Wrapping up my projects

I got to work on a few pretty exciting projects these last few weeks so I’m very satisfied that I got to work on projects that I could not only complete but also enjoy working on before leaving for the semester.

World Literature Animated Intro

While I didn’t fully animate an intro for this class, I was given the task to think of an animatic for one of the world literature classes at UT.

This was fun to think of as it was simple but shows the transitions in time for world literature and theater. The book is by far the most complex asset for this animation.

Foundations of Data Science Logo and Animation

We have settled on a logo design!

The gears were a favorite for the client. Now I had to animate it.

This was a lot more tricky than I thought it would be because gears are surprisingly very complex. At least for me. Getting the timing right for the gear turning was a concern as a lot of the time the turning of one gear would offset the others and it would turn into a domino effect.

Luckily, I was suggested to slow down the turning which not only helped the pacing, but lessened the risk of the gears being offset. Here’s what I was able to finish with.

And once approved, I could add it to the intro animation template!

Summer Marketing

Email graphics: Similar to the Spring Digital Displays, we wanted to simplify the layout of the email graphics but also give notice to students on how much time was left to register for our summer online courses. ( “Last chance…”, “Registration opens soon”, “… open now”, etc.)

Digital Displays

Before

After

I was also asked to edit/prepare a $500 courses graphic without the MUS 307 courses since they have lower enrollment caps and are already filled. Keeping the same course order, I shifted the courses to have 5 in the left column and 5 in the right column instead of 6 and 6.

Before

After

Foundations of Data Science

After my previous logo drafts I made a few more based off requests from the client. Here’s what I came up with.

I kept the gear theme since both the client and my supervisor liked it and I think it would make a fun logo to animate. They suggested the concept of regression on a graph in the design and the other gear is a more refined puzzle piece look.

I also worked on some backdrops for the course graphics.

pretty basic but productive work.

PSY317K Intro Animation

I was tasked with reanimating and intro animation for one of the general physics classes. I was basically given an After Effects template and some stock footage to replace the current footage and I was set to go.

Here’s how it looks!

I’ve grown to really enjoy working in After Effects. It’s one of those programs that’s insanely intimidating and powerful but you really end up using only 1/4 of the program than necessary. I look forward to new After Effects projects.

See You Later

I can’t believe it’s time to graduate. It’s been 2 years since I joined the LAITS Design department and I’m so grateful that I can join the team and meet y’all. These past two years have been a blast, thanks to all of you awesome folks!

Big shoutout to Leilani, Lorena, Thang, Marissa, Lila, Adriana, Diya, Raaga, Shriya, Kyra, and Shanda for always having my back and keeping the vibes positive. Whether it was lending a helping hand on a project or simply sharing a laugh during our breaks, each of you has made my time here truly memorable.  You guys are so nice to me :). De’sha, I’m glad you could be my design manager this year! Your guidance as my STA Manager and Art Director has been instrumental in my growth as a designer and as a person. Your feedback, support, and openness to new ideas have not only helped me succeed in my role but have also inspired me to push myself further than I thought possible. Thank you for believing in me and for giving me the opportunity to contribute to our team’s success.

I also want to extend my thanks to the entire LAITS staff, as well as my fellow STAs from other departments, and all our clients. Your trust in my abilities and your effective communication have made every project a rewarding experience. Stacy, I’m grateful for all the mentorship you gave me in the past two projects. I learned a lot from the collaboration between us, especially about responsiveness and the WordPress tool.

Next?

As I embark on the next chapter of my journey, I carry with me fond memories of our time together and the valuable lessons I’ve learned along the way. While I may be saying goodbye for now, I look forward to the possibility of crossing paths with each of you again in the future.

Meanwhile, I’m thrilled to share that I’ll be pursuing a Master’s in Design Tech at Cornell University. It’s a computational design program that merges architecture, computer science, and ecology, and I couldn’t be more excited for this next chapter.

While I may be saying goodbye for now, I look forward to the possibility of crossing paths with each of you again in the future. Until then, take care and keep creating amazing things together.

Week 4/29 – 5/2 : Even More Training :0

Pixel Art in Illustrator Training

This week I started another training on creating Pixel Art in Illustrator! This was fun because I love working in Illustrator and I got to use a picture of my cat as the reference photo. Here is what I came up with:

I like how this tutorial not only included how to use grids and the live paint tool, but also how to edit the colors afterwards using the ‘Recolor Artwork’ tool. Under here, you can edit global colors, adjust saturation, hue, luminosity, etc., and choose from provided presets. My favorite of the four iterations is the third (created using the ‘Earth-tone Preset’).

Week 4/22 – 4/25 : Training Continued

History of Design Training

This week I continued on trainings including the History of Design Training! After reading through the different design eras I chose to create a poster following the Postmodernism Era because I wanted to explore new techniques in Photoshop. Here is what I came up with:

This design fits into the Postmodernism movement because it uses bold, primary colors, a combination of text/photos, and texture. The repeating elements are also reminiscent of 60s pop art. I will probably use the techniques I learned from the filter gallery to achieve different textures and photo styles in my future designs. I learned how to alter Blending Options under the Layer Style panel. Before following the tutorial I didn’t know about what these sliders did:

2025 Summer Marketing Campaign!

Staff Guidance: De’sha

Client: LAITS

Orientation & Fall A-frame Redesign:

I added some sunglasses on top of the textbook in the Summer Orientation A-frame and edited the phrasing of the title in the Fall Semester A-frame. We don’t want enrolled students to think we only offer core courses during the summer. Conversely, for Student Orientation, these students have almost no prior course work, therefore they’re more likely to be interested in core courses.

Fall Digital Display Redesign:

The goal of this redesign was to simplify and reduce the amount of text. We previously accomplished this in our 2024 Spring semester Digital Displays Ad when we heard they only appear for about 8 seconds on the TV screen.

I started by removing the courses and website URL since we won’t have our website fully updated in the Fall semester by the time these displays are aired. I then replaced the title with one from our recently edited (new) Fall A-frames (see images above for reference).

STA Presentation 2024!

WHoop! The 2025 STA Presentation happened about a week ago and I spent a lot of time editing and perfecting my presentation on the Summer Marketing Campaign (especially because I was the first presenter !!!) I have been told by many people that I did a good job kicking off the STA Presentation but I have yet to muster the courage to rewatch myself present on the live stream recording:) I was very excited and honored to be allowed to present this year and hopefully, I will have another interesting project to present next year!