media
meandering
introduction
Hello! My name is Raine Ponce (pronounced just like “rain”) and I am currently studying Digital Media at UCF (University of Central Florida). Specifically, I chose the “Web and Social Platforms” track, and it has definitely been an interesting journey so far! I have always loved creating visual works that express specific ideas, though I did not do this digitally at first. Here is a brief look into my media meanderings, from traditional art to graphic design to digital media.
high school
At Cypress Creek High School, I began exploring digital design and art within my elective classes in addition to taking AP Computer Science. In addition to learning about design principles and creating designs like the pictured brochure, I was able to earn certifications in programs such as Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator in my digital design class. In my art classes, I got to develop my traditional art skills and enter a few art shows. Lastly, in my last two years, I learned how to create and edit videos for the school's National Technical Honor Society.
community college
To follow up on dual enrollment classes taken in high school, I went to complete my A.A. degree requirements at Valencia College. There, I further developed my art and design skills while also gaining more exposure to digital media and art history. The introductory digital media classes allowed for more Adobe program practice and the art history classes increased my appreciation for art, composition, and conveying meaning visually. It was also around this time that I also took more interest in digital art, learning more about Procreate and Photoshop to create some of my assignments, such as the comic shown here.
university
After transferring into the University of Central Florida, I was able to take more digital media fundamental classes in order to officially become a Digital Media major. In these classes, I began learning about HTML and CSS while also gaining a bit more practice with Adobe programs and video editing. I also learned more about the digital creative process as well as how to consider different perspectives of future viewers or clients while creating something. The following semester (this semester), I continued to learn much about HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. This gave me the opportunity to create lots of practice web pages, such as this one, to learn more about the inner workings of websites and the process for designing them.
personal projects
Outside of school, I have also done a few small commissions for friends, which helped give me an idea of how I may collaborate with clients in the future. One of my first commissions was a logo design for one of my friend's entrepreneur competitions for start-ups, and I learned much about how to brainstorm ideas and refine them while keeping my friend's requirements in mind. I followed a similar process to create a book cover for another friend writing a book, and at the time of writing this, I have been working on designing a tattoo for a close friend, and that involves gaining more experience with digital art and vector art. Overall, these experiences have helped me develop my skills in working with others and creating digital media, so I look forward to searching for similar opportunities and experiences in the future!