Author Archive
Before this class my experience with typography was more poster related where I use organize text and create hierarchy using typography, color, and graphics. I also had my experiences and knowledge gained from completing typography I freshman year. I came into this class feeling comfortable with the basic rules of typography and how location, scale, color, and formatting all affect the way in which text is read and interpreted. I really enjoy looking at typography in my free time, specifically hand lettering.
Advanced typography gave me more experience with typography in more of an editorial environment. Since the Fulbright program raw text was so much, I felt challenged with making sure all the information was presented correctly but also in a creative manner. This project expanded my knowledge on how typography can be best utilized to create hierarchy. It also showed me all the small detailing that goes into formatting a large amount of text into a program booklet.
This semester I loved that I was able to get further experience using After Effects and InDesign. After Effects I had never used before and InDesign I was only semi-comfortable with. I loved the challenge of getting to understand the programs better because I want to get to know all the Adobe CC programs well enough to where I can use them all effectively to my needs as a designer. I think it is important to be well rounded in that way. — Outside of class I really enjoyed going to the Studio Tours with Command G and the AIGA Portfolio review.
do you “see” it? what are the pieces of “it”? how do they fit together? — Not sure what you mean by this??
I asked questions in class and received helpful answers to them both from Tuan and my peers. I could have asked more questions, even the ones that I may think are not good questions.
I feel as though I have put in a good amount of practice time, but I should set aside more of my outside class time for practice.
I was able to get helpful feedback in class which allowed me to question my work and design choices, but I also found that I would get beneficial feedback/critiques from asking my peers about my work and showing it to them to get their thoughts (both graphic design and non-graphic design majors).
Yes I was apart of class crits and desk crits. Yes, 90% of the time my life is in order.
I think Tuan’s class could be a more creative and fun place to be if did more peer-to-peer crits every couple of days during the process of a design project in order to get a view of what each other’s process looks like and be able to see the design grow from the initial idea to the final product. I also feel like have more lectures (about recent topics related to the project at hand) and demos at the beginning of class would be useful to our process.
I believe I have grown a good amount in terms of my confidence as a designer, which is an ongoing process. At the beginning of the semester I was a bit more hesitant to try new things and experiment with big ideas I had but after completing the weather report ond Fulbright program I have learned the importance of taking a risk and trying my ideas out because even if they don’t turn out they way I want them to in the end I can learn from that experience and improve it as I move forward.
For this assignment we were set out to design a program for the annual Fulbright conference
This semester I have made it a point to do more of my homework outside of my room. Generally I find it difficult to focus on one thing for an extended amount of time especially when I am surrounded by distractions; and since my room has too many distractions I have been going to the library and other quiet places more often. This has helped me make better use of my time and allowed me to increase my focus. I have found that I am getting better at working on designing for a small block of time each day as opposed to the day before it is due. I would say that I work on design assignments about 2-3 hours a day outside of class alongside my other general education classes and extracurriculars. A good amount of these expert hours were spent figuring out how to use After Effects since I had not used the program previously. I would give myself an 8 out of 10 in this area.
I would give the sophistication of my work a 7 out of 10 because I spent a lot of time planning out what I wanted my transitions to look like, but my final animation could have had clearer transitions. Since I was not familiar with After Effects to begin with I found it difficult to execute my ideas. Once I got the hang of key framing and the basic animating effects I felt comfortable going forward with the assignment, but I do wish that we had more tutorials on ways to utilize more tools in the program.
I give myself a 9 out of 10 for use of feedback. Most of the feedback I got was on my transitions and ways to improve them, which was helpful because sometimes what I interpreted as a smooth transition did not translate clearly to other viewers. It was also helpful to look at other’s animations in order to get new ideas and see what was working/wasn’t working for them visually to compare/contrast it to my animation.
7 out of 10 in this area. In my mind and on paper I mapped out a lot of interesting and fun ideas but when it came to executing them, or attempting to do so, in After Effects I felt held back because I didn’t know how to effectively animate those ideas. I do think that I challenged myself to learn how to use the program to a certain extent, but like any other Adobe app there is always more to learn. I could have dedicated more time to trying to figure out different tools and watching tutorials on how to get more creative with it so that more of my ideas could come to life. This is definitely a program that I want to get more experience with.
I gained outside of class expert experiences through my graphic design position in Student Life which I work 5 hours a week, participating in the design team for CABRA (the St. Ed’s fashion magazine), and keeping up with design blogs. I am also participating in a special topics VISU course taught by Alex and Bill where we are designing and creating an installation that will be in the Bob Bullock Museum in September of this year. This class has given me experience with curating, talking about my work, writing a proposal, and designing an installation for large public space.
9 out of 10 in this area because I feel in control of my life right now both socially and emotionally. Some form of stress is always present but I have managed to keep it a very minimum because I am making better use of my time and also realizing that hustling and working hard everyday is going to feel stressful in the moment but prove to be rewarding in the end.
7 out of 10, room temperature because I do try to give my peers both cool and warm feedback during individual critiquing but I could definitely speak up more during group/class critiques.
After reflecting on the semester thus far and assessing myself I would give say that I deserve a B+.
Alexa Weather Report from Alexa Bogran on Vimeo.
The purpose of the Weather Report project was to design a weekend weather report for 4 locations and to animate all the information in an organized format so that it is presented to the viewer in a seamless and creative manner. This was my first experience with After Effects which hindered my ability to use the program to its best abilities, but it also taught me how to quickly learn a new method of design in a short amount of time. The beginning of my experience with it was a bit rough and confusing because I didn’t know how to utilize the program and all its tools. I used my practice time, inside and outside of class, to get the basic hang of it and from there I was able to really dive into the project. I am proud of my final animation but there is definitely room for improvement in the transitions of my text/graphics so that the viewer easily understands the information presented. After Effects is a program that I would like to get more practice with and would enjoy using again in the future.
Goal Expert Hours:
(this including my job, and work done outside of class)
how much a week = minimum 8
what should be the mid-term total = 64
what should be the semester total = 128
(your current grand total = about 115 )
This second half of the semester I feel as though I have improved my use of practice time by managing my time amongst all of my classes better. Since the maps project was spread out over two months I really had to make sure that I was making good use of the work time given in class because I am also dedicated to all of my other classes (graphic design and general education) and my on campus design job. Since the mid semester I have improved my use of time in all these areas and still manage to make free time for myself. I put countless hours into each of my classes and have made sure that each are getting equal attention. Since I do not have the Adobe Creative Cloud system on my laptop I go to the digi lab to work in the afternoons about 3 times a week and usually on the weekends as well. Because I do not have the system on my laptop I cannot just easily leave a design until the last minute and work on it all night; I have to work within the hours that lab is open which forces me to make better use of my time and work with the lab hours schedule.
The sophistication of my work is constantly improving because with each critique I am learning more about myself and what I am producing. Through the maps project I feel as though I have gained a better view on what a “good design” looks like. Specifically each map has had a different agenda/purpose that has made me aware of how to convey a message in an organized and easily comprehensive way through the use of symbols, graphs, color, hierarchy, and labeling. I feel as though this project has trained my design eye to be more discerning and make good judgments as to how all those factors interact and how to apply them well to my designs.
I found feedback to be very useful especially during times where I felt I was having a creative block or trouble moving forward with my designs. I find class critiques to be very helpful because I get to hear multiple opinions on my work and I get to see where everybody else is and what direction they are taking. Having the chance to see everyone’s work and talking about it is really helpful because I can draw creative direction from my peers and professor. I never take feedback personally because I know that whatever good or bad comments others have will help me improve my work; I take feedback and use it to my advantage.
I would say that the level of challenge I gave myself was at the medium mark because while I do enjoy a challenge, I felt as though I was afraid sometimes to take on a new complex idea. I find that when I have a concept that looks easy to accomplish on paper but not so easy to execute on Illustrator I opt for the easier route because it takes less time. Finding the willingness to take on a new level of challenge is something that I need to work on, as well as making time in my schedule to create a design that may be more complex or time-consuming. For example, for Map 02 I had quite a bit of sketches that I thought would present the data in a creative and organized way, but when it came down to designing that on Illustrator I found that I was short on time so I opted for the less time consuming route, which isn’t always the best route. Although I am satisfied with my design for Map 02 I know that I can definitely do better because there is a lot of room for me to improve through challenging myself creatively.
I acquired many more expert hours this second half of the semester compared to the first half. In October I went to the Houston Zine Fest and the Chaotic Moon Studio tour with Command G. In November I attended another workshop with Jenn Hassin to complete her collaborative art piece with St. Ed’s. I also attended the East Austin Studio Tour one weekend and attended the Senior Graphic Design Presentations.
During the second half of this semester I have managed to keep my stress and emotions at an average level. Although I have left some American Dilemmas papers until the last minute I have still managed to deliver without stressing or freaking out. Aside from procrastination with papers I have not have any other major events in my life that have thrown my emotions in turmoil. There have been some small issues happening back at home but I have managed to not let that completely distract or disturb my school work. We all have bad days but I always try to find the best in a situation and look at the positives rather than the negatives.
As a class we are all learning together so I think it is important to contribute to the conversation and help each other learn and advance, whether that be through group discussion or one-on-one conversations. I feel as though I contribute to the warm class environment by keeping a positive attitude during critiques and feedback. I don’t think I would ever tell someone that their design is bad, instead I point out what can be done to improve it and execute the concept better. Savannah and I are always bouncing ideas off each other and asking for each other’s opinions which is really helpful on both ends. I trust her judgement and know that she will tell it to me straight. I try to do the same in return and give her ideas or help her make creative decisions. The same goes for anyone else that may ask my for my opinion or advice.
I would give myself an B+/A- for this end term assessment. I feel as though I have improved since the mid term and put more effort into each project, but I still need to improve my level of challenge in relationship to time management skills. I have definitely put in more expert hours and acquired more expert experiences which I plan to increase next semester with my next set of design classes.
The purpose of this map was to design a functional flowchart that maps a decision. Ideally the series of questions should allow the reader to examine all sides, pros and cons, of the decision they are trying to make and then lead them to a final decision. I decided to map a flowchart for a situation where you are deciding whether to buy a pair of shoes or not. This map was difficult for me to design-wise because I ran into issues or organization and neatness. I had all my questions and answers planned out but when it came to designing it I felt as though my layout choices made the information look too crowded. I knew that I wanted to incorporate the shoe graphics in the middle and then have the rest of the information surround it in a circular shape but the execution was not 100 percent there. I think to improve I can go back add icons to main decision making questions and then experiment more with layout to make it more organized and easy for the reader to follow.
Abstract Form As Image combined zine culture with the idea of truisms. A zine is a small magazine that contain whatever you want it to and can be designed in your own liking because there are no rules or limitations when it comes to zine making. Having previous experience creating fun zines for myself and for friends, I was excited to take on this module. I wanted the design of my zine to be simple, consistent, and have a hand made feel. I achieved this by having both my images and text placed in the same area on each page in way where they interacted with each other to create a cohesive yet interesting feel. I enjoyed the process of writing a truism that related to a life experience of mine and then visually depicting that through sketches and hand lettering. The zine was designed to be printed on a Risograph, so I designed it with the intention of being printed using two colors, bright blue and pink, and then a third color, green, for the poster on the back when you unfold the entire zine. I think this module really portrays my artistic style and has helped me along the journey of establishing and developing an individual style.
Final:
1st Draft:
For this map we were provided with a spreadsheet containing a years worth of grocery receipt information/numbers which we had to then translate into a visual representation using icons, type, and charts/graphs. I decided to organize the information by food group and then map the percentage bought of each group in a pie chart. I also created a visual scatter plot chart of the the trip to the grocery store in relation to the time of day the trip took place. Issues I came across were organization of the information in a visually interesting yet coherent way. In my final draft I think I presented the information neatly, but my icons could use improvement. This map taught me about how to translate numbers and information into a visual format where placement of type and graphics is important as well as choosing the most efficient form of a chart/graph to use.
This project explored user interface design, UI and UX, through the design of a mobile app that reflected aspects of Google’s Material Design and the Microsoft Word software. My app designed is catered to Youtuber’s who are looking for a quick and easy way to compose ideas/notes for a video or blog post and keep all those drafts in one place. The inspiration behind my idea was drawn from the fact that Youtube has gained a lot of popularity and news in the past few years, so I wanted to design an app that would be relevant and current. The stills that I designed show how the app incorporates a fusion of visual elements from both Microsoft Word and Youtube to enhance the app’s identity and overall experience. Such elements include the paragraph and text tools (text size, bold, italic, underline) and the thumbs up/thumbs down for saving or deleting drafts. Through this module it was interesting to focus on the back end of the way an interface is designed to look on a phone screen or a desktop screen seeing as apps and interfaces are are things that I look at on a daily basis.
