Katalyst Design Emporium

Instead of rehashing what I've learned this week, I decided to take a more personal approach and tell you about my wedding planning process and how design plays a major role.  I noticed how much what I’ve been learning about design is showing up in the wedding planning process, especially when I look at our mood board, and how what I've learned in class has made the process easier.  The mix of black, deep reds, purples, and those softer accents like lavender and dusty rose creates a balance between drama and softness, which was made easier knowing that we've learned color theory. It does not feel overwhelming because the darker tones are grounded by the lighter ones. Seeing it laid out like that made me think more carefully about how color choices affect mood and how important it is to keep a palette consistent across everything. Hierarchy is important in all aspects of the decor, as well as any stationary. The castle, the florals, and the candlelit tables immediately draw ...

The “Two-Minute Swap” Time: 2 minutes Materials: None Steps: Pick two random things.  (Example: lamp + plant) Swap one feature between them.  (The lamp grows, the plant gives off light) Write one sentence about the new idea. When I tried this exercise, this was my result: Objects: Mirror and clock Swap: Mirror tells time Idea:  A mirror that subtly displays the time within the reflection, so you can check it without looking at a separate device. What I learned: This exercise showed me how easy it is to generate ideas when I keep it simple. Just swapping one feature was enough to get something started without overthinking it. It made the process feel quick and low-pressure, which actually helped me be more creative. A  lot of ideas come from mixing things that already exist. 

This week, we learned how HTML and CSS work together to build and style a web page. HTML creates the structure and organizes the content, while CSS controls how everything looks. Breaking it down this way made it easier to understand what each part is responsible for and how they connect. I spent time working with embedded stylesheets and inline styles, and I can see how each one has its place. Inline styles are useful for quick, specific changes, while embedded styles help keep everything consistent across the page. I also worked more with selectors, which made it easier to apply styles to multiple elements at once instead of repeating the same code. I learned how important structure is. Putting elements in the correct sections, like keeping content in the body and styles in the head, makes the page function properly. Small details like spacing, indentation, and alignment also make a noticeable difference in how the page reads. This connects to design and graphic arts because it uses ...

The “Connect the Dots” Exercise Time: 3–5 minutes Materials: Paper + pen (or notes app) Steps: Write down 5 random things.  They can be anything. Draw a line between two of them and explain how they’re connected  (even if the connection is weak or weird). Keep connecting until everything is linked in some way. Turn the full chain into one idea. Write 2–3 sentences describing a concept that uses all of them. When I tried this exercise, this was my result: Words: Rain, sneakers, coffee, traffic, music Connections: Rain > sneakers: wet shoes Sneakers > traffic: commuting Traffic > coffee: morning routine Coffee > music: listening while driving A morning commute kit designed for rainy days, combining waterproof sneakers, a secure coffee holder, and a built-in audio setup to make traffic more tolerable. What I learned: This exercise helps build ideas step by step instead of all at once. Instead of forcing one large concept, you create smaller connections that naturally...

This week made me realize how much control design has over how something is experienced. I’ve been focusing on layout and typography, and it’s made me notice how small choices affect everything.  Working in InDesign helped that click for me. While working on my brochure project, I had to think about how someone would move through the information instead of just placing everything on the page. The order of content, the spacing between sections, and the way text and images interact all played a role. It made me pay attention to flow in a way I hadn’t before. I recognized how important consistency is, especially in my final project. Keeping the same type choices, spacing, and styles throughout made the whole project feel cohesive. Using cohesive fonts helped create a clear look, and it showed me how typography affects the overall tone of a design.  The cookbook project also reinforced this. Since it had a specific theme, I had to make sure every page followed the same visual styl...