After reading the “Lessons Learned” blog post from previous students, here’s what I took away:
- Grids are everything. The common theme of each of these students’ comments was the importance of grid layouts. I remember from the introductory class of graphic design that this is also key, and I remember how fun it is to play with grid layout and designs, what to do, and what not to do. I’ll definitely keep the importance of grids in mind when choosing graphics, photos, etc. for my prototype.
- Don’t save everything until the last minute (a.k.a. it’s a marathon, not a sprint). This one I definitely inferred from the syllabus and introduction to the class. We get a whole semester to work on one prototype and I’d be a fool to save it all for April. Because I’m excited for the work in this class and getting to design my own publication, I don’t think I’ll have any trouble saving my work for last minute. Rather, I’m excited to start jumping in right away!
- Office hours, office hours, office hours. Professor Strong’s office hours have made an impression on the previous students it seems because they all recommended to utilize them. I’ll definitely keep that in mind whenever I am struggling or have any questions.
- Embracing critique. As a journalism student, I have always participated in group critiques as a way to learn and grow as a writer and student. Now, with design, I know I need help because I’m new at it and I’m excited to come out of this class a better and more experienced designer!
