I learned a lot of things during this project. It was very out of my comfort zone being in Adobe Illustrator, a program I am not too familiar with. I learned how to make my own symbols with the pen tool and I also learned how to operate the eyedropper tool. That made things easier when choosing my colour scheme.
2. What was easy?

Choosing the place I wanted to make a map of was easy enough.
3. What was challenging?

I found the majority of the project to be challenging, but the most challenging was creating those symbols for the places.
4. How could your submission be improved?

Probably making more stylish symbols, spending more time on those. Otherwise, I kinda like my map.
5. How could the professor improve the assignment for the next class?

I think the guidance was pretty good. Leaving this project towards the end for the final one was a good choice. I think if we did this towards the middle of the semester, I would actually lose my mind.
6. How might you apply your knowledge in future assignments or work scenarios?

Knowing the shortcuts and ins and outs of Adobe Illustrator is going to become helpful if I become a graphic designer. Knowing how to create things.
7. How did a specific reading or video inspire or help you?

ALL OF THE VIDEOS AND DEMOS from past classes were extremely helpful.

I learned how to use illustrator in new ways such as creating patterns.
2. What was easy?

Painting and creating words on the actual illustrator file. I had already known how to do that prior to this project.
3. What was challenging?

I found figuring out how to group objects or drawings I had done, like the coffee cup, to move them, or to copy and paste them. It took me a while to figure out, but once I did, it was easy again from there.
4. How could your submission be improved?

Maybe spend more work on creating a more interesting pattern. Although, I do like mine, I could have always spent more time on it.
5. How could the professor improve the assignment for the next class?

Have videos on the PowerPoint like on previous projects on how to do each step, for those who cannot make the class a lot (like myself). Otherwise, the instruction is good.
6. How might you apply your knowledge in future assignments or work scenarios?

For possible future designs for companies I may work for, or even something smaller and creating a design for a smaller object like this to help assist my day to day life.
7. How did a specific reading or video inspire or help you?

There weren’t really any videos included in this project, but if you include the zoom recorded classes, that helped a lot since I was not able to attend class a lot for the start of this project.

I learned a lot of things during this project. I learned easier ways to use different effects like how to add layers without going to the layers tab. I learned how to adjust brightness and contrast and saturation on individual images instead of the whole layer. I learned multiple ways to remove backgrounds too, that was probably the thing I learned that was most useful to me in this project.
2. What was easy?

I would say once I mastered all of the aspects from the labs we did, removing backgrounds and creating backgrounds, etc, it made the actual project a lot easier. That made things go quicker, and helped me understand more of Photoshop, which is always a plus!
3. What was challenging?

I would say actually becoming accustomed to those tools at first. The initial learning of the information done in the labs was difficult.
4. How could your submission be improved?

I am pretty content with my submission, but if I had to choose one thing to improve it, I would maybe spend more time on adjusting the contrast levels and or the saturation (levels and curves).
5. How could the professor improve the assignment for the next class?

To improve the assignment, maybe the professor could add more examples of student made collages in the powerpoint to add an element of inspiration. I feel like unless you know for sure what you want to achieve, it was hard to come up with stuff to add.
6. How might you apply your knowledge in future assignments or work scenarios?

Knowing how to get rid of backgrounds and create layer masks I feel is a very useful tool to know when demonstrating designs like these. Or even using Photoshop in general. When editing my photos, I can now add more to the photo if wanted by uses pieces of previous photos.
7. How did a specific reading or video inspire or help you?

All of the videos from the demo powerpoint were helpful for me because I could not attend class very often.

I learned a lot during this project. I learned how to adjust the levels and curves in Photoshop, a skill I didn’t know was so helpful! I also learned how to create thumbnails and how to create my own prints. This project was full of a lot of ‘new’ for me, but overall, I think it was a good experience.
2. What was easy?

Absolutely not. Fun? Yes. But easy? I would like to think it would have been easier if I tried to not go above and beyond at first. Taking the photos were easy, and retouching them to my liking, but that was because I was used to doing it. The new stuff began to frustrate me, but perservering through was for the better in the long run.
3. What was challenging?

The most challenging portion was probably getting the portfolio just how I wanted it. I had to go back a few times and adjust the thumbnails to look more appealing to me. It took a long time.
4. How could your submission be improved?

Probably taken better pictures, or spent more time on the retouching. I probably rushed through it a bit, so I think to make an even better portfolio, I could have spent more time on the initial steps.
5. How could the professor improve the assignment for the next class?

I think Prof. Ben did a good job with having the project being step by step like it was. It was a little hard to follow for those who would miss the live and in person demonstration, but other than that I found the assignment to not be all that bad in the end.
6. How might you apply your knowledge in future assignments or work scenarios?

Do the hard work earlier, it would be easier later on in the project. This meaning, take better photographs and do all the ‘taxing’ work earlier, so there wouldn’t be a need to retouch so much. Also, try and get extra instruction or help the professor.
7. How did a specific reading or video inspire or help you?

The print making videos in the powerpoint were extremely helpful, as I did not have time to ask my professor exactly how to do it. When those videos are there, it was easier to get a grasp on what exactly I was doing.

examples of original images uploaded: