I used my sketches as inspiration for my logo. I really didn’t research very much, because I wanted my logo to be as unique as possible and didn’t want to accidentally copy someone else’s design from the internet. I did google minimalistic logos though so I could get an idea of what that would look like. I wanted my logo to be very simple and minimal because I wanted it to look sleek and clean. I feel like it represents my sleek style and laid-back personality. The design is very balanced. I made the lines of the A and W so that they are the same on the left and right. There is unity within the design, because all of the lines interact in some way. They create an A and a W but they also sort of make two upside down A’s because my initials are AAW and I like to include my middle name. My wish is to be known by my first and middle name professionally, because I will eventually be changing my last name if I get married and want people to still recognize who I am without the old last name.

I used the constructive criticism from my classmates to change my logo. I made the lines slightly thicker and added a red drop shadow for some color. I also changed the font of my name from serif to sans serif to match the font of the initials in the image. I feel like these tweaks made my logo much more interesting.

I used my sketches as inspiration for my logo. I really didn’t research very much, because I wanted my logo to be as unique as possible and didn’t want to accidentally copy someone else’s design from the internet. I did google minimalistic logos though so I could get an idea of what that would look like. I wanted my logo to be very simple and minimal because I wanted it to look sleek and clean. I feel like it represents my sleek style and laid-back personality. The design is very balanced. I made the lines of the A and W so that they are the same on the left and right. There is unity within the design, because all of the lines interact in some way. They create an A and a W but they also sort of make two upside down A’s because my initials are AAW and I like to include my middle name. My wish is to be known by my first and middle name professionally, because I will eventually be changing my last name if I get married and want people to still recognize who I am without the old last name.

These are my logo sketches. I think the one I will continue to work with is the top right one. I like the geometric form and simplicity.

My graphic collage is about me and details my college experience. I used an image I took at a thrift store and then cut out photos of me that show me doing all the things I love. The photos of me are meant to look like they are knick knacks on the shelf. There is a photo of me longboarding because that has become one of my favorite hobbies since I started college. My roommate taught me how to ride and it’s become a good bonding experience for us over the years. There is also a photo of me modeling a shirt from Live Action. This photo represents my modeling experiences from school and also shows my advocacy for the pro-life movement. I am a member of Students For Life and I regularly debate with people and donate to pro-life charities. The photo of me dancing is really special to me. It is one of my favorite photos of myself and it shows how my love for ballet has carried me through life. It was also taken on the street I lived on when I studied away in New York City. The photo of me with my camera represents my love of the art of photography. This was taken when I was completing my photography internship. The last photo is special because it was taken in a sunflower field on a beautiful fall day. I wanted to include it because it displays the freedom I have found through my relationship with Jesus and my religious journey. I love how this photo makes me feel.

After reviewing my draft, I decided to add drop shadows to the cut out photos of me. This added more dimension and helped them to stick out more. I also sharpened the images. You can see the final image below!

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This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

• Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
• Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

• Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
• What topics do you think you’ll write about?
• Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
• If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.