Musings

While design has always been one of my passions, I started to get a little bit jaded while working in the industry. Being the only creative in my office, many of my projects were done on the fly with quick turnarounds. Since I was on such tight deadlines, I found myself getting into a bit of a rut, using the same techniques and pulling out the same design tricks when I needed to get something done in a pinch. This class reenergized my enthusiasm for design and forced me to explore beyond my comfort zone.

It’s easy to sit back reflecting on the semester and point out new programs I learned, like After Effects, or new Illustrator tricks I picked up. But what I value most from this class is becoming more comfortable with the design process from start to finish. I’ve never been what I consider a traditional artist. Freehand sketching is a foreign concept to me and I end up erasing everything I do anyway. Traditional art in the purest form, rather than digital art, doesn’t lend itself well to overanalyzing slightly neurotic designers. I’ve gained confidence in conceptualizing on paper and translating my ideas into rough prototypes. I started to accept that first drafts and storyboards aren’t supposed to be perfect. Imperfections make them adaptable to edits and changes. Looking back at my time at Fleishman there were so many projects that I just jumped on the computer and started designing. No sketching or planning whatsoever. I don’t think I will ever go back to that process and have found a new appreciation for the beginning stages of design projects.