Declan Ward's Blog

There were a couple things that Omar brought up which intrigued me primarily regarding how he conducted his freelance experience as a student, before receiving specific visual design training.  Personally, I've taken on many small projects for friends and acquaintances to create logos, album covers, packaging, and stickers. I worked on most of these projects before completing my degree at SFSU because once I joined the design program, I didn't have a lot of time to assist other people on their work since I needed to focus on my own.  There were many things I didn't know about design or the process and so looking back I definitely feel as though I could've produced much higher quality work, however I am incredibly thankful for the experiences, nonetheless.  With that said, I always found freelance work extremely difficult to manage for a variety of reasons. Firstly, I would find myself undergoing numerous revisions despite having produced a design that I already felt was...

  I connected a lot with Titan's design journey. He mentioned how he didn't start pursuing a design career right after high school despite being interested in graphic design products like skate magazines and logos. It didn't sound like he had a lack of support from friends or family but more so like there was uncertainty around the discipline which led to encouragement of other pursuits.  I can connect a lot with that experience, because my parents always supported my creative pursuits but it wasn't ever discussed as being something that I could make a career of. As a senior I began to talk with them about what would be my next journey after high school, and although I didn't want to go to college straight away they made it quite clear that it was an expectation.  Initially I just wanted to graduate and begin the process of becoming a firefighter because I enjoy hands on work and adventure. I was never a fan of desk work beyond design and so it was hard for me to en...

  Shilpi Chhotray’s job as an art director seems incredibly important due to the purpose of her teams mission, which is to move away from using plastic and also focusing on what to do with the massive amount of discarded plastic that currently pollutes our planet. This is an issue that literally affects every single person on the planet. We all have only this one home, and unfortunately as a human race we have made choices that negatively impact it. It’s also a problem that will only continue to grow worse without people working towards spreading awareness, education, and real solutions towards sustainability and eco-friendly behavior at numerous levels, from large corporations to family recycling solutions.   Shilpi is a member of this task force and the Global Communications Director for the #BreakFreeFromPlastic movement, which means it is incredibly important she make sure the movements messages are universally acceptable, friendly and uplifting in nature, easy to understa...

  I really enjoyed having the opportunity to see peers of my discipline showcase how they constructed their portfolios, and the various projects within them. It gave me a lot of insight into my own portfolio build, and brought me some new ideas about how I can present my work. I was most captivated by Chi Hao Chang’s work and loved his process and final deliverables for the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. The work itself was absolutely gorgeous and the design system and elements he created were super playful and fun. His detailed and curious research gave me a lot of ideas of how I can improve my own design process. I felt like he was very good at developing insightful questions that guided his design process towards success. Additionally he really told a story with his presentation through showing us the questions he had and how they prompted him to explore various avenues.   Another moment that was memorable for me came after Parker Anne Poole’s presentation during which Ellen Lu...

 In reference to : "Ira Glass on Story telling 3", which can be found on youtube, and is short 5 minute excerpt of a larger body of work in which he shares insight into his success as public radio personality.  In the clip Ira explains how most of us pursue creating because we are passionate about a certain designed medium, and we possess "good taste". Yet, often times as we pursue our own practice, in the early to medium years of professional work, we are unable to create examples that fit our personal standards and expectations. Even if this isn't something all creatives can relate, to every artist can recall a handful of projects from their early years of experience, that just didn't hit the mark but had the potential to be something great. Glass affirms that this is a natural part of the creative process, and that his "gap" between what he found to be fitting of good taste, and his own personal production didn't close until much later into ...

  I loved Anne’s evolution from the gallery to the street and how she highlighted that it was a special transition for her as she begun to think of her new audience and the diversity of it. I think it’s also very suiting of her personality and design points as she mentioned the importance of positivity, representation and joy. I think design that implements those themes is the most important to be showcased on our streets and for the public, because it can have such a strong impact upon the viewer. And it might make an impact upon an audience member who never would’ve though about attending a gallery or art museum in the first place. Anne’s shift actually prompted a connection with me to a recent movie I watched with my girlfriend called “The Menu”. Without giving away any spoilers, the movie was about a world-class chef, someone who had surpassed all of his peers to be considered the greatest of all time. The chef was so good that an investor gave him a private island restaurant t...