Projects
Typography
For this project, we had to come up with quotes and then make four unique typography designs using various colors and fonts. We completed this project over the span of about 1-2 weeks. This project was difficult for me because I tend to get stuck on the same idea often, so when I came up with one design, I struggled to create other unique and interesting layouts for my type. I also struggled to find good colors to use for some of my designs. This project really helped me to learn much more about the use of type/text in designs. I learned how to make fonts stand out by using different font types such as script and serif. I also became much more comfortable with the pen tool as I had to trace certain graphics. For this project, I often asked my peers what fonts or colors they preferred so that my designs could look even better. With my original designs, most of them were very similar and did not include very many graphics. So, in order to make my designs more interesting, I had to add other aspects to them such as my books and jester graphics. I also changed the organization of some of my typography to make it more interesting. Overall, I really enjoy the layouts and designs of my different designs, but I wish I would have changed some of the colors to something else.
Vector Image
For this project, we took a high-resolution photo of us and then were told to recreate using vectors on Adobe Illustrator. There were multiple ways we could have chosen to make ours; I chose the one with organic shapes that heavily relied on shading and natural shapes. This project took us about 3 weeks to complete. For me, this project was extremely annoying but also pretty fun. I ran into some issues when I was trying to do some of the more detailed parts of the picture such as the eyes and hair. I struggled to find a good balance of shades that would help to make it look realistic without having to pick out every individual shade or tint. This project was extremely helpful for me in perfecting my use of the pen tool. Throughout the project, I progressively became more accurate with my shapes, and I was also able to complete them at a much quicker speed than before. This project also taught me how to properly organize my art board so it makes it easier to find things when I need them. Most of the feedback I received for this project was related to the areas I struggled with the most: the hair and the eyes. I was told that both needed more definition in color to help make them look a little more realistic. Most of the major changes I made throughout my project involved the level of detail I was using. I started out making everything as detailed as I could, but then I quickly realized that this made my graphic look a lot creepier and not as realistic, so I changed it a little bit. Overall, I am extremely happy with my final product for this project. It is far from perfect, but I put in a lot of effort into it, and I am proud of what I finished with.
Logo Branding
For this project, we had to come up with 30 logo sketches for our brand and then remake our favorite ones in Adobe Illustrator. This project's entire process took about two weeks to complete. One of the main challenges I experienced during this project was trying to recreate my sketches in Illustrator. It was impossible to trace the logo from our sketches, and it was still very difficult to find fonts that fit the idea I wanted. However, I was eventually able to tweak my designs enough on the computer so they fit what I envisioned. This project primarily helped me improve my use of different color schemes and fonts. We had to come up with many color swatches that could be used and experimented with in our logo. This project also helped me to inspire some creativity in me. It was difficult for me to come up with 30 unique sketches, so I really had to think in order to come up with interesting logo ideas. Most of the suggestions I received for this project involved asking about which design or color scheme they liked the most. This quickly allowed me to narrow down my designs until I chose my final design. For some of my designs, I decided to surround them with different shapes such as circles, squares, and diamonds. This allowed me to experiment more with some lighter colors as well as made some of the logos look more unified. Overall, I enjoyed working on this project since most of it was fairly personalized and up to my own decisions. I am happy with my final logo design and I think it looks very nice and professional.
Time Management
In this class, I thought I did a very good job of managing my time. I always tried to tweak and perfect my designs up until the deadline so they could be as good as possible. This meant that I usually didn't have a lot of free time at the end of projects, so I was always fairly productive. I also always tried to put in extra effort to make my designs better. So, I often had to look up something online if there was a skill or technique that I didn't know how to do. Since I am also somewhat of a perfectionist, I often critiqued my work as I moved along. If there was something that wasn't quite up to my standards, I would try to make it better. I also had to put in some time outside of class to complete my projects. I have a mac laptop at home, so I brought my projects home to work on a few times so that I would be able to meet the deadline and finish my project on time.
Strengths
I think my biggest strengths in eComm are my organization and time management skills and my ability to figure out how to do things on my own. I was able to finish almost all of my projects on time while also making them at a fairly high quality of design I think I am also pretty good in Adobe Illustrator, and especially at using the pen tool. I also think I am pretty good at persevering through difficulties and figuring out how to solve a problem. Lastly, I think I am good at collaborating with a group of people to finish a problem.
Weaknesses
I think that most of my weaknesses in eComm are my technical skills. For the most part, I know how to do most of the basic things throughout the different programs. However, I need to improve at some of the higher level techniques that help to make our projects look more professional. I also think that I need to work on my communication and leadership when working with peers. Since I am pretty good at keeping a group on track and organized, I need to try taking more of a leadership role at times. I think these improvements would help me to improve both inside and outside of class.
Conclusion
Overall, this year in sophomore graphic design was a fun experience for me. I liked that the class' structure was fairly laid back and relaxing. It allowed for a quiet and productive workspace for me. The main change I would suggest for this class moving forward is to have fewer projects throughout the year. This would allow for longer deadlines, which would help to enhance the level of design for all students. This would also allow for more projects that incorporate multiple design techniques in one. This could help to make the projects feel a little more unified and would also allow for us to continue using some skills throughout the entire year Moving forward, I would like to challenge myself to take a little more charge in eComm. I think that I am pretty good at most of the things I work on, so I should try to help my peers out a little more. Overall, I generally enjoyed my time in class this year and am looking forward to continuing in the eComm program!
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