Being a graphic designer is about so much more than sitting at a computer all day while clicking a mouse around the screen; it’s about becoming inspired by the surroundings around you and use your own creativity to create artwork within the digital world. Everything is design. A lot of the buildings, transportation systems, and more were created using graphic design with blueprints and concepts which were created by using different softwares that brought those ideas to life. Understanding how the software that creates digital art and what the prerequisites are to make them run smoothly has been important to learn. Graphic design software allows everyone to have their own different standpoints and artistic styles that they are comfortable using.

When I first became a graphic designer I didn’t know what I was fully doing since it was my first time using Adobe Illustrator and Adobe InDesign. Using a program for the first time can be a bit confusing since the layout of everything isn’t what other programs use as a UI. I view graphic in a functional way; not just as art, but as vectors and strokes within the image itself that create an overall meaning. The most important things I have realized from my graphic design studies have been to use my creativity to the max potential, to take my time with each project, and to make sure not to rush. Rushing graphic work is not a good idea because of the amount of time and effort required to develop and execute strong concepts.

My strengths within graphic design are creating hand drawn 3D illusions, sketches of movie character designs, game character designs, and digital graphic logos or typography designs. I have been sketching 3D rectangular illusions since middle school and started by attempting to sketch with my first drawing of wolves howling. Sometimes pushing myself to my limits when it comes to graphic design or creating graphics is both a strength and a weakness because it both helps get the work done if there is a specific time limit and does cause stressful moments that can cause time to slowly tick away, causing less time for completion upon the given time.

Everyone has their own weaknesses within the digital world when it comes to creating art digitally; some weaknesses of my own could include having trouble focusing, having little inspiration, or struggling with time, which can affect the outcome of the project and the quality it would be when finishing touches are applied. Having a red/green colorblindness, some color theory work has been a struggle, but I’ve gotten through it and have learned to create meaningful visuals without relying on specific hues and colors. One of my favorite pieces that I’ve created in my studies has been my magazine cover; I combined my own photography with a magazine layout to create a real professional cover. When peers, clients or really anyone views my work, I hope that they see beyond the graphic and see the story it tells. All of the work I do is based on storytelling with deeper meanings.

As a designer, I hope to improve on time management and focus. Focus is one of my major weaknesses when it comes to designing because if there is more than one part built into the project it is easy for me to get overwhelmed and try to work on all three different parts at the same time, taking away time and focus. I believe that I have met the proficiencies for the unit with the amount of work and focus I have both shown and with the amount of effort put into each separate project/ piece of graphical work put into creation. Even though this is the first year I have ever pursued graphic design as a profession and used softwares like Adobe Illustrator and Adobe InDesign, I was able to create masterpieces and push through struggles.