Week 48: Month 12 Week 48
The Journey:
Month 1: Personal development and leadership, started with a great deal of frustration over creating a multitude of social media accounts and mapping out a timeline of goals relative to the program. At the time creating the accounts felt like a waste of time and the timeline challenging because it was asking what was envisioned not what was a reality.
However, the relevance came full circle in month eleven and twelve becoming a valuable tool for completing the thesis defense site and experience map. The timeline was invaluable for providing the name of the courses and the intent of the courses and the blog posts filled in the gaps. The key skill acquired through the timeline process that helped build the thesis defense site is understanding how to map out chronological order. The media accounts provided visual examples of web layout options. Information from both tools was used to create the thesis defense and experience map.
As for the personal triumph of this course, it would have to be regaining access to an old LinkedIn account. This was a nightmare process. Because the original account had not been accessed in over ten years it had not been validated when the site updated its terms and conditions. Therefore, a new account was created but denied because the old account existed. Even the designers of the company did not have a solution to the problem as creating a new account required deleting the old account but the old account could not be accessed because it was locked out. However, the tech department finally found a loophole and was able to provide a step by step way to delete both accounts and create a new account with updated information.
Month 2: Defining client needs, was filled with new programs and traditional hands-on work. The assignments focused on using new technology as a research and creative tool while at the same time testing artistic ability to accurately represent visual information in the form of sketches. The tools and skills used through this course helped to fill in the information in three of the four learning outcomes of the thesis defense.
Learning new programs helped to produce documents needed to complete the course and thesis defense. The hand sketches are represented on the thesis site in two of the four learning outcomes. Though not all of the skills used for the course are tools that will be used on a regular basis they are tools that will be shared with future students to help them work through design issues such as creating mind maps. The mind map process helps to break up information into key terms and smaller chunks. This process was used in a modified way to organize the information chosen to feature in the thesis defense.
The personal triumph for this month is one that many people take for granted and that is the continued use of their hands. This month required hundreds of hand sketches in a very short period of time. This assignment placed a huge demand on hands with degenerative tendinitis which causes great physical pain resulting in the hands locking up and not being able to grasp or hold the weight of a pencil. Working through the pain and completing the assignments is a testament to human resilience and dedication to the industry.
Month 3: Brand development was a leap headfirst into using Adobe Illustrator. Illustrator is a vector based software program that is a staple in the digital media design industry. It is also one of the most frustrating and large learning curve programs mastered through this journey. At the beginning of the month, it was a challenge to even locate the text tool. By the end of the month, it was possible to create custom texts. This is one of the most useful programs to master for a graphic designer. It is used to create elements that work with the rest of the Adobe CC programs or as a stand-alone.
Learning Illustrator and the work created with it is seen on each of the four learning outcomes on the thesis defense site and the work created on the month 12 experience map. Illustrator is the program used to produce all logo graphics through the thesis site. This program is one that will be used on a daily basis in the workplace.
It is also the personal triumph for the month. This program is one that has been a challenge for many years. However, the work done during month three fostered mastery of this program. The mastery of Illustrator will further career development in both teaching and graphic digitizing.
Month 4: Effective copywriting was a fun month. Learning the history of copywriting and how it changed the advertising world was very interesting. Using text as a graphic as part of visual communication and for providing informational data carries over into all aspects of traditional graphic design and media design.
The skills learned this month is featured on every page of the thesis defense site and on the Behance portfolio site. The skills learned this month have been applied academically for this course and the remaining courses, personally in portfolio entries, and professionally in written curriculum. The use of scale, placement, and information were used to create a hierarchy within the thesis defense site.
The personal triumph for this month is writing a fundraising event that will be used in future high school courses as part of the volunteer requirements for econ and Nation Arts Honor Society. This event will provide an artistic option for students who need to fulfill volunteer hours for econ. It will also fulfill NAHS membership requirements for future art club members.
Month 5: Design research was a month of reflecting on past work, researching current trends, and making modifications to existing work or creating new work based on the data. This month also brought about major changes in the city project. The original concept for the project was to produce a tourism website. During this month that project transformed into an interactive augmented reality education application. The work created this month is on three of the four learning outcome pages on the thesis defense.
The most prevalent skills mastered this month were reiteration and starting over. No one works on a design solution for months with the intention of starting over when the project is almost complete and nearing its deadline. Facing this proves it can be done and to double check research, resources, and brand identity before it gets to this point.
The personal triumph for this month is developing an idea that has real-world applications. The work done on the app concept can easily be transformed into an interactive global project. Though this was originally a school project it is one that will continue to be developed with the goal of eventual production.
Month 6: Organizational structure was a challenge but a favorite month. Learning how to create motion graphics with Adobe Photoshop, After Effects, and Premiere Pro and when to use which program to achieve the desired outcome is something that will continue to be used in personal, professional, and volunteer ventures. The skills learned this month helped provide motion as an added visual inertest to the thesis defense site.
The inclusion of motion to the site shows an understanding of the importance of learning and mastering trending skills. It also provides prospective clients and or employers with pre-existing evidence of skill set. The reason this particular skill stands out is that it is current and trending throughout the industry.
The personal triumph for this month was using mastering how to use Photoshop, After Effects, and Premiere Pro collaboratively. They have all played a role in creating past projects but always individually not using them consecutively. This month helped to fill in gaps of knowledge on how to use these programs to their fullest potential.
Month 7: Designing strategies and motivation was an eye-opening experience. This month required the production of a time management calendar. The end result was a calendar overwhelmed with work. Looking at the workload reinforced the need for aking this journey in hopes that someday the calendar will reflect free time to pursue family time and hobbies as a priority instead of working multiple jobs to stay living below the poverty line for the state of California. In addition to the timeline, work time was spent reiterating the tourism app.
The work done this month is not present on the thesis defense site, however, it was a needed step along the process of building the artifacts presented on the site. The time spent this month changing all final tourism artifacts on the site, though frustrating at times, enhanced and increased the skill levels of working with Illustrator, Photoshop, After Effects, and InDesign. These programs are capable of producing media design solutions currently trending in the industry.
The new iteration of the app is the triumph for this month. Using the skills mastered in month six the new iteration included an animated sequence of a sample question interface for a rudimentary working prototype. Implementing the skills further motivated the acquisition and production of a more robust interactive prototype.
Month 8: Design integration was an emotionally challenging month. Additional research revealed major issues with the design solution that required returning to the drawing board. Based on the research a new brand identity needed to be created which included a logo and new artifacts.
Starting over was devastating. However, because it was necessary for the production of a stranger more connected brand identity it produced a better end product. Making this change also provided chronological data of the design process to foster a strong message of growth on the thesis site. The artifacts created illustrate how each change was made and shows the evolution of the design solution journey from original concept to finalized product.
The whole month is a moment of triumph. Starting from scratch on a design package that took five months to create the first time is a testament to perseverance.
Month 9: Multi-platform delivery was exciting. This month the rudimentary app prototype was updated with the new artifacts and turned into a more robust prototype. The new prototype featured interactive animations to give the illusion of a working app. Each element of the prototype had working links that let the user navigate through the key features of the app.
The production of this app prototype enabled the embedding of a screen capture video showing the functionality of the app which is a prominent feature located in two places on the thesis site. Building the prototype enhanced the mastery of animation by learning two new processes. To complete the app prototype required learning an application not covered by the school and learning how to video screen capture actions on a PC laptop.
Learning these two new skills collectively comprise this months triumph. These skills have always been on a list of things to learn but always seemed to be placed on the back burner in the past. However, the demands of this course brought them to the forefront of the need to know information and will continue to be used in future endeavors and passed on to future students.
Month 10: Measuring design effectiveness was all about writing questions, administering surveys and evaluating data. The first step was working through the process of writing screening questions to weed out the correct target audience. Next, questions needed to be written that asked the target audience for feedback about the design solution. After all of those steps were completed came the tedium of evaluating the data.
As tedious as the process was it did reveal key information validating that the changes made in month eight were beneficial to the brand identity. The data collected from the survey helped to strengthen the brand identity based on how it was received by the target audience. It also helped support the design solution on the thesis site. In addition to collecting data, these skills carried over to writing better image descriptions based on questioning why they were chosen over others.
The feedback was the triumph of this month as it supported the need for the new brand logo and artifacts. This month validated that the reiteration was time well spent. It also reinforced the purpose and necessity of the iteration process as it relates to design solutions.
Month 11: Presentation of design solution focused on finishing touches, compiling information, and presenting the visual and written information learned through this process to establish mastery in the content area. The thesis defense site showcases each step in the mastery journey. The site is divided into four learning outcomes. During the building of the site, it became clear that more work was produced than originally imagined.
At the beginning of the process, there was a level of anxiety over having enough information to defend the thesis. However, as the site progressed it became necessary to evaluate each artifact for effectiveness. This evaluation process is mentioned in month ten. Also noteworthy is tying this process in with month four as well as the site uses the hierarchy systems learned that month. The information presented on the site can be used on potential employment applications but, for the most part, it stands as a reflection of the process of design.
The triumph moment for this month was discovering a pattern in the design process. Upon reflecting on the skills learned and artifacts created the pattern of overdesigning the first iteration was revealed. Understanding that this pattern (issue) exists is something to be aware of in the future. Knowing there is this tendency can help break the pattern in the future to streamline production time by starting with a simplistic design on the onset.
Month 12: Experience Map Mastery Project
Image 1 (Larsen, 2019).
Image 1 is an image of the experience map created for month twelve. It contains key highlights of experiences and takeaways from each course taken over this past year. Each paint bucket represents three months worth of instruction. The three subsections on the label of the cans distinguish between thinking, feeling, and doing. The three levels of blue tape on the wall represents the high, mid, and low takeaway experiences. The choice to use paint and paint cans relates to the foundation of art and the conscious choice to create a world of art.