen instead of gray so as to balance the board color-wise, and to further relate the inspiration image to the warm-toned lamp in the opposite column. Lastly, using the Handwriting-Dakota font, I added my signature in the bottom right hand corner.

I designed the context board, using photos of the lamp in the 24e store window. These were taken when it was merchandised with a Saarinen tulip chair and end table, and an original piece of artwork on the wall behind. The vignette was completed with 3 tall slender white vases placed on top of the table, used to mimick the shape of the lamp. The whites in the frame all lead the eye to the lamp. Graphically, I used a blend of a 2-column and a 3-column layout. The main photo was place on the left half of the board, and was full-bleed (like the detail photos had been on the concept board). The right half of the board was comprised of a gray rectangle flanked by 1.5" white margins on its right and left sides, which reflect the top and bottom margins of the concept board. The gray rectangle comprises approximately 1/3 of the overall area of the board. In the top 2/3 of the column, I inserted 3 paragraphs of text explaining the concept of the piece. For the header, I used Optima 36 pt, and for the body Optima 24 pt. I followed the text with a signature using Handwriting-Dakota in 30 pt. I used the outer-glow effect, in a shade of yellow, to relate to the light given off by the lamp. In the bottom 1/3 of the column, I placed three three photos of the store window. The photos were all from the same angle, but cropped and arranged in succession, to lead the eye to the main image on the left. The images were full bleed on the side edges of the rectangle, and were 1.5" inches from the bottom edge of the board, continuing the margins already established in other areas.