Tim’s Blog ../../timn11 Just another DMA Sites site Wed, 14 Dec 2022 21:04:02 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.4 Project 3: Augmented Reality ../2022/12/14/project-3-augmented-reality/ Wed, 14 Dec 2022 21:03:17 +0000 https://comdma.com/timn11/?p=172 Explore the file below:

https://www.figma.com/file/zrVL0UxRaFi4sukumRSLF0/nettinat_project-3?node-id=1%3A185&t=DYZcERWULdaAV489-0

This project taught me a lot about integrating video within Figma. Not only that, but it allowed me to learn how to transfer video files into mp4 filed through Adobe Premiere, as well as time stamping symbols within my video clips. The easy parts were what we have already done throughout the semester. This included creating master frames, components, using plugins, etc. The challenging aspects of this project had to mainly do with timing of the video clips. When adding symbols within the videos such as arrows and pop-ups, getting the timing down to the millisecond was imperative. You want to give your user an interactive experience without ruining it with badly timed pop-ups. My submission could be improved when dealing with setting up one master frame. I had some issues with videos not being able to get into the frames despite them being mp4 files. I also had difficulty with my back arrow this project. Those are the two things I would improve and fix.

Overall, I thought for using video for the first time in Figma as a class it went pretty well. It was fun that we were all learning together at the same time. Students were able to help each other out when needed. This basic knowledge of video in Figma is a skill I know not many people will have. This will give me strong foundational use if I ever have to use Figma again with video. I was inspired by some different YouTube videos that helped me try certain things. One of the things I tried was a progress bar. Although it didn’t work out it was still fun to try.

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Project 2: Website ../2022/10/31/project-2-website/ Mon, 31 Oct 2022 22:24:22 +0000 https://comdma.com/timn11/?p=167 Click here to interact with the mobile app version!

Click here to interact with the website version!

Sports website homepage

In this project I learned an extended amount of material that we briefly touched on in project 1. We continued to set up components, text styles, and color styles to make our project layouts much easier to navigate. We learned how to formulate buttons with different animations including “while pressing”, and “while hovering”.

The easy part of this project was the mobile version. We did a lot of mobile set up between our first project and our labs. This poised challenges when trying to format the mobile version into a desktop version that looked as similar as possible to the mobile version.

I think my submission could be improved from an organizational standpoint. I included a couple of different ways a user could navigate around the website. Users could choose between a menu bar at the top, or use the interactive buttons on the actual screen to get the same effect.

The assignment as a whole was well thought out with a variety of options to learn. Meeting times and video tutorials were readily available for us to use.

I have a foundational basis in basic structure in Figma from a component and layout standpoint. This will allow me to work through projects at a must faster pace by creating master slides within my deck.

I used some inspiration from past projects in students blog posts to help gauge what kind of structure I wanted to use.

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Project 1 TODO App ../2022/09/27/project-1-todo-app/ Tue, 27 Sep 2022 17:43:51 +0000 https://comdma.com/timn11/?p=159 DMA217

Click here to interact with my TODO App!

In this project I learned a lot about what it takes to be a basic UX designer when it comes to creating an app. It was a fun process when it came to learning how to plan a concept, and then make it come to functional life within Figma. I learned a lot about Figma as a program from creating buttons to adding components. All of these small tools help make your experience within the program very easy. I viewed it as setting up your foundation on your master slide in order to create functionality as you move forward.

Master File with all needed components and variants.

The easy part for me was applying my sketches and concept to Figma fairly quickly. Once I became confident in myself navigating around the program, you can really do some amazing things at an impressive speed whether that’s adding a frame or navigating your noodles from page to page.

Very Rough Interface Sketch
Secondary Rough Sketch

What was fun about this was being able to take these very rough basic sketches that almost look like nothing, and turn it into a complete app. Once you have a foundational base, you’re able to really use your mind to move forward when you’re creating frames. My sketches show basic layouts when it came to my app, but once you really get into Figma and all of its tools you expand greatly.

The most challenging aspect for me during this project was two pieces. The first being making sure my noodles from each frame were navigating correctly. It can really cross you up prototyping your app multiple times in order to make sure it’s functioning the way you want it too. Secondly, using the maze tool to help test my app I thought was somewhat challenging. However, once completed I was able to get an accurate score to help improve my app for my users.

Noodle Navigation

From an improvement standpoint, I think I could have made it more intricate. The whole concept was to create a functional employee business app that is progress based. I think layout wise I could have changed some things and added some more visually pleasing frames, but overall I think it’s complex enough, yet still simple enough for users to understand the idea.

Overall the way this assignment was done I thought was great. The video tutorials definitely helped, because once I got that down I was able to move fairly quickly on the project itself.

I will be able to apply the basic concepts in Figma of variant and component creation in my future projects. This was a big help when it came to structural organization.

When creating this project, I used a lot of links from past students to help get inspiration. Being able to see what they did, and how they navigated through their own process helped me create a layout and a concept that worked for me.

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Project 3: Event Display ../2022/05/12/project-3-event-display/ Thu, 12 May 2022 23:25:55 +0000 https://comdma.com/timn11/?p=153 Overall, this project taught me a lot about different tools within illustrator and photoshop. I learned how to apply different filters. use 3d, and had a refresh on many different aspects within design such as making a pattern. These all helped come together to help create a mockup of an energy drink, a trade show booth, and a logo for a brand.

The brand I chose was titled Safari Energy. I thought that some sort of animal theme would be cool and unique.

Logo 1
Logo 2
Can Cover Idea

Some of the aspects were easy. For me, illustrator was easier when it came to vectoring things and actually creating a logo. The Photoshop aspect was more challenging when it came to placing things and editing the trade booth. My trade booth submission could be improved the most. Also, understanding file size when I transfer from illustrator to photoshop also is something I could improve.

I thought the assignment was well explained and we were given plenty of time to work through it. This will help me in the future understand basic concepts when it comes to creating a brand.

I got a lot of inspiration from my mood board which helped me pick my theme.

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Project 2 : Merch ../2022/04/06/project-2-merch/ Wed, 06 Apr 2022 03:34:24 +0000 https://comdma.com/timn11/?p=142 This project taught me a lot about crafting individual pieces that make one cohesive story. With choosing stickers and the poster, I learned how to size designs certain ways. I also learned specifically with my designs how to make normal text into shapes, experiment with new fonts, and how to print on different types of printers. The concept of what I wanted to do was easy; however, the process after was difficult. Converting my designs into the correct sizes, and understanding layout when it comes to print was a difficult task. In my opinion, the most challenging was the printing aspect. It’s an important concept to understand which is why I wanted to take some extra time to understand it. When you print well, the designs come out that much better, and that is what I noticed with this project. I would improve my submission by maybe testing myself on what other types of designs I could use that were even better than the ones I chose. I thought this assignment was really well presented for us to complete in the appropriate way. I learned some new techniques within illustrator and with printing that I will keep in my notes for any future projects. It’s always fun when you’re able to take what you’ve learned and come back to it down the road when you need something again. The only troubling issue I had was with the poster. When I went to print I was having sizing and dimension issues. The border is a little uneven, so when it comes to improvement, that’s something that I would like to take some more time on.

Inspiration:

This is an image of the real Kairos cross you receive after you participate on the retreat.

Stickers:

Poster:

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Project 1: Menu + Table Tent ../2022/02/24/project-1-menu-table-tent/ ../2022/02/24/project-1-menu-table-tent/#respond Thu, 24 Feb 2022 19:43:33 +0000 https://comdma.com/timn11/?p=126 In this project, I learned a lot in terms of printing techniques as well as the basic functions of InDesign. I was able to take concepts that I got from inspirational photos and turn it into a physical creation. We learned about bleeds and die strikes, as well as how to link and embed text and images within Indesign. Overall, the easiest part of this project in my opinion was putting it physically together in a mockup. Being able to fold things together and see it in real life was the simplest task of the assignment. There were many challenges when it came to this project. Understanding measurements and the specific use of how type should be used within InDesign was very challenging. However, once you understand why these methods are imperative, you realize just how easy the use of text becomes. When I look at my submission, I think I could have utilized the spacing a little better when it came to laying my text. Part of me was just getting familiar with the layout so I didn’t want to mess with it too much once I had everything placed. I took a different approach and used my extra space to add other things in such as shapes for a patterned effect. I thought the way the assignment was given to us was perfect. We had plenty of video tutorials that we were able to use when it came to needing help on things. Everything was clear in my opinion. For the future, I will be able to have a basic understanding when it comes to InDesign. This will allow me to have an easier path when starting future projects. I looked at many images online for inspiration for this project. I found one concept that I liked and decided to use this for my mockup.

Online Inspiration Image

Preliminary Menu Sketches

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Project 4 ../2021/05/17/project-4-2/ ../2021/05/17/project-4-2/#respond Mon, 17 May 2021 04:56:02 +0000 https://comdma.com/timn11/?p=119 This project really taught me how to vector. I was able to take an entire map of my choice and illustrate it the way I wanted to. It was a very fun project and made me interested in continuing it in the future. The easy part for me was creating my symbols. I was able to find some common map symbols you would see on a GPS and vector them out for my map. It was challenging all around placing things together, finding good colors, and making sure everything looked clean and cohesive. Overall, my submission could improve by being more careful. Going back and creating finer details may help this map even more. I thought the assignment was well presented and no changes needed to be made. I will use what I learned in this project and carry it out into my future projects. Being able to vector was really fun and I definitely look forward to doing it more. I was able to be inspired by previous students works in the powerpoint. This showed me how to really create my own unique map.

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Project 3: Package Design ../2021/04/26/project-3-package-design/ ../2021/04/26/project-3-package-design/#respond Mon, 26 Apr 2021 14:45:25 +0000 https://comdma.com/timn11/?p=111 This project taught me to think outside the box while staying within the parameters given to us. Because we had a starter layout, choosing a layout that looked clean was the easiest part. I learned how to correctly space things out within a specific file, as well as create patterns. We also learned how to correctly vector a logo to use in our package design. The most challenging part was the mock up. Making sure everything was correctly folded was much more difficult than I had expected. My submission could be improved by changing my coffee cup design. I would like to get better at drawing and that is something I would definitely like to improve. Overall, I enjoyed the way this assignment was given to us, and I don’t think it needs to be changed. Learning how to vector a logo was important and it’s something I am going to take as I continue to work in the future. The class videos helped me really understand how to do certain things in order to make my design as perfect as possible.

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Project 2 ../2021/03/24/project-2-3/ ../2021/03/24/project-2-3/#respond Wed, 24 Mar 2021 13:21:14 +0000 https://comdma.com/timn11/?p=107 This project was fun to create because even though we had to follow the instructions, we were able to also go off on our own and have fun with the effects in Photoshop. Overall, I would say the concept of this project was easy, but it came with many challenges. Trying to choose the correct layouts, overlays, filters, etc. were all difficult. It took a lot of trial and error to figure out what looked best. To improve my submission, I would try and go slower and really pay attention to the fine details in this piece. I think this project was clearly laid out in a way for the students to succeed. The powerpoint instructions along with the small videos helped reassure I was doing certain things correctly. With this project I was able to understand fun Photoshop effects that I am definitely going to take with me as I continue to do more projects. What helped me the most with this project was the early critiques. They helped me get a sense for what I was doing on my own.

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Project 1 ../2021/03/03/project-1-2/ ../2021/03/03/project-1-2/#respond Wed, 03 Mar 2021 14:28:04 +0000 https://comdma.com/timn11/?p=67 This project taught me how to photograph basic objects. We learned a variety of techniques on how to retouch images and size them correctly for different programs. Overall, the process was more difficult than I had anticipated. The images that I chose required lots of work with the pen tool. With not a lot of prior experience with this tool I was able to learn as I went and got better every time I started a new image. I had some slip ups with image sizing for my web portfolio, but other than that things seemed to go smoothly. My submission could be improved but going back and really examining those fine details, and making my images look crisp on their new backgrounds. Overall I don’t think much needs to be changed with this project, however image sizing got me tripped up a little bit as even when the dimensions were chained together, they would still both change to the same number. I thought the assignment was laid out great and was explained throughly through our work days. I am going to continue to practice using the pen tool as it has allowed me to really create some interesting concepts. I watched a few videos on the pen tool, and tried to use and prior experience fr0m other DMA classes to help me complete the project. Below are the before and after photos for this project:

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