What did I learn?

Well, I suppose I have a somewhat better understanding of photoshop, though I still feel very clumsy when trying to navigate through its UI.

What was easy?

Anything we were guided through during the class meetings was easy enough to catch on to, though I did need some assistance on occasion when trying to figure out layer masks and typing along paths.

What was challenging?

I had a hard time coming up with an ideal composition for the valentines card. It took forever for me to come up with a design I actually liked, likely because of some perfectionism on my part.

How could your submission be improved?

I was very minimalist with the overall composition, I didn’t want it to look garish or overdone so I deliberately went for simplicity. The final design sort of tells a story about a heart shaped balloon getting caught on a tree. I like the result, but I’m not sure if its what the professor wants from the project.

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

I have no clue.

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

I suppose I’ll slowly become more capable of using Photoshop’s tools and be able to make more ambitious projects without clogging my tabs with tutorials.

Images used on the design were posted to Unsplash by Emma Fabbri, Robert Greinacher and Mathias P.R. Reding.

Despite intuitively knowing how flawed these images are, I can’t think of any way to improve upon the current product without outright scrapping a few of the frames. All I can do for now is continue to learn and get a sense for some of my design habits, both good and bad. I hope I can eventually make something I actually feel proud of.