Well here it is, my first work posted..

[SJHarris]

Hey All,
I signed up about 10 minutes ago - I have a feeling ill become a long time member.

Im self taught, 20 yrs old - aspiring to be a professional designer - I major in Business (Marketing)

This first piece is something I made for the front page of my portfolio - and I felt it summed up my style/level of skill quite accurately.

Thanks :)
SJ

[SJHarris]

Heres another

A 16" x 24" poster i made up for a local business - they wanted something simple, that let people know what they did, and some good shots of the food.

Thanks,
SJ

[SJHarris]

One more, a logo - lounge/nightclub, based upon the ideas of heaven & hell :o

Thanks,
SJ

[Samakimoto Graphics]

Welcome aboard!

You are very talented.

Nice page for the porfolio, I love the regal red. What's the solid white triangular shape in back of the city scape? Looks odd...but it's your style...

The poster for the eating house... There is too much text on the posters. You could've kept the taggline ("You're welcome to stay...") more brief and still communicated what the house stands for, as it is it's clear from the photos.

Is that part, "Calgary's alternative..." really necessary?

I guess it's just me; but I feel you should've stuck with the custurd colour (food color) to complement the food colours in the photos and done away with the blue bar at the top.

Their logo is pretty good though rather generic...but it's theirs...

I like the thinking behind the "Saints and Sinners" logo. Something disturbing about how close the text sits on the line and the presence and treatment of the line in the first place- It seems to lean towards the "Sinners" text treatment.
The ampersand too has a curly extention that extends too far right making it slightly unbalanced.
"gateway longe" also is too close to the line and too boxed in by the two black vertical lines on either side.

[budafist]

Hi and welcome!

Before I give any crit and offend you, are these pieces that are done and printed - or ones you are working on and would like constructive crit?

[Samakimoto Graphics]

Hi and welcome!

Before I give any crit and offend you, are these pieces that are done and printed - or ones you are working on and would like constructive crit?

:( sorry should've asked that first.:p

[budafist]

Oh well can't hurt! We all mean well :D

[designe for designers]

welcome! i like your works, the logo is very original i like it very much.....
u designe very good!

[SJHarris]

Thanks for the feedback guys - the Logo is still in development, nothing permanent yet. As for the portfolio page - that can be adjusted at any time, as it will never hit a printer expect my own.

The poster has just gone to print yesterday - 1500 copies initially. I definitely agree with you on the "Calgary's Alternative" being unnessecary, but unfortunately the client felt that was an important aspect of his business.

Samakimoto i appreciate your feedback on the S&S logo. The ampersand does seem to throw things off slightly, something i've noticed in the past and was unable to pinpoint. - im glad I finally have a credable source to critique my work.

Budafist - Dont worry about offending me, im still learning - and these things i need to hear
SJ

[Samakimoto Graphics]

Suggestion:
How about having a different ampersand that has a descending extention and making that a devil's tail, then putting the halo (darker yellow) on the "head" part of the ampersand, then have the text un-oulined, un-bevelled, un-dropshadowed - That is flat solid colour.

Sometimes it's good to bounce off your work on other people to get insight.

Start working all in black and see if it works before putting colour.

It's a good start.

About the poster; too bad, sometimes the client has to get their way...

[Jevetta]

U are self tought?! Well, then u are the first self thought who has pure talent! Im amazed! I will not tell u about details, u are on good way to become a realy good designer. It is obiously that u need some education, just to get some tips and learn some rules in graphic design. For example, never strech fonts!:) Don't give up, just learn, learn, learn!:)

[budafist]

Yes, there's much to learn, but you're on track. It's just easy stuff that you could probably ask here on. Post more stuff and we can give you crits as well as why something is good or not good.

[SJHarris]

Thanks for the compliments, and the feedback - yes there is much to learn!

Its those little things, the little secrets about the industry/design that I dont know and unfortunately I do not know any professional designers in person - thats where you guys come in.

One more question. Why never stretch a font? - just curious

Thanks, SJ

[YNOT]

Welcome aboard! I'm self-taught as well...15+ years in the industry now.

That's some pretty nice work. You might want to be sure to check your spelling though...

On the 'Main Dish' poster...at the bottom...you have "Your welcome to stay..." but it should be 'You're'...not 'Your'.

Also, some of the text seems a bit crowded and close to the edge. Don't know if you have time to correct the typo or not...hopefully they aren't already printed.

Again, welcome and enjoy your (not 'you're'...kidding ;-) ) stay here. There are lots of helpful and talented people. You'll definately learn a lot.

[YNOT]

Why never stretch a font? - just curious

Stretching distorts the thickness of the lettering. Of course, if you 'want' that distorted look, then by all means, go crazy with it.

[cj2a]

Welcome aboard! Nice work for self-taught...good luck with your career.

[budafist]

Fonts are created to perfect proportions but I do on occasion stretch or condense fonts a *tiny bit to get the look I'm going for. But unless you know exactly WHY you are distorting them, you really should leave it alone.