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. 

Answer 2

1.  What is your EQ?

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

2.  What is your first answer? (In complete thesis statement format)

• UNITY holds a design together and provides a fulfilling experience to the user.

3.  What is your second answer? (In complete thesis statement format)

• BALANCE helps a designer make sure their design is aesthetically pleasing and proportionately evened out to make it more appealing to the human brain, impacting the user.

4.  List three reasons your answer is true with a real-world application for each.

• If the elements on the top feel a bit heavier than the bottom, it creates a lot of tension throughout the design. 
• You can incorporate small areas in your design with vibrant colors to balance out larger areas of neutral colors.
• Asymmetrical composition is intended to create a deliberate imbalance of the elements in the design; creates tension purposely.

5.  What printed source best supports your answer?

• "Understanding the Importance of Balance in Graphic Design." DigitalTutors Blog. N.p., 11 Apr. 2014. Web. 25 Feb. 2016.

6.  What other source supports your answer?

• "Design Principles: Compositional Balance, Symmetry And Asymmetry." Smashing Magazine. N.p., 29 June 2015. Web. 25 Feb. 2016.

7.  Tie this together with a  concluding thought.

• Without balance, a design isn't complete It's as simple as that. In order for a design to be impactful on the user, it needs to feel whole, complete. Using balance, the designer can acquire a design that is truly exquisite and admiring to the target user, making it extremely impactful on them.

Blog 16: Independent Component 2 Approval

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

• For my 30 hours, I plan on designing my own logo from scratch. My mentor and I have been talking about doing this for about 2 months now and we had decided to hold it off until my second Independent Component. I was skeptical to wether it would take 30 hours but according to my mentor, I might even need more than 30 hours which I'm perfectly fine with. 

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

• There are many steps that take place into designing a logo. I will be logging all my hours minute by minute, detail by detail, on what it is i worked on that day just so that it is evident how important every little detail really is in Visual Design. 

3.  Explain how this component will help you explore your topic in more depth.

• My EQ is: What are the qualities that make visual design most impactful? Designing this logo, I will really have to dig deep and research how I'm going to bring all the elements to make a succesful logo. I feel like many qualities will be showed in the design once its completed which would help me come up with more answers for my Essential Question.

4.  Post a log in your Senior Project Hours link and label it "Independent Component 2" log.

• My Senior Project Hours link already has a log for my Independent Component 2. I will begin updating it once I kickstart my project.