Brand Development Week One Reflection

During the first week of Brand Development I had to create brand identity for each of the three different brand approach (modern culture, geography, & traditions). In addition, I took the nine logos from previous class (Defining Client’s Needs) and based on the created brand identity chose the best logo for each approach. After that I did a little bit of alternation to each logo and also chose possible typography to be customized for each logos.

Below is the recorded progression of week one’s project begining with the identified brand attributes.

Modern Culture Key Values.

Marrakesh values lie in preserving traditions. The city’s medina was awarded UNESCO World Heritage Site for how well they have preserved most parts of the original city (Centre , 2020; Keyte, 2020). This value of preserving traditions is reflected in just about everything in Marrakesh. Tradition is displayed on pottery paintings, floor tile patterns, architecture, food, clothing and the list goes on. Homes, hotels and guesthouses architecture are based on the traditional riads (traditional homes). Food is cooked the ancient way in tagines (pottery).

Diversity is another thing that the city value. Marrakesh is the most visited city in Morocco simply because it is foreigner-friendly (Gabriela, 2017). Just to accommodate foreigners, the people speak three to four languages on average. This shows the city’s openness to diversity. Marrakesh is a city that blends tradition with modern and makes the two inseparable. Because of this, tradition and diversity were picked as modern culture key values.

Geography Key Values

When it comes to geography Marrakesh can be confusing to foreigners who are unfamiliar with North Africa in particular. Because it is Africa it may be a bit hard to fit this place with Arabic Nations in the Middle East. However, North African countries, in general, are something in between Middle Eastern and Mediterranean feel. To understand the values from a sense of place perspective it is important to think in the context of Moroccan culture. With that in mind, the key values to the city of Marrakesh is first providing an experience for incoming travelers. The city has been explained by travelers as chaotic, charming, sensory overwhelming, romantic, crazy, timeless, etc. Someone might ask, which one is it, is it chaotic or is it charming? Well, it all depends on what part of Marrakesh did the traveler explore. The Medina is a labyrinth that travelers will most likely get lost in unless they’ve lived in the city long enough to memorize its maze or they have a tour guide to help them. The city square of Jamaa el-Fan is like a circus with snake charmers, dancers, music, performers, storytellers, mystical readings, juice stands and a sea of food stands. The square can be chaotic for people who don’t like crowds and surprises or it can be exciting for people who enjoy this type of scenario. Moving away from the city to the outskirts of the city, one can find nature activities that are less sensory overwhelming such as mountain climbing, hiking, camel back riding, or hot air balloon riding. Going back to a riad after a busy day can be a nice warm and tranquil place to rest from exploring the city. Because of this, the idea of an exotic and adventurous experience was selected to represent the first key-value of Geography.

Next to that, convenience was also selected as a key-value to geography. As mentioned by Gabriala (2017), many visitors chose Marrakesh because of its ability to facilitate people who want to experience the culture but still have the convenience of what they are used to. A good example of this is how the city facilitate alcohol drinkers. Even though drinking doesn’t fit the culture of Marrakesh and can be frowned upon, there are places like restaurants and guesthouses that go out of their way to facilitate their guest while keeping it somewhat discreet (Planet, 2020). In addition, even though covering up for women is highly recommended in the city when looking into visiting the city, it is not uncommon to see women travelers in short sleeves and shorts or skits (prsw100, 2016).

Traditions Key Value

Marrakesh has both tradition and culture well preserved. The city was awarded UNESCO World Heritage Site for “the best example of modern Islamic fortified site still standing” (Keyte, 2020). The city earned its name “Red City” from the red walls around it which are historic and very well preserved (Prsw100, 2016). Many cities in North Africa and even Middle East will have a wealth of architecture of some sort to show off its history but Marrakesh, in particular its medina, is the closest version of its original form (Keyte, 2020). This culture of preserving and maintaining traditions and cultures long practiced through its history is displayed in just about everywhere in Marrakesh. Tradition is displayed in architecture, food, houses, hotels, and even in social rules such as no drinking or no appealing dresses for women. Marrakesh is a city that values and honors its ancient traditions and cultures.

Modern Culture Differentiation

Marrakesh has done a great job in preserving its history, traditions and culture in an ever-changing and modernizing world. Yes, every city with a rich history and culture has preserved their ancient ties to a certain extent but not as much as Marrakesh. This is a city that won the UNESCO World Heritage Site award (Centre, 2020). In addition, the city has not failed to welcome, entertain and facility its guest who are coming from all over the world. Marrakesh has been receiving tourists since the 1960s and has become very well equip in accommodating foreigners (Team, 2019). Marrakesh’s ability to bring the best of both worlds (both the ancient Marrakesh and the modern culture) to the guest’s aid is unique to Marrakesh and would be quite difficult to copy.

Geography Differentiation

Two things are unique to Marrakesh geographic area which is the UNESCO World Heritage Site award-winning median and the Atlas mountain. Atlas mountain extends across three North African countries (Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia). However, Marrakesh has access to the Atlas’ tallest mountain (Mt. Toubkal) and five valleys that makes the region famous (Ourika, Oukaimeden, Sidi Fares, Asni and Tohnouaut). No other place in the world can offer such adventure.

Traditional Differentiation

Cities that are culturally and traditionally rich most likely will have a good collection of ancient artifacts for display to showcase its history. They may also use some form of cultural dance or entertainment to help visitors experience their traditions. For example, in Kyoto temples are preserved and used as a tour site to show the city’s history and geishas serve guests to add to their experience of the city’s ancient traditions and culture. Marrakesh on the other hand, appears to have never departed from its traditional ways. Marrakesh is not trying to showcase its history; it just kept its traditions all along. A visitor explained that stepping into the city is like stepping into the past (prsw100). Marrakesh is different because it allows others to experience its undisturbed traditions.

Logo Development:

After defining the brand identity and creating the table for brand identity the three different brand approaches became clearer in my mind and easier to articulate. In addition, after going over the previous 9 logos from last course, three logos (logo 23, 10, & 21) were selected based on the brand identity.

Logo 23 will be used for Modern Culture Approach. The logo is a gate with the doors opening. It serves as a good symbol of the city’s welcoming spirit. The dome at the top shows the tip of a possibly mysterious and enchanted city plus it is also a good indication of Arabic cities which kind of give cues to the culture of the city.

Logo 21 is a palm tree and will be used for the Traditional Approach. Palm trees represent prosperity and civilization to many Arabian countries (AW staff, 2019). Marrakesh is one of the longest standing ancient civilization in the world. It has stood the test of time and remained prosperous over the years. Instead of showing a logo of the “Red City” (which stands as proof of Marrakesh’s long-standing prosperity), a palm tree will be used. A palm tree would be a much clearer symbol than a figure of a wall or building which can be confusing.

Logo 10 will be used for geography as a symbol of adventure and exploration. As described above, Marrakesh’s geography location is unique especially with its ancient Medina and Atlas Mountain. The corridors of palaces, which is, by the way, something to behold in Marrakesh, will be used as a symbol of Marrakesh’s geographic wonders.

Below are some images that will show how each logo developed. This project is still ongoing and logos may change later.

Modern Culture Logo Development:

Geography Logo Development:

Traditions Log Development:

Typography Development:

I researched typography and read the below articles. I also downloaded fronts from fontfabric and google fonts to add to the variety of fonts to work with. Additionally, I read Krause (2015) book title “Lessons in Typography: Must Know Typographic Principles Presented Through Lessons, Exercises and Examples.” This book was very helpful as it walked me through the basics of typography such as typography anatomy and how to identify different typefaces. More importantly, this book showed how to modify typography. I will be using this book as a guide to creating modified off the shelf fonts.

Typography Research Resources:

• Bernazzani, S. (2018). Fonts & Feelings: Does Typography Connote Emotions? Retrieved from https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/typography-emotions.
• Cousins, C. (2012). Establish a Mood with Typography. Retrieved from https://tympanus.net/codrops/2012/02/19/establish-a-mood-with-typography/
• Kliever, J. (UNK). A beautifully illustrated glossary of typographic terms you should know. Retrieved from https://www.canva.com/learn/typography-terms/.
• Typewolf (UNK). Typography Cheatsheet—A Comprehensive Guide to Smart Quotes, Dashes & Other Typographic Characters. Retrieved \from https://www.typewolf.com/cheatsheet

After watching chapters 4 & 5 of “Branding for Designers” by Sean Adams I then moved forward to searching for different fonts. Below are snapshots of how I did this.

Modern Culture Typography Development:    

Modern Culture 32 fonts…

Modern Culture top 8 fonts selected…

Modern Culture top 3 fonts selected…

Geographic Typography Development:

Geography 32 fonts…

Geography top 8 fonts selected…

Geography top 3 fonts selected…

Traditions Typography Development:

Traditions 32 fonts…

Traditions top 8 fonts selected…

Traditions top 3 fonts selected…

The goal for typography is to take an existing font and modify it to go with the logo. Modern culture fonts were mainly sans serif. Sans serif is known to be neutral. Therefore, it will work well with the decorated gate logo. However, one display font was selected to allow the project to explore different ideas. Fonts for geography were mainly displayed because the logo is quite simple with clean edges and curves. In addition, a display type that might give a sense of adventure and exotic were chosen. Finally, serif was chosen for the traditions approach. Serif is traditional and conveys a sense of history.

Further Development (Plan of Action)

A classmate provided critique for the project. One piece of advice provided from this particular critique is to explore different alignment with the fonts and the logo. I will take this advice and further move into rearranging fonts and logos to explore different ideas. In addition, I will continue to modify the font and put it into practice in illustrator.

Reference:

AW staff. (2019). Date palm heritage in Arab World celebrated by UNESCO. Retrieved https://thearabweekly.com/date-palm-heritage-arab-world-celebrated-unesco

Centre, U. (2020). Medina of Marrakesh. Whc.unesco.org. Retrieved 9 May 2020, from https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/331/

Gabriela. (2017) The Best Places to Visit in North Africa | Gabriela Here and There. Retrieved from https://www.gabrielahereandthere.com/best-places-visit-north-africa/

Keyte, M. (2020). 12 Incredible Historical Destinations in North Africa. Culture Trip. Retrieved from https://theculturetrip.com/africa/articles/the-12-most-incredible-historical-destinations-in-north-africa/

Kraus, J. (2015). Lessons in Typography: Must Know Typographic Principles Presented Through Lessons, Exercises and Examples. Retrieved from https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/lessons-in-typography/9780133993738/ch01.html#ch01.

Planet, L. (2020). Drinking & Nightlife. Lonely Planet. Retrieved from https://www.lonelyplanet.com/morocco/in-location/drinking-and-nightlife/a/nar/92f52843-3d1d-4295-8b12-f7505f8a8961/355491

Prsw100. (2016, May 27). Marrakesh Full Film 4K [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2821lRdJ9w&t=1452s

Team, O. (2019). Fes or Marrakech: Which Moroccan City Should You Visit?. On The Go Tours Blog. Retrieved 9 May 2020, from https://www.onthegotours.com/blog/2019/06/fes-or-marrakech/

Villanovo. (2020). Culture and Tradition in Marrakech. Villanovo.com. Retrieved 8 May 2020, from https://www.villanovo.com/guides/morocco/marrakech/culture-traditions

Reflection: Defining Client’s Needs Week Four

Defining Client’s Needs mainly involved logo research, concept development, concept exploration, sketching, and refining best iterations. We covered so much in such a short period of time. There were so many new and interesting things I learned over the four week course.

The initial research of Margo Chase was full of insight into designing for clients. There were so much to learn from this video. I watched it a good couple of times. The video walked me through the processes of designing for clients which involves research, psychographic mapping, persona development, emotional targeting, visual brand stories and finally, designing. These were all great topic but the three main highlights of this video for me were research, persona development and emotional targeting. Research is paramount to the design process. Chase Design Group demonstrated extensive and thorough research that were impressive as they showed how those researches applied to their final decision making. Secondly, creating a persona that really focuses the team and the whole process was well covered in the video. The amount of details they give the persona was important to give the team a good knowledge and understanding of who they were designing for. Finally, a single word was used to find the emotional target of the brand. It simply answered the question —If there is one word that could describe the brand what would it be? This word also assisted in focusing the team on a single goal. I realized that as I explored different concepts during the logo development for this course that there were times that I lost focus of the brand. Going back to that one word really helped me gather my thoughts.

As week three came around, the class delved into creating logo for a  client. We were presented with three cities to research into and chose one of these cities to design a logo for. The purpose of the logo was to promote tourism for the chosen city. Below is the diagram of the process and a brief explanation to go with it.

The above diagram from by O’Grady, K. & O’Grady, J. (2009) shows the process of work that I used in sketching out the logos. The research was the first thing I got into when I first approached this project. As mentioned above, I was provided with three cities in which to create a logo concept for the purpose of promoting tourism. I had zero information or knowledge of all three cities, therefore, a thorough research of these cities was very important. I had to know the client (each of the three cities) and who their customers (visitors) were. The mind map was very helpful to help gather my information and get a holistic view of each city. Quantitative information gave me concrete facts about each city such as its population, location, weather, etc. However, I was more interested in the qualitative data such as their culture, their attitudes towards tourist, their religion(s), history, and traditions. This information really helped me get a feel of who the people are, what the city is about, and how they wanted to be presented to the visitors.

Below are the mind maps for each city by category.

Kyoto, Japan

Marrakesh, Morocco

Reykvavik, Iceland

At the point of concept development, I had picked one city that I wanted to work with. I chose Marrakesh, Morocco. Further research was done on Marrakesh to find out more about it. Through this research, I ventured to discover how Marrakesh was marketing itself via travel agencies, hotels, and the like. I further researched who their competitors were and how they competed with Marrakesh. Information as such gave me a good idea of how to approach the designing process. I realized through this research that Marrakesh’s differentiation was with its strong heritage and the friendliness of its local people. There were two distinct competitors to Marrakesh which were Tunis, Tunisia, and Fes, Morocco (Macdonald, 2019). They were competitors to Marrakesh because they offered similar experiences to the tourist. They also had the Arabic cultures and traditions offering similar site explorations such as medina, souks, and similar cuisines (Macdonald, 2019). However, Tunis had a more modern influence on its city and didn’t have that strong heritage that Marrakesh has (Macdonald, 2019). Fes, on the other hand, is less touristy and not as tourist-friendly as Marrakesh (Macdonald, 2019).

With this newfound information, I then approached the research with a clear idea of how to communicate Marrakesh’s brand in a way that stands out from her competitors. I then started to sketch out logos that would communicate Marrakesh effectively to tourists. I approached the logo sketches with the prescribed topics which were modern-culture, tradition, and geography. In certain areas some of this aspect overlap. For example, when considering the culture of Marrakesh, it’s a bit hard to separate it from its tradition (history) since its history and its traditions have shaped its culture. In addition, this is a city that blends modern with tradition and thus it’s not that easy to separate the two. However, I will discuss some of the elements that I used. A good amount of Marrakesh’s art patterns which are commonly used in their rugs, architecture, pottery, etc. were very distinctive to Marrakesh. They were also used just about everywhere from riads (hotels) to souks (markets) to ancient sites such as palaces, tombs, and mosques. These patterns were mostly geometric with a lot of diamonds and squares. There were also flowers in their design which were also precisely measured and designed. I drew inspiration from these shapes and patterns to showcase the attitude and feel of Marrakesh. Another aspect of the city that I used was its mosque which was iconic to the city. In most cases when an organization was advertising the city, they showed a photo of this mosque. I initially sketched 80 different logo concepts.

Below are the initial sketches by category.

Modern Culture

Geography

Tradition

During prototyping, I posted my logo sketches on FSO for classmates to review and provide feedback which were mostly general. After reviewing the feedback, I moved forward to researching more to find how to really improve these logos. The main areas that needed improvement were simplifying logos and typography. With this information, I went back to research. This time around I researched what makes an effective modern logo. The reason I focused on the “modern logo” is that logos for geography and traditions had a tendency to look outdated, busy, or too common. Modern logo has a way of capturing the concept, communicating the value, standing out, and remaining timeless (workerbee, 2017). These same concepts from modern logo can be applied to logos from the traditional and geography approach. Concerning typography, I narrowed down my selection of fonts to a few. In addition, instead of writing the name of the font under the logo, I attempted to draw the font typeface to show the reader a better feel of what I was sketching.

Finally, design + production involves me picking three logos from each category (modern culture, geography, and traditions) to work with. Based on the selected few I continued to explore different ideas. Below are the additional sketches. At this point the logo concepts were narrower, leading me to the final assessment and completion of the project.

After taking a daybreak and going back to the sketches I realized I had a little too many mosques. In addition to that, after reading some additional critique from classmates I also saw some potential in a logo that I previously disregarded. I went ahead and removed the extra mosque and added the recommendation from a classmate (logo 9). I again did more research into the city of Marrakesh to help me focus my logo to 9 sketches (3 sketches for each approach).

There were some great resources that I received from this class and from additional research.

Resources from Defining Client’s Needs:

Books:

O’Grady, K. & O’Grady, J. (2009). A Designer’s Research Manual., 68. Retrieved from https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/a-designers-research/9781592535576/chapter-21.html

Videos:

Adams, S. (2019, October 1). Graphic Design Foundations: Ideas, Concepts and Form. Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/learning/graphic-design-foundations-ideas-concepts-and-form/ideas-concepts-and-form-in-graphic-design?u=50813145

Chase, Margo. (2008) Creative Inspirations: Margo Chase, Graphic Designer. [Lynda.com online course]. Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/learning/creative-inspirations-margo-chase-graphic-designer/branding?u=5081314

Glitschka, V. (2016, August 10). Logo Design: Illustrating Logo Marks [Video]. Retrieved form https://www.linkedin.com/learning/logo-design-illustrating-logo-marks/drawing-your-design?u=50813145

Nix, C. (2017, June 7). Learning Type Design  [Video]. LinkedIn. Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/learning/learning-type-design/what-you-should-know?u=50813145

Resources from additional research:

Articles:

Meredith, A. (2020). How to Use Psychographics in Your Marketing: A Beginner’s Guide. Blog.hubspot.com. Retrieved from https://blog.hubspot.com/insiders/marketing-psychographics

Books:

Adlin, T. & Pruitt, J. (2020). The Essential Persona Lifecycle: Your Guide to Building and Using Personas. Morgan Kaufmann. Retrieved from https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/the-essential-persona/9780123814180/xhtml/chapter1.html

Babich, N. (2017). Putting Personas to Work in UX Design: What They Are and Why They’re Important. Adobe Blog. Retrieved from https://theblog.adobe.com/putting-personas-to-work-in-ux-design-what-they-are-and-why-theyre-important/

Kalbach, J. (2017). Rapid Techniques for Mapping Experiences. O’Reilly Media. Inc. Retrieved from https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/rapid-techniques-for/9781492049159/copyright-page01.html

Videos:

Patterson, W. (2017, September 20). 5 MIND BLOWING Logo Design Tips  [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQjcqEE37jA

Saltz, I. (2013, February 1). Graphic Design Foundations: Typography [Video]. Retrieved form https://www.linkedin.com/learning/graphic-design-foundations-typography/developing-your-typographic-eye?u=50813145

Bumps Along the Way and Lesson Learned

During this course there was major bump along the way that affected how I was able to deliver work. Early on in week three, my daughter had an accident in the kitchen and got major burns on her hand and legs. I had to rush her to the hospital. She wasn’t hospitalized but I had to take her in every day for dressing. Taking her to the hospital and attending to her daily needs really took a lot of my time and energy. Because bathing her and cleaning her wounds was so complicated, I didn’t put her to bed until around 10 at night. Then I would work at around 10 pm till two or three in the morning. At a certain point I just didn’t sleep for two day because there was so much to do between personal obligations and schoolwork. Thankfully, the LORD had given me strength to go through this whole process. I wrote a Bible verse over my weekly schedule that says, “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.” God’s Word surely did just that. I was late with two of my work because of my hectic schedule. Although, I thank the good LORD for strengthening me there is always room for improvement. If there was a lesson learned from this it would be—use any extra time to get ahead. There was a week-long spring break that if I fully took opportunity of it would have helped me tremendously.

Reference:

Chase, Margo. (2008) Creative Inspirations: Margo Chase, Graphic Designer. [Lynda.com online course]. Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/learning/creative-inspirations-margo-chase-graphic-designer/branding?u=50813145

Macdonald, J. (2019). Top 10 Destinations in North Africa. TripSavvy. Retrieved from https://www.tripsavvy.com/where-to-go-in-north-africa-1454167

O’Grady, K. & O’Grady, J. (2009). A Designer’s Research Manual., 68. Retrieved from https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/a-designers-research/9781592535576/chapter-21.html

workerbee. (2017). 27 modern logos that revolutionize the past – 99designs. 99designs. Retrieved from https://99designs.com/blog/creative-inspiration/modern-logos/

Reflection: Defining Client Needs Week One

photo by Faye Cornish

1. Reflect 

Live Session Take Away

The key takeaway for me is to research, learn and develop new knowledge and new skills. I really like the phrase “Jack of all trade, master of one”. I think this best describes what I would have to be if I want to succeed in my field. My ultimate goal is to be a freelancer helping small businesses in my area to improve their marketing strategies. If I want to start as a freelancer, I have to know a little about everything. For example, I have to know how to create a logo. Additionally, it would be good for me to understand and know how things are delivered in different media. For example, an image delivered on a Tv screen is different than an image printed on a paper. Because of the complexity of the work I want to do, I have to keep that mindset —“Jack of all trade, master of one”. This will help me focus on mastering one skill by which my customers will easily know what my business is about, yet, at the same time, I should gain enough knowledge and skills in areas that relate and also will have an impact on my ability to deliver.

Questions & Concerns

I do have some questions concerning this program. My question is—since not much of the details (the step by step instructions) are provided to the student, will there be enough direction to show me how to go about accomplishing whatever needs to be done to get an acceptable grade so that I can graduate? My second question is looking at the program it seems that there is a single project that will be worked on throughout the program which will be delivered at the end, did I read that correctly? If I read that correctly, how much guidance can I get with my project? These are my concerns as I am new to designing. I have no educational background in design but very excited to learn.

2. Action Plan

Vision

My vision is to help small businesses grow through innovative marketing strategies.

Expectations

I believe the Media Design MFA program will give me an in-depth look into media design. Concepts like design research, branding, and consumer psychology are some things that I am looking forward to learning. More importantly, I’m looking forward to actually getting hands-on training and working on projects that closely resemble real-world situations.

Commitment

I am expecting to commit a fair amount of my personal time toward this program. I believe the program will require about 30-40 hours per week worth of work from me. Conducting research and working on projects is probably going to take up a good amount of my time. With that in mind, I am prepared to invest time and effort into this program. I’m optimistic and thankful that although it is an intensive program it will be done within 12 months.

Long-Range Goal

My long-range goal is to establish a studio locally that will provide service not only to small businesses in town but also for the mid-size and larger enterprise. As I grow my portfolio, I would like to also grow my business and expand through outsourcing and/or hiring talented people who will add to the business.

My Timeline

Below are the goals and strategies for all my upcoming courses for Media Design MFA. There are total of twelve classes. The first one is complete which is the current class. The goals and strategies are only what I think I might need to learn and sharpen up some skills in certain areas that I believe will affect my overall plan. These are not fixed. They are subject to change. When I get into each of this classes I will see more of the details of those particular classes and I may need to re-adjust my goals and plans accordingly.

“Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.”

Pablo Picasso

Screen Shots of Tasks

Bellow are screen shots of my LinkedIn page and also my Feedly page. This are for the instructor’s reference.

LinkedIn

Feedly

Inpirational Post

3.18.2020

Stay At It

Photo created by Dupline Mutchler using AdobeSparks

As I think about what a motivational quote to use for today, a short statement came to mind, “stay at it.” I heard E W Kenyon speak about this (Glorious Church, 2014). It’s about being consistence and not giving up until you perfect the skill.  I think that will be a major key for me as I move forward into my master’s program. Thank goodness it’s only 12 months but it will be 12 months of intense work. I’m mentally preparing myself for it while I have the time to do so. I am expecting hands on learning for my field and although I am excited other personal affairs has to be juggled with school projects. With that in mind I am prepared to work late into the night and give up personal time to invest in my work. “Stay at it” is the moto I’m taking forward with me.

3.29.2020

Press Forward

“We live forward, but we only understand it backwards.”

Joyce Meyer

I have about 30 minutes till my final assignment is due. I really gotta get better at this, I though as I rushed to review and submit my final draft. I didn’t realize how much this assignment would make me think and research. This course really opened my eyes to a lot of things. Like how much I didn’t know about my master’s program. Or how I so desire to realize the dream I have. I feel it’s right around the corner but there is so much to do. I had put a lot in my timeline and I’m wondering if I’ve put too much in my plate after all there’s only twelve months to do this. This course was necessary. It really helped me put my thought together and create realistic expectation for myself. I’ve quoted Joyce Meyer above. I love this woman. She inspires me not just because she has a great story but mainly because she has a character I respect. I admire her spirit. How she refuses to let anything deter her from that which God has prepared for her. This quote below from her speaks to my situation right now. I’m diving in. I’m pressing forward and I’m not so worried about trying to understand every detail. I’ll figure that all out afterwards. After all, life is only understood backwards.

Reference:

Glorious Church. (2014, October 29)  E W Kenyon – Signpost on the Road to Success  [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/ZQteNiEB6Pw.

Moum, K. (2017). [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://unsplash.com/photos/5FHv5nS7yGg.

Ispirational Post

I found this short speech simple and inspirational. Personally, I am quite weary of long speech that are actually really hard to remember. They may sound deep and full of wisdom but at the end it’s hard to remember what to take away with. I love the President’s down to earth attitude as he encourages his listeners not to quit. I know he’s not making up beautifully put together sentences to impress his listeners. He is simply speaking out of years of experience. That is another thing that makes the speech effective. Inspirational speakers have walked the talk and are seasoned in the subject matter. Again, his speech is shot and to the point — never quit but have some flexibility to work around obstacle in order to get to your goal.

Reference:

FOX 10 Phoenix. (2018, July 27). NEVER QUIT: President Trump’s Motivational Message To Students.  [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/Ut5dWmJ-za4

Inpirational Speech

NEVER QUIT: President Trump’s Motivational Message To Students

I found this short speech simple and inspirational. Personally, I am quite weary of long speech that are actually really hard to remember. They may sound deep and full of wisdom but at the end it’s hard to remember what to take away with. I love the President’s down to earth attitude as he encourages his listeners not to quit. I know he’s not making up beautifully put together sentences to impress his listeners. He is simply speaking out of years of experience. That is another thing that makes the speech effective. Inspirational speakers have walked the talk and are seasoned in the subject matter. Again, his speech is shot and to the point — never quit but have some flexibility to work around obstacle in order to get to your goal.

Reference:

FOX 10 Phoenix. (2018, July 27). NEVER QUIT: President Trump’s Motivational Message To Students.  [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/Ut5dWmJ-za4

Intentional Statement

I hope to gain in-depth knowledge of successful designs and develop skills in creating effective designs that communicate a message. My personal goal is to start a small business providing marketing ideas and marketing avenues for local small businesses. By the way, I live in Palau — a South Pacific Island. I hope to help these small businesses market their products and services using cost-effective marketing alternatives to the usual radio and TV advertisements. I’m planning to develop websites for them and also help them improve their social media effectiveness using good design.

While working as a Commercial Loan Officer for my local Development Bank, I came across a good number of entrepreneurs who had great ideas and even great businesses but horrible marketing techniques and some didn’t even have any. Some relied solely on word of the mouth. Marketing their products and services to customers outside of the Island was tacky or non-existent. Larger businesses in the same industry that were more established and more resourceful had professional websites and more presentable social media that attracted customers. I saw how this gravely affected small businesses’ market share. Small businesses lacked one thing. They lacked the ability to capture the outsider’s attention and gain customers from this important market. I decided instead of opening up loans for them I would open up services that are cost-effective and can help improve their customer base.

Searching through different programs on Full Sail University’s website and other online schools I found out that Media Design includes courses such as Design Research, Multi-Platform Delivery, and Measuring Design Effectiveness. I also noticed that the program’s description includes studying concepts that drive successful design campaigns and understanding customers. These topics covered areas I was looking to study.

I hope to go into these upcoming 12 months delving deep into designing. To really learn the discipline and what makes a good design. What makes a simple logo speak a deep message to its onlookers. How to create, not just random graphics that look pretty to the eyes, but creatively organized ideas, concepts, and messages using fewer wordings and more images. I want to understand how to pick the right fonts. I I want to understand the principles of designing as well as develop skills I can take with me into my new adventure.

Inspiration Quote

“You can suffer the pain of change or suffer remaining the way you are…..”

Joyce Meyer