Bradyn (Ty) Towne

This project involved designing a T-shirt and pin for SkillsUSA, an organization that collaborates closely with our school. Under the guidance of my instructor, I developed these designs and submitted them to the SkillsUSA national competition.

The primary software I used was Adobe Illustrator, a powerful tool for creating logos, backgrounds, and other 2D visuals, with some limited 3D capabilities. The goal of this project was to create clean, visually appealing designs that were practical for printing and represented the organization's identity effectively.

One of the key challenges I faced during this project was ensuring simplicity in the designs. For the T-shirt, it was essential to strike a balance between creativity and practicality—avoiding designs that would overwhelm the viewer or complicate the printing process. This required multiple iterations and refinement.

To address this challenge, I explored various design concepts, creating multiple versions and pausing to evaluate each one critically before moving forward. This iterative process allowed me to focus on clarity and purpose, ensuring that the final designs were both effective and visually appealing.

This project was a valuable learning experience. It taught me the importance of simplicity in design, patience in the creative process, and problem-solving through iteration. The skills and insights I gained through this work make it one of my proudest accomplishments.

This project was part of a larger task to create an energy drink brand from the ground up. Specifically, this phase focused on developing the logo and can design, which serve as the visual foundation of the brand.

The main tools I used were Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. Illustrator was key for creating and refining the logo, while Photoshop allowed for final tweaks and adjustments to enhance the overall presentation. Both programs are versatile for editing photos and creating completely new visuals, which made them essential for this project.

One major challenge I encountered was designing the logo. Since the logo is the cornerstone of the entire brand’s identity, I wanted it to be as close to perfect as possible. However, I struggled to create a design that worked well on the can—many of my initial concepts were either too large, too detailed, or awkwardly shaped for the space. After about six iterations, I finally landed on the shield-inspired logo with the brand name positioned above it, which is featured on the 3D can design.

To overcome this challenge, I sought feedback from my peers, who offered valuable insights and suggestions. I also researched existing energy drink logos and analyzed cans I found visually appealing. This process of collaboration and referencing gave me the inspiration I needed to refine my design and ensure it fit the can perfectly.

This project taught me the importance of seeking feedback and using references to inform my creative decisions. These insights not only helped me solve the design challenges but also strengthened my overall design process, making this project a significant learning experience.

Over the past year, I’ve worked on a personal project to create logos for both my personal and school accounts. Logo design has always been a passion of mine, and this project allowed me to experiment, learn, and grow as a designer. Each of the three logos I created has its own story, challenges, and lessons that have shaped my skills and creativity.

The first logo, titled "Sgt. Hope," challenged me to find a reference that I truly liked. To solve this, I combined ideas from multiple references and relied on my imagination to create the helmet design. This process taught me to trust my creativity and use it as a foundation for original artwork.

For the second logo, which I created for my school email, my goal was to combine several of my interests into one cohesive design. The main challenge was crafting the central rose element, as I struggled to shape it in a way that felt natural and visually appealing. I overcame this by studying both real and artificial flowers to identify their defining characteristics. This process allowed me to form a clear mental image of the rose, resulting in a design that I am particularly proud of.

Finally, the last logo in this collection is the one I currently use for my portfolio. It was the most recent design and presented challenges in selecting the right shapes and typography to create a clean and professional look. By revisiting my past projects and studying modern minimalist logos, I developed a design that reflects my personal style while meeting the professional standards I strive for.

Through this project, I learned valuable lessons about creativity, problem-solving, and the importance of research and feedback. Each logo presented unique challenges, and tackling them helped me grow as a designer. These three logos not only represent my skill development but also my passion for creating meaningful and impactful visual identities.