Quaglia_FinalPost_Post11

The sheer amount of time that needs to be dedicated to projects is what I found most frustrating about this class.  Like Liz said, trying to do one simple thing on Photoshop or Illustrator can often turn into a two-hour struggle for those who aren’t the most familiar with the Adobe software.  Even for those of us who are.  I did have some prior experience with CS, and I think that really gave me an advantage, because labs were often hard to follow. 

The most important thing I learned was to think about design in terms of informational hierarchy, and how to achieve that hierarchy.  I found it very interesting and useful to learn how to make one bit of information take precedence and how the audience’s eye transitions through a piece (that good old Z shape).  I think this is a really useful class for all majors because, while a lot of other concentrations focus on using words (whether written or spoken) to convey a message, this one teaches you that design can achieve the same effect.

I would have to say that the most helpful project (and my favorite) was the resume project.  I think I may just be a sucker for simplicity, though.  But I did like the strict rules concerning color and typefaces… I think it’s easy to be creative when you have unlimited choices.  It was challenging to create something that was exciting but still refined and within the rules.

I’m not sure what I would change about this class.  There was a lot to cover/create/learn in a very limited amount of time, which made it really challenging.  I would probably do something different with the blog posts, or be more consistent with what they were about/when they were do.

Shemin – Final Post – Post 11

Overall, I genuinely enjoyed this class; though it was extremely challenging. Never before have I had to work for any course in all of my college career, and never before did I have to spend the kind of overnight hours at Newhouse, working in the labs. Prior to the semester the latest I had been here was until 10 PM when a night class of mine got out.

Ever since this class began I have not been to look at graphics the same way; and frankly I don’t think I will be able to ever again.
I have dabbled around with computer graphics before here and there, and it was nice to learn more about what went into both the execution that it entailed and the creative process, on a more technical/professional level. A large component of what I am taking away is to keep a close and critical eye; for every little detail can count.

I was always saving things as multiple files, because I had yet to hear of layer comps. I also had never used Adobe Illustrator, and admittedly was a bit frustrated with it when we were first starting out. However, now I miss it, when I don’t have it on my computer at home.

I picked up a few things about fonts as well. This is actually kind of funny, but I have found myself randomly saying in the middle of a conversation, “Hey, that’s a serif”
I also figured out that for whatever reason my blog team likes volunteering me as their representative player, as if I know the material that much or am any good at playing Jeopardy.

What would I change? That’s kind of a loaded question. I know there are multiple areas that could be improved, but I am not really sure about any suggestions as to how.I am going to with two not previously mentioned.

I realize this issue may only apply to a particular few. Nevertheless, I am a commuter student and I live about half an hour away. Seeing how the Adobe programs were required to complete the projects, I ran into trouble because I could not work on them from home. I would very often find myself working on the projects and being kicked out the lab at midnight. This resulted in my coming in way early the next morning to make my final touches and I hate cutting things quite that close.
In addition I haven’t been able to drive for an amount of the time; and this made it particularly difficult having the opportunity to do the work.

I was able to download a student trial, but that ran out in thirty days, right before I needed to start work on my logo. Perhaps, there could be some sort of compromise where students could log in to the servers from home or be given access to the program for a set period of time, registered through the school.

Now my next thing is going to sound quite bizarre, but I would like the blog posting to entail more responses. As someone who has taken multiple online classes where multiple posts in a given week were a must, that felt like less of a hassle in an odd sense. I think what I would prefer would be trying to turn them into an active conversation/exchange.

I am really pleased with my wordmark, but I won’t say that the resume was my favorite project as many others have, as I have made one up in the past. On that note, I believe the logo or the magazine is my favorite. They were more personal, but we were allowed more creative and artistic control.

Katz – Last Post – Post 11

I found this class frustrating but useful. I think that it’s necessary for students of most majors, especially those in Newhouse, to be able to have a basic understanding of the Adobe suite for any kind of technological job or internship in the future. I think the grading is very difficult for a class for non-majors though; it makes sense for us to be graded based on small details since that’s the nature of the business, but most of us are not graphics majors and have no previous experience, and I think that should be taken more into consideration given how much time we put into this class.

My favorite project was probably the resume since it has proven the most useful. I also liked the magazine a lot since we had a lot of leeway with choosing a topic that interests us and building off of that.

One thing that I would change would be the way we go about discussing our projects and sharing them. I think it would be more useful if we had those group meetings where we share our projects and give feedback after our rough drafts are due rather than after the finals are due. At that point, there is nothing we can do to change the project if someone gives helpful advice, while if this happened during the process, we could update our projects.

Walton-Last Post-Post 11

Overall, I learned a lot in GRA 217.  I think, for anyone in any major, learning Adobe programming is a very necessary skill.  I learned a lot about how to operate the programs, how to think about elements of design more closely, and how to organize images and information in a visually appealing way.  These things, alone, were beneficial aspects to the class.  Although I did learn a lot, I think I walked away from this course learning the most about the Adobe suite set of programs.  These were programs that I was always interested in learning, but never had the opportunity to in other classes.

My favorite project was probably the one I found the most useful and worthwhile: the resume.  It was nice to walk away from a class with a project that I intend on using for years to come.  Also, the resume project gave me a lot of practice with InDesign.

I would change two things about this course in the future.  One, I think projects return time should be much shorter.  Two, I think labs would be more useful as a work period.  I learned the programs best when I was just ‘figuring things out,’ and since the projects were so time consuming, it would have been better to have had the lab time to just work on our projects.

Perez-Final Post-Post 11

It is impossible to deny that you learn a lot when you take this class. I think the progression of more and more difficult projects as the semester goes on is logical, and you do apply skills as you learn them. It was a very frustrating class, because sometimes it seemed like it was hard to get help – the labs seemed pretty pointless some days because they would be teaching the skills for the next project, not the current one. But sitting in the lab and figuring things out yourself is rewarding, although it takes forever. I learned how to use photoshop and indesign, something I had no knowledge in before I took the class. My favorite project was the resume project because I’ve actually used my resume after we did that project. For future students, I suggest having more helpful labs and more extra help hours. Although it was a tough class, I think we can all agree we learned a lot!

Olsen-Final Post-Post 11

Overall, I really liked this class.  It was definitely frustrating as doing one simple thing could take me up to two hours to finish, but in the end, it has been really helpful.  I had absolutely no experience in Creative Suite before this class and now I feel very comfortable with most of the programs.  I look at everything very differently now and notice different typefaces and design styles when looking at almost anything.  I think the most important thing I learned in this class is to focus on the target audience when designing something and make sure the design appeals directly to that audience.

I didn’t really have a favorite project for this class.  I really liked the magazine because we had a lot of freedom to get creative.  I also really liked the resume project because it was a project that I could actually use outside of class. I had a lot of trouble with the logo project because I’m not very creative/artistic so it was difficult to illustrate something from scratch.

Also, I actually really liked the movie “Helvetica” and I wish we would have finished it in class.

Smith-Post 11

This class was definitely the most frustrating class I have taken this semester. Although this is true, I am glad that I was required to take it because I learned a lot. I knew nothing about InDesign and the other Adobe programs before I took the class and now I feel like I am pretty proficient in them. I think the class would be better if it was placed in a computer lab so when the Professor is talking about the programs we can follow along. Overall I felt like the class was worth while. The highlight of the class was definitely when I got the double jeopardy question right last week to get the Golden Grids some extra credit.

Sutcliffe-Final Post-Post 11

This was probably the most frustratingly fun class I’ve taken this semester.  I came in already knowing a bit about the Adobe programs, which I think was a real help after seeing how confused other people sometimes were, but I certainly learned a lot more about all the things you can do.  I honestly thoroughly enjoyed learning about the different typefaces, except that now I noticed them everywhere and feel like a critic all the time.  My favorite project would have to be the magazine design.  Despite how frustrated I got with my sidebar, I feel like we had a lot of freedom with the project and getting to pick our own topics made designing the layout a lot fun.  My one suggestion would be to try to be less contradictory in lecture.  I was really frustrated when we were doing the logo project because Darren kept telling us to not use our initials (to be more creative) but every student project he showed us had initials as a major design element.  Other than that, I feel like I’m walking away from the class with some really good design concepts and skills which I hope I’ll have a chance to use in the future.

Elkin-Final Post-Post 11

Class was always interesting, to say the least. Except for when we watched Helvetica, and learned about semiotics, and when we…No but really, I generally enjoyed going to class. I definitely learned a lot about graphic design, especially because I knew nothing of typography and the like before this class. I had no idea how to use any of the Adobe Suite software either. I am glad that I can now use Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator without being 100% clueless (I’m probably only about 60% clueless now). My favorite project was the logo project, partly because it was much less complex than some of the others (the magazine and interface projects in particular) and also because it was a more personal project. To help future students, I would suggest going over some of the software in class at the beginning of each assigned project, rather than at the end.

Alexander-Final Post-Post 11

I think this course was valuable because of the skills I learned in the Adobe suite. I also developed a better eye for graphic design and understand what makes something strong and eye-catching. I really liked the professor’s teaching style and his laid back approach. I thought he was really funny and easy to understand. The format of the class was also enjoyable.

My favorite project was the resume project because it was most relevant to me and I am proud of my final word mark design. I think I will use my current format when sending my resume to prospective employers.

One thing I would change would be the amount of lab time. I think students would benefit from more scheduled lab times.