ABOUT THE PORTFOLIO
On this page you will find an immense collection of selected artwork
and custom designs that have been made for Patch Me Thru’s clients. This portfolio, created by corporate graphic
artist Jay Harris (MIS/MIT), is an edited collection of his best artwork
intended to showcase his style and method of work throughout his career. In
most examples shown in the portfolio, the flat artwork will be shown first and
then the interpretation into embroidery, shown as the actual patch, to the
right or immediately after the artwork example. So you can see how the
progression from flat artwork has been digitized for embroidery. The portfolio
is fairly extensive and is a representation of about 20% of his entire catalog.
On slower internet connections this may take a few minutes to load all of the
graphics. You can close this window at any time by clicking on the X at the top
right corner of this window or you may return to our website’s home page at http://www.patchmethru.com.
CREATIVE WORK
Creative works have in common a degree of arbitrariness,
such that it is improbable that two people would independently create the same
work. The term is frequently used in the context of copyright. The following
two creative works are examples of submitted hand drawings. These drawings were
painstakingly created in Adobe Photoshop and/or Adobe Illustrator taking small
sections of the drawing and creating layers of each section. These layers allow
manipulation of the color, shape and detail of the artwork. These layers are
then placed in front of or behind other layers to give the artwork its depth
and flavor; e.g., the hurricane flags and pole is a layer that is placed behind
the airplane, which is another layer. Both of these layers are placed in front
of the gradient blue/white background, which is yet another layer. It could be
possible that any given piece of artwork could have upward of 40 to 50 layers.
But once the artwork is completed, all of the layers are flattened or merged
together and the artwork is exported or traced as a vectored image or high
resolution jpeg, gif, tiff, etc., as a single piece of artwork.
GOVERNMENT AGENCY INSIGNIA
Legislative definitions
of a government or federal agency are varied, and even contradictory, and the official
United States Government Manual offers no definition. But for purposes of this
portfolio, government agencies will be defined as any government or state
entity that is not a Sheriff or Police department. The following creative works are commissioned government designs in which
some of have been manufactured into embroidered patches and worn by those
respective agencies on their uniforms. Other examples shown below have been
used for other mediums, i.e., silk screening, web use, decals, etc. And a few
are still currently proposed designs, either waiting approval for commission
and use, requested version modifications, or rejection.
SHERIFF’S OFFICE INSIGNIA
A sheriff’s office is a
county law enforcement agency, which has the primary responsibility for law enforcement,
investigation, and corrections within the county of any state they are
legislated for. The following creative works are
commissioned designs that have been manufactured into embroidered patches and
worn by those respective departments or units on their uniforms.
JACKSONVILLE SHERIFF’S OFFICE INSIGNIA
Jacksonville Sheriff's
Office, commonly called JSO, is a joint city-county law enforcement agency,
which has the primary responsibility for law enforcement, investigation, and
corrections within the consolidated City of Jacksonville, Baldwin and Duval
County. JSO is one of the largest departments in the Southeastern United
States, with 3,600 employees. The following
creative works are commissioned designs in which some of have been manufactured
into embroidered patches and worn by those respective units on their uniforms.
Some of the shown designs have been prototype designs, where a test was made to
see if the design would be adopted or commissioned. In some workflow concepts,
creating a prototype (a process sometimes called materialization) is the step between the formalization and the
evaluation of an idea.
BROWARD SHERIFF’S OFFICE INSIGNIA
Broward County Sheriff's
Office, commonly known by the acronym BSO, is a public safety organization
responsible for law enforcement and fire rescue duties within Broward County,
Florida. BSO is the largest fully accredited Sheriff’s office in the nation
comprising of 5,800 employees, including approximately 3,100 certified deputies
and approximately 600 firefighters. BSO was featured prominently in the first
season of COPS in 1989. Other reality TV shows which featured BSO included
Police Women of Broward County and Unleashed: K9 Broward County. The following creative works are commissioned designs in
which most examples shown below have been manufactured into embroidered patches
and worn by those respective units on their uniforms. Some of the designs have
been prototype designs, to see if the design would be adopted or commissioned. On August 10, 2007,
Sergeant Chris Reyka was shot and killed while investigating a report of
suspicious vehicles in a Walgreen’s parking lot in Pompano Beach. At some point
during the stop one of the suspects opened fire on Sergeant Reyka, killing him.
The suspect’s vehicle was captured on a security camera fleeing the scene, but
no arrests have been made. A special
design shown below as “broward_hg_1g” was commissioned for the Broward County Sheriff’s
Office Honor Guard in honor and memory of
Sergeant Reyka. The patch, nicknamed “9463” after Sergeant Reyka’s ID number,
has become a principal icon with the agency and is also currently worn on their
Honor Guard uniforms for all official functions.
POLICE DEPARTMENT INSIGNIA
Symbols are a means of
complex communication that often can have multiple levels of meaning. They facilitate
understanding of the world in which we live, thus serving as the grounds upon
which we make judgments and ascertain who or what we embody. In this way,
people use symbols not only to make sense of the world around them, but also to
identify and cooperate in society through constitutive expression. The following creative works are commissioned designs that
portray symbols in which the “distinctiveness” conveys the purpose of the
design. These designs are worn by those respective units on their uniforms.
Other examples shown below have been used for other mediums, i.e., silk
screening, web use, decals. Some of the shown designs have been prototype
designs, where a test was made to see if the design would be adopted or
commissioned. In some workflow concepts, creating a prototype (a process sometimes called
materialization) is the step
between the formalization and the evaluation of an idea.
LAKE CLARKE SHORES POLICE DEPARTMENT INSIGNIA
Lake Clarke Shores Police Department, located in Palm
Beach County, Florida, consists of 1 Chief of Police, 3 Sergeants, 7 Officers,
5 Reserve Officers, 1 Detective Sergeant, 1 part-time Administrative Assistant
and 1 Code Enforcement Officer. The following creative works are commissioned
designs in which have been manufactured into embroidered patches and worn by
the department on their uniforms. The top three examples are custom die badges,
designed and subcontracted by Patch Me Thru, Inc., for the department’s 50th
Anniversary in 2007.
PALM SPRINGS POLICE DEPARTMENT INSIGNIA
The Palm Springs Police Department, located in Palm Beach
County, Florida, has a diverse workforce comprised of 42 full-time sworn
officers and 15 full-time civilian members. They also maintain a staff of
part-time officers, auxiliary officers, and part-time civilian and volunteer
personnel. The following creative works are commissioned designs in which have
been manufactured into embroidered patches and worn by the department on their
uniforms. The top set are custom cut-out die badges, designed and subcontracted
by Patch Me Thru, Inc., for the department’s 50th Anniversary in
2007.
HILLSBORO BEACH POLICE DEPARTMENT INSIGNIA
The following creative works are all commissioned designs
in which have been manufactured into embroidered patches worn on the
department’s uniforms and decals used to mark patrol vehicles and watercraft.
The first two designs were commissioned for use for the department’s challenge
coin. A challenge coin is a small coin-size medallion bearing the department's
insignia and carried by the department’s members. Traditionally, they are given
to prove membership when challenged and to enhance morale. In practice,
challenge coins are normally presented by the Chief of Police in recognition of
special achievement by a member of the unit. They are also exchanged in
recognition of visits to his organization. The last graphic in this section was
commissioned for a license plate design for the Town’s residents.
BOYNTON BEACH POLICE DEPARTMENT INSIGNIA
The following creative works are commissioned designs in
which some of have been manufactured into embroidered patches and worn by those
respective units on their uniforms. Other examples shown below have been used
for other mediums, i.e., silk screening, web use, decals, etc. Some of the
shown designs have been prototype designs, where a test was made to see if the
design would be adopted or commissioned. In some workflow concepts, creating a prototype (a
process sometimes called materialization)
is the step between the formalization and the evaluation of an idea.
NORTH PALM BEACH POLICE DEPARTMENT INSIGNIA
The following creative works are commissioned designs in
which some of have been manufactured into embroidered patches and worn by those
respective units on their uniforms. Other examples shown below have been used
for other mediums, i.e., silk screening, web use, decals, etc. Some of the
shown designs have been prototype designs, where a test was made to see if the
design would be adopted or commissioned. In some workflow concepts, creating a prototype (a
process sometimes called materialization)
is the step between the formalization and the evaluation of an idea.
CORPORATE IDENTITY
The following creative works are commissioned corporate designs in which
some of have been manufactured into embroidered patches and worn or were used
for promotional or fundraising purposes. Other examples shown below have been
used for other mediums, i.e., silk screening, web use, decals, etc. Shown first, is a donated
and then adopted logo for the Jimmy Ryce Center. On September 11, 1995,
9-year-old Jimmy Ryce, on his way home from school was abducted, raped and
murdered at the hands of a sexual predator. The family of Jimmy Ryce created
the Jimmy Ryce Center for Victims of Predatory Abduction to offer assistance to
law enforcement, including providing free bloodhounds for use in search and
rescue. A bloodhound, named Clue, was among the first bloodhounds donated to
the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office by the Jimmy Ryce Center. Clue has been
a personal inspiration for most of the bloodhound designs created by Patch Me
Thru for law enforcement departments throughout the state of Florida.
Unfortunately, Clue, passed away on January 31, 2014, and a special Memoriam
patch was created for Clue’s handler, PBSO Deputy Ledbetter. An interesting
fact, the bloodhound which was utilized in the Jimmy Ryce Center’s design is
named Bandit. Bandit is the son of Clue and is currently employed at PBSO in
search and rescue operations.
STAR WARS COSTUMING CLUB INSIGNIA
A Star Wars costuming club, known simply as the Legion,
is an all-volunteer organization that was formed for the express purposes of
bringing together costume enthusiasts under a collective identity within which
to operate. The Legion promotes an interest in Star Wars through the building
and wearing of quality costumes, and facilitated their use of those costumes
for Star Wars-related events as well as contributions to the local community
through costumed charity and volunteer work. The following creative works were
commissioned designs in which have been manufactured into embroidered patches
and worn by their respective members of their garrisons or squads. They were
also used for promotional items and media branding. Currently, there have been
over 1000 different Star Wars costuming club patches made since the Legion’s
creation in 1997.
IN CONCLUSION
In preparing this portfolio of my career as a corporate
graphic artist and designer, I made mental notes of my areas of strengths and
weaknesses, and it is my intention to utilize those strengths to improve on my
weaknesses through experience. As a corporate graphic artist and designer, I
provide a method to convey ideas visually, whether it is corporate branding or
the creation of a visual persona for a law enforcement department or
specialized unit. I have shown several times in this portfolio how I have
adapted my talents to meet the needs of my diverse clients. Secondly, I have
demonstrated a variety of digital strategies to facilitate a strong visual
presence for printed, embroidered or electronic media. It is my goal to
continue to learn new strategies and to implement them into my creations and
present those creations in a way that is both accessible and memorable.
Thirdly, I have shown my ability to use and incorporate technology to convey
these visual ideas. I am also comfortable in using a variety of communication
techniques in enriching the opportunities of other graphic artists and what I also
may learn from them. Fifty years ago, the graphic designer’s portfolio was
usually a black book or large binder in which samples of the artist’s best
printed pieces were carried to show prospective clients or employers. Printed
pieces were often protected inside by being mounted on boards or slipped into
Acetate sleeves. Within the last decade these black books were made available
on CDs and DVDs. Today, portfolios have become increasingly computer dependant,
and now are entirely digitized and available on the Internet, as I have shared
with you here at Patch Me Thru, Inc.
Thank you for sharing...
Jay
“One can prove by
analysis that, in reality, art is highly unified. But art isn’t about reality,
it’s about appearances.”
