Alex's Wonders

The Start The origin of my story lies with my birthplace, on the eastern part of Puerto Rico, Juncos. For me, my culture is a valuable asset to my life, and how I live, and is why my life has grown to be quite monumental. From growing up in what we like to call Barrios all I was taught is that what keeps you alive is all you need.    Rough mornings, rough nights, I've always found a way to keep myself happy and active and especially at a very young age. Which makes a lot of connections to how I act today, and how I like to conduct my life. From being a little kid growing up, you don't tend to notice a lot, except for the cartoons you get to watch, from warm mornings you get woken up to, and to the cold nights you get tucked into bed. But for me, I've always seemed to recall tons of memories from my childhood, and how amazing and joyful my days were. From the family constantly visiting, to the crazy parties for my birthday, and all the cool stuff that I wanted to be as a kid...

  Hey y’all! Welcome back to another weekly blog. This week I wanted to shit some to things around so I decided to do some digging. I found some creativity exercise from "Caffeine for the creative mind" and I took a creativity exercise from it and wanted to share it with you guys. What better way to introduce a crazy exercise that’s all about taking what we think we know and flipping it upside down. The prompt goes like this: pick a topic, list three assumptions about it, reverse those assumptions, and then figure out how you’d actually make those reversals happen. It’s a way of shaking the dust off your usual thinking and seeing what new ideas fall out. For this one, I picked “coffee shops.” Here’s where I landed: Assumption 1: Coffee shops are places you go to wake up and get caffeine. Reversal: A coffee shop that puts you to sleep instead . Idea: A “wind-down café” that serves warm herbal blends, has dim lighting, hammocks, and calming music for nap sessions. Yo...

 Instructions Design Your Own Story Arc:  Choose a medium (e.g. a short comic strip or a 1-minute animation) and sketch out a complete story arc. Begin by defining the exposition (who, where), then identify a conflict or inciting incident that kicks off the rising action. Plan a clear climax – the high point of tension or emotion – and a resolution that gives closure. Pay attention to your  emotional arc : under each segment of your outline, note how you want the audience to feel (curious, excited, anxious, relieved, etc.).  Create a simple storyboard or outline illustrating each phase of the arc.  Afterward, review it to see if the character undergoes any change (a mini character arc) and if a theme is suggested by the end. This exercise will help you practice constructing a narrative with a beginning, middle, and end that work together to impact the audience.  Content  In this Exercise I create short comic strips of my stick man characters. ...

 Instructions Do and Discuss one of the following: Design a Brand Identity Storytelling Kit:  Select a local business or create a fictional brand with a strong mission (for example, an eco-friendly café or a neighborhood bookstore). Develop a mini visual identity and storytelling plan for this brand. Start by defining the brand’s core values and story in a few sentences. Then, design (sketch or describe) the key visual elements: the logo, a color scheme, and one example of imagery that fits the story (like a mock advertisement or social media post). Ensure each element reflects the narrative – e.g. if the story is “bringing the community together,” perhaps the logo incorporates a circle of people or a homey symbol, and the photos feature real community gatherings. Write a short rationale (200 words) explaining how your design choices (logo icon, colors, style) convey the brand’s story and emotional tone. This exercise will help you practice uniting visuals with narrative meani...

Welcome back yall! To another weekly creativity exercise blog! this week is going to be a ripper of a week so I cannot wait to show you all what I will create, but without any more distractions. This week’s design stretch is simple: take the blandest item in the room and turn it into something weirdly cool, oddly charming, or straight-up ridiculous whatever feels right. The goal? Give personality to the products that usually don’t get one. Here’s a few goofy makeovers to spark the vibe: Paper Clips → “Clippy Dips” Bright neon clips shaped like funky squiggles, spirals, and little hands doing finger guns. Comes in a matchbox-style case labeled. Tissues → “Sniff Snax” Packaged like snack bags. Each “flavor” has different scents (lavender, eucalyptus, pizza??).  Canned Beans → “Beanie Babyz” Retro ‘90s vibes with holographic labels and collectible mascots for each bean type (Chickpea Chad, Pinto Paula).  Rubber Bands → “Stretchy Bois” Comes in a paint bucket wit...

 Instructions 1 - Either A - Create a poster for an event, cause, or product that shows your understanding and application of Color, Structure, Typography, and Metaphor. Or B - Recreate a poster or Design that you have previously done, showing your understanding and application of Color, Structure, Typography, and Metaphor. 2- Create a detailed blog post that describes your visual choices and how you applied what you learned in Chapters 5-8 to make this poster tell a story. Content Reflection For this Project I wanted to kind of stray away a little bit from what I created last week, and go for a bit of a fun and playful work based around a product. So for this mock ad, I wanted to play with the idea of perspective not just in the product, but in how the image makes you feel at first glance. I placed a simple pair of glasses against a rocky shoreline with the ocean blurred in the background. There’s a calmness to it, but also something reflective, like a pause in motion. The phra...

 Instructions Design a Visual Metaphor:  Choose an abstract idea or theme (for example:  time, freedom, anxiety, hope, or teamwork ). Your task is to represent this idea in a single image using metaphor or symbolism – without relying on text. Start by brainstorming: list objects, scenes or animals that you associate with the idea. Pick one approach and sketch it out or create a simple digital collage. For instance, if your concept is “time flies,” you might draw a clock with wings like a butterfly. If your theme is “brainstorming ideas,” you might show a human brain as a literal storm cloud with bolts of lightning (insights) striking. Be as imaginative as possible – even surreal combinations can work (like  “hope”  as a tiny green sprout growing out of a concrete pavement). After creating your image, write a brief sentence or two explaining the metaphor or symbols you used. This exercise will train you to turn concepts into visuals and ensure that the meaning ca...

 Instructions Choose a brand, company, or social movement and provide a Case Study on a project or campaign. Research the subject, frame the objectives, and deconstruct how the objectives were met through compelling storytelling, utilizing various media. What were the results? What did you learn from this case, and how can you apply what you learned to your designs? pay special attention to Visual Hierarchy, Color, Typography, and Emotional Appeal in your analysis.  "Ready For Girls!"  If you want to do a deep dive on this campaign follow this link here: Ready For Girls? - Lego   So, back in 2021, LEGO launched something called “Ready for Girls.” The goal? Challenge gender stereotypes in play and push for more representation of girls in creativity, engineering, and leadership roles. It wasn’t just a vibe change or a color swap. They released a whole series of kits and campaigns centered on female inventors, artists, builders, you name it. What really got me wa...

Instructions Visual Voice Inventory.  Create a collage or slide show of 8–10 pieces of your past creative work (photos, drawings, designs, etc.). Analyze them as a set: Write down the first words or feelings that come to mind for each piece, then look for patterns. Do certain adjectives repeat? Do you see a consistent color scheme or subject matter? Next, ask a friend or classmate to view the collection and describe what they  feel  is  your  voice or style. Compare it with your own impressions. This inventory will help you identify elements that already make your voice distinctive. Based on this, list three qualities you  want  to emphasize more in your voice (for example: “playful humor,” “bold contrast,” “compassion for outsiders”). This list becomes a conscious target for your future projects.  Content   Reflection   Time Made Visible. Mesmerizing, Temporal, Distorted    Rain  Moody, Dreamy, Quiet ...

  Welcome back y'all! To our weekly creativity exercise, this week’s been kind of mellow, so I wanted to keep the exercise light but still interesting. I ended up trying out something called "Animal Roles." It’s simple: you take about 5 random animals and assign each one a role or job that you think would make sense in our world. It’s more about looking at how their traits or personalities could translate into human spaces.  I picked a few animals that popped into my head and ended up with stuff like: Otter as a barista (something about the vibe felt right) Snail as a DMV worker (slow but steady) Chameleon as a detective (blends in, observant) Raccoon as a janitor on night shift (resourceful, always around when no one’s looking) Giraffe as a traffic control worker (good view of everything) You can be as practical or as out-there as you want. The fun comes from noticing how much we project onto animals and how their natural behavior says a lot more than we th...

 Instructions   1 - Either A - Create a poster for an event, cause, or product that shows your understanding and application of Empathy, Composition, and Storytelling principles. Or B - Recreate a poster or Design that you have previously done, showing your understanding and application of Empathy, Composition, and Storytelling principles. 2- Create a detailed blog post that describes your visual choices and how you applied what you learned in Chapters 1-4 to make this poster tell a story.  Poster  For this project, I had the chance to create a poster of a movement, cause, or event of my liking. Or to recreate an old project of mine. At first I wanted to try and redefine and recreate one of my old projects, but looking back I don't really have any impactful type of creations..... But that's no worry. The image you see is made after a mental awareness movement. Since Men's Mental Awareness month recently passed past I wanted to try and give it a go with an organiza...

 Instructions you can use any software you like, or you can use a pencil or pen and paper. If you choose to do this as a hand-drawn exercise, please ensure that you adjust your images so they appear crisp and properly corrected in your post. Storyboard with Composition Variations . Draw a 3-panel story comic (stick figures and simple shapes are fine). Scenario: A person faces a problem and then a solution (could be as simple as “spilled coffee on papers -> friend helps -> all good”). Now create two different compositions of the  same scenes : one that emphasizes the conflict dramatically and one that downplays it. For example, in the conflict scene (coffee spill), dramatic version: show the person small surrounded by huge looming coffee spill using a diagonal angle (imbalance, lots of mess, maybe tilted horizon). For a tamer version: maybe a centered, flat angle shot where the spill looks minor. In the resolution scene, dramatic version migh...

 Instructions Choose a brand, company, or social movement and provide a Case Study on a project or campaign. Research the subject, frame the objectives, and deconstruct how the objectives were met through compelling storytelling, utilizing various media. What were the results? What did you learn from this case, and how can you apply what you learned to your designs?  "Silence is not an option."   If you want to take a deep dive on what was said and stated by the Ben&Jerry's team, follow this link: "Silence is not an Option"   When I started on my search for companies where to do my case study with I ended up looking into Ben & Jerry’s . They’ve done more than just make creative flavors with funny names and crazy flavors. Back in 2020, during the height of the Black Lives Matter movement, they didn’t do what most brands were doing with vague posts or one-line statements. They dropped a full-on stateme...

 Instructions   Exercise 1: Mini Narrative Panels.  Think of a  simple everyday scenario  – for example, “running late for class,” “losing and finding a pet,” or “preparing for a school presentation.” Your task is to  tell that story in 3–5 frames or panels, without using any text  (imagine it like a short comic strip or storyboard). Step 1:  Identify the  story elements  in your scenario. Who is the  character  (maybe a student, a pet owner)? What is the  setting  (a dorm room, a park, a classroom)? What’s the  conflict  or problem (alarm didn’t go off, the pet ran away, stage fright)? What emotions will you convey (panic, sadness, excitement)? And what’s the  resolution  (they catch the bus just in time, find the pet at the neighbor’s, deliver a successful presentation)? Jot these down. Step 2:   Sketch the panels.  Panel 1 should set up the character and setting clearly. Panel 2 (and 3...

  Welcome back y’all to the weekly creativity blog.  This month is going to be a fantastic one and following said vibe, This week’s exercise is all about combining the random with the everyday.  The challenge is simple: pick three regular items around the house and combine them into something totally new , then build a short story around whatever that new thing becomes. No rules, no limits just take what you’ve got and let your imagination run. So I started brainstorming: What could you make if you grabbed, say, a flashlight, a mason jar, and a shoelace? With that combination all of a sudden its not three wacky items its now a,  glow jar communicator left behind by a traveler from another timeline. Or imagine a spoon, an old phone case, and a rubber band turning into a noise-canceling snack spoon that only lets you hear peaceful sounds while you eat? These items dont create themselves, and these stories dont all come from one place.  But even with all these ...

  Welcome back y’all to the weekly creativity blog. This week I came across a challenge from the book Caffeine for the Creative Mind that really had me thinking. The task was simple: come up with a creative solution using non-traditional thinking. Not solve a problem the regular way, but flip it, twist it, and find a completely different approach. So I started wondering: What if I had to set up a workspace without using any normal furniture—no desk, no chair, nothing made for working? It sounded impossible at first, but then the ideas started rolling in. Like, what if I flipped a laundry basket upside down and used a wooden board to create a standing desk? It's weird, but the more I pictured it, the more it made sense.  Or maybe I could hang a clothesline across my room and clip up notes, tools, or even reminders—a whole floating task wall.  And then I thought about rolling up a yoga mat and propping it between crates to use as a soft leaning board, maybe even pinning...