Identify, Summarize & Illustrate

As an Individual I've learnt...
1) That in the past teachers have taught us too churn out pretty pieces of garbage ignoring the potentials and opportunities of design. At the beginning of the year I was more concerned about the final result and its aesthetics rather than it's context and communication. For example the design below was created for Students yet a vintage/antique colour scheme was used.

2) Effort always shines through, I'm becoming more engaged in the course as it progresses, I'm more interested in working hard than going out to socialise. Initially I thought I knew a lot more than I did, but the sessions concerning Colour theory, Medium Specificity & Anatomy of type show the broadness of design and that there's still a lot to learn in terms of becoming a better designer. The fact that I'm learning new things has highlighted my interest in Graphic Design and spur to carry on.

3) Turning up with time to spare isn't for the tutors benefit but our own, life isn't an easy ride & nothings given to you on a plate, I've had to reach a new level of working, and I'm sure as time goes on I'll be moving up this hierarchy of levels with the aid of caffeine and sugary treats.
4) I need to stop worrying and stressing so much, as this doesn't cause anything but further problems. For example; During the Alphabet Soup I had to create an Alphabet that represented my partner through its characteristics. However I was too concerned with the remaining time frame that my preferences took control and the end result was an industrial typeface that was too bold and blocky to represent a female. I shouldn't be dis-heartened if I make mistakes, After-all if your not learning anything in this first year...what are you doing?

5) To Prioritise my activities more effectively, doing work sooner than later avoids; confusion and a heap of work I don't fully understand as the concepts aren't fresh in my mind. I've realised I am quite an organised person, I keep my space clear, along with my notes up to date. The only thing left to do is network myself more effectively.
6) University isn't what I expected, and I mean this in a positive sense, I had this pre-conceived idea that University was the best time of your life and you'd be wasted pretty much every night, yet In another sense it sort of is the best time of your life, it's the time when I discover myself as a designer and as an Individual that shapes the rest of my life.

7) I've become dependent on Music, During the day I intend to do my work but I'm often disturbed by general conversation, which at the time doesn't seem too damaging but I've learnt that it builds up through the day and sometimes means leaving college premises with more work than you bargained for. Putting my headphones in allows me to concentrate on the task at hand and crack on, ignoring the distractions around me.
8) The whole process of Blogging was a totally new thing to me, however its now became a crucial part of my design process for analysing, reviewing and evaluating my work. It also allows me too review the works of others, allowing a constant review of progress for the whole year. I think the next step would be too create my own personal blog and begin Networking.

9) My independance has definitely improved for the better as I've had too manage my money more effectively and take into account external factors that I may need to account for. I can't rely on my mum to come banging on my door to wake me up, this has highlighted the fact that I need sleep. I can't expect the cold bitter slap of wind in the morning to freshen me up. It looks as if Long days and early nights are approaching.
10) My skills as a public speaker aren't the best, I need to drastically improve on this if I want the communication of my ideas to be visible. I tend to over think what I'm going to say and lose my track of thought due to nerves, resulting in a fast paced blurt of information leaving the audience confused.

As a Designer I've learnt...
1) The proportion of a solution needs to balance with its problem, I need to balance my ability to be clever with my ability to be smart. For example I chose to use the idea of pixels to create imagery aimed at a younger generation, I thought the outcome was quite clever as they were visually appealing but in context I should've spent more time developing the; layout, colour scheme and typefaces.

2) Don't be afraid of simplicity, sometimes the simpler speaks the loudest.
3) How my style in design is changing, I've had to make the transition from Foundation which focused on every aspect of Art & Design, to solely concentrating on Graphic Design and its fundamentals.
4) The importance of using grids and its components; Tracking, Leading, Kerning etc. I'm keen to learn anything new that'll better myself as a designer. I'm a perfectionist and learning all these new techniques has helped me arrange my work, making it more symmetrical and free from pointless distractions.

5) Time and preparation give you a clearer design direction, I used to jump into the process of designing and think the aesthetics of my idea will make the design process irrelevant, however it needs to communicate a message in context, effectively. Otherwise it's simply a good looking piece of garbage.
6) There's always someone better, but that doesn't mean you can't become better than them. I'm on a course with such a good reputation that I'm constantly surrounded by good designers, and I think being in this environment has made Graphics become a part of my lifestyle.
7) During Lectures, I've learnt numerous new things surrounding the history of Art & Design and it's disciplines. Which has helped the practical side of designing as my understanding of certain aspects has been beneficial for e.g. the History of Advertising.
8) You can't polish a turd, if it's rubbish, scrap the idea and start again, this can often be avoided by continuously Investigating, Influence is everywhere, even in the places I'd least expect.
9) My software skills are continuously improving, Initially I was only familiar with the programme Photoshop, but my recent designs have been Illustrator based, As the course progresses I'll start using other programmes broadening my understanding of what programmes to use for different purposes & functions.
10) I'm starting to visualise how I could improve my designs, usually I'd do a few layout and color transitions and think I'd done enough, however I've started to alter each component of my designs to see what combination works best.