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• Although he knows that some of his art is great, he is able to turn it “off” by humbling himself when it comes to work he isn’t completely confident about. That’s not to say he doesn’t care about or like his work, he is just self-aware of what is better and what he is capable of.
• This reading is relevant to the last assignment because he is mindful of his work and takes his time with his craft. In fact, he lives by the philosophy that “every day is a new day”.

Personal Reflection

• Quite frankly, I feel self-conscious about a lot of my ideas, particularly when it comes to art. I’m a Graphic Design major so a lot of my work involves critical thinking of placement and attractiveness to the eyes. Sometimes, I feel like I lack those qualities and that my peers are drastically more talented than I am. In art classes, I feel like I am not as creative or talented as my peers because they are more gifted and have a deeper meaning behind their work.
• The pros of the nothing-to-lose attitude are that people who live by that saying typically are risk-takers. Sometimes, those risks can benefit the person and sometimes it can be a set-back, which is the con of that saying. To me, it is a good saying to live by IF I am aware of the outcomes and if they are more likely to give me a positive result rather than a negative one.

 

1. Based upon the readings the word design comes with many definitions. Across all the readings what are some examples of these differences?

Throughout the chapters, there is a sense of controversy between what a designer truly is. On one hand, some people perceive designers merely for their “service of business” and for other commercial desires. On the other hand, other people, myself included, see designers as artists due to their skill and creativity towards digital art. Although modern designers are used primary for business, their occupation does not necessarily have to be entirely labeled as such, rather, their work should speak for itself by giving them credit as artists.

2. How does misunderstanding or rather multiple definitions of a singular word effect how we perceive design? Be sure to reference the four articles.

Misunderstanding the definition of a designer can simply discredit their artistic sides because of the common misconception that designers are only used for commerce, business, or advertising. Similarly to how Paul Rand describes it in “Politics of Design” by stating that it is an “art that enhances the quality of life and deepens appreciation of the familiar world”. Seemingly, In “Design and Crime”, Hal Foster also makes aqusations about design being more about an occupation and less about self-desire. In fact, he states how “[today’s] design seems to advance a new kind of narcissism, one that is all image and no interiority”. In “Recentness of Sculpture,” however, says Good Design can be found where “Pop, Op, Assemble, and the rest of Novelty art live”. As one can see, he is more passionate about the artistic side of good design. Speaking of art, another author who perceives designers as artists is Vilem Flusser in “About the Word Design”. Throughout the chapter, Flusser clearly states the roots to the word design and even declares that “design more or less indicates the site where art and technology…come together as equals, making a new form of culture possible.

 

Personal Reflection:

 

1. How do you suppose you could better prepare yourself as a maker of aesthetic objects/ideas?

The best way for me to learn how to better prepare myself to make aesthetic objects would be just to learn from my peers and learn form my/their mistakes to build upon a more precise piece of art.

2. What are things you currently do to practice your creative muscle?

What I do to practice my creative muscle is draw. I love drawing cartoons specifically because that is something I have loved to do since I was young. When it comes to projects, I learned that making mistakes or thinking outside that box can actually lead to a better and more creative outcome than originally anticipated.

 

1. Based upon the reading how are priorities set for specific projects? Or in other words, what is it that determines the guidelines for given projects?

Though the perspective as a designer, guidelines are everything. In fact, guidelines can help the designers because without guidelines, the limits are endless, which can ironically lead to issues in terms of continuity and chaos. With guidelines, the designer can then narrow down their vision while also becoming limitless within the directed formation.

2. How does the artist/designer approach decision making differently or do they?

For both artists and designers, decision making comes from guidelines and from their given materials. With proper instruction, direction, and material, designers are capable of creating visual masterpieces. Although artists typically have more “freedom”, I see their decision making similarly to those of designers.

Personal Reflection

1. How do you make decisions? Are they based upon anything substantial? Why or why not?

I am a very timely and systematic person. I literally plan out my entire day, my entire week, and if I have enough events planned already, then I also tend to even plan for next week. That being said, I make decisions based on how it correlates with my plans and time. And since I consider myself a designer, I base my work off of guidelines and whether I think it works or not.

2. How do you know when something is “good” or working?

I know when something is good or working if I find it visually and conceptually.  If it not only catches my eye but if the overall meaning behind something is symbolic and easy for everyone to capture, then I feel like the given work is “good” or successful.

3. How do you rework projects to make them work?

Failure is essential in terms of prgression. Sometimes to take 3 steps forward you must first take a step back and learn from past mistakes. That being said, if I get some inspiration from other peers’ work or if I simply get critiqued on my personal work, I am able to have a clearer understanding as to what I need to rework or what parts need significant improvements.

Personally, I think designers can be classified as artists, but, artists cannot always be classified as designers.  I say this because, as mentioned by Kees Dorst, designers are typically used to create artistic ideas often given by a stakeholder, while artists are more dependent and tend to have more freedom when it comes to accomplishing whatever they set for themselves. Designers are artists because, through proper training, practice, and gained skills, they are able to make graphic masterpieces for others because the given stakeholder it probably incapable of efficiently completing it on their own. Artists, on the other hand, do not necessarily have to rely on others to tell them how and what to do their job, rather, they achieve their personal goals they set forth.

 Now as for myself, I consider myself more of a designer, rather than an artist. Although I do occasionally have some down time to put my drawing or design skills for my own use, I am often given orders from a higher being. Whether it be teachers, or my fellow peer editors at the Hilltop Views (the school newspaper where I am currently a first-year designer), I am usually given a required assignment or duty that I am expected to complete, as my own role as a designer. I don’t have a problem with considering myself as a designer because I know at the end of the day, I am learning more valuable skills that will allow me to help others complete their own desired, personal, and creative ideas.

I decided to use a globe as my object to represent how much my world currently revolves around school and, more particularly, living in Austin, Texas. Coming from a small town, I have almost instantly become captivated by the fact that I am now living in one of the most artistic, significant, accepting, and busiest cities in the nation. I decided to take some photos at the University of Texas and here at St. Edward’s university because of how much knowledge, nature, and history they both hold in this city. Not only do I like these photos because they stood out from the rest, but because I feel like each picture holds its own story while also contributing to my overall purpose. The globe with the background of a staircase that leads to light can represent that a bright world is for our taking if we are willing to work hard and climb the many obstacles that are in our way. Other photos represent the natural beauty involved within the city, and the two that include UT’s significant tower and the other that includes St. Edward’s Red Doors are both important because not only do both schools slogans include “the world”, but these are places that students work hard every day to get closer to reaching their academic goals; “What starts here changes the world” and “Take on your world.”

Link to BOX: https://stedwards.app.box.com/files/0/f/17261464682/Gonzalez_Adrian_ARTS1311

If two of the photos were distorted or shuffled around, it would cause substantial lapses to the story line, dialogue, and interactions between the characters. Logically, it would not make sense to the reader because the sequence of events would need to happen chronologically in order to understand the conflict and the resolution. Some of the notable changes I made to my book were retaking shots of the sets/characters to fit the page more accordingly and realistically, making edits to their facial expressions, changing fonts to better accommodate the comic-like element to my book, and actually creating a cover for the front and back ends of the book. Trouble-shooting, practicing printing out books, and trial-and-error print-out have really helped me become more critical and keen when it comes to fixing mistakes and improving prototypes. I would still like to make more improvements to my book as my learning progresses.

Overall, this course was a pretty interesting one. This course was fun to be apart of because all of the instructors have their own distinct characteristics and humor that made every class unpredictable, yet, entertaining at the same time. However, while there were plenty of special guest speakers that were relevant to my interests and major, I felt like some of them did not pertain to me which caused me to sometimes lose interest. But this class gave me a better perspective of what is to come and a brief introduction to upcoming courses and professors which excites me very much. I’m looking forward to experiencing more about the professional world of visual studies while also learning key components to help me get there!

I am feeling a lot better about what I have created now opposed to when I first started off. I have a 5 X 5 24 pages with most of my ideas already completed. However, I still need to work on cutting crisper edges, coming up with a title/covers, retaking pictures that seem off, and making final edits. I plan on working on all of my major changes over Thanksgiving break.

Part 1: Based on the notes you took during class, write a brief description and response to each of the Faculty presentations.

-Bill: I think Bill is one of the most skilled visual artists I have ever experienced learning from. Bill said a lot of his work comes from revamping natural images into a one-of-a-kind masterpiece that can never be duplicated even if he tried. He is a great teacher and always encourages students be the best artist we can be and to always try our best in all that we do.

-Hollis: Hollis spoke a lot about “combining images and text” which was vividly expressed expressed in her masterpieces. The aesthetic of some of her work revolved around devastation or natural disasters and turning them into something visually pleasing, despite the paradoxical manner of the artwork.

-Alexandra: It was interesting to me that Alexandra focuses on perception and how we see things. I also noticed that she started to make prettier work after she had children. I love forward to having her as my professor next semester.

-Tammy: Tammy’s work was, in my opinion, the most incredible because it had a great over-arching focus– balancing what was known vs unknown and what is handmade vs industrial. Her artwork was beautiful and simply stunning.

-Vitone: His photographs captured a lot of aesthetic and grand scenery of the Western life. Much of it did not pertain to me nor my interests, but he is a very talented photographer.

Part 2: Create a 5-year plan. What are your long term goals beyond college? What do you need to do to accomplish those goals?

In five years, i picture myself working in a local graphic design incorporation. From the knowledge and experience I gain there, I ultimately would love to be apart of Disney’s Imagineer Team, where I can contribute some of my graphic design skills into some of their most fascinating work. Or, I would like to work for a book publishing incorporation where I can help design children’s books or a children’s animation studio like Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network and do graphic design work there. Those are my biggest dreams that I hope to one day achieve. I plan on getting there through furthering my education as much as I can, taking classes in all aspects to gain experience, and intern at local places to get a feel for the job.