End of the Semester Wrap Up

My process on this project could be divided into two sections detailing each of my differing design directions that I was headed in. There were two completely different aesthetic choices I made. My final design was intended to be seen as professional and branding-system oriented. I really achieved my goal when other students noticed this. The previous aesthetic I was going for was more of a playful, colorful, creative aesthetic which communicates a “shattering” or “ground-breaking” feeling for the presentations. I think it was too playful and wasn’t going to work out. I also wanted practice in making more corporate designs because I want to work for a real company someday. I used this project as an opportunity to learn about how to create such an aesthetic through brand imagery.

Through the process of my final design direction, I could have spaced out my work a lot more so that I got more things done easier. I spent a lot of time on it, but I also wasted a lot of time because I changed my mind. Not only this, but I chose to work on this in huge chunks, one at a time. I’d be working for hours on end just to complete certain aspects of my project.

Overall, I was satisfied with my result and I hope that the event organizers will see the professional air that I chose to build my aesthetic upon for the unification of non-creative student fields such as business or science AND the creative fields such as design or art. I admit that it is a bit more catered towards the non-creative fields. If this is what they are going for, then hopefully my design will be picked so that I can flesh it out even MORE than I already have and maybe even add a bit more imagery that communicates and resonates to the creative fields which will be taking part in this conference.

I think it is worthwhile for me to be critical on my time management so that projects like this are a lot easier on me and less stressful. I really enjoyed it towards the end, but it was a bit stressful due to my time management. Since I only worked on it in large chunks, I didn’t just go back and add to it at any time when I had new ideas. Once I can get better with my time management on things like this, I can reach my true potential.  I feel as if there is more that I COULD do, such as what I mentioned before about catering a little more to the creative fields– but I am still very satisfied with my end result.

Mid-Term Meeting

1) Where are you in your hours that you declared earlier in the semester? Looking at your work now, are your current accumulated hours enough?

I don’t think I wrote a specific number of hours that I was supposed to get to this semester. Maybe I didn’t fully understand the assignment, or I spent too much time talking about what the whole thing meant. Either way, I don’t think my current hours are enough. I have begun to start more creative projects on the side recently so that is a plus. It’s important to do creative projects on my own, especially when I only have one creative class this semester.

2) Has your definition of “sophisticated” work changed from last year? If so, how so? Can you visually document it on the blog entry what is sophisticated in your Power Report?

My definition of sophisticated graphic design work has changed this semester to include motion. Motion is a very important aspect to graphic design, yet it’s often overlooked. Now, it’s easier for me to notice the quality of motion in videos or other web content because I have a better understanding of how it is made. Not only is it is much easier to critique things that I see out in the world because I have a better understanding of how typographic choices and systems work together in movement, but I can also appreciate good examples of it more and be inspired by them.


In this example, I moved the text as a system. It is moved in easily-digestible parts, the motion is eased in/out and blurred, and the placement makes sense in relation to the other text. After I learned how to make all of these conscious choices, it became easier to understand and be inspired by graphic design in motion that I see out in the world.

 

3) Describe how the new things you’ve learned so far connect to what you already had known coming into the semester.

The things that I have learned this semester in After Effects connect to my existing knowledge of video editing. I love editing videos, but I never understood or even gave After Effects a try. I just stuck with Sony Vegas or Premiere Pro when adding/editing text into videos. I think this knowledge is useful because it allows me to utilize more advanced techniques with text in videos and gives me the confidence to try out more visually complex ideas with text in videos.

4) What are somethings you are still unsure about in this project that you would like to know more about?

Where I am right now, there isn’t really anything that I am unsure of. During the process, I was really unsure of how I wanted to arrange the information in both the hierarchy section and the time section. After being stuck for a while I finally came up with something after just sitting down and making myself work on it. The only thing I’m wondering now, is how I can make it more visually interesting or complex. Should I try some more complex transition techniques? I don’t know. I think it’s fine being clean and simple like it is, but I still want to make it look a bit more impressive.

5) Assign a level of value to this project. Identify two favorite projects in your creative life and place this Power Report project relative to them. How close or far are they from one another? What qualities did each project have that the other’s didn’t, that would rate them higher/lower? If this project rated low, did that mean you could have spent more time on it? What did you spend your time on?

Instead of discussing my two favorite projects, I’m going to discuss the two projects that I found to be most relevant to this one. The length of this project draws similarities to my logo making project in Studio 1 and my brand-making project in Studio 2. Both of those projects were very long, and I didn’t have very much prior knowledge on the process of making those types of things, similarly to my current project– the LATCH Power Report project. If I were to assign values to these projects, I would put this one in the middle of the two. It is below the logo making project, because I believe that logo making is SUPER essential to understanding graphic design. It’s one of the most important and easily noticed things that graphic designers make– so it’s super important to understand the process of making one. However, I place the brand making project below the LATCH Power Report because for the amount of time I had to do that one, I could have gotten a lot more out of it. Out of the three projects, I think I worked the hardest on this one, but it’s value resides in the middle of the two because it’s such a specific skill to spend such a large amount of time on. It’s not as broadly useful as the other two, but I am at least more proud of my work on the LATCH Power Report than the brand-making project.

6) Break down the percentages of what entities are responsible for creating growth within the creative you. Am I part of it? Part of it is on you, right? Do you consider your classmates/friends as influencers on the course of your trajectory for success? At the end of the semester you will be evaluating me, but right now within your own pie piece, how much have you brought to the game? How did it end up that you brought that much?

50%- Myself 

35%- Instructor

15%- Other students 

I am responsible for most of my growth because it’s super important how I choose to take in the input from my Instructors and fellow students. Some people can receive lots of creative criticism and do nothing about it. The instructors of my classes have a larger impact on me than the students, because I take the Instructor’s comments to be more personally while I use the other students work around me to gauge where I am and where I need to be.

7) Ask me or express something, you feel like you can’t in class or even my office: tunarice.tumblr.com/ask

I was going to ask this a while ago, but I figured that it was too late and not relevant anymore. On the assignment that we did before the power report, I got kind of behind on it because I had to do a lot of traveling that week. Due to this, my projects weren’t really uploaded on box on the critique days. Is this going to affect my grade in the class? Can I go back and add them now or improve them?

Current Expert Hours & Projected Fall 2019 Type II Expert Hours

In terms of my first formal creative experience was, it depends on how the term “formal” is defined. I have always been creating art since I was very young, before I was even in school. However, in the first grade I had an Art class where I would make a lot of stuff in. It seemed to be a bit more formal than the average first grader’s art class. There was really a focus on learning the creative process and getting to know real useful materials, and not just drawing with crayons. In terms of creative art making, I have probably throughout the course of my life spent close to several thousands of hours. However, I don’t consider myself to be anywhere near expert level. My time is so spread out across such a long period of time. In terms of graphic design, I am in my third year. The classes that I have taken that involve creating graphic design work were: Studio 1, Studio 2, Lab 2, Typography 1 and Visual Studies. If each of those classes is worth 250 hours, my in-class work adds up to 1,250 hours. If I were working on things for a full 13 hours outside of class per week, that adds up to 975 hours in those five classes. When accounting for just classwork so far, I am far from being at 10,000 hours (If I am calculating correctly). However, It doesn’t account for other work that I’ve done and I feel the whole concept of a 10,000 hour mastery is a bit hard to figure out. It also really depends on how those 10,000 hours were spent, too. Not every person who has spent 10,000 hours doing something will have the same exact level of experience. I think that it’s easy to tell if you have become an expert at something by looking at your own experience and understanding what your skills are and how those hours in experience led you to gain those skills over whatever amount of time it took you.
In relation to this class, typography 2– this class is the only creative class I’m taking for the semester. My other graphic design class is Graphic Design History. I feel like I’ll have to catch up on the amount of creative hours I would have missed by not taking two creative classes this semester. I felt the same way about Art History 2 last semester. Since I had to take that class, I was only able to take Studio 2 as my only creative class for that semester. Currently, I feel as if I would be much more confident with my creative graphic design experience right now if I hadn’t taken only one creative class for the past two semesters.

A Photographic Solution essay and image.

After watching each of these music videos, I have come to observe that each one plays with light in different ways in order to create a visual mood that matches the atmosphere of the song. A key component to a good music video is for the visual elements to align with the feeling that is given off through the music.

In the first music video by My Bloody Valentine, the music (especially the vocals) gave off a very ethereal and atmospheric vibe. In the video, the colors white and blue seemed to be the most prominent. The setting seemed very unnatural and empty, as if they were floating in a white space– sort of like how the music makes me feel. The movements of the people playing the music are slowed down and delayed as well to further evoke this feeling.

In the next music video by Lush, the music gave off a very empowering and energetic vibe. To go along with this, there were lots of reds and oranges present. At many points in the video there are flames appearing on different parts of the screen. One thing that helped the song to seem more powerful is the way that many things were being overlapped onto each other. The composition seemed chaotic at some points because there was so much on the screen. There were even lights being projected over the musicians in order to further increase this feeling.

For the last music video by the Cocteau Twins, the music gave off a very nostalgic vibe that sort of brings you back to a simpler time. It sounded very dream-like and calming. One thing that helped me come to the conclusion that it makes me feel as if it’s bringing the viewer back to a simpler time in their life is quite literally the way in which they simplified the light to only show a few shades or tones at certain points. There were times where it would show a bird flying or just a plain environment where the light was so simplified that you couldn’t see many of the details of what you were looking at. It could make the viewer feel as if they are looking back on foggy memories, or things that they only know in a simplified manner.

Final Blog Post

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

Overall, my favorite presentation was the one about video games. I liked how the speaker explained everything from his personal experience with games from a young age, to his professional experiences with games. I liked this one the most because while I am not in video game studies, it’s the most relevant to my life. Gaming is something that has been important to me since I was a small child, and to see someone grow up with games like I did and explain their life is pretty inspiring.

Professor Joe and Alex’s presentations were equally as interesting to me because I am in their class. It was really nice to see what they like to work on and see what their own perspective on making art is like. The thing that I liked about seeing professor Joe’s work was that he showed a very large amount of work that he did throughout the course of many years. It was inspiring to see how his work evolved throughout the years. What I found interesting about professor Alex’s work was that it was all recent stuff that had to do with her kids. I liked the contrast between Joe and Alex’s work.

Part 2: Reflection on this semester and course. Feel free to write any and all comments here. We want and appreciate your feedback (both positive and critical).

I think overall the course was pretty good. I wasn’t sure what to expect going into it, but I think I actually learned a lot from it. I think I learned the most from the speakers that would come in and present about their work. It’s really helpful to listen to the advice that they offer and the questions that they answer from the students.

Part 1: In class Monday we had visiting speakers who work in the local video game industry. Write a short response to our visiting speaker presentations. Who were they? What do they do? Did you learn anything new through their talk?

Last class, we had two people come and describe to us their journey throughout the video game industry while making their own game. They described many different parts of the process, and answered really specific questions. As someone who is really interested in video games, it was really helpful to know the perspective of a small development team and how they were able to promote their game.

Part 2: Next class we will have some faculty presenters. This is your chance to ask them anything, no matter how absurd. Post at least one question on your blog. You can post more if you like. I will collate and choose some of the common questions that come up.

It really depends on what type of presenter it is, but if it’s someone who works in the video game industry I would probably want to ask how they find artists to work for their game. What do they look for in an artist or designer when creating a new game?

Alumni Presentations

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

By far, my favorite presentation out of all of the presentations we have seen so far, was the alumni who worked with riot games, league of legends, and blizzard.  First of all, I got to see a presentation from someone who played video games and then actually ended up getting to work at the companies who made the games that he played. That is something that I could only dream of. I didn’t think many people would have the chance to do something like that.

The thing that surprised me the most is that I believe he said his St. Edwards major was graphic design. That really gave me hope that someone with the same major as me could actually go into the video game industry. As he presented many of the projects he has worked on, I began to notice that even though he graduated with graphic design, he went to go work in things that were not necessarily graphic design related. I would really like to use all of the skills that I have learned over the years (not just graphic design) to be able to contribute to some sort of gaming company. That would be an awesome field to go into.This was the most inspiring presentation to me by far.

By pure coincidence, one of the advertisements that he worked on had played on a Youtube video that I was watching a few days later. Not only did this surprise me, but it also made me happy.

 

Part 2: Many of our successful alumni say that their internship was one of the most valuable experiences they had. By searching the web, find at least 3 potential internships that you are interested in, and post the links on your blog. Many art galleries & non-profits, design firms, photo studios, and game companies have internship information on their websites.

http://www.internships.com/art/graphic-design-intern-i606817

https://www.glassdoor.com/job-listing/intern-launch-graphics-team-austin-tx-vmware-JV_IC1139761_KO0,37_KE38,44.htm?jl=2581266202

https://www.glassdoor.com/job-listing/senior-concept-artist-daybreak-game-company-JV_IC1139761_KO0,21_KE22,43.htm?jl=2418694939

Faculty Presentations

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

The presentation that I liked the most was the one that had art that was made from simple objects that were turned into colorful and complex digital pieces. Some of them had an effect where it tricked my eyes into thinking that they were moving. I like how it made me wonder about the artist’s process and how exactly he got to that final image.

The other presentation I liked was one that was really relevant to me. It was the graphic design one. She made lots of different designs for apps and websites. That was really interesting to me because that is something that I would actually see myself doing in the future. I would like to use my skills of graphic design that I learned from St. Edwards to go into designing websites. I also really liked how she explained everything from the actual design itself, to the relationship with the clients.

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?

If I were to plan out the next five years, it would probably just involve finishing school and possibly going into graphic design. I would be 24 by then, so I’m not exactly sure if people get jobs like that by the time they are 24. I don’t know if it’s realistic or not to get the job you want immediately after college, but that would be nice if I could achieve that. If I were to actually accomplish that, I would really need to work hard in school and take things more seriously. Ever since I started going to college I’ve been taking school more seriously but I really need to put more effort into it. I’m really enjoying it so far, though.

Four Year Plan

1. Create a four-year degree plan. How will this major help you prepare a career in the future? Do you have a back up plan if this major doesn’t work out?

I am not entirely sure what a four-year degree plan is, but I want to space out my classes that I take throughout the four years properly, so that I graduate on time. I don’t want to miss any classes or anything like that. My major is graphic design, and I’m pretty sure that’s what I want to do. If I don’t end up doing graphic design, all of these arts classes that I’m taking will still prepare me for whatever else I want to do. I don’t really imagine myself doing anything that’s not related to art. So far the professors really seem to organize their classes based on preparing us for knowing what to do in the future. It’s really nice. If this major doesn’t work out, I could consider going into teaching (maybe art teacher?). Before I wanted to do graphic design, my first idea was to be a teacher.

2. Do you have a minor or have you considered a second major?

  • If so what is it and why do you think this will be a beneficial choice?
  • If not, identify at least one minor or major degree option that you are interested in. Explain why you chose this option.

I don’t have a minor. I just have a major in graphic design for now. Continuing off of the last question, if I were to add anything it would probably be teaching/education. I think it will be a beneficial choice because it’s most likely a better/easier process finding a job in teaching than it is in the arts. Not only does it seem like it’s easier to get a job, but also it’s something that I am more comfortable with. I have been around teachers my whole life and I am very familiar with what they are expected to do, how to act, what makes a good teacher, etc.

Upper Classmen Presentation Response

After seeing the work of the upper classmen, I was really inspired. The presentation that I like the most was the art major. I really liked her type of art and style. Some of the things that she was doing (like making advertisements for events and stuff like that) is something that I might want to do in the future.

The presentation that I thought was the most useful was the video game studies major. Her presentation was very informative on what it’s like to be in the video game industry (based on what she has learned so far). The advice that she gave was really helpful and inspired me to want to be more involved in the scene (in the future). I’ve always considered making the art for video games.

The other presentations were also interesting to watch, mainly because they were good at showing what type of work someone would be doing in their respective major. The graphic design major made me realize that not all what I want to do is graphic design. There’s many other things related to art that I would like to do in my life.