Semester 2 Final Reflection

VALUABLE TAKEAWAYS:

TECHNOLOGY:
Over the course of my four years in e-Communications, technology has obviously and consistently been a huge aspect of every single thing I completed. Whether it was using it for research towards the final product of my project, or simply using the Adobe Suite installed to my computer, technology was prevalent and much-needed. I acquired the skills necessary to use this technology through my teachers careful and diligent instruction, specifically from Mrs. Burdolski, combined with many outside of class hours working on designs. This acquisition of technological skills is extremely important in order to successfully complete the many projects presented in the program, as well as give you an edge that your peers wouldn't normally have on other subject projects, such as powerpoint and poster presentations. Of course, technology can be pesky at times, and there were multiple times where I found challenges. Usually they were related to Adobe Suite malfunctions, but occasionally there was a server error and files would get lost or damaged. Luckily, Mrs. Burdolski taught us all how to correctly manage our files, which helped immensely.

COLLABORATION:
One of the key components to the e-Communications program was the collaboration that occurred within each classroom. From the start of the program, teachers both encouraged and required us as students to work together and utilize our strengths and be aware of our weaknesses in order to create a stronger, more successful product. This was seen when we had to work in groups on the branding of a fake product, working in groups of five to create a commercial, logo, packaging, and various other advertising for this product. This collaboration extended into my junior and senior year when I collaborated with Student Council, creating all their promotional pieces, as well as collaboration with clients from the MLK Program and individuals who needed specific work done for them. Collaboration is important because it is consistently seen in the outside world, in relation to both graphic design and other fields of work, to create a more harmonious, well-rounded, and strengthened work. Luckily, I did not face too many challenges regarding collaboration along the way, however there were times when personalities did not mesh and ideas were not being accepted or listened to, but we preserved as a group, getting over our differences, in order to unify the whole and make compromises.

COMMUNICATION:
Communication is everywhere, e-Communcations has specifically taught me how to communicate via my artwork, as well as furthered my verbal and physical communications with others in person. I acquired these skills through the continued projects and work ethic imposed on us as students, communicating if I ever had problems. If we were ever going to be absent from class, I had to communicate with both my teachers and my fellow students that I would be gone. Last year, we had to communicate with a graphic designer in the industry, and I chose someone who lived in Connecticut, very far away from Kansas. It is because of the communication skills I picked up in e-Comm that allowed me to successfully do this once again my senior year, with a different industry professional, in order to gain some feedback on my portfolio. While there are always challenges when it comes to communication, forgetting to inform people of your absence proved to be the most prevalent issue throughout my years. Luckily, Mrs. Burdolski pushed us towards better communication as a whole through consistent group critiques and open conversations about our work.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT:
One of the most important things I learned from e-Communications was project management. Through multitudes of projects, my work ethic towards a stronger, cleaner, and more efficiently done final product was cultivated into a professional level. Project management is something that was consistently pushed in our program, and thankfully it was, otherwise I would be no where near the organized designer I am today. There were times when I would be working on a branding project for class, two posters for Student Council, outside client work, and trying to update my portfolio all at the same time. Normally, a student would probably give up, or at least ignore one of these projects, however, due to the diligent program outlines provided to us, and guided help available when necessary, I was able to remain focused and calm in order to complete my projects in a timely and well-done fashion.

LEADERSHIP:
I was presented with many, many leadership opportunities throughout my years in e-Communications. Whether it be the group leader for a Powderpuff Football Game t-shirt, or one of the Graphic Design Leaders for the Senior Show Committee, I was consistently brought up to a standard of excellence in regards to leadership. While I hold many other leadership positions in our school, the leadership in e-Communications is different and unique in the way it incorporates creativity and collaboration, as opposed to a set-in-stone outline of what to do, and an overbearing presence above those not holding leadership roles. This leadership is important because it teaches one to collectively make decisions based on everyone's needs, and really get a one-on-one sense of understanding between departments. The only challenge I think e-Comm has with leadership is that there are too many people capable of being outstanding leaders!

STENGTHS/WEAKNESSES:
My strengths definitely reside in file management, typography, handwritten designs, t-shirt designs, and poster designs. These are things that I practiced day in and day out in order to cultivate my crafty into something fruitful and professional. I pride myself on maintaining a very organized, yet quite bulky server folder, full of unique projects. I also started to play with handwritten designs, using my passion for typography and calligraphy and applying it to the computer in projects such as my Beauty and the Beast propaganda, the 2016 Homecoming Package, and the yearbook shirt design. It has grown into something I am extremely proud of, and it makes my work unique compared to my peers. I have gotten pretty good at designing shirts for clubs due to the large amount that I have been asked to do, as well as poster designs, which I have designed too many to count. This all comes from opportunity and practice, and learning to actively communicate with the client, really understanding what they want out of their designs. My weaknesses as a graphic designer is staying focused. For example, while typing this, I randomly started marking through a dance I'm trying to learn. When I focus, I am really focused and can get my work done, but I sometimes will go off on a random tangent during class time. Occasionally it is purposeful to cheer the room up and give a little excitement to people's mornings, but other times it's just my overly-productive mind trying to do a million things at once. I will work on staying more focused, but I can't promise that I won't be dancin' a little every once in awhile.

APPLICATION OF WHAT I'VE LEARNED:
I have learned so much as a designer, as well as a person throughout my years in e-Communcaitons. I will utilize all that I've learned as a designer when I begin my freelance work out in Texas, and possibly even more so when I decide whether or not I will minor in graphic design. I will also continue to use the communication skills I've learned to effectively interact with everyone around me.

SUMMARY/CONCLUSION:
This semester was filled with it's ups and downs, but I loved the advertising for the non-for-profit organization project the most. The whole process felt so real-to-life and gave me a glance of what work outside of the classroom might really parallel. Projects take numerous hours, approximately 15 from start to finish, which seems exhausting, but I find it enjoyable. If I were given the opportunity to change something, I can honestly say that I wouldn't. I loved the way things fell into place this semester, and I see each projects failures and successes as ways to improve upon and cultivate my craft. The biggest take-away of this semester would be that there is always room to work harder than you thought you could. You can always be doing something to help better yourself. My one goal for the future is to design something that is so self-fulfilling that I would want to hang it up in my room forever. I have come from a shy, unwilling freshmen, and grown into a strong, independent, and hard-working senior who actively participates in all aspects of the program. I have built relationships with both my peers, and more importantly, with my teachers. Mrs. Burdolski is one of the most influential people I've met and I'm so thankful I have someone I can rely on whenever I need advice or help. So far I have liked almost everything I've designed, but never enough to hang it in my room. Overall, this semester has been a blast and I'm so sad that I never get to come back to e-Communications as a student.

Graphic Design Semester Reflection

This past semester, I have been participating in my second year of the Graphic Design strand of e-Communications. I have this class for periods of my day, and work diligently alongside my peers to create digital designs, applicable to the outside world. As a class, we were assigned many projects ranging from posters to re-branding to menu layout design. We worked in collaborative groups occasionally, but most of the time we completed projects independently with critiques inclusive of other classmates. We completed 2 projects, and began working on our third, alongside the numerous outside projects I took on individually.

Homecoming Project

          The first project assigned to me academically was the Homecoming project. For this specific endeavor the seniors in the graphic design class were split up into pairs as we embarked on this artistic journey. My partner assigned was Brooke Lindsay, a graphic design student who is only able to take the class for one hour rather than the usual two. We both sat down at a table to listen to our client, Ms. Dawson, Sponsor of Senior Committee, inform of us of all the minute details and what the committees wishes were for the design aspect of the dance. Over the course of the next 3 weeks, Brooke and I would design a poster, tickets, and an infographic in hopes of impressing our peers and advisors enough to be selected as the winners. 

          Obviously, all projects come with some challenges. As previously mentioned, my partner Brooke was only available for one hour rather than two, casting what seemed like a slightly larger amount of work onto my shoulders. While none of this was her fault, it did make communication slightly more difficult and allowed for minor errors such as the printing of the "Bonfire in the Flex Theatre". But, with every challenge comes a lesson learned. After this mishap, I have payed more attention to my type on designs, especially before sending them off to print. In accordance with Brooke's occasional absences, I have further improved my time management skills and acquired more successful ways to communicate with my partners. The biggest challenge of this project, however, did not exist internally within the designers. 

          There was a huge amount of miscommunication from our client. We were receiving ideas and themes from outside party's that matched absolutely nothing our client had originally given us. One minute the theme was Cozy Night Indoors, and the next it was Spooky Halloween Mansion. This caused a large amount of stress for us as designers, as we needed a clear idea to design upon if the client ever wanted decent designs to choose from. Mrs. Burdolski guided us along this stressful ravine, reassuring us that everything would work out, and that we had to design to fit what the client presented us with, not what our friends are telling us they want. After many trials and tribulations, a definite theme was decided upon, and all Brooke and I had to do was alter some minor things to ensure it fit their theme of "Dark and Stormy Night". 

          In the end, Brooke and I's design was chosen for print and was seen around the school on every wall. The feedback we received was overwhelmingly kind, with people commenting on how much they loved the handwritten typography, and how beautiful the background lights were. The only negative critiques I was ever aware of was the Bonfire in the Flex Theatre issue, and the terrible poster paper it was printed on, which was outside of our control. Through all these challenges and miscommunications, I believe that Brooke and I pulled off a beautiful design to fit the clients wants, all while learning how to improve our communication skills, work more cohesively as a team, and further cultivate our design craft into a consumable product.

Rebranding Project

          For our second project, we were assigned to choose a brand that needed a little "TLC". Mrs. Burdolski's criteria for the brand we selected is that it had to be contained in a bottle or container of some sort, there had to be at least three different "flavors" or "types" of this product, and we needed to pick something that didn't already have a great brand. Upon selecting this product, we would then need to design a new logo for the company, and then implement that logo into a new packaging design of some sort.
A minor detail that was required of us is that we had to use one found font, one handwritten font, and one manipulated font on one of each bottle. With all of these guidelines in mind, I chose to rebrand Boathouse Farms. Boathouse Farms was originally a baby carrot farm, but has since then blossomed into a multi-product facilitation with a delicious line of smoothies that I drink each morning. Despite their success as a company, their graphic designer isn't helping them much with their appeal.
          First and foremost, I spent hours researching their company and everything they stood for. I learned a lot about who they were and how they got started. They grow many fruits and vegetables, all run off solar power in California. This information allowed me to begin sketching out new logo concepts.
          You may not be aware, but I am a huge fan of all things typography. This passion for the craft of lettering has allowed me to add a field of depth in design that not many others attempt to do. With that in mind, I began sketching. I created 36 ideas originally, and from there I selected 6 to bring to the computer. When first designing logos, one must assure they are only creating them in black and white first, and adding color later. After designing those initial 6, I chose one to act as my logo as I began designing the packaging.
          I designed my packaging using a template on illustrator, and just swapped out colors for the different flavors. I created a color rule book, as my product included many colors. The design of the fruit you see on the package was hand drawn and scanned onto the computer for my usage. I compiled all of my ideas into a beautiful brand, while still remaining inclusive of Burdolski's original rules.
          This project took a total of 8 weeks, as we had many stages of the design process to pass through. This project didn't cause a lot of problems or conflict for me, but one thing I ran into was some serious designers block when I couldn't create on the computer what I envisioned in my head. Eventually, through trial and error, I was able to create what I wanted at last. During this project I received a lot of feedback regarding contrast. Designing with such bright colors comes with it's issues, and using white on yellow wasn't exactly working out for me. I had to retry using different yellows several times until I finally landed on that golden idea (no pun intended). I used a slightly darker yellow, as seen on many fruits, as opposed to the bright yellow I originally designed with, which wasn't representative of anything other than a highlighter.
          After filling my bottles and photographing my end product, I felt nothing but pleased and proud of my outcome. This project was extremely enjoyable and rewarding for me, and with all the fun I had completing it, I was able to garner new ideas and skills along the way. I believe the most important thing I have drawn from this experience is that I love photographing products.

Outside Projects

          In addition to our assignments, I have taken on quite a few mentionable graphic design projects outside of class. This past September, I set up an account on RedBubble and uploaded many of my designs to their website for people to purchase, and so far I've made over $200. I also have continued to design posters for many activities around our school. This includes the Fall Musical, Polar Plunge, Week of Giving, Blood Drive, 5th Quarter After Party, and Ugly Sweater Day Posters. I also have designed many of the club t-shirts for my school. This includes the choir, theatre, and yearbook shirts.  I also designed a musical poster for Grandview Middle School. I also have been continuing to work on some small projects for my moms business. In the near future I will be designing a program for an MLK event, the Winter Formal dance poster, Mr. Raven materials, and the Spring Blood Drive Poster.

Time Management

          During the class period, I usually work on assignments given to us by Mrs. Burdolski, however, I spend a lot of time working on outside projects for things around the school or things that Mrs. Burdolski has asked me to do. I can often times be found utilizing the scanner, as I don't currently own one. Staying productive post-project isn't really an issue for me as I always have something to be doing. Whether it's researching new layout ideas or inspiring myself through Pinterest, I am always working to better myself. Outside of class I spend a lot of time sketching, drawing, looking at Bechance profiles, and trying out new things on my desktop at home, because without practice, I wouldn't be able to complete the required tasks at hand.

Ares of Strength and Weakness

          As a graphic designer, my areas of strength would most definitely be typography and handwritten type, hierarchy, and staying appropriate to what's wanted and what's trending. As we all know, I have a passion for typography and actively partake in handwritten typography projects for both myself, as well as fellow classmates. I use this skill as a way to enhance my projects into something completely unique and impossible to recreate. As far as keeping in touch with the styles and trends of today, I use this asset to maximize my chances of impressing clients and giving them exactly what they want. While there is always something to be fixed or altered, it's a very rare thing to have someone be displeased with my creativity and design.

          My weaknesses as a graphic designer is staying focused. For example, while typing this, I randomly started marking through a dance I'm trying to learn. When I focus, I am really focused and can get my work done, but I sometimes will go off on a random tangent during class time. Occasionally it is purposeful to cheer the room up and give a little excitement to people's mornings, but other times it's just my overly-productive mind trying to do a million things at once. I will work on staying more focused as the next semester comes up, but I can't promise that I won't be dancin' a little every once in awhile.

Summary

          This semester was filled with it's ups and downs, but I loved the re-branding project the most. The whole process felt so real-to-life and gave me a glance of what work outside of the classroom might really parallel. If I were given the opportunity to change something, I can honestly say that I wouldn't. I loved the way things fell into place this semester, and I see each projects failures and successes as ways to improve upon and cultivate my craft. The biggest take-away of this semester would be that there is always room to work harder than you thought you could. You can always be doing something to help better yourself. My one goal for next semester is to design something that is so self-fulfilling that I would want to hang it up in my room forever. So far I have liked almost everything I've designed, but never enough to hang it in my room. Overall, this semester has been a blast and I'm so sad that I only have one more semester with the program.

Homecoming Project Review

Scope and Process

This project dealt with designing a poster, infographic and tickets for Olathe Northwests' 2016 Homecoming. We had to incorporate the presented theme into each of our components all while working with an assigned partner. Before we presented our final projects, we spent time illustrating 20 sketches in order to garner more diverse concepts to present. I came up with two final concepts and my partner started the outline of the infographic. We initially really like the idea of a wreath with warm lights in the background, and then taking that into Photoshop and adding the type and editing the picture, and after spending much of our time, energy, and money, we ended up going with a simpler concept consisting of only the lights blurred in the background and the text over that. After much critique and revisions, we mounted the final concept to be presented to the Senior Committee for their voting. In the end, my partner and I's project was chosen to represent and promote Homecoming 2016.

Learning

This project presented a lot of room for growth and learning. As far as software and the technicalities of the design, I learned more than I ever have before. In our initial concept, we wanted to blur out the background as well as edit the colors of the picture to better fit the theme. After receiving help from Mrs. Burdolski, I acquired the skills of using the patch tool, the cloning tool, as well as manipulating the colorization of images and using layers to bring forward different colors and tones. Professionally, working with a partner proved to be rather easy and beneficial. Normally, I prefer to work alone so that I can get things done on my own time as well as rely solely on my own experiences and strengths, however, this project was too much to take on in such a short amount of time without aide from a partner. My partner for this project was both helpful and reliant, making the experience a much more enjoyable and stress free one. While we struggled slightly with deadlines, we ended up pulling off a great concept and worked through our issues to produce the highest quality work we could put forth.

Changes and Experiences

In conclusion, there isn't much that I would change about my design or experience. I think that having gone through such an extended process to produce something that we didn't end up using was beneficial in the way that it taught me to work harder than you thought you could. Although my partner and I really liked one design, the critiques came back and swayed us the other direction in order to simplify the message of "Dark and Stormy Night at Raven Manor" we were trying to communicate. If I were to redo this project, I would keep the process and experience the exact same, because everything, good and bad, can be used as a learning experience and the only thing I would even consider changing is the color of purple I used for some of the detailing work, which seems quite minute compared to everything I completed. From this experience, I have learned that there is more than just vector art, and I can apply that to other projects now that I am aware of how to use these design tools. I have also learned that working with a partner or in a group isn't always a hassle, and can often be an asset when taking on a larger project. Through learning this, I can use my peers as an outlet for help and assistance as well as have a more open mind to working with others. In the end, I am grateful for the experience of getting to design the Homecoming posters my senior year of high school and I am enthused that my craft is continuing to grow and expand as each project approaches.

Semester One Reflection

 Description: 

   

        My first semester in graphic design was loaded with projects for class as well as outside work. As a class, we learned and developed our understanding of the various Adobe programs and created works that could possibly be used in a portfolio in our future. This semester we really tried to hone in on professionalism and the production of high quality artwork by motioning through the steps of design. We discussed design essentials and what goes into an appealing design through the introduction of the Gestalt Principles. While we focused a lot on working as a team and strengthening those relationships, in the process our individuality progressed as well. As a class, we were assigned many projects. First, we created the Name Plates, where we took our name and maipulated it to express a key trait of ourselves. Next was the Homecoming Package, where we created a poster, flyer, and tickets for ONW's Homecoming dance centered around Trick of the Lights. Then, we were broken down into small groups and I became the project manager for the Junior Powderpuff T-Shirts. Although our design wasn't chosen, we still accomplished big things. Next we played with Expressive Typography, using typography to communicate a message. Following that we had the  Branding of a Mock Company, where I chose to create a pottery and ceramics store called Mosaic. And lastly, we had the Branding of Our Personal Business, where we individually branded ourselves and who we wanted to be as a designer. Indivually, I also did the Legally Blonde Package, event invitations for multiple clients, the Choir T-Shirts, Choir Event flyers, and began progress on the Winter Formal dance posters. Through these projects and the process along the way, I have acquired a greater knowledge and understanding of the impact and influence graphic design has.

Reaction:

        Some of the main events we came accross were the Homecoming package and the branding of our personal business, because of their impact on all of our perceptions of graphic design. The Homecoming package was a huge deal. With client meetings as well as frequent critiques, we were grasping and understanding of how important this project was. We came to the realization that our designs were not only to be looked at by our class or our teachers anymore. This was our first opportunity to show outsiders what we had been working so hard on. Some conflicts that arose were the time restraints we were put under. Many designers did not even have their package considered due to the lack of time we had to package and mount their work. While it was fun to have some what of a competition to see who's design would be chosen, it also created some tensity within the individuals of our class. This was a prime example of what the graphic design industry is like in the professional world, and that's what I believe is the main point to be taken from this. 

        Another main event we undertook was the branding of our personal businesses. This was quite the jump from designing for others to designing for ourselves. One of the hardest things a designer has to do is design for themself. While it is easy to get feedback from a client and interpret their wants and needs, its a completely different situation for designers designing something for theirself, and that is something that was apparent when critiquing our classmates. We learned about the challenges a graphic designer faces every single day and this project in particular gave us an understanding of what the professional world is like. If you can't design for yourself, how can you design for others? I loved the opportunity to get to create something under no constraints with my own input. No matter how much critique I recieved, ultimately it was my design for me and no one could change that. I'm so thankful for the opportunities presented to me in this class due to their exposure and possesion of influncial knowledge.

Evaluation & Analysis:

        Some elements that worked in particular were the critiquing of our classmates, the implication of outside sources, and the pre-project sketching. Critiquing our individual work was always beneficial as it allowed insight from other perspectives and communicated what impact they left on others. Without these critiques, we would all be designing work that wasn't living up to its full potential. The implication of outside sources such as the lady from KU, collaborating with the Olathe Print Shop, exploring JCCC's design department, and the use of Behance has improved our design skills individually. All of these sources provided insight to new ideas and concepts, and allowed us to branch out and explore design as individuals rather than as a class. Outside of class sources provide unique experiences and opportunities to enhance our perspective on design as well as give us inspiration for new works and opportunities. Pre-project sketching is a blessing. Without the strongly-advised sketches put into a design, many of our works would be boring or not planned out well. I know personally, without sketching over 15 designs for every project, I would not have come up with the designs I loved so much. For example, the Homecoming poster was something I never would have initially brought to the computer. That design came directly from my sketches. This only goes to prove just how influencial sketching can be.

Learning & Action Plan:

        Many different concepts were covered over the course of this semester. Whether it be branding, typography, using multiple artboards, sketching, or using white space, we learned and applied many of the key concepts of graphic design in this course. In this class, we have surpassed (but not forgetten) the basic concepts of color, spacing, lines, type, and shape, and have progressed to intricate and refined subjects. We also increased our knowledge of the Adobe Suite software used in this class much more than we have in the past. After this semester, I know how to create patterns with an image, create print ready copies, apply brush packs onto Illustrator, as well as a plethora of other random tools. Personally, I have really taken control of file management and have created for myself the most organized folder on the server, in my opinion. Along with the very literal technical skills, we have all increased our soft skills such as collaboration, communication, project managment, time management, and leadership. Individually, the oppotunities to lead several projects has served as an opportunity to better myself as a designer and a leader. At the beginning of the year we were somewhat lost and falling behind as a class, but now we all have a better understanding and responsibility to us that has allowed us to grow and prosper.

Action Plan:

        In order to improve next semester, I will attempt to set aside even more time to produce higher quality and more professional work, because before now I have been giving myself about an hour to work on graphic design at night, but I often times find myself focused on other things. Next semester, I hope to learn about magazine design, packaging, and calligraphy because I believe all three concepts would be both enjoyable and beneficial to our graphic design class. 

Links:

Name Plates

Homecoming Package

Junior Powderpuff T-Shirts

Legally Blonde Package

Mosaic Pottery & Ceramics

Expressive Typography

Personal Branding

Final Package-- Peek-A-Moo

Package Layout:

This is our groups' package for our product, Peek-A-Moo's. We started out by finding a carton template online. The funny thing is, we actually used the template design for a milk carton. We measure the dimensions of our products and then entered it into the template maker for a custom design. We then took it into Illustrator sows could manipulate it and add the circular opening for the cows head. We originally started out designing the carton to be more modern. With organic shapes and script-y and bubbly fonts inure, we were sort of confused by where we were taking this product. We wanted to make it appealing to the mass population of children, but we wanted it to look professional. After several days designing what we thought would be our final product package, we decided to take another route. We started from scratch with a new idea in mind; a barn. We quickly came up with a color scheme and started designing. We made each side a symbol and applied it to the panels. After a lot of hard work, we ended up loving the different direction we took.

Color Scheme:

My color scheme consists of orange, black, white, off-white, and eight different shades of green. I chose these colors based on the colors of vegetables that I researched. I used the main colors I found in pictures of my favorite vegetables. Green represents peace, freshness, and health which are some of the key messages I was trying to convey with my product and packaging. Although green and orange are not my favorite colors, that's something you have to learn to work with if you want to go into the graphic design industry. Overall, I believe the colors I chose work well together and provide a message of nature and health that would be my main push towards the consumers buying my product.



Logo:

For our logo, I wanted to balance the modern, 2-D look I went with for my package panels. So I

used the drawing tablet and drew out an entire page of different logos for Peek-A-Moo's. I ended up using this hand-written font that I created that made the product seem welcoming to children. My original inspiration for this project was the Chic-Fil-A logo, but I wanted to stray away from the script-y font they use so they wouldn't be too similar. With that idea in mind, I hand drew a cow and then "filled" it with a rough pen outline so it would have the elementary look we were going for. Out of everything I had to design for this project, this was definitely the work I was most proud of. My favorite thing about of graphic designing is creating logos, so I was really glad to be in charge of it.

3-D Revolve:

For the 3-D Revolve portion of this product, originally Destiny was in charge of making the 3-D revolve, but after she ran into some complications she handed the duty off to Caitlyn. Caitlyn then went online and found a tutorial on how to make a 3-D revolve of a rectangular and triangular prism. She ended up doing a fantastic job, making each of the sides a symbol and then pasting it onto the box. Although our product package doesn't look exactly like this, it serves it's purpose very well. Overall, I twas pleased.

Ad:

Destiny was in charge of designing the ad for our product. She made it in Illustrator, excluding the cut out image of the plush toy cow. We gave her the color palette and she quickly began designing. After getting some help with how to put the image of the cow into the Illustrator file from Photoshop, she was almost done with the ad. She added some simple text to pitch the product, and boom!



Overview & Teamwork:

Overall, I enjoyed this project. While working in teams isn't always my favorite, I'm glad that I got to work with one because there's no way we could've pulled off everything that we did in that short amount of time. Originally, I was the Project Manager, Caitlyn was the Design Manager, and Destiny was the Packaging & Template Manager, but after working on the project I would re-assign the roles as follows: I was the Project & Template Manager and Assistant Designer, Caitlyn was the Design & Packaging Manager, and Destiny designed the Ad. We work well together as friends, which is why I think we didn't work the best as a team. I feel as though some team members felt it was alright to slack off because we were friends and would help each other out. Some of our issues probably stem from the fact that both Caitlyn and Destiny were gone on the first day of the project, which was the day we were supposed to discuss our team contracts and the general rules. While I typed up just about everything I could think of, I completely forgot to have them sign and look over the team contract. However, if you would care to refer to the project packet I created, there were instructions in there saying that you need to get your jobs done or you will be penalized. I put my heart and soul into this project because I love graphic design but sometimes not everything goes the exact way you want it and that's something you learn.

Extra Credit-- English Symbols

I had to come up with slide for a slideshow for my final in english class, and instead of using google images, I decided to design each one of my slides with a symbol that represented what i was going to be talking about. The process is simple, but I am learning more and more about filling objects as well as hand-drawn objects, which has been a good experience thus far.

Custom Text

I used the tutorial that was distributed to us to create a custom text project using my name. I had to warp and distort the text and make the certain areas of the letters such as the stems connect. This was pretty simple to figure out and I didn't have any major problems with figuring it out. Overall, this wasn't my favorite project but I thought it was a valuable lesson learned in manipulating text.

Packaging Palooza

Package Layout:

This is my packaging design project. I chose to create a project called Veggie Bytes. Veggie Bytes are a vegetable supplement which act basically as a vitamin. The designing process has been the most enjoyable thing we've done all year in graphic design. Through this project I got a detailed look at some new features I discovered in Adobe Illustrator. The overall project was detail oriented which is perfect for me. The tutorials were easy to follow and I got everything I needed to done in an orderly fashion.

Label:

For the label, I was confused as to what it's purpose was at first. I later realized it was for the 3-D Revolve bottle we were making. I applied the same aspects that I used to create my package layout and panels. I used multiple shapes and opacities to create a more modern and clean look. I see packaging these days that seem outdated and unappealing and I think that stems from the overuse of organic shapes. I am hoping that packing design industry will take a step towards 2-D designs rather than old-fashioned 3-D designs. I used the shape tool to create the triangles and adjusted their colors to my color scheme. I also used the shape tool to create a rounded rectangle and then changed the opacity for a more professional look. Then finally I applied my logo design onto the label.

Color Scheme:

My color scheme consists of orange, black, white, off-white, and eight different shades of green. I chose these colors based on the colors of vegetables that I researched. I used the main colors I found in pictures of my favorite vegetables. Green represents peace, freshness, and health which are some of the key messages I was trying to convey with my product and packaging. Although green and orange are not my favorite colors, that's something you have to learn to work with if you want to go into the graphic design industry. Overall, I believe the colors I chose work well together and provide a message of nature and health that would be my main push towards the consumers buying my product.

Logo:

For my logo, I wanted to balance the modern, 2-D look I went with for my package panels. So I used the drawing tablet and drew out an entire page of different logos for Veggie Bytes. I ended up loving this organic, script-y font that I made free-handed. My original inspiration for this project was a yogurt package I saw with what seemed like organic, hand-drawn pictures of fruit. With that idea in mind, I hand drew a carrot and then "filled" it with a rough pen outline so it would have the look I was going for. I then added a rounded rectangle behind the logo thinking that it would add some contrast to the dark objects in the logo, and it did! Out of everything I had to design for this project, this was definitely the work I was most proud of. My favorite thing about of graphic designing is creating logos, so this portion of the project got me really excited.

3-D Revolve:

For the 3-D Revolve portion of this product, I struggled with figuring out how to create the pen strokes in a way that would create a complete bottle. After watching a tutorial and getting help from Ms. Lofquist, I figured out that I didn't have a stroke on the pen tool. This part of the project made me excited mainly because it gave me a look at what my product would really look like if it were sold in stores. Although sometimes the process seemed repetitive with the adding symbols into the art map over and over again, I ended up being really pleased with what came from the rigorous work.

Overview:

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed completing this project. It gave me a look at what graphic designing is like outside of school, and I loved it. Graphic design is something I plan on pursuing as a career and I'm really fortunate to be given the opportunity to be a part of the e-Communication program where I can learn and develop new skills and concepts. I look forward to projects similar to this one in the future and can't wait to apply all the new things I learned from this to the next project.

Movie Poster

I chose the movie musical "Into The Woods". I think I did pretty well at retaining Saul Bass's style in my poster, the only thing that does not represent his style is the font I chose, it I chose that font because it's sort of my staple font. It represents my aesthetic and I think it accurately plays off the fun- comic movie I chose to do. I used the colors navy blue, gray and white with accents of black, green, and brown. My objects I chose to represent the movie was the tree in the middle representing the woods in the movie, and the small little accent "thorns" poking out of some of the letters in the title and descriptive text to represent the struggles that the characters in the movie must overcome. The movie is about finding trust within the people you surround yourself with among many many other valuable life lessons. This is the second poster I created for this project, but I wasn't completely satisfied with the ending project so I redid it to make it more simple. Overall, I am very happy with my ending result. I was inspired by Saul Bass's 2-D art style and i decided to take a modern take on retro style. While still applying his style of solid colors and outlining, I added some fun type with a custom made stroke. I used the pen style to apply a chunky effect to my tree and the lines on the side to create a frame to represent Saul Bass's style.

Top 10 Things Poster

My values reflect my work and products in the way that everything I do is positive and fun. Who else would put doughnuts on their top 10 poster? I enjoy being positive and I believe that is reflected in my work. This drives consumption because nobody wants to indulge and spend their time and money on negative, dull things. I believe these qualities will help me in the future because I want to be a successful graphic designer. My values reflect the fun-loving person I am and hopefully clients will appreciate that when choosing who to hire. I chose my fonts based on my personality and what I liked. My headers and sub headers are a Sans Serif font and my body font is a Serif font. A huge tip regarding typography is opposites attract, and I took that seriously when deciding on what fonts to use. My type pallet looks fun and interesting just like my personality and that's why I think my top 10 poster accurately and professionally describes me.

Postcards Galore

This first postwar I created with Photoshop. I started by downloading a font off of dafont.com that I liked. I liked it because it was simple but also modern, much like my personality. I then created a new layer for each letter in my name. I added a clipping mask to each letter after I had chosen the five images I thought best represented me. I chose images of times Square because that's my favorite place in the world and I want to live in New York someday. Then I chose some sheet music because music has been the greatest influence on my life thus far. I chose an empty auditorium because I live my life through theatre and I spend more time performing than I do at my house. Then I chose a picture of a beach in Hawaii because I aspire to have a vacation home on a beach in Maui when I get older. And last, I chose a picture of watermelon because it's my favorite food in the world and some of my greatest memories from childhood stem from indulging in the glorious fruit. After that, I went into the Blending Options and added a stroke and drop shadow to make it have more depth. I decided it needed even more depth and I added a Bevel & Emboss Effect.

The second postcard I created was my Christmas card and this one is my favorite. I downloaded a wonderful font from dafont.com because I wanted something that looked Holiday-inclined. I then looked up images that translated what I wanted to Photoshop. I used a blur on the background image to make the text more acknowledgeable. I found images on poinsettias and gold bows and used what I've learned to make it look good. I added a gradient to the text so that it looks better than just a plain color. I enjoyed this postcard the most of all

Floating Mountain

This project I completed was all about Photoshop; using layers, de-fringing methods, and blending modes. My idea was to create a floating mountain and put different layers of clouds around it and to add a moon. I wasn't sure what else to add to this project, but then I thought it would be enlightening and slightly less serious if I added a man falling off the mountain. All it took was some resizing of the image I traced out, and some de- fringing to make the man look more realistic. I am very unpleased with my moon. The de-fringing methods were not co-operating with me at the time, and I tried to reach out for help but nothing was working. Normally, I would never turn in something I wasn't 150% proud of, but this project was not at the top of my priorities. This was more for me to mess around and experiment with the different tools that were accessible through Photoshop. Next time I might try something that isn't so outlandish and do something more realistic, as fantastical images are not my forte. Overall, I found that this project helped a lot with learning things about Adobe Photoshop.

In the Clouds

Through this project I learned how to use the many tools in Photoshop. For some frustrating reason it would not get rid of that pixel fringe no matter what I did. I learned about short cuts when using this program. The quick selection tool is W, move tool is V, brush tool is B, and lasso tool is L. You can use the refine edge tool to create a seamless, fringeless image.

Concrete Jungle (Extra Credit)

I decided that I was going to use Photoshop some more and learn more about masks when it comes to actual text instead of images. I had never worked with masks and texts together before, but the process ended up being much simpler than I had originally expected. I download a font with various buildings built into the letters, because it looked like New York City at night. I then found an image of Times Square at night because that is my absolute favorite sight in the entire world. (Can you imagine having one of my designs put up on something in Times Square?) I then typed the words New York City on one layer, and created a mask. It was that simple! After adjusting the positioning of the words for awhile, I was finally satisfied with what I had accomplished.

The Difference Between a Red Sphere and a Red Sphere

I created two spheres that are very similar in appearance, but made with different programs. When using Illustrator, the size of the art board is infinite. Instead of using pixels like I did when making the photoshop one, Illustrator used a bit-map. I found illustrator a tad bit easier when it came to the gradient tool because i'm used to using it and although Photoshop has a very similar gradient tool, Illustrator allows you to do more creative inclined things. The pen tools are very different on Illustrator and Photoshop, but I didn't have to use anything other than the initial shape tool and then the gradient tool. I think that gradient is an okay way to make something look like a sphere, but knowing about the 3D Revolve effects you can use on Illustrator just made these gradient spheres look amateur. I added my (kinda) signature onto my Illustrator sphere, and put a gradient inside of it. On my photoshop sphere I made it bouncing.

A Circle is Never Just a Circle

Spheres symbolize unity and infinity. The can be balanced or unbalanced as we learned through that wonderful video we watched. I learned that every circle has a story behind it and different designs and techniques can determine the overall outcome of the art. The work flow for these projects were fairly similar. I found Illustrator slightly easier in making simple designs on spheres, because all you had to do was add a 3D Revolve effect and then add a symbol to the Map Art, but Photoshop has a lot of advanced 3D mechanisms and the textures were more extravagant. Illustrator used inches and I had an infinite amount of space to work on, where as Photoshop used pixels and I was limited to the space I requested when opening a new project. When I saved my Illustrator work, I first screenshotted it because that's the easiest way to guarentee that it was saved, but it saved to the server as a PDF.  I saved my work on photoshop as a screenshot as well, but then saved it to the server as a jpeg but could also be saved as a png. I learned a lot about custom pens, symbols and shapes when completing these spheres. I need to learn more about shapes and lines because they always have some little thing wrong with them in my experience and it can be frustrating.

Illustrator Tutorial: http://pixelrockit.com/create-stylish-3d-shapes-with-adobe-illustrator/

Photoshop Tutorial: http://layersmagazine.com/3d-texture-mapping-in-photoshop-cs6.html

Zentangular Art

For this extra credit I drew a zentangle in my free time at home. A pentangle is basically a drawing with lots of shapes, lines, and designs that calms you down while drawing. I then brought my sketch to school and scanned it. I tried multiple times and even had Ms. Lofquists' help trying to figure out how to fill it with Illustrator, but we couldn't make it work. So I used Photoshop to fill it in and I think it makes for a very cool logo-looking thing. I used a cool color scheme because it represents trust.

My Personal Logo

The reason I chose to use a circle for my logo is because a circle represents a constant row of energy, thoughts, and creativity, which is exactly what I want to accomplish in graphic design. I put two rings with arrows at the end around the circle and the arrows represent how I want to spread my ideas as well as the traits listed before to many people. The arrows are also a representation of moving forward. I used the colors blue, red, and yellow, but not the typical primary colors you always see, because I like to be different. The blue represents trust. This lets you know that you can trust me and my ideas, which will be helpful if I ever become a professional graphic designer with clients. The red represents boldness and vibrance, which really shows my personality and the way I approach things. I used a light yellowish store on my lettering to show the warmth and happiness. The letting looks a little odd, but I hand drew it and it's a backwards B, backed up to an R, which creates a t in the middle, thus creating my initials, which is the name of my blog. My process includes creating art boards with grids, and just used the shape tool and made lots of circles and shapes with different ways of creating appealing logos. I learned how to use the tablet to draw things and how to use the graphic styles tool to create new brushes. I also learned how to use a symbol sprayer and create your own symbol, but I id not use this while making my logo. I think I did really well on the lettering, the color scheme, and the general appearance of my logo. If I could do something differently, I would probably try to make the stroke look different and maybe make the ring a little thicker. I feel like it will look odd if the logo is in a smaller resolution. Overall, I'm very pleased with my outcome and I loved the process of making a logo. Making logos is my favorite thing to do in graphic design. 

Adventurous Designing

Our assignment was to find a text effect tutorial for Adobe Illustrator and use it to create a replication of the text. When I got this assignment, I decided that I was going to do some stuff on my own. I chose to replicate the "Bang!" effect, but add a different background to make it more of my own and what i want. I learned how to use lines to break apart text, and how to make the chunks flying around the screen. I think what I did well was follow instructions and problem solve, as well as picking a color scheme that works. If I were to do this again differently, I would probably want to create a different background that maybe was striped or something else creative. I want to learn more about using different fonts ad creating shapes that blend into the background.