August 31, 2022

What experiences, if any, have you had designing and/or developing print or digital documents that integrate words and images (brochures, newsletters, flyers, reports, web sites, etc.)? Please list and describe any projects you have worked on and the technologies used to produce them. What are your expectations in taking this class and what do you hope to accomplish? What, if anything, makes you nervous or unsure in thinking about this class? 

My experience with designing is pretty short and straightforward. I have used Powerpoint and Google Slides repeatedly throughout my education, as well as Word and Google Docs. However, within these applications, I still don’t know half of what you can do within them. I have made a website on WordPress once before to create an e-portfolio. I have also used Canva and Prezi a few times in the past, but those are still very confusing and new to me. While I was in high school, I made brochures and flyers for class projects or upcoming events, but these were done using templates provided by Google docs.

I expect to learn how to operate design software and editing practices in this class. I want to understand these systems and apply them to my assignments. Editing photos and videos has always been something I wanted to learn, however, I have never been compelled to teach it to myself or buy applications. Visual rhetoric is critical, so I hope to learn tools to aid the presentation of my research in this class.

I am nervous that there will be a lot of steps to remember or hidden areas where you would find tools; I am forgetful so if there are tools within a tab under a tab, I’m afraid I will forget how to access them. I’m also worried that my aesthetic might not be what other people like and about the rules that are implicated in designing a professional document.