Presentations and Letterforms

There are a few important aspects to remember when trying to deliver a great presentation; confidence, eye contact, a friendly smile, and always remember to not get defensive when someone argues against the rationale of your idea. This is exactly what I did; get defensive, I mean. In my previous blog, I wrote about an upcoming project I was working on for my Concept Development class. I had to design a board game concept. As challenging as that was, I thought I had come up with a good, solid game concept. I chose a baby shower box set, complete with four mini games, eight pieces each; enough pieces for eight players. The purpose of the game was to have a convenient way to prepare for a baby shower. To go to a store and purchase a box full of all of the pieces you would need to deliver fun and exciting games for a baby shower. After giving my presentation, a few of my classmates commented on how small my set was. They simply said, eight players just wasn't enough for a baby shower. When developing my concept, I neglected to research other families and ask how many attendants and players they usually had at the baby shower's they've been to. Instead, I developed my game based on my own personal experiences.

Overall, it was a good day for presentations. Each of my classmates delivered fairly decent presentations; some were obviously a little nervous, which was fine. Other's seemed much more confidant. The purpose of our presentations was to convince our audience why our games was the best game to buy. We were given two minutes to perform. It was a learning experience, I think most of us will reflect on when preparing for future presentations. Most of my classmates and I offered opinions,  and words of advice to help improve our presentation deliveries for the future. After all, presentation is probably the most important skill set for a designer. Being able to sell an amazing design, or a very poor design, convincingly is key in this business. I know it will help me get a job just about anywhere.

**On another note, I've recently been working on a new project in my Letterform class. I've been designing and developing my own typeface. I just want to take this time to say, developing a good, balanced, unique typeface may look effortless, but it sure as heck isn't. I've already had a certain amount of respect for those who can develop their own typeface, especially those which sell and are being used; however, never before have I had this kind of an appreciation for those who enthusiastically try to create their own typeface. It is possibly one of the most difficult, most challenging projects I've had to do in a really long time. There are many things you need to consider while developing different letters of your typeface; balance, line weight, x-height, keeping a similar shape and relationship with your initial design. There are millions of things to consider. Wow!