Project 9 Newsletter

       In this newsletter I worked with Paulina, Rinchen and Kevin. My groups newsletter was all about games like crossword puzzles, word search, jigsaw puzzles and spot the difference. My word search was based on web design vocabulary words. First I searched through my notes to create a list of words to put in the word search. Then I made the word search using a table in Microsoft word. I then placed it into web design and arranged the formatting. I also went to Illustrator Adobe to create an image that would suit the word search. I used the shape tools to create a magnifying glass with an eye in the middle. I chose to create that picture because you have to look closely to find the hidden words. Then I placed the picture on the top right corner. The boxes around the letters were part of the design to make it different from usual word searches. I did that to make it look unique.

Lab 23 Illustrator Shape Building Tool Reflection Journal

In this lab I experimented with the shape tool. I made pentagons, hexagons, stars flares, circles and rectangles. I put gradient in some of the shapes like blue and black gradient. I also used radial gradient. I changed the points on the star and styled it by changing the properties. I really liked this lab because I was able to use my creativity to make any shape and modify it. The flare tool and the star tool really caught my attention when I was doing this lab and I liked experimenting with different shapes. I used the polygon tool to also make triangles with a gradient design on it. The star tool had scissors on it and it looked really nice. This helps me with familiarizing myself with the tools in Illustrator Adobe and making myself more comfortable. This helps me in web design with combining these skills into making a well drawn picture in Illustrator Adobe.

Lab 22 Illustrator Blob Brush Tool Reflection Journal

In this lab I set up a new document in Illustrator Adobe and set the document to 4 by 4 inches. This time I experimented with the blob brush tool. I made circles and lines and for some of them I used the eraser tool to cut the line or circle in half and re-sized it. It was cool seeing it became two different objects when I used the eraser tool to erase a part and shrink or enlarge it. I used different styles for the blob brush tool in the panels and changed it according to how I wanted. I also changed the thickness of the stroke and the opacity.

Lab 21 Illustrator Paintbrush Tool Reflection Journal

In this lab I experimented with the paintbrush tool. I changed the properties of the paintbrush to make it more stylish. I decreased the opacity for some of the lines I drew with the paintbrush tool. I free-styled and it was similar to the pencil tool lab. I changed the mode of the panels for the the paintbrush. I changed the colors to make some of the lines stand out and to make it look appealing. I made some squiggly lines and played around with the tool.

Lab 20 Illustrator Pencil Tool Reflection Journal

       

       We used Illustrator Adobe to make this lab. In this lab we experimented with the pencil tool. The document was 4 by 4 inches. I used different colors and drew all sorts of lines and scribbles. I played around with the stroke and different types of the pencil tool. I also changed the size of the pencil tool and made it curvy and I just did whatever I wanted. It was the first lab using Illustrator Adobe. It was nice and fun to experiment with no restrictions of what to do.

Youth Empowerment Conference Reflection Journal

                 
     On Saturday, I went to the youth empowerment conference where I listened to panelists talk about how they made their way to success. Mia was a community manager who talked about how she went abroad to China and had many different experiences. She talked about how she ended up at her job. She talked about her struggles of finding a job after graduating from Harvard and how she went on internships. There was a Lieutenant who said he didn't know what he wanted to be and decided giving a shot to being a police officer when somebody recommended it to him. He said that he had to study for 16 hours a day for the tests that he needed to take to get promoted to a higher rank. There was TT Torrez who came and talked about her childhood. She grew up in poverty and was determined to succeed and made that her goal at a young age. Her mother left her at a friend's house and she realized that the only person who can believe in her success is her herself. She didn't let anything stop her from reaching success and now she works at Hot 97.1.
      The panelists talked about how they overcame their struggles to get to the place they are in today. They never gave up on trying and was passionate about their work. They said that it was important to be prepared and familiarize yourself with others so that they can give you opportunities. They gave prize giveaways to people with the raffle tickets they gave out earlier. People won iTunes gift card and movie tickets. Then a new panel of people came. There was Ahmed who was a student graduating from high school and going to a college. He talked about how the people around you effected you. He talked about how we should try to do more so we can be able to do something that others can't. There was also a coast guard officer who got his job through networking. Then they talked about how networking played a huge role for being successful. We were able to ask the panelist questions that we had. Then Cheryl Wills came and talked about her ancestors. She is a reporter for NY1 and also a journalist. She talked about how there was a hero in everyone's family but how we don't know about it. There was a guy that talked about the different types of geniuses. For example musical genius, athletic genius, and numbers genius. There was also a high schooler named Harry. He talked about how he almost got beaten up to death with an aluminum bat from hanging around the wrong crowd. This made him disable. He said to not hang out with the wrong crowd and if you are to get out now because nothing good will come from it. The purpose of this event was to motivate and inspire students to follow their path to success.

HW Definitions

1) EPUB stands for electronic publication and is designed for reflowable content. To publish for EPUB you have to open a document and choose file-export. Then you specify a filename and location. Then go to save as and select EPUB. In the EPUB export options dialog box you can change the option sin general, image and advanced to how you want it and then click ok.

2) Html stands for hypertext markup language. Html is the structure of the content. It is used to create web pages. It can also be used to create interactive forms and it consists of tags. Some examples of the tags used are <html>, <hl>, and <img>. Html5 is version of html.

3) Cell stroke is the outline of the cell. There can be thin and thick stroke according to how you adjust it. A cell is the intersection of the rows and columns in a table. You can add strokes to your table and choose if you want to modify specifically the row strokes or/and the column strokes.

4) The CSS style classes allow you to manipulate html elements. It selects elements within a specific class features.  You can find the elements based on their type, class, characteristic and id. 

5) SWF stands for small web format. SWF movie files is a shockwave flash file format. They can contain videos and animations. It is commonly used for browser games. 

6) SING glyphlets stands for smart independent glyphlets. It is a very small opentype font. Glyphlets are embedded in documents.

7) A thumnail a small image that is either part of an image or a representative of a larger image. It allows more than 1 image to be shown on a web page. It is used to make it more easier to manage a bunch of images.

8) Reflowable document is able to adapt its orientation/presentation to the output device. It is able to change as the person want it to.

9) Bulk is when you have a lot; more than 1 and appears as large.

10) A hyperlink is a link from a hyperlink document/file to another file/location. It is to a specific document or element within a document. 

Project 8 Brochure Reflection Journal

    For the brochure project I worked with my teammates to come up with ideas and ended up making a brochure about foods. On Photoshop we made a logo that has a restaurant and labeled it as Best Bites Restaurant and put people outside. First we designed the layout of the brochure and who was in charge of each panel. I was the researcher in the group. I was in charge of the cake panel and the first page. I put the slogan "great service better food" on the top. Then I put the name of the restaurant, The Best Bites, and put the logo below it. On the cake panel I labeled the panel cake so people could see what the panel is about. I went on photoshop and made a slice of cake with a cherry on top and placed it below the title cake. I made the cake by using the pen and shape tools. Then I wrote some information about the cake and arranged the placing of the text and images. I left the text as black and had the background color as red because it relates to food. Then I made it in a pdf and printed it out. This can help me in the future as I design brochures for my clients. I have experience so I would be able to know how to make brochures. These skills can help me in the future for future labs and projects that I have. It was fun planning and making the layout. It was a bit hard to make the cake in Photoshop because I wasn't sure if it would look like a cake. So it was hard making the cake look like how it did but I am proud of how it turned out looking.

Lab 20 Warping Images

Before Image

           In this lab I warped images using puppet warp. First I started Photoshop and found an image to warp. Then I unlocked the background layer and made a selection of the stuffed toy. Then I went to Edit-Puppet Warp. Then I experimented with the image and put pins to the areas I wanted to stay in place and areas that I wanted to change. I dragged one of the anchor point which made one of the stuffed animal's ears bigger and puffier. I selected a pin so I could make the tail and legs curly. I also changed its facial expression by moving its nose a bit more downward.  I stretched one of the legs a bit. Finding an image that I could work with was hard because I couldn't find a perfect image. It was easy to move and rotate the pins around. I liked how the transformation happened because it looks different from the original picture. Now the stuffed animal looks more curly and has octopus like legs. I can use these skills in the future to change the position and overall the whole picture with the the adjustment pins.

After Image

Lab 19 Feathering

                                   
  In this lab I used an image and learned how to modify a part of of the image. First I double clicked the background layer to unlock it and renamed it as layer 0. Then I selected a part of the image by using the quick selection tool. I made a mask and then created a new layer and put it under the layer mask. I used the paint bucket tool to change the background color. I lowered the opacity of the solid color layer making it transparent. Then I applied blending options to the layer. I used lighten, darken, color dodge and hue for the blending options. I noticed how it changed the original image. It was fun experimenting with the blending options and cool to see the transparency of the solid color layer. I can use this skill in the future to modify parts of an image for my clients and for future projects.

Synopsis Skills

      In this video it shows all of the other videos of the different skill sets combined into one. These skills are enthusiasm and attitude, communication, teamwork, critical thinking and problem solving, networking and professionalism. With enthusiasm and attitude you show your how how badly you want to succeed and how much you are willing to try. Communication skills are used to share ideas with others in the workplace and be able to be understood. Teamwork benefits the members of the group and manages time more efficiently. More work will be able to get done. Employers will look at you in a high valuable way with your creativity in critical thinking and problem solving skills. Networking is important because the people that you know can also help you by suggesting you to visit places online for jobs that you want. This will make a broader range of communication with others. Professionalism means to take responsibility for your actions and to behave in a proffesional matter.

Networking Skills

This video was about an intern doing a good job and one of the worker in the office asks him how he got his job. He tells her how he went online and researched jobs and companies that interested him. He found out about a event that he could introduce himself to the CEO of the company and told him all about how he found out about the company and the job. The CEO told him to come for an interview and he ended up getting a job. He impressed the CEO with his knowledge and interest in the job and ended up as being a intern. Sometimes it is important to have a good network of people so that you are able to be prepared well and find more connections that will be useful to you in the future.

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills

     In this video it showed a girl helping solve her peer worker's problem. She cleverly came up with ideas that helped solve the problems that she was having fast. She came up with ideas of placing different color labels on the children's items so they would be able to recognize if it is their possession or not. This way they would not lose their items all the time.  It is important to be able to have a good judgement and make big decisions. Employers are looking for employees that are able to assess a problem and solve them. There are always a problem everyday and being able to handle them is an important skill.

Teamwork Skils

    One of the important skills we need to develop are teamwork skills. In the video it shows how a manager was praising a woman because of her excellent work on a project. She tells her that she didn't do all of the work and gives credit to her team members. She did not take all of the credit for herself when she could have. Working with others that have different sets of skills will make the work faster and the idea will be more creative. Every person takes responsibility for their task and accomplishes it to their best capability. This is important because it shows how you are able to work with any type of person that you team up with. The skill required to work with others is making use of time, sharing ideas that you do not have to necessarily agree with and get different opinions. Also the same goal that you are trying to achieve.

Professionalism Skills

       Another skill we need to learn and improve on is professionalism. In the video it showed an employee talking to his manager. He came in late and his manager discussed with him about his plans to get earlier next time for work. Then the manager tells the employee to do more than what he is told and putting in more effort is professionalism. This shows us that professionalism is always being prepared and on time for work. It also shows how motivated, passionate and determined you are about your work.Your abilities are proven through your hard work.

Enthusiasm and Attitude Skills

      In the enthusiasm and attitude skills video it showed two different scenarios about a guy going for a job interview. In the first scenario the guy came to his job interview wearing jeans, sneakers and a sweater. He put his feet on the table was talking informally to the interviewer. He didn't make an good impression and was clearly unprepared. He didn't answer the questions with the attitude of making an effort to get the job and showed that he did not care. In the second scenario is shows a guy going on time for his job interview wearing a suit. He had good posture by sitting up straight and made eye contact. He answered her questions with confidence and told her how he was going to try his best. This shows that enthusiasm and attitude is a necessary skill needed for a job. With the positive attitude and good enthusiasm it makes a good first impression. It gives you an advantage over other applicants.

Communication Skills Reflection Journal

   

       One of the important skills needed when you work is communication. The video on communication skills was about an employee speaking in text language with the customers. They were not able to understand her and made complains about her to the manager. The manager talked to her about it so she would correct it. She realized that she used text language all the time and tried to stop after her conversation with her manager. This shows the importance of being able to communicate with others well. If you don't communicate well with others they won't be able to understand you and it will make work difficult. You have to interact with others on a daily basis. We watched this video so we can try to improve our communication skills.

Lab7 GIF Respect for all

                                
         In this project I had to create a 10 second gif that relates to respect for all. I used the custom shape tool to make the bubble, man and woman. I used the horizontal type tool to write the text so it would be easy to understand what was going on. I used the rectangle shape tool to make a box for the man to carry. I rasterized my layers and then I adjusted the position according to the timing. In this gif a man is carrying a heavy box and a woman asks him if he needed any help. He disrespects her saying that she wasn't strong enough and she proved him wrong. She showed him to have respect for others. This was a gif giving the message of gender equality. It was a bit hard making the box move from the man to the woman because when I did it first during the conversation they had  the box was moving away and it took me some time to fix that. It was fun experimenting because this was the first time I actually used text in a gif and it came out nicely as I hoped that it would. It would have been better if I used effects to make it look 3D. I can use this skill in the future to make more gifs and use it to make impressions for my future clients.

Lab 11 GIF Reflection Journal

       In this lab I created a GIF in Photoshop. A GIF is a moving image. First I opened up PS opened up a new document renamed it as lab11_sheimabegum_vd and made sure the preset was default size. Then I used the gradient tool and made a line across the canvas. Then I used the custom shape tool to make a star. I rasterized the layer. I used the timeline and put key-frames on the style and opacity. The effects I used were outer glow and inner shadow. Then after that I used the custom shape tool again to make a flower. I put key-frames on the position so it could move around. I put key-frames in the opacity so that it could look like it was fading but then put it back to normal at the end and also put some key-frames on the style. The effect I used for the flower was drop shadow. It was fun to experience how to make a GIF. Then I went to file and clicked on save for web. I chose the one that took less time and set the looping options to forever. I can use these skills in the future to make more GIFS for future projects and labs.

CTE Expo Reflection Journal

         The CTE Expo is an event held every year where freshman visit all the CTE academies and choose which one they want to apply to. The people who organize the event are the CTE academies. The sophomores, juniors and seniors and the teacher are the ones that help organize the whole event. We display our work for the freshman to go around, look and ask questions. The CTE expo took place in the web design academy. The CTE expo took place on February 12 this year. We finished presenting our project boards and placed them in the middle of the classroom on the tables and on some of the computers.
         We prepared for it by dressing up professionally and coming to the web design academy 2 times other than 7th period. When we came in, we welcomed freshman and showed them around the room. There were a class for each period that freshman could come in with their class and take a look.
They looked at the computer animations on the computer and websites of the juniors and seniors. They also looked at the boards and we explained to them how we created our project. The steps we used and the parts we liked and found hard. There were people at the door handing out flyers and we guided them to our work. The reason why the CTE Expo was held was so that the freshman can choose an academy that they like and try to get in. They can get an idea of what happens in web design and what type of work they would be able to do if they are in the academy.
        We can try to persuade the freshman into joining our academy throughout the event. The results were good. People were looking around and they seemed interested. I talked to few freshman and told them about my process of making the business card project board and also a few labs and other projects we did. Some of the examples were the lab where we took pictures from the different types of angles, the Warhol project where we made pop art, the labs where we experimented with the different types of brush and vector shapes tool. Also creating a logo and business card for a company that we choose.

Work process Project Reflection

     The process I followed to create my project was to first create a logo for my business using Photoshop. Then I designed 3 drafts of my business cards using InDesign. Then I typed 3 essays on Microsoft Word following the guideline of the essays. I wrote about the analysis of the business card that I chose, a reflection on my project overall and about the graphic design principles I used in my logo. I also wrote about the improvements I could make and what I learned from doing this project. I wrote the definition of the concepts of typography and InDesign. I printed the essays, business cards and picture examples. Then I placed it on my board neatly and decorated it.
      Following this procedure helped me be more efficient because I had guidelines to follow and I already answered the questions in worksheets given in class so I just had to organize everything into essays. This helped me be able to plan and save time when I was doing my project. I can improve my project by replacing words with a higher level of vocabulary.

Self Evaluation

          I did well on the Fall Term by getting higher than 90 in all 3 marking periods. During the Fall I learned how to use tools in Photoshop, how to use InDesign, how to make business cards, how to scan a picture, and many more. Making the logos for my business, some projects and labs were fun and enjoyable. For example, the Silhouette mask project and the lab where I experimented with the different types of brush and vector shape tools.

          The project where I had to go over the picture I drew using only vector shapes was very hard and difficult for me. I can improve this term by studying, experimenting more (so I can get used to the tools and material I have to use) and by trying to make my work the best I can make it. Also I can improve by coming during tutoring for extra time to finish my work and by coming on time everyday. Everything I experienced in the Fall is vital because those were the challenges that I took and I learned a lot from all the labs, projects and lessons. It helped me improve as a designer.

Reflection journals for drafts 1 and 2 of the business cards

             I had to create 2 drafts of a business card. My company is about origami so I made 2 drafts that are different using InDesign. For the first business card I put my information in the corners of the card and I put my logo in the upper right corner. I highlighted the text and changed the colors. I highlighted the phone number and made the color yellow and I changed the text color to blue. I highlighted the address and made the highlight to blue and changed the text color to red. I highlighted the info in the upper left corner to a pinkish color and changed the text to yellow. I also italicized it. I used the rectangle frame tool to make a frame covering the whole area so I could use it as my background. And then I used the different types of typography on the text to try to make it look appealing.In the information that I put in my business card included my name, the address, the phone number, and the relationship to the place and company. I rotated the text around so it could stand out.
         

            For the second business card I placed the logo on the whole left corner so it covered almost half the business card. Then I placed my contact information and name and address on the whole right side. I placed the company's name MSB on top of the logo and outlined it with black and the text color was pink. I did that to make it stand out and look pretty. Then I used tracking to space the overall text on the business card. I used the rectangle frame to make the background color. I also used gradient colors and solid colors on the business card. I used the gradient color on the phone number and set it to radiant. I slanted the address and made it longer so it could be interesting. I tried to use similar colors so it would seem relatable with the colors.