I really enjoyed the unit on Design! Design has always been something I found important, particularly in extracurricular applications. Starting in high school as a member of the student government, creating flyers, Instagram stories, and other multimedia products was something I always found to be a fun way to get involved. Now, through this unit, I’ve been able to explore the concepts and methods that make Design effective and appealing. What I learned, I can apply to future assignments and make really compelling stuff!
Ultimately, the main way we, the public, can understand, appreciate, and critique design is by careful observation and reflection. By embarking on the designblitz assignment and focusing on the mundane, less-noticed places that design principles can be applied, I learned that each material thing around us can be broken down into its essential design components and effectively evaluated using those principles, which I’ve learned throughout this unit. I also found the Vignelli Canon to be very helpful when evaluating both the designs of others and the ones I created. Now, granted, I can’t judge myself to the same standards as a professional, but learning to understand how Semantics, Clarity, and Syntax work together is crucial. These are more nebulous frameworks for creating designs, but I think that is what makes them the most appealing to me. They allow me to be creative while still holding onto familiar standards.
But challenges were certainly present. The largest of which, I think, is technical limitations. A few times, I had to compromise my idea for the way something would look or the assignment prompt simply because I didn’t have the software or the skills to do it justice. I think this will get resolved with time, as I learn more about these platforms and scope out new ones that I might need for future employment, but for now, I’ll just keep practicing!
Digital Bank Assignments
For the unit, I completed three Digital Bank Assignments which each completed one design process: one that added text to a photo, one that modified a photo, and one that added myself into another photo. These assignments were really fun and I enjoyed writing about some of my favorite topics! I hope you enjoy:
In conclusion, although I struggled with technical abilities and the platforms available to me, this unit has been really enjoyable! I hope to do more with the skills I have acquired this week as we prepare to leave for Peru! See you on the next adventure, just around the corner!