blog 9: Project 3 Reflection
november 9, 2024
This project was a really different experience than any other project from other classes. Although the workload, in my opinion, was less, it was still comparable because of the planning and trying to come to an agreement with about 20 other people. My group was in charge of creating two AR experiences. One was for the first clue, which I was in charge with and of my partners made a poster for it, and someone else also made an experience for Sam Gilliam's Cape III. On the day of the event, it was really nice seeing people using there phones for the AR experiences, not just my experiences but everyone else's as well. Overall, this was a really satisfying project and a great experience.
blog 8: Design FieldTrip reflection + Adobe Aero modules
october 16, 2024
As we were getting prepared to start project 3, we had a virtual talk with David Levine who is the Lead Creative at the Jet Propulsion Lab at NASA. I was surprised at the type of work he does, cause it's something I wouldn't even think of as related to NASA. However, his early work does feel familiar to me, as he worked on music posters for jazz musicians, as well as marketing, creative direction, etc. Overall, it was a pretty unique and fun design talk, and it makes me wonder what other niches are out there that designers can enter.
As for project 3, we are in the planning stage and getting everything prepared. This project will use augmented reality, which I have only used once using Artivive, but this project uses Adobe Aero. So in order to be prepared we are using the Adobe Learning Modules. The one I'm definitely watching are AR interaction design, AR visual design, and AR work flow and best practices, as I think those will help me out the most.
blog 7: figma module 4 + project 2 reflection
october 12, 2024
The article this week The future of design systems is semantic was about variables in Figma. Variables allow designers to create themes, so that designs can be adapted more efficiently. This allows for a more semantic and context-aware implementation of design. I think this is a great step, like the article mentions, for "closing the gap" between designers and developers, because it improves consistency, collaboration and flexibility.
Project 2 was overall successful, even though I would make a few changes and additions. I did make a change to one of the billboards. I ended up simplifying the one that says "sweet nothings mean nothing without the ring" because it appears more cohesive with the whole campaign. For the app interface I started off with the mobile UI and once I finished that I transferred it to the desktop UI. At first I was worried the desktop version looked too minimal but I think I embraced the white space. In conclusion, this project was very interesting and made me think outside the box a lot, and I would love to expand on this in the future.
blog 5: John Maeda (AI & Design) + project 2
september 27, 2024
I think John Maeda had a lot of important things to say about AI and design in the Better Design podcast. He says that AI will not only be a tool for us designer to be more efficient, but also make out workflow better by cutting down repetitive processes. He is also believes that will not eliminate creative jobs, but rather create new and different roles. Overall, Maeda has a optimistic point of view when it comes to AI and creative jobs.
For project 2 this week, we finished up the billboards. I wanted to go for a minimal art style since billboards are usually on the road, and people only have a few seconds to look at it. The phrases I came up with I think are catchy and relate to the theme of the law I am doing. Now, we'll be starting the UI wireframes for the app.
blog 4: Susan Kare 99pi + project 2
september 20, 2024
This article helped see that something small can have a great effect. Kare's work was used in the Macintosh computers as icons and made it more accessible to the general public. Kare was ahead of her time in using that approach for visual communication.
For project 2, I decided to do the law that states that it is illegal to seduce under promise of marriage for males over 17. Basically, if a guy promises marriage, a marriage legally has to happen. I combined the jester and sage archetypes, using light hearted humor but also being educational and truthful. I came up with a few catchy phrases seen to the right, that make have that tone. As for the imagery, I need to find a good balance of humor but remaining knowledgeable.
blog 3: figma module 3 + project 1
september 13, 2024
This module helped me understand the different types of prototyping better. Prototyping is an important step of product design, because it helps in visualizing what the end product could look like or be like before actual work is put into it. It is good to do prototyping at any stage of development, not just the end. Not as much time and resources are need with "lo-fi" prototyping, so it something that can happen at the beginning stages. However, with "hi-fi" prototyping, more is needed so it usually happens at the later stages of product design. So, as the designer or team, the decision needs to be made on which prototype to work on and when.
With project 2 finalized, I think this was a really satisfactory project. I would do some tweaks here and there, but overall, I feel like it went really good. Working with the mockups was probably the most time consuming nearing the end, but it was also a satisfying process, because it simulates the real end product especially the airline wrap. As for the presentation, I didn't really want to "design" it as I wanted the work to show itself, so I kept it really minimal. It was really awesome seeing the work of others and hearing their process and ideas.
blog 2: figma module 2 + project 1
september 6, 2024
I think it designing an accessible website should be a major priority when building a website. Being inclusive should be a part of the design process and that can also help diversify and expand your target audience. Of course, it is hard to accomodate to everyone, but the goal should be to be as accessible as possible.
Project 1 was a great project to get into the flow of using Figma, even though we weren't required to. The beginning of the project felt familiar to past semesters, since it was about getting the branding done for the airline we were doing. I was able to stick to a simple, yet effective logo and brand system. The airline is called Elysian which means bliss, heaven or paradise. I wanted the logo to resemble a wing/feather and feel organic, and breezy and I feel like that was accomplished. As for the mobile app, I think there are a few changes that others recommended, that would make it better. For example, the header font choice was a bit hard to read so, I chose a heavier weight. The only thing left is the widgets and the airplane wrap.
blog 1: figma modules + in-class assignments
august 30, 2024
Right on the first day of class, Professor Khalili warned us that Figma has a steep learning curve. I thought it wouldn't be too difficult and similar to the Adobe Suite apps, but after playing around with it for a few days, I'll admit that it actually does. However, with the demonstrations in class along with the Figma modules, it has been more manageable to learn. The videos on YouTube reiterated a few things that we learned in class, but also other things like keyboard shortcuts that help speed up the process. The Figma article also showed how AI is implemented in Figma, which we as designers should learn how to use as a tool to supplement our work flow, but not rely on to do the job for us. But these resources made it easier to learn Figma, even though I still have a ways to go.
In-class assignment 3 | Components Page
In-class assignment 3 | Wireframe Page
The in-class assignments helped me get a feel for what interaction design is. UI/UX design is actually something I wanted to pursue as a professional career, so these assignments where good introductions to the topic. The first two introduced the class to parts of a website, what makes a website good or bad, and how to distinguish the site map. The third assignment was more in-depth and gave me more experience on wireframing and prototyping a single page scrolling website for mobile. This was a fun design sprint and makes me excited to make more detailed prototypes.
In-class assignment 3 | UI Design Page | Prototype Link