Final Reflection

Final Reflection

Projects

This semester, 2 projects were completed and one more was started but it is not yet finished.

Name Typography

This project was to take 12 different interests and express them through typography. We used our name and made it appear like that interest using fonts and manipulation to the fonts. This project took around 3 weeks to finish. First, we brainstormed interests, then we made 3 different sketches for each of the 12 works (36 total), next we created them in illustrator, then a rough critique was held, finally revisions were made and the projects were finished. At first I was challenged by having to show the word without the use of many symbols or color. The point of the project was to use typography so we were to keep symbols minimal and most rely on the type to express the word. This taught me how to show a mood or word through strictly typography. I also learned how to manipulate type in illustrator. 

In the critique I was given many small corrections such as moving something up or down or fixing a stroke. Main corrections were to use color for "jeans", use a black background and white font for "night", use the shape of a mountain for "mountain", and add dirt, plants, and texture to "nature". I made all of the small corrects and did all of the bigger corrections listed before. 

Overall I am happy with this project especially considering that it was my first project of the year. However, I think that there were some things I could have done better and some critiques I should have followed better. The things I'm unhappy about would have taken only about another hour to fix so I wish I had put just a little more work into the project. For example, on my "christmas light" name I should have made the lights trailing off the same weight as the font. 

Rebranding

In this project, we chose a brand with a bad logo and packaging design to rebrand. We made a new logo and packaging design for the different flavors (or scents etc.). About 8 weeks were spent on this project. I struggled with creating symbols for the logo and deciding on the "look" I wanted for my brand in the beginning. This problem was fixed by sketching additional symbols. I learned how to problem solve when you are lacking creativity. I did this by sketching more and looking as inspiration. 

My original logo concepts were pretty rough. Through critique, I was given ideas that I had never thought of. After fixing my logo concepts and deciding on on logo I picked out colors and got feedback by people around me on what colors looked best. By the time I was ready to begin the packaging design, I felt a lot more confident and had a general vision for the packaging. However, an issue I faced was that the bottles I chose had a curve so I had to find new bottles. This didn't create a huge setback and I found similar bottles that were 

easier to work with. After packaging critiques I was able to perfect my packaging and get it to a good point. I changed the color of my logo to only have white and green so that the brand popped out on the packaging. I also made a font change on my "info" bubble and rearranged the placement a bit. These changes made my project so much better.

I ended this project feeling extremely satisfied with the ending product and design. 

I think that this project in particular shows a major growth in my design skills. I came from very unsure of what I wanted the brand to look like and lacking creativity to a unique package with a set "look". Everything came together perfectly and looked packaged together. This project ended up being very good in my opinion and I am proud to show it.

Class Time

I spent most of my class time productively this semester. Sometimes I would get slightly off task or chat but most of the time I did a good job on doing my work. There were not many times that I thought that I was completely done because there was always something I could be making better. Any spare time I had was spent looking at inspiration to make projects better, fixing minor details, and occasionally working on yearbook but only when I was satisfied with my project. 
I spent time working outside of class when I felt that I needed more time. At home I only worked on behance and looking at ideas. If there was ever a big part of the project that I needed to work on, I would stay after school or get to school early to work.

Strengths and Weaknesses

I think that I am good and critiquing myself and perfecting my work. I'm always looking at better fonts and better possible ideas even when I settled on something earlier. I know that a design can almost always be better and there's always room for improvement. It's very difficult for me to settle on a project that I am not fully satisfied with. I also believe that I am fairly good at finishing projects on time and having my materials ready for critiques.

While I have good qualities, I have some areas that need improvement too. My behance could be far better than it is right now and I need to spend time at home fixing it. Along with that, I have not had sketches ready once or twice. I could definitely spend more time at home on this class fixing my portfolio, sketching, and doing outside work. 

Summary

Overall this semester has been great. It has shown me a much more realistic preview of what being a graphic designer is like. I've learned a lot more this semester than I've learned in all of my design classes. The rebranding project was so fun and I consider it to be my first serious project. Getting to see an actual product designed by me that could fit in on a grocery store shelf was really cool. If I could change anything I would just put slightly more effort into my work and do more outside projects. I learned so much about how to design along with what a designers daily life is like. I learned so many new design rules, method of making designs, and all about behance. I cannot wait to do more projects next semester. My goal is to put in as much effort as possible to produce the best projects. This class has prepared me so much and will continue to prepare me for my future in college and probably becoming a graphic designer.