Blog 24: Last Presentation Reflection

Woot woot!

(1) Positive Statement

What are you most proud of in your block presentation and/or your senior project? Why?
-I was most proud of my activity, because it directly tied into my EQ and final answer about communicating with your client or graphic designer.

(2) Questions to Consider

a.     What assessment would you give yourself on your block presentation?  Use the component contract to defend that assessment.

AE       P          AP       CR       NC

b.     What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project? Use the component contract to defend that assessment.

AE       P          AP       CR       NC

(3) What worked for you in your senior project?
-My presentation overall was very organized and many people enjoyed the activity because they used their own creativity incorporating what they learned into their designs.
(4) (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your senior project?
-I didn't fully get my point across because I had a bit of a hard time expressing myself and explaining my content/how my answers related to my EQ.
(5) Finding Value

How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors?   Be specific and use examples.
-It really helped me understand how to carry myself and know how to talk to others (exit interviews, interviews with mentors/interviewees). I also got a lot better at making presentations, and found confidence in my own style because many people told me my theme looked professional and aesthetically pleasing.

Blog 23: Exit Interview Prep

(1) What is your essential question, and what are your answers?  What is your best answer and why?

-My essential question is: How can a graphic designer communicate their client's vision while maintaining their own creativity? My three answers are: 1. Establishing a clear understanding and communication of what the client wants. 2. A thorough research on the client's background. 3. Have both the graphic designer and client to have a clear understanding of graphic design and printing. My best answer is: Establishing a clear understanding and communication of what the client wants.  I chose this answer because communication is imperative when it comes to graphic design, hence its alternative name "visual communication".
(2) What process did you take to arrive at this answer?

-During my interviews, I ways always told that communication is key to graphic design; that's why it's also called visual communications. I also came across several articles stating that keeping a constant communication with your client will help establish a clear and successful business with one another.
(3) What problems did you face?  How did you resolve them?

-I was nervous as to how I could answer the EQ with just one sentence. But then I realized that the simpler it is, the easier I can explain in full detail as to why I reached that answer.
(4) What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question and why?

-One was my interview three with my interviewee Jarek Ceballos. He was extremely thorough with his answers, and really was eager to assist me in answering my questions about graphic design and how I could improve my skills. Another source was the website Creative Bloq, a website for designers to go on and research or find inspiration. This website was very organized and in almost every article, there would be steps or a process to follow that could possibly help me with designing. And they didn't come off as forcing me to use their ideas, the website's creators and authors always encouraged their audience to create their own ideas while using their ideas as inspiration.

Blog 22: Independent Component 2

Easter 2016

LITERAL
(a) Include this statement: “I, student name, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents ___ hours of work.”
-I, Scully Kuo, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 37 hours of work.
(b) Cite your source regarding who or what article or book helped you complete the independent component.
-Ceballos, Jarek. Personal Interview. 2016 Feb. 18.
-Hardy, Gareth. "Logo Design: Conducting Preliminary Research." Logo Design: Conducting Preliminary Research. Graphics, n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2015.(c) Update your Independent Component 2 Log (which should be under your Senior Project Hours link)
(d) Explain what you completed.
-For my Independent Component 2, I was assigned to coordinate, create, and design a two-day event. One was on Saturday, March 26, 2016. It was a performance event called "Life Show (life, because Jesus Christ rose to 'life' on Easter day; it's a pun for live show)." For about three weeks, I planned, discussed, designed, and coordinated the event's venue and created flyers and posters with it. For day two of the event on March 27, 2016, I was required to make signs for the many people who were going to hold up the said signs. I was also assigned to cut out big pieces of cardboard and spray paint them. Words like "honk for Jesus", "hope is everything", or "know Him, know life, no Him, no life" were painted upon them in a typographical way.
(e) Defend your work and explain the component's significance and how it demonstrates 30 hours of work.   Provide evidence (photos, transcript, art work, videos, etc) of the 30 hours of work.

Flyer for day 1

Flyer for day 2

Photo booth area

Cardboard sign to welcome attendees into the event.

Cardboard signs used to let people know today is Easter.

(f) How did the component help you answer your EQ? Please include specific examples to illustrate how it helped.

-IC 2 helped me find my answer, because I was constantly communicating with others and asking the host of the event (aka my client) what their thoughts were and how I could improve it. The answer I chose to answer my EQ was that in order to communicate the client's design while maintaining our own creativity was by establishing a clear understanding of what the client wants. This IC really helped me confirm that communication and understanding was the most important part of graphic designing. If we don't communicate our thoughts and potentials, we wouldn't create something meaningful to the client themselves.

Blog 21 - Interview 4 Reflection

1. What is the most important thing I learned from the interview?
-The most important thing I learned in this interview was that communication is everything when it comes to graphic design to be able to be in the same page as your client and understand their needs, while they can understand the graphic designer's work habits, creativity, and style. 
2.  How will what I learned affect my final lesson?
-I will definitely be focusing more on communication and business with the client more than my past two presentations, because it's a very important component that needs to be focused on more when it comes to graphic design.

Blog 20: Fourth Interview Questions

1.  Who do you plan to interview?  What is this person's area of expertise?
-I plan to interview my last interviewee's colleagues. They are also a freelance graphic designer.
2.  Post 20 open-ended questions you want to ask an expert in the field concerning your senior project. Your focus should be finding answers to your EQ.

1. How can a graphic designer communicate the client's vision while maintaining their own creativity?
2. How do you make sure both you and your client has a basic understanding of graphic design?
3. Is there anyone or anything that inspires you to create the designs you make?
4. When you started out, what were some of the most difficult things you had to go through as someone who just started in the business?
5. What is your favorite design program to use?
6. Have you stuck with it since you started or have you tried different programs to stick with what you've had now?
7. Why is communication such an important factor for graphic design?
8. What is the key to making your client satisfied?
9. How can a graphic designer improve themselves as a person to appeal to their customers?
10. What is a good way to show your client your designs with their preferences in mind?
11. How do you convince your client that your designs are good enough for them to use?
12. What is the most important part of being a graphic designer?
13. What are some components that makes someone want to hire a graphic designer?
14. What is the first thing you do when you get a job?
15. How do you understand the art of design?
16. Where do you get your inspiration for your designs?
17. What is your favorite brand in retrospect, and why do you like it?
18. Design isn't just making it appealing to the eye. It also requires perfect measurement. What do you do to make sure your designs are perfectly symmetrical?
19. What qualities do you consider necessary for a good designer?
20. Do you have any advice to give people who want to start out in this business?

Blog 19: Third Answer

• EQ
• How can a graphic designer communicate their client's vision while maintaining their own creativity?
• Answer #3 (Write in a complete sentence like a thesis statement)
• A graphic designer can communicate their client's vision while maintaining their own creativity by making sure both they and their client has a basic understanding of graphic design and how it works.
• 3 details to support the answer
• Mentor's interview talked about it in the past, and had personal experiences with miscommunication because the client didn't understand graphic design
• Some clients don't get graphic design and its dynamics, and ask GDs to do the impossible.
• This leads to miscommunication and confusion, and therefore takes a lot of time/gets very messy in the process of designing.
• The research source(s) to support your details and answer
• Interview #1
• #7
• #15
• Concluding Sentence
• Having both parties have a good understanding of what graphic design is is important. If there is no clear understanding between what is possible and what is impossible, there would be chaos and both the client and graphic designer will blame each other for not doing their job right and not understanding the limitations of graphic design, respectively. Therefore, to have both the GD and client understand at least a basic amount of GD terminology and concept is one of the keys to having a successful and smooth relationship while the GD does work for their client.

Blog 18: Answer 2

1.  What is your EQ?
-My EQ is, "How can a graphic designer communicate their client's vision while maintaining their own creativity?"
2.  What is your first answer? (In complete thesis statement format)
-Establish a clear understanding of exactly what they want through communication.
3.  What is your second answer? (In complete thesis statement format)
-Have an understanding of the background of your clients' company/organization.
4.  List three reasons your answer is true with a real-world application for each.
-Communication is important for every job. I noticed in almost every presentation I saw, there was a presenter who mentioned communication at least once.
-If you make sure that you and the other party understand each other and know what each other would like, it creates a harmonious relationship to get work done.
-Many articles that I have accessed have stated that you must do thorough research before creating something for a company, as it must hold an important meaning while integrating what the company does/is.
5.  What printed source best supports your answer?

-Hardy, Gareth. "Logo Design: Conducting Preliminary Research." Logo Design: Conducting Preliminary Research. Graphics, n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2015. <http://www.graphics.com/article-old/logo-design-conducting-preliminary-research>.
6.  What other source supports your answer?
-Shorr, Graham. "5 Tips to Create a Design Portfolio." Expertise. Expertise, 1 May 2015. Web. 18 Feb. 2016. <http://www.expertise.com/design-and-photography/easy-steps-to-create-a-beautiful-design-portfolio>.
7.  Tie this together with a concluding thought.
-I believe that these two answers help me with my EQ, because communication is key when you talk to people. It's especially important in graphic design. I recently interviewed someone who also told me that communication is literally everything when it comes to GD, hence its other name, visual communications. Other articles and sources I have come across have also stated this, therefore I am positive and confident that these answers will lead me to a good and solid answer.