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MFA Mastery Journey Reflection

Mastery (month 1)

The biggest takeaway I have from the Mastery course, is a sense of affirmation regarding the direction I have decided to take in my “life journey”. I chose to do the MFA program at Full Sail because it provided a skill set that I was lacking on the creative side of my marketing tools. As an independent marketing consultant, majority of my clients expected the “visual” production from me, not the research.  As a fashion designer, I would get frustrated by not knowing how to go about producing successful design assets myself since I did not have the funds to hire someone else to do it.  Full Sail is a distinguished learning institution in the creative arts and knew I would benefit a great deal by attending this university.

Studying mastery concepts suggested by Robert Greene, set the tone for my thought process throughout the program. For example, Greene’s concept of the “A-B-C syndrome”; the process of only considering a certain group of options, omitting any other possible solutions.  This concept help me understand the benefit of having multiple solutions to solve a problem, even those beyond what I would typically consider. For my thesis website, I considered a combination of two design layouts for the overall design of the project after trying to make just one design layout work that had been unsuccessful.

Defining Client Needs (month 2)

The most helpful technique I learned in the Defining Client Needs course was the mind map.  Throughout grade school and college, we have used the term “brainstorming” when engaged in individual or group thinking to come up with as many ideas as possible.  Mind mapping challenges not only the intellectual thought process but also the creative.  It helped learn further my understanding of word and visual associations which became a tool to gather and organize information quickly, providing a single look at many aspects of a project.  I used this process when developing the community brand logo and was able to achieve a design solution much quicker than with the Kyoto project.  This allowed me time to practice the skill of turning a drawing into vector art with a higher level of satisfaction with the design outcome. I did not consider using this process during my thesis project, instead I attempted to do a traditional outline which lacked the visual component. If I incorporated the mind mapping process for the thesis project, I believe it would have helped reduce the stress of developing the visual and content in a timely and efficient manner. Since it is second nature for me to use the traditional outline process, I will attempt to use the mind mapping process first in future creative projects.

Brand Development (month 3)

The brand development course introduced logo production, vector art, and Adobe Illustrator.  This most beneficial exercise was developing 100 mini sketches.  Like mind mapping, the idea was to get as many creative visual ideas from mind to paper as possible.  My strength in this process was the fact that I had no storage of ideas, but me weakness was inability to produce a 100 quality images.  I focused more on the actual drawing than the number of drawings. In other words, I spent too much time on the wrong objective.  I believe that was also a downfall when completing my thesis project. I pondered too much over the minor details for too long (such as typography for the titles), instead of producing small pieces at a time then connecting them.  Another daunting task for me was learning how to use Adobe Illustrator in time to complete the requirements of the assignment.  Nevertheless, I am very proud of my new understanding and ongoing practice and skill in using illustrator.  

Effective Copywriting (month 4)

In effective copywriting, I learned a new thought process to aid with visual and content association.  In this course, I concentration more on creative content. In the beginning, I tried to focus on both visual and content at the same time which caused a lot of stress and effected the quality of the project as a whole.  During the revision process, I focused on the story I wanted to tell, then paired it with the image.  I believe that mind mapping would have certainly helped in this project as well because it helps develop word associations with the research conducted, then moves the creative thoughts to the visual.  Again, had used the mind mapping process, I would have been able to make creative decisions faster.  I am proud of the fact that I am able to understand the concept of copywriting as it was foreign to me at first.

Design Research (month 5)

In design research I learned how to establish a solid voice and tone in order to write an effective narrative. Distinguishing the difference between developing a theme to guide the design process and understanding the client was essential in my success in this course.  The objective for me was not understanding the client, in this course the client was Kyoto, but understanding the conveying the design process FORthe client. I began picking adjectives that the theme (the message) was to convey. At first, I was describing the client and not the design. I most proud of how I was able to articulate the exact theme I envisioned and find inspiration that really guided my thought process and design decisions throughout the process.  I used this in my thesis projection, page 2, which received the highest grade of all the DLO’s in my thesis.

Organizational Structure (month 6)

I learned how to create animation using Adobe After Effects.  This was my toughest course because of my lack of experience with animation, creating a storyboard, and using after effects.  I discovered that using the five-part Freytag’s Pyramid to develop a storyboard served me better than Liz Blazer’s three act story structure, from the course reading, because Freytag’s Pyramid gave a specific point to introduce the problem/conflict of the story whereas Blazer’s structure only implied it in act 2. I also used George Felton’s process of breaking down the narrative, sentence by sentence in order to find the human story in the brand’s narrative (Felton, 2017, pg. 80).  These new concepts will help me in storytelling whether it’s for motion or print campaign. During my thesis project, I fell back on my “intellectual” processes instead of using these creative storytelling techniques when developing the content for each page. I am proud of the animation I created; using the 2.5 parallax animation to create motion with still images and how much I learned about after effects in such a short time. Moving further, I will continue to practice the skills learned in this course as it will be heavily unitized when creating video content for website and social media in my own business.  

Design Strategies & Motivation (month 7)

The primary takeaway from the design strategies and motivation course was the process of determining how to identify and solve a design problem.  This will help me professionally when conducting marketing consultations and discussion design strategies.  As a fashion designer, I can use the techniques learned when developing collection concepts. The most successful part was finding an effective way to articulate the problem statement.  After I was able to hone in on the problem, then I was able to develop viable solutions. Moving forward, I will focus on understanding the problem immediately following client research.  I did not consider following this concept when developing my thesis project.  After I grasped an understanding of the DLO’s from the live sessions with the professor, I should have begun a mind mapping exercise with the objective of solving the design problem; how to deliver persuasive content providing I mastered the DLO’s. Instead, I approached the thesis project in a manner that did not follow a solid organizational design process structure that could have reduced stress, come to design decisions faster, and stronger content.

Design Integration (month 8)

Design Integration taught me how to organize a project using a design brief as well as sharpen my research and critical thinking skills.  The objective is to go beyond my own understanding and reach for proofs of concept to build a stronger design concept that would transition into an effective solution the client will approve of.  This course acted as a practical simulation of what solving design problems in the real world is like.  Equipped with new competencies in client research, brand development, storytelling, copywriting, multiple techniques in visual and content associations, I felt confident in my approach with the rebrand development of Lake Alfred, Florida as well as future projects in my professional career.  I had not recognized these new competencies during my thesis project because of the lack of ability to determine a design layout quickly which would have left more time to reach other decisions in visual and content that would have strengthened the overall project.

Multi-Platform Delivery (month 9)

I discovered how design communicates through various media assets as well as determining which assets are appropriate to pursue. Even in design the state runs true that you cannot be everything to everyone. This is where some of my marketing research skills helped me when determining which assets worked well for my client.  When completing my thesis project, it was important to choose aspects of the various projects completed throughout the program to aid in the overall persuasive objective. I determined that it would be better to focus on one project in order to maintain a simple, cohesive presentation, however, it did not take me long to realize that I did not feel as if I produced strong results that I thought best demonstrated my mastery. However, I believe if I approached my project in some of the ways I have previously mentioned, I would have been able to create a strong presentation using the most successful body of work already produced and pairing it with strong content to back my claim.

Measuring Design Effectiveness (month10)

As in any consumer-based profession, gaining feedback on effectiveness is essential to determining whether the approach is actually successful or not.  Due to my experience with questionnaires and surveys, I was the least stressed in the course, however, I did learn a few techniques that would make creating an effective questionnaire and survey to ensure I get the answers I intended.  I learned the importance of question order and how it influences respondent behavior and interest. Again, knowing what to measure, this is, identifying the problem or in this case, identifying what information is needed from the survey, is the driving force of achieving the objective. I am very proud of the survey I conducted because I was able to receive the exact information I sought out for and in a manner that influenced people to respond and respond honestly. I was not suck with any useless data, just for the sake of having data.

Thesis Presentation (month 11)

Going into the thesis presentation, I was a bit disappointed in learning what was required.  I thought the thesis process would be designed to allow up to put together our own thesis from scratch, however, I do understand the benefit of having a “controlled” program in order to measure effectiveness of the DLOs from a large amount of students in a short period of time. I was the most stressed out during this process largely due to my personal environment in which I had to perform and being mentally burnt out by the time this process started.  I wished it had been revealed and reiterated throughout the program how each course could prepare you for the thesis project. I am most proud of the combination of web layouts I decided to use for the presentation. Unfortunately, it took me a too long to come to the conclusion that combining the asymmetrical layout with the “hero image” with the radial symmetry would solve my design dilemma.  My problem was not in understanding the objective of the project, it was my inability to plan well and make decisions quickly.  I simply ran out of time. By the time I became well organized, it was too late to implement successfully.  I will continue to work on the presentation until I receive a satisfactory response from the professors even after the program ends because it means a great deal to me as a student and professional.

Professional Practice (month 12)

I have the most appreciation for the professional practice course because of the important discussion of ethics.  The topics sparked many conversations with follow colleagues, friends, and family and provided reassurance that there is hope still for the future of communication.  I also enjoyed creating the experience map as a tool of personal reflection.  I am most proud of the background graphics that I developed because I was able to reach a design decision quickly and able to use my new skills with planning and practice with illustrator to produce the design concept as I intended literally in less than an hour.  This is coming from someone who began completely unfamiliar with illustrator and digitizing hand drawings. As I mentioned in my experience map, I feel like a real designer now.

My final experience map:

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Thesis Presentation Reflection

Takeaway #1

The biggest takeaways from this month will be what I have learned about preparing website layouts.  Four web design layouts were sketched in order to get a visual of how content and images will be organized and of those four layouts 2 were chosen as the best fit for the project.  By combining the “hero image” asymmetric layout with the radial layout, I was able to obtain the ideal look and feel desired for the web pages. 

The different techniques to creating a well balanced website were an added competency. I will continue to strengthen my skills and expertise in creating symmetric, asymmetric, and radial websites. It is important that my skills in the subject is fine-toned in order to remain relevant in the digital media industry and stand out from other designers. As well as developing the means of creating unique media designs for future clients.

Takeaway #2

Another important takeaway from this month is persuasive storytelling. I never though of using the storytelling writing style in order to persuade the reader. Nevertheless, doing so creates more interesting read and more interesting process as a designer.  It also allowed me to gain a new skill in both persuasive writing as well as storytelling as the two work very well together not only convey a message but provide an illustration that is both engaging and informative. 

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Questionnaire Takeaways

I have conducted several surveys throughout my academic experienced and have gained new insight and skills after completing the questionnaire process for this project.  First, I have a new understanding of how important it is to know what you are measuring. Determining exactly what information is critical to the success of the project requires an in-depth analysis and understanding of the project’s goal.  In my experience, understanding consumer behavior in any project that is customer driven takes precedence. It is not enough to just know who your target audience is, but having the ability actually predict how your target audience will likely respond is one of the keys for success.

During the questionnaire development stage, knowing what questions to ask is determined by what is needed for the project, however, determining in what order to ask such questions is the second skill I have gained.  It is a general consensus that respondents tend to lose interest fairly quickly when completing surveys, especially when they are long (Lloyd, 2018).  I have learned to order questions in such a way that captures interest as well as provide quality answers, much like storytelling. Interesting enough, experts such as those from the Harvard University Program on Survey Research suggest putting demographic questions towards the end of the survey in order to avoid making a respondent uncomfortable with such personal questions in the beginning.  However, others suggest putting qualifier questions in the beginning to avoid having respondents outside of the target audience completing the survey (DeFranzo, 2013).  This brings to me my third biggest takeaway, analyzing the correct respondents’ answers. In the past, I considered all respondent answers when compiling data from a survey, however, when focusing on a specific target audience, the only data considered should be from the desired audience.  Only 17 out of the 31 respondents in this project’s survey actually fit into the target audience. Data analysis will be affected if you avoid separating the targeted audience from the whole; yielding information that may not be useful to the overall success of the project.

Target Audience Summary    vs.    Summary of ALL Respondents

References:

DeFranzo, S. (2013, March 19). Plan the Order and Flow of All Your Survey Quesitons. Retrieved from Snap Surveys: https://www.snapsurveys.com/blog/plan-order-flow-survey-questions/

Lloyd, S. (2018, December 10). The 10 Commandents For Writting Good Surveys and Questions. Retrieved from Qualtrics: https://www.qualtrics.com/blog/good-survey-questions/

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Multi-Platform Delivery Reflection

Connecting / Synthesizing / Transforming

The past 3 months of the program consisted of a city branding project. This project combined the use of all of the skills I have learned in the previous classes and place them in an applied concept. Each month progressed in the branding process.  First, we searched for potential locations for branding by using Google maps only.  

Four areas were selected for potential branding. I went to visit each location and gathered photo documentation. After reviewing the photos and reflecting on each location, I decided to continue the project with Lake Alfred (location 2).  I chose this location because:

·     The area was not already well known

·       The area consisted of a well-defined residential population

·       The area consisted of local businesses that supported the community

Problem Solving

Lake Alfred is undergoing a massive downtown redevelopment plan aimed to provide the city with additional services, a sort of city update.  With all of the new development and excitement over new business entering the area, the city’s current identity was still very old and outdated. The biggest challenge was homing in on the design problem and properly articulating it. I came to my initial design problem after interviewing a few locals during the early phase of research.  

My initial design problem statement:

The residents of Lake Alfred lack an appreciation and clear understanding of what kind of city Lake Alfred is and what it provides to its residents. This problem creates a negative perspective of the city causing residents to generally feel unsatisfied with the overall quality of life. This can cause a disconnect with the city officials and city residents that may lead to a decline in population and poor decision making by city officials that cause an adverse effect for the city.

However, with further research and having the opportunity to speak with city government employees, I concluded that there is a disproportion between the demographic groups in the city and their needs and wants.  Many of the officials have held multiple positions including serving as city mayor or vice mayor at some point, thus, a lack a fresh perspective is introduced since the same people and there are ideas continued to circulate with little change. Understanding that “since brand identity is the core of the brand, it should only be changed when absolutely necessary” (AMW, 2018), I determined that a new brand identity was needed to aid in the ability to successfully balance the needs and wants of both the retiree population and family groups.

My Revised Problem Statement:

There is a social disconnection between the two largest demographic groups in Lake Alfred, retirees aged 65 years and older and families. The city’s old-town charm is a favorable characteristic among both demographic groups however, there are different expectations and perceptions of the community between them.  Finding a way to bond the old with the new will improve the unity among the residents in the community. 

Innovative Thinking 

It was evident that the city’s current brand identity leaned toward traditional.  The circular city seal that is recognized among hundreds of city brands. It was important that I kept some of the traditional elements of the city in order to maintain the connection with the retiree population and long-term residents such as the circular shape and the bass fish, city’s mascot.  However, I was also important to introduce a brand identity that complimented the city’s physical changes as well as attracted family groups within the younger age range among parents and children. I decided to create circular shape in the text without including an actually circle to differentiate the city’s logo. Using a brighter color palette and gradient effects is one of the industry trends that I felt would bring the brand current while not reaching too far, losing the older local population. Creating a simpler design allowed room for minor variations as the city continued to grow and change instead of undergoing a complete rebranding.

Acquiring Competencies

Overall, I learned how to effectively edit a brand design that is engineered towards fixing a problem and not just something pretty.  The concept of the “design problem” in the creative realm is new to me, however, it has filled a gap in skills I acquired during my undergraduate marketing program.  The process of brand development during marketing strategy is completely different than the creative process and yet they serve the same purpose.  Completing my first Brand Guide furthered my knowledge and skill set in the branding development process on the creative side. The brand guide is similar to the marketing plan in that it is a summary of months of research and development.

Lake Alfred Brand Guide Link:

https://issuu.com/home/published/lake_alfred_brand_guide/file

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25 posts!

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My Lake Alfred Dynamic Vision Board

I plan to redo this video and I develop my video editing skills. 

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Design Integration Reflection

In Design Integration, I learned how to determined and recognized projects that can benefit from design problem-solving.  

Connecting/Synthesizing/Transforming

In the beginning, we picked small surrounding areas of our community or metropolitan area that could benefit from brand development.  Initially, the internet was primarily used to research the surrounding areas of the Winter Haven – Lakeland metropolitan area located in central Florida.  I chose 4 areas to conduct further research: Jan Phyl Villiage, Lake Alfred, Lake Hamilton, and Cypress Gardens.

After visiting each area, I determined that Lake Alfred would be the best area to focus the remainder of the project.  The other areas were either too under developed such as Jan Phyl Village which consisted mostly of under develop land, little to no local business or schools, and no organized infrastructure.  Then you have Cypress Gardens which was very well established with plenty of surrounding businesses, residential areas, and a popular reputation as home of Legoland, Florida.  Although Cypress Garden is not an established city or township, the area does not need branding.  Lake Hamilton and Lake Alfred both had some sort of established government (Lake Hamilton established itself as a township and Lake Alfred is an established city). I visited each area at least twice taking pictures and driving around.  I determined that Lake Hamilton was small enough to recognize its own problem, primarily the lack of community unity. Further research into their township community meetings showed that they were actively working towards fixing their problem. The left Lake Alfred which had deep historical roots and fairly large population of over 5,000 people.  However, when visiting the city, there is an obvious disconnect between the city’s perception with its residents and its city officials.

My Problem Statement:

The residents of Lake Alfred lack an appreciation and clear understanding of what kind of city Lake Alfred is and what it provides to its residents. This problem creates a negative perspective of the city causing residents to generally feel unsatisfied with the overall quality of life.  This can cause a disconnect with the city officials and city residents that may lead to a decline in population and poor decision making by city officials that cause an adverse effect for the city.

City officials of Lake Alfred seemed to portray a city that is well connected and unified, however, when visiting the city, it seems more so that the city officials have one perception of what they want Lake Alfred to be and the residents have another.  During interviews with residents, visitors, and employees, I learned that majority of the them either did not know of or only know very little about the city’s 2030 Downtown Master Plan which is explained in detail on the city’s website. This was also an indication that media delivery plans the city was using was ineffective.

Lake Alfred website                                       

Lake Alfred Facebook Page

Innovative Thinking / Acquiring Competencies

To get an idea of how the industry was creating city brands, I did a little online research of other city websites and design briefs.  My novice experience with design programs and skill level and video and photograph editing left me at a disadvantage to incorporate innovative designs by the time the assignment was due.  However, I plan on reworking my designs in order to better reflect my vision. I have learned about different animation techniques that work well with environmental images that I really wanted to use such as the parallax effect and motion graphic.  There are a few video editing techniques I am developing my skills, such as stabilization and tracking.  

Innovative Inspiration: Central Florida Website

https://visitcentralflorida.org 

My Static Vision Board:

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Mastery Reflection:  Design Strategies and Motivation

Connecting/Synthesizing/Transforming

           The research conducted in this course required the use of my undergraduate tools in business and marketing, however, it was explored in a creative way. First part of the research was primarily computer base. Researching surrounding areas for a community or small town that needed brand development. Utilizing Google Maps to get a board look at the surrounding areas to find hidden areas was a technique that I appreciated and had not considered before.  It was very helpful when it came to making a decision of areas to consider instead of wasting time trying to drive around looking for areas or relying solely on local knowledge of the surrounding areas as a means of choosing possible locations.

Location Choices:

1.    Jan Phyl Village

2.    Lake Alfred

3.    Lake Hamilton

4.    Cypress Gardens

After choosing the locations and conducting photo documentation of each location, I was surprised to discover the that least likely place would be the area I ended up choosing.  Since I drive through Lake Alfred everyday just to get home, I assumed it was not a place worth continuing with, however, I discovered that it had the most potential.  The ability to identify a client that needs the help I can provide was essential to the success of this 3-month project and I am confident that I chose the correct location.

Final Location Choice:

Problem Solving

The design problem that needed to be solved was how to create an effective digital presence that expressed Lake Alfred’s best attributes and revitalize pride within the city’s residents.  There is a misconception of the city’s perception among its residents due to the city’s inability to attract their residents’ interest.  One of the reasons this problem exists is because of the lack of access to someone who is skilled in digital media and graphic design which is apparent when looking at the city’s website and Facebook page.

My Problem Statement:

The residents of Lake Alfred lack an appreciation and clear understanding of what kind of city Lake Alfred is and what it provides to its residents. Creating a digital ad campaign complete with photographs and video displaying more of the city views, lakes, community, and local events, will offer a visual perspective and encourage a favorable emotional response.

Innovative Thinking

My innovative thinking did not came in the beginning, but rather much later in the process after I was able to gain a more focused direction in how to solve the problem.  The main challenge in this project is that the client is a city or town instead of a specific location or a business.  There is no “product” to design for, it is the overall community and its residence.  It is not about promoting tourism or a brand for the outside world, promoting within the local community and to the local community. As the project progresses, I have chosen to utilize innovative techniques in media design that I have acquired in past courses such as the use of photo animation and parallax affects to develop a brand identity that gives off a tourist-like feel but solely for the purpose of increasing residential moral not bringing in tourist. I hope to achieve this by revisiting the city to take pictures that reflect the more creative and unique aspects of the city and working harder to gain permission to take photos local residence on a closer more personal level.

Acquiring Competencies

I have not acquired any new technical skills this early in the process of the project. However, I have acquired a new research skill in photo documentation.  Since this was the first time I have ever done photo documentation, I now understand the importance of knowing what direction you want to go and what it is you want to communicate early in the process.  I look forward into revisiting the city with a new eye and perspective of the project concept.

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Organizational Structure

Mastery Reflection

Connecting, Synthesizing, and Transforming

In Organizational Structure, I learned about how to convert my static vision into a motion graphic. The first step was to develop a storyboard.  In my research, Nicole D’Angelo, a magazine editor and writer, suggested using the five-part Freytag’s Pyramid as a base to develop a storyboard.  I found that using this method better than Liz Blazer’s Three Act Story Structure because the Freytag’s Pyramid gave a specific point to introduce the problem/question/conflict of the story whereas Blazer’s three-act structure only applied it in act 2.  I started the storyboard process by breaking down my narrative, taking each sentence apart in order to find the human story in the brand (Felton, 2017, pg. 80).  In my initial storyboard, I sought to create a character that would not only guide the viewer through the graphic, but also help with invoking excitement by animating the red circle, giving it personality.  Unfortunately, I had two things wrong; the first was the intended emotion from my narrative.  I decided to reach for excitement, however, going back to when voice and tone was established in the narrative, some of the descriptive words I chose derived from word marvel (Felton, 2013). I realized that the emotion my narrative conveys is amazementnot excitement.  I was able to further my understanding of word choice and how it relates to the voice/tone of the project.

Freytag’s Pyramid

Standard Story Structure                                Informative Story Structure

           Three-Act. Story Structure

My initial Storyboard

Problem Solving

Yet again my biggest design problem was finding a way to convey such a complex narrative in a motion graphic.  My narrative told the story of the marriage of old and new Kyoto. Finding video footage that complemented the images for the motion graphic made creating the dynamic vision board difficult.  I ended up using primarily only images.  Using a 2.5D Parallax Effect for the final motion graphic was the best way to solve this problem because I was able to use my images to create a motion graphic that consisted of continuous motion to keep the viewer engaged.

My Initial 2.5D Parallax Storyboard

Innovative Thinking

Using the 2.5D Parallax animation technique allows me to animated still images in a unique way in order to produce a motion graphic without having live video footage.  Currently, the 2.5D Parallax effect is not used as much a video in brand marketing, however, there are many ways to add cinematic footage to still images such as rain, snow, smoke, and fire, that aids in bringing the 2-dimentional image into a 3-dimentional motion experience.  

Acquiring Competencies

Being a complete notice in animation, I gained a significant set of new skills in using animation for branding.  I also learned how to determine which animation techniques works best for the project or brand I am working with.  For this Kyoto project, the 2.5D Parallax animation works best simply because a photograph can say a thousand words which keeps my motion graphic high on rich images instead of overloaded with text.  However, the other forms of motion graphics such as cinemagraphs (best for creating unique GIF’s) and motion posters (best for film advertisements).

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Design Research Reflection

Synthesizing

The beginning of the Kyoto project was very designed focused.  Starting with logo design and vision boards which allowed me to create in my own way.  In copywriting, I learned how to add content with images and design for my client instead of myself.  In design research, I connected the most with the establishing a solid voice/tonein order to write an effective narrative. George Felton describes voice as “a brand’s personality as expressed in language” (Felton, 2013, pg. 103). My initial research about Kyoto was primarily external such as landscape, location, and architecture. In order to discover Kyoto’s personality, I had to research the city’s internal aspects such as its heritage and how it effects the people who live there and those who visit. Determining a theme and picking adjectives for the theme, not the city, allowed me to hone in on the perfect voice/tone.

           Theme Choices (rejected):     Wisdom * Forward Progression

                                                           Progression while Preserving

Final Theme:  Cultural Evolution

Adjectives:      Legacy, Ancestry, Origin, Transcend, Refinement, Avant-Garde

Once I was able to choose a theme and find words that accurately describes the desired feeling, I was able to write a better narrative.  Writing a narrative is an art form in storytelling (Felton, 2013).  Going beyond tourist-like slogans and catch phrases, narratives give deeper details that from beginning to end which is exactly what I needed to do without giving a full report.

Original Narrative:

Be guided through both worlds of Kyoto.  Let it all go in the peaceful zen gardens.  Experience up close authentic shrines and temples dressed in traditional kimonos.  Then travel with the speed of light over to modern culture, technology and architecture.

Final Narrative:

Journey through the city of Kyoto as it transcends into 21stcentury modernism while preserving ancient Japanese legacy.  Witness the refinement of ancestral land, zen gardens, and imperial architecture. Emerge from traditional to the progressive avant-garde streets of new Kyoto.  Experience luxury, innovation, and the origins of it all in one place. Kyoto.

Problem Solving:

My biggest design challenge was to find a way to marry old Kyoto and new Kyoto visually and in content.  My inspiration was Marvel’s Black Panther.  Unlike the fictions story, Kyoto is still trying to change the common perceptive of being an old city.  Although the city prides itself on being the culture center of Japan, it also wants the world to know that they are able to influence cutting-edge design in technology, fashion, culinary arts, and architecture.  Kyoto is already known as the city to embrace the first of many changes known in Japan today. It was suggested that I chose between old Kyoto and new Kyoto to focus this project on but I knew that the client wanted to express itself entirely not in pieces.

Inspiration: Marvel’s Black Panther

Visually, finding images that expressed Kyoto’s tradition in a modern way was not easy at first because I was doing image searches basic on either tradition or modern culture instead of the combination.  I used my cultural evolution theme to find images which brought me to several visuals that matched with the theme. Visual hierarchy became the focus of developing my concept. Janie Kliever provided six basic principles to creating an effective visual hierarchy:

1.     Using Size to Enhance (or reduce) Visibility

2.     Color and Contract: Direct Viewer’s Attention

3.     Typographic Hierarchy: Start with 3 levels to organize your design

4.     Fonts: Choose typeface categories and styles carefully

5.     Space: Give your layout balance, flow, and focus

6.     Composition: Give your design structure

To establish my visual hierarchy, I had to determine the order of importance of my “characters” in my narrative.  I determined that the people and the city were the focus, but I wanted to guide my viewer in such as way they see all of Kyoto, the old and new and how it has evolved.

Initial Vision board:

Final Vision Board

Innovative Thinking

Unfortunately, I did not believe I applied innovative design choices. Although I decided to use parallax scrolling in my responsive web design, it does not seem to qualify as being innovative.  I spent a large portion of the time researching to find an effective concept along with images and content to connect.  I am still a novice in most of the Adobe design software, so another large amount of time went towards learning how to get the software to do what I envisioned. Moving forward, I believe I will be able to reach an effect concept faster and spend more time exploring innovative design options.  

Acquiring Competencies

One of the competencies I have acquired during this project is in-depth understanding of establishing a voice/tone for my client.  I will now use the techniques learned as described by Felton during the beginning stages of research in order to get a strong concept quickly specifically writing at least five adjectives (pg. 95) and understand the character of the client’s brand (pg. 93).

Another competency is establishing the visual and typography hierarchy. The best way to come up with the visual is to first develop the narrative.  Once I was able to understand the story I was going to tell, designing the visual became much easier.  I struggled in the beginning because the process was in reverse. I tried to design then write.

The third competency I acquired was in wireframing.  I noticed many of my classmates using a lot of content and even images in the basic wireframe, but I believe that keeping it simple for the client to understand and to make changes (DeMers, 2014).  I have never constructed a wireframe before this project. It like a sketching for websites. I have learned to use Adobe XD in order to create a professional wireframe presentation and look forward to using it earlier in my process for future projects.

References

DeMers, J. (2014, September 29). Your Guide to Using Images In Your Content Marketing Strategy. Retrieved from Forbes.com:https://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2014/09/29/your-guide-to-using-images-in-your-content-marketing-strategy/#6b7b4ab67b8a

Felton, G. (2013). Advertising: Concept and Copy (Third Edition), 3rd Edition[VitalSource Bookshelf version]. Retrieved from https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9780393733921

Kliever, J. (n.d.). The Design School guide to visual hierarchy. Retrieved from Canva.com: https://www.canva.com/learn/visual-hierarchy/

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Final Infographic

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Effective Copywriting

This month in Effective Copy Writing, I learned the importance of communicating a clear and precise message.  As a designer, the image tends to receive the most attention, however, copywriting is about the language and quite literally the words.  There were many exercises that helped prepare me for this shift in thinking before I began on my own work.  The most helpful was the headline assignment that required me to collect copywriting examples from print and web sources, then choose 5 that attracted me the most and write a rationale as to why.  Using Settle and Alreck’s 15 Categories of Needs and Craig Smallish tutorial for designing ad copy, I was able to understand the structure of how copywrite ads are designed.

My Client

The organization I chose to base my work on was Bread for the World.  The organization’s goal is to end hunger by educating and influencing legislative changes in policies across a range of issues that drive the root causes of hunger domestically and abroad. To capture the organizations voice and tone, Felton suggested to “collapse your thinking about the brand into a handful of words”. I chose POWER, WILL, PROVIDER, COMMUNITY, EDUCATORS, ESTABLISHMENT, and ROOT. With these words in mind I created 2 personas and 6 sketches of concepts for the ad campaign.

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Personas

I decided the target audience were people who have either experienced poverty directly or indirectly.  I rejected targeting people who needed help because they are people whose primary concern is surviving right now, whereas my organization’s work takes time and is not an immediate source such as a soup kitchen or shelter.

The first persona is a 35-year-old female who have experienced poverty directly.  She moved to Southern California from Venezuela which is a country currently experiencing an increase in poverty.

The second persona is a 37-year-old male who has experienced poverty indirectly.  He was born in New York, then moved to Washington DC where he went to college then became a teacher.  His parents migrated from Africa to escape poverty and ensure their children have a better chance in life.

Sketches

Felton described 9 different personalities that can be used in testimonial ads. I initially thought of ways I could use multiple personalities such as “historical figures / unreal people” as in sketch #1 which is meant to play on the famous American Gothic painting depicting a farmer holding his pitchfork and his wife standing beside him. Sketch #2 illustrates Felton’s “just plain folks” personality. I also tried using “not the person, but something associated with the person” illustrated in sketches 4, 5, and 6, using bread in multiple ways such as the organization does, in their organization’s name, what they refer to themselves in modern media, “the bread”, and in its direct relation to food.

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Top 3 / First Drafts

In my first drafts I wanted to show ads that communicated the message using the “not the person, but something associated with the person” strategy because I thought it would meet Smallish’s concept for capturing attention.

Revisions

After taking the suggestions of my instructor, I revisited my ads and went with Felton’s suggestion, “just plain folks”.  My original ads did not capture attention as I thought they would nor did they effectively get the message across. Bread for the World builds their support base from grassroot supporters, which are regular people who band together to push decision makers to pass policies that will actually impact change.  In my ads, I used Daniel Adams’ approach to connect with the target audience by writing in the second person.  Since my goal was to capture the voice of the company in the message, I chose to use images of people who are affected by hunger instead of people who are meant to help them because the images that had to connect with the message needed to be so profound that it would spark action from the reader.  Readers who would respond to the ads would be those who fit the target audience description.

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3 Takeaways

First, I learned how important effect copywriting is. I did not realize how much research, thought, planning, and revisions went into something that seemed so simple. Secondly, I learned a valuable thought process that helps with the early stages of creating ad copy.  It was a new experience to come up with the words first then the image that works well along with message.  During the revision stages, I found myself knowing what I wanted the message to be but struggled to find the right image.  For this project I used images that were already available which led me to face another problem which was selecting the right image then tweaking the words to match. Lastly, I learned how to use make a cohesive campaign that conveys the client’s message in a different from what they already use but would also flows with their brand.

Resources:

Adams, D. (2011, February 14). What is Copywriting and How is it Important for a Designer?Retrieved from IntantShift: http://www.instantshift.com/2011/02/14/what-is-copywriting-and-how-is-it-important-for-a-designer/

Felton, G. (2013). Words I: Establishing Voice. In Advertising: Concept and Copy Third Edition(p. 93 -113). New York. Norton and Company Inc.

Felton, G. (2013). Testimonals: The Power of Personailty. In Advertising: Concept and Copy Third Edition(p. 241 - 246). New York. Norton and Company Inc.

Smallish, C. (2014, May 27). Designing a Print Ad.Retrieved from Lynda.com: https://www.lynda.com/Design-Page-Layout-tutorials/Welcome/155264/174679-4.html?autoplay=true

Shaw, M. (2012). Chapter 2: The Art of Writing Great Copy. In Copywriting Second Edition.London: Laurence King Publishing Ltd.

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Revised Work

Although I was unable to receive additional critiques from my classmates for my  final revisions, I chose not to make any changes besides slightly altering the way my three descriptive words looked on the culture board.  The words “eclectic” and “electric” can look very similar on first sight.  I changed the font for the word “electric” and skewed it 27 degrees to the right to give it an electrifying appearance in relation to the famous bullet trains the Kyoto Train Station has to offer.  I did not want to revert back to “over decorating” so I strayed from making any big changes to the boards as this was a true lesson in editing for me.

I changed the design of my SWOT analysis to further demonstrate what I have learned from the course.  My threats are experienced designers who are proficient with some of the latest design programs.  I have never worked with illustrator or indesign until now.  I had to not only learn how to use the program in general but to get the program to bring my vision to fruition.  The time it took to go through the tutorials to learn how to do one thing was daunting, but necessary.  I will take the opportunity I have to learn and master these programs as so that I am not too far behind as new software emerges in the future.  My proudest strength is my background in marketing, however it is also one of my weakness when it comes to design.  The two fields must work together when building a brand, however, in my case they worked against each other.  In my initial designs, my work was too complex and brochure like.  I had to not only step back and re-evaluate my work but I took to studying other classmates work as well; whether their work was thought to be good or not.  I needed to learn what was considered to be good direction and what was not in order to know how to execute properly and edit.

Overall, the experience I had in the class was truly an eye opener.  I feel a new connection between my marketing and design skills that will hopefully push me far in the industry.  

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