Blog 10: Senior Project Update

1. For my independent component, I am putting together a portfolio that will also be submitted to art schools. I am going to have Paul give critique my work so that I have a guidance.

2. A significant piece of research that I've recently reviewed is the book What is Graphic Design? by Quentin Newark. 

What is Graphic Design? by Quentin Newark

3. One of the sketches that I've recently worked on:

Marilyn Monroe

Blog 5b: Science Fair Proposal

1. What is your topic?

• Graphic design

2. What is the driving problem behind your experiment and the quote by an expert to support that problem? (Expert citation must be MLA format.)

• Graphic designer's eye health and vision is affected because of the amount of time spent on computers

3. What is your hypothesis? (Must be in If-Then form.)

• If a graphic designer consistently stares into the computer screen while working on a project without taking breaks to rest their eyes, then they could experience Computer Vision Syndrome.

4. Write a paragraph summary of how you will perform the experiment.  Include the tools you plan on using.

• I will use about 10-15 graphic designers and record the amount of time that they spend on the computer designing each day. I will test their vision by using a Snellen chart at the end of each day. After a couple of weeks, I will give them different exercises to relieve stress from their eyes while using the computer. I will then test their eye sight again at the end of everyday. I will continue this process for another few weeks and see the final result to see if the exercises helped or not.

5. Select one of the following Project Categories for your experiment:

• Behavioral/Social Science

Working EQ and Possible Answers

1. What was the working EQ you used during your presentation?

• What is the best way to ensure a high quality outcome when creating an image?

2. Did you decide to change your working EQ after your presentation?

• I am not going to revise my EQ at this time.

3. What are possible answers to your current working EQ?

• Attention to details is a huge factor when trying to create an image with quality.
• The type of software being used could impact the outcome of an image's quality.
• Ambition is a characteristic that could result in a high quality outcome of an image.

Blog 8: Rough Draft of Presentation 1

10 Minute Lesson Plan

Blog7: Independent Component 1 Plan Approval

1. Write a description of what you plan on doing for your independent study component.

• I plan on taking an art class/ lesson. this class doesn't give grades but I know the art instructor/ owner of the place pretty well so she could give me feedback on what I did well and what I need to improve.

2. Describe in detail how you think your plan will meet the 30 hours work requirement.

• I'm planning on going to the class every Saturday and hopefully several weekdays. I'll probably go for 2 hours every Saturday so after about 15 classes, I will have completed my 30 hours. And for the weekdays, those are the days that I will come in to get feedback from her. 

3. How does your independent study component relate to your working EQ?

• My EQ is "What is the best way to ensure a high quality outcome when creating an image?" This independent study component is relative because I feel like I need to be able to create a high quality piece of art with my own hands before I could create it on the computer. I also think that this will help me with my creativity which is essential when it comes to graphic design.

Blog 6: Second Interview

Interview Questions:

• What was your biggest inspiration to becoming a graphic designer?
• What did you have to go through, educational wise, to get to where you are?
• How long have you been in this career field and within those years, when did you realize this was the career you wanted to keep? 
• What do you think the most important characteristic to have when you're a graphic designer?
• What was the best design you've ever created or seen?
• What distinguishes you from other designers?
• What is your favorite thing about your job?

Blog 4: Working EQ

The Pentagon:

1. Positive Statement: What positive thing happened as a result of what you have completed so far?

• So far, I think one of the most positive thing that happened is that I've gained a couple of contacts that could potentially help me with not only my senior project but with an actual career if I do choose to go this path. 

2. EQ Content: Pick a piece of research or your interview. How has it helped you improve your understanding of your topic?

• I think the interview helped me so much because me interviewee, Clelia Hernandez, gave me so many examples and every time she explained something to me, everything was so in depth and she just made everything really clear.

3. What has worked for you so far in your senior topic?

• So far, finding research for this topic has been a breeze. I found a lot of great information and learned many new things about how to create an appealing design.

4. What hasn't worked for you so far?

• So far, finding a mentor has been very difficult. I've contacted several people but they told me that they either weren't looking for an intern or they only did printing which wasn't what my topic's about.

5. Finding Value:

• What possible question or questions come to mind regarding what you would like to study this year?
• I'm not exactly sure. I guess my only question would be how does any of the things I'm learning apply to real world situations?
• What is your end goal this year with your senior project?
• My goal is to create some sort of a base to a career. More specifically, I want to start my own little "company." Not going out to open up a shop or anything but I want to put designs out on the web, make business cards and give them out so whenever people need a design, they would contact me. It's a far-fetched idea but I would love to do that.
• Who would you like to talk to you next? Why?
• I would like to talk to a professor next. I think it would be a good idea to talk to not only someone who has the experience but also someone who knows about it so well that they could teach it.

Blog 5a: Problem Statement

1. Graphic Design (Problems):

1. Many graphic designers do not use their creativity to inspire others to change the world. "Changing the world" might be an overstatement but even make changes in their communities. People need to be inspired and what better way to do it then graphic designs? I mean, look around you, they're everywhere!

• Once I figure out a way to solve the problem I will try and put together groups of talented and creative artists who wants to see as much change in the world/community as I do. 

2. I currently do not have a second question. I do not yet have a mentor so I haven't had the opportunity to ask and see what problems he/she has faced. However, I am waiting for a response from a possible mentor and will ask and find out different problems as soon as she contacts me back.

Blog 3: Interview Preparation

1. Who do you plan to interview? Why?

• I plan to interview Clelia Hernandez, an iPoly Alumni. She did her senior project on a topic that is similar to mine and she has experience with graphic design. I thought it would be convenient to interview someone who has experienced the project before. If she is not available, I plan on interviewing my summer mentor, Lidia Korinko from Art2ink Inc. I would interview her because she has tons of experiences with this topic and because it would make sense to ask her since she was my mentor for the summer.  

2. What additional questions do you plan to ask?

• What made you want to pursue this career?
• What characteristics do you think are required to become a successful graphic designer?
• What difficulties did you face when you began this career?

Blog 2: Topic Choice

1. What is your topic and why? 

• Graphic Design is the topic that I will pursue as my senior project. I have a great interest in both art and computer (mainly editing pictures) so since that is generally what graphic designing consists of, I thought it would be a great topic to pursue. I also believe that since I know people who are familiar with programs such as Photoshop, Illustrator, etc. (tools that graphic designers use), I would have a great advantage when it comes to figuring out how to use those tools.  

2. What do you hope to accomplish this year with this topic (connecting your answer to each of the 4 ESLRs)

• iPoly Citizen: I plan to use graphic design to be an iPoly citizen by creating positive and inspirational messages through my art. 
• Effective Communicator: I plan to welcome customers and greet them to make them feel comfortable. I also want to be able to discuss with them, and go into depth, about what they would like their product to look like. This will make me an effective communicator because I will be able to produce the best final outcome of the product.
• Effective Learner: I plan to learn how to look at images and, in my mind, visualize how to put the images together to create a new image. This will make me an effective learner because it will open my mind and help me learn to visualize things through a different perspective. 
• Effective User of Technology: I plan to learn how to use all the tools (Photoshop, Illustrator, Etc.) to the best of my ability. This will make me more effective as a user of technology because I will be able to make better quality artwork.

Blog 1: Summer Mentorship Component

Assignment

Literal (Know):

 10 Hour Mentorship Log (With Contact Info.)

Literal (Need to Know): 

• What is the most important quality in become a great graphic designer?
• What is the best way to become a more well known graphic designer?
• What are the best tools to create graphic designs?
• On average, how long does it take to design a project?
• What important classes should I take to become a graphic designer?
• How much does it pay?

Interpretive:

•  From this experience, I've gained the ability to be patient and listen. I found that these qualities are highly required for this career. As customers came in and out through the door and asked the designers to adjust their designs, they listened carefully to what the customers wanted and it took great amounts of patience to be able to go back and forth between pictures and fonts, adjusting and cropping images just to make everything look right and satisfy the customers. I definitely learned from this experience. 

Applied:

•  From the 10 hours that I spent at Art2Ink, I've finally stuck with the topic of graphic designing. Watching as the designers took a simple image and transforming it into a great piece of art using other images and texts made me realize what amazing things graphic designers can do. When I was doing the tutorial the last day of mentorship, I realized that I really loved editing those pictures. Just observing what the designers did with those pictures, transforming them into works of art, inspired me to choose this topic.