Final Post | Loguidice

Hmm, what can I say about GRA 217? In all honesty, I expected this class to be a mirror image of my highschool graphics class: slightly frustrating, time consuming(which both kind of were. Not that I minded much), and always leaving me behind. I never have considered myself a designer--that is, I never considered myself a designer before taking this course.

This course was amazing in more ways than one. Professor Taylor was an excellent teacher who was funny, interested in design, and interested in her students. I think it's something rare when you find a person who really loves their job--or maybe it's rare in highschool, and college is something totally different. When a professor really loves his or her job, you can tell, and it makes learning that much more engaging and fun.

I really hope that Paul considers going into teaching at some point in his career; he was honestly one of my favorite TAs that I've had so far in my college career (I realize I'm a freshman, but I think this would definitely be as true this year as senior year). He's easy to talk to and definitely knows design and I have a feeling that if he has any future students, they would agree with me. :) (By the way, I agree with Ieva's feelings-let us know if you need any future student feedback!)

I learned so much from this course. Not only do I now love the computer software which used to irk me so (InDesign is my new love), but I'm also confident that I can contribute to the design process. I feel like this course has shown me that anyone can create a good design, the secret lies in the time and conceptualization one puts into it.

I personally liked learing about Gestalt (I think, around that time, I was also learning about Gestalt in Psychology. How ironic.) I didn't know that design played such an important role in the process of communicating information (no matter what the format).I now appreciate the effort that designers put into their work and I know how to recognize good design for what it is.

On a final note, I have two more things to say. First, this class has now blessed me with a hatred for the typeface 'Papyrus' (I cringe when I see it). And Second, I now have developed a peculiar tendency to laugh at graphic/typeface jokes. It's funny, because I can look at something such as the San Serriffe April Fool's joke published by The Guardian (If you want to know what that is. Here, this is for you. ) or that video on collegehumor.com and anyone I show has absolutely no idea why I think it's so funny. I try to explain, but it just get's lost in translation. So, thanks GRA 217 for a newly warped sense of humor :) At least I'll be amused :)