I’m in a unique place of taking an intro class at the end of the program instead of at the start, and I have to admit that I didn’t learn that much new, but it has nothing to do with the course and everything to do with myself having been immersed in art stuff for literally decades now. For me, ART still equals FART. There isn’t anything really I would have done differently about my Manifesto. I’m still not even sure it meets the assignment requirements, and honestly, it doesn’t matter to me because it has been by far the most organic and “me”-inspired piece I’ve created in a very long time. It felt like it used techniques I’ve learned either on my own or in my classes — handwriting fonts, sense of flow, contrast, etc. And it was fun dabbling in the foundation course materials again — chalk, graphite, paint, Sharpies even. It was therapeutic and relaxing, and I am pleased with the outcome. I enjoyed the responses I got, and of all the Manifestos, I was even asked a question and got some laughs, and could see smiling faces, which for me is the whole point of my Manifesto. It was an experience and short journey into my brain that connected with others in a universal way.

During this semester I was able to expand my knowledge and perspective on the art world, as well as find other ways to advance in creating my foundation. Being a part of this class has opened up new ideas and offered new ways to develop my skills. Things that I never would have ever thought about embracing was put to the forefront, and will allow me to go back and reference. One lecture that I was very fond of was the lecture that included Nazi Propaganda and political art. I was very interested in seeing how people were able to affect the minds of the people that they wanted involved in the wars. It was almost as if they were battling through art as well, not just on the battlefield. This lecture gave me a better understanding of the “power” that we as designers possess, and how we can seriously impact everything around us. And though some of the lectures were pretty stale at times, I feel as though it was still needed in expanding my horizons as a designer. I do not regret taking this class, and I do have an appreciation for all of the art that I was exposed to. I understand that it is the foundation that artists stand on today and tomorrow.

If there were any thing i could change about my manifesto it would be the layout and design. If there would have been time in my own schedule I really wanted to try to do a letterpress design in a large poster form. The letterpress project we worked on in class was really interesting to me as well as the lecture and video we went over. Making paper and printing on it for project or even for yourself would be very rewarding in the end. The different textures you can’t get with just printing off the computer. There were so many manifestos I really enjoyed. The amount of time and thought behind some of them were awesome to me.

Although some of the history in the lectures was slightly boring, the history of graphic design is the reason its has evolved into what it is today. All the styles of graphic design eventually come back in some form.

What did I find most interesting of all the art and design that we looked at this semester? Well, I took an Art History course (all the way up to post modernism) and some of the topics that were discussed in this class was similar but not the same. What I really appreciated about Graphic Design Survey, is the fact that it’s all based around the history of graphic design. When we first started this course, it was very interesting to see the beginnings of graphic design and how it’s revolved and shifted from the Gutenberg print press. It was nice to see the periods of general art history (such as the Art Neuvou) and how graphic design was influenced by it.

The most interesting lecture that we had was of course, the psychedelic art. Did it surprise me though? No. I don’t think I was surprised by anything that we learned this semester, to be honest. I’m not condoning heavy drug use, such as LSD but that whole era fascinates me. I really appreciate the style and art of the 60’s and 70’s. No, I don’t like the psychedelic art. It hurts my brain and makes me dizzy. I’m talking about the toned down styles – more like styles of Herbert Bayer (during his US Container days). I like the styles of the Bauhaus. Mid Century. Movies, films, entertainment and music of this era is very interesting to me. This was the time of the avocado appliances. Orange, greens and shag carpet. It’s very ugly but appealing to me.

The manifesto’s were interesting. I think I saw a trend, as most people did tend to focus on their own personal beliefs in the art manifesto, which is what I did. I wanted to share all the things in my posters tried and true statements. Everybody pretty much did a different form, which was pretty interesting as well!

This semester I learned a lot about the different art styles. I knew that over the years there have been different types of art and different styles, but I never had really thought about the idea that there have been different art movements. Each art movement displays different styles and has a lot of different characteristics. Some have a lot of ornamentation, others have more simplistic characteristics. There are some movements that have a lot of natural colors, others that use primary colors, and then there are others that use a lot of bright, overwhelming colors. Each movement is so different, and yet you can see inspiration from previous movements.

During class when we looked at everyone else’s manifestos and listened to everyone read theirs, it really showed everyone’s different approach on manifestos and what art is. Some people wrote on what art and design is, some wrote on typography, and others wrote their thoughts on art. Overall, it was really interesting to see the manifestos that my fellow classmates created. Some people did booklets, others did posters, and some people went another route. There were some handmade and others digital, some big, and others made small. Everyone made an interesting manifesto that demonstrates their thoughts and views.

One of the things that I have come to realize this semester and it falls under the “suprising me” category, is that graphic design had to start somewhere. It started earlier than I thought it did. Honestly, I hadn’t thought much on it, so I didn’t really realize how early it came to be.

After presenting my manifesto, I realized that I could have practiced my speech a bit more. I also wanted to do something more with my realization, because I feel that a poster just doesn’t do what my message was, justice. Now, when it comes to my classmates manifesto’s, some were more thought out, especially the “details!” one. I loved the colors, and overall design of it. And a lot of my classmates knew what they were talking about (not that I didn’t) but they didn’t seem to hesitate. They were confident in the subject they spoke of. I did notice that some of us had an overall message that design is whatever the speaker thought it was, and some spoke of it being whatever you wanted it to be. I learned a lot this semester, not just in this class, but in the rest of them too. It was a good last semester.

This semester, I learned how what was going on around artists as well as their personal beliefs about art influenced their designs. For me, this is what my manifesto was about: who I am and how the world around me and my own beliefs have shaped my perspectives on design, its misconceptions, and what it should be. I found the WWII posters to be especially interesting to me this semester because of the tactics they utilized to make onlookers feel what they wanted them to feel. It was surprising to see the lengths they went to in design approaches to get men to enlist in the armed forces. Similarly, I wanted my manifesto to stir something in its readers, to make them look at something in a new light from my point of view.

What might I change about my manifesto? Maybe some of the alignment of the fonts, which was pretty tricky to do in the first place and caused some slight frustration; but overall, I love my design and am proud of the way it impacts you and makes an interesting, original statement, yet references past styles like the International Style. I also was very intrigued by my classmate’s manifesto that talked about conveying the story behind your design. I could really appreciate and relate to her manifesto because who you are really does influence your individual design choices, and people should be able to see that.

Creativity is essential. It is only made better by attention to detail, never worse, but everyone’s creative choices are different. Everyone has a unique story that can be told best by paying attention to detail so that the design is fully able to make its mark on the world. It’s all about the details.

One of the biggest things I’ve learned this semester is how much the region plays a role in how a style of art can change and develop over time. I didn’t realize how many art movements there have been either but it makes sense because art has been around for as long as we can remember. Before I had started reading the designers manifestos I had no idea what a manifesto even was. It definitely helped me grasp what a manifesto was I still need to work on how to organize my manifesto. Honestly I found the psychedelic art to be the most interesting now I didn’t say the most enjoying. Reason being is how crazy generally posters were in this time period. The type was all types of crazy along with the imagery. It made me wonder how you were supposed to see these? Were they supposed to be seen while on psychedelics or what are we supposed to see or interpret. Now after I have finished presenting my manifesto in class I wish it would have came out more the way I had envisioned it. I wish I wasn’t so literal in the processes and maybe found a better way to represent my manifesto and what I believe graphic design to be.