Graphic Design - End of Year Reflection 2018

I absolutely loved this year of graphic design; it erased any doubt I had about if I was on the right path for myself. I got to find what I truly love doing, and I can't wait to continue it next year. Here are the various projects I've done this semester.

Magazine Spread

At the beginning of this year, I finished my magazine spread based on an interview with Kansas City designer Beth Laird. This was my first time seriously using InDesign, and I loved it. It's very intimidating, but the organization and grid work was incredibly satisfying to use. I can confidently use it to create projects with lots of body copy, and I hope to keep using it as part of my creative process. (link)

Prom Posters

Our prom, called "A Touch of Jazz", was themed around the art deco style of the Roaring Twenties. For the poster I created, I wanted to use this, but also incorporate my own style. I did so with my hand-drawn typography, which is a skill I'm constantly working on. I ended up getting chosen as the winner of the poster contest, so my work got printed and put up around the school. This was a huge moment for me, and it only motivated me more to create new beautiful things. (link)

The Crucible

I'm an active member of the theatre department, so when I got one of the leading roles in our spring play, The Crucible, I volunteered to make the posters and other promotional materials. The play itself was being interpreted as a sort of post-apocalyptic tragedy, so I got to really play with designs to express the theme without being limited by the typical time period of the piece. In the end, there was nothing more exciting than seeing all of my friends wear shirts that I had designed, for a play we were all working to put together. (link)

The High Priestess

This was hands-down my favorite thing I've done in graphic design to date. We were tasked with creating a company that provided a service, not a product, and I immediately knew that I'd be doing a fortune teller / psychic. I've been interested in the world of psychic readings for as long as I can remember, and I actively read tarot cards and do astrology readings for my friends. I even have a running joke that my retirement plan is to move to New Orleans and tell fortunes on the street. So, this project was one that I had a lot of passion for.

I started by sketching, and eventually brought the best one into a fully digital logo with color. Then, I created all sorts of advertisements, from posters to web ads. I was incredibly grateful for my short experience in Photoshop's Timeline tool, because it allowed me to go a step farther and actually animate my web advertisements. I also got to use my prior knowledge of the subject in creating materials for the company; for example, instead of making the typical tee shirt with the logo on it, I created a bag for crystals bought at the shop, due to the prevalence of crystals in the psychic profession.

The actual project is very extensive, and the full post with all the content can be found here. This is the one I'm most proud of, and I feel like it's up to the standard I hold myself to.

Time Management

Despite being such a perfectionist, I end up having extra time. With the spare time I've had recently, I've been looking at graphic design schools I might apply to. This hasn't narrowed the field down too much, as it still ranges from New York to Chicago to Dallas and more, but at least I have a basic knowledge of where I need to keep looking. I've also discovered some graphic designers that I'm very inspired by, such as @lindseyrem, or Lindsey Rempalski. I love her modern twist on gothic style, and I followed her on all the social media I could in order to stay updated. I also found Pony Gold Illustration, and immediately fell in love. It's these two designers who have inspired me to keep going on the path I'm on, and to try and branch out on it. I'm planning on spending the summer working on hand-drawn illustration, as that is a very valuable skill I used to have, but fell out of practice with. I love drawing, and after using small illustrations in The High Priestess to such success, I want to get even better. In summary, I've used my extra time to find myself and my own interests in the field of design, and to narrow the future down to select schools.

Strengths and Weaknesses

If anything, my passion is still my main strength. I can't see myself doing anything else in the future, and my dream is to be a designer doing what I love. I've gotten worlds better at InDesign and Photoshop, and Illustrator continues to remain my go-to (although it is my comfort zone, so I try to challenge myself by going without it when I can). I've utilized Pinterest increasingly to organize my thoughts and ideas of design projects. My graphic design board has 16 sections and almost 400 pins, and I'm constantly adding to it.

I will admit, I can sometimes get a bit stuck in my ways when I can only see one way to solve the design problem. However, I collaborate with my peers and find alternative solutions to get rid of the artist's block when it happens. And, of course, I can always get better at Photoshop and InDesign.

Summary

If I had to sum up my experience in graphic design, it would be this: I love making my life beautiful, and there's no better way to do that than to make beautiful things. This year has been wonderful; I get to wake up slowly and create new things every day, and I'm in a classroom full of people who think like I do. It's been a lovely experience, and I can't imagine anything else for myself. Next year, I hope to become a leader like the seniors were to me this year. They were kind and welcoming, and they truly inspired me to keep at it. I've realized my passion for creation, and I couldn't be more excited to do it again next year.

Graphic Design - End of Semester Reflection 2017

This semester of graphic design, as a junior, has been one of my favorite experiences I have ever had in school. I enjoyed last year's class, but the projects and overall environment have been exactly what I had hoped for. I've done a few projects this semester; they are shown below.

Name Typography

the full post can be found here

Our first project was to utilize typography in expressing our personality traits. This seemed fairly easy until I started sketching. The idea that type, without graphics, could appear a certain way was something that I had to learn through this assignment.

This assignment emphasized that all design is a solution to a problem. In this case, the problem was the list of adjectives I had come up with, and the solution was to figure out how to express the words through type. I was proud of this assignment, because I managed to minimize the use of graphics, which I found that others had a hard time with. In the end, I felt as though some solutions were weaker than others, and I could have found a better font or way to manipulate the type. However, the ones that I spent the most time on turned out just as I had intended them to.

the full post can be found here

Greeting Card

Our next assignment was to create a greeting card using handwritten typography. This happens to be one of my favorite things about graphic design, so I enjoyed this task. It was a process, though, because I had never experienced sketching and re-sketching type before transferring it to the computer. It had to be drawn and refined, and then finally digitized.

Additionally, the feedback I was given was due to the font on the inside of the card not being handwritten to match. I had picked another sort of brush font, hoping it was close enough, but I knew it didn't work. Eventually, I used the sans serif that I had put on the front, and it looked much better. Overall, this project allowed me to use one of my favorite skills, and it helped me grow as a result.

the full post can be found here

Branding

This was by far the most in-depth assignment we did was our branding project. We began with almost nothing; just a few words. We took these and did research, creating names and symbols, until we had a brand. I also found that using Pinterest to create a collection of aesthetics was extremely helpful. I created Aureus, from the Latin word for gold. It is a high-fashion clothing company located on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.

After the brand was created, we designed various products they would use, such as letterheads and business cards. Following that, we created the interior and exterior of the store. This was challenging for me, mainly because I had to create my own mockups from a regular image. The lesson here is that there isn't going to be a mockup for everything. It taught me some valuable Photoshop skills, which I can definitely use going forward.

Repertory Theatre Posters

This one wasn't an in-class assignment, but a project I took on as a member of ONW's Advanced Repertory Theatre class. Our rep shows are coming up in January, and we needed posters to advertise. The two shows, Student Body and Diary of Anne Frank, are vastly different, so I made a poster for each one.

Student Body was the easier poster to make, because the show itself is very minimalist, with almost no set pieces. It deals with the sexual assault of a young girl and the following events as the group of teens tries to figure out what they should do with the knowledge of it. I wanted to create a serious poster to reflect this, and it only took a day or two in class.

The Diary of Anne Frank was more challenging, in that it doesn't have an obvious symbol and it is more complex. When I did some research, the only pre-existing posters I could find were covered with Nazi symbolism. Obviously, I wanted to avoid this. Eventually, I decided on the image of holding hands, in order to emphasize the love and unity instead of the hatred. Overall, I'm proud of these posters, and they will be used around the school to advertise.

Time Management

During class, there are periods in which I don't have an assignment to work on. I use this time to expand my skills, particularly in weaker areas. Recently, I have been using my drawing tablet to animate, frame by frame, a clip of a music video I like. It has been challenging, because I've never been great at animation, but it's been a good side project to keep me busy.

Additionally, in order to avoid time without work to do, I often ask my friends if they need me to do anything for them. I created a portfolio cover for a creative writing class, and I'm continuing to work on my friend Olivia's cover for her upcoming EP. Some of this work has been done outside of class as well.

Outside of class, I mostly work on handwritten typography, because that's what I enjoy the most. I've been using watercolor, and eventually I hope to incorporate it into designs.

Strengths and Weaknesses

I am very passionate about graphic design. I intend to do it in the future, and I feel as though this passion is reflected in my work ethic. On the technical side, I can use Illustrator very well, and my Photoshop skills have improved. InDesign is still new to me, but that's only because we haven't used it much yet.

I could definitely improve on being bold and making choices in my designs. I tend to make small changes and continually ask if the client likes it, rather than taking initiative and making a bold decision. This is a problem I'm aware of, and I plan to work on it.

Summary

This semester has been a lovely experience and has opened me up to so many possibilities. Before this year, I hadn't really considered going to school to be a graphic designer, but now, I can't imagine anything else. I loved branding, and I still enjoy handwritten type. I wouldn't change anything, except maybe I would have brought my drawing tablet in sooner.

I've learned so much on the technical aspect of this year, from creating mockups to sending files to print properly (I learned that the hard way). I've also learned how great it is to be in an environment where everyone is doing the same thing, but in so many different creative directions. It's inspiring to be able to sit next to designers who create so differently than I do. Next semester, I'd like to be bolder in my designs and find more of a voice or a style, something that I can be identified by. I'd also like to take on more personal projects and client work, so I can expand my horizons even more. Overall, this has been an extremely valuable semester, and I can't even imagine not being in graphic design.

Video - End of Year Reflection

Foreword

Back at the start of second semester, I was unbelievably excited to start entertainment, and to eventually continue it through my junior and senior years. Instead, I began the journey of realizing that what I had planned wasn't going to work out. The whole experience essentially led up to that moment in a lot of films with the freeze frame and a "Yep, that's me. You're probably wondering how I ended up in this situation." But I'll get to that.

Music Video

Our first project, the music video, seemed like a fairly easy task. All we had to do was pick a song and create a concept for it, then film it. This was my first project I was really, really excited about. Unfortunately, the film world loves to crush that wide-eyed wonder, preferably captured in a close-up of the victim's face.

Addie and I set out to make a storyboard for the song I Wanna Be Yours by Arctic Monkeys, choosing a less-than-romantic concept to further prove our Alternativeness™. What we quickly realized is that storyboards take forever.

After we finished that, we got everything else done in record time. We shot almost everything unskillfully in direct sunlight and didn't think twice. Until we started editing. Luckily, Addie is much better at this than I am, so she got extra footage when we went downtown, and put them all in to create what I feel is a much better product than the overexposed mess that I had contributed. (Spoiler alert: this is a pattern with my work.)

High School Trailer

This video will always remain the most memorable, I think, because it was the video that solidified my decision to switch from film to graphic design. Really. I turned this in right before spring break and proceeded to freak out and have a long talk with my mom about what I should do. Having reached a verdict, I came back, switched, and all my problems disappeared.

But back to the project.

We had to choose from a list of high school-based films, most likely because we were supposed to do more filming in, you know, film class. Addie and I chose to do The DUFF. Because, of course, two sophomore film students could easily replicate a professional 8.5 million dollar film. We shot this over an agonizingly drawn-out period of time, due to our lack of organization. I ended up editing this one, which was okay; I'm better at editing than I am filming. Still, this video was so, so awful. I'm taking full responsibility for that. I mean, I'll say it. The feedback for this video was similar. The punishment fits the crime, after all. Half of the class was silent, but not in the way that good film can create. It was more of an "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it at all" sort of silence. The other half showed no mercy and informed me of what I already knew: it sucked.

I'm not bitter about this project; how could I be? It helped me come to terms with the fact that I'm just not talented in this particular area. Also, it's kind of funny.

Here is the infamous video, for your viewing pleasure.

Short Film

This was a fitting end to my film career. It was an idea that I had wanted to develop for a long time, proceeded to do so, and in the process, ruined it. The concept was actually one of my favorite things I've thought of: based on the Shakespeare quote "These violent delights have violent ends, and in their triumph die, like fire and powder, which, as they kiss, consume", it was a story of two people who bring out the worst in each other. The boy is a narcissistic sociopath who tricks an unmemorable girl into joining him, and the audience watches helplessly as she slowly turns darker and darker, on a downward spiral of self-destruction. Or, at least, that's what it was supposed to be.

Instead, Violent Delights was a mess of my own creation, another wildly underwhelming technological mistake, produced by Blaise Keasler. Shocker.

When given feedback, the only positive things that anyone had to say were about my actors. I wholeheartedly agree. The only thing that could have possibly made this short film worse would have been bad actors. Being in the top theatre class has its advantages when it comes to casting.

This video was slightly better than my other two, but that was only because of experience. I knew when making this that I wouldn't be progressing to entertainment like most of my classmates. I think it shows. Regardless, here it is.

Applying What I've Learned

Although much of what I've written is self-deprecating, I do still use what I've learned in this class. One of my goals for the upcoming summer, and even for my life, is to take videos and pictures of things. Not just important things, but of myself and my friends and pretty things that I enjoy. We all have the ability to document our lives; our phone cameras are better than ever before. So, why not? Now, I have the basics of how to film properly, and I can use that forever.

Summary

This year has been wild; this semester in particular. I've gone from planning on being in entertainment class for the rest of my high school career to planning on being in graphic design, and even realizing that I could potentially continue with that as an occupation. Video has been a very valuable experience to me, regardless of how good I am at it. It taught me that plans change, usually for the better.

One of my favorite quotes is from the film American Beauty (dir. Sam Mendes, 1999). It's that "everything that's meant to happen does", and this has proved to be true, especially in this case. I will be forever grateful for the lessons I have learned, and although I may not be in class, I'll continue to use what I've learned.

Graphic Design - End of Year Reflection

Technology

From a technical standpoint, I've become not only competent, but proficient (at least, I'd like to think so) in the industry-standard software. With the skills I've learned, I now have the ability to create a semi-professional online portfolio (here) and I could potentially even do small freelancing projects. This process wasn't instantaneous, and I'm still not perfect- Photoshop is a formidable adversary- but I can still use the tools of graphic design effectively.

Collaboration

Due to a mistake in my class schedule, I switched classes halfway through the year. I view this positively, because it allowed me to experience two different ways of collaborating on projects. In my first semester, our work was reviewed as a class; in my second semester, we did smaller critiques. My own personal learning style tends to be one that works in more personal groups, as I find larger ones difficult to manage. This change was certainly welcome, and even influenced my decision to continue in the graphic design branch of e-Communications in the future.

 Communication

If you had asked me last August what I thought of this particular image, I would have said it was a billboard for a makeup company. Now, I could tell you that the sans serif font and that particular tint of pink combine to form a minimalistic yet feminine look, and that it isn't even a real billboard, but rather a mockup. Oh, and that I made it. One of the most valuable skills I have acquired this year is my ability to verbalize what makes something attractive or ugly. Our critiques often involved only my peers and I, so we had to learn to describe what we liked about the work we were reviewing. Simply saying a font is unattractive doesn't work; we had to be able to apply the rules we used. Once we did that, it was more along the lines of "this font is ineffective because it's a serif combined with another serif; try using a sans serif instead".

Project Management

my project, "Rose", without the background

I like to think of myself as a good student. I can't recall ever having late assignments. However, when it comes to graphic design, I spend so much time on everything that eventually I have to make myself stop, admit that I'm being a perfectionist, and put it up on Behance already. It's not a bad thing, but further down the road, I'll have to keep it up when doing client work. There's a big difference between an assignment deadline and actually working for real people and companies. I will say, one time I remember being particularly rushed to finish something was when I submitted work to eMagine, our school's media festival. Originally, I wanted to make a short film; that definitely didn't pan out. In fact, I had planned on doing that, and when I realized it wasn't working, it was too late to really start something else. Or, at least, it would've been, to any logical person. Not being that person, I decided to start a vectoring project within a couple of days from the deadline. In the end, I actually won third place, which was surprising, given the amount of work I put into it. This is what I have to say about that: If I won third place for a project I threw together last-minute, I can't wait for the next two years when I have time to plan.

Leadership

I've always been strong-willed. Independent. You know, all those adjectives that people use when they're too polite to say something like "control freak". But. I had to learn to apply that to projects and even when working on my own. If I made something and didn't like it, I had to organize my thoughts on it and solve the problem. I think a part of being a leader is eliminating traits like procrastination, and actually making your team (or yourself) get the job done. During critiques, when there wasn't a teacher or a more experienced graphic design student guiding the discussion, we each had to step up and give our constructive criticism. At first, especially since I was in a new class, this was a daunting task; however, I quickly found that as a graphic designer and as someone who is learning, I appreciated feedback, and so did others.

Strengths and Weaknesses

practicing with a waterbrush

The thing I'm most proud of is my handwritten typography. I've been interested in it for a while, but after actively looking at the way other people write, I've developed my own style. Sometimes I even catch myself staring at a certain letter in someone else's handwriting because I like the way they made it. I've made cards for many people with my lettering, and it even got me a potential job offer to design wedding invitations.

I'm still improving my technical skills, of course, but that's going to be a constant theme throughout my experience. The thing I look forward to most is expanding my creativity, especially when it comes to things like logo design.

a quote from American Beauty
(dir. Sam Mendes, 1999)
illustrated by me

The Past and the Future

One of my mantras (brought to you by the film American Beauty) is "everything that's meant to happen does". I wouldn't change anything about my experience, because I think what I've learned and how I've grown is so valuable the way it is. Looking ahead, I plan on continuing in graphic design, and hopefully becoming even more skilled.

Conclusion

This year in e-Comm has been wonderful, in all its challenging ways. At the start of the year, I thought I knew exactly what I was going to do: go onto entertainment video and make films with my friends. Of course, that didn't happen. I realized around spring break, when I 1.) couldn't make a decent video from my plan for eMagine and won third place with a vector that took me three days, and 2.) turned in a video for class that was so bad, I spent all of spring break rethinking my entire plan. I'm not trying to be self-deprecating; it's just a fact. I'm not upset about it, though. I think it was just something that I had to realize in time, and I'm glad it worked out the way it did. I've created a solid bond with my peers in both classes regardless, and I'm excited to be able to work with them as we progress.

Overall, e-Comm has been about passion and actively doing things. I was one of six presenters at eMagine, which was absolutely wild, and I even won an award. I enjoy creating media, whether it's in Illustrator or Premiere (although there's a difference in quality there; I'll say it). I hope to continue creating and loving what I do in these next two years. I wouldn't trade my experience for anything else.

High School Trailer

For our second project in entertainment, we were tasked with recreating a trailer for a high school movie shot for shot. The movies we could choose from were films like The Breakfast Club and High School Musical. My partner and I actually chose The DUFF, which, although not originally on the list, is still about high schoolers.

In order to storyboard this, I had to watch the trailer on YouTube and screenshot each shot. When I say each shot, I mean every single one; whenever the camera angle changed, I had to take another screenshot. It was tedious, but we had a solid storyboard at the end. My partner wrote the script, so we could give it to our actors.

Filming itself was, to be honest, sort of a disaster at times. It took way too long to get done with it and we ended up filming some on my phone, which was a good learning experience. I'll definitely make a schedule next time. Our actors were mostly chosen out of convenience, meaning they were all our friends; this was another mistake. Working with acquaintances is fine, because you can stay professional. With friends, however, it's difficult to say, "okay, we actually need to get this done" without sounding rude.

I don't think I've ever made a video this long before, but it's not too hard. I also had to implement music throughout the whole video while keeping the emphasis on the dialogue. Audio gain is a valuable tool in those situations for sure. One of the scenes we shot was on an extremely windy day, and I used Highpass to get rid of some of it, but it distorted the audio. Next time, I'll watch the weather.

Overall, this project was valuable to me because of the realization that came with it: I'm just not meant for film. After turning this project in, spring break started, and I spent the whole time reconsidering my decision for my classes for junior and senior year. When I got back, I changed my schedule from entertainment to graphic design. So, yeah; it may have sucked, but at least it was a wake-up call.

Marks and Symbols

Having a logo is essential to anyone wanting to promote themselves. However, designing one isn't as easy as it seems; there are many rules a designer has to follow in order to be effective.

A symbol is a mark without type, used to identify a brand. These are common because they are unique and easily processed and remembered. A logo is a word or phrase in type. These are also used to identify brands, but are more complex than a symbol. When used together, they are called combination marks.

I'm familiar with logo design, having previously tried it, but there are some things I hadn't thought of before reading about it. While symbols can be abstract, they shouldn't cross the line into unrecognizable shapes, otherwise they are difficult to remember. I often forget about negative space, but it is a valuable tool to use, especially when trying to create shapes without being too straightforward. The thing I found most interesting was that the flow and direction of shapes and space inside marks should always move up and to the right. This creates a sense of positivity and upward movement within the mark.

Designing in black and white or using only one color is by far the best thing to keep in mind. Beginning graphic designers forget this, and create products that rely on color to keep their effectiveness. A logo for a business that is just starting out must be able to be printed in minimal color, or the cost of printing will be too high. By adding color last, the mark will already have its impact, regardless of color.

Marks and logos are extremely important in our society. Even small children can recognize shapes and colors, and they can associate these with brands. In order to appeal to a consumer, a logo must be effective and simple, or the viewer will forget it.

Creating a Music Video - A Reflection

After a semester of convergence journalism, we finally got to start entertainment video. As someone who has known where they want to end up in e-Comm from the very beginning, this couldn't have come sooner. Our first assignment was to create a music video.

Pre-production was definitely something to get used to. It involved more preparation than I ever would have guessed; I had to make storyboards, beat sheets, and print out the lyrics. Eventually, this helped, because I listened to the song and wrote down the times of each beat, which allowed me to create more effective shots.

The song we chose was I Wanna Be Yours by Arctic Monkeys. Addie and I have similar music tastes, but they don't always line up. Luckily for us, this song was one we could both agree on. Our concept arose out of wanting to make a video with no real storyline, just aesthetically pleasing shots; this wasn't going to work, obviously, so we had to think of a plot that could be powerful yet beautiful if done the right way. The story is that a girl is in an abusive relationship, and after a while, her friends start to suspect something. Eventually, they see her bruises, and another boy fights her boyfriend. He wins, and the girl and her friends run away. The whole video is shot through with flashbacks of her and her friends before the problems started.

The thing I regret most is being in it. Next time I make a video, I'm definitely going to be behind the camera. Not that I mind the attention; I'm in theatre, after all. I just feel like I missed the opportunity to be a director rather than an actor. The reason I chose to be in the video in the first place was that I thought it would be difficult to get another actor, but I'd rather work with another person than miss the chance to shoot it myself. However, I really like the shots I filmed myself.

I think it turned out well overall. I got to explore what it's like to film creatively, and it's motivated me to continue saving to buy my own camera so I can do it on my own. The color palette in the video is one I enjoy; the red was definitely purposeful. As I develop my own style, I have a feeling both roses and the color red will stay with me.