GOALS:

  1. To develop competency in website design by maintaining this blog throughout this course. To apply concepts of what I have learned towards building a website (WIX) for a nonprofit I am working for.

After a few rounds of adding content to this website, I became very familiar with the “back-office” elements and how to best organize content.  However, I am currently struggling uploading my Graphic Standards document to the site! So there are certainly frustrations involved.  The other website program I am using, WIX, is in a way easier to use, almost completely based on “drag and drop.”  But it too has its frustrations, also particularly with uploading files and content.  This will go on for the rest of the year, so I’m sure my competency will improve.

 

  1. To grasp the full scope and potential of an organization’s brand and how it affects everything from signage to website design to business cards and letterheads and so on.

Putting together the Graphic Standards project was very useful.  Beyond making the visuals, putting into words how graphics should and should not be used was good exercise.  Focusing on the adaptability of a logo and maximizing its use for various applications gave me a good understanding of a logo’s potential. 

 

  1. Throughout this course, to amass a personal inventory of resources I can use for projects in this course as well as future projects and beyond.

The Diigo links on the website have been useful, as well as other resources on the course website.  As long as that website is available I will refer to it in the future!  Outside of that, I plan on keeping at least one of the books we read for this class; they make for a great reference and are both easy to navigate.  Lastly, YouTube has been a very powerful ally this term when working with Illustrator.

 

  1. To develop a better understanding of typography and how its subtleties create meaning.

I don’t think I studied too hard into the details of typography, however almost all of my typographic choices ended up have very concrete reasons for their selection.  They can be complimentary to other design elements, they can be used to compete with other visual elements, and they can certainly convey meaning or feeling. 

 

  1. To gain more experience with the software tools we will be using in class.

I never once used Illustrator before this class.  Although there is so much more to learn, like most Adobe programs, I can at least approach it and use it with confidence.  I became very happy with what I was able to do.  And with tutorials at your side, like YouTube, you can really learn as you go.  It’s a language I have just started to learn, and I fear that I’ll lose what I’ve gained pretty fast if I don’t keep using the program.