what did you already know about type, before attending this class?
At my previous institution, I took two courses that focused on typography: Typography + Typographic Design. In the former course I learned the anatomy of type and how to apply it to basic designs such as posters. In the latter course I applied what I had learned in Typography to create posters, books/editorial spreads, and package design. I consider myself fairly well-versed in typography, although there is always something new to learn.

how does this class fit in and expand what you already knew?
This felt like an extension of my Typographic Design course. I did not learn anything new, but rather continued to apply what I already did.

what did you love about the semester?
While I did not love the projects we did, I did enjoy your lectures when you would do them (i.e., Typographic Crimes and Niceties)

do you “see” it? what are the pieces of “it”? how do they fit together?
I believe that this course focused on the hierarchical LATCH system with both of the major projects. We were supposed to use what we had learned from the practice elements (Blue Squares, et cetera) and implement that sort of thought process and organizational process into our projects.

did you ask enough questions? did you get enough answers?
I asked enough questions for how they applied to me as an independent worker, and I believe I got enough answers to satisfy my few inquiries.

are you putting in enough practice time?
I’m going to say no because my final work was good but not impeccable. If I can pin-point things I could change in the final product, then I did not work to my fullest extent.

are you getting enough feedback?
I think so. I was able to get viable feedback from both my classmates as well as my professor, because we would have several class crits.

were you part of class crits?
Yes.

were you at desk crits?
Yes.

is your life in order?
It never has been, and probably never will be, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

how could Tuan’s class be a more creative and fun place to be?
I’d say there was enough room and enough opportunities to be creative, especially if we would consult with you about it. Fun is subjective, but–I would have had more fun if there were more major projects to do, because I would get bored/unmotivated with the large amount of time we would have for each project.

how much have you grown? what is the distance between yourself at the beginning of the semester and now?
Frankly I don’t know that I have grown, at least not in skill. When I began my first transfer semester here, I was pretty displeased with the program and the work. It was all so basic, and I had assumed that by transferring to a university that had its own Graphic Design major that it would be professional and advanced. Instead, I am re-learning what I had learned one to two years ago. It took until the end of the semester, when final projects were due, for me to try my best and be excited. I’m trying to see this as an opportunity to refine the skills I already have, but it’s difficult to remain so positive. I am used to having a skill perfected in the beginning of my learning it.