EOY Final

My junior year of graphic design has been the most productive, fun, and amazing year by far. I have learned to use Indesign, Illustrator, and photoshop more efficiently. In this reflection I am going to go over the pros and cons for me this year as well as some other details that were of importance to me and how I worked this year.

Technology

This year I learned many things but I believe that one of the most valuable technological advancements I had was getting comfortable with using Indesign. We started using Indesign this year with our name typography project but I started to get the hang of it when we started our menu re-design project. Learning Indesign was a program I knew how to use but I learned more advanced tools with it during that project. I also learned to not chose a company when starting a project like this when they have horrible color choices, and their logo is only available in a gif file. In conclusion, I learned some basic dos and don'ts this year in Indesign and choosing bad companies when the colors they use aren't necessarily the best choices.

Collaboration

During first quarter this year I didn't know many people in this class. I sat by myself in first quarter and when Abby was in class during second hour. Because I didn't know many people I had a hard time working with others in this class. I began to get the hang of how this class operated during our first critique and realized how much everyone really does help each other in this class. I began to ask for help and gave feedback to others when asked. Collaborating with others also helped me improve my communication skills and strengthened some of my other weaknesses that I eventually overcame this year. In conclusion, once I started collaborating with others all of my other skills, such as communication, improved as well.

Communication

Starting first quarter this year was kind of rough because I didn't know many people in this class. I also was very quiet and didn't really talk, but as the year went on, I made new friends and met new people. I eventually would learn that one crucial part of succeeding in a class such as this one, that I would need to go out of my comfort zone, talk to others, and met new people. This meant getting feedback to apply to my projects, asking others around me if they knew how to do something that I didn't, and other things such as that. It was important because when you go out into the real world, you are going to have to communicate with others no matter what type of job you may have. When doing this, I did't face any social barriers, I just had to learn to use my words and speak up. In conclusion, I learned to speak up when I needed help instead of staring at my screen, and to ask for feedback that wasn't during a critique.

Project Management

In the beginning of this year, I was almost always on task with my projects and was constantly trying my hardest to work and improve what I did. But as the year went on, and we moved into the menu-redesign project, my ability to stay on task took a turn for the worst. Because I was stuck and couldn't figure something out, I would sit in my seat, clueless of what to do, and because I was still in my little bubble of not talking a whole lot, I fell behind. Soon after that catastrophic event, I slowly got back on track and back to what I was supposed to be doing. This was an important part of the year for me because it truly taught me why it is important to always stay on task, no matter how difficult something may become. In conclusion, I learned that as what you do may become more difficult, it is important to have the discipline to do what is right, and do your work.

Leadership

When speaking of leadership this year, I learned the importance of being a leader, and how it can affect others around you. During the start of the year I was more of an observer, learning to communicate in a class where communication is key, and how important it is to talk to others. In November, I received my Eagle Scout and that was another trigger that motivated me to attempt to become more of a leader, not just in this class, but everywhere else also, such as helping start of a socratic seminar in English, or helping someone get caught up when they were sick, etc. When it came to this class, I still wasn't the best, but the seniors certainly helped me learn more and guided me through the year. In conclusion, leadership is a very important role to almost anything, whether it be a workplace, sports team, or some other kind of environment when a group of people are working together.

Strengths and Weaknesses

I have made many improvements this year such as overcoming some weaknesses such as staying on task, and communicating when I need help. This year I primarily improved with my communication skills and speaking up when I need help, but I still need to improve my ability to stay on task. No matter the class, aside from a select few, I have always had trouble staying on task and listening and probably always will. My main problem that does prevent me from staying on task is probably my short attention span and that I tend to forget information if I forget to write it down. In conclusion, I have became better at staying on task and listening when necessary.

Conclusion

In all, this year in graphic design has been the best overall, I made new friends, improved many of my skills, and tried my hardest. I am going to do with what I have learned this year leadership wise, and do my best to help the incoming juniors next year in this class. I wouldn't change anything besides my ability to stay on task and chose a different restaurant to re-do their menu. In conclusion, I had a great time this year in graphic design and have came a long way since freshman year.