The first semester has been a sort of insight to what this course, and also the industry is all about. At the beginning of the course I was feeling very confident.
I wasn’t too worried about the first assignment to begin with, the 1k – 2k word essays did bother me at first but I began to understand that it would be difficult to keep under the set word count.
Using the desktop publishing software was difficult, I started by using Adobe PageMaker, it was a lot different to the other software I had used, i.e. Publisher, but one of the main reasons I joined this course was to developed new skills in different software applications.
I also had trouble using Photoshop for developing the first prototype design for the “Chaplin” Site. Before the assignment was sent off I felt that I had done well at the beginning of it and I aimed for a merit, but I knew that the best I could do really was a pass.
Unfortunately I passed only one unit which was the Interactive Media Technologies unit and had failed the Historical Context unit because my references were not set out right. I felt ashamed of myself, but I was later told that I could make up for it in A3 and A4 which made me feel a lot better.
A3 was in my opinion the most difficult assignment of this semester. This was mainly because of the content that I had to find and also because the pictures and the rights to use them. This was basically the same as A2 and consisted of making a web plan, but the twist was that I had to write the content myself. Overall it was a very lengthy process.
In this unit I was also able to develop my site template skills. But instead of using PageMaker, I changed to InDesign which I found a lot easier to use. I feel very happy about screen designs that I have created and I am looking forward to creating the actual website next year.
A4 was totally different to both A3 and A2, it consisted of mainly using Photoshop to restore photos and create web banners, and this unit was my most enjoyable unit because it let me be more creative in my work.
The most difficult part of this particular assignment was the photo restoration task. I was extremely time consuming and fiddly, colouring was the worst part; especially find the right skin tones for each of the men in the photo. It took me 2 attempts to complete this task.
Overall I finding this course enjoyable and challenging, but then again I’ve always loved challenges, I can still say that I am sticking well to my formal statement, I am going to stay on this course and give it my all, the first assignment was helping me settle in it the course, I put a lot of effort into A3 and A4 and will continue to do this throughout the rest of my time here.
Main Goals
Short term – For semester two I am going to aim my work mainly at a merit grade, this is because I have a good feeling about how I have for semester one. I also intend to “Play-About” with the software more. Coming to terms with how everything works in every application that I will no doubt use I the future.
Mid-term – At the end of the course I want to at the very least obtain a pass, I doubt I will get higher than a merit. But will push myself to the limit. I will also want to go and do the top up year to get the full degree for this course. By doing this I will hopefully gain more knowlege about design and have a degree of show for my hard work.
Long-term – After completing the third year and getting my Degree in Interactive Media I am hoping to get employment in the design industry. Whether this be web design, or print design is at this time uncertain to me.
