My New Blog

Critique Protoype 2 (Inkjet Printout)
The printing instructions/ pictures were very helpful when adjusting the printer settings. However, the first time printing I realized I messed up on the sizing of the booklet. Instead of setting the size to 5.5 X 8.5, I had it set to 8.5 X 11 so the images came out cropped and uncentered. I had to resize the entire booklet to 5.5 X 8.5 inches when printing out the second time. Also, I had to reprint because I places the paper in the wrong way when printing out the even pages— so the text came out backwards. For the final book, I need to reposition the photographs because one or two of them came out a bit more cropped than I had intended. Other than that, I really like the quality of the double sided printing paper. The images look a lot clearer and smoother than on the LaserJet with regular paper. I’m satisfied with the placing of the text and images. I’m ready to print out the final book.

The Sequence
The sequence in my book has been finalized. Aside from the “I spy” theme, I decided to have an everyday image/ scenery next to an image that has construction or renovations around the city. Images on the right side of the book have a photograph of an everyday setting (sitting at a lunch table, walking past an alley, walking past a building on your way to work, etc.) Images on the left side have photographs of construction sites, or places that will soon be renovated. The idea behind this is to demonstrate Austin’s modernization and booming urban development. If you were to take out the left sided pages, the “walk through downtown” would indicate an overall peaceful and quite stroll down the streets of Austin. If you were to take out the right sided pages, the book would indicate a chaotic, noisy contruction-filled setting that disturbs the cool Austin setting. With all the renovations and urban development occurring in the city, people fear that Austin will lose its cultural identity. My book also has a color pattern consisting of white and orange pages (orange, white, orange, white, etc.) Part of the sequence is that all of the photographs in the book were taken on a rainy day to indicate a gloomy setting—roads, sidewalks, and tables all appear wet.

This Visual Studies Seminar gave me an opportunity to reflect on my desired major (graphic design). I realized that this particular course allows students to learn about “life after graduation” which is something that not very many students think about their freshman year of college. Guest speakers and St. Edward’s Alumni provided me with an exciting ambition to go above and beyond with my work. I enjoyed viewing their work in order to see what will be expected from me in the near future. Given that many students feel discouraged by not knowing what to do with their degree after graduation, I wish we could’ve had more speakers come to our class and talk about potential job opportunities relating to our majors. However, I felt that the class environment was very laid back which allowed students to feel comfortable with their professors and fellow students. I liked knowing that I could see my Visual Studies professors again in case I had any unanswered questions from the class prior to the seminar. The work load was perfect and went hand-in-hand with the work in my Visual Studies I class. In bringing in personal and professional experiences through guest speakers/professors, I found this seminar to be very helpful.

While completing this mockup book, I was able to see what my final book will include when it comes to photographs and number of pages. I realized that all my photographs are edited and ready to be used for the final book. This mockup also helped me practice cutting and stapling my book. I messed up during the stapling process because the stapler got jammed. I realized I should’ve checked before attempting to staple my book. When the time comes to completing the final book, I hope to have perfected my stapling and cutting skills.

Part 1: Faculty Presentations
Bill Kennedy: Currently working on two bodies of work, he told the class that he circles back on his work. Bill said he sees his work as research (an analogy between applied research and pure research) which I found especially interesting. His work is currently being exhibited in Utah, where he has taken most of his photographs. I find it very creative how his photographs start as very simple things and then get photoshopped into more abstract pieces. When his photographs are ready, he uses inkjet technology to makes his prints. He told the class that he typically experiments with newspaper, plastics, and fabric instead of typical paper. I learned that he looks for rich history and stories behind the places he photographs. A thing he mentioned that I found most interesting was that he leaves his work untitled so that each piece has its own meditation. His reasoning behind this was that a title is a form of manipulation.
Hollis: I learned that as an artist, she has documented all the objects in her home (bowls, dishes, furniture, etc.). In addition to this, she has worked on weather patterns. Focusing mostly on storms, she revealed that her inspiration behind this were the tornadoes that came through the central U.S. in 2011. In working on these types of projects, she documents people’s experiences as a way of memorialization. She revealed that she has completed several sculptural pieces and referred to them as three dimensional. She told the class that her work flips back and forth between sculptural pieces and detailed drawings. I was very surprised and intrigued when she told the class about her house that burnt down when she was fifteen years old. Inspired by this life-changing experience, she held a show about it in 2015. She said many of her work includes tornado- like images coming out of rooftops. I can assume that her fire tragedy inspired most of the reasoning behind these types of images. I learned that she is constantly making a graphic memoir about her childhood and philosophical and political views. I learned that early themes in her work involved family. In addition to this, I found it interesting how she would collecting and work with a loved one’s belongings with the idea of it the items carrying their memory.
Alex: As she began her presentation, she mentioned how she gathered up work that has never been exhibited. Her current concept is “something that exists on something else”. The characteristic of her work has been very minimalistic, as she has gained an interest in the way people perceive things. She told the class how she references a lot of her work to her family’s army background, inspiring her work’s relationship to the land. She said, “I’ve had a home but never really had a home”. Her work flips back between having kids and not having kids. Her work overall reflects being confined to a specific bit of information or being stuck in your home. Before having children she mapped her experiences in the city, and then went to finding beauty in the nothing. She then continued navigating a space and noticing the simplicity of tone and shift in light. Interested most in the projects she worked on twelve years ago—she finds this very interesting.
Tammie Rubin: Tammi works with a balance between the known and the unknown. She has created mythological creatures and removed the function of things (absurdist and abstractions). She has gained interest in creating 3-dimensional collages. I enjoyed hearing about her concept of putting together non existing and existing things. In her work, she emphasizes the value of communication and its two major parts: receiving and transmitting. I enjoyed her idea of putting belief or faith into inanimate objects. In addition to this, she works with forms that repeat in collages. She mentioned her idea of getting close enough to see the detailing in her work but not close enough to touch it. The work that most captured my attention were the caution cones and funnels that were essentially turned into KKK hats. I believe they told a very emotional and complex story.
Joe: Focusing on a West Texas setting, Joe has specifically targeted the ranching culture and ranching lifestyle. I found this concept and setting very unique. He mentioned how he has captured families (3 generations of people) and has required a lot of cooperation. He mentioned how his photographs also capture different sources of income on a ranch. In addition to this, he has gathered interest in spring work, in other words, separating the calves from the cows. I learned that he enjoys working with large animals, capturing Texas culture, and the rodeo phenomena. He revealed, “The rodeo itself isn’t as interesting as where it comes from.”
Part 2:
(This five year plan is based after graduation)
Year 1: Graduate from St. Edward’s University and pursue a job in marketing/ and or design. Figure out if I’m going to stay in Austin or move somewhere else in order to find the most fitting job. Perhaps work at this job for a year in order to save money and gain experience for graduate school.
Year 2: Prepare for graduate school/decide which school to attend and where I’d have to transfer. Start my first year of grad school
Year 3: This would be my second year of grad school. I would continue to focus on school and perhaps work at the same time
Year 4: This would be my third year of graduate school. I would also focus on meeting new people in order to make the right connections for a new job after graduating.
Year 5: This would be my fourth and last year of graduate school. After graduation I would hope to have a steady job and knowledge of where to permanently live (also depending on the job). A year after graduating grad school would be the time when I would consider my personal life (marriage, children, etc).

In completing this thumbnail assignment, I was able to plan out a layout of what my final book will include. It gave me a better understanding and visualization of how to construct a book in InDesign. I was also able to practice printing on the laser jet and learn all the necessary steps in the printing settings. I had never printed on tabloid paper so it was interesting to use this paper for the assignment. I’m glad I learned how to create jpeg thumbnails for future reference. This will be especially useful when planning to upload thumbnails to my blog. I am still set on an “eye spy” theme, however, the images hidden in the photographs now all follow a theme. All the photographs have a hidden image of tools, adding to the idea of “Austin under construction”. This theme I came up with adds to the notion of Austin’s Urban Development and new Metropolitan-like setting.

Presenters:

Gary Gatis: Graduated from the University of Texas at Austin and majored in sculpture; one of the CEOs/Product Manager at Spacetime Studios

Eva Tran: Live Art Lead

Bryant wood: Senior Designer (game developer)

From Spacetime Studios

Reflection:
I was really intrigued by the work that goes into the video games that we see every day on our app stores. I’ve never really stopped to think of all the technology and design that is incorporated into these video games. Gary Gatis revealed that the gaming industry requires long hours, is fiercely competitive, occasionally poorly run, and has challenging customers. He told us that their work has been around since 2005 but really only got started until 2010. He said that at Spacetime Studios, they focus on globally synchronous video games. With the intention of reaching out to a larger audience, their games are run on both IOS and Android. According to Gary, the industry moved from subscription based; so these video games are free to anyone wishing to download them off the app store. As a game developer, Bryant Wood said he has the responsibility of molding the player experience and working the heart and soul of the game. Bryant said there are two main things that a designer focuses on, system design and content design. Included in this would be things such as character abilities, in game events, and quests and conversation. Bryant said that evaluating design involves data analysis and forums. Eva Tran, involved in the Live Art Lead, emphasized the importance of accepting constructive criticism in the gaming industry. She said that as an artist, she focuses on the concept of art, animation, and the environment/character modeling. Overall, our three guest speakers seemed very engaged when describing their work. I was very impressed with the collaboration and varieties of work that are incorporated when designing a game.

Questions I would ask the faculty presenters:
*As a Graphic Design major, what types of internships would you recommend that I apply for my senior year of college? Which types of internships should I avoid? What organizations should I get involved with early on?

So far I’ve managed to photograph the types of pictures that I had in mind when I came up with my book theme. I’ve captured photos that have a variety of color and objects in which i can incorporate “random objects” to satisfy my Eye Spy theme. When taking these photographs, I intended for the audience to decipher the setting of the photographs by capturing common sights in downtown Austin. The three photographs I inserted have a rubber duck, broccoli, and a blue high heel hidden within the images. I feel that I’ve captured enough images to start working on the book project. I like the edits that I’ve made to the photographs. All I need to do is decide which pictures will be included in the final book. In regards to the typefaces, I am still looking for the type of font that I want to use for my book. I thought about using illegible (almost impossible to read) letters that spell out the hidden object. Perhaps I can cut out letter-shaped pictures from magazines or newspapers and scan them into my photographs. Just to recaps, my intention behind this theme is to hide certain objects in the photographs and have the reader pinpoint the hidden items in order to really analyze the overall pictures. There is so much movement and chaos going in downtown that people don’t pay attention to their surroundings. The randomness of the hidden objects help emphasize the unawareness of the crowds walking through downtown.

Alumni Presentations
After listening to each of the presentations, I realized that the alumni had an exceptionally successful experience after graduating from St. Edwards. One of the presenters who most got my attention was the alum who pursued his love for photography. I was so impressed by the fact that he had gotten to meet so many actors and had so much experience in the show business world. In addition to this, he revealed that one of his photographs had so much success that it made it to the Smithsonian. After showing us his work, he talked about all the people he’s gotten to meet and make professional connections with. I was stunned to hear about all the people you can potentially meet when putting yourself out there and exploring opportunities. Another alum who encouraged me to pursue my major was the young girl who majored in graphic design. Now working as a marketing specialist, she revealed that her job still requires her to engage in multiple areas of graphic design and photography. This was inspiring in the sense that there is a possibility of working in a field that allows you to engage with your major along with other areas of study. She went on to say that she would’ve never landed the position she has now if it hadn’t been for the internship she pursued in college and the hard work that went into her senior portfolio.

Links to Internships:
(1) Event and Marketing Internship
(2) Social Media Internship
(3) Visual Design and Online Media Internship

http://www.internships.com/marketing/winter-2016-event-marketing-internship-austin-tx

http://www.internships.com/social-media/winter-2016-social-media-internship-austin-tx

http://www.internships.com/design/winter-2016-visual-design-online-media-internship-austin-tx

Questions to Consider:
1. How planned is your future / how is it customized to you?
2. If you could travel abroad where would you go and why?
3. Are you part of a student group? what kinds of extra-curricular activities would you like to see?

1. My future is planned out enough that I know what major I want to pursue. It’s hard to know where exactly my future will go as a first year student in college, but I do know that I intend to work hard enough to have a job right after graduation. It is customized to me in the sense that I have control over where I go in life. My work ethic and aspirations will ultimately determine the quality of my future.

2. If I could travel abroad anywhere I would choose London, England. I think it seems like a sophisticatedly beautiful city. There are so many attractions in London that I would love to visit. I’d love to see the city from above on the London Eye. The food, fashion, and overall culture has always stood out to me. There is also a wide variety of places to view the iconic skyline along the river. Overall I think its scenery and physical attributes are what makes the city worth visiting.

3. I’m currently not a part of any student groups. However I really do want to be a part Cabra Fashion Magazine. I believe they would help me develop further skills that could contribute to my graphic design major while satisfying my appreciation for fashion and styling. It would be a way of building connections and meeting people who share similar interests as me. I would also like to be a part of the Command G student group because it is also relevant towards my major. I’d like to spend extra time practicing my skills in design.

I intend to take photographs of every day traffic, movement, and people maneuvering their way through downtown Austin. The idea will be that because there is so much commotion and activity going on in the streets of downtown, people don’t notice the out-of-place objects on signs or buildings they walk past every day. My book will have an “I spy” theme that will intend for the audience to study the picture in order to see what object is out of place. I’m not entirely sure what objects I will insert into the photographs but I intend for them to be as random as possible. I will consider adding illegible text that gives hints as to what the “out-of place” image will be. I intend to make the last page a key of the items that were intended to be found.