Karina's Mastery Journal at Full Sail University

I am a graphic designer on a jouney towards Mastery. I hold a BA in Graphic Design with a minor in Advertising. MA in Advertising and Marketing Communications from Webster University. Currently pursuing an MFA in Media Design from Full Sail University.

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Experience Map

Please click here to view a higher resolution version of my Experience Map here.

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Mastery: Professional Practice

COURSE 1: MASTERY: PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT & LEADERSHIP

How did this course contribute to my personal and professional development as a media designer? This course helped me be able to reorganize my thoughts, time and projects. Throughout the readings on Mastery, I realized that I could relate to the many experiences mentioned throughout the book and encouraged me to continue learning and working towards my own personal Mastery.

How did the techniques in this course help me complete my thesis project? Techniques that I learned throughout this course were to organize my thoughts and being able to express them better through sketches, writing, and presentation. I started with learning to balance my time with work to make sure to accomplish all of the readings, research and writing assignments.

How would I describe my most outstanding personal triumph in this course? My most personal triumph in this course was disciplining myself to be able to sketch every day. This was something that I had stopped for a few years and I was able to form a new habit of sketching and reading to start this program.

COURSE 2: DEFINING CLIENT NEEDS

How did this course contribute to my personal and professional development as a media designer? This course helped me start to focus on my research and practicing my sketching. With this course, we learned about mind mapping to create potential logos and it is a technique that I will be able to apply for future projects.

How did the techniques in this course help me complete my thesis project? Techniques that I could apply for my thesis project were the research methods I learned, creating mind maps, and practicing my sketches. These methods helped me with the projects within the program, such as creating the brand for our local community.

How would I describe my most outstanding personal triumph in this course? My outstanding personal triumph for this course was the amount of sketching and being able to apply the research for the sketches. For example, we had to research three cities, Marrakech, Kyoto, and Reykjavik and work creating logo concepts based on three different focuses, such as geography, modern culture, and traditions.

COURSE 3: BRAND DEVELOPMENT

How did this course contribute to my personal and professional development as a media designer? This course contributed to my personal and professional development by allowing me to practice using Illustrator to transfer my logo sketches to digital versions of the logo. With this course, we also learned how to create vision boards to capture what typography, color palette, image, and versions of the logos.

How did the techniques in this course help me complete my thesis project? Techniques that I was able to apply was working with Illustrator more often and learning how to use new tools to be able to create vector versions of the logos and the vision boards. Using illustrator helped be able to create layouts for all of the vision boards and helped me be able to complete color studies to make sure they worked appropriately with the theme. This helped towards learning to work with various layouts and applying it to the thesis website we worked on in course 11.

How would I describe my most outstanding personal triumph in this course? My most outstanding personal triumph was being able to work with color palettes and complete color studies. I also really liked pairing typography with the theme based on the research completed.

COURSE 4: EFFECTIVE COPYWRITING

How did this course contribute to my personal and professional development as a media designer? This course helped be able to practice on my writing by researching and working on my copywriting skills. I was able to learn to create headlines and taglines and to focus on how to deliver the appropriate message based on the non-profit we selected. I was also able to write a research paper based on the print advertisements created and the campaign behind it.

How did the techniques in this course help me complete my thesis project?

This course helped me be able to practice new techniques in InDesign by creating layouts, working with the headers, taglines and the written copy. I was also able to enhance my skills by working with Photoshop to work with the images used on the print ads.

How would I describe my most outstanding personal triumph in this course? My personal triumph was being able to create four print advertisements for the National Network to End Domestic Violence. I was able to learn about the wonderful resources they provide for families and professionals and created four advertisements that reflect their services.

COURSE 5: DESIGN RESEARCH

How did this course contribute to my personal and professional development as a media designer? This course helped me be able to bring in all of my research conducted on the city of Reykjavik together to create a narrative and a new version of my vision board. I was able to create the voice and tone of brand I was trying to create and began to establish what kind of elements I wanted to include.

How did the techniques in this course help me complete my thesis project? The major techniques in this course were using Adobe Illustrator to create an Infographic and applying the three concepts of color palette, typography and working with layouts. This was important because I learned to work with applying all of the elements effectively so that the viewer would not find the information overwhelming but be able to intrigue them into learning more about the city of Reykjavik.

How would I describe my most outstanding personal triumph in this course? My most outstanding personal triumph in this course was creating the infographic. I had created various layouts but was able to find a way to incorporate Reykjavik’s geography into the final version of the infographic while continuing a stimulating theme.

 COURSE 6: ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURES

How did this course contribute to my personal and professional development as a media designer?This course helped contribute to my personal and professional development because I was able to learn how to use a new program and a new strategy to create motion graphics. With this course, I was able to learn how to create a storyboard and was able to translate the sketches into a motion graphic.

How did the techniques in this course help me complete my thesis project? The new techniques I learned was learning how to storyboard. This helped me be able to practice my sketching, but also practice how to create and work with a storyboard and then apply it to creating a motion graphic. I was also able to learn how to use After Effects to be able to create a motion graphic dynamic vision board.

How would I describe my most outstanding personal triumph in this course? My most outstanding personal triumph was being able to learn how to create a story board, learned out to use After Effects and also learned about using the Parallax Effect to create a dynamic vision board.

 COURSE 7: DESIGN STRATEGIES & MOTIVATIONS

How did this course contribute to my personal and professional development as a media designer?

This course helped me be able to learn about my community through research, learn about their needs and what they look for from their community. I was able to use a different research method to help me gain the insight I needed to find out the community and also created a video pitch based on my ideas.

How did the techniques in this course help me complete my thesis project? One technique I learned was conducting face to face interviews with members of the local community and also allowed me to spend time learning more about the area that the brand would be representing. I learned how to create a design brief and learned how to find the design problem using research and a SWOT Analysis.

How would I describe my most outstanding personal triumph in this course? My most outstanding personal triumph in this course was being able to conduct in-person interviews. I thought it was going to be difficult but after learning about what kind of interview questions to ask and researching the area, it was easy to conduct them. I was also able to triumph over creating a design brief.

COURSE 8: DESIGN INTEGRATIONS

How did this course contribute to my personal and professional development as a media designer? This course helped me be able to piece together all of my research and insights gained from the interviews to be able to create a problem statement and finding the appropriate solution. I was able to connect the research to the design work especially in creating the voice and tone for the project.

How did the techniques in this course help me complete my thesis project? Techniques that I applied during this course was learning how sound impacts the message that is being delivered. I was able to use After Effects to be able to create a motion graphic video for Downtown Mesa using the Parallax Dynamic and was also able to learn how to apply them, such as through social media or online promotion.

How would I describe my most outstanding personal triumph in this course? My personal triumph was being able to continue to learn how to use After Effects and being able to increase my skills in creating motion graphics. I was able to learn how to integrate sound, video, and typography to deliver the message effectively.

COURSE 9: MULTI-PLATFORM DELIVERY

How did this course contribute to my personal and professional development as a media designer?

For this course, I was able to practice a new method of research, such as sitting within the environment and learning about the various local businesses that were in the area, the ambience that was felt and spending time to recognize the natural elements. This helped me be able to focus on details that I usually overlooked and helped be able to apply them to creating designs.

How did the techniques in this course help me complete my thesis project? The techniques applied in this course was research and sketching. I was able to take various elements from the environment and used them to create a logo for the area. I was able to apply structural elements and natural environment to be able to create different concepts for logos. I was also able to apply this technique to create signage, pole banners, bumper stickers and billboards. I was also able to practice using InDesign and learned new ways to work with layouts while building the Brand Guide.

How would I describe my most outstanding personal triumph in this course? My personal triumph was being able create a logo, media assets and a brand guide. This allowed me to practice on being consistent with the brand in terms of use of color, imagery, design elements and typography.

COURSE 10: MEASURING DESIGN EFFECTIVENESS

How did this course contribute to my personal and professional development as a media designer? This course helped me be able to challenge myself a little more by allowing others to provide their input on the brand that was created as well as the media assets. I was able to take their feedback and apply it to be able to enhance the designs I had created.

How did the techniques in this course help me complete my thesis project? Techniques that I was able to apply and can help me complete my thesis project was being able to create a survey and working with the questions that would provide input on my designs. I was also able to learn how to gather the data outcomes and create an infographic on the effectiveness of the designs.

How would I describe my most outstanding personal triumph in this course? My most outstanding personal triumph in this course was being able to apply the survey results to the designs and using the data outcomes to create an infographic. I was also able to write a paper based on the findings that helped show the effectiveness of the new design.

COURSE 11: PRESENTATION OF DESIGN SOLUTION

How did this course contribute to my personal and professional development as a media designer? This course helped me be able to apply my discipline in working on how to use visual stories to explain a series of events, in this case, the work completed within the program. We had to work with our writing, the details in layout, working on balancing pages and establishing hierarchy. This helped be able to work on looking at the fine details and how it can impact the story being delivered.  

How did the techniques in this course help me complete my thesis project? The major techniques that I learned and applied in this course was creating a wireframe for the Wix webpage, learning to use the Wix webpage to develop our thesis presentation and using different ways to organize a page to be able to generate interest for the audience.  I was able to apply all of these elements, as well as those I had learned from previous courses in terms of research, sketching, writing copy, imagery used, typography, use of color, using white space, hierarchy, use of various layouts, creating consistency, and tying everything together to be able to present my thesis presentation.  

How would I describe my most outstanding personal triumph in this course? My triumph for this course was being able to use all of the elements learned from the previous courses and apply it in creating a web presentation of my thesis.

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2.3 Mastery Journal Reflection

For this month, our main project was to work on creating our thesis presentation by using a Wix webpage. Three main takeaways from the Mastery Projects includes using visual stories to explain and event or series of events, the importance of establishing dominance when establishing hierarchy, and using grids to create balanced page layouts.

When telling a visual story, it is important to use the right tool to effectively communicate the story and motivate the audience to take action. Visual stories are meant to “inspire your audience to act” and it is important to use the Visual Story Map to illustrate the process of how to effectively communicate the idea (Sykes et al., 2012). Using the Visual Story Map allows you to work through the four-step process. Content Row consists of considering what content to include in your visual story. Audience Row asks to take your audience into consideration in order to communicate the story effectively. Story Row focuses on how clear the story is being delivered, is there structure to the story, is there a sense of urgency and who is the character/subject of the story. Tell Row focuses on the design and how the visuals will work to tell the story (Sykes et al., 2012). 

Another takeaway that was applied to the development of the thesis presentation was to ensure that dominance was established on the web page. When establishing dominance and focal points in design, Bradley (2015) suggests that the dominant element should be the “entry point into your design” and that it should “attract visitors to the first place you want them to look” (Bradley, 2015). There are various characteristics that can be used to establish dominance on a design, such as the size of an object, the shape, color, texture, orientation, and local white space, to name a few. This can be seen on the Innovative Thinking page (Figure 1) on the thesis presentation. The top media gallery is used to be the dominant element in order to attract and interest the audience. Smaller images are also used so that the audience can reference the images along with the text.

Figure 1: The Innovative Thinking page shows an example of using dominance to attract an audience.

The last takeaway as using hierarchy and using a grid to create a balanced layout. Hampton-Smith (2018) suggests using hierarchy to provide structure and “convey the relative importance of different pieces on your page” (Hampton Smith, 2018). Hampton-Smith (2018) also suggests using scale, contrast, and harmony by “isolating an element on the page through contrast” and will “provide a way into the page and gives a useful structural point to develop your layout” (Hampton-Smith, 2018).

Figure 2: The Connecting, Synthesizing and Transforming page shows the use of hierarchy and grid system.

This is seen on the Connecting, Synthesizing and Transforming page (Figure 2) where one image is used to establish dominance, and interest the audience to read the information. The page also follows a grid system to “position the different elements on a page” and “create a connection between the different elements that make up the page” (Hampton Smith, 2018). The page is organized to include an explanation of the project while referencing a media slider that shows the sketches of the design and the final design for the project.

References:

Bradley, S. (2015, February 27). Design principles: Dominance, focal points and hierarchy. Retrieved from https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2015/02/design-principles-dominance-focal-points-hierarchy/

Hampton-Smith, S. (2018, September 26). How to create balanced page layouts. Retrieved from https://www.creativebloq.com/netmag/create-balanced-page-layouts-7-pro-tips-121310009

Sykes, M., Malik, A. N., West, M. (2012, December 17). Stories that move mountains: Storytelling and visual design for persuasive presentations[Safari Books online]. Retrieved from http://ce.safaribooksonline.com/book/communications/presentations/9781118423998/2-cast-and-the-visual-story-map/c02_1_html?uicode=fullsail

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10.4.3 Mastery Reflection

View the Hi-Resolution Infographic Here.

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Multi-Platform Delivery - Mastery Journal

What research did you conduct and utilize to arrive at the design decisions you present. How did you connect the research to your design work? What information did you synthesize and pull from the research and how did you transform the information into what you've presented this month? To research this project, one of the things that I did was to go to Downtown Mesa and spend time in the environment. Much of the research was completed in the previous class so this time, I went to the local businesses, I noticed what kind of services and took note of the ambience that was felt while being there. I also noticed the natural environment and the type of scenery that visitors could enjoy while visiting the area. This type of researched helped me gain ideas for elements that I could use when developing ideas for the logos. Once this was completed, I was able to take those notes and sketches and started transforming them into concepts for a logo. I used structural elements such as the buildings found in the area, the light rail, which is a stand out form of transportation found win the community, and abstract art to help associate with the rich connection the downtown area has to the arts. I also used natural scenery, such as the many palm trees that are found in the area, the mountains that can be seen from downtown, and using the sunset and how it illuminates the area. Using these kind of elements helps being out the personality of the city within the logo and helped to keep the logo relevant to the community.

What design problem were you solving? What design problem does the medium you designed for solve according to the industry? How did you solve the problem? Restate your design problem to help explain this section. The design problem that was identified within the Downtown Mesa area is that there is a perception among residents that there are not many activities being presented to the community. There is limited to no awareness of the current involvement that Downtown Mesa holds with the community, to include, weekly events, working with locally own businesses in the area, as well as entertainment services provided to the community. Downtown Mesa is also overshadowed by the surrounding cities of Phoenix, Gilbert, Scottsdale and Tempe and often gets overlooked by visitors. The brand that was created would resolve this issue by intriguing visitors with what Downtown Mesa has to offer. The brand will assist Downtown Mesa in standing out among the surrounding cities and bringing awareness to the ongoing events, activities, services and partnerships with local businesses that already exist in the area. The new identity could potentially shift the current negative perception among residents and visitors.

How does your work compare to others in the industry? How did you approach the subject of innovation? How is your work innovative? As I developed the logo, I researched the logos for the surrounding cities of Mesa, Arizona - Gilbert, Chandler, and Tempe. I reviewed what kind of elements they used, what kind of imagery and also took note as to what kind of message it gave and what kind of feeling it influenced. This helped me in coming up with solutions because I found that their logos did not provide a lot of information regarding the personality of the city. Some logos seemed overly simple that it did not really provide information to see the personality of the city, and other logos seemed too general. For my solutions, I tried to show a representation of the downtown area and will be using the color palette to help bring out the personality of the area.

What did you learn overall throughout this process? Any new software? Techniques? Skills? I learned several new skills and techniques throughout this month. First, was to take time to gather research first hand by actually visiting the area and taking in the environment. This helped me to establish the brand personality, voice and tone much better than by researching via computer. I learned about the purpose of creating signage, pole banners, bumper stickers and billboards. I was also able to practice using Adobe InDesign and learned new ways to work with layouts while building the Brand Guide.

Brand Guide: https://issuu.com/k.duran/docs/durank_brandguide

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Design Integration Mastery Journal

Connecting/Synthesizing/Transforming — What research did you conduct and utilize to arrive at the design decisions you present. How did you connect the research to your design work? What information did you synthesize and pull from the research and how did you transform the information into what you've presented this month? I was able to practice a new approach to research, which was to interview members of the community. Although I was hesitant to do so, I knew that this would help benefit the project because I would be able to capture first-hand knowledge and experience from them. Aside from the interviews, I was able to find information online that helped guide me through each project as well as to provide points of consideration, such as when working with the Media Plan. I was able to connect the research to the design work especially in creating the voice and tone for the project. Many of the interviewees expressed that Downtown Mesa had many activities present per weekend and that can be accessible throughout the week as well. Whether they are activities for families to young adults, the environment is open and supportive to all visitors but needed assistance in communicating this to residents. I was able to take their experiences and input to form the problem statement and develop a practical solution that could be solved with the development of an identity for the area.

Problem Solving — What design problem were you solving? What design problem does the medium you designed for solve according to the industry? How did you solve the problem? Restate your design problem to help explain this section.  The design problem to be solved was that the current perception of Downtown Mesa, Arizona depicted that there are not that many activities being held in the area for community residents. As a result, many of the residents felt that Downtown Mesa was failing in communicating the type of activities they hold and in how they promote the area. The problem is worth solving because Downtown Mesa has many activities and resources available that are active for residents, such as for children, families, young adults and older adults as well.

Innovative Thinking — How does your work compare to others in the industry? How did you approach the subject of innovation? How is your work innovative? The work created used similar strategies that are available in the industry, such as considering promotion through various media outlets, such as environmental advertising, on-air, print and with heavier consideration of on-line promotion and social media. Online promotion and social media were considered especially because of the opportunities that creating motion graphics could provide. 

Acquiring Competencies — What did you learn overall throughout this process? Any new software? Techniques? Skills? Explain.

I was able to practice new techniques in developing the Parallax Dynamic Vision Board by using video and sound. I was also able to use new features of Adobe After Effects that I had not used before. With these techniques I was able to bring the static vision board to life. 

Static Vision Board

Dynamic Vision Board

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Design Strategies and Motivation Reflection

This month primarily consisted of researching and learning about my local community. This was a benefit because I am still new to the area and I was able to learn about the many resources and activities that the community provides. The focus was for Downtown Mesa, Arizona which is right on Main Street, which runs through the cities of Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa. I also had the opportunity to interview locals, not just friends that lived in the area, but residents that were enjoying a day at the park, and others that were visiting the local library. The interviews provided a lot of perspective as to how they view the many activities provided by the community, and some even showed what they felt the city lacked. Based on the interviews, all of the participants feel that the city lacks communication in promoting the events that are occurring. Some even mentioned, what good was there to the activities they are providing if they never promote it? At first I thought that my design problem was the lack of communication and that as a designer it was my job to fix it. Professor Argo provided input that showed me that the lack of communication is more a bureaucracy problem. The problem we are set to solve is not a political one, but a design one. I then reflected on the issue, and started focusing on how to highlight the activities provided by the city in stead.  The brand identity I came up with Mesa in Motion and the purpose was to show how active the city with many activities provided to residents, such as Arts and Crafts festivals, Movies at the Park, partnerships with local businesses, etc. The goal is to highlight the activities and show how active and in motion the downtown area actually is. The campaign will include strategies that will help highlight the activities and local businesses and help change the perspectives that residents currently have.  To come up with this strategy, I had to really sit back and figure out how the campaign can change perspectives and encourage families to come and enjoy their time in Downtown Mesa. The area I had trouble with the most, along with the problem description was the pitch video. I reviewed the resources provided by the professor, but felt I was overthinking it too much in the information I was providing and in the end had to redo the video multiple times. 

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4.5 Mastery Reflection

Overview of the material and concepts that I learned and applied this month.

Connecting/Synthesizing/Transforming - What research did you conduct and utilize to arrive at the design decisions you present

This month, the Organizational structures course discussed the concept of motion graphics. For these projects, we worked on our project city, in my case, Reykjavik, and worked on how to create a dynamic vision board, storyboard, motion graphic, and practiced using a new motion concept. The research that was conducted included articles on the importance of motion graphics, how it can elevate the brand, how sound adds to the motion graphic, as well as additional research on how certain techniques can be created in After Effects.

Problem Solving - What design problem were you solving? What design problem does the medium you designed for solve according to the industry? How did you solve the problem?

The design problem that I was solving was that I wanted to portray Reykjavik through the eyes of a traveler that is looking for adventure. Motion graphics have the ability to affect emotion by “mirroring emotions of the experiences we see depicted on a screen” (French, 2013). I wanted to give off an impression that you can feel Reykjavik through all of your senses, the environmental chill energizing the body, the crunch of footsteps among the ice, and the mesmerizing scenery that leave a visual impression. All of this was to be conveyed using motion and any additional sound effects or audio that can accompany the movement. To do so, I used imagery that was able to reflect the tone and voice in the dynamic vision board and accompanied it with audio that helped to build up the suspense. For the motion concept, I used the Parallax Effect to provide a point of view experience from the traveler’s eye as they take in the scenery. Katy French suggests that all elements impact the story, “each should reflect who you are and what you’re about” (French, 2017). The audio, images, and colors selected were placed with the intention to impact the audience’s feeling and enhance the experience.

Innovative Thinking - How does your work compare to others in the industry? How did you approach the subject of innovation? How is your work innovative?

The technique that I tried to use for both the dynamic vision board and the Parallax motion graphic as a form of creating interaction between the graphics and the user. A strategy offered by Katy French is to ““let design do some of the heavy lifting”, in order to create an engaging graphic (French, 2017). To accomplish this, I made sure to incorporate the image with the color palette that could create the experience of feeling “Energized” and “Rejuvenated”.  The sound element is also important because it helps the viewer connect with the environment. Music provides the opportunity to set the mood by mood “adding suspense and intensity and create emotional responses” (The Importance of Sound, 2018). This lead to creating a graphic that was engaging created an emotional connection, and one that would intrigue the senses.

Acquiring Competencies - What did you learn overall throughout this process? Any new software? Techniques? Skills? Explain. 

Throughout this process, I learned that it is important to start with a storyboard prior to using After Effects. The storyboard really helps in providing guidance through the images used, the sounds to be added, graphics to be used and the amount of time that is to be set. This really helps organize the creation of the motion graphic. I was also introduced to new concepts in motion graphics and provided with examples an material that would assist in creating the graphics. With each concept, it was important to recognize the strengths in how they can be used and how it would benefit the brand. For example, the Parallax effect helped create intrigue and reinforced the idea of creating wonder. The assignments were challenging because you were introduced to new software and new concepts at the same time. I would have preferred to spend more time in this course to really learn and practice using the software as well as learning about each motion piece in order to learn how to apply them effectively.

Storyboard Screenshot:

Final Dynamic Vision Board:

Parallax Effect for Reykjavik:

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5.4.1 Week 4 Mastery Reflection

Synthesizing

While researching, I really wanted to reflect the sensation you feel while visiting Reykjavik. To do so, I understood that this feeling would need to be displayed visually to grab the audience’s attention, and would also have to communicate the message to intrigue them. I understood that color palette would play an important role because they can “can stimulate, excite, depress, tranquilize, increase appetite and create a feeling of warmth or coolness” (Pantone Color Think Tank). I researched several color palettes that would provide a feeling that spoke to the tone of being invigorating, exhilarating, captivating and energizing. The geographic location of Reykjavik is surrounded by ice, snow as well as cooler temperatures, so I decided to research icebergs and their surroundings to see the different colors. Additionally, I also wanted to reflect something that Reykjavik is known for: the Aurora Borealis. With both of these ideas in mind, I was able to come up with six specific colors to use for the vision board and infographic.

Problem Solving

One of the problems that I encountered was that I was overthinking each assignment. I ended up complicating my ideas and what I wanted to represent and how I wanted to represent it. It was impacting my layout and how and what kind of information I wanted to display.  At first, my layout was all over the place and nothing was lining up, the text was hard to read and it really had no direction. I ended up going back and re-organizing my stylesheet so that things could be displayed neater and so that it wouldn’t look like everything was placed to just fill up space. 

Innovative Thinking

While researching for the Vision Board assignment, I was really trying to avoid overthinking everything again and did not want to re-do my initial mistake of a messy layout.   One of the quotes that helped direct the new designs was that layouts should “providing plenty of breathing room around elements can help make the layout feel composed and balanced” (Hampton-Smith, 2018). With this in mind, I created three new layouts and selected the one that would best represent the overall tone and voice while displaying Reykjavik’s geography.  After reflecting on the assignment, I decided to change it because it was too simple. The information was organized but it really did not say much about Reykjavik’s environment. To improve it, I added a logo and used those elements within the vision board while also keeping the layout in mind.

Acquiring Competencies

Throughout this process, I have learned how to appropriately apply three concepts. The color palette was my favorite concept because it was something that I could use to tap into the audience’s imagination and senses. Typography was also an important concept because I learned that it can be used to “create a message of your brand or services without using any image” (Strøm, 2013). Choosing the font is important because it has to be used appropriately in order to deliver your message effectively. It needs to work with space within your layout, with your message and has to work with your color selection. The final concept I applied was working with layouts. This is important because the layout needs to be pleasing to the reader as well as intriguing enough to draw them in. Applying these three concepts helped me work to create my final assignment, the Reykjavik brand infographic.

References:

Hampton-Smith, S. (2018, September 26). How to create balanced page layouts. Retrieved February 2, 2019, from https://www.creativebloq.com/netmag/create-balanced-page-layouts-7-pro-tips-121310009

Pantone Color Think Tank - The Psychology of Color. (n.d.). Retrieved February 2, 2019, from https://www.pantone.com/color-psychology-how-does-color-affect-us

Strøm, M. (2013, July 01). What is Typography and its Role in Design. Retrieved February 2, 2019, from http://www.theartimes.com/what-is-typography/

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Effective Copywriting: Project Reflection

While working on effective copywriting and developing the print ads, I fought against my commonly occurring overthinking. I would develop a sketch, over think it or force it to fit a specific strategy. I ended up taking Professor Rogalle’s advice and pushed through it. I worked on the personas first and then started sketching all the ideas that I had. Eventually, those I was able to fit those ideas into the concepts rather than the other way around. Another take away was how to understand your audience as a whole, not just as a consumer, but a human being that has a life outside of the product. My last take away was understand how the product can influence someone’s life outside of use. This allowed me to look deeper into ads to see what else they are selling aside from the product. Felton suggested “always think about climbing the ladder; in addition to a product’s obvious solution to a need, what else is at stake? Always ask yourself, what is the highest possible benefit I can claim for this product?” (Felton 2013, p.23). I was able to look at the ads in two different ways, what is the actual product, and what additional benefit are they selling. If they were selling a hearing aid, they would also sell it as the hearing aid improving communication within relationships. This helped me when working with the ads and target audience profile for the National Network to End Domestic Violence.

For the target audience profiles, I really tried to focus on having a variance of  ages – a younger woman and an older woman. One woman already has her career in place while the other is barely starting to focus on her career. I did this intentionally because domestic violence occurs to people of all ages and stages in life. I tried to write their personas in a deeper sense and really try to see how or why they would be interested in contacting or learning more information from the National Network to End Domestic Violence.

Taking what I learned about selling the highest benefits and channeling the personas, I created several testimonial ads that used different strategies, such as “President/CEO, founding mother or father, employee”, “Just Plain Folk”, “Not the person, but something associated with the person”, “Celebrity”, “Ironic Testimonials”, and “Expert Testimonials”.  With these strategies, I really tried to show how that the National Network to End Domestic Violence has various resources available to help families experiencing domestic violence. The three that selected to develop further were the “Survivor/Advocate” ad, the “Fearful Shadows” ad, and the “Promises” ad. 

The Survivor/Advocate focused on using the “President/CEO, founding mother or father, employee” strategy in order to “give the brand a human face” in order to personify and relate the brand to the target audience (Felton, 2013, p. 241). The ad was created so that the person from the target profile would be able to relate to the ad in saying that anyone who has survived domestic violence can hold additional positions in life.

The Fearful Shadows print ad is based on the concept of the “Not the person, but something associated with the person” strategy, which features a teddy bear, which is associated with children, witnessing the abuse of a child from an adult. Using the bear helps replace the use of a child, which is something commonly used, and instead uses something associated with the person (Felton, 2013, p. 243).

The “Promises” print ad uses the Ironic Strategy, which Felton describes as “making jokes on the idea of credible spokespeople (Felton, 2013, p. 244). This was difficult to complete since domestic violence is a serious topic, so instead, I focused on using situational irony.

I was asked to complete an additional ad for National Network to End Domestic Violence, and for the final concept, I used the “Celebrity” strategy. This concept features Rhianna due to high status as a celebrity but also focusing on her experience of domestic violence, which was highly publicized. As Felton mentioned in the readings, Rihanna’s image “would be used would be enough to grab the audience’s attention” (Felton, 2013, p. 245).

After working through the process of researching the organization and target audience, developing audience personas, creating sketches and then applying the concepts I learn to create effective headlines, I was able to overcome my overthinking problem, while also develop advertisements that I felt were fitting with the target audience.  I am hoping to take the strategies that I have learned and applied to my future classes as well as career experiences.

Source: Felton, G. (2013) Advertising Concept & Copy (Third Edition), 3rd Edition. W. W. Norton & Company, 20130805. VitalBook file.

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Revised Personal SWOT Analysis

Threats: Potential threats are that I understand that I have a lot of experience to gain in the Graphic Design field. Working with websites, social media, and apps are all new ground for me and is something that I need to start practicing. Although those are things that I can learn, the field is growing quickly and I need to catch up before I get left behind.

Opportunities: Despite my weaknesses, there are opportunities available to help me strengthen them. I am able to find courses, textbooks, and mentors that can help me gain new skills. Adobe and Lynda.com provide many courses and live sessions that will help me sharpen my skills and help me begin my journey in learning more about Web Design. There are also additional websites that offer feature specific tutorials, such as how to use brushing effects in Photoshop or incorporating a grain texture in Illustrator. I also returned to school so that I can focus on Graphic Design again and re-establish that connection.

Strengths: One of my biggest strengths as a Graphic Designer is would be my experience in using Adobe Creative Suite. I enjoy learning and try to practice using Photoshop, Illustrator and other creative suite programs as much as I can. I also hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design and a Master’s Degree in Advertising and Marketing Communications.

Weaknesses: A personal weakness of mine is that there are a few programs in Adobe Creative Suite that I need to master. I also would like to gain more experience in Web Design and gain experience in Mobile App Design. A creative weakness that I have is that I tend to overthink sometimes, and it ends up getting in the way of my creativity. I also disconnected with Graphic Design for a few years, which really lowered my confidence in my work.

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Threats: Potential threats are that I understand that I have a lot of experience to gain in the Graphic Design field. Working with websites, social media, and apps are all new ground for me and is something that I need to start practicing. Although those are things that I can learn, the field is growing quickly and I need to catch up before I get left behind.

Opportunities: Despite my weaknesses, there are opportunities available to help me strengthen them. I am able to find courses, textbooks, and mentors that can help me gain new skills. I also returned to school so that I can focus on Graphic Design again and re-establish that connection.

Strengths: One of my biggest strengths as a Graphic Designer is would be my experience in using Adobe Creative Suite. I enjoy learning and try to practice using Photoshop, Illustrator and other creative suite programs as much as I can. I also hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design and a Master’s Degree in Advertising and Marketing Communications.

Weaknesses: A personal weakness of mine is that there are a few programs in Adobe Creative Suite that I need to master. I also would like to gain more experience in Web Design and gain experience in Mobile App Design. A creative weakness that I have is that I tend to overthink sometimes, and it ends up getting in the way of my creativity. I also disconnected with Graphic Design for a few years, which really lowered my confidence in my work.

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Task 1 - Document the Design Process - Reykjavík

In reviewing my process, I realized that I used the linear method in order to reach the final version of my sketch. During the analytical stage, I researched the city of Reykjavik to get a feel for the location. Then I broke up my focus on the three stages of Modern Culture, Geography, and Tradition. I started researching each section and noted ideas based on the research to help create the mind maps. Once I reached the Concept Development, I looked at the mind maps and selected the words to highlight and which words would support the highlighted idea. I feel that the mind maps really provided guidance in sketching out ideas because it helped me organize my thoughts and helped me break down the main idea into pieces of other ideas. It helped to really broaden my thought process.

Based on those ideas, I started sketching and working towards a Prototype. During the Prototyping section, I would sketch out the ideas and keep into consideration any additional ideas, such as choice of color application, typeface to use, the layout, etc. While I did not fully draw these out, I would write the notes in the sketches so that I could consider them when designing the final process. When the sketching was completed, I posted them onto the discussion board for peer review. Once I review the critiques offered by my classmates and implement the suggested strategies, I will make the changes to guide me toward the completed product.

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Mastery Journal Reflection

The live session for the MDMFA program really explained how the program worked and what is expected out of the work to be assigned. A key take away is that it emphasized how different the program is from an undergraduate program. As a professional and as a student, you have to be fully invested in researching and critical thinking in order to reach a design solution. Through your work, you have to communicate effectively while also learn how to accept and apply the feedback to make your design a success. Another key takeaway was that you are expected to practice independent thinking to reach a solution, but you also have to back it up with research and provide citations and credit when it’s due. A final key point was that there is only one person responsible for your progress in the program, and that would be me. As a graduate student, my experience will be impacted by how I apply all of the knowledge, research, feedback, ideas to every project in order to be successful.

One of my concerns is being able to develop an action plan for my work and school schedule. Both are full time and there are only so many hours during the day to fit both, while also have time eat, sleep, think and fit in other hobbies. As mentioned in the live session, we must learn to be pro-active, show initiative, and reach a solution. To do so, I am working towards developing a schedule to include work, school, and other commitments such as church activities, boxing training, and drawing. Another concern I have is dealing with my own personal criticism. Critiques and feedback can be provided by many, but when it comes from our criticism it tends to be the harshest. A way to overcome this challenge, I plan to gain as much knowledge, research as possible and remember that there is more than one way to a solution. I want to learn new trends, website development, mobile app development, and many new graphic design skills, and to do so, I have to open my mind and absorb as much knowledge as I can in order to apply it.

My vision is to become a Senior Graphic Designer and be well-rounded in graphic design but also enter the realm of full stack design. I was able to relate to Sean Adams in the Lynda.com video because I shared the same way of thinking. I thought graphic design was simply layouts rather than a concept in communicating ideas. When I received my Bachelor’s in Graphic Design, I was timid and locked my ideas in my head because I thought “what if this isn’t the design way of doing it?” and I would shun away many ideas. I didn’t allow myself the opportunity to fully learn website design, which is something I regret. For years, I thought that I did not have the experience or ideas to work at a design firm or to be considered a designer. My vision is to open my mind, develop new skills, enhance my current skills, and allow my creativity to grow. My action plan is to use this program to full advantage and not be timid. To do so, I want to create a schedule and plan for upcoming assignments and projects, communicate with my professors and be sure to get any questions I have answered, and research and use resources to make sure I reach my vision.  

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One of my favorite quotes from Frida Khalo:  “Feet, what do I need them for If I have wings to fly”. I resonate with this quote more in Spanish because it motivates me to never disconnect from my roots. The quote itself helps me remember Frida’s story and how she was able to cope and overcome the challenges she faced.