Blog 10 - Interview 2 Reflection

1. Please explain how you are spending your mentorship time (Is it at a workplace or somewhere else?  Are you shadowing?  Are you able to do tasks that are meaningfully related to the topic?  If so, what?  Are there other people who are experts in the location?  Etc...)

• During my mentorship hours, my mentor and I usually meet at a Starbucks for about 2 hours per session and go over work that he has worked on since the last time we met. He shows me how to do specific things and allows me to work on them with him. As of now, I haven't really done much shadowing only because Disney didn't grant his request to bring me in to shadow his work. once he receives more freelance work, we plan to collaborate more and meet up with clients instead of a good old meet at Starbucks. He has assigned me individual tasks like creating logos which is a section a big project he has planned for me which might be my second independent component.

2.  How did you find your mentor?  How did you convince this person to help you?   

• I found my mentor through a friend of mine; her grandma's co-workers boyfriend (my mentor.) I sent him out an email to see what he worked as and if was willing to guide me under his wing for my senior project and he immediately agreed and was happy to be apart of something like this.

3. How would you rate your comfort level with your mentor at this point in your relationship?  How does this relate to the time you've spent so far at mentorship/with this person?

• On a scale of 1-10, I would say our comfort level is at a 6. Since we haven't really spent much time together, it's hard to feel like there is an actual bond forming. We can keep conversations going and work comfortably on what were doing but that's about it. I still don't feel 100% when I text him to plan our next session but I feel it's just a matter of time until everything feels completely comfortable. 

4. What went well in this interview?  Why do you think so?  What do you still need to improve?  How do you know?  How will you go about it?

• I feel like this interview went a lot differently than other interviews tend to go. He gave me a lot of insight on how it is he got to where he is which I really enjoyed. This interview also felt a lot more natural to me than the last time. I feel like I still need to improve on keeping an open discussion going. I know this because after he answered a question, it was really hard for me to respond back to what he said. What I plan to do in the future is ask questions that I could also relate to so I can talk about it after my interviewee answers just so it the mood is a lot more comfortable instead of tense.

Blog 9 - Advisory Prep 3

1. State whether or not you currently have a mentor, and what the status of your interview is with that person (I have completed the interview, I have scheduled the interview, I have not scheduled the interview, etc).

• I currently have a mentor and have already scheduled my interview with him.

2. At this point, your research is probably guiding your studies toward more specific areas within your topic.  Name the area or two you find most promising and explain your reasons.   

• My overall final topic is Visual Design. I'm leaning towards focusing on Animations and Interaction Design. I find these two areas most promising because these are the areas that have most caught my attention. Also, my mentor receives a lot of work in these areas so it will be easy for me to see on hands work from an expert to learn from.

3. What kinds of sources do you think will help you in the next month to gain more research depth?  Where will you go to get them?

• We have an interview coming up so I plan to use that as a resource. I've began to research books that are up at Cal Poly Pomona, now it's just a matter of heading over there and checking them out. The books seem to relate to my topic a lot so I'm excited to read them and learn new things.

4. Write down a possible EQ.  Please don't worry about wording other than ensuring that it provides the option for multiple correct answers.  At this point, the senior team is most interested in understanding your thought process.

• What type of Visual Design is most relevant in today's society?

Blog 8: Independent Component 1 Proposal

1.  Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours.

• For my 30 hours, I will be learning how to fully design a webpage and make it aesthetically pleasing. It is important that the website is simplistic but still holds unique elements which is when my practice in Interaction Design will come in. I will be revamping the website (http://www.cfcworld.net) alongside my mentor. 

2.  Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.

• For our first couple of sessions, I will be learning all the different quirks and tips that make the best website for the clients. After I've learned all the basics and secrets, I will begin working on the new website. This will take up a lot of work and commitment because you can never STOP improving on a project. I have a feeling this independent component will take longer than 30 hours to work on but I'm excited to begin this project soon.

3.  Explain how what you will be doing will help you explore your topic in more depth.

• Interaction Design is the study of creating engaging interfaces with well thought out behaviors. Creating this website will help me explore my topic a bit more in depth because it isn't easy to full understand the persona and purpose the client wants their website to splurge. Getting hands on experience will allow me to understand how challenging it can be to develop a client's request. 

4.  Update your Senior Project Hours log.

• I've only met with my mentor a couple times but I don't know if the meetings were log worthy. I will double check with Piggott to see if I should log those hours or not.

Blog 7 - Second Interview Preparation

 

1.  Who is your mentor and where do they work?  If their workplace does not reflect their expertise, what makes them an expert? 

 

My mentor is Sam Hernandez and he works for the Walt Disney Company as a Interaction Designer. He's barely started working there this year. Before, he worked at Warner Brothers Studio for 6 years. He's had  a lot of experience in the graphic design field, but has recently directed his focus into Interaction Design. He still does side jobs with other companies, but his main employer is The Walt Disney Company. His website his http://idsgns.com if you are interested in looking more into his work.
I think his workplace definitely reflects his expertise and makes him an expert because not any random person would be hired by big companies like Warner Bros Studios and The Walt Disney Company. 

 

2.  What five questions will you ask them about their background?

1. What is the one of the most memorable projects you've worked on?
2. What is the most challenging project you've had?
3.  Has there been a moment in your career that you believe made you a better graphic designer?
4.  How many years did you attend college?
5. Where did you attend college?