Think & Make Homework

   Don Norman's video was very entertaining in the way that he talked and how he explained things. his main points were that the best designs are neat and fun but also beautiful and functional. Basically, if you are happy and keep an open mind about your design it will most likely do well because you will be more determined to find an answer. I found this very inspiring took it as good advice not only as a designer but as an outlook on life as a person. 
    In the PDF reading there was a lot of information to take in and process. Something that I took away from the reading was that design is now directed largely to superficial ends and that they are most significant to human activities. Design can really be anything around you it is found in all different shapes and forms. Design isa mix of creativity and analytical reasoning. A good way to look at design is fining possible solutions to a problem that needs improvement. What I learned about the business design world was that you always work in teams because that is when you get your best feedback and ideas. it becomes a social process that needs you to become a skilled negotiator when working with a group of people.  
    There is no one-way to define design or what makes a design good or not. The ten principals consist of very useful but simplistic guidelines that aid a designer during their design process. All of the principals would be good to follow in any form of design work weather it be graphic or industrial. I broke the 10 important principles down so that I could better understand them. 
   Personally I thought that the Design Q & A video was very strange and I’m not totally sure if I even understood what they were saying throughout it. What I did take from the video was that design is an expression of purposes and that they are the solutions to problems. Another thing that I thought was interesting what that your design is not necessarily considered individual to you but that those before you influence you. One last thing that I learned was that constraints on your design make your ethics. 

Who is Elle Javier? Since this is my first time ever writing on a blog I'm not totally sure what to say but I guess I will start off with a little about myself. My full name is Gabrielle Marie Javier but as of recently I've been going by Elle. Why Elle? Well as you can see it's the last four letters in my name and it was something that my mom came up with when I was little. She wanted me to go by "Ellie" but I guess she never really got use to calling me that because she only calls me by my full name to this day. It's funny because when she talks about me to other people who know me was "Elle" and not "Gabrielle" they get pretty confused. The big reason I started to go by Elle was not only did my best friend from high school go by the nickname Gabby but also because Gabby really doesn't fit who I am. The definition of "gabby" in the dictionary is very talkative person, which I am not. Don't get me wrong I love talking but being a "gabby" sounds like they would be kind of annoying. No offense to anyone who goes by that name of course but that just my personal opinion. Elle is just simpler. It's short and sweet just like me! I, Elle Javier, am from a town right outside of Chicago called Lake Forest. It's right on Lake Michigan and is one of the prettiest towns I've ever seen on the North Shore. It is big enough not to know everyone since it is considered a city but still small enough to know where everything is. 

Lake Forest High School was not just some other building that looked like a prison from the outside. It is a beautiful building that was meant to "blend in" with the homes around it. In reality I think that the architect just wanted to make an impressive looking school for this town and really liked mansions because this is what it looks like………..

As you can see it is not an average looking high school but it's my high school and we love it. Here in this high school was where I learned that I was actually a creative person and this was the place that I took my first graphic design class with the world's best art teacher. After taking 4 semesters of graphic design I knew that I was just in love with it and wanted to pursue it as a career and continue to learn more about it as a major in college. As of right now in college with surviving the first week just a little bit exhausted and tons of homework, I have found out that this year is going to be a challenge. I am not the strongest at drawing which is what Freshmen year is all about but I have come to terms with it quickly and have accepted the challenge with everything I have. I know that this year will be on the struggle bus side of that is okay because if you are not challenged what's the point? With a brave face and an optimistic attitude is how I am going into this and that is how I will leave at the end of the year. Wish me luck!   -Elle