Because there appears to be a mutual conscience among the Fulbright Association and its goals, I opted to utilize abstract geometric graphic design as a form of connective tissue to create and unify the program book. Geometric shapes were used to represent the business thematics, yet opposing and bold colors were used to portray the many compassionate goals of the Fulbright Association. I was originally considering using more organic forms throughout the program, however there felt to be a juxtaposing disconnect between the starkness of the color palette and the aforementioned graphics. I decided, then, that cohesiveness was more of an important goal than personal aesthetics. I also selected the font family Gill Sans, a humanist font, for their relatively dark color and small x-height.

Additionally, I opted to do a smaller size program book (7″x9″) which created a formidable challenge considering not only the amount of content but also the amount of photographs/ads. I had to take into consideration the planning of my margins, as well as my columns that would still relate to my initial grid structure. Luckily, I had chosen a font (Gill Sans) that had a multitude of weights and so I felt I was successful in creating a hierarchical representation of the content while keeping it legible.

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.

1) about your expert hours in relationship to your use of practice time
The expert hours I claimed to achieve up to mid-semester totaled to 96 hours. I spent most of these hours working outside of the classroom environment, in part due to the very short duration of class time permitted (1 hr 50 min here as compared to 3 hrs at my old institution.) I utilized my practice time more heavily on research than its implementation – I wanted to ensure the unified effectiveness of my motion graphics before I began to key-frame anything. Once I was more confident in the direction of animation and transitions I had mentally sketched, my work began to piece itself together through multiple unifying compositions. (Consistent – 15 pts)

2) the sophistication of your work
Sophistication, in the case of graphic design, implies the quality of having an understanding of the project and its methodologies. In the middle of my first latch, I had lost my way and became confused as to what content needed to remain throughout the entire composition. Once I resolved this with confirmations through you, I regained my footing and strived to achieve sophistication in my work which I believe I accomplished. (Medium – 10 pts)

3) how you dealt with feedback
Because I was apprehensive to most of the feedback, I took it in as a list of necessary revisions to my work. Now there were some that I did not implement, but I made sure to consider them and their cohesiveness to the overall work. With a plan already in my head, I nevertheless still tried to be as open-minded as I could about every constructive criticism. (Meaningful – 15 pts)

4) the level of challenge you gave yourself
Because I have had extensive work with After Effects in the past, I wanted to challenge what I already knew to take it a step further. I challenged myself to make the transitions fluid and unified, also captivating and inspired. I utilized old and new techniques (Write On effect vs Inertial Bounce). I also used a font I had never used before, Gotham Rounded, to accentuate the work as informative yet quirky. I feel that I gave myself an adequate challenge. (Medium – 10 pts)

5) other expert experiences
While I utilized what we had learned in the Blue Squares assignment, I wanted to bring something extra to the project. I researched on Vimeo several different motion animations, and I studied their moods as well as transitional key frames – how does that motion play into their overall theme? Was it successful? Could there have been a better method? (Lots of Extra Stuff – 15 pts)

6) social emotional development
I’d say I portrayed a somewhat healthy social-emotional development with this project. Should any conflict arise with my work, while I wouldn’t show anger in a necessarily healthy way, I would eventually be able to resolve it. I followed the rules of the project, and I attempted to participate in each of the latch critiques whether as praise or constructive criticism. After Effects, however, wore my patience thin when it would not cooperate. Nevertheless, I am proud of the work I completed and the steps it took me to get there. (Mature – 15 pts)

7) and your contribution to the classroom climate
Throughout the first portion of the assignment, I asked as many questions as I needed to start my project. During critiques, and when I was inquired outside of class, I was attentive to the person’s work and tried to offer constructive criticism. However, I was not there for as many critiques as I should have been. (Room Temp – 10 pts)

8) sum up all the points into a letter grade
15 + 10 + 15 +10 + 15 + 15 + 10 = 90 (A-)

Through an exploration of basic typographic transformations, in combination with introductory Adobe After Effects education, we were given the task to design a five second animation using pre-made vector graphics.

See animation here!

For Advanced Typography:

How much a week = 12 hours

What should be the mid-term total = 96 hours

What should be the semester total = 192 hours

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