Re: Lists, Lists, Lists

Yes I'm joining the bandwagon and saying  CONGRATULATIONS CRYSTAL!!!! :-)
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List! I am a huge lister (if that's even a word) lol.

I actually just crossed something off my list just before I began writing this blog and when I am done I will cross off blog post.

Every morning when I get to my desk I write down my TO DO List for the day. My list keep me focused and are also reminders of things i NEED to do. When I cross things off of my list I feel like I have accomplished a portion of what needs to be done, it also gives me a little bit of a push to move onto the next task.

In regards to "10 Essentials Every Design Student Should Know" the number that stood out to me the most was 7: Typographic Fluency. I can honestly testify that I have learned to know off the top of my head certain typefaces after taking the Typography I course along with some others. Before learning more about the meaning of typefaces and the different families I would just say "that fonts pretty." Now I can say I know what fonts to use with another and whats inappropriate in terms of the use of certain typefaces.

A few list I tend to make are:

assignment list
task @ work
bill list
shopping list
miscellaneous list of things I want to remember

Re: Lists, Lists, Lists

I am not a huge fan of lists. I find them a bit overwhelming - especially to-do lists. I find that when I write a to-do list, I end up looking at everything I have to do, and, instead of being motivated, I become intimidated. Once I get to the intimidation phase, I tend to throw in the towel and begin mindlessly checking my social media pages in an effort to avoid what seems to be an insurmountable list of projects that I need to complete. I don't know if anyone else ever feels this way, but in order to stay focused, I make lists at the end of the day. On those lists I write down the tasks that I have completed. This way I feel somewhat accomplished at the end of the day. Plus, I'm not as focused what I have left to do, which means I'm not as stressed as I might be otherwise.

Re: Lists, Lists, Lists!

Congratulations, Crystal!!! I have to say, I'm a little disappointed that a wedding photo was not included in your post ;)

I too, live by lists. As a matter of fact, I have a giant, completely out of control to-do list sitting next to me right now, which I will be stressing over all weekend. But once I'm finished blogging, I will scratch that item off and it will feel amazing. Like Elizabeth said, a lot of satisfaction comes from physically crossing things off a list. I suppose it's all about establishing priorities and staying organized. 

In the "10 Essentials Every Design Student Should Know", number 6, "Coping with Absurd Deadlines" is making me laugh and cry all at once. I completely underestimated the amount of stress that would come with working full time and taking graduate classes part time. And then, there's normal "life activities", like spending time with your family and managing to get enough sleep. It's really rough when everything seems like a priority. I guess the trick is just doing one thing at a time and making a timeline for yourself. Tonight, I will blog and start writing my paper for Visual and Verbal Rhetoric. Tomorrow, I will work on Grace Kelly's social media presence. It will all get done as long as I can keep it together! 

Re: Lists, Lists, Lists!

First, CONGRATS ON GETTING MARRIED CRYSTAL!!

Second, I love lists as well. Especially when I can cross something off my list. It makes me feel more accomplished and less stressed.

Anyways, I'm not sure if this was advice from someone or something I read on a list, but it states: You are never really done. Meaning-- you work hard on a project for days, weeks, months. You have looked at your computer screen, exhausted your imagination and creativity, and finally think you are done with you project. You're not. You never really will be. You are just done looking at it for now. You must then print out your assumed "final" hang it somewhere you can conveniently look at it and wait. I always hang mine on my closet door or on my mirror in my bathroom (i have a very large mirror). Everyday you just simply glance at it with no thoughts in mind and critique it. Amazingly you will find your imagination and creativity come back to you. I guess the trick is to make your project seem almost foreign to your brain so that you can give yourself an honest "out of the box" critique on your own work.

I'm sure tons of people do this already...but I really appreciated the advice. So, thanks to whoever I got this from (lists or not.)

Facebook Group for Fictional Profiles

I figured we can support each other's fictional profiles from here:

www.facebook.com/groups/377781372301051/

Sincerely, Sen. Joe McCarthy

Youtube Video: An Ode on a Typeface

Here's the link:

Neutra Face : An Ode On A Typeface (A Bearded Poker Face Parody)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHCu28bfxSI

Lists, Lists, Lists!

I love lists of all forms! I especially love lists that have to do with the graphic design field. I look on the standard sites all the time for lists about how to "cope" with being a graphic designer- ones about difficult clients, brainstorming, the revision process, all with a hope of picking something up that can be quite useful. I always gravitate towards these lists because as a student, every class I take makes me feel like its my first graphic design class. They are all challenging for me, and sometime I need to be reminded how to handle that feeling.

I recently came across the "10 Essentials Every Student Should Know" from Print Magazine. Some topics, like "No. 2 Style vs. No style" and "No. 9 Achieving Success" are good ones, but others are fluffy as heck. For example "No. 8 Couture and Fashion" seems a bit absurd to me. "Although the overall philosophy may differ, there is a consensus regarding a couple of articles: wear cool shoes and tortoise-shell glasses."  Is this advice really necessary?  "No. 6 Coping with Absurd Deadlines" also seems to make me think that they are generalizing a lot of teachers before finally just saying (in a roundabout way) that we need to manage time well to complete projects.

After reading this list I thought perhaps I should lay off the lists since sometimes they contain a lot of fluff or common sense. But I am curious to know, what are some of the best pieces of advice you have gained from reading lists like these? And if you could create your own list for the graphic design world, what would it include?

(ps- I can't wait to compile all of your advice into a list of my very own!)