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All things must end

As we come closer and closer to the end of our Mastery Journey I like to think about all that I have been able to learn as we’ve progressed through our coursework. I feel that this has been a very impactful progression and has changed everything about how I’ve viewed design, but also has definitely affected the quality of my work.

I think one fo the better examples of this progression was the Rainy Day Toys project. As you can see below, I made some massive changes to this project over the course of the mastery journey.

In particular this course taught me to A. think about my work and plan before submitting. B. Always be editing and improving and C. listen to and embrace feedback. I think these 3 attributes are super important and will lead us to being more successful for the rest of our lives.

When reviewing some of my old work I could see where I was not following these 3 steps previously. I think a good example of this could be from the following project, which was our testimonial project.

This was something that was a bit out of my safety zone, but I was not utilizing those 3 tactics very well and I believe it is evident in the overall quality of the work.

Regardless, I am excited to see where our next class takes us and how it finishes out this mastery journey.

See ya’ll next time!

The Power of Feedback

I have preached about this a lot in some of my last Mastery Journal Reflections, but I think that sometimes as designers we think that we are always correct and that the work that we are creating, is the best possible solution to the client’s request. Unfortunately, that is not always the case, many times designers forget to review the exact needs of not only their client, but of the client’s target audience.

Target audience is a big keyword in today’s design world, because currently design for client’s is usually done to help them sell something in particular, which means that the real end user for the design work, is in fact the target audience.

The way that this boils down is that in order to really create a full and proper project, the designer will need to seek feedback every step of the way. I think this is important, because it reminds us that we are human and that not everything we do is perfect, especially on the first go around.

For my feedback starts with reviewing the demographics and finding reviews that the particular demographic has left for other similar works. Then as the project progresses getting feedback from the client, it is better to receive feedback part way through then at the end, if the client thinks you’re headed in the wrong direction. Finally, it concludes with a client review and survey sessions with again, the target audience, once all of that has been completed the designer can call the work finished.

I think this entire process is very important because it helps us grow as designers as we are learning more and more about particular audience behaviors and interests with each project that we can complete.

Previously I had a bit of an ego and I am happy to report that it has been becoming a bit more proportional through the past classes. I am excited to see how this Journey comes to an end.

Thanks!

The Next Evolution

This class was all about continued evolution. In my last project I focused on restarting my poster design projects so I could see my growth, but also get a better understanding of my target audience.

In the first project that I remade I focused on text based posters that had no imagery and were black and white only. There were some large blocks of black to create the feeling of imagery, but in the end no imagery was used.

The black imagery can be seen in the poster above.

For this latest class I wanted to move down the necessary progression and decided to work on posters that contained light imagery. I worked on creating sketches that I based off of some initial design inspirations. I have provided by initial sketches below.

I think that this was one of the most important steps as it allows us to get an overview of the project that we are going to be working on and helps us identify if our vision is going to be able to come to life. Not only that but it serves as a great point for us to begin receiving feedback for our project.

In the next course I am going to be focusing on the testimonial ad project we did a few courses back as those images will be mostly focused on imagery with the addition of text being overlaid. i though that the progression would work well, text to imagery to full image posters.

I am excited to see how this complete degree comes to an end and I am look forward to moving into the final few phases of the Mastery Journey!

Research is Key

I have found that over the past year or so while working on projects for my classes I have sometimes spent too little time on the research phase. I think that was very evident in my latest project rework of the Rainy Day Toys brand.

This was one of my first projects when coming to Full Sail and because of that I think that I did enough research to hit the requirements for the project but didn’t continue to search for my knowledge. As the courses went on and I was forced to find more and more information I began to come across some conflicting information for my design choices.

This time around when I re-completed the Rainy Day Toys project i spent more time looking into and thinking about the target audience. Previously i ruled out the children because I didn’t think they would matter as they don’t have the buying power, but when looking more into popular brands and market research I found that even though they don’t have money their parents are more likely to buy them things that they are interested in.

After looking at some of the greats of the industry including LEGO and Disney I realized that it isn’t about the toy itself but the imagination and the adventures that can be had with what is created. That led me to the logo that I designed for this brand.

This logo was hand drawn and then turned into a vector to make it seem as if a child could have accomplished it. But, more than that it is a piece of paper that has been transformed into a boat and then set on an epic adventure across the seas. If a small piece of paper can make that journey where will the blocks and other wood toys from Rainy Day Toys take them.

The other important component for this rework was my font choice, which can be seen below.

I elected to go with Nanum Pen based off of some peer feedback that I received when I asked the question of which seemed to represent the work of a child the most. I wanted to use this font because again I wanted the child to feel connected to the brand, but I also wanted the parent to feel trusting. I was hoping that buy creating familiarity it was also create a feeling of trust.

Overall, I enjoyed this course because it is helping understand the importance of doing research rather than just creating for the sake of creating. I am excited to see where this journey continues to go.

A Critical Review

I found this class particularly interesting as it had us complete a task that causes many designers to cringe. Over the past semester we had our worked examined by not only ourselves, but our peers and instructors and then based on feedback had to recreate our original work. When talking to many designers I have heard them all say that they fear the feedback session with the client. That many times the client was looking for something completely different and all of their hard work is cast to the side and they have to restart their labor of love.

Although this may be a hard and sometimes frustrating task, it is important as it helps us grow. It also helps us learn new strategies as revision often has us creating things using strategies we would not normally be comfortable using.

In this particular class I wanted to focus one something much larger than just making a few changes to a graphic that I had made in a previous class. Because of that, I decided to work on my turtle conservation website, but I didn’t just want to remake the site, I wanted to make it a fully functional portfolio piece.

I started by looking at my original project and then reviewing common trends on the web alongside some of the most popular conservation websites. What i found was that my website was not in line with the rest of the world. My graphic styling was old and my build quality was below par. So, i opened photoshop and and muse, launched a new wordpress and went to work.

I used modern map images to create a modern an interactive web experience, rather than just leaving text that provides the user with nothing more than information.

Collages provide captivating colors and something more than just text for the viewer to consume. Each picture tells a story when scrolled over to continue the interactive theme and keep the viewer engaged.

Finally, muted color palettes will make the site pleasing to the eye, but also convey the message of the conservation effort.

I believe that I am using a human centric approach to this site as i am no longer just focusing on my vision, but what will both appeal to and engage the target audience and I am excited to see where it continues to go in the coming semester.

See you all next time.

The Power of Sound & Motion

This course made me think a lot about how the things that we work on will be portrayed in the world. Taking a logo, image, or piece of copy and bringing it to life through audio and video is a whole new step and something that I think many designers may never think about.

Designing something to be static and designing something to be in motion are two very different skillsets. The latter requires the designer to think about how an image will look from multiple angles or even in a range of motion.

For one of the projects that I worked on this week I needed to animate a logo across a scene. After receiving some feedback from my Professor I decided to use an image of water to become the background of my animation, rather than a black image. The one below:

The reason I used this image was that the fluidity can help establish a feeling of motion for the overall picture. I also decided the colors in this particular image would work well for the motion that was needed to complete the assignment.

I still believe that I have a lot of work to do and a lot to overcome when moving into motion and audio, but it is something that I enjoy so I believe it will be something I don’t mind working on. I believe that once I master these additional skillsets they will only help me on my targeted career path.

I am excited to see where the next course takes me and how it further develops my skills.

Web Design Career Path

There are a ton of different career paths that someone can taking when they are considering a career in Web Design. I have spent many a long night thinking about which way that I want to go once I have finished my educational journey. I have also spent time researching many different job boards to determine which career path will fit my experience and skill set the best.

Currently I work as a Strategy Officer for a software company and oversee both the sales and marketing divisions, this experience combined with my past experience as a Director Level manager and my minor to moderate design skills I believe make me a good candidate for a Creative Director position. I have always understood the principles of design and can absolutely handle myself around any of the major design programs. Typically it starts with a quick YouTube tutorial but then I can quickly catch on and complete the work that I am trying to accomplish.

I currently have experience creating ad campaigns and very strategies and then having a group of people create and implement these strategies while i analyze data and feedback to tweak the campaign. I believe that a combination of all of these factors make my chosen career path align with that of the Creative Director.

In the latest project for Full Sail with the Deep Dive Concert Series I understood the material, typography requirements and color palettes but my actual design work still needs some fine tuning. This is something I am working on everyday and am excited to see where Full Sail takes me. I am confident at the end of this course path I will be a much better candidate for the job I am seeking.

I believe that once I have fine tuned my performance within the various design platforms, most notably the Adobe Suite that i will feel confident enough to begin seeking the job i am looking for. So, that is where I plan on spending the most of my time in the coming months.

Effective Copywriting

I believe that this course was very influential to us as Media Design Students. It can be very easy to forget about the words that we write and just focus on the imagery that we create. When in reality, the two of them need to go hand in hand.

When creating my work previously, I had always thought of my audience, but I had never analyzed how they were and thought about all the smaller details. The personas project really helped me come to terms with this process and will change the way that I work going forward. The tool that Full Sail created, is something I hold onto for reference as i continue to dive deeper into the use off effective advertising.

The image below is the first person I created for this course.

I still have a lot to learn when it comes to the use of font on images that I put together, as that is always something that I have had someone else do, once the graphics had been put together. This creates a great learning opportunity for me and I believe this course definitely started us all out on the right foot. The ad below is one that i put together for the nonprofit Farmers and hunters Feeding the Hungry and represents a store owner doing the right thing with his food and could be featured in stores, that were doing just that.

Grocery store ad

I I believe the three biggest takeaways that I got from this course were:

1. Think about your target audience - It is not enough to just name the group or person you are focusing on, but build them into an actual person and think about their entire day and how your product or service will fit into their busy life.

2. Typeface makes a big impact - Almost as important as the words that we choose to include in the ad, is the typeface. If the wrong choice is made with typeface, the words may not have the same impact as they could have, nor will the ad be as appealing to the reader. Different Typefaces even appeal to different audience, making the synergy between these two points even stronger.

3. Get and Give Feedback - I’ve stated this before, but I think adding in copy makes this even more important. Sometimes as designers we can get caught up in our own ways and forget that other people, especially our clients have thoughts and opinions. When words are added, there are a lot more opportunities to have something not go quite the right way. it is important to let others provide feedback to make sure all of our choices, word and graphics mesh together.

I believe this course was a great stepping stone in the overall degree program and i am excited to see where the journey goes next!

Brand Development: Course Takeaways & Reflections

Below are the 3 most important takeaways I had while in the Brand Development course during the Media Design Masters program at Full Sail.

Takeaway 1 (A Brand isn’t just a logo)

The first takeaway for me is truly understanding a brand for more than just its design principles. I have put together a few brands previously and I have always focused on the logo and then using that logo to portray the brand in other locations. Now I understand that is more than just the logo and more than just the design. It is the service, the feel, the hours of operation. It is every little detail that allows a customer to know who you are.

Takeaway 2 (Customers Care)

I think it is easy to forget about how the little details can impact a customer. During the re-brand of CVS to CVS Health they ended up acquiring target pharmacies. When this change happened they changed targets unique prescription bottles to reflect their own. This was a design choice that CVS had predicted would have very little impact, but in reality it caused a lot of backlash. There were even multiple news articles published about this change and its impact on customers. Some customers going so far to say that this was detrimental to their health, based off their old patterns. When making any change it is so important to consider how every detail will affect your client base.

Takeaway 3 (Know your competitor)

As someone who focuses on branding, I think you are doing yourself and your clients a disservice if you are not constantly doing research on both the marketing industry but also on the competitors of your client. Design and branding are always changing and evolving. In my review of Rite Aid I found that Walgreens had evolved slightly from the previous week when I did my initial review. If I wasn’t keeping my eyes on the industry it would be possible that I could have made the same change for Rite Aid, which would then make them look like they were mimicking a competitor which could cause all sorts of PR issues. Aside from this issue I think it is important to know all of the competitors of your client because you can then create marketing and branding that directly competes and outshines the competitors work.

#full sail university #branding

Defining Client Needs Main Takeaways

Defining Client Needs was a very impactful course for me, due to the fact that I have limited experience with graphic design and working with clients. It is hard to identify the three most impactful items learned but after a little bit of thought I would identify them as 1. be bold and take chances, 2. Always have a reason behind your work and 3. Be open to feedback.

1. Be Bold and Take Chances

Design is a very unique field where there are many talented professionals, when a client asks you for a mock up there is a possibility they have asked other designers for the same. If not, you can believe that they have already viewed your work from your portfolio or social media accounts. When I started in this course I was trying to be very conservative with my ideas and not stray too far from the norm, as it progressed and as I viewed the work of my classmates I learned to reach outside the box a little more. Due to my skill I still stayed in a little tighter than I should but I did learn where I need to go in my coming courses.

2. Always Have a Reason Behind Your Work

It doesn’t matter if you are creating for an external client or for something within the organization you work for, there are always going to be people who don’t quite understand what you did and why you did it. Even the most accomplished artists need to know why they did something. I’ve learned through this course that rather than just doing something because it “looks good” you should do something because it works with the hierarchy, style, or overall theme. When you go to present your work to a client if you can put together a well thought up explanation it may cause them to like your design a bit more or even sway someone who may have previously been on the fence about your particular artistic style.

3. Be Open to Feedback

At the end of the day as creatives we are typically working for someone else, whether it be the CEO, Creative Director, or a client who came across your portfolio. Your work is being created for them and in many cases will represent them to their own clients. With that being said, it is very important to not disregard their advice or critiques. It is very easy to become one track minded and to be proud of your own work, but one is not truly a professional until they can work within the guidelines of the bigger picture. This course taught me that even when I thought my work was spot on, there may be others that have a slightly different view. I tried hard to recreate my work with the original theme and style intact but, with the changes that were suggested being made. Because, at the end of the day, the client is the one that pays the bill.

#client needs #full sail university

Different approach to Romero and Juliet poster that was designed to show two sides clashing with polar opposites of black and white, but having Romero and Juliet in Red to symbolize their connection.

Romeo & Juliet poster designed to show the connection of the two lovers, but that havoc that ensued because of their love.

Classic playbill design for the same play. Drastically different from Ultra-Modern take.

Ultra-Modern take on Much Ado About Nothing Poster

Reflection on A Designer’s Research Manual by Jennifer Visocky O’ Grady and Ken O’ Grady

One of the most impactful themes that this reading and course have taught me is to understand that the client is king. It all starts from the time that you read the original request. A designer has to be a good listener. If they can’t understand what the client is looking for and put their own priorities and opinion on the sideline they will never be able to succeed. I know from experience that designers can be very confident and influential people. Because of this, it is easy to want to try and sway the client to see things our way. That being said that is typically the wrong path.

The second part to this is being able to explain your design choices. There are many times where a client’s original idea can be enhanced or may need a slight modification in order to appeal to the masses. If as a designer, you cannot explain your artistic vision or the reason and concept behind the design you will most likely fail. If a client has no experience in design, they may not understand why a color was changed or why a slightly different style or font was applied. Without a proper explanation it would just seem that the designer made the change because of their own opinion, when in many cases it is a much deeper reason.

This all is tied together by the concept of feedback. Whether you are a designer, writer or developer it is always important to take feedback well. Although we may not always agree with the feedback that is being offered when it comes down to the bottom line it is being offered either by the public, the ones who view the project, or the client, the one who is paying for the project. In order to be a successful designer we have to not only be open to feedback but understand how to work within its confines. If there is an underlying theme that must be kept, how can we hold that theme while still making changes based on feedback. The morale of the story is that when working for others we need to be able to conform to their needs and desires while still representing our inner designer.

#design #reflection

What a true statement.

The Road to Mastery

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