Roberto Jimenez GDES Portfolio

For this project we had to visit East Cesar Chavez Street many times which was pretty fun. I liked that we had to do a scavenger hunt for many different photos. I also enjoyed the app we worked with. This was a fun project that led to us creating a book that was inspired by that street. I chose to make an alphabet book that would teach people how to pronounce the letters of the alphabet in Spanish and I also included translations for different words. I made all of my own illustrations for each of those words. The direction that I was going with was to make it an educational book for children.

For this project, we were asked to design a program booklet for the Fulbright Conference. We were also given the information that the booklet contained and it was up to us to decide how to arrange everything. This project was difficult because we had to organize so much information along with designing the booklet. It was a good learning experience.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfWus1LgooA

For this project we had to choose a place in Austin and make a video about it. The place that I chose was the Texas State Capitol. The video had to show what it feels like experiencing the place. I really enjoyed this project because we got to play around with video cameras and gain some experience in recording video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GW87Ds7y_I

For this project, we were required to make an animated video of any kind using the skills we had learned during the course. I chose to do a hand drawn animation and I transferred it to after effects through photographs. I used some of the skills I learned during the Material Studies project to create this animation. The animation I chose to make was a Mother’s Day animation since it was coming soon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxnMfxEJoV4

This project required us to deconstruct a poster using Photoshop and then animate that poster using After Effects to create a short video. It was a very simple project that allowed me to learn more about the combination of Photoshop and After Effects. I enjoyed this project because I felt it allowed me to gain more experience with moving objects in After Effects.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJIf7tMn_1c

For this project we worked with different materials to make two letters. The first letter I chose was the letter R and I used wire and cardboard to make it. The second letter I chose was the letter E and I used styrofoam to make it. While creating these letters, we were asked to take photos of every step we did. That led to the second part of the project which was to create a short video show our process through photographs. This project was interesting because we got create stuff using only a limited amount of materials. The video making portion of it was good because it allowed me to learn a bit more about using photographs in sequences.

This project required us to go on two new adventures in the city of Austin. We had to create a memento and a set of instructions for each adventure, as well as packaging it in a way that related to the memento. I decided to design buttons for the 360 Bridge hike and stickers for the Poetry Slam.

For this project we had to use the skills we learned during the LATCH exercise and create a Weather Report for three different cities. In our weather report we had to include three of the LATCH structures. I chose to use hierarchy, time, and location for my animation. This project taught me a lot about sub motion in animation and how it is used to emphasize the LATCH structures.

The LATCH exercise project was my first introduction into using After Effects. For this project we had to create five short animations for graphics that we created in Illustrator. Each animation had to show components of the LATCH structure which location, alphabet, time, category, and hierarchy. This project was very helpful in teaching me some basics of animation and how the movement of objects in an animation is very important to show the LATCH structure.

For this project we had to pack a bag full of items that we would take on an adventure through the city. We then photographed our items and arranged in a way that displayed the bag and the items in the form of a poster. We worked in InDesign to create the arrangement. I chose to place the backpack in the top center with the other items surrounding it. I also tried to balance out my poster.

For this project, our instructions were to create some collages in Photoshop while also relating the collages to some of the principals of design. For the first collage, our professor provided us with the images to use. My idea for my first collage was to create a feeling of reminiscing by making it seem like the black and white images were the old woman’s memories. For my second collage, the principal of design that I chose was balance. I chose unity for my third collage where each image was united by variations of the color green. For my fourth collage, I chose emphasis where I was trying to emphasize my name by surrounding it with letters.

For this project, we had to take six different photographs using a digital camera and put them into a sequence that made sense. I put the photographs in a sequence in Photoshop. Each photograph had to relate to an element of design. From left to right on my sequence, the elements were texture, shape, space, size, value, and line. What connected my photographs into a sequence was the vivid colors in each image. During the presentation of my project, it was commented that my sequence felt like a photo set of an “after party” that you could possibly see in a magazine.

The third map of the Personal Geography Project was the Cognitive Map which was also created in Illustrator. My map shows the different choices and decisions one can take when building a pizza. I am not too happy with this map because I think it might be too simple and some of the symbols might not make sense unless they have a heading that goes along with them.

The second map of the Personal Geography Project was the Perceptual Map created in Illustrator. Our instructions were to create a map that showed the way the human senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch perceived one of our favorite meals. The meal that I chose was chicken tenders with a side of french fries and a sprite. I separated the senses by color so that it would be much easier to tell what each graphic represented.

The Personal Geography Project consisted of three different maps created using Illustrator. The first map was the Artifact Map. My map shows the path I take from my apartment to my job in Moody Hall. Since I live on campus, my path is very short so I tried to show the different zones around my path. I also tried to distinguish the differences between roads and sidewalks by using symbols such as a car and a walking stick figure.

The assignment for the Duck Exercise was to learn some of the basics of Illustrator to be able to trace an image of a rubber duck using the pen tool and turn it into a vector image.

Type Specimen Book

For this project we were to create a book showcasing a specific typeface. The typeface of my choice was Didot LT Std. My book showcased the different weights of the typeface individually and in comparison to each other. As for the actual design of the book, I decided to use the Didot LT Std Ornaments for borders, covers, and decorations. I made the decision to use the ornaments for the design of the book because it allowed for the typeface to be emphasized more. This was my first time ever creating a book in InDesign which taught me a lot about the basics of book making and how type is used in books.

For the Design Culture Now project, we had to create a poster for a fake event in Illustrator. This project taught me how having a good sense of hierarchy can make a poster more appealing visually. I made the decision of using four different typefaces and different sizes to create some hierarchy in my poster. At first I had about 8 different colors, which just wasn’t working in my opinion. So I made the decision of only using five different colors.