So far, I’m quite happy with the projects I completed for Graphic Design III, as they both forced me to grow as an intellectual, and not just as a designer. Although the above samples are far from flawless, I am proud of what I was able to produce in the given time frame. For the book, I learned more about process than I ever had at my career at St. Edward’s. I learned that process is just as important as the design, as it will affect the efficacy of the deliverable greatly. This required me to learn about painstaking processes such as binding and book layout. Additionally, the project challenged me to take creative control and autonomy of my work, a freedom I had not yet been given. I found that this freedom, ironically, was almost more limiting than having a hyper-specific assignment because it forces the individual to make unilateral decisions. I learned a lot about myself, my time management skills, and what I am attracted to visually.

The gifs also challenged me to think more conceptually, which is an entirely different and less straightforward facet of the arts. Concepts frighten many students as they are ambiguous, all-encapsulating, and hard to grasp. However, due to the simple makeup of the gif, I was able to hone in on the concept I wanted to execute which was typographic transformation and synthesis. My findings were fascinating. Through forming the gifs, I found that old typefaces found in east Austin are actually not all that different from the “modern,” kitschy ones, which says something about the cyclical nature of design, trends, and history at large.