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Next week is spring break and I am going to try to drive out west to see Tucker. We have plans to get together with friends out there for Rapid City’s Pub Crawl. I was planning on leaving on that Thursday, but one of my friends asked if she could come with, but she works on Friday until 3 PM. The trouble with that is that there is supposed to be a bomb cyclone on Friday, hence why I wanted to leave on Thursday (along with having more time to see my husband). I’ve been trying to keep an eye on the weather to see what time it will start, but I might still have to leave on Thursday. I will not have seen Tucker for two weeks and I don’t want to miss my chance. I hope the weather doesn’t get too bad and that I will be able to go.

At my internship with Panther, a sales representative asked if I would like to accompany her to a BNI meeting to connect and learn from other professionals in the area. BNI stands for Business Network International. It is a meeting of people in different professions who come together to make connections, ask for referrals, and request assistance for jobs. It was a really cool experience to hear from business owners and employees from different companies I had no idea about. Each person went around the room, introduced themselves and the company they represented, and were able to talk about their wants and goals. They each had “asks”, which is when they ask if anyone in the group could help them with a service or connect they with others to achieve their goals. At the end, two people gave presentations about their businesses and work. I learned a lot and was also able to apply my knowledge from class on a presentation about web design. I really enjoyed the whole experience!

Since I am done with the Panther vehicle wrap, it is time to move onto a new project. I was asked to create a wall wrap for the company’s meeting room. All I was told about what to design was to keep it on brand, have pictures of Sioux Falls and the saying, “Serving the Sioux Falls community for over 35 years.” They sure let me utilize my creative freedom!

At first, I thought about making icons related to the services offered at Panther and place them in a grid with photos of Sioux Falls. I started making a mock up in Illustrator but decided I did not love the idea and wanted to go a different direction. I looked through Adobe Stock to find some quick pictures of Sioux Falls and see what I could work with. I have started looking for famous landmarks in Sioux Falls and thought about layering them a collage. I think I will go that direction and see how it turns out.

This week has not been my week. On Saturday, my husband, Tucker, left for his pharmacy rotation in Sturgis, SD for FIVE weeks. He is at the Fort Meade Veterans Affairs Medical Center on his Internal Medicine II rotation. Luckily, they have free housing on-site where he can stay with other students. His college roommate is also on a rotation out there at the same time so that is nice as well.

It was really hard to say goodbye. It is difficult when your best friend who is always with you has to leave. But somehow we got through it and said our goodbyes. Luckily for me, I have family nearby so I spent the weekend with them so I would not feel so alone. It also helps that they can cook and I can’t (Tucker does all the cooking). When I would go home after spending time with them, my apartment would feel so empty without Tucker.

On Monday, I felt like something was off with me. I knew something was wrong, but could not tell exactly what it was. I went to my internship that day, but at the end of my shift I felt like I could not go to school. I drove home and received a text from my sister that she just tested positive for influenza A. She was also the family I had just spent the weekend with since Tucker was gone. I went to the doctor and also tested positive for influenza A.

Tuesday was the worst day. I had terrible muscle aches, fever, chills, and a sore throat. I was stuck all by myself since I was sick. I wanted to work on a project that was due the next day, but all I could do was try to drink water and sleep. I felt absolutely miserable all day.

I continued to have a fever the rest of the week and was not able to work or go to school. I lost my voice for a day since I had family calling to ask how I was doing. I was popping ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and cough drops like they were candy. I did get a really awesome surprise on Friday night though. I was talking to Tucker on the phone when I heard my apartment door unlock and saw Tucker standing there! He came back early to see and take care of me! It was so sweet!

Let’s just say I am happy it will be a new week.

The vehicle wrap has finally been finalized! With Adobe Stock, I added some rips, tears, and an image of paper being pulled back to make it look like an unfinished vehicle wrap. I really like my design and so did everyone else! They chose my design over the other graphic designer’s, which was really good! I am so proud of my work! Soon, it will actually be wrapped on the box truck and my design will be driving around town! It is super exciting and makes me feel like a “big-girl” designer! I cannot wait to see it finished!

My sister-in-law is getting married in August. My mother-in-law have been working hard on throwing her a bridal shower in her hometown. She wanted a farmer’s market theme so that’s what we went with! She is “Fresh Off the Market”! She also thought it would be fun to have everyone make their own flower bouquets so we included that as well. It was really fun to plan it, especially since I came up with a lot of the ideas and my mother-in-law paid. We have mason jars for flowers, checkered tableclothes, tin bins for a popcorn bar (specifically requested), croisant sandwiches, fresh fruit/veggies, and the cutest sugar cookies. There is a business in Beresford called Wake and Bake and they make super cute and delicious desserts! We requested some decorated cookies and they will be so cute! I don’t just love designing graphics, I also love designing parties (especially when I don’t have to pay)!

For one of my classes, we needed to present on random topics we pulled from a bowl. The topic I pulled was “Helpful Apps for Media Professionals”. At first, I was a little overwhelmed because there are so many apps that could be helpful for media professionals. Overall this is what I found and presented on:

Category – Inspiration:

Behance:

• Search for inspiration
• Build moodboards
• Connect with other creators
• Search for projects in many different fields
• Hire and get hired for freelancing

Pinterest:

• Search for inspiration
• Build boards for organization
• Share your ideas with others
• Use filters to find exactly what you are looking for
• Follow links to learn more

Content Creation

Adobe Capture

• Allows you to use your mobile device to “capture” images and transform them into vector shapes, match colors, create palettes, identify fonts, create 3D textures, remove backgrounds, and make patterns

Adobe Express

• Customizable video templates
• Generate images with AI
• Remove image and video backgrounds
• Prompt to text
• Brand kits
• Content scheduling
• Quick action tools (resize, convert files, QR codes, and video captions)

Canva

• Quick and easy templates and content to make designs fast
• Editing tools
• Free templates
• Free content
• Print your work from the app

Capcut

• All-in-one video editing tool
• Effects and music
• Keyframe animation
• Smooth slow-motion
• Smart stabilization
• Multi-member editing

Lightroom

• Advanced featrues to edit photos and videos
• Pro camera controls
• Adaptive presents
• AI powered tools

Procreate

• High resolution canvas
• Hundreds of customized brushes
• Layering
• Prescision design tools
• Time-lapse replay

Social Media

Facebook

• Connect with people you know
• Promote businesses
• Join groups with similar interests
• Share life experiences
• Shop for goods

Instagram

• Post your moments
• Keep in touch with others
• Explore your interests
• Cusomize posts with templates, music, filters, etc.

TikTok

• Short form videos
• Personalized algorithm
• Global community of creators
• TikTok Shop
• Editing tools for videos
• Monetize views

X

• Post content
• Stay up to date on news
• Create exclusive content for subscribers
• Join communities

YouTube

• Create your own channel to post your content
• Subscribe to other channels
• Live streaming
• Explore different topics

Social Media Management

Buffer

• Manage posts
• Engage with. audience
• Review analtyics
• Save ideas for later

Hootsuite

• Manage all social media accounts in one place
• Analyze performance
• Schedule posts and create content
• Respond to messages and comments
• Track mentions, keywords, and trends

Communication and Collaboration

Google Drive

• Store and access files
• Filter files
• Scan and upload documents
• Share and set permissions

LinkedIn

• Online resume and CV
• Job search
• Professional and social networking
• Business news

Microsoft Teams

• Connect and manage access as a team through communities, events, calandars, meetings, storage, tasks, and chats

monday.com

• Visual workplace
• Manage, track, and organize
• Analyze data
• Daily/weekly tasks
• Filter information
• Assign task owners

Productivity and Note-Taking

Goodnotes

• Work on the same document
• Sync all notes
• Share links to notebooks
• Customizable pen and notebook options
• Download templates
• Import and export notes

Grammarly

• Correct spelling and grammar
• Writing scores
• Add to your everyday keyboard
• View writing suggestions

Milanote

• Notes and to-do lists
• Drag and drop interface
• Instant syncing on all devices
• Save text, images, and links on the web
• Upload photos

WordPress

• Website builder
• Blog publisher
• Analyze and track stats
• Save ideas and drafts
• Add and search for tags and categories
• Automated sharing

Aduio and Podcasting

Otter.ai

• AI Chat to write emails and get answers
• AI meeting note taker and real-time transcription
• Audio recorder
• Summarizer
• Provide live captioning

Spotify for Creators

• Helps creators grow
• Manage podcasts
• Host and distribute for free
• Get paid for content

Voice Memos

• Portable audio recorder
• Editing tools
• Create layers
• Speech to text feature

News and Research

Citizen

• Real-time safety alerts
• Broadcasting of live events
• Listen to emergency radios
• Monitor locations
• See information about registered offenders in your area
• Missing person alerts

Newsbreak

• Local news
• Breaking news
• Local weather reports
• Personalized feed to follow or block certain news
• Support small news publishers

Security and Privacy

Keeper

• Store unlimited number of passwords
• Access them from nay device
• Autofill across apps
• Encryption from data breaches and cyber attacks

Signal

• Encrypted voice and video calls for up to 40 people
• Group chats up to 1000 people
• Avoid SMS and MMS fees
• Admin permission settings
• Non-profit

Staying up-to-date on the current design trends is important in the world of design. Even though you should create designs that are timeless, it is also important to keep in mind what is currently/going to be popular in design to grab attention and resonate with audiences. After doing some research, these are trends I think will be popular in 2025:

• Conceptual and Abstract Design
• Storytelling Animation
• Emotion-Powered Characters
• New Naturalism
• Retro
• Personalization Design
• Minimal Aesthetics
• Data Visualization
• Creative AI Design
• Creative Letter Typography
• Maximalism
• Contemporary
• Cropped Photos in Custom Shapes
• Bold Minimalism
• Metallics
• Pixels
• Textured Grains

That may seem like a long list but it is good to know when to use specific designs to stand out and relate to audiences. Being a designer means you need to wear many different hats and match designs to content/products.

Since I am in the design field, I like to follow others who work in design. An account I really like is @ollies_doodles on Instagram. He makes posts and videos about different design techniques and tutorials on how to achieve them. I really like his tutorials on how he makes different textures and grains, which gives illustration more depth. I have seen Lemonly use textures in their designs but was not sure on how to achieve the effect until I learned from tutorials. He also makes 3D shapes like cans, LEGO heads, and wrist bands. For one of our classes, we have to make a 10 piece campaign and for one of my pieces I need a wrist band, so his tutorial will come in handy when I am making that. I really appreciate how he takes the time to explain every step so others can follow along. His tutorials are super helpful and inspiring!

Someone else who inspires me is @arynlei on Instagram. She makes tutorials too, but I really love her designs. She made a card deck called “At the Table” and each card is a different table layout from food to ping-pong. I love the concept! I started following when she first started making the card deck, and now it is finished! Of course, I had to buy a deck because I have been following the project so long (and I just love cards).

I made a new vehicle wrap with a panther and person wrapping the vehicle. I showed it to my supervisor and the director, but they did not love the person wrapping the vehicle. Sometimes you just have to actually see it made to know if it will work or not. One of the graphic designers met with me to go over some ideas to try instead. She showed me their Adobe Stock account, so now I have a lot more to work with! She will also be making a wrap to play with some ideas. I have not been looking at the situation as that I am not doing a good job, but that the designs just have not been what they are envisioning. I always take their feedback and critiques back into my next design to make sure it has everything they ask for. Overall, it is a good experience to help me when working with future clients.