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Article Response

Creative Confidence by Julie Zhuo

I found this article to be very useful for graphic designers, especially in the structure of the article. The way Zhuo broke down the different components of Creative Confidence and the steps to master it, helps young designers see each digestible step of the process. Each point Zhuo makes should be kept in mind with every project that may come our way until the procedural method is internalized.
One of the bigger take aways  from the article is admitting to not having the answer. Too often we are not willing to admit this in fear of not appearing confident, but in reality it has the opposite effect. Someone who knows his shortcomings or lack of a solution for a specific problem, shows exactly how self aware they are, a key component in confidence.
Along with admitting to not having a specific solutions for a given tasks, I think it is important to recognize past failures. Analyzing past projects, especially the ones we wouldn't want to show in our portfolios, is a great learning opportunity. So I believe that admitting to not having the answers, along with admission of past failures and what we learned from them, should be the 4th point of Zhuo's break down of Creative Confidence.

Personal Branding Round 3

Home Page Mock-Up

Progress on Layout

Personal Branding Digital Sketches 2

Personal Branding Digital Sketches 1

Personal Branding Moodboard

How to Video Storyboard

Article Response

Salary and Hiring Trends by The Creative Group

In this article there is a list of things hiring managers are looking for and oddly enough none of them are being taught in school or there is little emphasis on them. You could say that KCAI encourages and pushes students to take on internship while still in school, effectively beginning the process of gaining experience, but we still won't have the 2-3 full years of employment that most managers would like to see.
Hopefully social media skills will be talked about more in the Pro Practice course and in the remaining two semesters. I understand how to partake in social media, but have not yet figured out the most effective ways to get myself out there to more people in a shorter amount of time.
Our formal training pushes for refinement of our skills in Adobe, but not nearly enough in CSS3 and HTML5. Perhaps these are skills I'll have to acquire on my own in between semesters.

Wireframe Update

Digital Sketches

Homepage Analysis

The New Yorker - Sophisticated

The home page of the online version of the magazine is simple in layout and presents the right amount of options for readers to navigate the content of the site. One full image with title and short description, conveys a sense of sophistication. The typefaces are the key elements that connect to the print version of the magazine. The part of the physical experience that somehow is lost in the digital version, is the illustrated cover. Often time that is the main reason I grab a copy of it off the table in a waiting room or a friend's coffee table.

The Riverfront Times (RFT) - Unrefined

At first glance it is confusing to the reader. Many elements in the layout clash with each other and it is hard to tell which sections are part of the site itself and which may be advertisement. Like The New Yorker, it is missing the cover illustration/photo that is usually very engaging and helps convey the sense of Art & Culture that the digital format is having a hard time expressing.

Corriere Della Sera - Trustworthy

The homepage of the Corriere Della Sera is very pleasing to the in its simplicity. The simple designs gives the online version all the credibility that the printed version does and may go even further in showcasing a single main article with smaller editorials.
The editorial section nicely presents an image of the writer as these are notorious editorial writers. Often readers gravitate towards an editor in particular rather than the contents itself, so an a visual indication of the writer is nice.