Take a peak into my world, my thinking, and my learning process by looking directly at my notes. They are a visual summary of the way in which my brain categorizes and digests information.
Eureka and Momentum III
During the weekend of October 21st, I took part in Eureka, a 48-hour design and strategy challenge. We were tasked with developing a plan for employee recruitment and retention for a local non-profit, CP Rochester. While working on the project we also learned about leadership skills with RIT’s Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement.
My team with Leonel Dominguez, Kim DeSantis, and Mackenzie Gidusko was called Bathtub because that’s where all the best ideas are created. Our group of industrial and graphic designers was able to think from both a marketing and empathetic level when forming our employment plan. We interviewed current employees of CP Rochester, brainstormed big and small, got feedback from facilitators, went back to the drawing board, asked more questions, and finalized our vision.
Our solution introduced a new workplace culture to CP Rochester. The three-part Mentorship and Continued Learning Initiative contained levels of interaction between and across departments to foster an educational environment. The goals of our program were to create more fulfilling careers for employees, keep them passionate about their jobs, and attract young graduates that want to continue learning on the job.
Thank you, Lorrie Frear, for all the time and thought that you put into organizing this event. This was a great environment for experimentation and collaboration.
During the weekend of October 21st, I took part in Eureka, a 48-hour design and strategy challenge. We were tasked with developing a plan for employee recruitment and retention for a local non-profit, CP Rochester. While working on the project we also learned about leadership skills with RIT’s Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement.
My team with Leonel Dominguez, Kim DeSantis, and Mackenzie Gidusko was called Bathtub because that’s where all the best ideas are created. Our group of industrial and graphic designers was able to think from both a marketing and empathetic level when forming our employment plan. We interviewed current employees of CP Rochester, brainstormed big and small, got feedback from facilitators, went back to the drawing board, asked more questions, and finalized our vision.
Our solution introduced a new workplace culture to CP Rochester. The three-part Mentorship and Continued Learning Initiative contained levels of interaction between and across departments to foster an educational environment. The goals of our program were to create more fulfilling careers for employees, keep them passionate about their jobs, and attract young graduates that want to continue learning on the job.
Thank you, Lorrie Frear, for all the time and thought that you put into organizing this event. This was a great environment for experimentation and collaboration.
Notes from Guest Lectures
Beth Singer Design gave a lecture about the importance of knowing the history of design. Not are the past greats a source of inspiration, but they are filled with lessons about how the world views and reacts to design.
Su Hale of Hale Design shared lessons on navigating consumer comfort and familiarity while designing a rebrand. Su Hale, a former Senior Partner at Lippincott and former Associate Partner at Pentagram, spoke at the Vignelli Center lecture series and took the time to walk us through a case study of her work rebranding Hawaiian Airlines. Her insight into the continual, intentional process of ideation was exciting to see as a young designer.
Leigh Rubins of Rubes Cartoons gave a great talk about his process, career, and learning moments. Leigh described how he evaluates his work with a critical eye to make it as effective as possible at telling his joke. One of his biggest pieces of advice was to leave something up to the imagination. By letting the viewer work and fill in some of the blanks they are engaging in our content in ways that they can’t in surface-level media.
Beth Singer Design gave a lecture about the importance of knowing the history of design. Not are the past greats a source of inspiration, but they are filled with lessons about how the world views and reacts to design.
Su Hale of Hale Design shared lessons on navigating consumer comfort and familiarity while designing a rebrand. Su Hale, a former Senior Partner at Lippincott and former Associate Partner at Pentagram, spoke at the Vignelli Center lecture series and took the time to walk us through a case study of her work rebranding Hawaiian Airlines. Her insight into the continual, intentional process of ideation was exciting to see as a young designer.
Leigh Rubins of Rubes Cartoons gave a great talk about his process, career, and learning moments. Leigh described how he evaluates his work with a critical eye to make it as effective as possible at telling his joke. One of his biggest pieces of advice was to leave something up to the imagination. By letting the viewer work and fill in some of the blanks they are engaging in our content in ways that they can’t in surface-level media.
Design Week Day 1
While attending workshops at RIT Graphic Design's first Design Week, I took notes and made collages out of images from the workshops that I wanted to share and reflect on.
At the first workshop, from Process to Print, we were shown different types of bookbinding and print methods to present our process work. My favorites were newsprints that you could print through the Newspaper Club (stay tuned for a possible newspaper of my portfolio).
At the second workshop, called Letter S P A C E with Lorrie Frear, we talked about the relationship between different letter families and how spacing can impact how we read type. We also had the opportunity to do a hands-on activity where we redesigned the counters of Avenir’s letterforms.
It was a fantastic day of learning and I am so excited to share what else I learn this week with you.
While attending workshops at RIT Graphic Design's first Design Week, I took notes and made collages out of images from the workshops that I wanted to share and reflect on.
At the first workshop, from Process to Print, we were shown different types of bookbinding and print methods to present our process work. My favorites were newsprints that you could print through the Newspaper Club (stay tuned for a possible newspaper of my portfolio).
At the second workshop, called Letter S P A C E with Lorrie Frear, we talked about the relationship between different letter families and how spacing can impact how we read type. We also had the opportunity to do a hands-on activity where we redesigned the counters of Avenir’s letterforms.
It was a fantastic day of learning and I am so excited to share what else I learn this week with you.
Design Week Day 2
How to Build a Deck. KISS- Keep it stupid simple. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a presentation on how to build a presentation. It was a fantastic, visual lecture on how to make your communication visuals powerful and cinematic.
Thank you, Clay Patrick McBride, for an inspiring lecture. “The history you tell matters.” That line will stick with me. As we begin to navigate the professional design world it was great to have a reminder to keep our wits and morals about us.
Phil Szrama’s Risk in Motion Design lecture was a great expression of my favorite philosophy of design thinking, failure. Being comfortable with failure is the best way to grow as a designer. Doing things badly gets you past the design block and pushes you to learn what you normally would be too intimidated to shoot for.
The final lecture of the day was my first exposure to using AI to generate images as a part of the design process. I loved seeing how the two networks of the Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) argued back and forth about the image that I was generating. Each iteration (and the lecture as a whole) was a lens into the way that AI thinks.
How to Build a Deck. KISS- Keep it stupid simple. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a presentation on how to build a presentation. It was a fantastic, visual lecture on how to make your communication visuals powerful and cinematic.
Thank you, Clay Patrick McBride, for an inspiring lecture. “The history you tell matters.” That line will stick with me. As we begin to navigate the professional design world it was great to have a reminder to keep our wits and morals about us.
Phil Szrama’s Risk in Motion Design lecture was a great expression of my favorite philosophy of design thinking, failure. Being comfortable with failure is the best way to grow as a designer. Doing things badly gets you past the design block and pushes you to learn what you normally would be too intimidated to shoot for.
The final lecture of the day was my first exposure to using AI to generate images as a part of the design process. I loved seeing how the two networks of the Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) argued back and forth about the image that I was generating. Each iteration (and the lecture as a whole) was a lens into the way that AI thinks.
Design Week Days 3 & 4
3D in GD with John Dyer was a great introduction to the ways in which designers can use 3D elements across a variety of disciplines within graphic design. We looked at examples of packaging models, UI 3D elements, projection mapping, and the possibilities of 3D illustrations in infographics. We also had a brief introduction to Cinema 4D.
This morning we had a call with Rachel DiNunzio, illustrator, author, and RIT alum. She shared a glimpse into her character design process and showed us tools that she uses to create consistency in her children’s books. I'm going to work on some adaptations of her 360-degree anatomy, expression, and world sheets that apply to my own work.
On Wednesday, Keli DiRisio held a workshop called VisYOUlize where we got to toy around with making goofy infographics to express parts of our personalities. I included work from a couple of my classmates that I found really neat. Lucy Miles created a pie chart out of a graphic of her face that I adore. Liza Lennarz made a really funny graphic with some fun type about the number of ribs that she has.
I also participated in an internship panel where a couple of my peers and I shared our experiences with internships this past summer. We talked about everything from the application process to our workloads.
3D in GD with John Dyer was a great introduction to the ways in which designers can use 3D elements across a variety of disciplines within graphic design. We looked at examples of packaging models, UI 3D elements, projection mapping, and the possibilities of 3D illustrations in infographics. We also had a brief introduction to Cinema 4D.
This morning we had a call with Rachel DiNunzio, illustrator, author, and RIT alum. She shared a glimpse into her character design process and showed us tools that she uses to create consistency in her children’s books. I'm going to work on some adaptations of her 360-degree anatomy, expression, and world sheets that apply to my own work.
On Wednesday, Keli DiRisio held a workshop called VisYOUlize where we got to toy around with making goofy infographics to express parts of our personalities. I included work from a couple of my classmates that I found really neat. Lucy Miles created a pie chart out of a graphic of her face that I adore. Liza Lennarz made a really funny graphic with some fun type about the number of ribs that she has.
I also participated in an internship panel where a couple of my peers and I shared our experiences with internships this past summer. We talked about everything from the application process to our workloads.
Design Week Day 5
One of my favorite lectures this week was from Roger Remington on William Burtin’s life and work. Roger has written a couple of books on Burtin, and it was fantastic to hear his insight on the structure of Burtin’s work. His scientific application and method of breaking down complex information were inspiring to see, especially while taking my first infographic class.
Thank you, RIT Graphic Design, for putting on this incredible event this week. I really enjoyed how many different disciplines of design we were exposed to this week.
One of my favorite lectures this week was from Roger Remington on William Burtin’s life and work. Roger has written a couple of books on Burtin, and it was fantastic to hear his insight on the structure of Burtin’s work. His scientific application and method of breaking down complex information were inspiring to see, especially while taking my first infographic class.
Thank you, RIT Graphic Design, for putting on this incredible event this week. I really enjoyed how many different disciplines of design we were exposed to this week.