The little things like interesting billboards, clever advertisements, and unique films or videos are what Samantha appreciate in her daily life a design student. Growing up in New York City, she was exposed to a variety of cultures and art influences, whether it was local or global. She could not ignore the abundance of art galleries in Chelsea and art museums in the city. She grew up around her father’s love for design and spent time in his interior architecture firm. He is the reason why she is attending the School of the Art Institute of Chicago; he is one of her inspirations. Visual communication is her main priority since she attended this school. Samantha fully committed herself to the graphic design world, especially this semester with four visual communication classes total. There is still so much to learn, but she has a pretty clear idea of what she expects out of herself in the future. A clean design with a small color palette is how you can describe her design work. Over the summer of 2013, she took a color theory class in New York City’s Queens College. To keep up with what she learned in the class and to apply her studies to visual communication better, she is currently working on a watercolor sketchbook. In doing so, she would have a better-trained eye for palette and her designs. A designer not only helps improve society’s appearance, but also improves convenience in our daily lives. There are always going to be products that can be designed to be more appealing, convenient to hold or minimal. Her package design class has forced her to think of design in 3D; her motion graphics class has forced her to think 4D, meaning time-based work. Her processing class forces her to consider real time and interactivity while applying her knowledge in typography. Codes allow designers to play around with the random function, which can produce many different possibilities in the output. Graphic design is actually quite versatile, and as a future designer she strives to be as versatile as possible. Even in her design work, she has personal concepts such as her favorite color palettes and minimal design. However, the difference is that with design, the concept is seen and straightforward; design concepts are easily accessed through what is seen directly. The message is often clear and concise.
For the rest of her career at SAIC, she plans on continuing her visual communication studies while broadening her skills in film and new media or animation. Due to the interdisciplinary program, she is able to take electives that will allow her to be a suitable Disney or a demanding company’s intern. She is willing to work her way up, and she truly believes that with her education at SAIC can prove that she is capable of reaching as high as she wants. Through future internships and co-op programs, Samantha hopes to be exposed to the design corporate world and to be prepared for it. Until then, she plans on taking as many visual communication classes as she can in the two years to come, and other classes that she believes will supplement her future that is related to a graphic designer—such as some animation or photography classes. In order to create new and inventive work, she intends on revisiting the past of design and drafting more ideas from there.