As my Graphics & Layout in Print Media class comes to a close, I am excited about all I have learned in the last eight weeks. Although I still have a long way to go until I’ve mastered Adobe Illustrator, I am impressed with how much more I know now compared to the start of this class. I look forward to learning more as I continue my graphic design study, to build on what I know about color and contrast, font and focal point, hue and hierarchy.

As for the “clients” I served in these class projects, I learned that less isn’t always more. I think more interaction and contact with a client helps a designer know the best way to represent that company/product/event. I am one who likes collaboration and brainstorming and that was lacking in these assignments. I can see how a medium-sized design firm could offer a client so much more potentially with more minds to mingle ideas.

As design and technology continue to merge and technology advances, I worry about the principles and elements of design being overcome by flash and fast-moving graphics. Many students in the class agreed that simplicity is best in design and that consistency is key, but how do we balance this with an ever-changing world that wants everything fresher, better, faster?

I think contrast and typeface are most important when designing, especially in this digital fast-paced world, where things need to be ingested quickly. That is the point of design, isn’t it, to get a message across? To inform? To invite?