Mistakes and Slips

"To err is human"

I thought this was a perfect title for this chapter. We are all human and we all make mistakes. I found it interesting that not every mistake is a "mistake." There is another word that fits a little better in certain instances, "slip".

"Slips result from automatic behavior, when subconscious actions that are intdended to satisfy our goals get waylaid en route. Mistakes result from conscious deliberations" (Norman, 2002).

 A slip is the most common form of error. A slip is when we intend to do something but accidentally do something else. This could be as simple as putting the bowl in the fridge and the milk in the sink. How many times have we all done something similar to this. It is nothing major we just make a simple error. It is also the same thing as when we type a word in our word document and it automatically corrects it if we spell it wrong. I know I make this error a lot. I intended to type 'people' but instead said 'peple' or something close to it and word automatically knows what we meant. This was a good design because it was designed to accommodate our slips. But sometimes that can backfire. Take autocorrect on you phone for instance. We all get a good kick out of reading texts that were corrected by the phone automatically but this is not a very well design. I am not saying they have to change it because I am not quite sure how they would fix this problem, but sometimes it can be quite a pain.

Citations:
Norman, Donald A. The Design of Everyday Things. New York: Basic, 2002. 105. Print.

What is graphic design?

What is graphic design? You think this would be an easy question for a person studying and majoring in graphic design. But I still find that it is not that easy to describe. Graphic design is always changing and evolving. When I decided to come back to school my parents suggested looking into graphic design. I was not sure what it was but just going off of the faith of my parents I started into it. It was not until about my second design class that I started to see what it might be and that I really started to enjoy it.

One quote that I cannot remember who said it but I've heard my teachers quote it a few times is,
 "BFA is the new MBA."

Graphic design is not just making things, it also includes the ability to think of new ideas and solve problems. The quote above is saying that companies are starting to hire people with BFA for positions that they would normally hire a MBA because they like the designers ability to think through a problem.

I think that graphic design is a lot of things. I used to think it was just identity and logos kind of stuff. But I learned quickly that it includes packaging, webdesign, magazines, book, logos, stationary, brochures, signs, posters, apps and more that I cannot think of at the moment. Graphic design continues to grow as the world grows and adapts to new things and comes up with new ideas.

Design processes that work for me

We all know that everyone has their own way of doing things. We learn the basics on how to do something then we alter it and mold it to our own personal style and way of doing things. This is true when it comes to design processes. We have all learned that we start with a problem, then research, then sketch, then start designing. Often times we bounce back and forth between steps as we are working on a project.

For me I know it helps to do a lot of research and see what is out there. I look for things I like and things I do not like. It helps me to see things I do not like because then I know what not to do. The more research I have the better my project turns out. Sketching is always the hardest part for me. After I do my research I usually have an idea in my head of what I want to do. With seeing how I think I want it to look in my head it is hard to sketch that out. I am just anxious to start designing. When I start designing I always go back to research. I look at stuff I already found and I look at new stuff. I usually forget what I saw when I was researching so for me to frequently go back to my research is really beneficial.

How do I present myself for an interview?

Interviewing is a very important step in getting a job and is very nerve racking. Interviewing is one of the best ways an employer can learn about a person and see if they would be a good fit for their company. Resumes provide a brief introduction but interviewing someone lets you talk to them face to face or over the phone and gives the employer a good idea about the person. It also gives the potential employee an idea about what the company and people are like and if they would like to work there. It is a great time for both people to ask questions and learn a little bit more about the other.

How can we prepare for an interview?


I think one of the first things we can do to be prepared for an interview is to feel comfortable with our experience and work. We need to have it ready to show and make sure the projects we are showing are suitable for the company we are applying for. If we are applying for a packaging company showing a bunch of apps wouldn't really suit. Also, we need to know about the company. I think it is important that we know enough about the company that we can answer questions about it and what we think our responsibilities would be. It is also appropriate to ask a couple questions about the company. It lets the employer know that you have taken interest in their company and are really interested in the job. One last thing we can do is to practice. I think it is important that we practice interviews so that we are comfortable and confident.

What is my brand voice?

My brand voice is simple, modern and clean. I think my brand represents this really well because of the gray and pink color scheme. The typography is Century Gothic, which is a really clean simple font. I do not have texture or extra lines or shapes because I liked the clean simple look best. I also think this represents me well because I see this style come out in a lot of my work. I do not consciously do this but it is just something that is built into me.

Even with this being my style and brand voice I would like to be able to design other styles. I feel like as a designer I need to have my own style but be able to conform to other styles as well. It is important to have a style because it is what sets you apart from others. But you also need to conform to other styles because when you design for someone your style may not be their style and you need to make the client happy. I think you can balance these two as well as mix them. I think you can design for someone else style but still incorporate your style as well and that is what will really set you apart.

What is my career plan?

As I am approaching graduation I have been thinking about about my career. I am taking a different path that a lot of designers I am going to school with because of my circumstances. I have a 3 year old at home and another baby due next month. My husband is also in school and has 2 more years. I love graphic design and I want to be able to use the skills that I've learned. But with my circumstances it is not really an option for me to go to work somewhere because I have 2 children I'd have to pay for daycare and a husband who is in school full-time. I also can't be flexible to move. We need to stick around here until my husband finishes and then we are going where ever he gets a job.

So keeping all that in mind I have thought the best option for me would to just be a freelance designer or get on with a company that lets me do work from my house. This is my ideal job because I get the best of both worlds, working and staying home with my kids. If things work out when we get settled and my kids get a little older if the opportunity came up for me to be able to go work for someone I would love to be able to do that. This is one of the reasons why I don't want to just do nothing after I graduate. I need to stay on top of design as best I can so that I am prepared for the time when I am able to go work for a company.

Cat Eye Records-Style Guide

Here are the links to the style guide for Cat Eye Records.

Link to PDF:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/1qq0w7phmt5ubnb/RBurtenshaw-StyleGuide_CatEyeRecords.pdf

Link to AV presentation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ju7bl6EY4s4

Natural Mapping

When you think of mapping something out what do you think of? Most of us probably think of showing directions and the layout of something so that another person can understand what is being showed. Mapping is a part of design. When we design something we want it to make sense how it works and show the user the directions and layout of our design. But we don't want our mapping to take away from the design or be too complicated.

"To move an object up, move the control up" 

-Donald Norman

Donald Norman talks about natural mapping and how it relates to design. He says "Natural mapping, by which I mean taking advantage of physical analogies and cultural standards, leads to immediate understanding. For example, a designer can use spatial analogy: to move an object up, move the control up. To control an array of lights, arrange the controls in the same pattern as the lights. Some natural mappings are cultural or biological, as in the universal standard that a rising level represents more, a diminishing level, less. Similarly, a louder sound can mean a greater amount" (Norman. 2013). He also gave the example of a stove top. We have four burners and four nobs that control the burners individually. But how do we layout the nobs so that the user knows which goes to which burner? He showed us a few different options but some of them just do not work for the layout of a stove. If you want to turn on the back left burner you would think to use the back left knob, right? Well what if you knobs aren't in a square but are in a straight line? The designer had to come up with a solution to this issue and the most common is a small diagram of four burners in a square and the one it runs it highlighted.



Norman, Donald. "The Design of Everyday Things." · UsabilityPost. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2013.

Do I need to code?

As a graphic designer I am always amazed at how often I get confused for a web designer. I understand people not knowing what exactly a graphic designer is and just assuming that graphics is all web based because that is the direction our society is going in. Technology and the web is everywhere.  While we do design for web that is not all we do.

So that's where the big question lies, Do I need to code? I do not think that graphic designers need to be able to code everything they design but I think it's important for them to have a basic understanding of how code works. Being able to code everything they design is a web designers job. But they have to have a basic understanding of design so I think it's only fair that if a graphic designer is going to do some of a web designers job then they need to know a little bit about code and vice versa. I have taken a basic web design class and know a little bit about coding. I have seen where it has benefited me in my school work, especially in interaction design. It also helps to know a little bit of the web's lingo so you can better communicate with the developers.

Tolerance

What is tolerance? Dictionary.com says that tolerance is "a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward opinions and practices that differ from one's own(Tolerance)." But I also hear about my husband figuring out the tolerance of an object in Mechanical Engineering. Tolerance is not a word that is limited to people only. We can apply it to all sorts of things.  When I think of tolerance I think of how long I can stand something before I go crazy. But in design that is not necessarily the case. 

"But people - and all biological systems - do not need this high high-precision."

-Dontald Norman 

Tolerance is basically the the ability of a person or object to withstand something that is putting friction against it. Whether that is a sound, or a person when dealing with people or a task when dealing with technology or gravity in mechanical engineering. In design we have to design things that are extremely tolerant of errors. When a user does something wrong out design cannot stop working or break down. It has to be able to let the user know that it wasn't the right option and to try again. Donal Norman said that "Technological systems have to be designed with high precision: they do not have much tolerance for mismatches in specifications. But people - and all biological systems - do not need this high high-precision. They adjust themselves naturally to the environment, producing highly robust, reliable, fault-tolerant operation(Norman)."



Citations:

"Tolerance." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2013.


 Norman, Donald. "Compliance and Tolerance." jnd.org. N.p., n.d Web.

Preparing for employment interviews

As I am coming to the end of my university education I need to start thinking about interviews and getting hired somewhere. We go to school to learn how to do our jobs and the ins and out of that and we do an internship to gain experience in our field. But we do not have a lot of training in preparing for interviews. Interviews are extremely important because they are the deciding factor in if we get the job or not. If we have an amazing portfolio but our interview goes horribly mostly likely we won't get the job. We have to be someone that is easy to get along with and that other people will want to work with. So preparing for interviews is just as important as our portfolios.

There are a few ways we can prepare for interviews. One way is to read up on the company before we go to the interview. We need to do our research and be prepared to ask and answer questions about the company. It would also be beneficial to practice interviews. I did Junior Miss in high school and one thing we practiced was how to interview. I feel like this was very beneficial but I would like to refresh what I learned. I also think we need to be confident and humble. We need to feel good about ourselves and our work and know that we will be an asset but we can't not go into it thinking we are the best and there is no one better.