Semester Reflection of Graphic Design

Semester Reflection of Graphic Design

    Coming into graphic design this year, I was expecting sort of the same thing as last year. But once I got here it was a lot different. I was a lot more pressured this year, which helped me buckle down and focus on my designs compared to the laid back feeling of last year. I really liked some of the projects. Especially the branding project where we had to create our own company and design the logo and implement it into bill boards, business cards, etc. Just the thought of creating your own company logo sounds pretty fun but, you had to do more.

     Probably my least favorite project was the one where you had to use a quote and implement it into three photos that all had to go together. That project to my was just complicated. I spent most of the time figuring out what kind of picture I could make with that quote and in the end, my final product wasn't even that good. I definitely did not like the outcome of that project. But, for the most part, the projects gave me a challenge and I thoroughly enjoyed them.

    I had major trouble in figuring out Adobe Illustrator. We rarely used it last year so when I came into this class again, It was like learning a new thing again. I think the design where I felt like my talents showed is the Homecoming poster. The theme was "Trick of the Lights" which is basically like a dark, whimsical theme. My poster was based off a tarot card from the novel The Night Circus, I hand drew the middle area with the magician and the wand and I added a hot air balloon and stars in the background. I felt really proud of that piece even though it was very invigorating and it ended up not printing right. The photo of it is to the right. 

   I learned a lot of things when it comes to Illustrator. Seeming how I basically learned a new piece of software in a short amount of time I feel like I did pretty well. One thing I'm very glad I learned was to sketch more. Last year I usually ended up only having one idea to go off of but this year was completely different. Especially for my homecoming poster I had over twenty sketches. I never knew how important it was to sketch until this year and that really helped the development of my designs. 

I plan to improve a lot next semester. I definitely got to work on my communication with my peers. This semester I had one or two people I would collaborate with and I need to improve that. Another thing, is displaying my designs to a group of people. I'm a very bad at public speaking and I start to stutter when I'm up in front of people. I also feel like I need to up my software skills for Adobe Illustrator because right now I only know the basics. My skills are caged because I don't know the program that well. Not knowing the program also affects my time management because it takes me longer to complete something and when you're on a timed schedule, it's troubling. I look forward to a better and more enjoyable semester of graphic design in the year 2016.

                             

The Gestalt Principles of Graphic Design

The Gestalt Principles of Graphic Design

Similarity- http://www.andyrutledge.com/gestalt-principles-2-similarity.php

         This article talks about how the similarity between elements can be perceived as similarity of color, size, shape, texture, dimension, and orientation. It says that the similarity of color is the strongest relationship and usually the first thing the viewer notices.

     The authors argument is how similarity is harder to see than some might think. He demonstrates several examples using web design and he goes over the elements (color, size, shape, etc.) to help prove his argument. This evidence is very convincing and it definitely helps me expand my knowledge.

Continuation- http://www.andyrutledge.com/gestalt-principles-3.php

     The articles explains that continuation occurs when the readers eye is compelled to move through one object and continue to another object. The author also states that good continuation allows us to understand the meaning thanks to all the visual structures.

    The bulk of the authors strengths in this article was definitely the examples. The examples really helped me get an understanding of what good continuation is and the examples really complemented the points he made in the paragraph.

Closure- http://www.andyrutledge.com/closure.php

     Closure occurs when the object is incomplete or a space is not completely enclosed. If enough of the shape is indicated usually the viewer can fill in the missing space of the image to make it seem whole. The principle of closure happens in every decision we make and it sometimes leads to consequences when misused. 

    The author really helps define how closure affects design. He explains that humans naturally draw conclusion from not complete things and that closure occurs naturally. Another thing is that to make the closure element effective you have to make it easy for it to occur. In my opinion the author did a great job in explaining why the element of closure is needed and how it can be applied to graphic design.  

Proximity- http://www.andyrutledge.com/gestalt-principles-3.php

       Proximity tends to occur when a set of objects are placed closed together, leading them to be perceived as a group. It is one of the first principles that effect our perception and from which we derive understanding. Proximity tends to overpower other elements like in this example that was given by the author.

        The author also claims that uniform connectedness also leads to the elements being connected by a line being perceived as greater than the elements not connected by the line. The points made in this article were really significant and really helped broaden the vision on the element of proximity.

Figure/Ground- http://www.andyrutledge.com/gestalt-principles-1-figure-ground-relationship.php

       Figure/Ground occurs when the certain element is perceived as either figures, or ground. Stated in the article, The viewer distinguishes the figure/ground relationship from right as they first look at the piece. Most humans distinguish the relationship with ease because they are in familiar surroundings, but when the figure/ground relationship is harder to see it can lead to either success and failure.

The authors examples kind of made the whole figure/ground explanation confusing for me. Like, I understood what he was talking about, but the example images he showed completely threw me off. Other than that I think the author really hit the nail on the head when explaining this element.

Symmetry and order- http://facweb.cs.depaul.edu/sgrais/gestalt_principles.htm

       The article explains that symmetry should be well balanced while order should provide consistency and structure. The way the element is perceived will be based off of the viewers personality or how the element is communicated with the piece. 

        Most viewers are used to things being in orderly manner and will probably lead to frustration if the particular item is hard to comprehend. The goal of symmetry and order is to be equally engaging and structured. The author gave sort of a brief description of what this element is and I think more examples would of helped me have a better understanding of this principle.

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Special Effects Project

Special Effects Project

For this special effects project we had to use after effects to create a SFX explosion and include it in our video. It was very "painful" recording the video in the beginning stages but after that, we began editing.  The editing process was really complicated and I had to have help from my friend. I think the hardest part of this project was lining up the explosion in the film so it didn't happen too late or too early. I am happy with the outcome of the final product and this project was pretty fun.