Colten Nelson

My experience in the Metaverse world was overall mixed. On the one hand, the graphics and visuals were fun. The world was fairly easy to navigate. I was impressed by the interactivity, as I was able to do things like pick up and move objects, and chat with other people. On the other hand, there wasn’t much in the way of content or meaningful activities to do, so I found myself getting bored quickly. The world got pretty buggy at times and I did not have a very steady frame rate. This made it seem like the Metaverse is not that accessible to everyone yet, compared to something like Twitter or Facebook. Despite my initial reactions, I’m still hopeful for the future of the Metaverse world. With more content and activities, it could become a great platform for people to get together on. I think the Metaverse world also has great potential as an advertising tool. With its immersive environment and interactivity, it can be a great way to engage potential customers in a more tangible way than traditional online ads, similar to what Michael was talking about in the “Seoul” world. It could also be used as an entertainment tool, as the world has enough potential for players to explore and engage with each other. Part of me still does not quite understand it though. I feel as if video games are already filling this area. Who knows, maybe it could blossom into something magical, I guess we will just have to wait and see.

I remember one particular project I worked on where I failed to deliver quality work. I had taken on the task of designing Twitch Panels for a client, and while I had very clear instructions on what was expected, I failed to adequately follow through on them. I ended up delivering the twitch panels which did not really align with the client’s original idea. (Twitch Panels are images that are displayed below a user’s profile on the live-streaming platform Twitch, usually used for links.)

This experience taught me an invaluable lesson about the importance of asking the right questions, and that you should always check in with the client before proceeding with an idea that they might not like. Since then, I have made it a mission of mine to ensure that the work I produce is up to my own standards as well as the client’s standards. I also make sure to ask questions and clarify any ambiguities in the instructions before getting started, so that I am able to deliver the best possible result for my clients.

My Skills

Hard Skills:

• Photoshop: I have been familiar with the program for around a decade now, so I would say I am fairly acquainted with most of what goes on in the program.

• Illustrator: I would love to specialize in Branding or Packaging Design, so I have spent a good amount of time in Illustrator as well.

• After Effects: Motion design helps bring to life my otherwise still graphics, I think this is an often neglected area of design, that brings some uniqueness to some of the work that I do.

Soft Skills:

• Creative Problem Solving: As a designer, I think it is imperative to be able to come up with unique solutions that solve any design challenge that is presented. I am confident in my ability to step up to any task at hand.

• Adaptability: In this profession, it evolves at a very rapid pace and I feel as if I am really good at keeping up with what is going on and staying in the loop.

• Attention to Detail: I understand that the smaller details are crucial to get right. This in turn saves everyone time, money, and energy. I have learned from prior examples how this goes a very long way in the design field.

Two hard skills I would like to develop during the next year and a half at SCCA would be InDesign and UX/UI. These are two hard skills I had little to no knowledge of prior to joining SCCA. If I can just build a solid foundation for these two, I think I could have a solid amount of skills where I could take on more jobs and feel confident in my abilities. Probably not something I want to master, but just enough to where I can be proficient in them.

As for two soft skills I would like to develop, I would have to say my communication skills and time management. I always will turn things in on time, but I would like to better utilize my time. This I think will get better over time if I am on a consistent schedule and understand the goals I am working towards. As for my communication skills, I would say I tend to be more of an introvert for my whole life, but I have definitely been making strides at expanding my communication skills. I think the pandemic also did not help me in this aspect, but I can find a silver lining in it and it made me realize how much we really need each other. As much as it can feel draining to me sometimes, I see how important it is to articulate your thoughts, especially in the design space when presenting your work.

https://launch.eyejackapp.com/Artwork-45e02af2-ca03-4e6a-8938-708f707534db

I have been dabbling in a program called Aseprite from time to time. Aseprite if you don’t know, is a program used to create pixel art. I thought this would be a fun way to learn a little more about the program as I have never tried making a gif on there. As for my idea of how I came up with this design, I just wanted to create some simple movement for a character. There were some struggles I ran into initially. For example, Aseprite wanted all my layers to be merged and have no “tags” in the layer panel, so that took a little bit of troubleshooting to figure out. It taught me more about the ins and outs of this type of process so that was good!

Here is a link to my elevator pitch: https://youtube.com/shorts/7AAbhGfxFIU?feature=share

I would like to learn how to create more 3d renders or just understand 3d software more in general. I would use this for making action figures/toys. I think that would be pretty cool to bring to life. I know very little about 3d design, so that would be a challenge in and of itself. I think that 3d design could unlock a ton of more creativity if I take the time to learn it. With 3d, you can create assets for your designs if you are unable to find something you are exactly looking for.

I think it would take a couple of months before I understood how to create the things I would want. If I were trying to actually create the action figures, I think it would take a very long time to fully execute my ideas. I think it could be possible, but I think that just understanding how to make it in a program such as Cinema4D or Blender would be sufficient.

To execute this project, I would need good resources that could lead me in the right direction. First build a basic understanding of how the programs work. Then understand the process it takes to make a unique design of a 3d character. The sculpting of the character would be of great importance. I know in 3d that most resources are hard to find or you have to pay for people’s patreons to gain access to those said resources. It makes it more challenging, but I think it would be doable.

I am not entirely sure how much the total it would cost to run this project, but I know Cinema4D can be bought on a student discount for a year for $15, or there are other alternatives such as Blender that are free. Greyscale Gorilla is a popular resource that people tend to use to understand the basics and build up a library of assets you can use in Cinema4d, but also costs around $300 for a whole year. This is pretty steep, but I assume there is some kind of student discount I could utilize.

Although my time here at Seattle Central Creative Academy has not been that long, a time I had to pivot in one of my projects was in my “Intro to Graphic Design” class. The brief was to make a logo and eventually a poster for a store. We could choose between 3 different stores. I decided to go with “Full Tilt Ice Cream” as that seemed most up my alley. The whole project took a long while and seemed like we were getting down to the fundamentals of everything that goes into the whole process initially. After brainstorming some sketches for my logo, I concocted a logo for Full Tilt Ice Cream that fused together ice cream and pinball. This is what they were all about. The brief stated that they wanted to make it feel family-friendly, so I tried making an ice cream mascot with a happy face. After taking some time to reflect on the logo I had created, I decided that I ultimately did not like it as it felt too awkward as a whole, and did not like the direction it was going so I scrapped it. I ended up making a more simplistic and clean-looking logo that still fused the 2 elements of the brand together. This experience taught me that something does not necessarily need to have a mascot or anything to convey a family-friendly vibe. Looking back now, I think my execution of the reworked logo was a better result, but I can still do better. After seeing the logo on the poster I made for the logo, it did not look that great to me in the setting where it was placed. This result makes me want to rethink how a logo can work in different mediums. I was mostly aware of that already, but my ability to visualize what looks good I felt like improved due to this project and the challenges I faced. The poster I made, ended up being my favorite piece of art I crafted throughout the project, and that is something I did not expect going into the project. Making logos is something I really enjoy designing, so it was just a little bit of a surprise at how hard it was to satisfy myself with a logo I could appreciate.

I always enjoy looking at food packaging when I am out and about in the bustling world. One section of a grocery store that brings me great joy is the cereal aisle. How can you not love all the variety and fun packaging? So, that is what I set out for this blog post. Firstly I wanted to go for something that was established and Mario was the strongest character I could think of. Having fun with the naming of the cereal struck a chord with me as well with the idea of this Italian plumber. My goal was to convey an excitement that most cereal boxes illicit, as well as to have a welcoming persona to it all. I made most of the graphic pieces in illustrator such as the mushrooms since I could not find a good quality one if I wanted to upscale it. Ideally, my execution could be improved if I had the expertise of using 3d software, but I think that this conveys the message of what I had in my mind. I built the rest of the composition in Photoshop and messed with some of the colors a little bit using Camera Filter Raw. I found the picture of Mario holding his hand out and thought that would be the perfect placement for his bowl of cereal.

Although it has only been a couple of months in the program thus far, I have learned quite a bit already. The Visual Media-centered modules seem like a joy to work in. My first module was Interaction Design, and I am just now getting into the Narrative Filmmaking module. The knowledge gained from these classes I think will be beneficial to my skill set. I am fascinated by motion design and learning the various other modules in the future. The photography/videography field definitely goes hand in hand with Graphic Design. Learning even the basics can transcend your skills as a designer, leading to more creativity in your own designs. I have been dabbling in photography a little bit so I can learn how to take my own photos and repurpose them for my own designs. This just gives my own designs that extra ‘oomph’ that makes a design that much more special. I tend to try and do everything myself when it comes to art mediums. I rarely let other people do the work for me, which can be a blessing and a curse I suppose. All in all, There is much to learn about the Visual Media side of the program.

Getting more into motion design, I think this area could really catapult me to a new level with my designs and ideas. Motion design is not as common with graphic designers and can really bring energy to a piece of work. It is also important to take note that the visual hierarchy is important to learn first before jumping into motion design. The movement in a piece can affect the visual hierarchy in a piece, so it is crucial to understand the complexity in which motion design can hold. Even if the movement is very subtle it can take over a piece and draw in the viewer’s eye. I am unsure of what the other modules hold, but hopefully, in the After Effects module, I can build upon this new area of design. I have some prior knowledge of After Effects, but very little. A struggle I had on my own is my workflow in these unfamiliar programs. I was quite slow, so that is another area I would like to excel in.

So far in my Narrative Filmmaking class, I have learned so much about the different shots that movies and shows will use to convey certain feelings. Previously, I was unaware of this going on in movies and shows until now. That really struck a chord with me and see it as quite a fascinating field to learn about. Initially, I would not think much about the film side, so I am glad to be exposed to this field in a way I can take and use for conveying an emotion even in my own design compositions. The idea of merging these two programs together I think is interesting and when I looked into the Graphic Design program, it was one of the times when I felt like this program specifically could help me grow and become the person I want to be.