First Semester Graphic Design Final

Photoshop Tutorials

The first project that we did in Exploring Graphic Design was a bunch of Photoshop tutorials. In these tutorials I learned the fundamentals of Adobe Photoshop. My favorite tutorial out of all of them was the challenge man which is shown on the left. All I was given was the before picture, pictures of nature, and my creativity. I was given no set and stone directions and I was supposed to use all the skills of photoshop that I had been learning to morph this man into nature. Throughout all of these photoshop tutorials, I learned everything about technical skills. Each project taught me something different and made me work to get the finished project. I learned project management as well like how to finish a project in the time given. This project took about two to three days. Some challenges I faced was trying to finish all of the projects in the time given and the make sure I followed the tutorials step by step. I was given good feedback and old that my final products were very well made. I didn't have time to change anything based on the feedback. Overall I think my products turned out very well and even the ones where I struggled more on I still think turned out well made. 

Raccoon on Illustrator

The next project that we completed was a Raccoon holiday postcard. This project took about two to three weeks. This is where we finally started to dive into the world of graphic design and let our creativity flourish. We had a tutorial for the actual raccoon but everything after that was all you. I picked the holiday and the type face is my own, and the accessories I picked as well. Some challenges I faced were the presents. They were really are for me to make because when I made them I made them really small and they looked great but them when I enlarged them they got distorted and the red line on the front got bigger so they were not my best work but I made it work. Along the way I learned how to upload a project on Behance, how to submit my own typeface onto a project on Adobe Illustrator, how to make 3D objects, and how to make bows on presents. Some feedback I got was my scarf was really well made and I could maybe arrange my presets a little nicer. I took these criticisms to heart but sadly didn't have enough time to alter my work. I think my final product looks clean and festive, but I could've worked harder to make it look neater. 

Broadway Infographic

Our next project was an Infographic on Adobe Illustrator over any topic of our choosing. I chose Broadway By The Numbers because I love broadway and New York City so I wanted it to be about something I really loved and not something random. I mentioned five topics on the infographic and used the curtains and the lights to draw your eyes down are you read. This project took about one to two weeks to fully complete. Some challenged I faced was spacing. I didn't want it to be all clumped together and I wanted just the right amount of white space so it still looks full. Along the way I learned many skills like how to better use gradients as you see in my lights and curtains. I learned how to make a skyline out of lines. The feedback I received was overall very positive, many people liked my infographic and enjoyed its format and how appealing it is for the eyes. One thing i did change to make it more appealing was I changed the color of the word 'female' so it matched the color of the females in the chart. Overall I am very happy with how my infographic turned out and am happy that everyone liked it as much as they did. 

Time Management

In class I try to maximize my time as much as possible because being in e-Comm in general has really improved my time management. I get all my work done by the deadline because I actually do it in the time that Mrs. Smith gives us. If, for some reason, I get finished early, I immediately try to find a way to try and improve my project in some way before I turn it in. I double check everything so that there are no mistakes and once I am sure I've done all I can do for the project and it is the best I can make it, thats when I turn it in. Sometimes, if I feel like I need more time to get my project to the best it can be I stay after school to work on it. I don't just rush and turn it in during class, I come back after school or before school with a fresh mind and work on it until its to my liking. 

Strengths and Weaknesses

Some areas of my strengths are time management. As I mentioned before, e-Comm has really helped improve my time management not only for graphic design but for all of my classes. Another strength of mine are my technical skills. I can follow a tutorial with little to no help. I understand the editing softwares and help many classmates if they get stuck. One area that I can improve on is my creativity. I love following step by step tutorials but have a hard time making it my own. I struggle when I am given a project with no instructions and have a hard time. I know that my next semester I will improve on this more, I just need more practice. and more projects that allow me to be free in my editing. 

Overview

What I loved most about this semester was the final project about Armin Hofmann because I felt like I really got to know him and his style and I actually felt really good about making projects without a tutorial. There isn't anything that I would really want to change about this semester in graphic design, I had a very positive experience in this class. One overall take-away form this semester is don't second guess yourself. If you like your work but someone else thinks you should change something that you don't really want to change, don't change it. Go with your gut. One goal I want to set for next semester is to organize my Behance and keep adding my projects on it and make it look very professional.