I’ve grown considerably as a designer since starting school at St. Edward’s University. I began my program as an Art Major and Graphic Design Minor with no knowledge of Adobe programs other than InDesign. Over the past three years, I have gained experience with Lightroom, Photoshop, InDesign, AfterEffects, and Illustrator. My technical skills have improved, and I’ve learned about design principles along the way to improve my work as well. Assignments that challenged me to solve visual problems in new ways have improved my skills the most, and I have thus enjoyed these projects the most. Below are the three projects that I feel have improved my skills as a designer the most and fostered growth:
Advanced Typography • Weather Report
This project highlights my growth as a designer as it is my most recently completed project. I’ve learned how to create smooth transitions, which was a major jump in skill from my Image Methodology Animation, which seems jerkier and clunkier in comparison. Here, the work is fluid and moves from one element to another with greater ease.
Graphic Design II • Visual Identity: Mark
This was one of my earliest projects, and it was with the Symbol Methodology assignment that I truly began to develop Illustrator skills. Up until this point, I didn’t feel confident working with this program, but working through multiple iterations of the three symbols allowed for me to build experience with Illustrator.
This project shows how sophisticated my work has become since taking Graphic Design I. There are several issues with hierarchy, the type is hard to read, and the flowchart isn’t easy for the user to follow. In comparison to the Weather Animation, it’s clear that I’ve come a long way in developing my skills as a designer. Understanding how to pair type, how to determine point sizes to establish hierarchy, and create designs with an audience in mind are some solid areas in which I have improved as a design minor.
The rest of my portfolio pieces are linked below: