Semester 1 Reflection

Name Typography:  As the year started,  we received a name typography project. The goal of the project was to take our name and turn the typography into something that would reveal some of our personal interests.  For example, I personally enjoy jewelry so I made Abigail appear like it was written with pearls. This project took around three weeks from the first of the school year. I struggled with reaching out of my comfort zone coming into junior year. This helped me learn that it is okay to have multiple ideas and that not all of them will work out the way that you planned. I was critiqued mainly on taking some of the concepts too literally instead of pushing them outside of the box. I changed several of them by going all out with some of the ideas that I had started. Making my ideas stand out really helped make my concepts stand out on the page. I really enjoyed tis project because it refreshed my memory on how to use Illustrator, also introducing to me the amount of sketches and ideas that are needed to reach the final project. Overall I am very happy with how my project turned out.  

Company Rebranding:  After ending the Name Typography project, we started to rebrand a company of our choice. This project entailed finding a company that needed revamping of their logo and packaging. I chose a company called Rock Creek Gifts based out of North Carolina. We began with recreating their logo that still embodied what their company was about. I found that particularly challenging because I fell into a bit of a slump about how to still give a sense of nature with out coming off as cheesy. After that we began to recreate their packaging with the new logo that we had made. I chose to redo their candles because I was inspired by their scents  but their labels didn't show their quality that they took pride in. We had to create a set of three, so I made a fall inspired set of candles. This project lasted around two months. Through this project I learned that researching other products can really help pull you out of a creative slum and give you some inspiration. I was critiqued about my typography that I had chosen for my logo. The type sometimes clashed with the ideas that I was pushing forward in the logo. I also struggled with pushing my ideas all the way like I had in the Name Typography Project. I fixed the typography problem by going to DaFont.com and downloading any font that gave me inspiration and just creating as many samples as possible. I thought that this project taught me a lot because it taught me how to enhance what a company had already laid out. trying not to change their aesthetic was difficult but taught valuable lessons. 

Menu Redesign: Currently we are redesigning a menu from a company that we chose. I chose a local company called Nothing Bundt Cakes. They sell a large variation of bundt cakes with a very girly and fun atmosphere. Redesigning their menu is challenging because they do not have a ton of items to list on their menu so attempting to fill the space without cluttering the space is a bit difficult. However, this project is really enjoyable because it shows how to layout a menu with accurate measurements and rulers in Indesign, which is a new experience for me. I also really enjoy playing around with all the possible shapes for a menu and creating my own that will fit the company the best. I am really excited to see how my final product turns out! 

Outside Projects: Throughout this semester I took on designing the sweatshirts and sweatpants for the Raven Dance Team. I was approached with this opportunity during the summer when the dance team began rehearsing. I was genuinely thrilled because I was excited to see my designs worn ,which I hadn't done before. I wanted to make the designs very fun because everyone on the dance team is extremely positive and they deserve designs that reflect that attitude. I struggled slightly with what an adequate size would be for the sweatshirt because I wanted it to be big enough to read, but also not too big because it would be overwhelming. Overall I learned a lot by creating the team warmups because it helped me learn accurate measurements for clothing and how to incorporate a team aspect in a design.  

Time in Class: I used my time very wisely in class. I constantly tried my best to create as many ideas as possible so if there was a client I would have vastly different ideas for them to look through. Even if I thought my project was done, I searched the internet to see if other designs had ideas that I thought could improve my project. I also often experimented with other fonts in my designs to see if something packed better than the one I had previously chosen. Outside of class I was always analyzing menus at restaurants, flyers for stores, and billboards on the road for inspiration and to see what I liked and what I didn't think was designed the best it could be. I also always have my sketchbook with me to design any ideas that come to me when I'm just out and about. I am constantly sketching and drawing designs that inspire me. 

Areas of Strength: I believe one of my strengths is sketching, because i always have a lot of ideas and can usually produce them onto paper fairly well. I also am great at creating creative solution to problems that stand in the way of my designs. I maximize my strengths by always scanning in my sketches to show on my bechance. This shows the base of my ideas and the thought that was put behind the design. Having my sketches on bechance also shows future employers how I plan out my ideas and all the concepts that I have thought through. Creating solutions to issues that evolve is a great strength because it shows my ability to think outside the boxing modify my work to fix the issue. For example, in my Menu Redesign I was struggling with one of my concepts because the measurements were not working as I had planned, so I decided to keep the same concept but instead of using a circle like before; I used a long rectangular shape to utilize the space for the items that needed to be put on the menu. 

Areas of Improvement: One area that I think needs improvement is seeking outside work that can enhance my skills as a designer while also getting my name out into the design world. I also believe that I could sometimes get a little closed minded when it comes to critiques. However, I do thin that i have improved on this since the first project of the year. I often have to remind myself to keep an ope mind and that they cliques make me a better designer. 

Summary: I really loved this semester because I enjoy using my creativity to produce thing that are tangible.  For instance, creating the candles to show how my label would look was really cool for me to see my ideas as something I could actually hold was really awesome. I would change how I design just a little bit because I think I can sometimes get stuck in a bit of a ditch, which I think I can solve by constantly thinking about pushing my ideas to their full potential. I learned a lot about Graphic Design this semester, like how to manipulate type, menu lay out, appropriate size for bar codes on products, and the proper size for designs on clothing. I would definitely set a goal for gaining more outside work for nest semester.