Ethic Entry #1

For my intern experience as a freelancer, my client is a small business owner. She just starting her fashion business not very long. Most of the product she is selling on the Internet is made by herself.

The project is a Wix website. All the materials I was using are some free images and fonts from Wix.com, because of my client’s budget limit. For the shop images, they are photos shooting by herself with a model.

Before I am going to sign the non-disclosure agreement, I will read the whole agreement carefully, to make sure the proprietary and confidential information well defined in the agreement. Understand the time period of this agreement and the consequences of breaching it. Following the rules in the agreement after signing it.

Ethics Entry #2 Past Experience of Source Crediting and Fairey’s Case

At the beginning of my academic year, instructors didn’t mention the source credits. For images or photo need to use in our assignment, I just grab them from Google. Try to use fonts already exist in school computers or download fonts from the web.

As the projects are getting more and more like the real-world project in the later years. Instructors begin to mention about to credit the source of images or other materials we are using. I start reading the description every time I am going to download a photo or font. Most of them will give you instructions of citation form on how to credit their works. I just follow their form and make the text a small font under the image I am using in my project or adding a page to put all the citation in final pdf files.

To be honest, I was been shocked after reading the story about Mr.Fairey’s case.  I never thought about just edited a photograph could getting this big trouble and could go to prison for it. This tells us how important to follow the game rule no matter what area you are in. As a designer, we are not a machine that put images and types together to create an ad or poster. We also have to respect other designers and their works. In the other hand, be aware to stay out of troubles, know how to protect yourself.

 

#7 Mockups and Branding

About the logo, my client is more prefer using typographic logo rather than having an icon or image with type. My first version of the logo design was been reject. Needs to change my plan with pure type branding.

This brand is called “CiCi Li”, and my client also wants to add a “couture” in it. I was found this nice script font on Wix.com when I was trying their website making process. I decided to use this font for the logo.Belinda – by Mike Melvas

Start trying different compositions of the font families.

Color choices:

  • White as the background color.
  • Dark shade black will use in the header, footer, and text.
  • The Bright coral tone color will use for the “call of actions”.

First finished the home page mockups:

#6 Site mapping, Layout

From the last meeting with my client, I showed her my researches and discussed the solution with her. For this week meeting, I will provide my layout wireframes and site map to my client. I prepared two different kinds of layout and let the client choose. The sketches down here is the wireframes my client picked.

Site map
HOME Page Wireframe
Category Page
Product Page
Contact Page

After that, I explained some of the key features I include in my sketches, like how it works, what it will look like. I will provide the mockups and branding for next meeting.

Intern #5

March 11th,

After evaluating the existing website from my client and researches from others, I collected some issues need to fix.

Home page of the existing website

Issues:

  • The whole page layout is boring, needs a more exciting layout.
  • The overall color theme is too dark, color contrast isn’t very strong.
  • The branding needs to work on it.
  • Navigation and the website’s workflow needs to fix.

Research from other custom made dresses website:

  • Use a clean bright background
  • Clear color contrast
  • Uses not only san-serif fonts but also serif fonts to fit the classic and fashion topic.
  • A clear “call of action”
  • A well-formatted grid system.

Example #1 Lunss Custom Made Dresses OnlineExample #1 Lunss Custom Made Dresses Online

Example #2 Anomalie Custom Online Wedding Dress

 

Solutions:

  • Planning a site map and user flow
  • Changing the layout
  • Change the color theme
  • Fix the typography

#4 Officially starting my intern

The first week working as a freelancer.

First decided to make a plan for my self. This job I will build a Wix website for my client and this project isn’t in a rush. Actually, I have never used Wix before. Just saw a lot of ads about it when I am watching Youtube. It feels pretty easy than coding I think.

My client also provided me her logo and some images, but she also asked me to enhance the branding.

This week will focus on research and wireframing.

Internship Journal #3

A friend of mine referred me a small business owner who is starting up a custom tailor business. The business owner needs a graphic design intern to join them do some work.

The interview was set at a Starbucks in Flushing, Queens. We talked about my background and abilities. My job for this intern is helping this client to re-brand her company, set up a website includes products gallery and online shopping and promoting the brand.

Because she is also starting up her business recently, I think this would be a great opportunity to use my skills which learn from school to do this job. During our talk, I planned up the working plan for her.

First, starting with the logo and other branding materials. Then, building up the website includes images editing on wix.com (because she told me she already has purchased a Wix server). Finally, promoting this website using Google SEO, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.

At the end of the conversation, we talked about the timeline of this project. Because this client doesn’t have a working space offer to me, I choose to work remotely and meet up with her once a week.

Internship journal #2

Keep finding the internship job. After got some advise from the instructor on the second meeting, I started to re-building my resume and cover letter, and adding more information to my indeed profile.

I also starting to try on the Linkedin.com, but there is not much Spring term intern position from there. I just applied a few.

Time is running out, I started to change my goal and add graphic designer and UI UX design to my search list.

Internship Journal #1

My first meeting of the Internship course was held on Jan 25th, 2019. I haven’t found the intern job before this meeting.

I started looking for an Intern 2 weeks before the Spring semester begins. The original thought in my mind is to find a specific intern about web design or front-end development which I can get more practice in my web coding skills.

I first start with Indeed.com search for any job title named web designer or developer. After setting up my profile, skill set, and contact, I starting to applying for those jobs on the list. It seems not working very well, because since I send applications every few days it’s hard to get a response.