Throughout the span of my college career I have really grown into a more conceptual and knowledgeable graphic designer.  I feel that I have grasped more of an understanding of hierarchy, typography, and symbol design. Before I came to St. Edward’s University, I was teaching myself all of these concepts from YouTube tutorials, books, and seeking out summer design programs (like the one I went to at the Art Institute of Houston). Overall, I have been able to understand all of these skills more in depth while being apart of the GDES program. Although I am minoring in the field, I have a very deep passion for it in my life. That is what drives me to learn more on my own time.

When it came to hierarchy, I never really knew what it meant to apply it to a design. After taking Typography 1, I began to understand what it meant to the viewer or reader of text heavy content. Hierarchy is very powerful when it comes to arranging content or shapes in a meaningful and engaging way that leads a eye down a page. I also learned more about this when it came to the application of it in online banner advertisements at a Summer internship for a digital marketing agency. I realized that when it came to banner advertisements you are limited on space; you must lead a potential customers Captureeye from the company logo, message, and then call to action. On the left is an example of one of the banner advertisements I created for a law firm. Before this internship, I learned a lot about typography and how to format text from my typographic poster. I really enjoyed designing the poster becauseLrMobile2503-2016-044252867112879430 it allowed me to move past keeping text vertical or horizontal. I realized that text could be placed, re-sized, and styled in a way that could deliver visually interesting content. After designing the final product, I was very proud of my work! I feel that there is room for improvement but what I did was something I never thought I could do before college.

When it came to doing the symbol methodology project in graphic design 2, I was very up for the challenge that was about to take place. I am a person who likes to work quick. I am not really patient enough for a project with a long timeline. This is why I loved the project because it gave me the ability to slow down and understand design at a more conceptual level. I have always put meaning into my designs but the design process of this project was very beneficial to my skills as a designer. 3refined-01

There were many times during the process where I became frustrated. This frustration developed from the inability to think, combine, or design my symbols in a way that I felt was visually appealing. After I finished the project, I began to realize it is not always about aesthetic or something looking pretty. A large percentage of design should be conceptual and meaningful. So what I produced was meaningful to myself or my personal brand. These symbols represent who I am in shapes.

My creativity, knowledge, thought process, and attention to detail for design has developed immensely over these past 2 years. I still crave more knowledge of design and I am always seeking out more opportunities to learn about the trends, skills, or strategies that are constantly changing in the industry.