It's Alive!

I did it! It happened! The website has officially launched and it is now live. It's really exciting and a great way to finish out my internship. I'm really proud of what I've done and can't wait to share it.

To see everything I've been working on for the last 12 weeks, head over to www.harvest3.com.

Almost the End

This week I worked with Scott and Jack to get the rest of the content put together and onto the website. Now we're in the process of editing and making sure everything is how we want it before it goes live. It's almost kind of hard to commit to such a big thing, but I'm feeling really good about it. And everyone keeps telling me what a great job I've been doing, so that's really encouraging to me.

It's kind of crazy to see all of my hard work over the last few months actually coming together to produce something. This internship has helped me realize what I'm capable of and has taught me how to collaborate with other people to produce a piece of work that everyone involved is happy with.

Next week, we will finalize everything and the website will officially launch. Then my internship will be over and I will take my finals and graduate. It's all so surreal, but I couldn't be more excited to be venturing out into the real world. I'm can't wait to see what the future has in store for me.

They Make That?

I've learned more about medical supplies this week than I ever thought possible. There are things out there that I didn't even know existed. And even with simple things like gloves, there are hundreds and hundreds of different kinds. I'm on medical supply information overload right now but I've learned a lot of really cool stuff.

Figuring out what was necessary for the website and what wasn't is a whole other story, however. I've had help honing in on what needs to be on the website, but I have found it difficult to balance getting the help I need without interfering too much with Scott and Jack's other workload.

That said, I have found my journalism research skills very useful this week. I wanted to include hard facts especially in one particular section of the site and my research skills definitely helped with this. Bobby was looking over what I was able to come up with in that particular section and he was impressed with what I did.

I feel like I got a lot done this week and I'm feeling really proud of what I'm doing. Next week, I should be able to finish the content and start preparing for the website to go live. It's getting real!

Third Time's a Charm

This week I designed three different home pages for the website. Initially, I tried building the website through the hosting site, but I found it to be kind of restricting and limited. I discussed this with Bobby and he gave me the freedom use an outside source instead.

I showed each of my designs to Bobby to see which one he liked best so I more of a direction and as it turns out, he liked the same one I did -- the third one. Each of my designs was very clean and simple, but the third one seemed to be the most effective because it kept the logo on each navigational page, which I find to be very effective in branding.

The more involved I get in building the website and seeing the logo, the more I really like it and am kind of amazed that I was the one who designed it. And to continually hear positive feedback from those who see it speaks volumes.

Next week, I will be working with my supervisor, Scott, and the salesman, Jack, to build all of the content. I already had a fair amount of information, but I think it will be more beneficial to work with them directly while selecting which content to include on the website.

At Least There Was a Beach

This week was another long week. I had to get a lot of my work done early because on Wednesday a group of students left for the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association convention in Corpus Christi.

I am continuing to get positive feedback from everyone Bobby has been showing the logo too. It's exciting to me to see how excited he is about it. It's a big motivation factor for me while building the website. Next week, I'll have to put in extra time to account for the time I lost while at TIPA in Corpus, but it was worth it.

While at TIPA, I competed in an on-site feature writing competition and I also attended four workshop sessions. It was good to be able to coerce with journalists from different schools across Texas. I didn't personally win any awards this year, but it was a good experience for me. I didn't have much free time while we were there, but our hotel was on the beach and I got to spend a couple of hours basking in the sun by the ocean on Friday. That's not something you get to do everyday.

We got back home around 1:00 a.m. this morning and today is my only day of rest before I get back to the real world tomorrow. Today is also my fiancee's birthday, so I'm going to spend the day with him and put off thinking about everything I have to get done this week. After the long week I've had, I think I'm going to need my strength!

I Think We've Got It

I did it! I finished the logo. I showed the adjustments I made to Bobby and he said, "I think we've got it." It felt so good to hear those words. I've been working on this logo for so long that it kind of feels like it's a part of me. Maybe that's how it's supposed to feel. I'm not really sure. But I'm proud of myself for getting it done.

I'm not ready to unveil it just yet. Call me superstitious, but I don't want to jinx it or anything. Especially after all the time that went into it. But I'm starting to work on the website now. I've been doing some research to figure out the best way to present the information and how to make it as user-friendly as possible. I'm definitely going for a less-is-more approach.

One of the sales guys provided me with a lot of information to use and incorporate into the website. And it really was A LOT of information. So I spent most of the week sorting through it and figuring out what was more vital and what wasn't. I think I've about got it sorted out, which is good because my internship is coming closer to the end. I'm ready to see it all come together and I don't think it will be much longer until I do.

A Much Needed Break

I had this week off from my internship because of spring break and it was really nice to have a break. I went to Dallas with Matt and we went to the Omni theatre. I haven't done that since I was in middle school, so that was fun. I also went to Lubbock with my sister for her birthday and we went shopping. A little retail therapy is always nice.

I also did some of my wedding planning. So exciting! I already have my dress and we booked our venue today. Wedding planning in your final semester of college is kind of hard. There's just so much going on. After graduation, I'll put more attention on the wedding but I wanted the major things set before it passed me by.

Next week, I'll get back to finalizing the logo and I'll start building the website. I'm halfway there!

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

A lot has happened in the last week. I finally got the design right! It went in a completely different direction than I ever would have imagined, but it feels so good knowing that it's almost done. Bobby is really excited about it. So excited that he's been showing it to several people and he said it's garnering positive feedback. This makes me more excited because it gives me the sense that I'm doing something right.

I've still got to do some minor tweaking and put the finishing touches on it, but I'm finally in the home-stretch of the logo design. It took me a lot longer than I ever would have imagined, but I feel like branding the company through its logo is the hardest part of my internship.

I'm almost positive that I will finish it early this week, and then I will move on to building the website. Last week, the sales team made a new contact and he oversees several hospitals and has committed to using Harvest 3 for medical supplies. So the demand for a website is definitely there.

Everything that has been happening the week has got me really pumped up. Now I'm feeling refreshed and I'm ready to get back to work. I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel and it feels so good.

Almost There

This week was another long, hard week. Recovering from my wisdom teeth surgery is proving to be difficult and distracting.

I didn't get much done on Tuesday. I found it hard to concentrate on what I was doing, so my time wasn't very productive. On Thursday, I had my follow-up appointment with the oral surgeon. Half of my tongue is still numb, so he put me on more medication and I have to go back again in a couple of weeks.

After my appointment, I met with Bobby to show him what I had been working on and we discussed it further. He likes the direction the logo is going in, but made a suggestion that could really make a big difference in the logo.

I don't want to give it away just yet, but I'm finally feeling good about it. I never would have imagined that designing a logo would take this much time. I really can't wait to get to the final stages of the logo. I'm ready to move on from the logo design and get into the website design. Almost there!

Longest Week Ever

I'm about 103% sure this was the longest week ever. Not only was it Communication Week at WT, a week of events focused on the Communication Department for which I served on the planning committee, but I also had my wisdom teeth taken out on Thursday. Because of this, I had to get in some of my hours for the week early. I continued working on several varying designs, including the shield. On Wednesday evening, I met with Bobby to let him see everything I had been working on. After seeing all of them, we decided to go forward with the shield as the basis for the logo because it makes the most sense in representing a medical company. However, we also took components from a couple of my other designs and decided to sort of mesh it all together. I went in on Thursday morning for my wisdom teeth extraction and I was pretty nervous. They put me under anesthetia and it was over before I knew it. That entire day is a blur. But I do remember crying a lot because of the blood and pain. Before the surgery, I thought I would be able to work some on Friday, but little did I know I was only fooling myself. I spent the next four days in a sedated daze. I'm feeling better today, but still not completely back up to speed. I have a Media Law exam this morning, then I'm going back home to rest. I'm going to need it because tomorrow I will have to get back to work on finishing the logo. Bobby asked that I do my best to have it done this week so I can begin working on a brochure since the demand for one is rising. This week is probably going to be a long one too, but at least in the case of my wisdom teeth situation, it's all downhill from here.

Take 2

I started over this week and made another attempt at coming up with a logo. I started designing one that used a shield to represent the medical field, but once I started filling it with the typography, I wasn't sure if I liked it. So I stepped back and asked the owner, Bobby, if he liked it.

He said he did, but suggested that I made the outline of the shield a little less prominent. I did and he was right. The shield looks better, but I'm still not completely happy with direction of the inside contents so I set it aside for now.

After giving me feedback on the shield, Bobby did some research of his own and found a few examples of logos that he liked. He said that he thinks simpler is better. I'm glad he thinks so, because I completely agree.

Now I'm just working to come up with something simple yet dynamic. I've set my focus more on the typography aspect of the logo rather than the surroundings. Perhaps 'Take 3' will be more promising. After all, the third time's the charm.

Starting Anew

Last Tuesday I started my internship with Harvest 3. Harvest 3 is a new medical supply company in Canyon. Because the company is still in start-up, they had a need to be branded. During the duration of my internship, I will be doing much of the media design for the company including designing a logo, implementing it in business cards and company letterhead, and I will also be designing their website. After taking Dr. Kinsky's Media Design class last semester, I feel confident that I can successfully accomplish these goals.

Last week, I discussed the expectations of the logo with the company. They want the logo to have an old Craftsman-style feel to it. So I spent the first day doing extensive research on design in the Craftsman and Arts & Crafts eras. After I completed my research, I began sketching some rough designs of logos.

So far I've only completed one design and it had mixed reception. The owner didn't feel that it had the look he wants. He told me that he hoped he hadn't offended me, but I assured him that he hadn't as that is a big part of design.

Now I am moving forward with new designs. Hopefully I am able to come up with something this week that is more in the direction of what the owner is looking for. Then I can tweak whichever design he chooses and begin implementing it. I'm really looking forward to creating a design that will represent Harvest 3.

New Beginnings

A lot has changed in the last week and a half. I have both closed old doors and opened new ones. 


I left the company I had been with for the last six and a half years to pursue an internship opportunity for a new company in Canyon, which I start on Tuesday. It was a hard decision to make, but it was time. This is my last semester of college and I think no longer having a full-time job will give me the push I need to find a job in my industry after graduation. I have to admit that packing up my office and the finality of it all was sad. This company has been a big part of my life over the last few years and my coworkers have become part of my family. It felt like an end, but it's really a new beginning. I'm ready for a new adventure. 


Speaking of adventure, I embarked upon another new adventure last Thursday. My boyfriend and I took a long weekend trip to Colorado this weekend. On Thursday, we drove up to the Royal Gorge and I was in complete awe. But as we got the the middle of the bridge over the Royal Gorge, my boyfriend asked me to marry him. Of course I said yes! It was snowing and beautiful and perfect. I still feel like it was all a dream, and I absolutely can't wait to spend the rest of my life with him. I've been waiting a long time to find someone like him and this will be the adventure of a lifetime. 


Here's to new beginnings!