Acquiring Competencies
Logo Design & Animation
Logo Design & Animation
The struggles that I had in my design thinking was simplified after reading David Airey's book on just sitting down with a sketch pad and ditching the computer. Breaking bad habits can be difficult but it must be done and stepping away from the computer is not that easy. I understand why Airey discusses how many designers skip the sketching process and go straight to the laptop or iMac. When I jump away from the computer and sit down with the sketchbook and get rid of all distractions the creative juices start to free themselves and transfer onto paper with the pencil. Above is one example of where I abandoned all distractions and stayed on task.
The two logo designs below where the outcome of stepping away. Mindmapping proves to be a key asset. I have done brainstorming exercises in the past but never mind mapped. When I get stuck and need to problem solve the best practice is to grab the sketchpad and go somewhere to brainstorm by mapping out thoughts from research and begin to solve the problem. The sketchpad will prove to be a valuable asset when I am stuck and need to let the creativity flow for a client.
Logo vector images
On the left was the first logo design. The right side shows the final logo design to be more cohesive with pictures on the web layout.
Learning After Effects
Learning about the interface of Adobe After Effects took some time as it was foreign to me. I am glad that I had the opportunity to utilize this program. It will be beneficial in the future. So many design firms appreciate designers that are experienced and have knowledge of animation platforms. I spent hours watching tutorials and trying to follow what they were doing and would get stuck and have to do more research to find out what the problem was that needed to be solved. Animation is used more today than ever and will prove to be a valuable skill to have as a graphic designer.
Learning Adobe Premiere Pro
Premiere Pro was a challenge that I was not going to let get the best of me. I spent hours watching Adobe tutorials, Lynda.com, and Adobe Premiere on Youtube videos as well to get adjusted to the source monitor, program panels, and program monitor. Then there are source bins to store the images. I have not worked in Premiere Pro since I completed the project below but, I feel that I learned a great deal in the short time of working with this animated program. One of the problems that I encountered was learning to save what I had put together as a movie. File. I finally figured it out. I even took my work into Adobe XD to create a .mov file. If I stepped away and had to bring a file back in I would have difficulties, persistence and patience saw me through this project.
The video above is a product of both Adobe After Effects and Premiere Pro with music, jpeg images, logo design, typography, and added animated videos to create a 30-second video with a call to action. I was happy with the way it came out learning about the different transitions to create a successful animated video using all of the elements.
Zaffaris (2014) explains, "Many designers focus on image creation, but even among interactive designers, animation design can be a rare skill. Motion graphic design looks great on a resume, and it can be an impressive addition to a design portfolio. As a result, designers who know how to animate the graphics they create are in high demand."
Surveys/Questionnaires
Learning to create surveys is a valuable asset when it comes to design projects. According to Visocky O’Grady (2017, p.72), “Use surveys as formative research, to gain insight into the opinions and desires of the target audience.” The anticipated answers from the use of a survey can reinforce design decisions in the editing stage of a project. Questionnaires are an indispensable tool for the designer in any phase of design work. The research involved in creating the right questions for the target audience can be just as invaluable in measuring design effectiveness.
Above are images of a created infographic made from the question below taken in the survey.
References
Visocky O'Grady, J., & Visocky O'Grady, K. (2017). A designer's research manual (2nd ed., p. 72). Beverly, MA: Rockport Publishers.
Zaffaris, J. (2014, June 9). 3 Reasons to learn animation design. Retrieved from, http://www.howdesign.com/editors-picks/3-reasons-learn-animation-design/