Presentation Skills

                   Last week in Ecomm, we learned about the importance of presentation skills. We watched ted talks from influential people such as Bill Gates and Jamie Oliver and graded them on their appearance, eye contact, and posture.We were then given our assignment, which was to present our last assignment, which was making sketches and blogging about it. We printed out the blogpost and stood in front of the class and were graded on the same things we graded the people in ted talks on.

                Before we did any of this, we presented for just one other person and they told us what went well and what could've gone better. I usually don't get too nervous about presentations and my partner didn't have anything for me to improve on, so I felt pretty confident in how the presentation would go. I didn't think about dressing professionally, but that day I was wearing a skirt so it worked out.

              From the presentation I learned some things that I hadn't really thought about before. For example, appearance can play a big role in how people respond to your presentation. Also, eye contact can be very difficult to maintain if you haven't rehearsed your presentation. In the end I got a good grade, so I'm happy,but I will definitely use these skills in the future.

The Sketchbook

          For this week's assignment in ecomm, we were instructed to draw logos on a page that we liked and thought represented graphic design. After we filled the page with logos, we had to sign the work in the lower right corner. We could also do typography, but I chose to stick with logos. At first, I just started drawing random logos, but then decided to do logos for various musical artists I like. There's only 3 logos on my page that do not represent an artist. I also chose not to do color, because I think it would've been too much going on and clashing if I colored every single logo.

            I liked this assignment, because I really like looking at things and then drawing them. Through the course of the assignment, I realized how many logos there really are in the world. Also, that graphic design is very unique because it can be interpreted in a different way by everyone

               

             Overall, I am happy with how this assignment turned out. I think I made it look neat and they all fit together in a nice way. The only thing I would change is the amount of eraser marks on my page. Other than that I think it looks good.

               

           To the right is a picture of the logos I chose to do.  
           
         

Favorite/Least Favorite Colors

Favorite Color

        I don't really have any memories associated with black or pastel blue(my favorite colors). I pretty much just like them because those are the colors I like in clothes. I've always liked blue ever since I was little. It's a very soothing color and it reminds me of nice weather. Black has been a more recent thing for me. It goes with everything and it's basically the opposite of bright colors,which I hate. I don't know many products that use black for their designs and packaging besides Mountain Dew Black. Every time I think of pastel blue products I think of Downy fabric softener. I think they made it that color to make you think of relaxing and fresh things. If I could change one everyday product to one of my favorite colors, it would probably be my phone. I don't like the silver of my phone, I would much rather have a matte black phone. As far as the type of colors pastel blue and black are, I would definitely say black is a dark neutral color, while pastel blue is a cool tint.

                                                        

 Least Favorite Color

       My least favorite color is definitely neon yellow. In general, I strongly dislike any bright colors. I usually only wear black and white with a couple very pale, pastel colors mixed in. Bright colors are just so harsh on the eyes and in your face. They kind of just remind me of the little girl's clothing store Justice. When I shopped at Justice I had a very poor taste in fashion, so I think I kind of have bad memories associated with bright colors. Neon yellow is just the worst to me, because it's the loudest of all the neon colors. As far as I know, no products use neon yellow for their packaging, probably for good reason, as no one really likes looking at that color. I think neon yellow would be considered a bright tint.

Illustrator Experience

            This week in Ecomm we learned about different colors and the messages they convey. We also learned about what colors go well with each other and different features of Adobe Illustrator. We learned how to make different shapes on Illustrator and at the end of the week we had to use the skills we learned to create a picture with shapes. It was difficult to think of what to make so I didn't really have anything planned. I just opened the software and started creating shapes until I figured something out. I ended up making a rainbow colored bear character.I really liked it because it has a lot of colors in it and it's kind of cute. It's not super detailed or great looking, but it's quirky and charming in its own way. On the left is my bear graphic, and on the right is what I created at the beginning of the week.

Sidewalk Chalk Project

          For our first project in e9, we had to get in teams and create a flag that represented everyone on the team. First, we did a tiny bit of research on the psychology behind different colors. Each person decided on a color and a symbol that best represented them. Then, we had to figure out how we could put all of our symbols together in one flag. We brainstormed for a little while until someone came up with the idea to create a tree with a branch for each person to put their symbol on. After we figured that out, it was pretty easy to create the flag. We added a ribbon at the bottom of the tree as we were creating so we could all   have our names together and on the flag.

        When we finally went outside to create the final flag with chalk, it was a picture day and pretty rainy, so it was kind of hard to figure out how we were going to draw without getting dirty and wet. We basically just took turns drawing parts and then running under the overhang on the side of the school, which actually ended up being a good system for us. After we finished we decided to add the Northwest raven and ONW in the middle of the tree. Above is a picture of our finished project.

        On the flag, my symbol is the black heart with a blue outline. Black represents darkness and mystery and blue represents calmness and tranquility. I chose a heart,to show that I'm not just mysterious or something I also love my family and friends and am a relatively calm person.

        I think overall we worked really well as a team. We let every persons ideas be heard and were respectful of each other and didn't put all the work on one person. We all had pretty different personalities, but it actually helped with brainstorming, because everyone had different ideas.The only thing I would've changed is the colors we used on the flag, because they didn't go together quite how we thought, but that didn't really have anything to do with a lack of cooperation and teamwork. For me, it was a good experience and I would definitely do something like this again.

Below is a picture of our whole team working on the flag outside.