hkelleyarts102-02

[hkelleyarts102-02]

Course Reflection

So the time in this course has come to an end... From the very first day of the course till now, I have had a great experience. It has allowed me to enhance my knowledge of graphic design and the major software used in this field. The teacher, Nate Puza, has been amazing in explaining various topics and has a very interactive approach to teaching. You can see that he wants everyone to do their best, which is evident in the results achieved in the class projects. The rest of the class was also very supportive, allowing us to experiment with new design concepts and critique each other's work, which helped me understand how to analyze different styles of work. Collaborating with other classmates also made the class feel more connected. There were plenty of cases where I asked for opinions and critiques so that I could better refine my work, which is something that I had not had much experience doing in some of the styles we worked with. Participating in this class has been one of my all-time favorites.

[hkelleyarts102-02]

As the semester comes to an end there have been plenty of projects that have enabled me to expand my experience in various applications. Project 5, which we just finished, has allowed me to increase the amount of experience and knowledge that I have with InDesign. The project also helped me analyze various objects through new views to gain a better insight into understanding various aspects of items.

The chapter readings made a few really solid points that stood out while also illustrating new elements of implementation for design. The use of generated elements to create unpredictable visuals is one such new element that I did not know about and find quite interesting since adds another element to implementing unique works. The chapters also focus on the importance of design schools and how they can make a decently talented artist into a great artist with the honing of already existing skills and the improvement of new ones. The last couple of chapters focus on the use of typography and the focus on customers' views for designing specific applications and how beneficial it can be for being able to work out some of the small issues or design choices.

[hkelleyarts102-02]

Project 5 grants a fun task of trying to analyze and interpret various objects through the lens of someone who has no idea what the objects are, which allows for a foreign look at objects that most people are familiar with. I've chosen to use various cars from Audi since I have always enjoyed the vehicles and the brand. This project came right after Project 4, which granted me the ability to create logos on characters from the 1971 Willy Wonka film and allowed me to experiment with creating logos from scratch and messing with InDesign, the main application used for Project 5. Chapter 15 of the readings, was quite interesting with its focus on how designers come up with applying various media and applications to products like desktops, tablets, and smartphones. There is also the mention of how graphic design is implemented in the gaming industry by trying to make things look as realistic as possible as technological advances and availability have made such visuals possible and in some ways expected.

[hkelleyarts102-02]

Project 4 has been quite a learning experience for me. That is not to say that I have not enjoyed it, but that it has put me in a situation where it forced me to be creative. Coming up with 16 logos for two different characters made me try and experiment. While I don't want to admit it, it did work out by helping me create at least a couple of pretty good ideas that I feel best fit with the characters that I have chosen and with the design parameters. Illustrator is nowhere near my tool of preference for graphic design. That is likely because I find other applications easier to use and have more experience with Photoshop. Even though I have a preference for other applications, it is hard to not see the usefulness of Illustrator in creating just clean vector-based images once you get used to its quirks. Now to focus on the reading for this week. First off, the beginning chapter that focused on Richard Saul Wurman was a complete attention grabber illustrating how the desires of one man ended up creating a major platform for expanding the "understanding" of a plethora of ideas through the use of conferences. Something that stuck in my head regarding this person was how a lot of what he does is based on improvising, which he seems to excel at. The rest of the chapters focused on many different elements of thinking and various methods regarding the use of graphic design in multi-media. Whether it be film, branding, expressive design, or even architecture, graphic design has a way of not only improving the work but also bringing it to a whole new level by allowing individuals to be limitless with their creativity.

[hkelleyarts102-02]

Project 3 has been a unique experience for me. It has forced me to adapt to how I design and come up with ideas for new concepts that I face. It has also given me a greater respect for those who can illustrate their ideas, as I've realized that illustration and design are much more connected in graphic design than I previously assumed. I embraced the use of illustration quite a bit in this project as I was coming up with ideas for how to best use the quote I chose. I came up with many ideas, but it wasn't until my final thumbprint drawing that I found a concept I was truly interested in. After I determined my focus, I embraced the use of illustration and began to draw based on what I felt best illustrated my point. The chapter readings, especially from Chapter 10, highlight how connected illustration and design are and how they both can be utilized to create art and in some cases present messages to create discussion or even just for reactions. Steve Brodner is one such artist who utilized his craft to create illustrations that focused on political ideas but presented in a more comic/cartoon style.

[hkelleyarts102-02]

Working on Project 2 was a fun experience for me. It allowed me to experiment with typography in a unique way that I had not tried before. When choosing the letters for the different artboards, I focused on things that were relevant to me, such as my name, and eventually decided to incorporate a car brand that I am very familiar with. Once I got plenty of letter options from the words I chose, I started to apply them in various areas to come up with abstract shapes that leaned on geometric influences. While I was happy with the results of my second and third artboards, the first artboard was one I felt had too much going on inside the composition and where the use of feedback helped to reaffirm my thoughts and steered me to put more effort into making it seem more calm rather than including many jagged edges. Chapters 3-5 helped to illustrate a couple of very useful points that I think relate well to the project that we just finished. The first point was made by the artist Roberto de Vicq de Cumptich, who mentioned how type is very flexible with its use and has endless possibilities. This is beyond true as I have seen such unique and creative things come from just using letters. I noticed that the second point emphasized in the book is the importance of experimentation. It is crucial for success because you never know how something will be received until you try it and get feedback. This point was mentioned several times by the artists in the book when they were starting and trying to find their niche.

[hkelleyarts102-02]

Overall, I am proud of myself for stepping outside my comfort zone and exploring new areas where I have little to no experience. I have never attempted to create text resembling water or smoke before, but I believe the effort was successful. My main critique of myself is that I should have tried to give a more splattered/splash-like look to the water text and maybe have added more shading and applied more of the smudge tool to the smoke text to make it flow better with the smoke lines flowing through the text. Focusing past my artwork, I have noticed that these first couple of weeks have made me more open to trying new things and not fearing but embracing critiques so that I can hone my skills and excel. The readings support the importance of critiques in graphic design careers since professionals in the book have stated how they rely heavily on client feedback to improve their art.