The work of SHSU Graphic Design student Ashley Defrancis was included in the 2020 National Student Show and Conference hosted by the Dallas Society of Visual Communications.
Q. Wakefield Crowbar sounds like an unusual place?
Wakefield Crowbar is a local bar and eatery in Houston, TX. Their main attraction is their three full-sized sand volleyball courts in addition to their traditional bar games. Between local brews, good food and entertainment, Wakefield Crowbar is the perfect place to grab a bite and make a spike with friends! I chose to work on their menu because their current menu did not match up with uniqueness and personality that the bar and eatery held.
Q. What aspect of the work are you most satisfied with?
One of the first things I thought about when I started this project was how I was going to integrate a volleyball theme in with the menu without literally drawing in a volleyball. Of course, I had some rough sketches that incorporated the volleyball in the logo and menu design. However, I finally came up with the idea to change the section headers within the menu to volleyball terms along with using color and paper choices to add in a sand texture. The incorporation of the volleyball theme is definitely the aspect I’m most satisfied with.
Q. What was the most challenging part of this assignment?
While I was satisfied with the end result of the volleyball theme, I would also consider it to be my biggest challenge. I had a hard time in the beginning trying to get past the first couple of ideas that were just too literal and too much. I had to challenge myself to find another solution that could convey the same theme without the use of volleyballs and net illustrations.
Q. Anything else?
This project really allowed me to explore how thinking strategically can produce an effective themed design.
