Before getting my first assignment from Business Connect, I had a one-on-one meeting with Michelle (Communications Director). We spoke about Crud Cloth, a small company that Michelle helps manage its media and website. Crud Cloth sells a packaged towel with a cleanser in a variety of essential oils. It is considered a “shower in a bag.” The towel is used for cleaning up after getting dirty. My first assignment was to design Crud Cloth ads for the Vital MTB website (Mountain Bikes).
Being a little bit confused, I repeated the information I understood to ensure we were on the same page. My role included designing ads for Crud Cloth. To specify the necessary sizes and file formats, I used the Vital MTB Media Kit. Michelle provided me with a Google Drive folder that included Crud Cloth’s Brand Guide and product images for content. She also allowed access to Business Connect’s Flickr account, which had more pictures of Crud Cloth in use.
With a deadline of September 30th, I quickly began the assignment by setting up a folder in my drive and creating illustrator documents per the sizing specs in the media kit. I then installed the fonts listed in the Crud Cloth brand guide and downloaded its logo and product image files. In illustrator, I created a library with the brand colors, logo, and elements to have easy access across files and Adobe Programs. For inspiration on the design for the ads, I looked at what was already on the Vital MTB website.
With an idea in mind, I then went through the pictures in Flickr and selected a few to begin my work. I opened the image in photoshop and removed logos and text that are not part of Crud Cloth, removed the background, and adjusted some colors. Then, I brought the image into illustrator and designed the ads below. Michelle and I were satisfied with how my first assignment turned out, even though it exceeded the desired deadline.
