This morning I put the final touches on the overview, looking over layout and rereading the content. I like where it stands, enough to send it off to Chris and Phil. I did that around 10 or 11, fully expecting a revision to be coming. However, I did not get feed back today because Chris was traveling home and Phil's wife had her baby!
The rest of the day I worked on getting my work laptop set up. I worked with the sys admin (JD) to get a virtual linux machine set up. However, we found the image file was corrupt, as well as the backup file. I will have to wait to finish that until he gets it fixed. Otherwise I worked on installing small programs like Notepad++ and some other non-necessary ones. I also had to install the correct touchpad driver because the laptop I have came with Windows 8 and Phil wiped that and put on 7 - so not all the drivers are correct.
After that I had around an hour left, so I filled the time by reading articles Phil had given me about precision seed planting and then I finished by tweaking the info-graphic.
Friday, May 31, 2013
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Day Seven: Wednesday 05.29.2013
Another day of working at home, this Wednesday was more successful than last. In the morning I continued working on the tractor. Yesterday I had googled illustrated tractors, so I wanted to tweak my work based on some great simplified sketches. Those examples helped me pin point the important details to leave in and what to cut out while still clearly being a tractor.
Later in the afternoon I worked on the layout of the info-graphic. There are only three steps and I have 4" on the paper and the entire width (8"), but the last step is also three parts. This makes the illustration sizing kind of awkward to get everything to fit, plus room for arrows. The last step is just three rectangles and they end up being the focus and then the eye falls of the page - not okay! After adjusting the layout I went back to fiddling with the tractor. (I know I will have to go back to the layout again after the other parts are done.) I started with a more simplistic style, but it's too juvenile. MyFarms has a very professional, sleek, technological feel to it, but I am trying to not go overboard with that. The coverpage I made is very sleek; there are a lot of gradients and gray highlights. That page worked because there was minimal content and it would only be used once. The overview page is double sided and has a lot of content. I need it to feel sleek, but much more simplified. I've leaving more white space open and using small pops of green for the layout. The large image on the first page is a screen shot of the website, that obviously fits perfectly with the rest of the page. The info-graphic needs to be as seamless and I don't doubt I can get it there. Every time I take a step back I see it needs more detail to get rid of the block-y, vector feel. I want it to look digital, but in a very different way.
Later in the afternoon I worked on the layout of the info-graphic. There are only three steps and I have 4" on the paper and the entire width (8"), but the last step is also three parts. This makes the illustration sizing kind of awkward to get everything to fit, plus room for arrows. The last step is just three rectangles and they end up being the focus and then the eye falls of the page - not okay! After adjusting the layout I went back to fiddling with the tractor. (I know I will have to go back to the layout again after the other parts are done.) I started with a more simplistic style, but it's too juvenile. MyFarms has a very professional, sleek, technological feel to it, but I am trying to not go overboard with that. The coverpage I made is very sleek; there are a lot of gradients and gray highlights. That page worked because there was minimal content and it would only be used once. The overview page is double sided and has a lot of content. I need it to feel sleek, but much more simplified. I've leaving more white space open and using small pops of green for the layout. The large image on the first page is a screen shot of the website, that obviously fits perfectly with the rest of the page. The info-graphic needs to be as seamless and I don't doubt I can get it there. Every time I take a step back I see it needs more detail to get rid of the block-y, vector feel. I want it to look digital, but in a very different way.
Day Six: Tuesday 05.28.2013
Another early morning back at work. This morning was a little slow, but around 10 o'clock I talked to Phil about the overview. Our conversation gave me a lot of good information and a clear direction of where to go. We also talked about the company and the expectations he and Chris have when assigning projects (especially open ended projects that I've received).
The rest of the morning and afternoon was spent working more on the overview. Phil and I went over some of the content and hashed that out more. We looked over an article Chris had originally given me and then Phil gave me something else to read that might tie in better. Then I worked on the info-graphic for the back page. I'm trying to create something that is professional, yet friendly and gives a friendly and welcoming feel with the colors and line work. Part of this includes illustrating a tractor, and that (surprisingly) took the rest of the day.
The conversation with Phil was wonderfully helpful and motivating. This job is feeling more like my own position; I understand my current role better and what my future role can hold. I think it's a little different to come in a job to a company you're already a part of; the change from casual to professional isn't clear cut. That being said, it's not a bad thing to know everyone and have close friends already there.
The rest of the morning and afternoon was spent working more on the overview. Phil and I went over some of the content and hashed that out more. We looked over an article Chris had originally given me and then Phil gave me something else to read that might tie in better. Then I worked on the info-graphic for the back page. I'm trying to create something that is professional, yet friendly and gives a friendly and welcoming feel with the colors and line work. Part of this includes illustrating a tractor, and that (surprisingly) took the rest of the day.
The conversation with Phil was wonderfully helpful and motivating. This job is feeling more like my own position; I understand my current role better and what my future role can hold. I think it's a little different to come in a job to a company you're already a part of; the change from casual to professional isn't clear cut. That being said, it's not a bad thing to know everyone and have close friends already there.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Day Five: Friday 05.24.2013
Today went well, I finished the cover page and e-mailed that on to Phil and Chris. It seems to have gone over well. I haven't heard back from Chris, but I think if changes are needed they will be small. I will need to know what format they want it in before I can put it on the shared drive. I created it in Illustrator and InDesign, but I would guess that they will use Word when using it. Another issue I've had in the back of my mind: I think the printer they'll use willl not have a full bleed. This is just another aspect I want to check on before truely finishing.
The rest of the day I worked on the overview page. This did not go as smoothly as it did yesterday, but that is mostly because I'm struggling with figuring out what the content is exactly. I've been given plenty of information and places to research, but I don't khow the company well enough to pick out main headers that prospective clients want to know. Honestly, who the perspective clients are isn't entirely clear. This is something I will push to get help with on Monday. We ended the day early today to hang out in the back and start the long weekend early.
The rest of the day I worked on the overview page. This did not go as smoothly as it did yesterday, but that is mostly because I'm struggling with figuring out what the content is exactly. I've been given plenty of information and places to research, but I don't khow the company well enough to pick out main headers that prospective clients want to know. Honestly, who the perspective clients are isn't entirely clear. This is something I will push to get help with on Monday. We ended the day early today to hang out in the back and start the long weekend early.
Friday, May 24, 2013
Day Four: Thursday 05.23.2013
Back in the office and today was much more productive. I got a lot of work done with the cover page. I swear I dream about ideas for this layout. I decided to hash out my two best sketches and see how the translated from drawings to digital. Both were tweaked along the way and by the afternoon were combined to one idea. I think this idea is getting really strong and I think I really broke through my mental block of being my own critique.
On Wednesday I had found lessons about using gradient meshes and "drawing inside" in Illustrator. I can't believe I didn't know how amazing both tools are! My entire morning was spent creating frames for information for the coverpage. I think I was a little slow since it's a new skill, but it's one I'm so excited to use more.
By the end of the day I had stared at the coverpage way too long. I switched back to working on the flyer and knew with an evening away I could easily finish the coverpage Friday morning. I only spent an hour on the flyer, but it just clicked. I changed the titles to be green and started playing with the header of the page. The previous design was three pages, so stapled together a reader could easily identify the start point. With just a one page (two sided) layout, I needed to make something that was more clear. I hadn't committed to this change before; but like I said, something about today just made things click. I committed to this decision of a main header and got a great logo treatment and design working. I will continue the infographic and other pieces on Friday.
Today was so much better. I was able to hit a good stride and stay focused and working hard all day. It was a good comeback from Wednesday and it'll help the week finish strong. I don't think I will finish both assignments this week. I will get the coverpage sent off to Chris (he's overseas right now) on Friday afternoon and aim to get the flyer in a state to get sent too. My goal is to finish these over the weekend so I can move on next week.
On Wednesday I had found lessons about using gradient meshes and "drawing inside" in Illustrator. I can't believe I didn't know how amazing both tools are! My entire morning was spent creating frames for information for the coverpage. I think I was a little slow since it's a new skill, but it's one I'm so excited to use more.
By the end of the day I had stared at the coverpage way too long. I switched back to working on the flyer and knew with an evening away I could easily finish the coverpage Friday morning. I only spent an hour on the flyer, but it just clicked. I changed the titles to be green and started playing with the header of the page. The previous design was three pages, so stapled together a reader could easily identify the start point. With just a one page (two sided) layout, I needed to make something that was more clear. I hadn't committed to this change before; but like I said, something about today just made things click. I committed to this decision of a main header and got a great logo treatment and design working. I will continue the infographic and other pieces on Friday.
Today was so much better. I was able to hit a good stride and stay focused and working hard all day. It was a good comeback from Wednesday and it'll help the week finish strong. I don't think I will finish both assignments this week. I will get the coverpage sent off to Chris (he's overseas right now) on Friday afternoon and aim to get the flyer in a state to get sent too. My goal is to finish these over the weekend so I can move on next week.
Day Three: Wednesday 05.22.2013
On Wednesday I worked from home. We all get this one day a week to stay at home so we don't have to drive all the way to Portland. I learned that I am not very productive when I'm at home. I just worked on sketches because I was still feeling stuck with the two assignments. I identified one major problem of mine, and that is that I tend to design trendy and colorful pieces. So narrowing down an assignment to professional and only using green, I got pretty stuck.
As I said, I didn't get much done today. I researched some tutorials with Illustrator that should help. Otherwise I sketched wireframes of layouts and that was about it. Definitely not a full day's worth of work. I will be figuring out a new plan for how to work from home and making up hours this weekend/evenings.
Day Two: Tuesday 05.21.2013
MyFarms is in Portland and Tim and I still live in Upland, so we carpool with three other people living here. This means that my day starts at 6:15 and I'm in the car by 7:20..ish - we're all slow in the morning. I haven't had an 8:00am class since... fall of 2011? Welcome to real life Tori.
On Tuesday I continued working on my two assignments. When I got stuck on one I switched over to the other. For the flyer/overview document I'm redoing the infographic about how the company connects the grower to seed companies. This is part of the new concept. The previous illustration was a simple graph chart and the new one needs to be "shiny" and illustrate the how we (the company) view the data as being high value. I've enjoyed talking with Chris (the company's founder and head boss) about how the company works and why he thinks it's better than anything else out there. This is where most of my research comes from, plus some articles and informational videos.
For the coverpage I came up with two concepts, both had cool vector headings, but simple layouts. I sent these along with what I had done on the flyer to Chris for some feedback. Today was essentially comps; I wanted to make sure I was headed in the right direction. Chris and I talked over what I'd done - we agreed the coverpage needed more structure. Each part of information should have its own place and this will also create a more dynamic page. I didn't get too much direction on the flyer, mostly that it just needed more: more color, different illustrations from what was used before and a more interesting layout with titles and such. I totally agreed with all of this and was happy to continue working on them.
Today was a good day of experiencing feedback from someone who is not an art professor. It made me realize that I knew what needed to be done and it was my job to just do it. While Chris was fine with seeing what I had and how I was working, he's not an art prof. His directions were helpful, but not as eye-opening as class feedback was. It was a good push for me to just go forward and trust my knowledge. However, this realization really came a day or so later. Initially I felt stuck and frustrated again about why these projects were taking me so long when they weren't too hard.
On Tuesday I continued working on my two assignments. When I got stuck on one I switched over to the other. For the flyer/overview document I'm redoing the infographic about how the company connects the grower to seed companies. This is part of the new concept. The previous illustration was a simple graph chart and the new one needs to be "shiny" and illustrate the how we (the company) view the data as being high value. I've enjoyed talking with Chris (the company's founder and head boss) about how the company works and why he thinks it's better than anything else out there. This is where most of my research comes from, plus some articles and informational videos.
For the coverpage I came up with two concepts, both had cool vector headings, but simple layouts. I sent these along with what I had done on the flyer to Chris for some feedback. Today was essentially comps; I wanted to make sure I was headed in the right direction. Chris and I talked over what I'd done - we agreed the coverpage needed more structure. Each part of information should have its own place and this will also create a more dynamic page. I didn't get too much direction on the flyer, mostly that it just needed more: more color, different illustrations from what was used before and a more interesting layout with titles and such. I totally agreed with all of this and was happy to continue working on them.
Today was a good day of experiencing feedback from someone who is not an art professor. It made me realize that I knew what needed to be done and it was my job to just do it. While Chris was fine with seeing what I had and how I was working, he's not an art prof. His directions were helpful, but not as eye-opening as class feedback was. It was a good push for me to just go forward and trust my knowledge. However, this realization really came a day or so later. Initially I felt stuck and frustrated again about why these projects were taking me so long when they weren't too hard.
Day One: Monday 05.20.2013
This blog will be where I post my daily summaries of my summer internship/practicum. I am obviously not writing this on the day of, so a few are getting cranked out on the same day for this first week.
The first day was like most first days. There was some paper work for payroll, for Taylor and a "Know Your Goat Test". I kid you not. I was essentially give this image, but with blanks to fill in all the body parts. More seriously, I was given my first design assignment.
The company has a flyer/overview page that they take to various conventions and other networking opportunities. My job is to amp it up and apply a new concept to the information, one that will define us from the competition (no pressure right?). I was given a Word document that was the old flyer and I am using InDesign to construct the new one. On this day I really only got to researching and a couple of sketches. Now that I am working for the company I am realizing I have a lot to learn about what exactly we do to be able to translate that on to a flyer.
At the end of the day I was given a second assignment to create a cover page for any "deliverables". This page needs to have our company's logo, a space for the logo of the company being delivered to, the date, the document name and the name and contact info of who's sending it. There is no previous document for this one, my instructions were to just make it pop.
Just as a quick reflection on my day, it was really (unexpectedly) overwhelming. I wasn't given a deadline for these two assignments and since they didn't feel too far off from class assignments I thought I should be able to get it done by the end of the day. That definitely didn't happen - it's Friday and I'm still working on them. I don't think I realized what an adjustment it would be to leave the academic setting.
The first day was like most first days. There was some paper work for payroll, for Taylor and a "Know Your Goat Test". I kid you not. I was essentially give this image, but with blanks to fill in all the body parts. More seriously, I was given my first design assignment.
The company has a flyer/overview page that they take to various conventions and other networking opportunities. My job is to amp it up and apply a new concept to the information, one that will define us from the competition (no pressure right?). I was given a Word document that was the old flyer and I am using InDesign to construct the new one. On this day I really only got to researching and a couple of sketches. Now that I am working for the company I am realizing I have a lot to learn about what exactly we do to be able to translate that on to a flyer.
At the end of the day I was given a second assignment to create a cover page for any "deliverables". This page needs to have our company's logo, a space for the logo of the company being delivered to, the date, the document name and the name and contact info of who's sending it. There is no previous document for this one, my instructions were to just make it pop.
Just as a quick reflection on my day, it was really (unexpectedly) overwhelming. I wasn't given a deadline for these two assignments and since they didn't feel too far off from class assignments I thought I should be able to get it done by the end of the day. That definitely didn't happen - it's Friday and I'm still working on them. I don't think I realized what an adjustment it would be to leave the academic setting.
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