Junior Semester Reflection

End of Semester Reflection for Junior Year

Takeaways from the 5 Guarantees

Technology

e-Communication has five guarantees of success: technology, collaboration, communication, project management, and leadership. When it comes to the area of technology, I knew everything needed to get started with pattern work. This mainly meant that I could design the icons and symbols for each individual pattern as well as lay them out. I needed to do some learning when all of my layouts were completed, particularly on how to actually create a pattern our of what is on the screen. Even though the steps to make a seamless pattern appeared linear, I struggled with making it all work the way that I wanted it. Many of my patterns did not appear to be seamless, and some occasionally looked off-balance and uneven.

Collaboration, Communication, and Leadership

For each of the projects that have been done this semester, it has not been particularly easy to go above and beyond on these three guarantees. For collaboration, I would occasionally ask for input or give input to others (especially with our sketching projects). I found that communication means being respectful towards my peers and clear or concise with what I offered. With leadership, it would mean taking the lead on group activities; they look for opportunities to help and give advice instead of waiting for the moment to arise. These three categories are important to projects because it brings new ideas to the table: assistance from peers widens vision for a variety of projects and people. Unfortunately, I find it difficult to place myself under any of these in class, finding groups and sometimes peer reviewing as a daunting task to go through. 

Project Management

I have always been someone that can easily stay on track for projects, this is especially true when the project means a lot to me. Several of the sketching and paper layout assignments early into the semester had a specific way to do them, following the direct instructions led to these being completed quickly as I didn't have to really think about what I wanted to do, I just did what was necessary. Something I remember vividly however is how excited I was for the one line project. It had allowed plenty of room for creative freedom, requiring themes to be made and pathways to be laid. Because of what I was allowed to do on that project, I felt time fly by much faster and got it completed on time with it. Project management is important because deadlines need to be met, which is especially evident in submitting our die-lines for production. 

My Strengths as well as my Downfalls

Major Improvements since Last Year

Since last year, I have become more proficient in Adobe Illustrator: I have learned new tools, commands, and methods to make some designing processes faster and simpler. On top of all that, I have become somewhat more creative in my projects as I try to think in a more abstract way than before. Tying to apply color schemes and what colors psychology means is starting to turn in my head a little more each time I get to designing. One final improvement that I am happiest with is how much of a better artist I have become, and because of this, I have been able to come up with better layouts and be more creative in how everything can be conveyed, as well as making it all look better. 

What Improvements need to be Made

In contrast to what I do well, I tend to get carried away thinking about what all I can do rather than what should be done. This mindset tends to bring much more complicated tasks to the table, and sometimes does not make much sense. Even though I am beginning to think in more abstract ways, it is proving difficult to move away from simply choosing what "looks good" on every design. Figuring out what colors go with each other is something that I simply need to work on improving, and find ways to practice it in a physical form. This brings us to another improvement that could be made, which is laying out what should be done on a piece of paper or another physical form. This would help see what the final result would look like and alterations could be caught earlier this way, depending on the project. 

What to do with this Newfound Knowledge

Simply Adventure Out

At the moment, the most that I can do with everything that I learned this year is to keep it on hold until the opportunity arises to bring it all up again. Such opportunities could come form client work or projects that I set for myself; nevertheless, work to improve. Being able to use the technical skills on paper from earlier this semester could help with the physical layouts for designs as noted in the "improvements" paragraph. The tools and commands in Illustrator may prove to be useful in future endeavors, and they may help in learning about more functions and capabilities in the program. 

Anything I would Change

When I think about this question, I go through every single project and process that I used to help get me to this point. When it comes down to the technical and physical projects, there is not a single thing that I would change about what I did. I learned the importance of having such skills in the future, and gave me a bit of an eye opener to what assignments past high school could be. Each of my paper sketches and final drafts took the instructions to get the basic things done--such as the border and understanding the main idea--then went off to do its' own thing. They did not follow the instructions exactly as what was wanted at that time, and I would not change it for a split second. I produced works that I am very proud of this way, and in the end I kept the main soul of what the project was. The one minuscule part that I would change may have been a couple of designing choices for my icons, possibly shifting around a couple of things, etc.

And of Course...

the Overview

This semester in Graphic Design was definitely one of my best. I learned a lot about some processes, produced work that I am proud of, and got to work on a long-term project that showcases everything that was worked on. This ranges all the way from basic drawing on paper, technical drawing, repeating and practicing patterns, and of course making them digital to be put on physical boxes.Through what we have been assigned, I found an inspiration to become increasingly more skilled in sketching and drawing, going to the extent of venturing out and drawing themes that I have never dared touch before. What I did in class led me on to have the opportunity to help a company with various graphics and updating their visuals. When it comes down to strictly the subject of Graphic Design, I would not change much about it this year as it has been a pretty good experience overall.