Course Reflection

Throughout the course of this semester, I was able to learn about the basic principles of graphic design and how we are trained to become professionals not only in design. The Graphic Design Principles I course provides materials and lessons that accelerate student’s visual perception and basic design knowledge in the graphic design and visual communication design field.

During the first few weeks of the semester, my visual senses could not recognize or behave the level it is developed now. My first attempts of creating the perfect composition of black and white were mediocre, but when the professor demonstrated the difference of seeing it up close and from afar, you could start to see a difference in the visuals. Sure you could see the finer details up close, but looking it further away helped me recognize how a minor error could break the pictorial balance of the white and black. Half of the semester, we were doing black and white pictorial balance projects and with each projects, I was able to gain a sense of how everything must be PERFECT to make the elements flow visually. After completing the black and white projects, we stepped up to achromatic tones. At this point I have already gained what I learned from doing the black and white projects. When we started to do colors, I felt like I had to “reset” myself to adjust my visuals to focus on color instead of black and white. Our first color project was on gray tones. This was to adjust ourselves to value contrast before we can expand towards different tones. Using the gouache surely could take some time to master because it could dry pretty quickly when it is exposed to air. It is different from watercolor because gouache allows us to create a flat opaque color that could help see the flat tone just like as we saw with the black and white designs. At this point of the semester, I still have trouble using the gouache and it will take a while, but with every project that comes in, I am able apply what I currently learned so far from this course and this course will become helpful in the future as well. I could apply this to professional designs.