What I did this semester?
Infographic Project
One project that we completed this semester was making our own infographics. I made mine over phone addiction. It took me a couple of weeks to complete this project. I wanted to make sure that I had everything laid out the way I wanted. I wanted my typeface to be simplistic and readable. I also wanted to make sure that all my graphic images looked good. A challenge I faced was spacing and figuring out where I wanted everything to go. I first had my infographic horizontal but then decided to switch it to vertical. Later in the project I decided to switch it back to horizontal for good. I forgot to make room for my sources that are listed at the bottom. I had to rearrange some of my graphics to get everything to fit. I also did not want any of my text to look squished or to close together. I think my overall infographic turned out good. Throughout this project I learned what features make a good infographic. You need to not overcrowd the graphic with information or text. You want have 6 key points that you want people to get from you infographic. People will not sit and read and infographic that has three whole paragraphs written on it. You also want to be simplistic. You want to have a decent amount of white space to allow your graphics to breathe and you also want to stick with a few colors or a color theme. It would look to chaotic if you had the whole rainbow of colors slapped onto your graphic. It makes it look more put together when you have only a few colors put on your infographic. A few of my peers suggested that I change my typeface. Some of them said that I used a font to similar to comic sans the first time. A couple of people also suggested that align a few of my graphics better. They wanted a clear straight tunnel down to the word "VS". I decided to change my type to a much bolder and simpler font. I wanted it to look professional and not kiddish. I also aligned my whole graphic better. I also decided to bold a couple of the words in the same blue I used on the brain and text bubbles. I wanted to incorporate that color of blue into the project and i also wanted those words to stick out. I really enjoyed this project because it was very independent. We got to be creative and make up our own ideas of what we wanted on this project. We were allowed to do our own thing at our own pace and I really enjoyed that. Self-Portrait Using The Pen Tool
For this second project we were required to use an image of our self and use the pen tool to make use look like a cartoon. I used a selfie of me wearing a Nike hat because I thought that would look good as an illustration. It took me about a week to complete this project. I could not quite get my nose to look good and I just had to settle for what I had made. I also could not get my lips to look good at all but I managed to create something that resembled lips. A challenge I faced was getting used to the pen tool. I had never used the pen tool until this project and I struggled at first when trying to use it. throughout the project I stated to get the hang of it and managed to make something. I learned how to make a cartoon image overall. I never knew how you made a illustration like that but I had seen graphics like that al the time. I thought that making this would be more complex and advanced but it was actually quite simple. I never really got feedback on this project but looking back on it now I would have definitely added more detail to my face and make my features look better. next time I would probably change the picture to a full body image because that is more advanced an more of a challenge and it would be a lot of fun. Overall this project was really exciting. I liked that this project felt more personal since it was an image of myself and I wasn't following a tutorial to make the same thing hat everyone else was making(I still like tutorials though!) I would definitely want to do something like this again.
How did I use my time in class?
I feel that during class I am pretty focused and I am good at staying on task. If I ever finished my projects I would make little tweaks or look up a tutorial on how to enhance my project. I have only came into class early to finish my logo once. I have also gone home and laid out some of my project so I can come to class with an idea of what I am going to make.
My Strengths
I think a few of my strengths are asking questions and staying focused. I would say that I am stronger at Illustrator. I enjoy using Illustrator more than Photoshop. I feel that I do a good job at not getting distracted by my peers and i always ask questions when i need help. I will usually ask my peers or my instructor when I need help.
My Weaknesses
I need to improve my time management skills. I feel that this quarter I have not gotten my assignments in on time. I also think that I need to improve my Photoshop skills. I am not as used to Photoshop and I do not know as much about the tools. I also think that Photoshop is a lot more complicated but with some time and more experience I feel that I can improve my skills greatly.
Summary
This semester I love getting to do more independent assignments where we get to all be creative in our own way. I would love to do a group project where we get assigned to a group and we have to work together and collaborate to make a project. The most important things I learned this semester were my strengths nndweaknesses. I think that knowing these I will be able to improve my skills next year. My goal for next semester is to improve my Photoshop skills. I would love to learn more about that program. I really enjoyed this semester and I am looking forward to a awesome 2017!