Description
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| Name Plates |
This
semester in Graphic Design we got to apply our skills to a bunch of different
projects. I worked on a lot of different projects, such as posters for
homecoming, t- shirts for Junior Committee, and t-shirts for Freshman
Committee. I also worked on the projects assigned as part of the class. Our
assignments were Name Plates, Expressive Typography, Branding, and Personal
logos/ branding. All of my projects are
on Behance, my online portfolio.
Reaction
My biggest
issue during this semester was not being motivated by the project, or getting
frustrated with the way it was turning out. Some of the projects that I was
assigned were really difficult for me because I had a really hard time coming
up with concepts that I really liked. I
am kind of a perfectionist and it was really hard for me to commit to a design
and keep moving on. I am also really bad a sketching. Sketching a bunch of
different concepts usually helped me come up with an idea, but I always
struggled with expressing my ideas on paper. Two of the projects that I had a lot of trouble with were the Junior and Freshman Committee shirts. It was really hard for me to come up with concepts for these because they didn't really have a theme except for Ravens. In the end I came up with some pretty good designs, I am happier with the Freshman Committee shirts though. I think most of my projects turned
out really well in the end and I have definitely improved over this semester.
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| Homecoming Poster |
Evaluation and Analysis
The project
that I am least happy with is my homecoming poster, I really liked the idea,
but it just didn’t turn out the way I wanted it too. This project was really challenging
because we could only use black, white, and red. If I had more time on this project I could probably change
the way the hot air balloon looks, and then I might like it better. I am really
happy with my Just Yaks Branding project, I think it looks really realistic and
I had a lot of fun creating my company and branding it. I think this project
was easier for me because it was later on in the year and I had more experience
with illustrator. I also had a lot more time to work on the branding project
and I think the quality of it is a major improvement over the homecoming
poster.
I learned a
lot of new skills this semester, and I really think that this improvement shows
in the projects that we have done this semester. I learned to not stress out as
much about sketching because they only really have to make sense to me. I also
learned a few places to look for inspiration if I am feeling stuck on a
project. My favorite places to find inspiration are on Behance and Pinterest. I
have also learned haw to do a lot of new things in both Adobe Illustrator and
Adobe Photoshop. When I was working on my Just Yaks Branding project, I looked
up a tutorial on how to make my logo look like it as burned into wood for my
coasters. After I completed this tutorial I found some wooden coaster and used
the warp and clone stamp tools to make it look like my logo was actually
branded into the coasters. I learned a lot of technical skills as well as soft
skills. I have learned that collaboration and communication is a really
important part of the production process. I found that asking my peers for
their opinions have really helped my come up with new ideas and push my
concepts until they are really great. I also love to see what my peers are
working on and give them feedback about their project. Collaboration has really
helped me improve my projects this semester. Time Management has also really
helped me produce great designs. I have pretty good time management skills and
always make sure that my work is finished on time, even if I have to come in
before or after school a few days to make sure I will be ready to submit my
projects on time. Time management is a really important skill to have during this
class and for the rest of our lives. Time management really helps me stay on
task and produce really good work.
Action Plan
My goal for
next semester is to continue to improve. I would like to continue to have
better and better designs. I would also like to continue improving my technical
skills and soft skills. Next semester I hope to learn ways to avoid getting
frustrated with my work and get better at sketching. I really liked the last few
projects that I have done and would like to continue being happy with my
projects next semester. I also hope that we have a lot of fun projects to work
on next semester.
