Dear future designers,
Welcome to your first “real” graphic design course as an official MPD major! I am not going to lie, GRA 437 is a lot of work, but don’t worry it is so much fun! You will grow immensely and accomplish beyond what you thought was capable. Here is some advice that I leave you with to have a successful semester in GRA 437 with Professor Strong:
1) Go to office hours. Trust me, I thought my first ideas were amazing the first time around too, but they can only get better from there. This leads me to my next piece of advice:
2) Your design is never 100% complete. There is always work and changes that can be made to improve your work, whether you agree with that or not.
3) Time Management! Plan ahead and do not leave these projects until the last minute. There is nothing worse than staying up all night and trying to beat the clock. I recommend that you do a little bit every day. Map out how long you think each step will take you and set a goal of what you want to get done by when. Also, if you are having an off day, step away from the computer and do something else. Sometimes your mind just needs a break. A nap, a quick trip to the gym, a walk outside, anything that will get you to refocus. Even though this will take some time out of the time you could be working, it will all be worth it in the end because you will return with a fresh mind, have new and better ideas, and be much more productive.
Lastly, know that you will have a chance to revise all of your work, so don’t beat yourself up if something is not “perfect”. This does not mean by any means to submit unfinished or poor work, but don’t let it affect you if the first submission is not how you envisioned it would turn out.
