Digital Graphics Course Reflection

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

Cowan Studios Newsletter

Open publication - Free publishing - More photography

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.

Cowan Studios Logo

This is the logo that I created for week 2's assignment.

Cowan Studios Poster

This is the poster that I created for week one's assignment. I went back and included my logo.

Cowan Studios Animation Ad

This animation ad was created for my week 3 assignment of my Graphics Animation Course. It was created with Serif PhotoPlus and Windows Movie Maker. The music was retrieved on November 23, 2010 from Windows Music Samples. The featured song is "Distance" by the artist Kale Karsh from his album Realize, 2001. The model in the ad is my little sister, Rebekah Matthews. The final product was uploaded to YouTube.

Design in Ancient Manuscripts

After examining “A Portrait of St. John” from the Book of Kells by Edward Sullivan for examples of design principals, I was completely amazed at how this artist was so in tune with the need for color and balance. The details in the designs are stunning. I feel that our society is unaware of the challenges that would be faced in trying to create such detail by hand. What a difficult and laborious process! Although the creation of illustrations have come a long way since then, it is still important to respect the beauty of the ancient work.

When viewing this ancient manuscript, it was very easy to locate the four principals of design. My findings are as follows:

1. Contrast-the vibrant colors of the Celtic from are contrasting with lightly colored background.
2. Repetition-is the predominant design principal in this manuscript. The entire work is a series of patterns. The frame, clothing, chair and background all depict repeating designs.
3. Alignment-since the piece is symmetrical, the entire work is aligned vertically and horizontally. Imaginary lines could be drawn to show complete symmetry.
4. Proximity-the artist did group like objects together. The designs around the “throne” are all equally place around the chair. The Celtic knots on the corners of the frame are also in the same areas throughout the piece.

Edward Sullivan, the creator of the manuscript book, took the time to give the readers insight into the story behind the transcripts. He organizes the information by title page, prefatory note, preface, list of plates and the introduction. He provides an understanding of the location of Kells and the detail on how the Abbey came about.

Reference

Sullivan, E. (2010). The Book of Kells . Retrieved November 14, 2010, from Internet Sacred Text Archive: http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/bok/index.htm

Image URL: http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/bok/img/pl18.jpg

Blog Web Conference 10/12/10

Apparently, I forgot to blog this web conference that I attended in October! Today, I will document then notes I took from the conference with Dr. Abshire. During this conference, we discussed the upcoming midterm. The test will have 20 T/F questions and some scenarios.

We also discussed FERPA with Dr. A. She explained that we should know the policies and laws and as we move into leadership roles, it will help us to know that laws and enforce them. We should help others to practice them. When rules are being broken or laws are being violated, it is important to ask supervisors to put information in writing to cover yourself, and ask for help to understand. Speak with respect so that you do not appear to be challenging authority.

Shawntee’ Cowan