The trails of the words and glitches are not present in the Flash file, but I couldn’t get this to work anywhere on the Internet. I was very happy with my end result. I made changes based on the final critique to the pacing and instead of “FABULOUS” scrolling horizontally, the letters “flashed” into place to make it convey the word better.

I learned a ton about pacing and planning design based on a storyboard through this project. I tried to string the words together so they flowed instead of looking like they were broken up into chunks. The only thing I would change is my ability to share this project with people. I’m sure there’s an easier way to do this that I don’t know about! Despite the frustrations, I’ve really enjoyed learning Flash this semester.

So, for the second time this semester I have battled with this program. I’m pretty happy with my current draft, but there are a lot of glitches/pacing issues to hash out. As much as I love to hate Flash, I think it could be great to put info-graphics in motion — that’s something I’d love to try out. Here’s my current draft of the project (this is NOT a final version). I’m really unsure of what’s going on with the file I uploaded to YouTube.

Project Synopsis

This project helped me improve my skills to create contrast with typography. The restrictions on the analytical and intuitive versions made me think outside of the box and come up with a solution that was both visually pleasing and didn’t stray from my personal style as a graphic designer. The intuitive was the most difficult part of this project for me. The restriction from using a normal grid really made me step outside of my comfort zone. As you can see below, I had a rough start to the intuitive but improved it in the end.

An earlier version of my intuitive calendar design

Cin, cin! (Cheers!)

While I’m holding on to every piece of Italia that I can, I’ve also been packing up everything I own for my spring semester back in Des Moines. It’s far less stressful but far less exciting than it was last semester when I was preparing for Italy. It’s so hard to believe that was already six months ago. I just cannot accept that it was that long ago when I was lost in the streets of London with some of the best friends I’ve ever had relentlessly searching to no avail for “the bar with the tree.”

Realizing that the people I spent last semester with will be so far away is seriously depressing, but I also cannot wait to see my friends from Drake. Some say they got nervous before seeing old friends after their return from a semester abroad, but I have no fear. Seeing old friends always makes me feel like I’m home. I’ve picked up right where I left off with old friends, and it was like nothing changed when I visited a friend from my abroad program in Denver. This experience has really made me realize that home isn’t where you grew up or even where you lived. Home will always be with the people you love. It so was hard to be away from my family and friends while I was in Italy, and now it’s unbearably difficult to be away from my abroad “family.” Thank God for Facebook and Skype—I don’t know what I would do without being able to send stupid YouTube videos to my friends around the globe and see their faces at least every once and a while. So I’m going to continue wearing my pashmina scarves and telling crazy stories of my European adventures until someone tells me to stop. It’s all I can do to hold on to what was very likely the best experience of my life.

I regret not blogging while I was gone. However, I vowed to get everything I could out of my abroad experience, and I did. I spent some time on the computer while I was away, but the majority of my time was spent actually seeing Italy and Europe. It was to say the very least, the best experience of my life. Here’s a quick taste of my experience (more to come once I finish sorting through the thousands of pictures on my harddrive):

Me with my Italian teacher during orientation

Sunset in Lido di Camaiore

Mosaic artist in Pietrasanta, Italy

Mosaic in Pietrasanta, Italy

Positano, Italy

A very bored dog in a store in Positano

Ari & me in Venice

——London photos coming soon!——

In exactly one week, I will have said my goodbyes to most everything I own and know in the States until January. And in less than a month, I’ll be living and going to school in the beautiful city of Florence, Italy (pictured above). Prior to arriving in Florence (a.k.a. Firenze—I’m making a sad attempt at learning some Italian before I take my language placement test next week), I will have spent a few days in London and two weeks taking intensive language classes in a small city outside of Pisa. And I cannot be more excited. Or scared.

I don’t know any Italian. I can communicate in Spanish fairly well, but contrary to popular belief, it’s not all that much like Italian. Hopefully I’ll be able to use the Italian and Spanish I do know and locals will take some pity on me and help me out. I also have no idea how to go about fitting my entire life into two suitcases. I’m a notorious over-packer, and that just can’t happen this time. I can’t go backpacking in Europe with two bags that are each twice my size. It’s time for me to do some major editing. So please send me tips if you have them… I’m going to need a lot of help.

Aside from language barriers and suitcase limitations, I could not be more ready to hop on that plane and start having an adventure. That sounds so cliche, but that’s really all I want this semester. I want to take spontaneous last-minute trips with only a few articles of clothing, my plane ticket and my camera (duh) in my bag. I want to see and live in Italy like the Italians do. I want to learn all I can about the city (which will be a lot. It’s the legitimate birth place of the Renaissance). I want to see and make all of the art I can while I’m over there.

As insanely excited as I am, I really don’t know what I’m going to do without being able to see my friends and family (including my dogs!) for this long. I’m going to miss them like crazy—there’s no way around that. Skype will help, but that’s no replacement for holding your dogs or spending time with your friends. I know they’ll be there to talk when I need them, though, and I really don’t think I’m going to have time to sit around and think about how much I miss everyone. I’ll keep myself busy doing as many amazing things as I can in Italia.

So this blog will be getting a face lift. I’ll be blogging about my travels, classes, and art of all kinds in addition to photography. Check back for updates if you’re interested—I’ll update as often as I can.

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As an update to my last post, here’s my drawing final. I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited about something I created. I never in a million years thought I’d be able to draw, and all three drawings actually looks like cameras (an enormous accomplishment for me). The assignment was to make a triptych (a series of three drawings meant to be displayed together) using one object with three different points of view. Then we were supposed to add a word that had nothing to do with the object in the first image, then reverse the text on the second image. Let me know what you think. I love getting feedback about my art.

Image One

Image Two

Image Three

Anyway, the one thing that has kept me busier than anything else is drawing. The class meets from 8:00 a.m. – noon three times a week and there are homework assignments, but it’s not just that. It seems like I take at least twice as long as everyone else on every assignment. Yes, I have my usual issues with procrastination (I’m blogging at 2:45 a.m. Hint, hint). And yes, I also have my usual issues with being a complete perfectionist. But mostly, I have issues with having no prior drawing experience. My classmates have ALL taken some kind of drawing course before this summer (trust me, I’ve asked). So they are essentially taking a refresher course while I’m learning at full speed. It’s been a struggle, but I’m pretty proud of most of the work I’ve done so far. And I’ve completely fallen in love with charcoal as a medium.

It sounds cliche, but drawing has really made me open up my eyes and look at the world around me. I felt the same way when I started taking photography classes, but this has taken it to a new level. I used to look around me and see interesting lines and points of view. Now I look around me and I see lines, value, texture and depth in everything. It forces you to appreciate everything you look at. I haven’t had time to do many photo shoots this summer (bummer), but I’ll be you anything that my sense of composition has improved. I would definitely advise anyone hoping to be an artist in any medium to take at least one class in drawing.

Here’s a look at my progress in the last couple of weeks:

Playing with line and charcoal on the first day.

Blind contour drawing on day #2—you weren't allowed to look at your paper or lift your pen.

Line drawing of a leaf on day #2

12 Different boxes were drawn from various points of view, and then cut up and glued onto another piece of drawing paper.

Line drawing: chairs

Value drawing: mug

Parts of a mannequin were drawn from varying points of view than cut up and combined into one composition

Still life done in ink wash (India ink)

—BETTER PHOTOS COMING SOON!—

I’m sorry if I sound like a snob, but some senior pictures are just ridiculous. Really? You can’t tell me having a replicated, more serious version of your face above your shoulder is in good taste. Is his face supposed to be the moon? I really don’t get it. It’s just bizarre.

Come on. I don’t know a single self-respecting photographer who would do this. It’s one thing to incorporate a subjects likes and interests into a photo. It’s a whole different ball game to have him soaring over a city on a hard drive. Not to mention how much work that would take for such a silly and unprofessional effect. A senior picture should be something you can use on resumes and give to your family, not something you’d present at a comic book convention.

I rarely find black and white photos with accent colors. And this is no exception. This looks like a quality shot take with a quality camera. Why this photographer chose to use what looks like a computer generated background while the kid posed using his camera, then Photoshop that photo onto a photo of him holding the picture is beyond me. I’m sorry, but if you’re going to do color accents, you might as well use Picnik (which is something seen commonly used by 12-year-olds on MySpace).

Now this is just absurd. Really? Keith, you can’t be sitting on a Game Boy of that size. It’s just not possible. And it’s just silly. Can you really give this to a future employer? Can you really give this to anyone with dignity? And it drives me insane when photographers put the names of subjects in the photo. It’s a portrait. That should be indication enough of who the photo is of. Leave the identification to the viewer.

These examples are from College Humor, so they are the worst of the worst. But you would be surprised by how similar some of the senior portraits my own friends have paid for. Most have several versions of their face in one photo or they’re so airbrushed you can hardly recognize them. I was thinking of launching a senior portrait business this summer, but I don’t want to be categorized with tasteless photos such as those listed above. If I end up taking senior photos, I can guarantee they won’t end up on College Humor. And they won’t be something to embarrassed of. They’ll be simple, elegant photos with class that could be used on applications and resumes, as all senior portraits should be.