Week 1: I registered knowing that I wanted to learn some new software skills for designing exhibits. I really wanted to pick an exhibit that I had proposed in a previous class so that I was already acquainted with the material that would be in the exhibit. Lately, with writing my thesis and a massive binge-listening session to Carole King’s catalogue, I have been sold on my exhibit proposal for the Hall of Fame. The more I thought about it, the more I was attached with trying to visualize the exhibit and create something more than a line drawing on the page. With the course, I really want to at least create an exhibit design that can be used as a tool for planning exhibits in the future.

Week 2: I have begun searching for ideas to include in my resume InDesign revamp project. I have found a few websites that list some free and low cost templates for various programs, but I haven’t found one that I am completely sold on. Do I want to incorporate school logos as bullet points? How many sections do I want to divide the page into? How much do I need to work on redesigned the header? I CAN’T DECIDE! I am going to give this quite a bit more thought over the weekend. One thing I have decided though is that, depending on how drastic of a change this makes to my resume, I will need to create some kind of basic header to create continuity between my resume and cover letter.

Week 3: I am working with InDesign on some basic tutorials. Most of the templates that I have come across are too ‘design-y’ for my tastes and profession. But I do think I want to take some of the formatting from those templates and design principles from my current resume to create a new design. I also download Sketch Up Make this week and have been playing with creating 3D shapes to practice before applying my floorplan to the software. My goal for the rest of this week and weekend is to continue working with Sketch Up while being calm. I find that my biggest downfall of working with new software is my inability to curb my frustration so it doesn’t affect my learning. Early next week, I am going to start trying to build some walls and draw out some detailed plans for the exhibit walls.

Week 4: I have completed a couple of drafts in InDesign for my resume and have finally (!!!!!) trimmed it down to one page for the first time since high school. After playing around in Sketch Up, I have begun to get comfortable with some of the tools and commands that I believe will be necessary for my project. I am trying to create a layout without much information as to the dimensions of the space, but I am trying not to get discouraged. Mostly, I am finding that working with some items from the 3D Warehouse (while helpful) can be frustrating as the software is not always as intuitive as my thought process. I am going to continue to push through and work on the exhibit in the coming weeks. Because of my bumpy start with Sketch Up, I am questioning if I want to continue with my idea of creating a virtual tour of the exhibit. Only time will tell.

Week 5: My frustrations with Sketch Up are becoming more internalized. I discuss this a little more in my midterm report, but I am hitting a mental roadblock that is causing me to throw out what progress I have made to start over. The plus side of this is that I am working more with the tools and getting the basics down. The major con is that I am really starting to get behind my personal schedule for this part of my project. Because of this, I am going to reevaluate my timeline for the rest of the term to be more realistic. At this point, I don’t think I will be able to complete a virtual tour of the space. But I will try if I can. I am just trying to remain positive, reminding myself that I would be even more behind if I didn’t have the floorplan I originally created. If I had to dream up a new floorplan, I wouldn’t get anything done with this project.