Semester Reflection: Graphic Design

What Did You Do This Semester?

I began this semester in Graphic Design with little knowledge on how to truly design graphically. We began our time in Graphic Design this year by learning the basics of the programs we would be using. Then, after we had learned enough, we used our new knowledge to create three original and personalized projects. These projects were: The Raccoon Postcard, the Vectored Portrait, and the Infographic. Each of these projects helped me to gain new strengths and understanding in programs such as Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator, two applications used often by graphic designers.

The Raccoon Postcard 

The Raccoon postcard began with just the raccoon. I followed a tutorial given to us by our teacher on how to create the character in Illustrator, using various tools. After creating the raccoon and some accompanying props such as berries and leaves, we had to come up with an idea for a postcard and design it around certain theme. I chose "happy birthday." I designed the postcard and incorporated other new skills we had learned in class, like scanned-in typography. This project took a few weeks to create. I was mainly slowed down during the process by being stuck with the function of certain tools or being unable to figure out a way to make something on the computer. Thankfully, I didn't struggle with making a concept or design, like some other students expressed having. Along the way, I learned many important things that helped me later on. Typography was one major thing I learned. It put a much more personal, unique spin on the postcard that downloaded fonts couldn't. I also learned many other tools available on illustrator and in photoshop. I would ask the people sitting next to me often what they thought of my project or what I could change. Their feedback helped me a lot while making my postcard. After finishing the project, I found I was pretty happy with the result, though there are some things that could be improved.

The Vectored Portrait

The second project I made was the vectored portrait. This project was much more difficult and time-consuming than the first, but I learned a lot along the way. We were assigned to take an image of ourselves and vector it by covering any of the image shown with shapes and lines. The time it took make was much longer than the first. I believe it took many weeks. The vectored portrait was a fun yet difficult project, and it took a while for me to get to a point where I liked what I had created. I mostly had issues with making the portrait seem neat and not creepy, basically. It was easy to mess up with the eyes, for example, or teeth, and create something that looked like it had crawled out of the uncanny valley. I tried to make some interesting shading in my image by using triangles of different shades when vectoring in the image. It looked good, but unfortunately was very time-consuming and I was only able to shade the neck that way. I learned various ways to vector images, which proved to be very useful later on. Most of the feedback I was given was to shade more and to give the portrait more depth. If I could go back, I would try to come in after school and apply the shading I used on the neck everywhere. 

The Infographic

The final and most recent project I have created was the infographic. My assignment was to create an effective infographic about any given topic that was engaging, well-designed, and easy to read. I chose the topic of "UFOs" for my infographic. More specifically, UFO sightings. This project was definitely the most time-consuming of any graphic design project this semester. It took several weeks with several days spent after school to get my infographic to where I wanted it to be. The majority of the challenges I faced were with layout and hierarchy. I was unfamiliar with the design process of infographics and therefore struggled with knowing where to put certain information while still retaining some sort of artistic aspect. I learned a lot while making the project. More than just knowing how to use Adobe Illustrator, I learned how to manage my time wisely so that when the time came for me to present my work, I had something that I was comfortable critiquing. I also learned how to get inspiration and feedback from my classmates and my partner, while also giving feedback. The feedback I was given were mainly small design things and also the hierarchy of my infographic. I was grateful for the senior's advice, because I believe they helped me make something that was much better than I could have made without some constructive criticism. There are some things about this project that I am not happy with, and I don't think it's a perfect piece by any means. However, I am still happy with what I came out with and I believe it showcases how I have learned so much this semester in Graphic Design. 

I believe I have used my time in Graphic Design very efficiently. I tend to work fast in this class and come in after school when it is necessary. When I have finished early or thought I was done, I liked to look around at the works of other students and see if I could be inspired by something they have done to continue working on my own project. I did this a lot with my infographic. 

I believe my strengths as a graphic designer are organization and creativity. I tend to create an outline or plan for my projects and once I have a creative vision, I will transfer it onto the computer. 

Areas that I need to improve in are basic tools used in Adobe Illustrator that I haven't taken the time to figure out. I also need to work on the hierarchy and neatness of my projects. 

What I loved most about this semester was the creativity I got to express, the new things I learned, and the people I got to know. If I could do anything differently, I would put more emphasis on making my projects neat and professionally-done. What I've taken away from this semester is that there is always more to learn, and more to improve. My goal for next semester would be to keep improving and to push myself to do the best I can.