Response to Tomas' Blog

Tomas - you are an amazing artist and an even better friend. Thank you for always being there for me. I know that at times, things seemed a little rough for both of us, but we made it out alive. When I went through that phase in class where I was very unfocused, you were there to kick me in the butt and get me focused again, and maybe even saved me on a deadline or two.. :) I can't thank you enough for all you have done. This group of designers has really come a long way and together have shared some unforgettable moments. There has never been a boring time in class. We all have grown together and learned together, developing strong friendships along the way. I am proud to have been a part of that.

Thank you Tomas and everyone else in class.
Also, Ms. Gilpin and Mr. Williams, you have been strong leaders for all of us, pushing us to achieve more than we could imagine. Thank you for that.

And on a final note, we are no longer presenting to each other for approval, but to clients and potential employers, so bring all you have, we are now competing to be the best!

-Brit

Chapter Two - From Cave Walls to Postmodernism

As the title states, in chapter two we learned a wide range of material, everything from cave walls to postmodernism. In class, our instructor made a timeline to demonstrate the variety of beliefs that made art into what it is today.

It is known that far before my time, the way of writing was very different and technology was limited. The first writing system was made up of simplistic pictures that represented words and sounds. Over time, as writing changed with different cultures, the alphabet was established. It was derived from the first two Greek letters (alpha) and (beta).

In the late 15th and early 16th century, the Renaissance, "rebirth" brought about works of art from painters such as da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael. During this time period, Johann Gutenberg began refining a printing process that used moveable type. Within fifty years, the printing and typesetting industry spread across the continent and mass media was born. The Renaissance and invention of moveable type opened the doors to new opportunities and new ideas for modern art.

The different types of modern art include: Impressionism, Expressionism, Cubism, Dadaist, Futurist, Constructivism, Bauhaus, de Stijl, Modrian, Art Deco, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, New Realism, Super-Realism / Photo-realism, Pop Art, Op Art, Phototypesetting, and Postmodernism. Each style of art had its own beliefs as to what defined that particular form of art. For example, a photo-montage, which we can now do in Photoshop, use to be done in the dark room.
I am interested in the history of art and the way it has developed over time. From this lecture and reading, I have really learned a lot.

Chapter One - Visual Communication

As of last week, we were to read and outline chapter one. In this chapter, it discusses different aspect of visual communication, such as seeing and how the eye actually works. As the chapter continued, I found that there are five parts to clear communication. These include: sender, message, medium, receiver, and feedback. In order to communicate clearly, you must first brainstorm. This involves determining the audience, conducting interviews (research), finding the purpose, and defining the intended reaction. The next step is to choose a medium. This is how the message gets out to people (brochure, web, radio, newspaper, etc.) When it comes to mediums, we must eliminate as much noise as possible. This means that words should be easily understood, not hard to interpret; otherwise it is known as semantic noise. Static on the radio, smeared ink in a newspaper, and links that do not work on the web, are all examples of channel noise. We must also keep in mind the receiver, by keeping it personal and memorable, yet simple. The final element of clear communication is feedback. While feedback is ongoing between two people talking, it however, is not always immediate. 

The last part of the chapter elaborated on the seven different theories of visual communication. 

Not going into detail, the list includes: Omniphasism, Gestalt, Semiotics, Constructivism, Ecological, Cognitive, and Huxley-Lexter, 

Florida Dance Theatre

The requirements for this project were pretty basic. We were to find a local non-profit organization and make a poster. Sounds simple enough, right? Well, this project wasn't extremely challenging. I chose to advertise the Florida Dance Theatre. This organization is a professional dance company and training academy in Lakeland, Florida. Students would take classes in several different areas of dance. For the poster, I used a silhouette of a ballet dancer because the organization use to be known as Lakeland Ballet. I added two simple, soft spotlights to represent the idea of performing on stage and incorporated the logo and additional information towards the bottom. I used a deep red for my background color because, to me, it represents passion, and these students have a passion for dance.

Please feel free to comment. Thanks!

Postcards

For this assignment, only original photography was allowed. While it is easy to find clear images on the net, its a completely different story when you have to depend on your own photo taking skills. I decided that Florida is always represented as a bright and sunny place. Even though that is true, I wanted to capture the essence of the night, with the way that  lights reflect off of Lake Hollingsworth. The postcard of the Garden Bistro showcases the landscape, and the Amtrak Station resembles the historic aspect of Lakeland. I choose to frame my images with a black and white border, and added another black and white box for the location title.

The back of the postcard, I kept it simple, using a line drawing of the Lakeland swan logo.

 

I am looking forward to reading comments, so please feel free to do so. Thanks! 

VOGUE - Magazine Cover

     When I started last weeks project, the assignment was to  create a magazine cover in Photoshop. My immediate thought was to create a cover for Alternative Press, which is a rock band magazine. However, I wanted to show a similar but somewhat different side to my style of design. For this reason, I choose to create a cover for next months volume of Vogue. I felt that, opposed to Cosmo magazine, whose models focuses on fashion and beauty, I wanted to portray Vogue with a very structured pose. This particular image shows strength and beauty in a rebel way, allowing me to incorporate some of my usual style with the new.

     The image was first lightened by adjusting the color levels, and then touched up to remove any spots and wrinkles to reveal a slightly textured airbrush effect. This gave the image a more flawless, yet realistic look. 

When working with an image like mine, the most challenging part of the project was actually finding a color scheme that I liked and was legible. I felt limited by the colors in the outfit, but found a way to make the story titles stand out.

     Overall, I had fun making this piece. It turned out better than I had expected in the short time period I had allowed myself. 

I would love to hear everyone's criticisms, what you like or dislike, so please do feel free to comment. 

Thanks,

B.Huey

Completed Assignments

Today I finished up and presented to my instructors and classmates, two of the projects assigned from last week. I believe the overall response was positive. I wanted to take this opportunity to share with and in turn get feedback from other talented and creative minds. Please feel free to comment. Thanks!

The first assignment was a 2 page spread, like you would find in a magazine. Roughly three-fourths of the spread had to be illustration, and the other fourth was to be text. The assignment called for us to find an already existing article and create illustration that went along with it, or pick a topic, create the illustration, and write our own article. I choose to do the second option, writing my own article. My topic was the 2009 Vans Warped Tour. This is annual punk/rock concert that is usually held outside, where there may be anywhere from 5 to 10 bands all playing at once, but staggered throughout the designated area. I went to this concert about four years ago and I had a blast, so I wanted to bring that out in my illustration. It is always crowded, and sometimes you weren't exactly sure what the person standing next to you was thinking when they decided to wear the outfit they had on or spike their hair a foot above their own head. The Vans Warped Tour is usually advertised using a lot of bright vibrate colors and skulls.
Without further explanation, here is the final piece.

The second assignment was to create an advertisement based on a certain sports event. Myself as well as my classmates drew from a cup to see who would advertise each sport. I got to do skateboarding. This turned out to be a much less complicated piece. There are not near as many details to focus on. I created a decorated skate deck as my main focus. The deck stands out because it is one of only a few items that has color, and then I used a grunge font at a fairly large size to draw the viewers attention to the event title. Now, I do want to mention that the event is not a real one, it is completely made up for the purpose of the assignment. I also added a textured metal to the background to reinforce the ramp shape, because the ramps are typically metal.

Memorial Day Weekend

I hope everyone had a nice holiday weekend. I was very delighted to have such a long weekend, but I sure did wear myself out. Of course, every day it had to rain. :( I took off Sunday morning on a short roadtrip with a friend of mine. We went down south to visit my family, and spent the whole day down there. We had a really huge dinner that was absolutely delicious, not to mention, expensive. Then afterwards, we went swimming. My friend picked me up and threw me in the water, like you would if you were playing with a younger child. I made him lay down on the bottom of the pool and stood on his back so I could pretend to surf. I definitely felt like a little kid again, but would admit, it was alot of fun. We cleaned up and headed back this direction that evening. I took him home and we sat in my car talking for about four hours. I was so tired by the time I had to drive home that I didn't want to. I now realize how easy it is for someone to fall asleep behind the wheel, I was lucky to have made it home safely.
After all was said and done, I think I really needed that day to get away and relax. Other than the long drive, it was a great way to escape some of the stresses of a busy week.

Attention to detail

To the average person, a pretty picture is just a picture, but to a designer, it is much more.
Today, while I was diligently working on illustrating a skull tattoo on the computer, I sat there, somewhat distracted at the complexity of the image. Even an image such as a tattoo, with only a few colors, the structured detail created by using lines was just incredible. Here I am trying to remake an already brilliant tattoo drawing, and I find myself lost in the lines. This is probably the first time I have ever really took notice and paid attention to the detail, not in just this image but in everything that I see now.
On another note, just because something is plain and simple, does not me it is boring and lifeless. A piece of art like that can serve equally, and sometime better than something that is so complex.

Samurai

When it comes to creating a font, it sounds easy right? .. Wrong! 

There is a lot of thought that goes in to making a good font. A few things to remember include: consistency, legibility, usage, size, and theme. 

When I started out, I wanted to make a unique font, that wasn't just an illustrated version of my own handwriting. I had no idea what theme of font I wanted to create, even after sketching out several options. I started with a circle and went from there. Using the pen tool, I made other elements that went along with the shape and style of my font. 

I really like the end result. With the crescent shape, it has an Asian style, almost like a Chinese takeout menu.

I am interested to see what you think about it. Please feel free to comment. Thanks!

Feeling Unfocused and Uninspired?

It just dawned on me today that blogs really serve the purpose of communicating different aspects with people and receiving feedback. They are a way in which we can freely express how we feel and display different works of our own art in a promotional way.
Today, I felt like my mind was somewhere completely different and I was unfocused and unproductive in class. These are not good days for me, or for anyone. They only cause more stress come Thursday night, knowing that presentations will be held on Friday. Personally, by the end of a busy week, the last thing I need is for both my body and mind to be worn out.

This blog is to find out what you do relieve stress, get inspired. and/or keep from pulling out your hair at the end of an eventful week.
Please feel free to comment, I am really interested to find out your ideas and opinions.

Gradient Mesh

For the past 10 hours, with very little break time in between, I have sat here, staring blankly at my computer screen. This week's assignment for class was to create a font, which is much more difficult that I had expected. Our second assignment was to create a gradient mesh based portrait.
This tool, gradient mesh, is, in my opinion, one of the hardest tools to get the hang of. I feel like I am still struggling with it. I understand that it takes time to learn new tools and techniques, but this little booger is tricky.
By now, as you can probably imagine, with a throbbing headache, and painfully dry eyes, I have come to my breaking point. It is now time to get some rest, and a fresh start in the morning. Wish me luck, presentations are tomorrow!

Today's Presentation

Today was the last day to turn in our assignment (3 of the 7 deadly sins, and a piece of art by an illustrator that we recreated). The first part of class, I was trying hard to finish my last of the 3 deadly sins (envy). I looked up and had no idea where the time had gone. Our instructor said, "Ten minutes until presentations, everyone go ahead and take a break, we will regroup shortly." I frantically printed and cut out my illustrations, then ran outside to glue them on the form core. I got back just in time for the start of presentations. The MC (master of ceremonies), called for everyones attention and began the presentations. After a few of my other classmates had gone, it was my turn. Overall, I felt like my art had turned out better than expected. Of course, afterward, I stepped back and took a closer look at what I could have done differently, but I really enjoyed illustrating the sins, and being able to recreate someone elses already awesome artwork. I got the opportunity with this peice to really display a grunge/vector art and use lots of new brushes. Previously, this is not something I would have attempted, but now feel very comfortable doing this type of art.

I will soon be adding these to my portfolio (Best if viewed using Mozilla Firefox). www.centralflstudios.com/bhuey

Who is your best friend?

This blog was inspired by a friend of mine.

He wrote: "Yesterday I was babysitting my 5 year old cousin and we were having lots of fun doing all sorts of things at one point she even asked me if I could be her dad but along the way she asked me something that I actually had a hard time answering she asked me "What makes a best friend so special?" I really couldn't give her a straight answer, as a person who always thought of himself as a "good friend" I never really stopped and thought about what it was that made me a good friend, but that's not my question, my question is what makes a friend become a best friend? Who is your best friend? Have they always been? Are there any old friends you wish you could mend your old relationship with?"

My reply: "Interesting point. You know, I have had my best friend since third grade. We met outside of the girls bathroom. We were both heading toward our class for smart people (REACH). I too have always thought of myself as a good friend and to be honest I don't have a good answer to your question. My theory of a best friend is someone you can talk to about anything, and even when things get weird or the two of you start to fight, eventually you can laugh it off and return to normal. Sometimes with people who are just friends, arguments can ruin a friendship, not always can we get passed it. With a best friend, there is some sort of connection that allows you to go for 5 years without talking and call them up one day and everything is exactly the same between you two. Best friends can fix almost any problem, and simply knows how to make you smile, even when you are upset with them. For this reason, they are very difficult to stay mad at. I'm not sure how a friend becomes a best friend, but there seems to be a point in time where they are always there for you and you feel like you can trust them with any bit of information.

My best friend from third grade, her name is Kristin. She is like a sister to me and I love her dearly. Our friendship has pulled us through every possible disaster, and no matter what, no one in the world could replace her. I do believe that we can have more than one best friend...and there are a few specific people that are very close to that. As for mending relationships, I am trying. There are a couple of people that really meant a lot to me and I hope to get them back in my life. I miss them."

I am interested in reading your thoughts about this, feel free to comment.

Thanks,
Bhuey

Happy Birthday

Today was my friends birthday, he turned twenty-two. In celebration of his birthday, like I try to do for most of my classmates, I bake brownies and bring then in to class for everyone to devour. So last night I spent a good amount of time mixing together ingredients, trying to keep myself clean, as well as the kitchen. While that failed, the brownies turned out pretty great; after I ran out of oil and so forth, had to run to the store, etc etc.
I was really excited because I know how everyone loves to eat and it everyone seems to love my brownies, so I'm in a great mood. I arrive at school, and carry them in, and the minute I walked in the classroom, I hear a "YES!" shouting from one side of the room. I quietly went to my seat and placed them down on the table. I sat there waiting for a bit, wondering where the birthday boy was and waiting for class to start.
Suddenly, I see my phone light up. "Hmm, it's a text from my friend", I thought. Indeed it was and the first thing it says is "I won't be in class today."
I'll admit, I was really disappointed, but I guess things happen. So, for whatever reason he had, it was more important and I understand that. I just wish I could have spent today with him. It would have been more fun.

Wrath

For a while now, I have been very much interested in vector art. I am fascinated with the use of shape and color. Today, I wanted to incorporate that in a piece that I am doing for class. The assignment is to illustrate 3 of the 7 dealy sins in similiar style. The one I am working on right now is wrath. I felt like this should be illustrated in black and white with just a touch of color. For this piece, I created a "grunge/vector" background, with a fist in the center, outlines in a red
"sketchy" brush. When I look at it, I see the fist that represents intense anger and power, as well as my choice of red as the outline. The background gives the piece a dark and rough feel to imply the sin of wrath. I had a lot of fun making the background and I finally got to experiment with vector art!

Concert - Warped Tour Experience

Nearly six years ago, when I lived up north, I got tickets to attend my first concert. During this time, I was head over heels a few different bands, all of whom were all going to be there.

It was early morning when the trip began. Southbound, approximately two hours, we were directed to park at the furtherest end of the parking lot; far from the entrance of Verizon Wireless Music Center - Warped Tour. With me was my best friend since third grade (Kristin), her mom (Barbara), and my mom (Gina). After the dreaded trudge across the parking lot, and the everlasting lines, we were finally on the inside. I couldn't have felt more out of place. There were people dressed in all black and some with a multicolored mohawk spiked a foot in the air. I stood there in my jeans and Simple Plan t-shirt, just staring. I had no problem with this punk-rock style, but had never seen so many people in one place, dressed in that particular way. I found it somewhat fascinating.

As we explored the concert grounds, we watched several bands perform. For me, Simple Plan was my main concern, that was the whole reason I was there. However, I found many other bands just as good, if not better. Kristin and I dropped off our parents at reverse daycare, where they sat in an air conditioned igloo/tent and we ran off to the mosh pits.

After a very long day jumping around in the crowds of screaming fans and walking about in the sun, we were all worn out. It was then that we drug ourselves toward the car, for the distant drive home. 

Dependence on technology

I am feeling very frustrated today. There is so much to be done and not nearly enough hours in the day as it would seem. Just yesterday, my laptop decided to shut itself off, unexpectedly. I was not happy with this and right now as I am writing this, it is at the computer store being diagnosed. This blog is more or less about the dependence we have on technology and how it tends to fail us at the most inconvenient time possible.

Tomorrow I have an online portfolio (website) due for class, and unfortunately, my laptop has all of the programs and art work on it. Of course, if my hard drive needs replace, I will lose all of that. Temporarily, I have downloaded a trial version of what programs I need. To top that off, I am heading out of town very very early Saturday morning, and the computer place may not have my laptop fixed. (sigh) I am just waiting for something else to go wrong. I guess it's like when you are running behind, trying to make it some where on time, and you get stopped at every red light, get behind slow vehicles, have to wait on a train, drive up on an accident, and/or have to follow a detour among unknown territory.

Sadly, I must suggest that we have all become too dependent on technology. For the most part, technology makes our lives twenty times easier, which is a plus. The bad part comes when something happens, like a laptop shuts itself off and won't come on without some sort of error, it leads to a lot of stress.

Portfolio

          I am torn between which is my best option for a portfolio. In class, a former student came in to talk to everyone about what she does now and how she got her current job. While I was extremely impressed by her hardback, small, well designed, professional portfolio, I am  still questioning if something like that would be my best option. I currently own a very large, black "leather" portfolio with plastic inserts. It is a nice portfolio but feels almost too large and bulky. The student had a very nice, consistent design to her portfolio, which is great but some of the cons include: not being able to update it, trying to find the hardback book, the time that goes into making it look pretty, restricting the size of the artwork, etc. She had a true purpose for her portfolio, it was focused on her best photography and photoshop work for a certain job. 

          At this point, I could really use some input or suggestions, so please feel free to comment. Thanks!

Relay For Life

EVERYONE and I do mean EVERYONE needs to head over to Lakeland High School this Friday evening and walk a few laps around the track. Support the cause, RELAY FOR LIFE. 
You are even welcome to donate large amounts of cash. We will take any sum of money. If we collect over $500 dollars, my instructor has volunteered to shave his head and beard.​.​.​and.​.​.​designate FIVE areas of his head and face to the top five contributors for them to decorate. If we can collect $1000 dollars he will wax his legs, and for $2000 he will wax his chest. 
I hope you'll come out on Friday night, donate, and have fun. We'll be there all night.

Chalk Art

When it comes to art and design, there are truly no limits. A friend of mine, just told me today about an event that was held at Treasure Island during last weekend. The event displayed a type of art I had never seen before...3D Chalk Art. To me, this sounded extremely interesting so I went online to Google.com and searched chalk art. The first site I came to was really neat. I wanted to share that with everyone. Here's the site http://www.impactlab.com/2006/03/09/amazing-3d-sidewalk-art-photos/
The site above is not the event that was held at Treasure Island, but the art style is the same. There is a lot of time and effort put into each piece. It's pretty wild how those drawings are so different depending on their angle. I hope everyone enjoys this as much as I did. This is definitely an event I would like to attend sometime.

Brain block

Yesterday was just one of "those" days...ever have one? Happened to me.

It seemed like I couldn't keep my eyes open or focus on anything. I tried to concentrate on getting my project done for class and it hurt my brain. I got to the point where I didn't want to do much of anything and I had absolutely zero percent of creative inspiration.

For some reason, later that day, I was reminded of a journal I had put together a couple classes previous to this one. It was a collection of designs from magazines, sketches, etc. that inspired us. I took that out, blew off the cover of dust, and opened it up. It really helps to refer back to old projects, and to keep a collection of things that are inspiring for when you have one of "those days" aka a brain block.

Also, it is important that you reevaluate old projects in order to grow as a designer. Something that might have looked really good three months ago, doesn't always seem its best as we progress in our attempt to become professional designers.

At this point in time

At this point in time, I will gladly admit that I no longer hate web design. I might, just maybe, even like it, a little. I was afraid, after only one week into class, that I would never figure it out, but now seem more comfortable and understanding of how exactly HTML codes work together to build a website.

My experiences so far, have been both good and bad. I struggled dearly with my attempt to make a drop down menu and an online web gallery using Photoshop's easy button. With the help of my instructor, I was able to make it work. I have yet to learn how to make it look exactly as I had wanted.

I remember during the 2nd or 3rd week of class, I was sitting there and one of my classmates asked me a question and I answered him almost instantly. I think I shocked myself with how much I actually knew, and found myself explaining it to others. I was also very proud of myself when I found the command that allows you to make roll over images, which I used a lot for my navigation buttons. :)


Here are two examples of the websites I have built.

- Web Accessibility

- Vector Art

And the student becomes the teacher...

During class today, while fighting with html coding and java script, my instructor who was helping me, and myself, who was concentrating on what he was doing, got to the point where we both had to step away from the computer. In doing so, I wondered around the room observing the other websites that my classmates were working on. While my instructor had been helping me, other students needed his assistance...so rather than giving away my instructor, I asked, could I help?
I was able to help a couple different students who were struggling. This is a really awesome feeling because I think it is important that you can explain and teach someone else what you know. First of all, it reinforces the fact that you actually do know what you're talking about. Second, if it is something you know but not all that well, it may be an opportunity to figure it out, together.
On that note, it is equally important to get feedback, not only on a final design but the process of designing. I'll be the first person to give you insight on the process. If I am watching someone design something and I see that the person is doing something the hard way, I will jump in and show them a shortcut if I know one. I hate to see people frustrated because they don't know how to do something, but even worse when they are too embarrassed to ask for help. I have found that it is may be the best way to learn and that no one should be embarrassed of not knowing how to do something. They should be embarrassed for not asking how it can be done.

When is it ever enough?

It was about 2 a.m. this morning when it dawned on me, when is it ever enough? I really feel like I am becoming a graphic designer. I had been sitting for several hours, completely focused on building a website, that I had not looked at the clock for nearly seven hours. I had been so busy trying to finish up this project for class, everyone in my house had gone to bed without me taking notice.
After a few short hours of rest, I arrived in class an hour early, like usual to work on it again. It seems that every aspect of my life revolves around design. I can not watch T.V. (when I get the chance) without paying attention to commercials, counting camera changes, and trying to see how they might have created certain special effects. I can not drive anywhere without critiquing the billboards and signs along the road.
The point of this blog was to express how as a designer, I find myself pushing to learn more and more, constantly forcing myself to be open minded, and try new things, not just to settle for my first attempt at a design. I am always looking at something from different perspectives, to see how others may view my art as well.
Today during class, after struggling last night to create an online photo gallery, someone showed me an easier way to do so, using Photoshop. While it had seemed like a shortcut, it ended up where my instructor and myself were sitting for an hour and a half trying to figure out why it would not upload in my website. I could have easily given up and settled for something else, but I was and am still determined to make it happen.
I know that at times it may seem like too much, but I really appreciate the help of my instructors. I'm really glad that they don't mind putting up with me, because I am trying my hardest to be the best designer I can be. The only way I see that happening is having the guidance of great designers, like the both of them. I am looking forward to what lies ahead in the next few months.

It isn't just awesome art...

Just the other day, during class, we had a guest speaker who really inspired me. She too, was a graphic design major who had attended Keiser University. I have been told that you can not make a living using Photoshop alone, and yet she stood there telling us that's exactly what she does. I found myself fascinated by her photography and artwork. Afterward, I really wanted to sit down and re-explore the world of Photoshop. Sadly, I find myself so busy an unable to do so, but I was even inspired by her portfolio, not only what was in it, but its layout. She had spent a lot of time putting it together and making it look very professional. I was really impressed. I would like to invest in a portfolio similar to hers.
It seems that many people forget that even with the absolute perfectly designed piece of art, a poor presentation can ruin the entire thing. For this reason, I wanted to express my gratitude for having her in class, and thank her for the inspiration to challenge myself and try harder to build my professional status.

Aspects of Design

Throughout my high school career I developed a great passion for design. However, at that particular time, I was only interested in such a small portion. By further exploring the possibilities, I found myself open to new areas of design.

I had never imagined that in two weeks, I would be writing html codes and building a website, but just last week I finished a fairly neat travel site to the Palm Island in Dubai.

I have been exposed to several different programs, all of which I am learning to love. I must admit that my favorite classes were Multimedia I and II, and 3D Modeling (not 3D Animation). I really got a chance to express myself when using the Cinema 4D program for modeling my Pearl drum set. I found that I am very much a stickler for details, and had to have every piece of hardware on the drums. (even the pieces you couldn't see when it was published back into Photoshop). I also really enjoyed modeling everything for a 3D Starbucks commercial.

Final Cut Pro (used in Multimedia I) and Flash (used in Multimedia II) were both very useful programs. I had the opportunity to film and edit my own one minute music video, which can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGn5Gbbf0Wk and typography synced to a song, which can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fui_nfjTEA. As a class we made a short film, titled "Murphy's Law". As director, I had several responsibilities and challenges I was faced with, but as it came to an end, I learned a lot and found I really enjoyed every part of it.

Of course, no designer could ever forget about Photoshop and Illustrator. They seem to find their way into most of my projects, even if only in a small way. It it really fascinating how you can alter pictures by changing levels, adding filters, and removing flaws.

In conclusion, I am really looking forward to the next few months. I feel very comfortable in this major (Graphic Design) and hope I can develop my talents further and find success in the future.