For the past semester, I have been compiling and creating a magazine entirely made by myself. It has been stressful yet very fun and exciting. I have learned so much from it and am glad that this was the basis for most of our classes. Learning and doing assinments is one thing but making a magazine with that skill is on a whole new level. Having to design something similar yet different in a way to make the magazine flow correctly and be visually interesting was a challenge. But overall that challenge though and showed me so much that different individual assignments couldn’t do.
Some font ideas I came up with for my magazine, the one I went with is marked with two asterisk by it.An early concept I designed to show off the title. (Magazine nameplate assignment)
First of all, we had to decide on a magazine name. Surprisingly this was very hard to come up with. Finding something that was original and wasn’t taken by another classmate or an actual magazine already. Also, the fact that it had to relate to what was also going to be in the magazine as well. You didn’t want a title that sounded like it would be a sports magazine title, you wanted something related to design or something along the lines of that.
So that is why I came up with the title Immersion. This title is based on the word immerse which means to “be involved” deeply in a certain activity or interest. Immersion is an act of immersing or the state of being immersed. I chose this title because I hope people who read my magazine will be immersed in it and want to read it cover to cover. From there I was able to come up with the colors I wanted to use and be able to stick with a certain theme throughout the pages of my magazine. I worked very hard on it and hope that all that hard work pays off in the long run.
Creating a magazine was so much fun, even though it’s not my strongest point I still had fun. Being able to create and make things gives me a sense of satisfaction. I hope that this satisfaction can carry on into the job that I get. This is just the start of my learning to create the magazine and there will be a couple of blogs for the other parts talking about this magazine assignment. I hope that you can read along and learn from them all and learn from this experience I had.
I had the privilege to speak and work with Caitlin Moen a small business owner in downtown Sioux Falls, in Nordic Hall. As we were discussing things for promotional writings for her business, she mentioned that she wished more people would know about Nordic Hall. But I 100% agree with her, when I went there to talk to her I immediately fell in love with the place. The atmosphere was extraordinary and quaint. As a fellow person who loves anything art and creative, it is the perfect place to go and experience for yourself. As part of the assignment, I wanted to write a blog post for it and wanted to share the same one here on my end.
Nordic Hall is located in downtown Sioux Falls and is a creative hub with a rich history. Originally an office building, it has evolved drastically over the years into a vibrant space where artists, small businesses, and creatives come and gather together. Over the years, Nordic Hall has nurtured a community of innovative entrepreneurs, and its historic charm adds to the artistic energy within as well. The building is also home to a variety of businesses, including Midnight Spark, alongside art galleries, vintage clothing stores, and creative studios like hARTt Studio and HiFi Hair.
This recent era of Nordic Hall is marked by the influx of all of these local entrepreneurs and artists who have come together not only to work but to also inspire and collaborate. This has created an environment where business plans and ideas are shared, and friendships are formed. Whether it’s brainstorming a new project or just simply spending time together and talking, the community at Nordic Hall makes it a unique place for both business and leisure. This growing collective of creative minds continues to shape the energy of Nordic Hall, making it one of Sioux Falls’ most dynamic spaces to visit.
This small place of creativity is a great hub for those interested and want to explore something new. I highly recommend stopping by and experiencing it for yourself. From my experience it is well-kept and welcoming, I would love to constantly go to their whenever I can. Nordic Hall is a great concept for small businesses. It provides a great place and home for these smaller businesses, to keep them on their feet and provide them with a physical location to expand their business.
Since it’s the end of the semester, my marketing class was coming to a close. But I absolutely loved the one I look. I learned so much more than I thought would have. I surprised myself with all that you could learn in one class. But, I learned so many useful things that I now have constantly in the back of my head. Marketing is nothing like I thought it was going to be and I am so glad I took it.
Marketing has taught me so many things, from how to price to how a business location is important. The class taught me a bunch of things, even though I probably won’t remember all that happened, I will still remember the important things that I thought would help me in my future. The things I learned made me look around in my day-to-day life and realize how prominent marketing was. Marketing isn’t just the promotion of a product. It’s from the planning to placing to promoting and advertising it. Marketing is so boring there are so many jobs that come out of it. Graphic design is a whole department in a marketing company or a company in general.
I always wanted to be a business owner. Be my boss and have others hire me for a short time to design whatever they needed. I was glad to hear things and what it takes in the marketing aspect of it, I thought of what I wanted to do and thought that maybe I would do it later, but not right away. I learned that it takes a lot of work on this aspect to be even considered someone to go to for business. It takes a lot of work but it is worth it in the end. Being able to be out there and stay out there takes lots of dedication, that I don’t know I have.
I would love to do this kind of thing, but maybe I should stick with a place that already has that covered. I don’t want to have to do anything extra besides what I enjoy. I don’t want to be stressed so much that I lose the joy in my day-to-day job. And theirs nothing wrong with going to a company at all, it offers great opportunities I could never get being on my own. But the only question is where, where should I go to feel the most at home and happy to be?
I never thought I needed to take a marketing class. I even tried to test out of it. Little did I know that it would be one of my favorite classes. From the class content to the instructor, everything was laid out perfectly. I was able to learn easily and expand on the knowledge I thought I knew but did not know. I discovered that I should rethink my options before jumping into the world of business, especially marketing.
In a past post, I was able to have the opportunity to tutor a first-year degree. It was now the last day today and I must say, I was way different from what I thought it was going to be. It was both a challenge and a good learning experience and I learned a lot. This post is going to talk about the challenges and what I have learned these past months.
So about three months ago I took on the opportunity to tutor a first year in my degree. I didn’t know what I was getting into and thought it was going to be easy, but it was so much more than that. Don’t get me wrong I loved doing it. I love helping others and it was a very fun experience to have. But there were certain things I ran into. I learned how to be more patient towards others, other than my family.
I have learned patience myself because I have nephews and a niece so I know how to be patient with children. Also, I am the youngest of six so I know the patience from that. But for this, I needed a whole new kind of patience. I had to try to teach someone older than me and have him try to listen to me even though he had so much more life experience. I had to teach him to be able to listen to me and see what I had to say.
One other thing I learned is how to teach. Before going into graphic design I wanted to be a teacher because it was the way I could help and I thought it would be fun. This was a little snipped into teaching and it was fun, but also a lot. I have a better understanding of it. I was also about to relearn past tools and things that I forgot about from being a first year. I was able to help him and help myself and we both learned on the way.
There were some bumps along the way and sometimes I wanted to stop, but I did want to help so I didn’t stop doing it. From this experience, I learned a whole new way to be patient. I learned how to teach and how to relearn some things that I forgot how to do as a first year. All I hoped from this experience was that I could be of help to him and I wish him all the best in his future endeavors.
I love helping out whenever and whenever I can. I just love helping people and It brings me so much joy and self-satisfaction whenever I can and do it. I love it when people need or ask for my help. So when an opportunity came up where I could tutor a first-year student with my degree. I picked up that opportunity without a second thought.
I have never been that studious in my life. Back in high school, I was barely getting by with certain classes, like math and science. I have never been that much of a left-brain person. I struggled with those certain classes because I didn’t know that it just wasn’t what I was good at. But then I found graphic design at Southeast Tech. Taking classes that were part of my major was so much fun and I became good at school. I always liked learning it just had to be things I found enjoyable. So when this new opportunity came out where I could help someone with something I’m good at with confidence I took it.
When I got the email I had to set up a time and then find a time to take a on the phone interview. I finally got to set up a time and when I got the call I was in my car. I was just getting back from having a different interview for an internship at Panther Primire Print Solutions. I can talk about how that goes next week when she said should would get back. So I pulled in and answered the phone and this very nice lady answered the phone. We started talking and she asked me some questions overall it went very well. She said that she adored me but wanted to give the one other candidate a chance at least a phone call interview too. She said that she would get back to me the next day and that she would let me know if she went with me.
And so the next day went without me thinking about it much. Until they got the call from her again. I freaked out a little but kept my cool and answered the phone. What happened next was so very exciting. She offered me the job! I was so excited I said “Oh Yay!,” She was also excited to have me and said she wanted to call me first to let me know I got the job. I was so excited that this happened to me and that I was about to get the job and be able to help someone.
So help when whenever you can, it’s so very rewarding and can bring not just the other person but you joy. Helping is a way of giving back to people and the community. Back in high school, I couldn’t help other people with school much. But now that I can, I will do everything in my power to help this first year pass his classes and get better in the process.
This shows an example of the blur, behind the overlayThis is just the blur overlay
If you have been reading my blog you would know that I have been working on an App Design for a while now. I am almost done. I just need a few tweaks here and there. I have learned so much about designing and connecting an app and I would like to show you the most recent thing I did that I am most proud of. I was struggling to figure out how to do a drop-down option for the app. But when I figured it out I was very relieved.
To start I had to make another artbord. Similar to the rest but without some feature so that it wouldn’t lay over on top of the other contents, and be a double. After that, I put a shape that was the size of the artboard and blurred it, because I noticed you cannot blur artboards. But also having the very top of the app were the drop-down bars and the profile picture were, on top of the blur. Then in the prototype panel, I changed the type to overlay. From there, you connect that artboard to all of the drop-down bars, in all the other artboards.
These are some images that will help see what it looks like. First, the one to the left is the final way it is supposed to look. The one on the right is how it would look in your app prototype, because it is an overlay. The one thing I still have to tweak in this is how to make you able to stay on the page you are on once you click on the three bars. Instead of going back to only one, the one that it is connected to.
This was very enjoyable to figure out. Once I find out how to make it so when you click on the three bars again that it takes you back to the page you are currently on, I will be sure to tell you. But this is a little victory that I have been trying to figure out for a while and I am very glad I was able to do it on my own.
In this blog, I want to talk about the current trends in design, technology, marketing, and social networking. I think all of these are an important part of the design industry and knowing more about them provides a better understanding of what they are and what currently is happening. It broadens your horizon with the world and keeps you updated. Staying updated helps you be able to find new ways and ideas to improve your career and knowledge as a person. So the following is current information on four trends.
Design Some 2024 trends in design are minimalism, a “less is more” philosophy where every element in the design serves a purpose, stripping away the unnecessary to reveal the essence. Minimalist designs are characterized by clean lines, ample white space, and an uncluttered aesthetic. Another trend is gradients, which are all about seamlessly blending colors from one shade to another, creating mesmerizing transitions that add depth and dimension to designs. Gradients are versatile, lending themselves to a variety of applications, from backgrounds to typography and logos. One more is hand-drawn doodles, also known as hand-drawn art. This brings out the ‘human’ in design. This derives from the idea that handcrafted elements infuse warmth style to create a friendly, approachable image [1].
Technology Some technology trend in 2024 is AI generated content. Artificial intelligence can generate high-quality, creative content, including text, images, videos, and music. This technology uses algorithms like GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) and DALL-E to understand and produce content that resonates with human preferences. This speeds up content creation and reduces costs, and democratizes access to creative tools, enabling small businesses and individuals to create content at scale. Another trend is Virtual Reality, enhanced VR technologies are offering more immersive and realistic experiences. With many improvements in display resolutions, motion tracking, and interactive elements. New VR systems are also becoming more user-friendly, with lighter headsets and longer battery life, which could lead to broader consumer adoption and integration into daily life. And Augmented Reality technology or AR is transforming the retail industry by allowing consumers to visualize products in a real-world context through their devices. This trend is evident in applications that let users try on clothes virtually or see how furniture would look in their homes before purchasing. These interactive experiences enhance customer satisfaction, increase sales, and reduce return rates [3].
Marketing A few marketing trends in 2024 are short-form videos, like TicTok or YouTube. This content type has the highest return on investment and is to see the most growth in 2024. This targets digital-first generations and meets them where they are. A second trend is community efforts and building. Community building is key for customer retention and it says that 82% of consumers are more likely to purchase new products from a company with an engaging online community. One last trend is personalization, by enabling personalized experiences marketers are enhancing the user’s experience. This leads to repeat business and a 94% increase in sales [2].
Social Networking Three current social networks are Facebook, YouTube, and WhatsApp. Facebook is currently the number one social network with around three billion users, YouTube is the next with 2.7 billion, and WhatsApp is third with 2.4 billion users. These are all popular and trending social networks. Some more would be Instagram, TikTok, and WeChat [4]. In these networks popular trends used are videos, streaming, and behind the scenes.
I think knowing these four areas will help in your knowledge and connection to the world. As times change, so do they, and keeping up with them is important. Knowing more about the current trend keeps you connected to the world and what is going on in it. Knowledge of them helps you stay informed and lets you do the best practices for your job. So it is always good to keep up with any current trends, not just these.
Typography is an essential and important part of a design. It conveys a visual language that communicates a message, shapes the viewer’s experience, and can influence their perception. Fonts are just as important in a design, as is how the typography will look. So I think knowing the history behind them is an important part of being a designer. To not just know how to work with fonts and how to place typography, but the know where it comes from for a deeper understanding of it. I knew a little from my first year at college but never dug deeper from what my design instructor said. So this blog is to help broaden our horizons on typography and font so we can better understand, as designers, what we are working with, and as nondesigners to better understand what it is.
History of Typography
Typography can trace its roots back to hieroglyphs or pictograms. It was used by ancient civilizations to represent ideas, these images soon evolved into alphabets and phonographic writing, which led to the development of various typographic systems. Ancient cave paintings can be credited as the very first recorded written communication. As civilizations advanced, the need to communicate complex concepts grew, hence the development of Egyptian hieroglyphics. The Egyptians began to incorporate symbols or ideograms into their art, architecture, and writings [1].
However, it is the Phoenicians who are credited with creating the very first alphabet and this same alphabet was used by the Greeks. After several years the Romans used the Greek Alphabet and styled the Uppercase Alphabet, which is still used today. They would also refine the art of handwriting and fashioned several different styles of lettering. Additionally, they also introduced different scripts [1].
Use of Typography Back in the 11th century in the burgeoning days of printing. During the Song Dynasty in China. Typography was invented by Bi Sheng (990-1051). He created a movable type using porcelain but later discovered that wood was easier to replace because all you needed to do was quickly carve a new letter or character. Later around 1230 in Korea during the Goryeo Dynasty a metal movable type was invented. Metal proved to be much more hardwearing than previous materials [1].
Then around 1440 Johannes Gutenberg (c.1393-1406-1468) invented the Printing Press. His invention was a movable type printing press which kicked off the printing revolution. With this new-fangled press, he could print up to 3,600 pages per day way more than hand printing, which could only manage a measly forty pages per day. Although Gutenberg automated and mechanized the process of printing, Asia was using movable type for almost a century prior [1].
History of Fonts Johannes Gutenberg was actually credited for developing the first font along with inventing the printing press. It was a blackletter variety resembling calligraphy. Then the French engineer, Nicholas Jenson (c.1420-1480) developed one of the earliest Roman typefaces in 1470 [1].
Later, front classifications came along. Morris Fuller Benton (1872-1948), an American typeface designer, is credited with the invention of font classification. He was the chief type designer at the American Type Founders (ATF) from 1900 to 1937. His designs include Franklin Gothic, Alternate Gothic, and News Gothic. Then, in 1954, Maximilien Vox (1894-1974) developed the Vox-ATypl classification [1].
Licensing Fonts Then in the 1980s, came the era of desktop publishing. The old ways of physical typesetting were gone and fonts and their families had now become software products. And with this new digital technology came the need for licensing. If you wanted a font for commercial use, you had to acquire the right permission. Through licensing, the font owner can allow multiple uses of their designs. Licensing is very important and designers, and others, must watch out for it [1].
I think both typography and fronts are very important and their development through the ages is very interesting. They have come a long way from when they both first started. It’s amazing how much they were able to remain through the ages. They didn’t fade away and just improved. The way lots of people had a part to play in it and it was not just one person or people group. Lots of people worked and improved on it, and because of them, we have what we use today, which is still being refined today.
I think looking at or looking for inspiration is good. As long as you don’t abuse it and copy it. I know most designers have design blocks and use inspiration to help them with their designs. I have had many of those, unfortunately, it’s all part of the job in this line of work. But that ok, There is nothing wrong with needing a little help or inspiration once in a while to help you out.
Recently I needed some help to find a color scheme for an app I am designing for one of my classes. I had an image in my head but could never find the colors in the software. I wanted a cool color color scheme for this app. This is because when I put out a survey, a lot of the responses put cool colors down for the question, what colors make you feel relaxed. I wanted to design an app where people felt at ease and relaxed when planning or writing something down, not stressed. But what hue or tint those colors should be was the main problem I was facing. They couldn’t be too dark or light, they had to be just the right color.
So I went to Google, looked up cool colors, and searched for the best color scheme colors. I didn’t like any of the ones I found so far. They just didn’t look right next to each other and would clash. But then I found it, the perfect cool color combination that won’t be too dark or light. They looked so nice together and I fell in love with my design, unlike all the other color variations.
This is the home pageThis is how I put it into my design (login)This is the color palette I saw that gave me inspiration.
From this, I was about to learn so many things. I enjoyed searching for the perfect colors I had in my mind. I am so glad that I didn’t give up and left it as a one-color base. These colors help my design feel friendly and inviting, without any stressful colors. Colors are very important in a design and are something that can be overlooked. You have to be careful in what colors you use because they really can change someone’s mood. But most importantly you have to always remember a design is just as good as the amount of work you put into it. So don’t give up on a design just because you can’t find what you are looking for, get some inspiration to help you.
I think learning is fun and important. Throughout my time at Southeast Tech, I have learned much from my instructors and others around me. A lot of the things I was able to pick up right away and develop as I am here, but there are a few things that I am still working on and refining. But there is one thing I have learned from this year, that I have not used before. This new skill is typography, header typography.
I know I was supposed to already know how to work with typography since last year’s school year. But when I think about it, I never really worked with it. Yes, I had a header and used typography, but I just put it as you would a title. Capitalize the main words and don’t capitalize the smaller words. But when my instructor came over to look at and catch my design, he said my header was lacking. I told him that I just capitalized it like you would a title, and he said design headers capitalizing and English headers capitalizing were not the same. This entire time I was capitalizing my header as I would in English Class and not in Design Class. I was amazed at how often I did this and wanted to change imminently.
Old Header, font all the same size with style being made the most important because it was bolded.New Header, font not all the same size with any, style, it’s, and yours being make important because it’s bolded.
There is so much you can do with it, with just the header alone. The header is one of the first things your viewer sees, so if that doesn’t catch their eye they probably won’t read the rest of the ad. It makes a big difference which words are capitalized, bolded, or what size it is. It makes what is important stick out and what is not important. I learned a new way to approach header typography. I have used what he said and I am continuing to learn more and more through the videos my instructor told us about. I learned something that I thought I already knew but was doing wrong the entire time.
Typography is an important and very powerful thing in design. I am very glad that I was about to switch and learn the right way to do it. From this, I learned to not be set with how I do things. Learning and developing skills is very important and is how you get better. Without it, you would be just as good as when you started. So don’t be afraid to learn and change how you do things, especially if it’s the wrong way.
