Week 14: Wrap Up | Shaer

Graphics 217 was by far one of the most interesting classes I have taken at Syracuse. After having taken this course ,I now have a much deeper respect for professional designers. Design is everywhere and I have honestly always taken most of it for granted. After reflecting on some of my previous posts, I was reminded of what a process designing has been throughout the semester. With all of the projects conceptualization was crucial.

I have learned so many things in this class and in lab.  I will never forget the beginning of the semester when professor Taylor said that this class would change the way we see the world; it was so true. I am now aware of design layouts, color, visual hierarchy, and so much more. I have also noticed that Professor Taylor and Paul’s type oriented mindset has rubbed off on me. During the first few classes I remember wondering how someone could be so well rehearsed and passionate about typography. I am now so font conscious that I tend to analyze the text around me. There is a whole world to typefaces and their personalities and postures that I never knew existed. It is fascinating how layout, design techniques and font can influence the way we see and understand things. I have to admit that I am still overwhelmed by suitcase and the endless typefaces.

This class has also confirmed my intrigue by the Adobe Creative Suite. I have always wanted to learn how to use this deign software, but was rather intimidated in the beginning of the semester because I had never really used it before. My fear instantly vanished when I went to lab. I found lab to be tremendously helpful. With practice it was much easier to grasp the elementary concepts than I had anticipated. Learning how to use the technology was such an asset and a valuable thing I will take away from this class. I can now say that I have a fundamental background in Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator. Being able to use these programs makes me a better-rounded candidate for a career or internship in the future, and will come in handy with future projects. After having completed this course I feel I can now effectively communicate with designers and speak this new language with some level of confidence.

My favorite thing about this course was the assortment of projects, especially magazine design. I loved the challenge of meeting all of the requirements/ details and having so much freedom to explore my creative side and implementing the concepts and design programs we have learned. The variety of projects allowed us to become familiar with the different programs individually and hone in on particular skills.  I feel that there was a perfect balance of guidelines and regulations and room for self-expression and personal interests.

Lastly, I also appreciated and benefited from all of the feedback from the projects. Peer reviews and project evaluations allowed me to receive a critical eye and another perspective on my work that I had never considered or notice errors that I skimmed over. I have learned so much from the professor Taylor, the TAs and my classmates! It was such a positive learning experience and really enjoyed having Professor Taylor, Paul, and Steven as mentors.