Blog 24: Last Presentation Reflection

(1) Positive Statement

What are you most proud of in your block presentation and/or your senior project? Why?
What I am most proud of in my presentation is that, I believe, my hook activity and my activity went really well together with my overall persentation. Also, my main activity had people actually participating and wanting to volunteer. 

(2) Questions to Consider
a.     What assessment would you give yourself on your block presentation?  Use the component contract to defend that assessment.
AE       P          AP       CR       NC

b.     What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project? Use the component contract to defend that assessment.
AE       P          AP       CR       NC

(3) What worked for you in your senior project?
I had enough research to look at to where I was happy with and I had enough to be able to come up and back up the answers I presented. .

(4) (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your senior project?
I would have practice going over some parts in my presentation, because in some parts I was either studdering or I blanked for a second. 

(5) Finding Value
How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors?   Be specific and use examples.
At the beginning of my senior year, I was a little hesitant to make my senior topic graphic design, but as the year moved forward and I started to do my mentorship. I ended liking the whole process, even though some of my mentorship was, at times, difficult. *Cough cough Embroidering. By doing my mentorship I knew that this is something I really want to pursue and study more when I am in college. 

Exit Interview

(1) What is your essential question, and what are your answers?  What is your best answer and why?

My EQ is, " What elements are most important for a graphic designer to be at the forefront of his industry?". What I believe my best answer is to my EQ is that in order for a graphic designer to be at the forefront of his industry he needs a set of entrepreneur skills. The reason for this is because the skills an entrepreneur has involve being patient, motivated, having the drive to learn, and most importantly they need to be able to adapt. Without these skills you won't be a good graphic designer, and if you're not at least a good graphic designer, what makes you think that you will be one that is at the forefront of your industry. 

(2) What process did you take to arrive at this answer?
When it came time to deciding what my best answer to my EQ would be, I first started thinking about my mentor ship, my Independent Component 1 and 2, and the interviews I had. And after thinking of all those I decided that my first answer is actually my best answer.

(3) What problems did you face?  How did you resolve them?
A problem I had was picking my best answer, I was deciding between my first answer and my second answer. It took me a few months to make a decision because I believed that both of them are equally important, but as soon as I started to think long term, in the future, I knew that my first answer was my best. 

(4) What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question and why?

The two sources most significant sources that I used to answer my EQ was an article called" How to Stay Ahead of the Curve as a Designer - Six Revisions.", and another article called "Visual Accessibility in Graphic Design: A Client–designer Communication Failure.".The reason why the first article was significant to me is because after reading this article it gave me information I can do research on for my EQ. And as for the second article, it help me form my third answer for my EQ.

Blog 22: Independent Component 2

LITERAL
(a) “I, Isaias Crisanto, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 43 hours of work.”
(b) Cite your source regarding who or what article or book helped you complete the independent component.
Their was a few sources from my working bibliography that helped me with my independent component two. These sources include source # 18, #27, #45, and #54.
 (c) Independent Component 2 Log 
(d) Explain what you completed.  
  What I have completed for my independent component two it that I helped one of  friends, Clark, with his food blog by creating a logo/design for him that he can put on his blog. Not only that but I also helped design the board game that we were assigned for Rivas.
 (e) Defend your work and explain the component's significance and how it demonstrates 30 hours of work.   Provide evidence (photos, transcript, art work, videos, etc) of the 30 hours of work.   
It showed me the significance of talking to someone throughout a project by not only getting their input on it but also me suggesting what possibilities I can do to help them. 

This is the logo I did for Clark's food blog.

These are some rough sketches for the characters in my group's board game. 

These are bottle caps that I spray painted for our board game . 

These are some more sketches of the characters.

(f)How did the component help you answer your EQ? Please include specific examples to illustrate how it helped. 
This component helped me answer my EQ because it showed me the importance of having clear communication with a client(s) throughout a project to make sure that everyone is happy with the end product. 

Fourth Interview Questions

1.  Who do you plan to interview?  What is this person's area of expertise?
Who I plan to interview for my fourth interview is Brianne's uncle, he is a graphic designer, plus, he also has some marketing skills. If that doesn't work out I plan to call a company called Nemo and Rami Inc., they have designers, architects, and marketers that work there. 

2.  Post 20 open-ended questions you want to ask an expert in the field concerning your senior project. Your focus should be finding answers to your EQ.
How do you grasp the attention of the public with your work?
What elements are most important for a graphic designer to be at the forefront of his industry?
Is their any other types of design I can study, such as architectural design, that would help me be ahead in this industry?
Do you have any tips for someone that wants to set up their own business as a graphic designer?
In your opinion, how can a graphic designer excel while working for a company? 
Do you have any tips when speaking to a client?
How do you deal with bad clients?
What is one thing you do to always make your clients happy?
How do you adapt to new graphic design trends?
What is one important asset, that you have used, that has helped you become the graphic designer that you are today? 
Do you believe having marketing skills can benefit the graphic designer? If so how?

Blog 19: Third Answer

• EQ 
• My EQ is, " What elements are most important for a graphic designer to be at the forefront of his industry?"

• Answer #3 (Write in a complete sentence like a thesis statement)
• The third best way to answer my EQ is by having great marketing skills. 

• 3 details to support the answer
• Having your designs visually accessible to the public.
• Being able to sell yourself to companies/businesses.
• You simply can't be a graphic designer without knowing some marketing skills. 

• The research source(s) to support your details and answer
• The sources that support my answer are resources # 22, 29, and 33 from my working bibliography. 

• Concluding Sentence
• Having great marketing skills can be the differences from being a successful and well-known graphic designer, and being a mediocre graphic designer that no one has heard of.  

Answer 2

        

1.  What is your EQ?
My EQ is, " What elements are most important for a graphic designer to be at the forefront of his industry?"
2.  What is your first answer? (In complete thesis statement format)
The best way to answer my EQ, " What elements are most important for a graphic designer to be at the forefront of his industry?", is having entrepreneur skills.
3.  What is your second answer? (In complete thesis statement format)
The second bet way to answer my EQ,  " What elements are most important for a graphic designer to be at the forefront of his industry?", is to have clear communication with your client with the project at hand.
4.  List three reasons your answer is true with a real-world application for each.
Three reasons why this answer is true is because having clear communication with a client means that the client will be satisfied with the end product. It also means that client will want your services again for future projects because you have built a great relationship with them. And finally it opens the doors to other potential clients, which means more business for you in the future. 
5.  What printed source best supports your answer?
The best printed source that supports my answer is a book called Show Me, Don't Tell Me written by David Holston, this book helps the designer develop and execute a conversation with their client.  
6.  What other source supports your answer?
Some other source that support my answer are sources #12, #36, #39, #42, #43, and #44 from my working bibliography. 
7.  Tie this together with a concluding thought.
Having clear communication between the designer and client is the most important element for a graphic designer to be at the forefront of his industry because every project starts with communicating to a potential client, and so, having clear communication means that both parties end up happy with the end result.  

Blog 16: Independent Component 2 Approval

                                           

1.  Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours.
What I plan to do for my independent component 2 is to create a graphic design portfolio to show to people what type of designer I am. I'm going to do this by creating and showcasing my designs in a professional and neat manner for the public to see.
2.  Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.
To meet the expectations of showing 30 hours of evidence, I would take pictures of my Portfolio to showcase the work I have done. 
3.  Explain how this component will help you explore your topic in more depth.
By doing this component it will help me understand what a graphic designer needs to do to, not only, get his name out to the public but to also getting hired for a potential graphic designer job. And so, by creating this portfolio for the public to see, or anyone, I would want to put my best work in it so it can truly show what my abilities are. 
4.  Post a log in your Senior Project Hours link and label it "Independent Component 2" log.
Independent Component 2 log

Independent Component 1

                                  

• LITERAL

• (a) Write: “I, Isaias Crisanto, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 37 hours of work.”

• (b) Cite your source regarding who or what article or book helped you complete the independent component.
• "DMC Creative World." How to Embroider A Complete Overview of Embroidery. DMC, 2014. Web. 30 Oct. 2015.

• (c) Update your hours in your Senior Project Hours link. Make sure it is clearly labeled with hours for individual sessions as well as total hours.
• Independent Component hours

• (d) Explain what you completed.  
•   What I have completed for my independent component, is that I helped my mentor with his work by embroidering three designs on a piece of fabric. Not only that but towards the end I helped my mentor by completing an assignment he had received from a client. 

• INTERPRETIVE 

• Defend your work and explain its significance to your project and how it demonstrates 30 hours of work.   Provide evidence (photos, transcript, art work, videos, etc) of the 30 hours of work.  



Embroider #2






Embroider #1



Embroider #3






Client's sign

• APPLIED

• How did the component help you understand the foundation of your topic better?  Please include specific examples to illustrate this. 
• This component helped me understand my topic because I actually got to do the work of what a graphic designer actually does. Plus I learned that when choosing what you want to do as a profession, you have to be certain that it's something that you really like.want to do because if your doing it for the money you will get tired of it and eventually you will get bored of what you do.

Lesson 2 Reflection

1.What are you most proud of in your Lesson 2 Presentation and why?
What I am most proud of is that this was the first presentation where I actually felt confident about, because I had all my visual aids prepared, and I had an activity that really involved the audience's participation.

2. What assessment would you give yourself on your Lesson 2 Presentation (self-assessment)?
       P, I believe I deserve a "P" because I had everything well prepared, and I mentioned my mentorship, so I basically had everything that I need to have to get a "P", the only problem is that the way I executed my presentation wasn't the best. I stuttered a lot and my nerves got the better of me, so my presentation didn't flow a well as I wanted it to. 
    
3. What worked for you in your Lesson 2?
What I think worked in my lesson two is my activity that I did, I had everyone participate and I had some people share out what they created. 

4. What didn't work? If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your Lesson 2?
What didn't work in my presentation for me, was the timing, I was so close to go over time. So, if I had a time machine I would have rehearsed more so I can get the timing a little bit better. 

5. What do you think your answer #2 is going to be?
What I want my answer two to be is, I want my answer to deal with something, along the lines of communication between a client and a graphic designer and how to make it better.

Third Interview Preparation

1.  Who do you plan to interview?  What is this person's area of expertise?
I am currently searching for someone to interview..
2.  Verify that you have called your interviewee to schedule an interview.  What is the date and time of the interview? 
To be announced... 
3.  Phrase open-ended questions that will help you find research resources that would help to answer the EQ.
What has helped you the most when you were first learning about graphic design?
What are some books that you have read, if any, that have helped you learn more about graphic design?
Is their anybody that you know of that I should do research on when talking about graphic design?
How do you keep up with trends in this industry?
4.  Phrase open-ended questions that will help you think about other useful activities you might do to help you answer the EQ (IC2, possible experts to talk to, etc).
How do you grasp the attention of the public with your work?
Is their anything I can do, such as visiting a company or talking to another expert, that would help me better understand how a graphic designer can be ahead of their industry? and if so do you recommend anybody I can talk to? 
5.  Phrase two open-ended questions that help you to understand your interviewee's perspective on an aspect of your EQ. 
What elements are most important for a graphic designer to be at the forefront of his industry?
Is their any other types of design I can study, such as architectural design, that would help me be ahead in this industry?
Do you have any tips for someone that wants to set up their own business as a graphic designer?
In your opinion, how can a graphic designer excel while working for a company? 

Blog 13: 10 Hour Mentorship Check-In

1.   Where are you doing your mentorship?
I am doing my mentorship both at my mentor's work and at home, I'm doing some of my mentorship at home, because my mentor has some of his equipment at home so I can learn at both places.
2.   Who is your contact?  What makes this person an expert?
My mentor is my dad he is a graphic designer for a company called victory foam, and what makes him an expert is that he has experience working in this field for over 15 years and not only does he know about graphic design but also, a little bit about architectural design.
3.   How many hours have you done during the school year? (Summer Mentorship Hours and Mentorship Hours should be reflected separately in your Senior Project Hours log located on the right hand side of your blog).
During the school year, as of right now, I have a total of 29 hours.
4.   Succinctly summarize what you did, how well you and your mentor worked together, and how you plan to complete the remaining hours.
For my mentorship, my mentor has thought me how to use some of his equipment and has let me help him with his work that he does for his job. So far my mentor and I have been working together pretty well, he shows me how his equipment works and is always helpful when I have questions for him. I plan to complete my hours, by keeping on helping him with his work so I can get hands on experience in graphic design and to see how their workload is too.  

Blog 12: Holiday Project Update

1.  It is important to consistently work on your senior project, whether it is break or we are in school.  What did you do over the break with your senior project?
I learned how to swap some parts out of each machine and re-stocking them with some of materials that it needs in order to operate properly.
2.  What was the most important thing you learned from what you did, and why?  What was the source of what you learned?
I think the most important thing I learned is how to handle each machine properly. What I mean about that, I learned how to change the parts for each machine and I learned how to operate the machines in a safe manner.
3.  Your third interview will be a 10 question interview related to possible answers for your EQ. Who do you plan to talk to and why?
I would like to talk to a different graphic designer to get another opinion about what possible answers I can have for my EQ, and I don't know yet who I plan to talk to, I am still looking for someone.

Blog 11: Lesson 1 Reflection

Presentation Time!!! :/

1. What are you most proud of in your lesson, and why?
I am most proud of my materials that I brought to show the class and I am also proud of the research I did. The reason I am proud of those two things is because they related to my presentation and they weren't just there, just to show off or just mention it once and moving on.
2. What assessment would you give yourself on your lesson? Explain why you earned that grade using evidence from the component contract.
I would give myself an AP because yes I did have all my information and I did have props ,but towards the end of my presentation I just froze and then just ended my presentation abruptly. Not only that but for me my hook activity lasted a bit too long.
3. If you could go back, what would you change about your lesson?  How can you use that knowledge to give a better Lesson 2?
Rehearse a lot more and also organize my presentation a little bit better. Also think of a shorter hook activity and have my hook activity be more interactive with the audience. Finally, just mentally prepare myself by not being so nervous when I do go up and present. 

Blog 10 - Interview 2 Reflection

Interview

1. Please explain how you are spending your mentorship time (Is it at a workplace or somewhere else?  Are you shadowing?  Are you able to do tasks that are meaningfully related to the topic?  If so, what?  Are there other people who are experts in the location?  Etc...)

The way I'm spending my mentorship time is actually at my house and sometimes in his workplace, but for most of my mentorship, it took place at my house. The reason for that is because since my mentor has been working at his company for a long time now, his boss gave him the privilege to not only work at his office but also where he lives. So, my mentor has all the machines he needs to do his work right where he lives. For my actual mentorship and I my mentor makes me do a hands on type of mentorship meaning he shows me how he does his job and then later on I attempt to do what he did while he is supervising me. I am able to do the task that are meaningful to my topic because my mentor teaches me skills of what a graphic designer does, like creating a design and putting it on a shirt either by a sticker or paint or by using a machine that sews in the design, and he also explains some of the experience he had while working too. As far as I know, I do know of some experts but they don't live in the same area as I do, some live in Pasadena and another one lives on the far side of Fontana. 
2.  How did you find your mentor?  How did you convince this person to help you? 
It was a coincidence on how I found my mentor because even before senior project began, I knew what I wanted to do when I grew up. When I was growing up I liked to draw a lot and I knew when I grew up that I wanted to draw and design my on stuff. It was funny too because at that time I was about 7 or 9, I had the opportunity to go to work with my dad because of the whole "bring your son to work day". At first, I was a little bit skeptical on going because I thought my dad just worked at a normal office job but I ended up going and it was a pretty cool experience I had. So when I got a little older I watched what my dad did and I remember that I always would ask him if I could help him because what he did was so cool to me, but it bothered me because I knew what he did but I just didn't know what his official title was. So fast forward to now, when we got to do the senior project I knew that what I wanted to do was what my dad did, because of how I was so fascinated with the work he did, and so when it came time to pick a topic, I asked him what his official tittle at work was and he told me that he was a graphic designer. And I just asked him if he can be my mentor for the senior project and he said yes, and at first I thought he would say no because he is the kind of person that doesn't like giving people hand outs, he rather see you work for it. 
3. How would you rate your comfort level with your mentor at this point in your relationship?  How does this relate to the time you've spent so far at mentorship/with this person?

I would rate my comfort level with my mentor at about an 8 at this point because, for one, my mentor is my dad so it can be awkward for both of us when he is trying to teach me something. Also since he is my dad I feel that he expects so much for me because I am his son and he doesn't want me to fail and just wants me to do the best that I could. It has gotten better since the mentorship over the summer because my dad isn't the type of person that talks a lot plus not only that but when he asked you to do something he already thinks you know what to do. So, as time went on with the mentorship he stop thinking that way and he also was open to questions I had about what he did.

4. What went well in this interview?  Why do you think so?  What do you still need to improve?  How do you know?  How will you go about it?

I don't think my interview went too well because my mentor didn't seem so into the interview. Also he answered in short answers which made the interview way too short. I need to improve on asking more in depth questions that don't have a yes or no answer. I also need to have a conversation, and not just asking questions. The reason I say that is because I also just asked questions without having a actual conversation and I just went from one question to another which made the interview go so fast.

Transcript

Audio

Blog 9 - Advisory Prep 3

1. State whether or not you currently have a mentor, and what the status of your interview is with that person (I have completed the interview, I have scheduled the interview, I have not scheduled the interview, etc).
I currently have a mentor for my topic and I have also scheduled my interview already with my mentor.
2. At this point, your research is probably guiding your studies toward more specific areas within your topic.  Name the area or two you find most promising and explain your reasons.   
Two areas that are seeming more promising in my topic is, for one, searching about what a graphic designer can avoid being stagnant and keeping up with what's new. My second area is about the psychology part of graphic design like the type of designer I am and how a design affects a person's subconscious.  For me does two areas are the most promising because, for the first area, their is so much articles and books about what's new in Graphic Design because of how much graphic design is always changing. For the second article their is also a lot about what affect a design has on a person whether if its the color or the shape or how it's presented. 3. What kinds of sources do you think will help you in the next month to gain more research depth?  Where will you go to get them?
The kinds of sources that I think would help me for next month to gain more research depth are books about graphic design and also articles.4. Write down a possible EQ.  Please don't worry about wording other than ensuring that it provides the option for multiple correct answers.  At this point, the senior team is most interested in understanding your thought process.
What is the most important thing a Graphic Designer can do to be above everyone else?

Blog 8: Independent Component 1 Proposal

1.  Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours.

What I plan to do for my 30 hours is first learn how to use every machine a graphic designer needs to know, and the way I can do that is because since my dad works for a company as a graphic designer he has the privilege to have the machines at home to do his job if he doesn't finish them at work. Once I have done that, I plan on helping my mentor doing some of the big orders that different companies have requested him to do. And once my mentor and I finish his work I want to make a graphic using one of the machines.
2.  Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.

What I am planning to do to meet the expectation for showing the 30 hours of evidence is to take pictures of how my progress is going along.
3.  Explain how what you will be doing will help you explore your topic in more depth.

By doing this as my independent component I will be getting hands-on experience so I can get to know what it takes to be a graphic designer.
4.  Update your Senior Project Hours log.

To be posted..

Blog 7 - Second Interview Preparation

This is the company where my mentor works at

1.  Who is your mentor and where do they work?  If their workplace does not reflect their expertise, what makes them an expert?
1. My mentor is my dad, Jose Crisanto, he currently works at a company called Victory Foam. He has worked for this company for over 15 years and is currently helping expand his company. What he does is that he meets clients and talks to them about what kind of logo or design they want on either a piece of clothing or on a object.
2.   What five questions will you ask them about their background?
1. How did you find the company you are working for?
2. What was one of the most challenging things you have faced while working at your job?
3. Did you know anyone when going into this field?
4. How old were you when you started working for this company?
5. Did you have any other job before working for your company?

Blog 6 - Advisory Prep

1. What has worked well for you concerning senior project this year?  What has made it a positive experience for you?  

What has worked well for me is that I have a mentor for my topic and finding sources for my topic is easy because their is so much information when it comes to Graphic Design. And what made this a positive experience for me is that I picked a topic that I am really passionate about, and I want to pursue later on in life. 

2. What are you finding difficult concerning senior project?  How can you adapt to make that portion work better for you?  How might the senior team help?

What I'm finding difficult as the senior project goes on is that I don't have an idea on what I can do for the independent component. A way I can adapt to make this better for me is to get more mentorship hours for the project. A way that the senior team can help is to let me know if I can incorporate my independent component with someone else and then go from their.

Blog 5 - Interview 1 Reflection

My mentor and me

Interview #1 Audio

Transcript

1. What is the most important thing I learned from the interview?  Is there anything I would do differently for other interviews?

The most important thing I learned during my interview was which programs I can use when I'm barely starting out as a Graphic Designer. And what I would do different is to ask if he can tell me what different types of equipment a Graphic Designer uses and ask him more about the education to become a Graphic Designer. 

2. Did I get additional resources and contacts?  What is the most useful?  Why?

During my interview I did get some resources and that is the different programs my interviewee uses. For example, he uses a program called CorelDraw and he also uses Photoshop. And not only that but after the interview was over my interviewee told me some different places where they teach Graphic Design. But for me the most useful piece of information my interviewee gave me was to use the two programs, Photoshop and CorelDraw, because he said it would be good for me to practice using the.

3. What makes my interviewee qualified to help me? 
What made my interviewee qualified to help my is because my interviewee know everything when it comes to graphic design and has had experience in this field for over 15 years. And not only that but he is also starting to get into different types of design like architectural design and a little bit on wb design.

Blog 4 - House Advisory Prep 1

This is something I hope to create later on in the year.

What I hope to accomplish with my senior project is to create an original design. The reason why I say this is because when I draw, I always base off my drawings on other people's work or I base them off of something I saw. So that's why during my senior project I hope to create something that I can call my own, and just overall be proud of my work.