Design Exercises: My Attempts at Graphic Design

For many years, I have enjoyed sketching out ideas and admired how designers can convey many ideas into a very simple design.

Starting late in high school with tools such as Microsoft Word, the now extinct Microsoft Publisher, and Adobe Photoshop - I was able to start putting effort into my ideas on a computer where my shortcomings with drawing and rendering good sketches were no longer a limitation. It also helped that I didn’t need stacks of A4 paper, pencils, or other consumables either.

In college, I enhanced my skill set with some very powerful computer aided design software that in addition to creating static 3D graphics and classic computer designed schematics - allowed me to create structured geometric designs for school assignments, friends, a couple small businesses, and for my own enjoyment.

In 2010, I attended the Canberra Institute of Technology with the initial goal of taking on a Certificate IV in Graphic Design in full-time study, unfortunately, due to personal and financial reasons - I could only commit to a Certificate II in Desktop Publishing on a part-time basis. While at CIT, I refined and learned some new skills - most notably from my teacher (a Mr. Grey, who I have sadly forgotten his first name) who was a designer, handled prepress, who also ran a printing company in Canberra for many years.

After completing my qualification, I pursued photography and other personal graphics projects while working full time at a supermarket. I never had the finances or the time to commit and go further with my studies in the field - especially for four or eight semesters.

At the bottom of this page, I have included what material I still possess of my works from that time made between 2007 and 2012.

The development and successful first book publication from 2016 to 2018 revived my interest in graphic design, albeit with some technical and stylistic issues when seen in retrospect. My interest in graphics predates my main creative outlet - photography. I hope to build on my graphics skills in the future time and finances permitting.

I may not be a qualified graphic designer, but, I think I can do some good work.

The designs below are some of what I am happy to share, some designs are in my archive, designs for products that I would like to develop further, market and sell.

- Ben.
December 2021.

Design Exercise: A concept for a High Court of Australia logo (2016)

This design was initially sketched out on paper, designed in some CAD software, and later finalised in Adobe InDesign.

The primary goals of this design were to design a logo that was suitable for print, website graphics, tiny computer icons while also integrating a very simplified representation of the Brutalist court building’s Southern facade.

Shown with a monochrome and colour variant, the colour chosen was Pantone 348C - one of Australia’s national colours.

Design Exercise: Design for a fictional organisation named “Canberra Spaceport” (2020)