Gabriella Berardi

I did my project on how to make subpar overnight oats. I chose this because I make overnight oats almost everyday and decided to stick with what I know. I wanted to do the project completely non-digitally because I had completed every other project on my computer. I love working with my hands and was craving some arts and crafts, so I saw this as the perfect opportunity. I did multiple sketches before beginning the project, which helped develop the concept. I normally do not sketch before a project, but I thought it was important since this medium does not allow me to easily make changes. I had the last minute idea to use different patterns and make it look like a scrapbook. I like to put some sort of twist on my projects, so I guess that was how I did it this time. I had a lot of fun with this project and it was really enjoyable to create something with my hands rather than on a screen.

These are my nature illustrations that I completed in Adobe Illustrator. I chose a blocky, rough style that allowed me to deconstruct the reference images into simple shapes. It made me view the images in terms of highlights and shadows. I felt that the technique was simple and not too difficult, but still enabled me to create interesting illustrations. The most difficult part was the time and patience it took to create the meticulous details, specifically in the tree. I enjoyed using a color palette because it tied all the illustrations together and made the style feel more consistent. Overall, this project was very fun and I would illustrate with this style and technique again.

This is my digital portrait of Jack Black. I used the Adobe Illustrator image trace tool to simplify the image and limit the number of colors. I then brought the image to Photoshop and used the mixer brush tool to blend the rough edges and create the illusion of a painting. I selected different pieces of the image to add filters and effects. Then Kyra gave me the funny idea to switch their eyes. I wanted to see how that would look so I tried it. I thought it looked interesting and a little funny so I decided to keep it. The most difficult part of this project was challenging myself to stop comparing my work to other portraits. I found myself trying to put my work in a box and limit my creativity. The project became much more fun when I let my creativity flow freely and stopped comparing my work to other projects. Using Photoshop and Illustrator was not an issue and I enjoyed learning how to use the Wacom tablets and pens. They allowed me to use the brush tools, which I typically avoid. I am excited to continue practicing and improving my skills with the tablet and pen.

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Better Weather evaluates the weather in your area and suggests the proper clothing to keep you comfortable. It can be difficult to figure out what to wear during the fall and spring when the weather constantly fluctuates. That’s where Better Weather comes in! Just enter your zip code and we will assess the weather data in your area to recommend appropriate attire. Try it out here.

What did you learn? — I learned how to create an animation in the prototype. The menu in the last picture slides in like it would in an app.

What was easy? — The overall process of designing was much easier than last project because I now understand how to use components, which makes everything so much easier.

What was challenging? — The hardest part for me was thinking of an app. I wanted to make something I would actually use, and I am horrible at dressing appropriately for the weather so this app is perfect for me.

How could your submission be improved? — The app is pretty simple, and I think I could add more interesting features if I spent more time with it.

How could I improve the assignment for the next class? — I think it might have been helpful to have students come up with more than one app idea. I think it could have led to some more interesting concepts.

How might you apply your knowledge in future assignments or work scenarios? — I will incorporate animations in all my future work that involves prototyping.

How did a specific reading or video inspire or help you? — Seeing the variety of previous projects was helpful during the brainstorming process. They were very creative and helped me get started.

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Click here to interact with the app.

• What did you learn?

I learned how to use the prototyping feature in Figma and how to create and use components.

• What was easy?

Using Figma and creating a design style was easy.

• What was challenging?

Figuring out the organization of the app was challenging. It was also difficult to create simple and effective features.

• How could your submission be improved?

Some of the interactive features could be improved. For example, I would change it so you can click on the text bubbles to complete a task instead of just the bubble next to the task.

• How could I improve the assignment for the next class?

I think it could be helpful to have parts of the project due at different times instead of the whole thing all at once.

• How might you apply your knowledge in future assignments or work scenarios?

This project challenged me to think about usability and simple ways to create features, which will be useful in future projects for this class.

• How did a specific reading or video inspire or help you? Refer to a specific reading or link for this; do not reference a class video or lecture.

The Smashing Magazine article was helpful when organizing my app because it broke down the whole process of UX design.

hello

What did you learn?

I learned how to create a map that is interesting to look at while still being organized and simple.

What was easy?

Tracing the roads and the objects on the map was easy.

What was challenging?

Using the color palette was the most difficult part for me.

How could your submission be improved?

I could add more details to the map and make it more interesting.

How could the professor improve the assignment for the next class?

I liked this assignment and I would not change it.

How might you apply your knowledge in future assignments or work scenarios?

I could use what I learned in this project to communicate graphics in an engaging way.

How did a specific reading or video inspire or help you?

The Behance articles had helpful examples of interesting maps that are not too busy.

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What did you learn?

I finally learned how to use the pen tool in Illustrator. I have always been intimidated by it because I could never use it properly but this project forced me to be patient and get the hang of it.

What was easy?

Making the pattern was easy and probably the most fun part of the project.

What was challenging?

Using the pen tool was tricky at first and folding up the design into the carton was challenging.

How could your submission be improved?

I think the design could be more interesting. It is very simple so I could add more detail to make it less boring.

How could your professor improve the assignment?

I would not change anything about this assignment. It is great practice for creating patterns, using the pen tool, and creating vector images.

How might you apply your knowledge in future assignments or work scenarios?

Vector graphics is an important aspect in all graphic design. For example, these skills will be utilized for creating logos.

How did a specific reading or video inspire or help you?

I looked at past student projects which was very helpful for gaining inspiration.

1. What did you learn?

I learned how to combine elements from different images into a cohesive layout. I also learned how to creatively incorporate the required elements to work with my portfolio images. 

2. What was easy?

The technical aspect of the project was the easiest because we had practiced the strategies several times in class. 

3. What was challenging?

Figuring out a way for my images to work with this project was the most challenging. My portfolio is all landscapes so I could not create a typical collage. This forced me to think outside the box and take a different approach. 

4. How could your submission be improved?

The masking of the tree can be improved. The edges appear sharp because it is difficult to softly mask branches. These edges could be more carefully edited to appear more naturally. 

5. How could the professor improve the assignment for the next class?

I think the assignment requirements are fine, but demoing a few different ways to apply the techniques could be helpful. 

6. How might you apply your knowledge in future assignments or work scenarios?

I did not know about the clouds feature in Photoshop and I usually just find an image from Google. I think the Photoshop method is way better and I will definitely use it in the future. 

7. How did a specific reading or video inspire or help you?

I was stuck on how to combine my images into a single canvas, but the Mashable article helped me realize I should take a more realistic and subtle approach. 

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These are some of the images (before and after editing) in my portfolio. It is a collection of my favorite spots in my town.

What did you learn?

I learned effective techniques to enhance the quality of images and make the colors vibrant. I also learned the importance of image sizes and how to use Adobe InDesign.

What was easy?

The process of editing and resizing the images was easy, but time consuming.

What was challenging?

Staying organized was the most challenging. This project contains a lot of files and each image has three different versions that are different sizes. Being specific when naming the files was important.

How could your submission be improved?

I took these pictures on an overcast, grey day when there was icky black snow. They would have turned out better without these obstacles, or with more careful photographing.

How could the professor improve the assignment for the next class?

Removing the background from one image did not fit well with my pictures because most of them contain trees or lamps/street signs. This made the edited photo look strange. It might be a better idea to have removing the background as an option instead of a requirement.

How might you apply your knowledge in future assignments or work scenarios?

Enhancing photos is a useful tool and can be applied in all future assignments. I can also use my knowledge of image sizing to correctly size images for future portfolios and web projects.

How did a specific reading or video inspire or help you?

Looking through previous projects on comdma.com was helpful. I was not sure what the theme of my portfolio should be and past student projects helped inspire some ideas.