Throughout the Communication Technology project, I have learnt how to use a variety of different software and mixing the software together, as well as recording my process and learning journey. Most of the things I have learnt were from step by step tutorials from websites and YouTube videos, I gain a much more better understanding from videos because you can easily follow actions in a tutorial and learn at your own pace too. You can also play it back again and again if you find it hard to understand; teachers won’t repeat themselves three or four times in a lesson but a video can. The internet is one big archive of information where you can learn literally anything and everything. Every time I had a problem, all I needed to do was search the internet for the solution. I’m sure there are other people around the world asking the same questions.
I spoke to many designers on the internet, asking for advice and their experience in the design industry, two of them are professionals, who didn’t go to university or college and learned purely from the internet. It makes me realise that anything is possible to anyone if they put their heart to it and the will to learn. I asked about what software they used and one the designers said that they can’t give their secret away because it gives them their edge and if they lose that, they’ll be nothing. I respect that, every good designer needs to be distinctive. Some designers told me what software they used in the end and this is what made me start the project and my life learning path.
I’m glad that I have started learning new software because it will be prepare me for future projects and tasks for clients and in education and will also keep up to date with the competitive creative industry.
I think the project has tied in with my work for clients very well because I am constantly looking for different techniques and ideas for my work and I can record these techniques in my blog not only for academic purposes but for personal and client related projects too.
Right at the start of the project, all I wanted to do was graphic design because I’m a graphic designer; I love what I do but there wasn’t really much I could do to develop. I found 3D Max and Cinema 4D easy to use and unchallenging after learning it for about one week. In order for me to get good marks, I needed something where I can go wrong... something that is different, so I began to learn web design. I knew absolutely nothing about it but the thought of being challenged to learn a completely new skill makes me feel good about myself because I’m actually moving out of my comfort zone with the will to learn and being capable of doing something different, like I said ‘anything is possible’. I wanted my work to not only to be visual but also interactive too.
When I began to use Dreamweaver, my main concern was the placement and function of layout. There were so many restrictions to placing objects and content in the software but after a while I solved the problem from researching on the internet. When I made my portfolio website, I placed all my information on a page where you can only access it by clicking on my logo on the home page, so the information is hidden away from the user so I should have created an ‘about me’ page.
The process of getting things wrong is important because the project was about finding the problem and independently solving the issue; I have managed to sail through learning the 3D software and Dreamweaver with minor problems until when I wanted to learn flash web development. I thought it would have been easy to use, I actually thought that it was going to be similar to Dreamweaver but after many tutorials and precise step by step instructions, it was completely different to what I know. The smallest mistake in the html leads to the whole flash website failing, which became very frustrating. I had no problem with designing the visuals and I have previous experience with flash animation, but my only weakness was the html and the ability to function the designs e.g. linking buttons to different animated scenes and pages. In future, before even attempting to design a flash website, I will learn the basics of html and the action script functions. Without the knowledge of html, I found it impossible to find where the problem came from and even used tutorials to try and resolve the problems, but no use. The only thing I can think of is scrapping the website and starting all over again.
When I first started blogging, it felt like a laboured thing to do because it disrupted my work flow but after a while it became a routine like some personal diary. I realised how important it was to record what I’ve learned and the things that have gone wrong because I can look back at my mistakes and learn from them. Throughout the project, I started to video record my learning journey and uploading it onto YouTube so that the videos can be embed into my blog. As I blogged throughout the project, I began to write as if it’s a guide; telling people what software and techniques I would recommend designers to use. I would love people to read my blog because I feel like I am helping others.
I only asked the professional designers what software they used and not how they used it. I learnt how to use 3D Max, Cinema 4D and other pieces of software purely through tutorials on the internet and I haven’t had any face to face discussions with people who have the experience with 3D software, so the learning experience might have been different, so in future, I may need to have discussions with a professional or a tutor in the chosen subject area and not rely on online tutorials.
I find it difficult remembering the shortcut keys and options in each piece of software because of the different interfaces and having to work with all of them and switching amongst them all the time, it makes it very confusing.
I have just realised that if I looked back at the 3D software, I only used the software for 3D texts because it was all I needed in my flyers and logos that I was designing for my clients. I could have actually learned how to use the software for 3D animation or 3D modelling or even just made 3D images. So it was my client based work that restricted me from learning more about the software, I think I need to cut down on my paid work and focus more on my coursework in future. It has been useful learning the different types of software but there wasn’t any traditional techniques and process throughout the whole project, I feel ashamed because my project was merely based around my paid work which had to be corporate. In future, I will use pencils and paint brushes instead of a mouse and computer screen.
Learning is a lifelong commitment and from the advice I have been getting from designers; I do think that anything is possible. So I will continue to try and learn flash web development even after handing in the project.
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