Expert hours:
This semester, I had set the goal of obtaining at least 100 expert hours this semester. To come up with this number, I decided I wanted to do at least an hour of design work a day, whether that be through graphics, photography, editing, or looking at design websites. This would add to my current 1500+ hours I had from my high school art classes, plus my 365 day project I did back in 2010. Though I could have distributed them out more throughly throughout the semester (which I will talk about later), I believe that I obtained more than my 100 hour goal with around 130 hours tracked. I hope to next semester, to increase my hours, is attend more talks and galleries. I went to the Chicago Institute of Art during this semester as well, so I did get a lot from such a vast museum. Exposing myself to current designers as well will help me grow.
Social/Emotional Development:
I believe that I am always growing socially and emotionally. I think that going into this semester, I thought I knew a lot about design already. It’s fair to say that I was naive, and I still have so much to go. Though I kid around with Tuan a lot, I think I have grown a lot as a person throughout this semester, becoming more independent than before. To improve on this more, I want to put more of my personality and emotion into my work, to show parts of me in it. It’s sometimes difficult to do so with “just a symbol”, but if I put more of “me” into it, then I think my work will become more individual.
Sophistication of work:
Even in my drawings, paintings, and photographs, my sophistication of work has remained constant and adaptable throughout mediums. After looking at many different designs off Pinterest, I think I have a set idea about what kinds of design I like. With that, I don’t try to make anything too flamboyant, or something I would not like if I saw it online. My sophistication would probably be medium-high.
My map2 was full of data and showed a lot of sophistication. Check it out.
Use of feedback:
One thing I would agree upon that I need to work on more is my use of feedback. Though I do consider every suggestion I receive, I need to learn more about making changes with it instead of hearing it out. For example, even though my symbols in my symbols project weren’t very abstract, I still kept them the same because it was what I knew. To become a better designer, I agree I need to listen to others more as well as myself. Distinguishing when to listen to myself and when to listen to others in my creative pursues is important. My rating is probably “useful”.
Level of challenge to myself:
This semester of graphic design had challenging myself and how I saw design. With each assignment, I tried to figure out the best way to do something, even though I was completely out of my element. This can be seen in my navigational map. It was totally experimental, as I kept the points very minimalistic. Though I’m not sure how much I like it, I do appreciate it for what it is. Later on, I hope to go back and work on it more and improve it. I would say my level of challenge was medium-intense.
visual of map1.
Contribution to climate:
I took very seriously the idea that we as a class are dependent on each other. And with that, apart from the week I was in Chicago, I did not miss any classes. I hope that my energy in the morning helped perk people up, and my feedback to others was helpful. I believe my contribution was “warm”.
Use of Practice Time:
Like mentioned above, I took advantage of class time constantly, as well as outside time in the lab. Throughout the semester, I could see my practice time had gone from sporadic to a more consistent practice. Rather than leaving the final decision map to the last day, I spread it out evenly throughout the week. It was a good thing I did as well, because I underestimated how much time I was going to take. I’m glad I did so, though, because it taught me how to be a better, consistent designer – like tea!
See my map3 here.
Change:
As a GDES minor, not major, I did not think I would become so dedicated to a class that wasn’t even my major. I saw shifts in me this semester that made me begin to appreciate things not only in design but in people as well. I improved dramatically in Illustrator, and I hope to continue to learn more in GDESII next semester. The rubric fails to mention anything about giving feedback. I thought that I was fairly strong at giving my opinion to other classmates during crits. I wasn’t afraid to talk and speak my mind, in a nice matter, off course. Because of my work in the class and having a presence, I believe my work this semester is worth an A.
