Semester Final - Graphic Design

Photoshop tutorials- Landscape Man 

The first thing I did in my Sophomore Graphic Design class was learn the basic skills of photoshop. My favorite piece I did from the tutorials was the challenge piece. All it told you was what you needed to change about the photo but no directions on how to do it. I really enjoyed it because it tested my abilities and it was a lot of fun. This is my landscape man. It took two or three days for me to finish this specific piece because I was still learning how to use photoshop while I was creating it.  I used photoshop tools to replace the clothing items he was wearing to different landscape pieces. The most difficult part was doing it without direction given, but thats when the collaboration skills came into play. When one person in the class figured out ho to do a certain portion they helped everyone figure it out.  I changed the way the shirt was multiple times before I turned it in. I feel like it helped our class bond and be able to count on each other and feel comfortable asking each other for help. 

Illustrator Raccoon

This was our introduction to Illustrator project. We used a detailed tutorial to make a raccoon. 

This project took about a month to finish. Some of the challenges I faced were simple things like not knowing how to properly using tools or using them wrong. I feel like this project helped me a lot because I fell very comfortable in Illustrator now. I learned how to make simple shapes into a new object. I was told that the class liked my creativity. I changed the way my raccoons eyes were set because it made it older looking but it still had the cuteness factor. I enjoyed the Raccoon project because it was let us have artistic choice even though we were following a template. 

Raccoon Postcard 

We took the simple raccoon to the next level and we made a postcard of our choice. I chose Valentines day and used handwritten typography. It took about 3 weeks to  a month to finish this project because of the amount of detail needed to make it as good as it could be. I learned how to have an artistic vision and to stick with it. I really liked this project because I could put a lot of me in it. I learned how to create hand written typography and that was my favorite part of the assignment. Overall I liked creating this design  and it is one of my favorite assignments yet. 

Infographic

I made my infographic about people in ONW theatre who want to pursue theatre as a career vs. people who do it just for fun. I am pleased with this on because it is simple and pleasing and I enjoy that about it. It was hard filling the empty space but I collaborated with my peers and we decided that I should make the Brooklyn bridge then turn the opacity down. that is my favorite part of the infographic. I was told to add banners to all of the heading but I felt like the Broadway heading should be special so I left it how it was. I really enjoyed this project and it makes me really like all the things you can do with Graphic design,

Time Management 

I fell for the most part that I used my time very well in my class. At the beginning go the year i talked to my friends quite a bit but I've gotten better because I know that if I'm focused I get more quality work turned in.  To stay productive after I finished my projects I try to help the people sitting next to me, I move on to the challenge piece, or I blog about what I had just done. If I  got done early with a design that my boss gave me I would look up other designers and see if they had anything to bring to the table. If iI had no luck with that I would make sure everything was polished and perfect before showing it tony boss/ client.  Most of the time I  send myself the projects so I can do them at home. I also practice at home and just experiment in Illustrator. 

Strengths

I am very creative and I find it easy to come up with designs. I think that I produce good and different designs. Overall, I am proud of what I have created this year. I think that I have gotten better with focusing through the talking going on around me. the designs I produce are very me and I find them appealing. I would also say that I am good at hand written typography. I make sure my work shows me in it and even if I am supposed to be following a template that it still is unique and different.

Areas of improvement

I feel like I need to stop participating in the talking that goes around me. I see that it brings down my grades in this class so I will stop letting the behaviors happen. I believe I need work in photoshop because all we did with it was the beginning of the year. To help me gain skills in photoshop I can work on tutorials at him to help me. 

Summary

This semester I loved getting to now my Graphic Design class and being able to feel comfortable with it. I really loved Mrs. Smith because she always has a positive outlook on our designs and is so willing to help and she really wants the best for us. I would like to make sure that I stay on task more often next semester. This semester I learned a lot about the power of design and what effects it has on the world. In my most recent project about Massimo Vignelli he said, "If you do it right It will last forever." I really find that impactful and I will always have that in the  back of my mind when creating a design.  Next semester I hope to continue to learn how to use illustrator and I really want to  show my artistic ability. I'm excited to continue my knowledge and be able to help the people around me.