JENNIFER L. SHAW
FALL 2017
Introduction to Document Design
In Document Design, I learned key design principles that I have subsequently used in every document and website that I have created as part of my course work. This portfolio is an example that demonstrates my understanding and implementation of the principles that I learned in Document Design: Contrast, Alignment, Repetition, and Proximity. Unlike the standardized 12pt -Times New Roman-rigidity of academic papers, digital writing requires some proficiency in basic design skills when effectively "composing discourse- and audience-specific arguments".
Throughout this class and over the entire course of the program, I was often required to use some form of graphic design software and I was able to practice using technology to invent, refine, and deliver a variety of texts becoming literate in a variety of applications and platforms; using advanced features of programs beyond simple word processing. I am now very comfortable utilizing the once baffling tools; like grids and rulers for aligning content, text themes for keeping continuity, and preview tools to ensure the desktop design accurately translates to mobile users. I have also included quick links to the sites discussed elsewhere in this portfolio because I believe they demonstrate my continued and increasing proficiency in the rhetorical application of design principles in a variety of technology-driven social spaces.
Poster R.D. design
B&W stencil for poster
Event Poster
The first major assignment for the class was to create a poster for an event of our choosing. I chose to create a design for the Dunbar Community Garden. In the past, local artists designed the posters for the fundraising events; hand-drawn or screen printed, some with multiple “collectible" designs. I wanted to try to recreate the feel of these designs to be screen-printed onto recycled paper (Image 6).
I needed a basic design for the screenprinting process. I played around with various chicken stencils but settled on a bee. (Images 2-5)
For the text, ​I downloaded the very stylized Klondike font. Sadly it appeared cluttered and blurry in smaller points, so I changed sans-serif font to maximize readability. Realizing that I would need to re-adjust my PDF rough draft to the black and white format required for making the stencil, I went back into Adobe and painstakingly erased each pixel of the brown background by hand. (Image 6)
Autobiography Dust Jacket
Document Design provided several opportunities for fulfilling the program objective to write for audiences and context other than teachers and classes.
One major assignment was to imagine an autobiographical story that would make a good book and then design a dust jacket for that book. I chose to write about the crazy stories I had heard while hanging out in the employee bar at an Alaskan Resort I worked at 20 years ago. The bar was made from a retired train car and the colors and metal appearance of the cover were intended to mimic the rusting exterior of the decommissioned car.
Autobiographical Book Jacket
Book Cover_Rough Draft 4
Book Cover_ Rough Draft
Final Draft. Design dust jacket for autobiographical book.
Book Cover_Rough Draft 4
Websites
Spring 2019
Grant Writing
In Grant writing, I learned methods of composing discourse- and audience-specific arguments using appropriate evidence and appeals to secure funding for various organizations.
Grant writing requires the development of evidence and appeals appropriate to specific audiences by analyzing and synthesizing research, experience, and other sources of knowledge. The various formatting requirements and variability of funder motivations require that a writer research funders to identify effective means for justifying the request for funding.
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Little Rock Writing Project.
I found that conducting thorough and relevant research to be the most crucial element when writing a grant. LRWP does not have a full-time staff or permanent office, and it was somewhat difficult to retrieve the documents required for the application process. I spent much of my time researching statistics to build a solid argument for the necessity of the program to potential funders.
Writing the planning grant required extensive editing of the full-length document created as my final "to meet specific publication criteria, specifications, and guidelines" Research into the average value of in-kind donations was necessary during the creation of the budget. The revised grant for the LRWP requested $2,000 for a planning grant to cover the cost of applying for AHC’s major public programs grant sought to underwrite the 2020 Summer Institute Invitational, a two-week intensive course designed to provide writing instruction to area educators (K-12) from all disciplines.
Planning Grant for LRWP
If approved, the AHC Public Programs grant of $10,000 would have been devoted to underwriting the cost of tuition and materials for ten attendees to the Institute. Although my grant went unused because of specific funder restrictions on multiple simultaneous submissions, it could easily be revised to be used at a later date.
Spring 2019
Writing for Business & Government
Never having worked in a professional atmosphere, one of the useful skills I took away from this class was learning how to compose a white paper business plan and make a presentation based on that plan. This assignment required substantial research on our client's competition, online presence, and social media marketing When presenting this information in the proposal, our team used evidence and appeals appropriate to a discourse community, genre, and audience to support arguments.
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This course really emphasized group work and collaboration, something that I have always had difficulty with. I have to admit to having been part of an incredibly well-functioning group. As part of our group assignments, we were required to create task schedules, delegate tasks, lead the team, and produce high-quality work by the deadline. We worked together well, but the scope of the projects required us to split off into smaller groups dedicated to the various elements of our presentations.
ARKANSAS GIVES BACK
website
