Semester reflection

What did I do this semester?

This semester in graphic design I really came out of my shell with new mediums and new technical skills. I pushed myself to work harder and I've gotten great results. So far I really enjoy the outcomes of all my projects this year.

Name Typography Project

This was the first project of the year for us juniors, we were given the task of getting to know each eachother's hobbies and interests through typographic design. I showed off my creative and technical skills by showcasing not only aesthetically pleasing type, but also reflections of stuff I really like.

I made sure that the Behance post was elegant and put together, sporting my logo at the bottom and using very minimal fonts so that they did not take away from the type. The project took approximately 3-4 weeks, at first I was shocked at how much time we were spending because I believed I was done. I am glad that not only I had more time to realize how much work I really wanted to do, but also I am glad about the final product. We had also reviewed color theory. I had already had a good knowledge about but just because you can ace a test on a certain subject, doesn't mean you even remotely believe in the science behind it. After realizing how truly important it was I began using more diverse and complimentary color schemes. This shaped the outcome of my type project tremendously. I am so happy with the outcome and I know that I'll be using this in my
portfolio in the future.

Rebranding Project

For the rebranding project I was extra motivated to step up my game in this class. We were given a challenge to take a local or famous brand and redo their logo, and their packaging. I chose goldfish crackers, because I wanted a huge challenge. This project took at least 2 months to complete. Each week before the deadline for each component of the design was reached I had at least a day to work on outside projects thanks to my good time management and ability to work outside of school. I faced a couple of challenges between my creative direction and the critiques of others. Most people I showed my work to at first said that "goldfish should be less like modern art, and more kid friendly". I believe that after taking that critique into consideration, I made it the best of both worlds. The piece was modern, but now the fish on the front cover had a smile, and the colors I chose reflected a very playful and fun piece. With this project I learned that just because you think something looks perfect doesn't mean it's what you should go with. Overall I am exceptionally happy with the polished product that I ended with.

How did I use my time in class?

First quarter, I will be the first to admit that I did not use my time correctly at first. I would get done and use the extra hour I had talking to other about their work. Although collaboration is good in a work environment like this, I should have kept pushing myself that extra 30 minutes each week. 

Near the end of first quarter is where I seriously picked up slack. I started working until the bell rung and after. only once or twice did I start focusing on other things. Even then, I did bring my work to hear others thoughts on what could be done to go the extra mile. On top of that I also began working on numerous outside projects such as posters for parties, children's books, album art for some musically talented peers at school, and painting and pushing my art to greater lengths. 

My areas of strength

I have a great passion and drive to get the things i'm interested in done. I have loads of creativity and work ethic. I know the software that I use, like the back of my hand. I plan to do this when I am older so I put my all into all of my projects.

My area of weakness

I am stubborn and at the beginning of this class I hated taking constructive criticism. I still do but I'm really trying not to take it personally and not just say "oh what do they know? look at how bad their piece was". But i'm taking great strides to better myself and not deflect other's opinions upon them. 

Summary

I absolutely loved getting to know each and every single person in this class. I loved exchanging tips with each other and the camaraderie that came with such a tight knit class. I don't think I would change anything about this semester, or else I wouldn't have learned the lessons I have now.

I had a blast channeling all my creative energy and using it to make really cool stuff this semester. 

I will take away the strength I gained in accepting other peoples comments. 

Other thoughts

I did not mention the menu project that we are working on right now that is not yet complete. So far I believe I have 2 very strong concepts and they both work very well for what i'm trying to achieve but are both very diverse from one another. Another thing I barely talked about was this huge children's book that I was hired to do, its taken me almost 40 hours of outside work but my client is extremely happy with how it turned out. We spent so much time just discussing ideas. That experience added a lot to my learning process this semester.