During this Digital Graphics assignment I was able to gain new information as well as review prior knowledge. When creating a newsletter, which was a requirement in this course, I was given the opportunity to grasp a better understanding of the importance of a well planned layout. Personal branding and logos are also new pieces of information that I enjoyed learning about. LeaLea’s article titled “The Art of Self Branding” informed me that “essentially, a brand is and idea and perceived value formed by its intended audience based on a company’s culture, product, and service” (Alcantra, 2009). I discovered that the act of creating my own logo was challenging, but incredibly fun. I truly enjoyed seeing how this logo fit into my newsletter.
Another concept that I experienced more in depth was utilizing the element of alignment. Dr. John Yearwood from Lamar University defines alignment as “the attribute of arranging every element in a design to conform to some kind of horizontal and vertical visual relationship with other elements in the design” (Dr. John Yearwood, 2009). This assignment has made me more cognizant of implementing this element into all of my products.
I was able to assess my own learning during this assignment by using the rubric that was provided for this course. As I created by newsletter, I was careful to include the requirements necessary to meet the needs of this assignment.
The main three strategies that I used to complete this assignment were to first choose a topic that I was already familiar with and that I was excited about. Next, “Start by identifying your audience and determining their common needs and interests” as stated in an article titled “Planning Newsletters” (Lamb, 2005). Lastly, include my peers in the review process so that I could have insight from multiple pairs of eyes. I was able to use Skype and email as tools to collaborate with some of my cohorts in order to learn more about software that we use and give suggestions and advice for our work.
The skills that I gained during this assignment will impact my future learning. I was able to reinforce my knowledge of desktop publishing skills so that the presentations, documents, newsletters and training materials that I created will reflect the design elements and principles.
I have also established deeper relationships with some of my colleagues that I will foster in the future. Just knowing other individuals who have experienced similar experiences with graduate school, will allow me to be able to when facing challenges outside of these courses.
In this newsletter, we were asked to link our animations to the assignment. Animation is a media that I would like to learn more about. Although it is fascinating, it requires a great amount of time and precision. I would like to research and learn more about possible software and classroom uses.
References:
Dr. John Yearwood, P. A. (2009). Basic design principles and some observations on how we see. Lamar University, Beaumont.
Lamb, A. (2005). Planning newsletters. Retrieved from http://eduscapes.com/sessions/publishing/planning.htm
Friday, December 17, 2010
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Cowan Studios Newsletter
This is my newsletter for week 4's assignment. It covers many of the elements of a newsletter. I used Publisher to create this product.
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