Hey! Scuzzy here, this is my entry for @officialfuzzy's header graphic design makeover contest for Whaleshares.net. Before showing the final designs, I'd like to share the design process and the thought process behind it. And hopefully, there's something you can take away from it.

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Design Process

Since the contest is for Whaleshares and my creativity is limited, I figured including a whale in the design would be appropriate. So I began the design process by illustrating couple whales.

The primary design software I utilized is Adobe Illustrator and references obtained from Pinterest.

Step 1:

As a reference, I collected several images of whales.

Step 2:

Using Adobe Illustrator, I drew a rough outline of three whales.

Step 3:

Inspired by the 4th image in the reference, I started attempting to design my own version of it. Looking at the image below won't make any sense, but you'll get to see the process and hopefully, it'll make sense eventually. Also, there's probably a more efficient method to get to the final design. If you happen to know, please share -- I'm always interested in learning.

So first, I drew a random set of red lines.

Step 4:

Using the "Live Paint Bucket" tool, I filled a certain color scheme within the lines.

Step 5:

Then, I deleted the red lines. The design process should be making sense now.

Step 6:

I wanted to go with a more softer design, so I also removed the black outline. And there you go! My whales are done.

Step 7:

I arranged and rearranged the whales to create some movement, added a simple gradient background, then the following three entries were done. Initially, I added a school of minnows swimming across the design, but I found the image was too clustered. So instead, I went with a clean, simple, and moderately minimalistic overall layout.

Entry #1

Entry #2

Entry #3

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That's it! Thanks for making it to the end and I hope that it was informative. Graphic designing is not my strong suit, but I'm slowly learning. Or perhaps, I'm too critical of myself. If there's anything that can be improved, please share in the comment section -- I'm all ears for any constructive criticism.

If you enjoyed this, I encourage you to have look at other entries on @officialfuzzy's post and support those who deserve it. There are some great submissions so far!