Fall ’23 STA Roster Poster

Project: Fall 2023 STA Roster Poster
Client: LAITS
Completion Status: Due Sep 22
Staff guidance: De’sha
STA team members: Leilani
Description/plans: I’ve been working on different layouts/ideas for the STA Roster Poster. I have been testing various patterns and shapes to try and capture the essence of Carnival without it being too literal. My overall color palette for these drafts was influenced by the inspo references I’ve gathered thus far. It’s hard to create a balanced design with so many patterns and shapes, but these elements are very prevalent in Carnival visuals.

Poster #1: Audio, Design, Project Team, Video, and Tech Integration (34 STAs)

Poster#2: Classroom Support, Computer Support (35 STAs)

 

Mike ended up really liking the last draft, so that’s the direction we’re heading in as of right now:)

 

 

 

Branding: Logo Design Training

Project: Fintastic Shack logo design
Client (hypothetically): Fintastic Shack
Description/plans: Your client is The Fintastic Shack: a newly founded family-owned seafood restaurant. The family is very friendly, fun, and loves a good pun, so they would love it if you could incorporate some of that humor into your design.

 

Update: I mocked up the two logos on some business assets to get an idea of what the vibe brand will exude with each logo/ color variation. I honestly don’t have a strong preference for either one, but keeping in mind this is a family-owned restaurant (who has a sense of humor) the red color might be a more fun color concept for them.

 

GOV 310 Intro to American Government Custom Course Graphics

Project: GOV 310L Intro to American Government PPT
Client: Dr. Shannon Bow O’Brien
Completion Status: Due Sep 30th
Staff guidance: De’sha
Description/plans: Create a Course Title slide, a Lecture Segment slide, and additional PPT slides with Texas-related content.

Last week I created custom PPT slides for GOV310L, and this week I created some of the Canvas Course graphics they requested as well. The Canvas button text and Animated stingers details have yet to be specified.

 

 

STA Routine Wallpaper

I have been working on this in between my other assignments and I think I like the direction it’s going in. I had a more whimsical version I made previous to this, but I don’t think I liked it as much (even though one of my friends I showed said she liked it more). For now, I will keep working on this version and adding some details.

 

Fall 2023 Roster Poster

Project: Fall 2023 STA Roster Poster
Client: LAITS
Completion Status: Due Sep 22
Staff guidance: De’sha
STA team members: Leilani
Description/plans: For this project, I was assigned Lead Designer and Leilani as the Junior Art director. Together we will work together to create TWO roster posters. The theme will be Carnival, and from what I can see in the reference images it looks like we’re going for a vintage Carnaval vibe. The main difference between the posters will be color schemes, so we should focus on an appealing design. There also might be an animated element in the poster…

Poster #1: Audio, Design, Project Team, and Video (33 STAs)

Poster#2: Classroom Support, Computer Support, and Tech Integration (34 STAs)

 

 

Branding: Logo Design Training

Project: Fintastic Shack logo design
Client(hypothetically): Fintastic Shack
Description/plans: Your client is The Fintastic Shack: a newly founded family-owned seafood restaurant. The family is very friendly, fun, and loves a good pun, so they would love it if you could incorporate some of that humor into your design.

• Status Update: I drafted many different logos and De’sha helped me pick out two of the designs to mock-up in Illustrator. Then I started to experiment with colors ( I looked at other seafood restaurant colors and red or blues are very popular).

 

GOV 310 Intro to American Government Custom Course Graphics

Project: GOV 310L Intro to American Government PPT
Client: Dr. Shannon Bow O’Brien
Completion Status: Due Sep 30th
Staff guidance: De’sha
Description/plans: Create a Course Title slide, a Lecture Segment slide, and additional PPT slides with Texas-related content.

• • Color:  Sepia with Hunter Green (#355E3B ) accents (title, etc.) , White, Black
  • Branding: Department
  • Imagery: Sketch-style image of the US Capitol Building or other government institutions.

 

Branding: Logo Design Training

Project: Fintastic Shack logo design
Client(hypothetically): Fintastic Shack
Description/plans:

• Your client is The Fintastic Shack: a newly founded family-owned seafood restaurant. The family is very friendly, fun, and loves a good pun, so they would love it if you could incorporate some of that humor into your design.

I tried to incorporate a fish or house/shack motif in every logo variation since the family’s restaurant name itself is a play on words.

Carver Wall Label

Project: Carver Wall Label
Client:  Carver Museum
Completion Status: Started August 25, 2023
Staff guidance: De’sha
Description/plans: This label will be used in the Carver Museum. Document solutions will be printed, so we need to ensure it is a print-ready PDF file for the final asset. Add a header and body text that fits the style of the existing exhibit labels and make sure it is legible.

This project was overall pretty simple. We just ran into a minor hiccup with the fonts of the model pdf not processing into Adobe Illustrator, but it was sorted out quickly. I’m not sure if this is the final text for this graphic, but I am told we will receive it soon.

 

Animate Simple Course Graphic

I’ve always wanted to obtain a better understanding of Adobe After Effects because it seemed like a vital tool for professional video editing. Firstly, I created my backgrounds and text assets in Photoshop and imported them into After Effects as separate layers. I gradually compiled images of printmaking tools from the Noun Project and used Illustrator to image trace them (cleaner edges for resizing). I used a lot of experimentation with masks, speed, and transformations to make the course graphic animation come to life. The inspiration for this course graphic came from a printmaking class I took during the Learning Tuscany program this summer. Sadly Enrique has left UT Austin, but I wanted to make something to commemorate the printmaking class. Although the graphic isn’t super polished, I am very proud of completing it and gaining more After Effects knowledge.

 

Creating an 8-bit Animated GIF

While I wait for tasks to start rolling in I decided to complete the Animated GIF training. I don’t use Photoshop very often when drawing, let alone animating so this was a nice change. The process was easy to follow but I’m wondering if I can create more complex GIFs with more practice.

Race Lab Logo

Project: Resilience and Adversity (in) Children’s Ecology Lab Logo
Client: Professor Ibekwe-Okafor
Completion Status: Aug 21, 2023
Staff guidance: Maddy, Valerie
STA team members: Luisa
Description/plans: Create a well-organized style guide for the professor to refer back to during the development of the research website. The style guide should be specific and easy to understand for the client.

 

When I left for summer I handed off the RACE Lab logo assignment, which I believe was passed to Maddy (I hope the new PR position is treating you well!) and then to Luisa (grad school will be awesome!). On my first day back in the office, I was asked to create a style guide for the professor to reference for color palettes and fonts. Valerie asked me to specifically outline when certain font colors should be used, so there would be no confusion about the color switches. It felt nostalgic to revisit this project since I was initially assigned to it last Spring semester by Maddy:’) I’m glad it was completed and I hope to see it uploaded on the website sometime in the near future!

Reflection: I was surprised to hear the RACE Lab logo assignment wasn’t finished yet, but it was the perfect task to transition back into LAITS with. I remember having a lot of fun brainstorming ideas for this logo and receiving feedback from the client and Maddy. It feels almost ironic that I started this assignment last year and now I’ve wrapped it up with the style guide:)

Back in the Design Lab!

I am back from my summer break and ready to get back into designing:) I was lucky enough to study abroad this summer in Italy through UT’s Learning Tuscany program. This was my first time going outside of the Americas, so there was definitely a bit of culture and language shock. My Professor Ann Johns was very knowledgeable about Italian culture though, so my classmates and I felt more at ease when we were with her. I have SO many photos so here are a few from the places I visited and some of the art I made!

 

I’m excited to be back as a Design STA, especially because I’ll be taking a graphic design course this semester, which will help me become more familiar and creative with Adobe programs.

Farewell post (I’ll probably be back)

BYE!

Being an STA for the 2022-2023 year has been such a great experience! Spring semester I received a larger variety of projects (image sourcing, course graphics, posters, logos, etc…) I’ve been able to learn so much from my fellow STAs and Design managers. I’ve also been fortunate to receive other design/art opportunities where I can apply what I’ve learned at LAITS. I plan on coming back in the Fall (from Italy haaaha) and designing more projects for LAITS!! Hopefully, I will see everyone after a restful and enriching trip to Italy ( I’ll try to take pictures to share). I’ll miss the fun polls on the board and having a group of design experts to ask for help though.

Thank you to Carrie, Leilani, Lorena, Luisa, Adrain, Thang, Daniela, De’sha, and Isaiah for being a supportive and welcoming team of graphic and web designers! I have learned so much from y’all and for that, I am so thankful. I’m always inspired by everyones’ work and hope you guys have a great summer!

BIG thanks to Maddy, Valerie, and Suloni for hiring me and allowing me to work on the design team at LAITS. I’ve gained invaluable skills and knowledge from this job and you guys!

 

Projects I’ll be Handing Off:

• R.A.C.E. Lab logo: I believe Maddy was taking over this project since she and I worked together on the initial drafts and final picks. But if another STA picks up the logo design, we are making a logo for Professor Ibekwe-Okaforwork’s research website. Her research will focus on the effects Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems (family, social, and cultural relationships) have on black children’s development.
  • • key terms: access, resilience, systems (Brunfenbrenner), education, early development, adversity, & black joy
    • steer away from explicit political imagery and colors (red and blue)
    • color: neutrals, earth tones, greenery
    • layers and systems to the way people develop

 

• UTCF Backdrops/Image Sourcing: I am currently working on 7.5 Hair and Make-up image sourcing and the images I have found thus far have been logged in the spreadsheet, box folder, and PowerPoint. I think 4.1 Professions and Occupations still needs to be signed off by either Maddy or Valerie. As for backdrops, I sourced for UTCF modules 5 & 6 but couldn’t find any images for 6.2 Bamako. Leilani, Carrie, and I have tested those images in the studio. The PSD template for modules 5 & 6 are in the box folder and still need to be edited a bit (I think Leilani was going to do this).

Me shocked to be in Cairo :0