STA Blog

Raaga Srimadh

Raaga Srimadh

October!

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My October!

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been working on web development projects for the UT Lifespan Lab and our Alumni network site.

UT Lifespan Lab

I was tasked with redesigning the website shown down below, to be more user-friendly and visual dynamic while keeping a lot of the same elements (like the header).

I was coming back to WordPress after a very long time, so there was an initial learning curve, but I was able to come up with the layout below after some trial and error:

The header was the most difficult to work on– being able to preserve the original design while somehow finding a way to avoid a clash with the newer layout was a challenge.

I went through multiple iterations before deciding that a gradient could help preserve what the client still wanted to showcase while allowing for a softer approach.

This was the final header:

Other Pages

About Page

Original
New

People Page

Original
New

Directions Page

Original
New

STA Alumni Network Site

The most recent project I’m currently working on is the new STA Alumni Network site. The site houses resources for alumni, chances to connect, and recent news regarding STA alumni. SInce this project started very recently, my current progress is limited to the Home page.

I was tasked with adding the following elements to the layout:

  1. Header
  2. Hero Section
  3. Highlight/Mission Section
  4. Carousel Section
  5. Featured Alumni Section
  6. Check Us Out/Latest News

Next Steps

  • About
  • Alumni Showcase
  • Events
  • Job Board
  • Register as an Alum/Log In

Summer!

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Summer!

This summer, I spent time interning in Boston! I worked with the Accelerator team at Boston Children’s Hospital and was able to learn a lot about internal workings of a hospital. As someone hoping to work in healthcare someday, it was really eye-opening to see how designers fit into the landscape of a large hospital. I mainly worked with shaping experiences of the patients and their families– this was anywhere from reshaping the check-in process, to exploring the patient portal.

Given that this was my second summer in Boston, I found that a lot of the exploring I did was revisiting my favorite places. It was an interesting experience being able to navigate the city like a local and show people around. That being said, I had never missed Austin more than I did this summer. Living in a city that growing quickly– there’s always something new to see; but Boston being an older city, I found myself being taken to the same places. One thing I didn’t miss? The heat. Boston stayed an even 80 degrees most of the summer, with the exception of a couple “heatwave days” where it launched up to 90.

I loved getting to be in a city with such a rich history, not only in the area, but with the people as well– many of the people I met were born and raised in Massachusetts, making Boston their home and hometown. With the amount of change that the Boston population goes through, I was able to meet people in every career and hear stories of the amazing things they were pursuing. It made me a lot more excited for the post-grad life– seeing what was possible and the opportunities I may have.

I had a lot of fun working with my team at BCH too! They were extremely supportive and I loved being around people who genuinely cared about the patients they were affecting with their decisions. It was interesting to see how larger teams work in tandem with other departments. I learned that in healthcare specifically, teams can be pretty siloed off, so it’s important to communicate with multiple leads and make sure everyone’s on the same page. I had a great time getting to exercise those skills as well as presenting to multiple audiences within the department.

All in all, this summer was a good time, but it also came with a bittersweet ending. Knowing I was about to begin my senior year made this summer a lot more nerve wracking, but I’m glad I got to get an experience I will remember in the future. Now that I’m back, I can’t wait to get started and make this year count!

Week 7-8

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Week at a Glance

02/27-03/05

This week, I completed the PSY306 – Introduction to Human Sexuality Course Graphics, and finished the color theory and typography trainings. I also got started on the STA presentation poster.

PSY306 – Introduction to Human Sexuality

Programs: Photoshop
Mentor: De’sha Bass-McClellan

I was assigned to create a Canvas dashboard image and homepage banner, as well as the pre-roll video. These are finished and approved assets:

 

Color Theory Training Module

Programs: Illustrator

Through KB’s training page, I learned about how colors can work together to change the connotation of the design.

The first part of this training was to create a non-traditional color wheel that depicted hues, tints, and shades.

 

In addition to the color wheel, I created 3 color palettes based on the prompts given in the training assignment.

 

 

 

Typography Training Module

Programs: Illustrator

In this module, I learned about the different typefaces, and how to pair fonts.

The assets for this training included creating pairings of my own:

 

 

STA Presentation Poster

Programs: Illustrator
Mentor: De’sha Bass-McClellan, Leilani Cabello

Based on the inspiration I was given for this assignment, I began putting together elements for the STA poster template. I built out the basic elements to better account for the theme as well as the amount of STAs in the poster.

You can take a look at the initial process here!

Week 6

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Week at a Glance

This week, I worked through the PSY306 – Introduction to Human Sexuality Course Graphics, finished How to Manipulate Shapes, and started working on the Color Theory training module.

PSY306 – Introduction to Human Sexuality

Programs: Photoshop
Mentor: De’sha Bass-McClellan

I was assigned to create a Canvas dashboard image and homepage banner, as well as the pre-roll image. I am currently still receiving feedback on these assets, but so far, this has been my progress:

 

 

 

 

Manipulating Shapes Training Module

Programs: Illustrator

In this assignment I created shapes using the shape-builder tool, pathfinder tool, and rotate tool.

 

 

 

Color Theory Training Module

Programs: Photoshop

In this module, I was introduced to color theory, and selecting color based on context. For the assignment, I began creating a color wheel that is non-traditional and shows hues, shades, and tints.

Week 5

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Week at a Glance

This week, I worked through the UTFC banners I was assigned, the Shape and Pattern Training module, and How to Manipulate Shapes training module.

UTFC Banners

Programs: Illustrator
Mentor: De’sha Bass-McClellan

I was assigned to the 10.3 Gatineau/Ottawa border and 9.6 Les îles Sous le Vent dans l’archipel de la Société Lingco Banners. After review throughout the week, both were approved and completed in Basecamp.

 

9.6 Les îles Sous le Vent dans l’archipel de la Société 

 

10.3 Gatineau/Ottawa Border

Shapes and Pattern Training

In this module, I learned about the effect that shapes can have on conveying a certain meaning about the design. Following the KB training, I was introduced to geometric vs organic shapes, shape psychology, Gestalt theory, and visual hierarchy.

The first part of this assignment included creating shapes based on their “personality”.

Free and at peace. This shape has just come back from vacation.

Powerful and confident. This shape has just been promoted.

Energetic and active. This shape just wants to go to the gym.

 

 

Following an introduction to theme and personality, I worked on an assignment that related to visual hierarchy.

 

 

 

 

The tutorial also covered making a pattern and creating organic shapes using pathfinder and the curve tool.

 

 

 

How to Manipulate Shapes

 

In this training module I learned to transform shapes, and better take advantage of Ai tools that create complex shapes.

 

Week 4

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Week at a Glance

This week, I continued working through training work, and was introduced to my first project.

Create Pixel Art in Illustrator

Programs: Illustrator

Using the KB tutorial, I created pixel art of Hippopotamus (“William”) from the Middle Kingdom, 1961-1878 BC, sourced from the MET museum website.

Using this image, I created the following iterations:

 

 

Following this project, I moved on to Learning the Principles and Elements of Design.

 

Learning the Principles and Elements of Design

 

Using the KB tutorial, I created a slide deck of each design principle and element with examples pulled from famous artworks. After collecting examples, I went into Illustrator to outline the area where the principle/element is displayed.

 

 

 

Project Work

In between my training work, I was able to work on my first project assigned to me – 11.1B Music, Art and Theatre. Using a predetermined vocabulary list, I collected image options for each and placed them into the google sheet. I am currently still waiting on approval for the image options.