Emerging Expertise: Digital Communications and Design
Over the course of my career here at IUI, I started as a fine artist with minimal expertise or experience in more applicable digital communication and design. These elements, such as Graphic Design, marketing, and in depth communication skills are things I have built in spades through several Honors and Internship experiences. I am using my experience from my internship as a Graphic Design Intern/Audio Engineer to further develop my interests and efficiencies in Adobe Design software for Digital Design and branding for the Indiana Art and Humanities Institute; along with podcast production, editing, and professional practices applicable to my future as a Graphics artists and designer.
Indiana Arts and Humanities Institute Graphic Design/Audio Engineer Internship '24-'26
For the better part of two years I have been gaining pertinent experience in the Digital Design and Production pipelines within the Indiana Arts and Humanities Institute here at IU Indianapolis. In this role I have been applying my own design expertise for branding for the IAHI and increasing visibility and visual brand identity all while following IU branding guidelines and specifications. Working with current professionals in the Arts and Humanities also has immensely helped to develop my networking skills among established professionals and bridging the perceived gap between the emerging digital production world and the tangible and abstract mediums in which my fellows and professional work in; bringing visibility to the Indianapolis Arts Community. With podcast production, I am building digital narratives that are directed by our professionals, working closely with their narrative wants and needs to produce professional podcasts weekly that increase visibility of these arts and humanities in our own IU staff as well as local artists and fellows through our digital perspective.
Honors Senior Capstone Project: "86'ED"
Describe your image
Describe your image
Describe your image
Describe your image
For my Senior Capstone Class withing my senior year in college so far, I have been expanding my own personal style of character design, rendering, writing, and concept art all in the form of my Honors Capstone Project. These images above are all my original work and are various character designs, sketches, and variations for my original video game concept called "86'ED" a cultural food truck fighting game in which you can play as any five themed food trucks and battle friends, family, and fight to get the highest score and the most successful food truck business in all of San Diego. Reflecting on this project so far, this project has allowed me to improve my own illustrative and design skills by creating numerous original character designs, foods, food trucks, etc. to hone my eye for design and composition which directly show recruiters I understand the fundamentals of character design, prop design, color, and rendering which will make me an appealing candidate to concept art and graphic design studios.
Graphic Design Poster Experimentation
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With my current progress in my Intro to Graphic Design class, I have been working on several projects to help develop my skills in the Adobe Suite as well as refining my eye for graphic design, branding, marketing, and content creation to add to my new and improved Graphic Design portfolio coming soon. As an artist looking to go into concept art, there are not a lot of junior level roles available in this current market along with senior roles being the most available I am looking to temporarily pivot when I graduate college to develop applicable work experience for concept art and character design by working in Graphic Design.
Reflection
Looking back through many of these various Honors and non Honors related work experiences, capstones, and side projects I have really begun to innately develop my career goals of Digital Design Communication and Creation. As I am currently developing more of my design skills to apply for various design and specifically graphic design careers these projects are drastically improving my methods of design language, style, and skills. Especially within the realm of character design and graphic design, where strong grasps of design fundamentals, composition, color, style, and more these experiences are going to leave me with a wealth of applicable job experience, portfolio work to showcase, and practice in professional work spaces such as my internship in IAHI in which I am constantly communicating and helping to create, edit, mix, and design podcast episodes with various artists, academics, and professors alike. Looking ahead into my future career as an artist and designer, continuing to develop these digital communications and professional practice skills is only going to open many doors of opportunity for me and help me create creative, meaningful, and worthy artwork throughout my whole artistic journey.
