STA Blog

Week 10/23 – 10/27

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Summer Marketing: Fall Postcard

We started to explore a more whimsical appearance to the Fall postcards with colorful lines wrapping around the UT tower. The second version was generally liked, so I’ll just be making edits/adjustments to the design to make it stronger.

 

Basic Training: Custom Course Graphics

Drumroll please…. presenting the completed custom course graphic design menu! Earlier in the semester I was assigned to a custom course graphic task but I didn’t have much experience with it. Afterward, I decided to complete this training so that the next time I have a similar task, I’ll be well prepared.

Week 32 – Thang Truong

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Week 32

Project: Faculty Office

Started on: Oct 26, 2023

Staff Guidance: Stacy

Description: The project aims to find patterns of the total service loads for each department. The deliverable is an interactive dashboard that lets the user choose the department and see the corresponding information for various aspects of the department itself. I successfully created a simple Tableau interface that can help with displaying and showing the information based on the user’s input.

 

 

 

Project: Shiny App

Started on: Oct 27, 2023

Staff Guidance: Stacy

Description: This project consists of two smaller project that involves the use of Shiny App and R to make and deploy a simple website that lets the user input the spreadsheet and show the according output.

  1. Project Number 1: Voyage. The client already has the code for building the interactive map, but he does not know how to let the user input their own CSV and download the output as an HTML file.
  2. Project Number 2: Density Map. This project needs some more input and examination. The general idea of this project involves the display of the map based on the user’s CSV files and the user’s selection of the desired transformation. The deliverable is a map that shows the density instead of borders.  The user can download this as an image or pdf. Moreover, in order to actually use it, the user needs to go to Projection Wizard to get the string to set up the map parameter correctly.

Week 10 10/23 – 10/27

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Animation Training

This week has been dedicated to my new animation training of creating a rigged walk cycle. I completed my character design and learn a ton ab Illustrator. It’s a very intimidating program at first but like all software, it gets easier to figure out. Here’s my final design.

I made all the limbs different groups and was able to organize the character pretty well. Next up is rigging in After Effects!

This was actually pretty hard to find a tutorial on surprisingly. A lot of tutorials on after effects rigging rely on an After Effects extension called DUIK. Apparently it’s one of the best extensions for After Effects, but I don’t need any more fancy tools so I stuck with vanilla After Effects (DUIK also costs money and I don’t think that’s the best move).

I found a tutorial on After Effects layer parenting and was able to attach all the limbs to the appropriate joints.

Here’s my progress on the walk cycle.

https://utexas.box.com/s/whr4jxsn20pprek068pwg98fh5wg45sq 

It’s very robotic and kind of unsettling to look at, but I plan to just get the key poses done and then to add more aniation principles later.

I’ve been having a lot of fun with this project! I’m learning new programs, I’m designing a character, and I’m practicing something I really love! I’m excited to see the final look.

 

Week 9

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Texas German Retractable Banner #10

Client/Prof: Margaret Blevins
Completion Status: Started on Sept 21
Staff Guidance: De’sha

Another draft of the TGDP banner; I rearranged some of the text formatting/sections and sent in for client feedback.

Logo Training

Completion Status: Started on September 20
Finished on: Oct 19
Staff Guidance: De’sha

Finished up the logo/branding training, here is the mockup of a product webpage for items with my logo:

Icon Training

Completion Status: Started on October 11
Finished on: Oct 19
Staff Guidance: De’sha

Made a small edit to my video icon by making the play button smaller, these are my final designs for this training:

Friday Oct, 20

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Project Updates

Project: Logo Design
Notes: I wanted to go more in depth on how I created my wordmark logo and what I used specifically to create it. The font, was designed by me and I utilized the features of the human eye, which represented not only a unique typographical style but also a connection to being unique.  The custom font allowed me to convey a sense of artistic individuality and innovation, while simultaneously upholding professionalism. The selection of the letters and their careful customization allowed for a balanced and aesthetically pleasing representation of my brand name. The result was a cohesive and memorable visual identity that left a strong and lasting impression on my audience, enhancing the overall branding of my personal branding.

 

Project: TBD Project
Notes: Developing a content management website for the TBD project within WordPress has been a streamlined and efficient process, aligning with the client’s preference for simplicity and readiness. Utilizing the Astra theme, Astra Pro plugin, and other essential plugins has allowed for a solid foundation and ease of design customization within the WordPress environment. Although these in-built design tools may not match the personal customization of Figma, they’ve proven to be effective in speedily crafting a functional and visually appealing site. The reduced flexibility is compensated by the advantage of delivering a website that’s almost ready for immediate deployment. As for creating a logo to complement this website, the design process has been equally seamless, ensuring the logo seamlessly integrates with the site’s aesthetics and the client’s brand identity. The combination of a user-friendly web development approach and a thoughtfully designed logo has resulted in a promising project that aligns well with the client’s vision for a straightforward content management website.

 

 

Project: Intermediate Training: UI/UX with Figma
Notes: Creating my portfolio site for work training has been a rewarding experience, allowing me to develop a range of skills that extend beyond my skills already at hand. One of the most significant areas of growth has been in UI/UX design in Figma, where I learned to prioritize user experience and design interfaces that are both intuitive and visually appealing. The process of developing my portfolio site pushed me to think critically about the user journey, ensuring that navigation is seamless and information is presented in a clear and organized manner.

Self-branding became another focal point during this journey. Crafting a personal brand involves much more than just creating a logo or choosing a color scheme. It’s about defining who I am professionally and communicating that effectively through every site element. In terms of overall work organization, building my portfolio site required meticulous planning and project management. This experience also significantly improved my project management skills and reinforced the importance of organization in any design endeavor.

Surprisingly, what I initially considered a training task turned out to be an enjoyable and fulfilling experience. The creative freedom to shape my personal space online and the learning opportunities each design decision presented made the process not only educational but also genuinely fun. It was like sculpting a digital representation of my professional self. As I near the completion of my portfolio site, I’m excited about the prospect of showcasing my work, skills, and personality to potential employers or clients. The journey has been a testament to the power of design in self-expression and communication. I look forward to applying the insights gained from this experience to future projects and continuing to refine and expand my online presence.

https://leilanicabello.myportfolio.com/

Week 9 10/16 – 10/20

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New Trainings!

I completed the history of design training! This one was a lot of fun since I feel like emulating a style you like makes you appreciate it more.

I chose to do 2 of these since I wanted to do the Dada era art but that was more photoshop focused and I wanted to get more practice in Illustrator so I did the New Typography style too. Here’s how they turned out.

I got a new animation training assignment which I’m really excited about! I don’t have a lot of experience in using rigged animation and this training will really help me understand it better.

I need to design a character in Illustrator that I can then rig and animate a walk cycle for in After Effects. I don’t have great knowledge in rigged animation in After Effects and I basically know nothing about Illustrator, so I really wanna see what I can do here!

I started by practicing basic illustration in Illustrator. I used this youtube video to do a follow-along practice and tried to recreate the character design in the video. Here’s how it looked (I got impatient and didn’t want to do the body).

Then I moved onto following this video to learn how to sketch out my own character in illustrator. Here’s how it’s looking so far.

I’m trying to be very conscious that this design will be able to be rigged in the future so I’ll try to hold off on making the design heavily detailed. I look forward to how this will turn out!