The Reflections

Here are my reflections from the third project. Don't forget to check out my personal blog at maxmphoto.tumblr.com !

Overall Reflection

When I first heard the overview of this project I thought the design professors were joking. There was no way I could do over 300 sketches when I’m not confident in just one sketch. Breaking the project up into different categories and managing time on the different styles of drawing made the project much easier to handle (but I still had to pull an all-nighter to stay on schedule).

Before this project I didn’t know much about the graphic design process or the brain storming process in general. Even though you won’t be able to tell by my drawings, I consider myself somewhat of a perfectionist and it was very difficult to do quick sketches without revising or editing them immediately. After I learned to edit later, the process went much faster.

I’ve also never analyzed such a simple object in so many ways. Before this project I would of told you that you can draw a pair of pliers three different ways at most. I think through sketching my object in so many different styles has also made myself a little more confident in my sketching abilities. This being the first really time intensive project working alone, I’ve also learned to manage my time more efficiently and now I know what to expect in terms of workload outside of studio hours.

Comics Reflection

After reading Understanding Comics, I have realized the role as the graphic designer is not to just make things that look appealing (although that is a big part of the job), rather it is communication. This communication doesn’t have to be completely visual. Communication can be combined with text to portray a clearer message. Comics are a perfect example of this. Even ‘silent’ comics tell a story without the use of words. The viewer can understand the situation through various clues visually such as facial expression and stylized movement. When the artist adds words, the viewer can not only perfectly understand what the characters are trying to say or act, they can also imagine the action in that frame.

Color Reflection

I decided not to include color in my poster because the only original color in my grid from the pictures was the pale yellow of the phonebook used in my alternative surface category. In my final grid I turned this to black and white because I didn’t like the other colors in the pale yellow palette. Although the use of color plays a major role in directing the eye, I feel that keeping the poster monochromatic forces the viewer to analyze the form of the pliers in more detail noting the simplicity and function around the design.