"Everything I do Comes Back to Me"

     Why Design?      

     I have had graphic design on my radar since sophomore year of high school. I realized that designing and art were a must for me. In order to love college and my future, I knew that I would need to be creating and making art. I never knew for sure if I would end up here though.  I love putting the paint on a canvas and the satisfaction of seeing what my hand has produced. Even though painting can sometimes be a solitary art, I am a people person, and the idea of creating for someone and working for a  group of people gives me more satisfaction then creating something for myself. I am discovering that the way I design things is very similar to the way I paint a painting. Choosing the color palate, putting down the brush strokes, and coming up with the layout. A painting comes to end though once it is hung on the wall. A design in Illustrator or Photoshop will always be in a hard-drive waiting to be manipulated. Design is on going; it is never concrete and it is in constant change. One must change with the ways of design. Being able to manipulate anything imaginable and making something that has the chance to be seen all over the world draws me in. Design is everywhere and can reach anyone. The way that a designer is constantly learning- learning new programs, learning about their clients, or learning every piece of history to inspire the next poster- is so intriguing to me. The fact that I have a chance to possibly create something that could touch thousands or even millions of people to make an impact makes me choose design. 

Response to Readings 

     

       Meggs' thought in her introduction are very similar to my own. A couple of her thoughts stood out to me, "Graphic design is a hybrid discipline," being one of them. The fact that a graphic designer is constantly moving from completely different projects and problems is a terrific thing. A designer has the open mindedness and yet the focus and drive to research, conduct, and produce many different projects. The diverse ideas and clients  a designer will be dealing with makes them a problem solver. Having the luxury of communication through image and text so that people on opposite sides of the globe with different backgrounds can portray the message is an amazing thing. "To instruct, to delight, and to motivate," as she puts it.  Meggs' writing definitely expanded my ideas on graphic design.  

      

      As for Hiebert's writing, he notes that design is made to be functional rather then decorative- which can be true, yet I do think that many designs can be made to be purely decorative.  I am finding out as the days go by that design is very much a process and projects take extensive planning. Hiebert says that for each project we find the content and purpose, which I greatly agree with. Knowing that design is usually for community it makes one think of every possibility something could recognized. Does that line relate to closely with the one above? Should it be moved down a notch to create more negative space? Questions are on this never ending train. Things can always be changed and altered. 

Stefan Sagmeister video 

        

        I  really enjoyed listening and watching Stefan. I appreciate how he puts his whole self into his work. I can tell he devotes his life to his craft.  WIth the Sagmeister Inc. poster he produced and participated in the piece which makes me have more respect for him as an artist. He mentions that he knew he had always wanted to be a designer and through his work you can see that. He has fun yet he is still serious about the job. He says that the final piece should incorporate the process visibly which is something I will start to consider.  I think that he is a smart man, that looks for the smarted clients so that he can keep learning. I think he has an open perspective on things. I feel like he could design for almost anything because he seems to have such an open mind.