WI 10

Over the course of this semester I feel like I have grown tremendously not only as a designer but also as an individual. At the outset of the semester one of my main goals was to figure out how I was able to best communicate my design ideas and design process. While exploring through a number of ways to communicate my thoughts and ideas, I feel like I have arrived to the conclusion that digital rendering is one of the means of communication that I feel most comfortable with. In each of the Jenga assignments I have made an attempt to include some form of digital rendering and alterations to shape my presentations as an individual and in group work.

This semester has also taught me a lot about myself as an individual. One thing that I have learned is that I do have the capability of being a positive leader, as I served as group leader in our groups of 6, and the co leader in our groups of 12. This role was a complete 360 from the role I normally play in group projects where I simply go along with everything just for the sake of “getting it done”. The reason why some of my group members nominated me as leader was because they felt that I strengths when it came to time management and making sure that things were completed in a timely fashion. This was a large step for me as time management was one of the goals that I aimed to conquer at the beginning of the semester. I learned that while I cannot expect others to have the same work ethic I can lead by example and set a pace for others in the group to work at.

When evaluating my design process and how I work I personally feel that writing itself is not as important to the design process but there does need to be a form of documentation to help record ideas and designs. While the end product is what everyone is interested in and wants to see I also understand that the process work is equally as important. This could be writing, digital documentation, or even photography, however I think it depends on the designer’s process and way that they work. When starting out with a design I found that sketch models and exploring my ideas physically is an important initial step in my design process because it gives me an understanding of how one would experience the space.


At the end of the semester I felt that not only did I achieve the goals that I had set out to accomplish, but I also leaned more about the technical side of designing, for example placing a ramp in a 22’x32’ space is a terrible idea, and that trap doors should only be included in a design if they are relevant to the concept. In light of these lessons I also leaned that you can’t be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone and become a designer who is confident in their work.