Hey friends, I’m back for the last post in my summer alumni series. Writing for the blog and getting to know the student bloggers through their writings and art the last few weeks has been so pleasant and exciting, while also reminding me of my time as a student blogger. It definitely kickstarted some creativity inside of me to revisit my college portfolio and take a look at some of my favorite projects there.
One of my biggest – sorry, I mean my BIGGEST – projects during my senior year was building a brand around myself which included my portfolio website. What’s both a blessing and a curse about being a graphic designer is that your client is the one telling you what they’re looking for, what they expect but when YOU are YOUR OWN client? Oh gosh.
I don’t know about you but I am a very indecisive person, I find a lot of design aesthetics cool and unique and I don’t know if I necessarily fit into one better than another. While that was true as a senior in college, I think it still applies so myself as a designer now. I remember writing a blog post in 2022 about being a design chameleon, which basically means you don’t have a specific design style but you’re really good at tailoring your designs to environmental or client needs.
I don’t think creatives outside of graphic design realize the introspective pressure designers face having to create a brand, portfolio, design a website AND ensuring that the website looks good, that is a part of our jobs after all. While writers or painters might have an excuse as to why their free portfolio site on Google Sites may not be the most aesthetically pleasing, they can get away with it. For us designers our brand and the website IS the breath, the heartbeat of our portfolio. One thing I’ve come to the realization about lately is, how can you design for others if you can’t design for yourself? I don’t mean literally you can’t work on projects or freelance, I mean you need have the confidence in yourself to make your own design choices and have faith in yourself to justify and defend your decisions. With all of that being said, I decided it’s time I rebrand myself (again) and redesign my website.
The Birth of Corr Graphic
The first version of my brand was in 2021, as a Junior at Marywood and it only entailed a logo suite and some templates for my art account on Instagram. I couldn’t really tell you what my thought process was besides I didn’t want it to look like the google logo. Looking back, it was a good place to start and I was excited to have Corr Graphic all to myself, whereas Shannon Corr, Corr Designs, Shannon Corr Design, were all taken already. As far as web design, I did create a website portfolio with this look that I was able to host through Marywood’s domains, you can visit it here.
Corr Graphic: A Refreshed Look
In the spring of 2023, is when my senior show was coming around and I knew I had to be applying to jobs as well. At this point, I was looking at this website thinking, I could totally do this better, and so I started cracking on the second iteration of Corr Graphic. This time was complete with new social media template, business cards, web portfolio and even buttons. I still love the look and feel I came up with and I am really proud of myself for how strong my portfolio visualized. Throughout that year, I had a ton of work to update in my portfolio as well, tailoring it as much as I could towards sports design. I’ll attach pictures of my site in the gallery below, I am in the process of redesign so the website is not live anymore.
This is also when I decided to invest in WordPress through my own domain and it officially became corrgraphic.com, I started playing around with plug ins and exploring the many themes and options they provide.
A Complete Rebrand
Now, I sit here in 2025 and a few things have happened since I graduated and last touched corrgraphic.com. First of all, I’ve been in the design industry for a little over two years now. I have finally started using Illustrator after avoiding it like the plague in college (don’t do this), and ironically enough, I would consider myself an illustrator a bit more than a graphic designer at this point in my career with some notable projects I’ve taken on at work. With this being said, Corr Graphic wasn’t a good name for my brand anymore, I needed to come up with something that better fit my skills, designs, and talents.
Outside of my day job, I love to crochet, knit, paint, and take on any hand-hobbies. Occasionally, I’ve turned it into a little side business too. I decided on a name that would best encapsulate everything, in and out of the computer, The Corr Creative. Plus, the alliteration sounds way cooler.
With a new domain name bought, I started wire-framing a new, simplified website layout that will showcase my work more than my brand given I have more standout projects now. I also decided to use my signature as my logo instead of trying to create something new for The Corr Creative. My new color palette consists of an off-black with pops of bright, bold, colors.
The one struggle I had in creating my new site was, how am I going to have a black and white website per say but still have enough creativity and personality in there to really portray who I am as a designer? Brainstorming ways to bring my personality in, I decided handwriting the headers was a good way to make it personable while also keeping it cohesive with my signature logo. I loved it and was definitely off to a good start but it was still missing something. Little side note: I have ADHD so the lack of decision making while also having impulsive tendencies can get the best of me some days, and my friends and I joke about the “Lil Guys” in my head that are calling the shots. Sometimes the Lil Guys win, and sometimes I win and can control bursts of energy, thoughts, or impulsive decisions I might have (I promise this is relevant).
Remembering the Lil Guys, I knew they had a big part in helping me create this page. I started making jokes about them dragging in text boxes and lowering the logo in on a crane, or being distracted while others are working around them. Then next thing you know, they popped up in my website! That was the little taste of inspiration I needed to really let my personality show but still letting my portfolio pieces shine.
Letting the Lil Guys Win
As I round the corner on finishing my new portfolio site, I wanted to emphasize that change is good, change is important, and change symbolizes growth. In your art, brand, portfolio, it speaks for you and no one else. I felt that I had outgrown Corr Graphic and that I was ready to dive into the next step in my artistic endeavors. I would love for all of you to check out my new portfolio site, thecorrcreative.com, and check out my Lil Guys! There is also a pleasant surprise waiting for you in the About Me section too.