09.06 Vector Designs Refined and Cropped Assignment

Assignment Deliverables

1. Illustrator document with a refined and cropped versions of your vector designs
   • Label files YYYY-MM-DD Lastname Firstname Vector Design Refined and Cropped Versions (.ai)

Assignment Overview

Test the compositional strength and versatility of your vector designs. By refining your strongest work from the previous iteration exercise and then cropping it into standard shapes such as a square and a circle, you will aim to create robust, readable designs that remain effective within different framing constraints.

Begin the assignment by selecting your two most successful designs from the 08.02 Vector Iteration Assignment, one design from set A with text and one design from set B with shapes only.

Process

1. Before applying any crops, take this opportunity to improve your two selected designs.
   • Open your previous iteration file and copy your single best design from set A and your single best design from set B into a new Illustrator document.
   • Based on the feedback you received from your peers in class, thoughtfully refine each design. Focus on improving elements like color, proportion, hierarchy, and overall visual balance.
2. Once your two designs are fully refined, test the compositions by placing them within clipping masks.
   • Duplicate each refined design so you have two identical copies of Design A and two identical copies of Design B.
3. Create four variations in total.
   • Use a square Clipping Mask on one version of each design
4. • Use a circle Clipping Mask on the other version of each design
5. A simple crop is not enough. The design must be adjusted to work harmoniously within its new frame. Critically evaluate how the cropping impacts each composition and make adjustments to the scale, position, or internal elements as needed. The key is that any changes made to either the circle or the square crop need to be duplicated in the other. The crops will be different but the underlying designs need to be the same.
   • Are the designs still readable? Is the design’s core idea still clear and instantly recognizable?
   • Do the designs fully fill the squares?
   • Do the designs fully fill the circles?
   • Are there awkward empty areas, or are key elements uncomfortably cut off?
   • Do the designs work when large?
   • Do the designs work when super small?
   • Does it remain legible and impactful at both extremes?
6. Make adjustments until you are satisfied with the readability of the designs when cropped at any scale.
7. On a single, clean artboard, arrange your four final cropped designs, A-Square, A-Circle, B-Square, and B-Circle, in an organized and visually pleasing grid.

Grading Rubric