Blog 24: Last Presentation Reflection

(1) Positive Statement

What are you most proud of in your block presentation and/or your senior project? Why?

• During my block presentation, I was very proud that everyone was participating in my activity. They immediately became interested and involved. 

(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

• I believe that my presentation was very effective because all the information that I had was presented professionally and I was able to cover all the content at a good pace. I believe that my introduction really grasped the audience and gave them a better understanding of my topic and essential question because literally the video covered all the content that I covered in my design. My time was used properly and I was able to finish my presentation without needing to rush anything. I tried to use my prop in an effective way so I designed some iPhones with my essential question and placed on one every table for the students to see whenever they wanted. I also cited my mentorship in all of my answers so that the audience could understand them on another level. Overall, I feel as if my presentation went extremely well and the only thing I would change about it is cutting down some time from my activity and including another one in. 

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

• I would give myself an P/AE because I got my hours done, I did what was required, and I still plan to continue communicating with my mentor for help and guidance as I follow my career as a freelance visual designer. It was more than just a mentorship to me, it was guidance for life and I appreciated all the project had to offer.

(3) What worked for you in your senior project?

• My mentor, Sam Hernandez, worked really well with my schedule and dedicated a lot of his time to me. It was nice to know he was as committed as I was to the project.

(4) (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your senior project?

• I would've cerated a list of people I could communicate with to try and have interviews with. Finding other visual designers was a huge struggle for me. 

(5) Finding Value

How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors?   Be specific and use examples.

• It Really solidified the fact that I appreciate visual design. I plan to start off my freelance career in college while I work towards my major. I'm glad I had the opportunity to experience all I did and gain a lot of knowledge from this.

Blog 23: Exit Interview

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

• My essential question is: What are the qualities that make visual design most impactful?
• My first answer is: Unity. My second answer is: Balance. My third answer is: Typography. In my opinion, my best answer would be my first one; Unity. Unity is what holds a design together and brings it all together in the end. 

(2) What process did you take to arrive at this answer?

• One of my biggest struggles with any piece I designed either for fun or for work was having a feeling that my design made sense as a whole. It's very important that the whole design unites as one.

(3) What problems did you face?  How did you resolve them?

• It was kind of hard for me to find my third answer because I couldn't think of one last quality that fit all types of visual design. Once I started thinking out of the box, I realized the answer was right in front of my eyes, literally; Typography. 

(4) What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question and why?

• One of my significant sources was Sam Hernandez. Another one of my sources would be the internet. If I went into specifics, I would have to list many websites but overall, the internet.

Blog 22: Independent Component 2

"I, Alexis Alvarez , affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 31 1/2 hours of work."

A lot of my sources that helped me finish my independent component 2 came from the internet. The internet is full of al to of inspiration and it helps plenty. I kept in contact with my mentor and he helped when i would get stuck with technical issues while designing. 

For my independent component 2, I designed my game board and anything else that had to be designed which ranged from money, character cards, and happening cards. Since I was the most experienced and we wanted to graphically design our entire game, I figured it'd be good practice to do it and gain a different aspect of Visual Design. 

This component really helped me put my Visual Design skills into play with another aspect of Visual design. Designing this came board was a lot more complicated for me than it was to design the website. For this game board, I had no template it was original ideas. My answer 2 really came into play with my Independent Component 2.

(MY LOG IS UPDATED. TO access it go to my Senior Mentorship Log)

Blog 21: Fourth Interview Reflection

1. What is the most important thing I learned from the interview?  

• Managing your time when designing can be very crucial. If your taking on a big project, its important you break the projects into smaller pieces so that you're not overwhelmed by the idea of a big project. 

2.  How will what I learned affect my final lesson?

• I had planned to design a logo for my last lesson. I gained a lot of information about how to prepare to make a logo from Efrain this last interview. 

Blog 17: Interview 3 Reflection

1. What is the most important thing I learned from the interview?  

• It's important to always know your client well and be patient so that the design comes out the best it can. Also, everything takes time so build up your reputation slowly as time goes by.

2.  How has your approach to interviewing changed over the course of your senior project?

• I try to have open-ended questions so that my interviewee doesnt get stuck while answering the questions. 

Blog 20: Fourth Interview Questions

1.  Who do you plan to interview?  What is this person's area of expertise?

• I plan to interview one of my mentors peers called Efrain. Im still in the process of doing my third interview but i've finally found someone to get it done with. From what I've heard, I can interview the same person twice so I plan on doing both interviews with him. Efrain is a graphic designer based in Glendale.

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.

• In your opinion, what is the most important aspect of Visual Design?

• What aspect do you find yourself to struggle with the most or spend the most time on?

• What has been one of the most successful designs you've created?

• How do you plan out what color schemes you're gunna incorporate into your design?

• To what extent do you prepare before beginning a design?

• How do you read into the fonts you use?

• How can I learn myself how to utilize my tools provided for me?

• How do you effectively communicate with your clients?

• What's one utility that you come to use a lot when working on your designs?

• Have you ever come across a client that was completely hard to work with? If so, how did you go about it?

• Are there any recommendations you have for me when designing a logo?

• What's the first step you take when designing a logo?

• What's the first step you take when designing a poster? 

• How does your clients thoughts guide you when designing?

• How do you manage your time most effectively when designing?

• What's an effective method which guides you in the right path when designing?

• How do you "tackle" a big project down?

• How do you overcome a creative block?

• What helps get your creativity flowing again when you lose it?

• When did you first begin designing?

Blog 19: Third Answer

• My EQ: What are the qualities that make visual design most impactful?

• Answer #3: Typography in graphic design can strongly affect how people react to a design.

• 3 details to support my answer:
1. Careful selection and consistent use of a chosen typeface can be just as important as the use of graphics, color and images.
2. You must anticipate how the use of fonts and styling will influence your audience, even in ways they are not conscious of initially.
3. Researchers found that when good typography is used, people frown less and perform creative, cognitive tasks better afterwards.

• Douglas, Julia Barrick. "The Importance of Typography in Graphic Design." The Importance of Typography in Graphic Design. FORTIS, 14 Aug. 2015. Web. 03 Mar. 2016.

• Concluding sentence:
• Typography is a really important, strong, persuading element of a design which is why I chose it as my 3rd answer.