As designers, we all started somewhere. For most of us, that meant getting an education. This semester, I've had the opportunity to teach, not one, but TWO sections of our 1142 Graphic Design Essentials course. This is the foundation course for the Graphics Technology Program. While some students are taking this course with the intentions of completing the program, others are taking it for fun, as an elective, or just to brush up on their skills. Regardless, it is always humbling to one day look back on your early works and to see just how far you've come.
One thing I always stress to my students is the importance of trial and error... of experimenting... of learning what works and what does not. Ultimately, they have to find their own methods and their own process. When we first start learning software, I provide them with brief, in-class exercises that are designed to get them to do just that.
Enter, the monogram exercise...
This exercise was given to the 1142 students when they were fresh to Illustrator. I asked them to "design" the first or first and last letter of their names. They were not given any detailed, step by step instructions... this was purely exploration time. The end results varied, but the ultimate intention was that they begin to get familiar with the software and various tools by their own means.
Feel free to comment, critique, or make suggestions for future exercises :)
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| Anna Ware |
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| Johnny Barragan |
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| Mike Sirizzotti |
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| Cory Rodis |
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| Damien McLoughlin |
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| Kristie D'Agostino |
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| Elaine Eichner |
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| Kathleen Carroll |
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| Melissa Miller |
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| Melissa Castro |
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| Catherine Alexander |
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| John Blair |
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| Michael Barton |
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| Brent Hazelton-Glenn |
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| Rosie Suarez |
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| Alice Moulton |
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| Amanda Kost |
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| Tyler Rolling |
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| Johnny Ocasio |
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| John Mulgrav |
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| Terry Richards |
