Photo IDs

You know how this goes. This is the latest photo IDs I’ve had to edit:

For the first one the lighting was already pretty good, so I just increased the blue color balance a bit to balance the warmth, I decreased the saturation a bit and increased the exposure, too. For the second one, the lighting was already pretty good, so I just adjusted the tone to increase the vibrance.

Web-Dev: How to Create a Card Layout KB

The Web-Dev project is a large effort with the following two objectives:

1. Create a training package for new STAs joining the Development (Coding) team.

2. Have a streamlined / organized KB section for the STA dev team to use as a resources on projects

As a primarily Design STA, I’m not one of the organizers for this project. However, I was tasked to write a tutorial on How to Create a Card Layout on Cascade, based on the Ethics Project Website Request that I full-filled with Thuy, a fellow STA (details on that are mentioned on a previous blog post, if you’d like to check that out).

As with any project I’ve worked on here at LAITS as an STA, I was assigned someone to review my work for feedback. That is always a helpful tool. Though, for this specific project I didn’t need much feedback, all in all. I sailed through this project quite easily. However, one challenge I did have to face was when attempting to upload the gif file I was using for the banner. But I asked for help from one of our coordinators, and was able to resolve that issue in less than a work hour.

Anyway, here’s the link to the final KB for this project: https://sites.la.utexas.edu/kb/2021/06/04/how-to-create-a-card-layout/

GIF

How to Write Project Summaries KB

For this project I was tasked to create a template/instructions/banner for the Project Summaries effort and add it to the KB. In case you might not know what these project summaries are, let me explain. Here at LAITS, project summaries are something we start working on a few weeks before an STA Semester Showcase. During this event we are tasked to summarize the most important projects we’ve worked on during that time. In theory, it is kind of similar to the STA Blog. However, while the Blog works mostly as a storytelling platform, Project Summaries encapsulate the complete journey of a project including the STAs and other team players who took a part into its development, in a complete and presentable way to an audience.

Also, project summaries are divided into two phases; the approval phase and the presentation phase. Both of these are better explained in the final KB I made.

In relation to other KB’s I’ve made, this one was relatively a short an easy project. I was assigned an STA to provide feedback for me, and so they did. But from start to finish including drafting, initial feedback, the banner creation and feedback, and the final KB development, the project lasted about 2 days to complete. (My personal record..? Maybe?) Anyway, I’m proud of this project and I hope it gets to help all STA’s in the future.

Finally, here’s the link to the KB: http://sites.la.utexas.edu/kb/2021/06/02/how-to-write-project-summaries/

Lesson 7: Logos Update

If you’ve been thoroughly following this blog you might remember that throughout the semester I worked on the Concepting and Sketching section of Lesson 7 on Logos.

As a general reminder: the purpose of this Lesson creation project is to make a bunch of whole new lessons and tutorial specifically on different topics future STAs will learn from and use as reference when getting to work on these projects. As you can see, this is the lesson 7 out of 9 or 10 that will be part of the new STA curriculum, and Lesson 7 is all about logos.

On the last post I made on this topic I mentioned that we were still in need of feedback and yet to draft the KB. Well, since then we got a bunch of really helpful feedback and suggestions to add into the KB (mainly refining references to the original KB we incorporated and expanded upon in this new KB). And so, I got to write out the official KB! Here’s the link to that: http://sites.la.utexas.edu/kb/2021/05/25/7-logo-concepting-sketching/

We are yet to go through the feedback and test run rounds, so everything is still subject to change. Also, my partner for this project won’t be working at LAITS during the summer as I am, so I’ll be taking the lead on this project for the time being. I’ll keep you updated on what’s to come!

Lesson 5: Color Update Pt.2

So, you might remember a while ago I made a Color Theory KB. If not, this image and link might remind you of it: http://sites.la.utexas.edu/kb/2021/04/08/5-color-color-theory/

Well, recently it went through two different rounds of feedback and I’ve made quite a few changes since I last worked on it, such as:

• Overall made things less wordy/professional (specially in the first information sections of the training)
• Added more noticeable headings and subheadings (like in the Primary/Secondary/Tertiary colors section)
• Switched around the terms tint/tone/shade in the text to match the order in the example graphic. Also, added a more detailed explanation as to how adding these to a hue works, and added the images Abriella provided for values
• Made the images in the Psychology of Colors section larger and more readable
• Edited the image in the monochromatic color scheme section to be a clearer example
• Added the game Abriella linked: https://color.method.ac/
• Fixed the Fun Fact text box that was previously cut off (the problem was  the size of the image)
• Changed the second “color” in the following sentence to “hue,” as suggested: ‘Black, white, and gray are known as achromatic colors because they lack color to them.’
• Expanded on the general applications of each color wheel and added short blurb on RGB vs CMYK with screenshots of how to make a doc CMYK vs RGB in photoshop and Illustrator. (Also added the link to an additional source.)
• Replace all direct URL texts with the name of the article and website

So, feel free to check it out again and appreciate the many changes I’ve done 🙂

CC303: Studio & Course Graphics

For this project I had to create a new set of graphics for the Liberal Arts course CC 303: Introduction to Classical Mythology. I was tasked to create 7 different deliverables from three different categories as listed below, mostly in what we identify as Style B and for the buttons, the square designs.

For the colors. the instructor did not seem to have a preference so I sticked to the official UT branding color palette. Additionally, I was given two assets to work with. One of them was the official branding for the department of Classics, and the other was the following image:

Additionally, I was tasked to work on the PPT deliverables before anything else and as soon as possible. So, I got down to business. My original attempt at all of these designs had a blue text box, but that didn’t quite work. So, as suggested by a fellow STA, I changed that to sandstone color from the secondary UT color palette.

Here’s how the PPT turned out:

And here’s a look at everything else, through the course graphics design menu…