"Memorable Experiences"

One of the most memorable experiences I had this year in graphic design was the first time we went to VIA as a class. WOW! That place is so amazing and everyone there was really nice and cared about what we had to say. I really liked it when we got to make a logo for a fake company. I had Libby and Casey in my group and it was fun to hear what everyone was thinking and hearing all the crazy ideas we had. We had two great guys from VIA helping us with our design and idea. I never knew designing a logo could be so much fun until I was able to experience it first hand and it was great! VIA is such a great designing agency and their designs reflect each individual in the company. I really appreciated how VIA members were so caring and how they listened to everything we had to say. I will always remember going there and experiencing the graphic design life. 

Another memorable experience I had this year in graphic design is the second time we got to visit VIA again. This time we were able to present our logo designs that we made as individuals and then we presented our group logo. The group logo was the same assignment we had last time when we visited VIA and we had to finish it and see what the end product looked like. What I really thought that was amazing was Casey and Ihila were offered the chance to apply for internships. I thought this was so cool because they were both offered opportunities for each of their talents. It was so cute when they smiled so big and you could tell they were really happy. Even if I wasn't offered something I was so happy to be apart of this experience and be apart of their happiness.

My last memorable experience I had this year in graphic design was when I got to come to a new school my senior year and my classmates were so kind. I had no idea who any of my classmates were and I was so nervous, even if I didn't look it I was. My classmates were amazing and we all connected over the semester. We gave each other nick names….I gave one to Topher….Nevertheless, this year graphic design gave me more confidence when I became friends with so many amazing people. My classmates made my transition so much easier for me and I want them to know how much I appreciate them for everything they have done for me. I will always remember this year, even if I moved schools. I will always remember graphic design and my classmates. Thank you everyone for being here for me.

"Work I am Most Proud of"

The assignment I am most proud of is my screen-printing project. I really loved doing this assignment in graphic design. We were able to create a design that was original and something that was special to us. I have always loved the stars and the moon. I wanted to make a design that showed how much I appreciate the night sky. This work had an impact on my learning for the good. I took my time and really thought about what I could do for a design. During this project we were able to make a stencil and cut it out with a X-ACTO knife. This task was a little difficult and you needed to have patience and determination. I loved how my shirt came out and I loved how everyone else's came out too. I am very proud of how neat and clean cut my design looks. Screen-printing is a little messy but it’s a lot of fun and relaxing. This project was such a positive this year and I hope the graphic design class plans on doing it next year. It taught me a lot and made me understand some of the hardships of screen-printing. I stated them in my screen-printing reflection if you would like to revisit them. I just loved making the design and then handling the finish touch to it. This assignment was all me and that's what I liked about it so much.

BBM Tennis Tournament T-Shirt

Purpose:

• To use creative problem-solving skills to design a t-shirt for an annual tennis tournament that raises money for the Cancer Community Center of Maine;
• To understand the importance of being involved in a real-life, authentic learning experience.

Reflection: 

One thing I learned while doing this project is you have to do what the client wants no matter what you think you. The client is paying for you design something they like not what you want. This project was like our VIA but this time we don’t get to meet with the client in person we get to read what they want and what they like. Another thing I learned was that you should make as many designs as possible because anything can happen. The design I least liked I kept working on because it was different and I wanted something more unique and something that would be remembered. Lastly I learned that you can build off of each other’s designs and it really helps to hear what the class has to say about your designs. Having fresh eyes is always better and they always help me understand what I’m trying to do. 

VIA Special Assignment

Purpose: 

To visit a local advertising agency in order to gain an understanding of the many possible career opportunities; To engage in a fictitious design problem with authentic graphic designers; to present and receive feedback about your artwork from authentic graphic designers.

Reflection's: 

1st Visit:

I loved going to VIA it was such a great experience to see what environment most graphic designers work in. VIA was just what I expected for a designing company. They showed they care about the people and they care for their clients that want to work well with the team. The team members that we met were so amazing and they really were interested in our ideas and made our visit so positive. Teddy was such a thrill to listen to his voice in the ads were done really well and he came up with the crazy idea for us to design for dead bodies that decompose in special areas. It was a crazy idea but the group really got into it and we ended up with a name and a logo design by the end of it. I have to say that it was one of the best field trips I’ve been on. 

As we received our directions our group went straight to brainstorming. We went by the rules; Listen to all ideas, Don’t judge other’s ideas, Take notes, Be visual… By the end our group with the help of two awesome designers we finished up with some great ideas. We worked on team work and how to become better graphic designers. Even though our class got a crazy idea we went right with it and both groups had crazy ideas. One was more funny than the other which was serious. 

In conclusion I had a great time and I got to use the skills from class to help come up with great ideas for our logo. I honestly can’t wait to go back and see the old library area again because it has so much history behind it and the designers did such a great job designing the place. They were an inspiration to see what my life could be like if I’d major in graphic designing. In the end I would say that visiting VIA was a positive experience and influence. 

2nd Visit: 

I have to the say the highlights of todays trip was when Casey and Ihila got to talk to Teddy about internships next year. It was so great to see their dreams start to come true. I also was finally able to see Ihila’s films on her youtube page. They were hilarious and Teddy was laughing so hard along with the rest of the VIA crew it was really awesome. Then Casey got to talk to him about being a creative director. They smiled so much it was so cute. 

What I found fascinating was how each VIA member really listened to everyone even if some of our designs were fictitious. You could tell they really cared what we had to show them and I found that really nice. Even if I wasn’t the best in the group they still listened and made me feel apart of something special. 

What I want to remember is the way each of the VIA memeber made us all feel welcome and treated us like we were apart of the team. I also want to remember how Casey and Ihila got to talk to talk to Teddy about their future internships with VIA. I am so happy for them I hope their dreams and wishes come true. 

Magazine Cover Designs

Purpose:

• To use knowledge and tools of Photoshop, along with conceptual design to create a magazine cover for a fictitious magazine.

Refection:

One important concept I learned about magazine cover design is to reveal the magazine’s content in a way that makes it jump off the shelf. Meaning make it something to remember and make the readers keep coming back for more. It’s important to reach your readers through having something special about your magazine that they can’t get from just any ordinary magazine. Another important concept I learned about is having a text that fits with your topic and picture. If you pick random colors that don’t fit with your idea then you won’t have any readers because they won’t understand what your magazine is about and why it’s special. That’s why I picked red, green, and black for my magazine. Mine is Christmas themed so I need to get the point across that mine is about Christmas. Another concept I learned is placing emphasis: backgrounds, bolds, italics, etc. I made my fonts different and made some bold and something in cursive which spiced up my cover a little more than just having a nice picture in the background. It’s important to make the lettering pop or just look cool for you to capture the eyes of the readers you want. Word choice and all is important to get the attention of someone that needs something new in their lives.

I believe my Magazine Cover design deserves a 3.5. I believe my design deserves a 3.5 because it is well planned, the point is clear, nice placing of letters, color choice, and picture is very understanding. I believe that my magazine cover is unique and has all the fundamental requirements of any magazine. It’s always been one of my dreams to write an article in a magazine about Christmas such as; the does and don’ts. It this was such a great project that I got to do something I’ve always wanted to do. I think someone would pick up my magazine and say it would be something to remember for next Christmas and would love to see the next edition. A 3.5 would be a good grade for mine since it’s simple, memorable, timeless, versatile, an appropriate.

Logo Designs

Purpose: 

• To understand the process of logo design;
• To design a clear and effective logo for the chosen company scenario

Reflection:

I believe my design deserves a 3.5. I believe I deserve this grade because my design is so simple

and so average that it could be interpreted to be many things. I also believe my grade should be a

3.5 because my design process I did originally was the most difficult design for myself and I found that it wouldn’t work unless I really wanted to spend hours on trying to get it perfect. I think I deserve at least a 3.5 because I tried my hardest to make a logo that would be prefect for my company.

Positive & Negative Space Carved Pumpkins

Purpose:

• To use problem-solving skills and knowledge of positive and negative space to create a unique design on the surface of a pumpkin and with carving a pumpkin

Reflection: 

I want to start off with the challenges of this design because there were a few that made this assignment particularly difficult. First problem I encountered with making my design was the marker smudged and made it difficult to see where I had and hadn’t cut yet. Another problem was my pumpkin was to thick and it took me a half hour to cut off the top and then another half hour cleaning the pumpkin out. Last problem that occurred was the design I chose for my big pumpkin. I didn’t realize till it was too late that my design caused the eye patch area to be to thin and then skull sagged back. Nevertheless I used toothpicks to keep my design steady which made my design look good again. The successes of my project began with the design I chose. At least I thought my design I chose was easier than most. That’s what I had thought. However another positive was I didn’t give up on my design and I stuck to it till the very end and it turned out to be a success for me.This assignment allowed me to work on positive and negative space such as which area would be best for what part of the skull. I found that the little pumpkin design was much easier and I had so much more success on it than my large pumpkin. I would recommend this project to anyone to do and if you want a challenge then do this one. 

Screen Printed T-Shirts

Purpose:

• To be introduced to the process of screen printing;
• To create a simple design that uses a variety of shapes which emphasize the interaction between positive and negative space;
• To demonstrate the process of screen-printing by printing designs on paper and fabric.

Reflection: 

During the screen-printing project I was able to gain a better understanding of some of the projects that graphic designers have to go through. While creating your design you need to have a original idea that is catchy to the average person. Personally I never thought about what it was like for a advertising agency to come up with a design that everyone can relate to. Now I can see the difficulties that many designers go through. In order to design you need to understand what people want and need. Another important thing I learned while screen-printing is the carefulness you need to have while making your design and cutting it out with a X-ACTO knife. Using an x-acto knife isn’t dangerous unless you don’t know how to use it…. Another part where you have to be careful is when you put the pain on the silk screen. If you have too much or too paint it can make your design come out splotchy and  it’s just a waste of paint to have too much. One problem I had while screen-printing is when I set down my silk screen on one of my practice sheets. It delayed me from proceeding on with my screen-printing and I had to wait for the pain to dry on my stencil. When I took the time to make sure everything was clean and really perfect my design came out great. I feel that if you take your time then your designs come out good. Some of my other classmates faced problems because they didn’t take the time that was needed. When you rush I think it causes some people not to focus hard enough on the designs. In conclusion I feel all while designing for screen-printing it incorporated all the elements we have learned so far in design; be visual, don’t hold back on ideas, and build off others ideas. I feel my design were made off of many designs I have seen or just thought about. I hope that in the future that I will be able to screen-print again because it was such a great experience. 

Fonts have Feelings, too

Purpose:

• To continue to explore and learn tools in Photoshop, specifically, the text tool and it’s many options;
• To continue to use creative problem-solving skills to complete the assignment.

Reflection:

While making the “Fonts have Feelings too,” the class and I were able to use the warp tool which allowed us to make our designs with an arch in any of the options it gave us. We also were able to play with fonts and see what best fit each word’s meaning. We were also able to learn how to rasterize a shape. I had no idea what that meant. But after playing around with it and watching the video Mrs. Noack made for us I finally found out what it meant. Yay! It means to change a image into pixels that can be displayed on a screen or printed. Making the fonts have feelings was probably one of the best graphic design projects we have done so far. I would recommend to keep making word designs to fully understand the meaning of graphic design more.

Adjective Designs: Positive and Negative Space

                                                                     Indestructible

Intimidating 

                                                                            Spirited
Purpose:

• To become familiar with Photoshop Shape and Selection Tools through experimentation and the creation of designs

• To continue to communicate a message through the use of positive and negative shapes

Reflection:

Indestructible Design 

Through using photoshop I was able to understand what was needed during this project. I was able to manipulate the shapes well enough that it made my design different from others. I hope in the future we will be able to come back to these designs and see what we made back in the beginning. I can say this design was probably the hardest design for me to make and I feel it made me a stronger designer. I think I have a better interpretation of what is needed to create designs.

Intimidating Design:

I learned that if you want to design something to look intimidating you need to know the definition and make sure that’s what you are showing in your design. If you want to show intimidation in your design your sharp, bold, and scary shapes to get the eye of the audience. I also learned that you should feel the intimidation from a design right as you see and feel it. Look at other peoples designs and see if you can feel what they want you to feel.

Spirited Design:

I found that when creating this certain design you needed to know the definition of spirited. I also learned that you need to feel the movement of the design and understand what you are trying to say with it. I believe that I learned a lot more about graphic design by using the spiritual look in my design. In the future I now know have a better understanding of what spiritual is and how to use it. In conclusion I got to play around enough with all the photoshop tools so now I can use it to create more spiritual designs in the future if need be.