Last week I created a design for pet safety tips for the heat. I learned that Brittney, who runs all the social media accounts for LCSO, also follows other agencies to get ideas for posts. Brittney asked if I could get to work on a post for heat safety tips for the community. Using the safety organizations to gather tips for my design, I could add useful facts to spread awareness of what the post was about. Digital Art Fundamentals taught me how to use vector images to my advantage when compiling scenes in Adobe Illustrator. I used photos of items that would be seen at the beach and sketched them into the program. Then made them into vectors for the beach scene I was creating. Open space between vectors is a great way to place facts and tips for the post. I loved building on my digital design skills while also learning how text placement should go in these illustrations. They need to be found and read by the viewer with illustrations to capture what the tips are telling them.

My next project is to create a design to be posted for Patriot Day. Agencies need to be cautious about how we pay tribute to 9/11, so I worked with Sarah to learn what the agency stays away from. For example, wrong colors, wording, and other factors could trigger or offend viewers of the post. This was new for me to learn because I did not realize how big of an impact our posts could have. Knowing this, I will continue to learn about how to be aware of how my designs will affect others.

Sarah also showed me a few tools she uses when picking color schemes and making illustrations. Adobe Color allows you to select a base color and generate various types of palettes. Vecteezy is a website that lets the user download images for free commercial and private use. When I first started my design career, I learned about the rights of artwork and how to credit people. Knowing this helps me understand what is and may not be used in my designs. This is vital, especially since most of my designs are for commercial use.

This week I worked on a post to create that will be used as a summer post. LCSO creates posts with tips to help keep the community safe. I collaborated with Brittney to create a flyer about heat safety for pets. I took an existing photo of one of the Community Service’s therapy dogs for the post and placed safety tips on the flyer. Brittney introduced me to a lady that works for the task force and she helped me find statutes on pet safety that I could put on the post. It was great to learn how they use the laws to place information on posts to keep the community safe. Here is the design I created:

During my first week at the internship, I met with whom I will work with and walked around to see the building. The two ladies I work with use their skills to work hand in hand to create media to engage the agency with the community. Brittney, my internship supervisor, handles taking photos and attending events to document for the public to see. This includes community events, drug busts, and everything in between.

First, Sarah makes all the graphic designs for LCSO. She revamped the organization’s logo and is working with a decal company to rebrand all cars and buildings. I joined her in a meeting about placing designs on all facilities and saw how businesses collaborate. She makes designs for social media posts and uses the photos Brittney takes.

After receiving a computer and my badge for the building, I started discussing what projects Sarah would give me. The first project I worked on was the post they needed for Independence Day. I used my skills in Illustrator to make the design and worked with Sarah to ensure the design met the needs of the agency’s social media posts. I used my skills in Illustrator to create the design that will be posted on the 4th of July.

I have gone through the onboarding process for my internship. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office has many steps in order to obtain the internship. They require even more with getting prepared for the internship itself. HR gave me three calls to talk about what I needed to do. They gave me my ID number that all employees have and polos to wear on specific days of work. They also put me in direct contact with the ladies I will work with in the Digital Media department and we are all super excited for me to start. I can’t wait!