MDMFA: FINAL REFLECTION
As an educator, I am pretty picky about my own education. I have been in programs before that were lacking. I felt disappointment in programs and degrees that didn’t push me enough or were too watered down. When I first discovered the MDMFA design program at Full Sail University I was quickly enticed by the online format. As a high school applied and visual arts teacher my schedule wouldn’t allow me to obtain an MFA easily–without dragging it out over multiple years and spending my summers on a far off campus. So I jumped on board with Full Sail, hesitant at first, venturing into the great unknown. From the very first course in month one, Mastery: Personal Development and Leadership, I knew I had made the correct decision. I knew the next year of my life would be a challenge but was confident I was up for the tasks set before me.
Looking back over the last twelve months I can say that each course was strategically placed to prepare and help me succeed as a professional media designer. I give kudos to the instructors who came together to develop this program. Each course built upon the last adding new challenges along the way. At times it was overwhelming but anyone who has worked in the design industry knows the feeling. I would recommend this program to anyone interested in pushing their career forward in the design field as I believe it has given me the confidence and inspired me to explore uncharted waters in my own life.
Each of the 12 courses over the last year introduced us to new concepts, techniques and theories necessary to successfully complete our Thesis Project for the MDMFA program. Not only did each course require us to push ourselves to learn new technical skills regarding design software but also challenged us to go beyond technical skill. We were pushed to develop our own ideas through research and managing branding campaigns for companies. This real world experience over the course of the program was essential for preparing us for our Thesis Project. This structure helped us to think much more like the client as opposed to ourselves. Without this ability I am confident I would not have been as successful on my final Thesis Project.
Throughout this 12 month program I was faced with many challenges–some more daunting than others. Whether it be managing work and school or the challenge of a new baby or facing my own shortcomings I managed to prevail. No matter what set of obstacles were placed before me I came through on the other side stronger knowing I have the confidence and necessary skills to succeed. Each course provided me with personal triumph along the way.
Mastery: Personal Development and Leadership I remember this course vividly as it set the stage for the entire design program. I wrote a research paper on Leonardo Da Vinci. As I researched the “Renaissance man” I realized his story was much like mine. I realized my life also paralleled many other greats while reading Robert Greene’s book, Mastery. His book opened my mind’s eye to see the world differently. The book had so many examples of people who were not traditional and dared to go their own way no matter the pain and persecution they faced because of it. The world counted them out but now we revere these great contributors to modern society (John Coletrain, Thomas Edison, Benjamin Franklin, Mozart, etc.) The greatest triumph for me during month one was that I decided I was going to become a “Master” in my field. I decided in that moment that I would dig in and hone my craft. I learned mastery went beyond technical skill and was a way of seeing the world differently and valuing and learning from every setback along the way. I was going to define what it meant to master something and not let society or the world around me define who I am.
Defining Client Needs This was the first course in which we looked at a case study. I remember being inspired by the simplicity of Margo Chase’s Chinese Laundry rebranding and realizing the power of ideas. Chase felt it was the designer’s job to educate the client with the research before scaring them or intimidating them with the “black art of creativity” (Chase, n.d.). The biggest triumph for me during this course was my design for a Romeo and Juliet poster. Shaun Adams made the statement “When making moves think big, work in broad strokes and big gestures” (Adams, n.d.). After hearing this, I wanted to push myself to try something bold for the project so I created my own hand drawn type and illustration. I was pretty happy with the end result as I used bold colors and used scale to make a big impact.
Brand Development During this course we read Marty Neumeier’s book, Zag, which had some really great points. The main point that stuck out was his idea of going beyond differentiation to radical differentiation and in turn becoming the only (Neumeier, 2007). The biggest triumph for me was realizing how I could apply this to my custom woodworking business. Finding ways to become the only and differentiating myself from the rest of the herd was crucial. I had never understood how to do so until this course. After this I looked to rebrand myself and really dig in to how I was unique and different.
Effective Copywriting I have always felt that I have a pretty good design sense. I am a nerd about design so typically know what makes a design strong. But I did not understand the power of design combined with great copy until this course. This course opened my eyes to what good copy consists of. My personal triumph for the course was designing a testimonial ad. All of the elements of design as well as copy fell perfectly into place to create a powerful ad. The knowledge gained from this course helped me to push to become a stronger and more effective writer. I have used the knowledge to help grow my own business.
Design Research This was the first course in which were really dug in with our design work. We were tasked with creating infographics and movie posters. It was great to get back into design but this was the first time that I had ever really researched in-depth before designing. It made a huge difference in the quality of my work. My design work was much more informed and stronger because of the research put into it. A personal triumph for me was conquering my first infographic. I had never designed an infographic and learned through research as well as trial and error. I remember my first attempt was lacking but with feedback from others ended up with a portfolio piece to be proud of.
Organizational Structures This course opened me up to new things. I had never dealt with moodboards before this course. Looking back my moodboard designs were not great but I learned a significant amount to apply towards my thesis project. This course challenged me more than any course throughout the year. We were pushed into Adobe AfterEffects which was not an area I was comfortable with. I remember being totally stressed feeling like I would never be able to accomplish the project goals. This was right around the time my son was born also so this new dynamic definitely added to the tension I felt building. My personal triumph for this course was realizing that life cannot always be perfect. Sometimes you have to let go and realize where your priorities lie. Ultimately, I chose my family over school this month and my grade suffered a bit but life went on. I continued to move forward and found myself at the end stronger because of it.
Design Strategies and Motivation We were tasked with doing a lot during this course. We had to develop brand logos (which was one of the highlights from the program for me) as well as create a style guide. My personal triumph was creating one of the most dynamic logos I have created to this point in my career. All elements fell into place to communicate exactly what the brand needed.
Design Integration Design Integration had us design a campaign for our companies. Being a visual and applied art teacher my mind immediately went down the rabbit trail thinking of big impact ideas. My personal triumph for this course had to do with executing ideas that were on brand for my company. I was extremely proud of my campaign work. My guerrilla idea as well as my UPI and TV ad were on point for the brand and made a big impact on my classmates and professor as well.
Multi-Platform Delivery This course marked the beginning of our thesis work. At this point we were cranking out design work at twice the pace as before. We were assigned our companies and jumped right into the process. We learned to carry out campaigns for varying media. My personal triumph for this course was the fact that I came up with a branding strategy for my company that I would see through to the end.
Measuring Design Effectiveness My personal triumph for this course had to do with seeing beyond the grandeur of my own ideas. It is easy as a designer to fall in love with your own ideas. This course forced us to test out ideas collecting actual data from surveys. This research helped to better guide our campaigns and design work. For me this was a big eye opener and sent my campaign work in a direction I hadn't anticipated. I had to learn how to quickly adapt and consider valuable feedback from a target audience.
Thesis: Presentation of Design Solution This course is where everything came to a head. The biggest piece of this course was developing our campaign project books. These books were massive and required a great deal of time and effort. One would think that accomplishing this would be my greatest triumph but it actually was not. My biggest triumph for this course was designing my brand vision book. We had to use images to tell the brand’s story. This by far was one of my best design pieces for the year. I managed to design a vision book that relied almost solely on visuals but communicated the story of the brand perfectly.
Professional Practice This class was a great way to cap off our Master’s work. If it wasn’t for this class I would have probably fallen off as a professional designer. I appreciated how we were required to get our portfolios in order and position ourselves for success in the industry whether it be full-time or freelance. My greatest triumph for the course was finishing off the program strong. I hit a few bumps during this class as the perfect storm of work and school hit but overall am happy with my work for the course and the program overall.
References
Adams, S. (n.d.). Foundations of Layout and Composition | Lynda.com Training. Retrieved October 25, 2015, from http://www.lynda.com/Design-tutorials/Foundations-Layout-Composition/135095-2.html
Chase, M. (n.d.). Creative Inspirations: Margo Chase, Graphic Designer | Lynda.com Training. Retrieved September 30, 2015 from http://www.lynda.com/Typography-tutorials/margochasegraphicdesigner/685-2.html
Neumeier, M. (2007). Zag: The number-one strategy of high-performance brands: A whiteboard overview. Berkeley, CA: AIGA.