Graphic Design Semester Final 2017

What did we do?

Homecoming Package

The first project the seniors worked on this year was the design for the homecoming poster, ticket, and breakfast invite. The theme for homecoming this year was Above and Beyond and Senior Committee came in to pitch their ideas of what we should include on the poster and in the design. This project only took about 3 weeks to complete. The short time was due to the fact that homecoming is at the beginning of the school year and they needed the posters up before then. The main challenge I was faced with in the project was the limited amount of time to complete it. Something I learned during this project was that I need to prioritize my time a lot better in order to complete the project without being rushed. Some feedback given to me during the critics of this final were to be more creative with my type. I struggled a lot with deciding type and being able to manipulate it in the allotted time. Something I did change was the color scheme and the type that I originally had to something better. Although, the type could have been better I needed to turn it in for Senior Committee. Overall, I think this project was a good experience, in the fact that, it was pretty fast-paced. I do wish that we were given more time to complete the project, though, because I think I would've been able to improve my design from what it turned out to be.

Here's a link to my Behance for this project.
https://www.behance.net/gallery/56627351/Homecoming

Hand Typography Card

After the Homecoming project was the hand type card. This was to be made by hand through sketches and tracing, scanned onto the computer, and then design the card and clean up the hand-made type. The card itself was to look like something seen in a Hallmark store. I based my card around Halloween. This project we were not rushed as much as the Homecoming project. The card took almost 1 month exactly. Some of the challenges I faced in this project was being able to make my card look like Halloween even though I didn't want any color on it. Another challenge for me was that I had a hard time mocking it up and, therefore, it does not look as good as it could have. Something I learned during the card project was too take more time on making the final mockup look good and not just rush through it because I want the project done. Some of the feedback I was given was that I had great hand type but I needed to incorporate that into the design better. I ended up changing the design to just spiders and the creepy, oozing type I created. Overall, I enjoyed this project because it really centered around the hand-drawn aspect and allowed me to do more of something I enjoy, which is draw. I think the design process was good too because we were given plenty of time to work on it. I think my project turned out well, although, the mockup could be better.

Here's a link to my Behance for this project.
https://www.behance.net/gallery/57618879/Hand-Typography-Card

Company Branding

The next project we did was the company branding. The requirements for this project were to create a realistic company, design its logo, letterhead, envelope, business card, merchandise item, uniform, phone app, and the interior and exterior of the company's building. For my project I came up with a home insurance company. We just recently finished this project and it took about 2 months to complete. Some of the challenges I faced while doing this project was creating a company logo and the mockups for the merch item and uniform. During this project I learned that I need to be very specific when I send things off to print because they have special settings for different types of projects. For example, my letterhead was printed on an 8.5" x 11" with a bleed but I needed the actual letterhead at an 8.5" x 11". Some feedback that I was given on my company branding was that I needed to package my logo better. So, instead of having some type and a symbol off to the side I tried to make my symbol flow better into the type so that it obviously goes together. Overall, I enjoyed most of this project and I am happy with what I've come up with. I think it was nice to have lots of time to design because there were a lot of different elements.

Here's a link to my Behance for this project.
https://www.behance.net/gallery/58372913/Company-Branding

Breast Cancer Awareness T-Shirts

This was a project I decided to take on myself that was not associated with school. I have a family member that was diagnosed with breast cancer and it was planned that I could come up with some encouraging t-shirt designs. This project took me a little over a month to create, although, I added it to my Behance much later. A challenge I faced in this project was being able to come up with original ideas and not just something I found on Google. Throughout this project I learned how to design a t-shirt because that was the first one I have done. Some feedback I was given was to change some of the t-shirt colors and make different color designs on each. I did that, I also cleaned up a lot of the designs and made more sketches to see if I could come up with more ideas. Overall, I really liked this project because it means something to me and I also was able to go at my own pace. I think it turned out really well and I plan to get some printed.

Here's a link to my Behance for this project.

https://www.behance.net/gallery/59511373/Breast-Cancer-Awareness-T-Shirt

Time Spent in Class

The way I use my time in class is that I put the priority project first and once I get that done I move to the next project or I try to update my Behance as best I can. Although, I only have a few outside projects I do do those when I finish my class work. To stay productive when I have finished early I try to improve some of my Behance or I work on an outside project such as the Breast Cancer Awareness T-Shirts or the logo I am currently working on for a friend. Things I do outside of class to enhance my work would be sketches or sometimes I look at Behance to see what other people are creating and that might spark some inspiration.

Strength vs. Improvement

Strength

One of my strengths in graphic design is that I enjoy drawing and I would say that I am pretty good at it if I try hard enough. In order for me to maximize that I strength I like to make a neat sketch or drawing of a part of my project to see if I would like it or sometimes scan it in. That is very similar to the sketches we do for every project but I enjoy making them look very nice for the designs I like.

Improvement

An area that I really need to improve on is making my mockups. Some of my mockups look realistic and decent while others just looked like I plastered it on there. To improve on that I am trying to find a mockup for my outside project so that I can work on making another mockup. I hope that I can improve in this aspect sooner rather than later.

Summary

The thing I loved most about this semester is that I get to spend a lot of my time with people I really like and I get to be creative while doing it. As far as projects, my favorite so far is my Breast Cancer Awareness T-Shirts. Something I would change about this semester is that I would try to find more outside projects so that it isn't as hard to catch up on my hours. I would say my overall takeaway from this semester is that it is really important in graphic design to prioritize the time given and really make the most of it. The goal I would like to set for next semester is to improve my mockup design skill and to prioritize my time better so that my projects look satisfying when I am finished with them. I enjoy being able to get creative at school and even if this is not something I plan on making my career in I am glad that I have the opportunity to improve in this field.

Graphic Design Final Reflection

       This year in graphic design we completed many projects and learned lots of new techniques. Sometimes there were challenges and other times things were much easier. Here is a recap of things learned and my strengths and weaknesses.

Takeaways

Technology

       Technology is very important when it comes to graphic design. I learned many new things in programs, such as, Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, and even Illustrator. The thing that helped me learn about these programs the best was just diving in and trying things out. I also had to ask for help a few times because I couldn't always do it on my own. In InDesign specifically, I learned how to use character and paragraph styles. These two things really come in handy when using lots of type. For example, we used these things in projects like our menu redesign and our non-profit brochures, newsletters, and other projects. I learned about character and paragraph styles because our teacher went over it and helped us get started using them. It was very important to learn this technique because it makes constructing a project with lots of type much easier and cleaner. There were challenges to learning this. Some of the challenges were having trouble with lining up the type wanted and using multiple styles for the project.

Collaboration

       Collaboration is helpful, as well. We needed to collaborate in critiques and be able to accept those critiques well. Although, we did not do any group projects, this skill still comes in handy when working around a lot of other people. The best way for me to learn collaboration is to jump right into a group setting and experience it myself. It is a very important thing to know how to do, as it will help you grow as a graphic designer. Graphic designers spend a lot of their time with other designers and clients. The challenge for collaborating is taking advice and critiques on a project. Sometimes it can be very frustrating when I like a design I made but the person I am making it for does not.

Communication

       Communication is a key factor in a good graphic designer. This is learned by starting with communicating between the instructor. After that is mastered, real clients will be easier to communicate with. Communication is important because it takes communication to know what a client wants in a project, when the deadline is, the size, color, etc. The challenge in this for me is that sometimes asking a question can make me nervous and I want to just be able to do it by myself.

Project Management

       Project management is huge! It is necessary to be organized and on time with projects. Project management can be learned by having better organization and staying on task. Don't get distracted easily or it will set you back on your project. This is important in meeting deadlines. If there isn't good project management then most likely the deadline won't be met. Meeting deadlines is important! There are many challenges in this area. Sometimes you may be piled up with multiple projects and that can make it difficult to choose what to work on. Another challenge is staying organized when you have many projects, and also not getting distracted because that will cut your time fast.

Leadership

       Leadership is another great thing to learn. This is sometimes a hard thing to do, as some people, like myself, can be shy to step up and lead. I think the best way to learn it is to get to know your peers. Once you know everyone it makes it much easier to talk in front of them. Leadership is important because it keeps everyone organized. Without leadership things get messy. I still face the challenge of trying to be a leader. Also, some people are more natural at it and don't let others have the chance to step up.

Strengths/Weaknesses

       Now, here are some of my strengths and weaknesses. My strengths are meeting deadlines and remembering to put projects up on Behance. Some improvements I have made would include better graphics on my work and turning projects in on time. Some of my weaknesses include asking questions more often and speaking up more. For example, I could improve in critiques by speaking up more. I could also start asking more people for help in different software programs.

My Plan?

       What I plan on doing with what I've learned is improving my Behance, cleaning up projects that have been critiqued again, and trying to step up more often. I also plan on trying to be more of a leader next year because I will be a senior.

Change?

       If there was anything I would change, I would change the fact that I didn't always ask questions and I didn't speak my mind much during critiques. I would change this because I feel that if I had asked more questions then some of my projects might look better. Also, I would've talked more in critiques because sometimes it could've benefited someone to hear advice.

Conclusion

       In conclusion, I have learned a ton out of graphic design. From freshman year until now my work has improved amazingly and I learn something new each day. I have also built many meaningful friendships through e-Comm that I will never forget. Some projects take weeks and some take months but all those hours of working on huge projects and the frustration that comes with it is all worth it in the end. Being able to look back on the accomplishments is the best feeling in the world.