Creativity Week 3

 This week, I did a  Color Limitation Challenge. I was to create an image using only 3 colors, so I did a city skyline at sunset using only three colors: orange, dark purple, and off-white. The orange set the mood for the sky, the purple shaped the buildings, and the off white worked for the sun.

What I really liked about this exercise was how much I could do with so little. By keeping the palette small, I had to pay closer attention to shapes and contrast instead of just throwing in more colors. I learned that even simple designs can tell a strong story when you use color wisely.

Creativity week 2

 

 60 seconds 

This week, I did a creative exercise called One-Minute Sketches. I was tasked to pick a random object and draw it in one minute. Without focusing on perfection, but mainly focusing on speed and observation. I was in class and decided to draw this coffee mug that was within arm's reach.  I grabbed the mug and hit “start.” In 60 seconds, I sketched its handle, the tea tag, and even scrawled “Mad as a Hatter” across the front. The result was messy, lopsided, and full of personality. This exercise taught me to let go of perfection and focus on the most important details in a short amount of time. I learned to capture the essence of the object rather than its exact likeness, turning mistakes into part of your style. It sharpened my observation skills and made creativity feel more playful and enjoyable.

added color after 

My Stage

WordPress

Pros 

• Extremely customizable with thousands of themes and plugins.

• Can fully brand your site to match your style.

• Supports blogs, portfolios, and e-commerce in one place.

• Large support community and tutorials.

Cons

• Learning curve for beginners setup can be more technical.

• You’re responsible for hosting and maintenance if using WordPress.org.

• Can be overkill if you just need a simple gallery at first.

Wix 

Pros

• Highly customizable drag-and-drop builder.

• Offers free plan and paid plans with your own domain.

• Can showcase both visuals and text-heavy case studies.

• Has built-in SEO tools to help people find your portfolio via Google.

Cons

• Can become time-consuming to design and maintain.

• Free plan shows Wix ads and uses a Wix-branded URL.

• Performance can be slower if overloaded with media.

Squarespace

Pros

• Sleek, modern templates that look professional with minimal tweaking.

• Mobile-friendly designs automatically.

• All-in-one hosting, domain, and design platform.

• Great for mixing design portfolio with other content like a blog. 

Cons

• Monthly cost after free trial no free permanent plan.

• Slight learning curve if customizing beyond the template.

• Less community visibility compared to Behance.

  
  

  Overall what best suits me as a recent graphic design graduate building my professional presence would have to be Squarespace.  

  As a new graduate I will likely want something that looks polished immediately without spending weeks learning web development. It’s professional and clean, which builds trust with potential employers and clients. You can easily upload projects, write short case studies, and update it as your portfolio grows. Best of all later, if you want more advanced customization or to add complex features, you could always migrate to WordPress when I am more established.

Guest Speaker Feed Back

 Five things Learned 

1. Write a strong headline that includes keywords for the roles you want, not just your current title.
2. Use Keywords to Appear in Job Searches this adds specific skills, software, and industry terms to your profile so recruiters can find you when they search for candidates.
3. Leverage LinkedIn’s Job Filters by using filters like location, experience level. 
4. Connect with people in your industry, join relevant LinkedIn groups, and engage with posts to increase visibility and opportunities.
5. Use LinkedIn to review a company’s page, see mutual connections, and learn about their culture and values before submitting an application.

Project 2

 The target audience for this poster is boating enthusiasts, marine professionals, and people who enjoy outdoor water activities. The message of the poster is that Suzuki Marine USA offers high quality, reliable, and innovative marine engines that deliver superior performance on the water. It also communicates that Suzuki is a trusted, established brand that helps customers “Go Further” in their boating adventures. My goal with this piece is to create a visually striking promotional design that highlights Suzuki Marine’s brand identity and appeals to people who love being out on the water. I used a deep navy blue and crisp white color palette to reflect the nautical theme and convey professionalism and trust. I added accents of silver and metallic tones to connect to the high-end engineering of Suzuki’s marine engines. The main visual is an action shot of a sleek boat cutting through the water, which adds energy and excitement to the design. I placed the Suzuki Marine logo prominently at the top to establish brand recognition instantly. The headline text is bold and modern, making it easy to read while reinforcing the idea of strength and performance. 

Project 1

 This poster promotes a fictional home services company called BreezePro AC & Heating, designed as if Optic Marketing Group created the branding. The goal is to communicate reliability, friendliness, and professionalism in a clean, modern way.

The audience for this poster is local homeowners and renters who need air conditioning and heating services. The message of the poster is that BreezePro AC & Heating is the local expert for keeping your home comfortable year-round. My goal with this piece is to show that I can design a marketing poster that clearly communicates a service and brand identity. I want to make the audience feel confident about contacting BreezePro and show that I understand how to create a visually appealing layout that supports the company’s values. I chose a blue and orange color palette because blue communicates coolness and trust, while orange adds energy and warmth, connecting to both AC and heating services. The main image of a relaxed homeowner helps the viewer imagine how they would feel after using the company’s services. I used bold sans-serif typography for the headline so it is easy to read from a distance. The service icons at the bottom help quickly explain what the company offers, and the call-to-action bar in orange stands out against the cooler tones, so it catches the viewer’s attention. The layout has plenty of white space to keep it clean and uncluttered, which helps the important information stand out.

Top 3 Jobs near me

 

1. Immersive Scenic Studios

Immersive Scenic Studios is a company in Orlando that creates immersive environments for events and attractions. On their website, they say they are built on strong family values and want to build lasting relationships with clients by going above and beyond expectations. They focus on creating environments that tell stories and transport people to another place and time. They seem to put a lot of emphasis on creativity and teamwork.

The company has a Facebook and Instagram page where they post pictures of their projects. Their posts match what they say on their website about imagination and creativity. From what I saw online, they want to hire people who are skilled in both creative and technical areas. A job posting I found for them offered a high salary for an artist position, which makes me think they invest in talented people.

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2. Optic Marketing Group

Optic Marketing Group is a marketing agency in Tampa that works with many kinds of businesses. On their website, they say they believe in being honest and transparent with their clients. They want their clients to trust them and they promise to earn that trust through good results. They focus on helping clients grow and they do things like web design, social media, and search engine marketing.

They have Facebook and Instagram accounts where they share updates about their projects and the team. I read some reviews on Glassdoor and people said the company has a friendly environment, a flexible schedule, and good benefits. They seem to care about both their clients and their employees, which makes them sound like a supportive place to work.

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3. Suzuki Marine USA

Suzuki Marine USA is a company in Tampa that focuses on boats and marine engines. They are part of the larger Suzuki brand that is known worldwide for making vehicles and engines. While their website mostly talks about their products, it is clear they focus on quality and innovation.

They have social media pages such as Facebook and LinkedIn where they share information about new products and events. There is not as much public information about their workplace culture, but because they are a well known brand, I think working there could offer a lot of learning opportunities for someone starting out in design or marketing.