Lynda.com, Typesetting and Design Bootcamp

In Unit 1.3 I was asked to grind my way through design bootcamp using Lynda.com, markup a newspaper and complete a Typesetting assignment.

In the Lynda.com tutorials I worked my way through design documents while learning the basics of both Photoshop and InDesign. When I was asked to watch these videos and complete this tutorials I was excited because I couldn't wait to jump in and start learning these programs. After completing the tutorials my reaction to what I did was one of relief and excitement. I was relieved to finish all of these tutorials as it was much more than I initially imagined and I was excited about the knowledge that I gained. On a deeper level, the reaction was what it was based on the time it took to complete the first assignment. I reacted relieved because of the effort I had to put into the Lynda.com tutorials.

The next assignment I was asked to complete was a newspaper markup. In this assignment I was asked to pick a copy of a newspaper and mark the elements detailed in the assignment. Initially, I was confused on why I was asked to do this assignment but eventually understood its purpose. After marking up my copy of the OU Daily I realized this assignment taught me an immense amount about the various elements of a newspaper. I think my initial reaction and reaction after what I did was so different because of my perceptions of the assignment before hand. I was at first skeptical, but once I completed the assignment I realized how necessary it was.

The final assignment that was asked of in this unit was the Typesetting assignment. In this assignment I had to download an InDesign file and lay text based on an example that was given. After reading this assignment my initial reaction was again one of excitement. Any chance that I get to jump in and try new things on InDesign excites me! After finishing this assignment I was again relieved. Even with an example to follow this assignment was tedious and meticulous. I was relieved once I finished but I truly enjoyed the process. I reacted the way I did because I did not understand the amount of time this assignment would require. Through this unit I know understand how difficult but also rewarding design can be.