Final Mastery Reflection
Course 1, Mastery: Personal Development and Leadership
This course contributed to my personal and professional development as a media designer by helping me carve out goals. I wrote an intention statement in this course that outlined what I wanted to pursue. I determined that I wanted to achieve mastery in the field of Graphic Design. My research consisted of exploring Robert Greene’s “Mastery” text. A quote that stuck with me was to “find a niche in the ecology that you can dominate” (Greene, 2012, p. 35).
I also performed a Grit and Ambition self-assessment. According to the Grit and Ambition Scale I am extremely ambitious. Strengths that I possess consist of creativity, discipline, and professionalism. This course aided in my thesis project by allowing me to practice proper APA formatting. My most outstanding personal triumph in this course was creating a Mastery Journal Timeline that outlined what I wanted to learn from each course. Here is where I established my Mastery path.
Course 2, Defining Client Needs
In Defining Client Needs a lot of my confusion about the process of creating a logo was clarified. This will aid in my career as a freelance designer. We began drafting logos for our chosen destinations. I decided to do the place branding project for Kyoto, Japan. I began with hundreds of sketches focusing on different aspects of Kyoto such as the geography, culture, and tradition. Here is where I did the foundations of my research that benefited me in creating my thesis website. Understanding how to find credible information to support your claims is a technique that I acquired by completing this course.
Course 3, Brand Development
Brand Development was a continuation of projects that were begun in course two. In Brand Development I created Vision Boards reflecting different aspects of Kyoto. I also revised my bamboo logo that was the product of collaboration and feedback. This course taught me the elements of branding and place branding that I would later discuss in my thesis project. In this course we also did color studies. As a professional media designer I will have to be able to explore color successfully for my clients’ interests.
Course 4, Effective Copywriting
Effective copywriting was a challenging course for me. I originally didn’t think of myself as a stellar writer. However, with my professor’s guidance I was able to excel. I learned about personas and target profiles. Knowing this terminology and the meaning behind it will help me be a better designer by enabling me tp design for the appropriate audience. My biggest personal triumph was developing testimonial advertisements for a non-profit animal shelter. This class contributed heavily to the creation of the solving problems portion of my thesis site. I used the testimonial ads I developed as examples of attaining mastery for the Solving Problems section.
Course 5, Design Research
In the Design Research course I devoted much time to researching Kyoto, Japan. This proved to be just an umbrella for many additional topics that my reading led to. My biggest personal triumph was creating the Kyoto vision board. It was harmonious and represented the topics that I added to my skill set. For example, the reading I did into organic shapes I then synthesized into my Final vision board to represent aspects of that research. I learned how to develop a style sheet which will probably be a task as a professional designer. The techniques I learned such as synthesizing research was applied to my thesis website.
Course 6, Organizational Structures
Organizational Structures challenged me by requiring me to work with motion. This was one of my weaker points and proved to be frustrating. My biggest personal triumph however was creating two professional parallax image videos for my Kyoto brand. I found research in this course that established organic shapes convey feelings of nature. Understanding this principal, I included as an acquired competency for my thesis website.
Course 7, Design Strategies and Motivation
Design Strategies and Motivation was about establishing a brand identity for my local community of Great Bridge in Chesapeake, Virginia. I conducted primary and second Ary research into my area. I also immersed myself in the area by driving through and walking around the district. This allowed me to conduct interviews and engage with people on a personal basis. I got to understand subject’s motivations and behaviors. Freach writes, “Understanding behavior gives designers at least two important kinds of insight.” (Freach, 2011). It provides a sense of action and recognizes practices and patterns. This course benefits me in my professional career by teaching me how to interpret and conduct a case study. This course also allowed me to acquire competencies such as photographing and interviewing that I would discuss on my thesis site.
Course 8, Design Integration
Through the Design Integration course I developed a brand voice for my branding project Victory Park. I did this by creating a brand voice chat. I developed a tagline for the community based in the tone and voice. I then made a static vision board which will be a great addition to my professional portfolio. My biggest personal triumph was creating a dynamic vision board for Victory Park. Establishing the brand voice for Victory Park was a technique that played into my thesis website. Learning how to develop a media plan will assist eye in my professional career because the principle will be the same for various brands I work with.
Course 9, Multi-Platform Delivery
In course nine, I developed multiple design solutions for different media assets that would support my Victory Park brand. This month was beneficial to my professional career because it taught me how to develop a brand guide. The Victory Park branding campaign was further developed throughout the month which aided in my argument for master on the thesis website.
I also learned essential practices for the creative process a dealing with clients. What I found most valuable was the Lynda video by Von Glitschka entitled “Logo Design: Illustrating Logo Marks”. This step by step tutorial shed light on great tips that will stick with me. The toughest part of the course for me was creating a catchy logo. The Glitschka video made creating the logo look very simple and it became frustrating when I wasn’t producing the same polished results. I had to constantly remind myself that the designer had been in the industry way longer than me and I will get better with time and practice.
Course 10, Measuring Design Effectiveness
During course ten I developed a questionnaire that measured the results of my place branding campaign for Victory Park. I received great feedback from the participants on the effectiveness of the campaign. I translated this information into an infographic which was my biggest triumph. This technique of synthesizing data into a design solution is a competency that I discussed acquiring on my thesis website. The infographic received great feedback from my instructor and was definitely of graduate level caliber.
Course 11, Thesis: Presentation of Design Solution
The Thesis: Presentation of Design Solution course taught me essential skills of a professional media designer. I immediately learned that it was vital to show your process rather than just the end product. I applied this to my thesis presentation site by presenting the research that I conducted, exhibiting early sketches, and showing how the vector image progressed. I fine-tuned my writing skills by drafting many abstracts for my mastery website. I was able to exercise my knowledge of Wix to build my assignment.
FINAL EXPERIENCE MAP *CLICK HERE TO VIEW IN HQ*
References
Freach, J. (2011, May 27). “The Art of Design Research (and Why It Matters)”. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2011/05/the-art-of-design-research-and-why-it-matters/239561/
Greene, R. (2012). Mastery. New York: Penguin.










