1) When considering where to live, it is very important to take into consideration the cost of living compared to the median salary of your job field in that area.
2) I am more qualified than I originally thought when it comes to applying for graphic design jobs in the real world.
3) The most beneficial skill I learned was how to accurately calculate a freelance rate.
I underestimated how much time and ideation a lot of the steps would take me, so I was largely not able to stick to the benchmarks that I originally layed out in my pitch deck, which turned out to be unrealistic. However, when I realized that this was the case, I changed my plan to have all of my boxes designed by the break along with a prototype of a wireframe for my website and I was able to complete that. Class time was very beneficial to me as I was able to get good feedback on my work from friends and classmates which helped me move forward. Next semester I want to really focus on my website design, which I will be able to do easily, now that I have my packages designed.
This project has been very beneficial to me in terms of learning how to see an entire widescale project from start to finish. It was really important to me to take my time with each step of the design process because I knew that if I messed up something in the beginning or rushed an aspect of it, then later down the line I would be stuck with an element that I wasn't happy with, but too deep into the project to change. The most crucial part of the project for me was the beginning when I was creating a toolbox of colors and design styles that I could love working with for the rest of the project. I have also learned the importance of communicating my vision and explaining exactly what it is I want to do, to help people better understand my goals before I have any of the components actually completed. It has not always been easy to love or even like what I have been designing, but I have built up a lot of stamina to press forward and continue to work on the project.
In addition to all of this, I have found my work to be very meaningful to me, both on a professional level as I watch my design abilities grow, but also on a personal level as this project is so important to my values and who I am as a person. I have also learned that things do not always work out the way you want them to, and you have to learn how to adjust your expectations and make compromises, even when you know it isn't fair.