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ileanacarvajal · 5 years
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Month 12: Professional Practice
Discuss how each course in your degree program contributed to your personal and professional development as a media designer.  
Mastery: Month one helped me to get back on track on writing in the APA style, to write again professionally. Also, with motivational readings and videos, it helped me to get inspired personally and encouraged professionally, to have that idea that I should never give up, to fight for greatness and to learn from the mistakes.
Defining client needs: The process to design a logo was something new for me and I really did not imagine what was behind to design one. This month helped me understand that research is necessary, in this case, I got involved with the city of Marrakesh, and so I was able to create a city branding. As a media designer, now I know how to make a brand stand out from others, by studying it to reach a design solution that will represent it in the best way possible.
Brand Development: This month helped me comprehend better the concept of branding. With the elaboration of a toolbox (vision boards), I realized that it is necessary to be able to present a project to a client regarding a brand. With this knowledge, now I can develop ideas and content for any brand.
Effective copywriting: With this course, I was able to create copy and apply it to a campaign, now I understand that it is essential, that is very important as the images to attract the target audience. I learned how to edit body copy, write headlines and taglines that would stand out and capture the audience attention. Copywriting will help me complement any design.
Design Research: For this 5th month, I had the opportunity to perfect the vision board of the brand that I designed for the city of Marrakesh, I added the voice and tone of the brand, its narrative, I also had to consider different design concepts (grids) so that my vision board was optimal in the eyes of the spectator. Now when I get to design, I can present a brand that can be a flawless experience for the audience.
Organizational Structures- Working with motion graphics was a pleasant experience for me because I really enjoyed editing. For this course, I needed to create two motion projects, the first being the dynamic vision board and the second a motion poster. Motion graphics is something I plan to continue doing, I want to present a brand in a different and unique way. I also learned the importance of the storyboard process, drawing is something I like to avoid but, in this case, the results were good. With a storyboard, I can capture the action and details necessary to create an animation, the description of what is happening, the audio used, the duration, and FPS. From a storyboard, I can manage to save time, since from there, it would be easier to put each element in its place and animate.
Design Strategies & Motivation- In this course, I created a new identity for the city of Laredo, Texas. I went exploring and discovering the areas of this city, interviewing the residents, and creating an empathy map and SWOT analysis. From now on if I get to develop another city branding I know it's important to explore what is behind of it, know its background, its residents and create something that they can appreciate and value.
Design Integration: For this month I had the chance to apply some tools from previous months, for instance creating a vision board that had the characteristics of the city of Laredo, Texas. But then I was surprised when I had to take the vision board to another level, now dynamically. I used the motion graphics technique, and I got convinced that my skills for editing improved a lot, that was very satisfying for me. Also, I learned to build a brand voice chart, because of this I now know how to keep consistency on a brand’s voice and tone to set a brand apart. I plan to base all future designs on a static and dynamic vision board and to keep following the brand’s voice and tone.
Multi-Platform Delivery: In this month was about building the branding of Laredo, Texas. It was about designing a variety of platforms with the goal of developing a unified multi-media campaign. For their creation, I had to consider a brand style guide. Now I have very clear that to be able to develop a brand I must start with creating a brand style guide to maintain the brand, I must leave behind a deep understanding of how the brand is supposed to be, to keep safe its personality.
Measuring Design Effectiveness-  I learned to conduct a survey and measure the effectiveness of my design solutions for the city branding. I tested my work with the target audience which are the residents of Laredo, Texas. This month taught me the importance of the audience opinion because I got important data that cleared me which areas I could improve and which were optimal about my designs. I can certainly say that surveys are an affordable way to gather reliable information about my target audience, and I plan to continue using, without a doubt it allowed me to understand the target audience better.
Presentation of Design Solution- This was a complicated month for me since I didn't completely understand the DLO'S. But on the other hand, I managed to persuade and convince the reader that I had reached mastery through all the projects presented. One of the techniques that I will continue using as a professional is storytelling, the art of telling an attractive story, and in this way radically create a bond with an audience.
Professional Practice- This month taught me about ethics and how to always apply moral reasoning in each project I participate. Without this month I wouldn't have the legal bases and wouldn't know the issues I could face in my career. Now I have the ethics guideline that I would always apply it into my career, I want to be admired for my honest and ethical work.
Described how the techniques in each course helped you complete your thesis project (do not include month 12: Professional Practice) and you described your most outstanding personal triumph in each course.
Month 1: Starting to write research papers and making mistakes in this month and in the following months made me an expert by the time the thesis project came. I was able to synthesize my research to prove mastery.
Personal triumph: Reading how professionals and famous people started from scratch in their careers, it helped me understand that if you want to pursue your dreams you have to make sacrifices.
Month 2: I was able to understand the client and what they would need for a successful campaign.
Personal triumph: Having completed 100 sketches, when I didn't have hope in my drawing skills.
Month 3: This course gave me the knowledge I needed to build a brand around the testimonial ads (shown in my thesis project). By understanding what branding means, I came up with a campaign that could bring awareness to the target audience.
Personal Triumph: Creating three vision boards for a city, which reflected not only its beauty but why is unique.
Month 4: Effective copywriting was the base of my thesis project since I needed it to convince why my campaign (Child Find of America) was superior, in a way that it could create awareness, in comparison with the competition, other non-profit organizations.
Personal Triumph: Completing the process of creating a testimonial ad was very satisfying for me.
Month 5: The techniques from month five were necessary when it came to any decisions regarding my project. I learned how to apply a grid, and so my thesis website is symmetrical in the eyes of the spectator. Also, I knew, learning from this month, that the text of my website needed to be placed on the left side to make it much easier for the reader.
Personal Triumph: Comparing my vision board from the previous month, now I can notice a professional and beautiful vision board.
Month 6: Storyboarding helped me perfect my skills of drawing, it was essential when I was creating the drafts of my website. I learned the importance of creating a story through my drafts and then it was easier to develop my final thesis website.
Personal Triumph: In the creation of story journals, I got deeply involved, I wrote about my fears and that really helped me to let go of things I don't need in my life.
Month 7: Month seven was very important in completing my thesis project since I presented this city branding in one of the DLO's. This research was the start of developing the city identity and this whole process was essential for creating the Connecting, Synthesizing, Transforming part on my thesis website.
Personal Triumph: To have the chance of creating branding to the city I was born was something emotive for me, now I cherish my city even more.
Month 8: From the reviews, I received from my peers and professor, I made the necessary adjustments into the vision boards and so be able to create the perfect branding that then I later used in my thesis website.
Personal Triumph: To have the chance of creating a beautiful dynamic vision board, it was very laborious, but it was worth it.
Month 9: By presenting my design solutions and their purpose, it was easier to present them in my portfolio, that was added in my thesis website. Now I know that these assets are indispensable in my portfolio.
Personal Triumph: Completing the design assets and presenting them on my portfolio. This design solution is something I feel proud of, it was arduous work, I got very involved with my city.
Month 10: The survey helped me to understand my a target audience and know how successful my design solution was, because of this I was able to present this project in my thesis presentation. If it wasn't for the survey, then I would not have had the arguments to prove that my work stands out.
Personal Triumph: Learning that my design solution was successful because of the audience responses (survey).
Month 11: Doing the drafts (sketches) make it easier for me to develop the website. If I did not apply this then creating the website would have been hard with many mistakes. With the selection of one of the potential layouts, it was easier to complete my thesis project.
Personal Triumph: Finishing my thesis website and having started my first professional portfolio, this is totally satisfying for me.
Month 12: Mastery Project
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The final project for month 12, was creating an Experience Map throughout all these 12 months. On this occasion, I gave a much more creative direction to my experience map, something that reflected my calm but at the same time intriguing personality. I consider it a beautiful landscape, but at the same time, you can see how extreme and intense this mastery was for me. It was a burdensome journey, but at the same time, I feel proud of what I have achieved.  I know that this experience map can help me in both a professional and personal future, this will remind me that I can continue, that I need to learn from my difficult moments. This experience map will certainly motivate and inspire me to move on.
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ileanacarvajal · 5 years
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Month 11: Presentation of Design Solution
During this month in the Design Solution course, I realized how far I have come, and although it was a somewhat laborious month, I was able to organize myself to achieve good results. My biggest 3 takeaways from this course were:
1st takeaway:
One of the techniques that I will continue using as a professional is storytelling, the art of telling an attractive story, and in this way radically create a bond with an audience.
According to Sykes, Malik, West (2012), "In order to change hearts and minds, we need to focus on enhancing how we communicate. We need to be clear, convincing, and accurate" (chapter 1).
The way to convince an audience is to tell a story. First, I need to touch the heart of my audience and later, I reach its mind. In this way, I could get a community of followers willing to believe in me and act.
Through the techniques of storytelling, it is possible to generate emotions in your audience. From these emotions, a brand could be linked to positive and comforting experiences.
I realize that the audience does not remember what you say, but what you make them feel. Through the stories, you communicate messages, while you connect emotionally with each person who listens to you. You build communication bridges.
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In this section, I explain how I used research to reach a design solution. 
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This section describes the customer's problem and the different ideas before arriving at the final design solution.
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This section explains in detail about the competition and how they fail in effective communication with their audience. It then defines how I created better solutions.
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This section lists the different skills I learned throughout my Mastery journey.
Link to the website
2nd takeaway:
The key of an effective thesis presentation isn’t the layout, the imagery, it’s the writing. The harder part about developing the DLO's on my website was trying to come up with the perfect argument and prove my work. But it was from the feedbacks that I got back on track, I have been able to prove my mastery in the four Degree Learning Outcomes (DLO). From those feedbacks, I was able to redact good arguments to persuade the reader that my solutions for the client were the best option, that I know how to conduct research and transform that into a design, that my design solutions are more effective than my competitors.
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Examples of produced sketches for my thesis presentation website.
#3rd takeaway:
Now I know how to stand out from my competition and find their flaws in how they are presenting themselves to their audience. By doing so, I was able to know how my work is different and innovative. As a designer, for future projects, before starting any design work I will consider my competition and thus achieve better, unique and innovative designs that could effectively reach the target audience.
References
Sykes, M., Malik, N. A. & West, M. (2012). Stories that Move Mountains: Storytelling and Visual Design for Persuasive Presentations. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. Retrieved from https://ce.safaribooksonline.com/book/communications/presentations/9781118423998
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ileanacarvajal · 5 years
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Month 10: Measuring Design Effectiveness
                   MY TAKEAWAYS FROM THE SURVEY EXPERIMENT
The Measuring Design Effectiveness course was undoubtedly a valuable experience. I conducted surveys in which I have obtained both qualitative and quantitative data, however, something new for me was to measure a design solution through questionnaires.
O’Grady & Visocky-O’Grady (2009), says, "This information can be used to guide design decisions during project development. It can also be used as summative research, to support or confirm creative solutions, or to understand the effects of a creative campaign (p.48).
The answers to the surveys helped me realize where my design was failing, and to make a decision to improve those aspects. There were also positive responses that confirmed and supported certain features of the design, that is, where the target audience agreed that these characteristics were the best options to represent them and their city.
I can certainly say that surveys are an affordable way to gather reliable information about my target audience, without a doubt it allowed me to understand them better.
In a certain way, my design was something that really seemed right and adequate to present it; however, it was necessary to know what the target audience was thinking about it. By doing a questionnaire it helped me to know exactly what the target audience was thinking about the potential of the design. A question that was really worth asking the respondents was to know what they thought about the logo created compared to the competition, the official logo of Laredo, this with the intention of being able to meet their expectations and overcome the official logo.
According to Fogli & Herkenhoff (2018), “It is generally believed that researchers should use simple, understandable, unbiased, unambiguous, and nonirritating words” (chapter 4).
From now on I will conduct surveys with questions written with simple, uncomplicated, impartial, unambiguous words so that they are not open to more than one interpretation and also make sure that they are not irritable so the respondent can answer them without setbacks.
Collins (2010) mentions, “Open questions inserted at the end of major sections, or at the end of the questionnaire, can act as safety valves, and may possibly offer additional information” (p.131).
Another practice I will keep considering is inserting a question at the end of the questionnaire, this could provide additional and equally valuable information since the respondent will be openly asked about something particularly important and it will give them the freedom to answer openly what they think and feel about it.
References
Collins, H. (2010). Creative Research: Questionnaires. AVA Publishing. Retrieved from https://ce.safaribooksonline.com/book/design/9782940439676
Fogli, J & Herkenhoff, L. (2018). Conducting Survey Research. Business Expert Press. Retrieved from https://ce.safaribooksonline.com/book/math-and-science/9781631575952
O’Grady, K. & Visocky-O’Grady, J. (2009).  A Designer’s Research Manual: Succeed in Design by knowing your clients and what they really need. Rockport Publishers. Retrieved from https://ce.safaribooksonline.com/book/graphic-design/9781592535576
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ileanacarvajal · 5 years
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Month 9: Multi-Platform Delivery Course
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?
In this month was about building the branding of Laredo, Texas. Also, it was about designing a variety of possible platforms with the goal of developing a unified multi-media campaign.
To begin with, I had to create the logo of the brand from scratch. I'm clear that a logo is a representative to visualization for what the whole brand means, but it is not the brand itself, although it is an especially important component.
Ray (2018) says that “The first step to sketching is to know your client’s brand. Before you put pencil to paper, do some research about what product or service your client delivers to the customers” (para.6).
I considered the design brief with which I have been working these last months. It is important to know the client well, in this case, the city of Laredo, Texas. I considered several factors that characterized this city, for example, emblematic places, its activities, architecture, politics (Laredo is the only city in Texas to fly under seven flags).
I focused my research on trying to understand the people of Laredo, their cultural scenario, but I want to give this logo a direction to the historical scenario.
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Sketch of the final logo
Airey (2014) mentions 7 ingredients in designing the right logo. That is, keep it simple, make it relevant, incorporate tradition, aim for distinction, commit to memory, think small and focus on one thing(Airey, 2014).
I wanted to take these rules into account to achieve good results:
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FINAL LOGO
This logo has what Airey suggests,  it’s simple, by not having a lot of details it was achieved an elegant logo; it is relevant because it's related with the emblematic of Laredo; it incorporates tradition because it’s bringing back the past of Laredo, the historical heritage. I integrated the rule of aim for distinction because this logo can be something that its residents identify and recognize instantly, St Agustin cathedral it is a historical icon here in the city, people already know it and cherish it; it could commit to memory, because as soon as the residents see it they would know that it is indeed about their city; think small, because  no details are going to get lost for when it’s used in any printing matters; It focuses on one thing, leaving just the essential on the logo.
I also had to consider the characteristics of the brand, such as being hopeful, and placing a church is a way of sending that message and highlighting that characteristic. And since one of the potential solutions is designing a city- branding focused on the historical background of the city, to create a sense of nostalgia, with this logo it could attract the interest of the residents because it will be about reminding them of the city’s past, to make them appreciate and cherish that history.
Problem Solving — What design problem were you solving? What design problem does the medium you designed to solve according to the industry? How did you solve the problem? Restate your design problem to help explain this section. Remember: A design problem is not the same as a technical problem
The main problem is that the residents of Laredo do not feel sufficiently identified with their city, there is a lack of feeling of belonging.
From the beginning, creating a new identity branding focused on the historical background of Laredo, Texas was thought to attract the interest of the residents.  
It was then that I carried out the designs of assets that could make residents identify with the brand, and therefore with their city. These assets brought back that past, for example, with the integration of the main logo in them, which is impregnated with the beginning of Laredo as a city, since the cathedral of St. Augustine was founded with it in the year of 1755.
In the media mix designs (billboard Kiosk, hang tags, post banners, bumper stickers) included the logo and the main tagline of the brand that speaks of pride and hope to its people. Pride with the heritage that belongs to them and hope, that they would feel identified with their city.
In addition, images related to the history of the city, created from its history, historical figures, historical places, etc., were used. This could translate into a sense of nostalgia in its people and therefore they could feel identified with their city. I think it has been fulfilled with the brand's purpose since the beginning, in impregnating the designs with the past of Laredo, and by using colors that no doubt could attract the residents.
The residents of Laredo have been forgetting the history behind their city, and these designs could come to remind them of the historical value of Laredo, that they should feel proud of it, protect it and presume it to the rest of the world.
Billboard
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The billboard highlights the historic side of the city by showing Fort McIntosh, one of the emblematic places of the city. 
Billboards are highly visible for advertisements, branding, or sponsor signage opportunities. One of the most visible types of available advertising, billboard signs get the attention of passersby, customers, and fans in a big way. (AMI Graphics, 2001, para. 1)
The billboard (signage) it is intended to be placed in one of the main avenues of the city, as is McPherson, this to deliver maximum exposure to vehicular traffic on expressways and highways in Laredo.
The purpose is to introduce the new brand, to show its visual identity, by showing that historical side with one of its imagery, logo, and tagline. It is intended that residents value the historical side of the city and start recognizing the new brand of Laredo.
Bumper sticker
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The bumper sticker seeks to emphasize the logo and tagline of the brand so that residents begin to identify with it, know that it is a brand created for them.
As Hall (2019) explains, bumper stickers are a way of expressing your identity (Hall, 2019).
This asset is designed for its residents with the intention of showing off their city. The idea of placing the logo and tagline of the city in the bumper stickers is for the residents to acknowledge this new brand, with this logo and the year of foundation in the bottom of it is a way of showing all the historical value they should be proud of.
Pole Banners
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Pole banner, would reach a  wider audience since it was translated into two languages, English and Spanish, so that those who speak only Spanish could get to identify themselves in a better way. 
According to Signs (2019), Pole banners “are displayed between two poles on a lamp and light posts on main roads, boulevards, and avenues in cities and on campuses. They are most commonly used for seasonal promotional around events” (para.1).
It would be used for welcoming and embracing the residents. The idea is to share the brand’s tagline and in this way, its residents start recognizing the new brand. By placing the banners in vintage posts that are in the historic district and in the historical downtown it would be to emphasizing the historical side that the brand represents.
Travel Hangtag
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The travel hang tag and bumper sticker are an excellent idea so the residents could feel part of the brand, they would feel important to be in a way owners of the brand and also they would be sharing it. 
Custom hang tags allow you to add critical and creative information to a product such as a background information on a product’s origins, especially locally made items for consumers who enjoy supporting their community (Yang, 2016).
A travel hang tag can be an effective way for the residents to embrace the new brand, they would own the hang tag and therefore this logo and tagline. It is intended so that residents place their trust and their future in this brand, by showing the tagline can be a perfect way to approach the community. A hang tag can be a unique way for the branding of the city, this asset has the intention that each time the resident travel, always keep in mind its city.
The brand essence is about capturing and communicating it through each design decision and in this case that could be achieved in these assets. All the elements of each design had a motive, the designs are carefully aligned with the attributes of the brand, and the logo and the assets created to transmit and support the Laredo brand.
Kiosk
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The kiosk is about transmitting that historic value of the city-brand, and by placing it in the malls they could help the residents to recognize their historical heritage and leave aside consumerism and materialistic places like the shopping centers.
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The purpose of the kiosk is to display the places and emblematic figures of this city so that residents recognize their historical heritage.
Kenton (2018) says, “Retail kiosks are frequently located in shopping malls or on busy city streets with significant foot traffic (para. 1).
Kiosks could offer great visibility to show the city’s branding. This asset could be located in the malls, downtown, transportation stations, events or parking lots, basically the most elapsed spots of Laredo. This with the intention that people begin to identify the personality of the brand, and especially the main emblem, which is that residents feel proud of the historical value of their city and thus they could feel identified with Laredo.
Branding is important to make a connection with people, to make a good impression, and maintain it. I firmly think these design assets can make a good impression among the residents and can make them identify with its city since they are designed precisely for them, this brand can be born to stay among its people.
A new brand is being made known, that's why it was very important to highlight the logo and tagline of the brand, and the main colors could help residents begin to recognize the Laredo brand. 
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?
Perhaps looking at other people's logo designs and brands help to get ideas, that's why I looked for Laredo logos to see what I could contribute that was different and innovative, however, I found only one logo, which is the current one, there are no other logos than that. I think my ideas are unique because I'm looking to lean towards the historical, and the current city branding is something that does not have.
I would say the soul of this city is in its history, and I think it's important to enhance that in this new brand. Hopeful, truthful, affectionate, and understanding are the values that this brand offers to the residents. Laredo, Texas is an old border city, dating from the 1700s, and although it is a small city it has a history, and for that reason, I want to bring that history to its residents, so that they appreciate the value of their city.
Acquiring Competencies — What did you learn overall throughout this process? Any new software? Techniques? Skills? Explain.
Something I learned to design was the brand style guide, now I have very clear that to be able to develop a brand I must start with creating a brand style guide first.
A brand guideline is a manual on how to use and maintain the brand. As a designer I must leave behind a deep understanding of how the brand is supposed to be, to keep safe its personality.
The brand guide created for Laredo’s brand.
According to Chan (2016) “A brand style guide is a document that codifies how an organization presents itself to the world. Put another way, it’s a reference tool that helps maintain consistency by demonstrating what a brand looks, feels and sounds like” (para. 2).
Brand guidelines are about sharing what the brand is all about in a significant way (provide enough and meaningful information), so that designers, marketers, developers, community managers, etc. can understand who the brand is, its reputation and personality, so they can all stay on the same page and maintain consistency, presenting a unified vision of the brand to the public.
Reflection on my experiences in this course and where I plan to go from here.
Something I learned in Multi-Platform Delivery Course is that the best brands stay in people’s minds because their presence is defined by the repetition of the same logo, fonts, colors, images, and graphic treatments. For that same reason, I want to maintain consistency (in style, imagery, treatment across media) in any brand that I create in the future and in this way make it memorable.
References
Aurey, D. (2014). Logo Design Love: A Guide to Creating Iconic Brand Identities[Online Safari Book]. Available from http://ce.safaribooksonline.com/book/branding/9780133812589
Brand. Psychology & Marketing, 33(9), 713–728. https://doi-org.oclc.fullsail.edu/10.1002/mar.20912
Chan, S. (2016). How to create a brand style guide. Retrieved from https://99designs.com.mx/blog/logo-branding/how-to-create-a-brand-style-guide/
Hall, E. (2019). The Bumper Sticker Phenomenon: How It Began (and Why It Stuck Around). Retrieved from https://blog.esurance.com/the-bumper-sticker-phenomenon-how-it-began-and-why-it-stuck-around/
Kenton, W. (2018, April 26). Kiosk. Retrieved from https://www.investopedia.com/terms/k/kiosk.asp
Ray, H (2018, March 10). How To Proceed With Sketching Of Logo Design. Retrieved fromhttps://www.designhill.com/design-blog/how-to-proceed-with-sketching-of-logo-design/
Shields, A. B., & Johnson, J. W. (2016). What Did You Do to My Brand? The Moderating Effect of Brand Nostalgia on Consumer Responses to Changes in a
Signs (2019). Custom Pole Banners. Retrieved from https://www.signs.com/pole-banners/\
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ileanacarvajal · 5 years
Text
Month 8: Design Integration
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 have presented this month?
It was essential to know the difference between tone and voice, in order to create the content that will be produced and design for the brand and thus keep it consistent.
A brand's voice is not only is the personality of a brand, but also the emotion infused in a company’s communication. I learned that to find a brand's voice, I must always keep in mind the audience, who are the ones who will receive the message.
As for the tone, it is the how of the voice and it can change depending on the message the company's brand wants to give. For this matter I created a brand voice chart, basing it with Heald (2018) example:
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This brand voice chart I used to come up with the narrative of the brand, I created the tagline, the mission statement, a tone sample. I follow it to design the final static vision board and the dynamic vision board.
Below is the tagline, the mission statement, a tone sample that I created following the voice brand chart:
Tagline
Pride and Hope for its people.
The tagline "Pride and hope for its people" works for the community of Laredo, Texas because they describe the characteristic of "hopeful", it is using an enthusiastic and motivational tone towards the residents. It also adapts to the personality of the brand being "truthful" because it is expressing with frank and direct words what is expected from the citizens; It also wants to make the residents feel important to Laredo, make them feel essential, and create a closer bond with them.
Mission Statement
Our mission is to make Laredo a better place, through the recognition and appreciation of this city, and in turn, create a closer bond with its inhabitants. We want the community’s collaboration and commitment to Laredo, but also, we’re committed to them. We want Laredo's people to realize their full potential as citizens, that their contribution is important for the welfare of Laredo. Our commitment is to the city and its people, to implement the recognition of their heritage, a heritage that belongs to them and that they need to cherish and embrace.
In this mission statement, you can notice the characteristic of "truthful" using a tone of solidity, familiarity, trustworthiness, and honesty; This tone is proper since it makes the message congruent and serious. It is also showing a characteristic of "affectionate" on using words like cherish and embrace is showing a warm and kind tone. Also, the characteristic of "understanding" when it says that we are interested in its inhabitants, that they are important and essential to the city. Of "hopeful" when showing enthusiasm and motivates the residents to give their best, to discover their great potential to be better citizens.
Introductory Paragraph (tone sample)
Laredo is one of the oldest border crossings points, located in the heart of South Texas. With a great concentration of Hispanic people that are recognized for being warm, honest and hardworking. Laredo offers not only a tex-mex experience but also a historical heritage; The downtown and Fort McIntosh are historical zones which represent a sense of uniqueness and character for the city that captivates anyone.                                              
As for the introductory paragraph, it’s written in an appropriate tone for the community because is recognizing its people, using a kind tone with words like “warm”, and using a word like “heart” to describe the city. It is being hopeful, by using an inspiring tone with words like "uniqueness" and "captivates" to describe the city.  In short, it is an introductory paragraph that not only shows affection for the city and its people but also shows an informative tone when presenting part of the values and important characteristics of the city.
Kenny (2017) says, “One of the first tenets of good messaging is consistency. Brands set themselves apart from their competition by establishing tone versus voice and using both to communicate with customers across all channels” (para.2).
By properly managing the brand's tone and differentiate it from the voice, it guarantees that it will present a unique character throughout all its communications. Here it is important to present a graphic consistency in the branding, it is also important to give the tone of voice that ensures that all communications feel generated by the same brand identity.
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.
I came up with a potential solution to the problem that the community faces.
The residents of Laredo have the problem that they do not feel sufficiently identified with their city, there is a lack of feeling of belonging.
for a solution I suggest designing a city- branding focused on the historical background of the city, a sense of nostalgia and belonging will be created to attract the interest of the residents through an exploration of the city's past.
Individuals have also been shown to use the positive affect associated with nostalgic feelings to improve a negative mood reduce feelings of loneliness ,and increase feelings of belongingness. Recent research on nostalgia has shown that general feelings of nostalgia most often have positive effects on the individual (Shields, & Johnson, 2016, p.713).
The city-brand will be created from its history, the historical figures, historical places, etc. Being Laredo a city forged by its mythologies, a past reflected in downtown and Fort McIntosh, which contrast with the modernism of its buildings; This brand is as it should be treated, influenced by its origins and history. All of this will create a feeling of nostalgia on its people, by showing them the city’s past they will be more interested in their city, make them feel proud of their city, they will feel part of.
For this city branding, a vision board has to be considered not only to get inspired but also to create the right brand image that will make the resident feel identified with it.
The points that I had to add were the voice and tone of the brand, I also had to consider different design concepts that went hand in hand with that voice and tone, such as the characteristics of the brand, the tagline of the city, typography, images and even colors and textures, this so that my vision board was optimal in the eyes of the target, which are the residents of Laredo.
Gramcko (2019) says, “Creating a vision board clarifies the true intentions of your brand, clarifies the purpose you want to send out to readers and viewers, maintains focus and motivation and inspires you to stick to who you are and what your brand is” (para. 3).
What is aspired it is to transmit truth and hope for the people, two characteristics of the voice of the brand. It is intended that residents place their trust and their future in a safer ground as is the past, that they idealized that past and reminds them of better times. What is seek and aspire is that its residents see the value of their city, that they admire it, respect it, value it, but above all identify with it.
Manternach (2017) says, “It’s about the soul of your brand. Your voice is how you articulate your company’s values, brand promise and reason for being. You need to understand your brand’s backstory, its attitude, and its perspective on life” (p.13).
I would say the soul of this city is in its history, and for those characteristics chosen for the voice, I had to consider that backstory. Hopeful, truthful, affectionate, and understanding are the values that this brand offers to the residents. Laredo, Texas is an old border city, dating from the 1700s, and although it is a small city it has a history, and for that reason, I want to bring that history to its residents, so that they appreciate the value of their city.
Manternach (2017) mentions: "Your voice can be funny, serious, informative, authoritative or silly, but whatever it is, it has to be authentic. The tone of your brand's voice must be distinctive, recognizable and unique "(p.13).
What makes this city authentic and distinctive? It has surprising and unique points of interest, churches, squares that welcome their residents with open arms and give them that peace, the affection they need; Fort McIntosh, the former Army base where their soldiers fought for their people, giving them hope.
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It was wanted to accentuate the historical side of the brand. All that historical value of this city can be seen in the vision board.
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?
My creativity to make a static vision board continues to grow as more I do them. To give life to this static vision board, I created a dynamic vision board for the client, which perhaps many designers don't feel like wasting their time in presenting something like this. But a dynamic vision board is a way to present the client something innovative and so they could have a better idea of where his brand would go.
What is desired is to offer the client a different perspective, that they could feel and see those characteristics of the brand in a more complete way.
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Dynamic Vision Board, where typography, textures, imagery, characteristics of the brand can be seen in action.
Acquiring Competencies — What did you learn overall throughout this process? Any new software? Techniques? Skills? Explain.
A technique that I learned and planning to keep using is the Ken Burns Effect, that worked to give life to those static images that were presented in the static vision board.
According to Tvtroops (2019), the Ken Burns Effect "can be used to slowly reveal details in the case of panning or zooming out or focusing attention on specific details in the case of zooming in" (paragraph 1).
What was aspired is that there was a greater visual interest on the part of the viewer and to be an informative dynamic vision board; and in this case, this effect slowly reveals details, giving more dynamism and action in images that before they were static and dull.
The characteristics of the brand are being: truthful, hopeful, affectionate and understanding, then a long and slow zoom-and-pan of Ken Burns is finishing the serious tone that is required to convey those feelings to the spectator, and in this case the client.
Reflection
From this point on, I plan to continue this city branding to create an impact on the residents. It was very helpful to know to build a brand voice chart, because of this I now know how to keep consistency on the brand’s voice and tone to set this city- brand apart. I also plan to base all future designs on the static and dynamic vision board and to keep following the brand's voice and tone.
References:
Gramcko, N. (2019). How To Make A Vision Board for a Successful Brand. Retrieved from https://heartifb.com/make-vision-board-successful-brand/
Heald, E. (2018, April 17). 5 Steps to Find Your Brand Voice. Retrieved from https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2018/04/find-brand-voice/
Kenny, J. (2017, November 1). Know the Difference between Tone and Voice to Set Your Brand Apart. Retrieved from https://gimmemojo.com/2017/11/01/tone-voice-set-your-brand-apart/
Manternach, L. (2017). Discovering your brand voice. Corridor Business Journal, 14(19), 13. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.oclc.fullsail.edu:81/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bwh&AN=126431937&site=ehost-live
Shields, A. B., & Johnson, J. W. (2016). What Did You Do to My Brand? The Moderating Effect of Brand Nostalgia on Consumer Responses to Changes in a Brand. Psychology & Marketing, 33(9), 713–728. https://doi-org.oclc.fullsail.edu/10.1002/mar.20912
Tvtroops (2019). The Ken Burns Effect. Retrieved from https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheKenBurnsEffect
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ileanacarvajal · 5 years
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Mastery Journal & Reflection Month 7 (Design Strategies & Motivation).
Connecting/Synthesizing/Transforming - What research did you conduct and utilize to arrive at the design decisions you present
It was important to search for important aspects of Laredo and its residents, this to identify the problem and be able to create a personalized city brand:
• I researched the demographic outline of the city, to be clear about the profile of its inhabitants.
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• I explored the emblematic and historic areas of Laredo for the identification of factors, attributes, and values of the city.
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• I created a SWOT analysis about the city’s internal and external aspects, and I have also created an empathy map with the results of interviews, to reach the target group in a better way, I needed to know about the motivations, needs, and reasons of preference on the part of its residents.
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                                                                                                           Empathy Map
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Problem Solving - What design problem were you solving? What design problem does the medium you designed to solve according to the industry? How did you solve the problem?
To understand the problematic of Laredo I took into consideration The Four W’s by Davos:
Who is affected? Who is experiencing the problem? Can this user be further specified (by demographic, persona, motivation, reason for being in the situation)?
What is the problem? What are the struggles? What task needs to be accomplished? What pain point needs to be relieved?
Where does it happen? What is the context in which the user experiences the problem? Is it in a physical or digital space? Who else is involved?
Why does it matter? Why is this problem worth solving? What value does it bring to the user? What value does it bring to the business? (Davos, 2019, Chapter 27).
With my research I came up with this problem statement based on the 4 w’s by Davos:
·     Who? (who is affected, specify the user), Laredo, Texas residents.
·     what? (is the problem? The struggles? What needs to be accomplished? What’s missing?) The lack of feeling of belonging on the part of its residents. This frontier city, with a great historical background, must be recognized by its own people.
·     where does it happen? (context of user experience, physical space, anyone else involved)  Laredo is a city forged by its history,  a past reflected in the city downtown, as well as in Fort McIntosh, which contrasts with the modernism of its buildings,  family meeting points, its Tex-Mex gastronomy, as well as its warm climate.
·     Why does it matter? (why is this problem worth solving? Value to the user? Brand?)  To implement recognition and appreciation of Laredo, create an identity of its own and create a closer bond with the inhabitants.  It is important that its inhabitants know that there is a history behind the place where they were born, that not because it's a small city makes it less important than the others. With the creation of a city brand, their residents will recognize the unique characteristics, benefits, and aspects that give identity to their city and why it differs from other cities.
The solution would be to offer residents a city-brand based on the city’s historical background and its people, and in this way implement recognition and appreciation of Laredo, but above all so that they feel proud to be part of this city.
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?
While other cities, no matter how small or large are, feel proud of their historic districts and value them to the fullest, Laredo have left history aside, the residents don't give it the importance it deserves. Here I will consider what has been observed about the city, the behavior and feelings of its inhabitants, this to create a city-brand that has a more symbolic meaning: the history behind Laredo. This brand will try to remind its residents of the past of their city, this to create a certain nostalgia so that in this way there is a greater understanding of how wonderful it is to have a city with a history like many others do not. They will value the historical areas more, they will take care of their city, they will feel proud of their ancestors. It is an innovative way of thinking because I will highlight the meaning of Laredo history and consider the residents' feelings to create a city brand.
Acquiring Competencies - What did you learn overall throughout this process? Any new software? Techniques? Skills? Explain.
I had to create an Empathy Map and a SWOT analysis (although the SWOT analysis isn't something new for me I never had applied it to a city) based on Laredo and its residents.
Parsons (2018) mentions, “For a SWOT analysis to be effective, company founders and leaders need to be deeply involved. This isn’t a task that can be delegated to others.” (parra.3).
I went around the city, taking pictures, doing interviews, I got very involved. I had to see everything for myself in order to understand the problem, to identify the negatives and positives aspects of my city, I noticed that much of Laredo’s history is no longer important for its residents, it was left aside.
I am now clear that this analysis is essential to determine, predict and be able to make a design and branding decision. Because I could not start something without having prior knowledge, SWOT is a valuable tool for decision making.
Gibbons (2018) says, “An empathy map is a quick, digestible way to illustrate user attitudes and behaviors. Once created, it should act as a source of truth throughout a project and protect it from bias or unfounded assumptions” (para.13).
To be able to create content or make design decisions, it is necessary to know the target audience well, to know what problems they have and how they feel. To personalize, characterize, to know the community, it is necessary to go beyond the typical phrase: "person from 25 to 40 years old, single, middle class". To know the users, first I need to know what their tastes are, what they think, how they act, think what they think and feel what they feel.
Ligget (2018) mentions, “The process reveals many of the underlying “whys” behind your users’ actions, choices, and decisions, so you can proactively create content and make design decisions based on their real needs” (para.8).
The empathy map is an effective way to get to the head and heart of your target audience, it is not about making assumptions, it is time to meet real people, with a real feeling that can help me create the perfect branding.
Reflection  
The next step would be to design a city- brand for Laredo highlighting the historical background of the city, its emblematic and symbolic places, and in this way create a sense of nostalgia and belonging at the same time: attract and interest its inhabitants with the past of the city.
For that matter, it was necessary for the creation of video pitch, to show why Laredo needs a new identity.
Glickman (2018) says that the goal of a pitch is, “Where you're gonna just give me enough to get me interested and intrigued, and then I'm gonna be asking to engage with you further” (chapter 1).
I presented images of the past and the present of Laredo, how in the past the emblematic places of Laredo were seen more appreciated, and how is that today people have stopped caring about these historical places, giving more importance to banal places like the shopping centers.  I applied the "a picture is worth a thousand words", where you can appreciate the deterioration of places that were beautiful in the past, this to make a point and show why is important a new identity based on the history of Laredo.
What I want to achieve is that the residents of Laredo identify with their city, this through the creation of a city-brand that is focused on the past and its people, because in some way the residents no longer recognize the value of Laredo. In this new city identity, it is important to know what is behind Laredo, know its background, so that the residents can appreciate its value and not forget how all began. It is important to create an identity for the city, in this case, to remind the residents that the history of Laredo is an important part of them, that they need to identify and connect that past and make it part of their present, because not all cities can count on the fortune of having history.
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References:
Bateman, A. (2018, July 20). How to Create a Perfect Elevator Pitch [Lynda.com online course]. Retrieved from https://www.lynda.com/Business-Skills-tutorials/How-Create-Perfect-Elevator-Pitch/728380-2.html
Devos, J. (2019). Design Problem Statements – What They Are and How to Frame Them. Retrieved from: https://www.toptal.com/designers/product-design/design-problem-statement
Gibbons, S. (2018, January 14). Empathy Mapping: The First Step in Design Thinking. Retrieved fromhttps://www.nngroup.com/articles/empathy-mapping/
Glickman, J. (2018, August 21) Pitching yourself[Lynda.com online course]. Retrieved from https://www.lynda.com/Business-tutorials/What-goal-pitch/721917/782710-4.html?org=fullsail.edu
Ligget, A. (2018, January 9)  How To Create An Empathy Map (And Why You Should). Retrieved from https://www.laneterralever.com/create-empathy-map/#gref
Parsons, N. (2018, April 5). What Is a SWOT Analysis, and How to Do It Right. Retrieved from https://www.liveplan.com/blog/what-is-a-swot-analysis-and-how-to-do-it-right-with-examples/
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ileanacarvajal · 5 years
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Month 6 (Organizational Structures)
Connecting/Synthesizing/Transforming - What research did you conduct and utilize to arrive at the design decisions you present
For this course, I needed to create two motion projects. The first being the dynamic vision board and the second a motion poster, both from the brand created for Marrakesh. One of the main steps was to learn the importance of the storyboard process.  
About creating a storyboard, Blazer (2015) says, "the goal here is not high art, it’s clarity. If you are able to capture the action and emotion of your story with little more than scribbles, then go for it, but just make sure you’re able to capture all the detail" (Chapter 3).
In the beginning, I imagined that since I did not have the ability to draw, maybe the results would not be the best. However, considering Blazer, I focused instead on capturing the action and details necessary to create an animation, I added the description of what was happening, the audio used, the duration, and FPS. From the storyboard, I managed to saved time, since from there, it was easier to put each element in its place and animate.
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(Storyboard for the Dynamic Vision Board)
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(Storyboard for the Motion Poster)
As for the motion poster, Motion Ads (2017) mentions, "The movement of the elements of a Motion Poster is not to tell a story but to make a brief call of attention to the viewer without further distracting (parra.2).
For this technique, I followed the steps of the tutorial in YouTube of Vega (2017), where I learned to add movements to a static image with expressions (wiggle, loop out), also using videos with effects and adding them to the composition to give even more realism to the motion poster.
On the other hand, both animations had to go hand in hand with the vision board of the Marrakesh brand.
Schneider (2016) mentions, "a style for the video based on the goals set in the creative brief. We display this style as a mood board with a collection of found images and video screenshots with a unified theme in mind" (2016).
The vision board (mood board) also saved me a lot of time because from there I could take the colors, typography, textures, logo, imagery, etc. (that had been chosen at the beginning for the brand) to create animations with elements exclusively from the brand.
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?
Bedrina (2017) study found the following:
While a brand is much more than colors, fonts, and slogans, how you use those elements can help your customers make associations with your company. Through animations using the elements of your brand, you further establish your customer’s recall of your company (Bedrina, 2019, parra.5).
From the motion poster, and from the dynamic vision, I wanted to show the essence of the Marrakesh brand and that the target audience could get related to it and recognizes it in a simple instance, to remember it.
It is a challenge to achieve that, however, I think both animations accomplish it, in both, they would be showing the elements that represent the brand itself.
In the dynamic vision board, the intention was to send to the target audience a humorous but clear message about what the Marrakesh brand represents. A more caricature style of animation is revealing the personality of the brand, that is, fun and adventurous.
As for the motion poster, is not about telling a story is about causing surprise and interest in the spectator in a short time with its movement and static characteristics, and I believe that was also accomplished.
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?
For the dynamic vision board, I chose the animation, because animated videos are always synonymous with fun, entertainment, and to build the brand of Marrakesh in that concept, fun, adventurous, and to make hiking something exciting is a best to way to make this brand recognized and remembered.
McGregor (2017) mentions, "GeekNation.com first developed the concept, and it would appear that the first commissioned motion poster was for the 2005 psychological crime thriller Hard Candy" (parra.7).
The motion poster was chosen because is a technique that is basically recent, and is only used to promote film and television productions, which is why is a great opportunity to show a motion poster to represent a city brand, because it could be something unexpected  for the target audience, and it will be one of the few created to make the brand of Marrakesh known. Also, a lot of times other Marrakesh brands show Marrakesh as a cosmopolitan city, in this motion poster the purpose is to show the desert and the camel ride as something exclusive from Marrakesh.
Acquiring Competencies - What did you learn overall throughout this process? Any new software? Techniques? Skills? Explain.
·      I learned the importance of storyboard in the process of motion graphics.
·      I got back into writing a journal, but this time is helping me to see the world in other perspectives, and that this writing can help me build narratives for future projects as a graphic designer.
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(Page example from Story Journal)
·      I resumed After Effects, and I realized how much it helps a video to call much more attention through effects, and motion. I learned to use the keyframes tool with rotations, scale, opacity, orientation and adding expressions (wiggle, loop out).
·      I could create a character from scratch in illustrator and I could give it movement in After Effects.
Reflect on your experiences in this course and state where you plan to go from here.
I think that the animations can tell more than the static you can inject more creativity since here the essence is shown and the audience can be informed in a humorous way.  
After Effects is a tool that I want to perfect and continue creating compositions that help position brands. I believe that adding this skill in my resume will help me land my dream job.
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(Final Dynamic Vision Board)
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(Final Motion Poster)
References
Bedrina, O. (2018). Never Thought Animation Can Help Build Your Brand? Think Again!. Retrieved from https://www.animatron.com/blog/never-thought-animation-can-help-build-your-brand-think-again/
Blazer, L. (2015). Animated Storytelling: Simple Steps For Creating Animation and Motion Graphics (1st ed.). Available from http://ce.safaribooksonline.com/book/animation-and-3d/9780134133812
De La Vega, C. (2017, May,13). After Effects Tutorial: Create a Movie Motion Poster [video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-Ly2hN8-sA
McGregor, L. (2017, July 14). Bring your film marketing to life with a motion poster. Retrieved from https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/create-marketing-motion-poster/
Motion Ads. (2017, August 8). What is a Motion Poster? Retrieved from
https://www.motion-ads.com/What-is-a-Motion-Poster.html
Schneider, C. (2017, January 04). Motion Graphic Storyboarding in 6 Simple Steps. Retrieved from https://threesixtyeight.com/insights/storyboarding-motion-graphics/
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ileanacarvajal · 5 years
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For a better appreciation of my final vision board and infographic.
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ileanacarvajal · 5 years
Text
Mastery Journal Reflection: Design Research
For this 5th month during the Design Research course, I had the opportunity to carry out the vision board of the brand that I designed for the city of Marrakesh. 
The points that I had to add were the voice and tone of the brand, its narrative, I also had to consider different design concepts so that my vision board was optimal in the eyes of the spectator.
Voice & Tone
Marrakech is an old city and beautiful, it is the perfect destination for those who want to experience unique and exciting moments. I wanted to give this brand an adventurous, wild, extreme personality. But what makes this city adventurous? It’s Flanked by the rich dunes of the Sahara and the Atlas Mountains.
Manternach (2017) mentions, “Your voice can be funny, serious, informative, authoritative or silly, but whatever it is, it has to be authentic. Your brand’s tone of voice should be distinctive, recognizable and unique” (p.13).
I use the word extreme to give voice to the Marrakesh brand. For me, the word extreme is something spectacular and exciting, that's why I show Marrakesh as a place that gives you an adrenaline experience.
An exciting background can be seen in the vision board, through adventure and extreme activities, is a way to get the attention of anyone since we all have that adventurous side.
Manternach (2017) says, “It’s about the soul of your brand. Your voice is how you articulate your company’s values, brand promise and reason for being. You need to understand your brand’s backstory, its attitude, and its perspective on life” (p.13).
Marrakech is one of the most important cities of Morocco, its location between the Sahara and the mountainous formation of the Atlas, makes it a true paradise for lovers of adventure, for that reason I want to exploit that part, give it that adventurous voice, where everyone can enjoy the excursion, the wild nature that the desert offers.
For Synthesizing, identify, at least, 2 concepts from your research that you feel have a connection. Explain what that connection means to you (how you synthesized the information). Then how you applied the synthesis to your work.
For the realization of the vision board about the Marrakesh brand I had to apply different design concepts so that my project would look impeccable, among those concepts, two I think are essential to capture the attention of the reader. These concepts are:
1.     The page how we read
Ambrose & Harris (2011) mention that, “As a general rule, with an equally weighted page such as one that has the same type of content throughout, a viewer will look top left (A) first, then to the middle plane (B), and finally to the extremities (C)” (p.60).
With this rule I’m now that the text should be placed on the left side to make it much easier for the reader, so my final design was based on the following example mentioned by Ambrose & Harris (2011):
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2.     Entry Point
Ambrose & Harris (2011) said, “The placement of an entry point can form part of the visual drama of a spread or webpage. Typical devices include the use of color and alteration of fonts and type sizes”(p.94).
In this case, I think an entry point was necessary for the layout, also, it's something that the viewer will appreciate, it would let know where to focus first, this was needed because the large-scale images could distract anyone. By giving a highlight color and a considerable size to the title, a better emphasis was achieved. In this case, I took as an example the following design by Coco (Disney movie), where the name "Miguel" is highlighted to give more focus to the next paragraph.
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The results of applying these two concepts made my vision board easier to read for the audience, by placing the text on the left side and placing an entry point can keep the reader's attention and make the design much more accessible.
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Problem Solving, Identify, at least, 1 design problem. Then explain how your solution solves that problem.
Asymmetrical module-based grid
Ambrose & Harris (2011) claim, “The asymmetrical module-based grid exhibits a less formal structure. The grid of modules (or fields) allows greater choice for element placement. Type and images are aligned to, or within, a module or series of modules (p.42).
The asymmetrical module-based grid is a concept that I used in my design and in my opinion has the ability to impact the user and get their attention. In addition to using asymmetry with other design techniques, I was able to achieve a composition that was interesting and an effective way to capture the attention of a client.
This lack of symmetry gave me a certain sense of movement and freedom, I think that the reader will also be able to perceive these characteristics, even if it’s is not familiar with that concept.
The key lies in finding visual balance in an asymmetric composition. Planning is essential: knowing what number of elements the composition will have and how they will be placed.
ORIGINAL VISION BOARD
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FINAL VISION BOARD
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For Innovative Thinking, explain the common practice of a standard design choice. Then describe how your procedure, or solution, is positively differentiated (innovative) from the status quo.
Vertical Orientation  
Ambrose & Harris (2011) study found the following:
Text and images are typically set so that they are read and viewed horizontally from left to right. Using other orientations such as vertical or angled is done typically to maintain a particular aesthetic in the design, as doing so makes the reader work harder to obtain the information by having to rotate the publication. (p.130)
The most practical way to present the words in a composition is certainly horizontal, however, I wanted to try something different, since these specific words had a great significance within my vision board. For that reason, I wanted to take a risk in a certain way and present them in a not so traditional way, so I decided to orientate the words vertically. I thought that not being too many words this orientation would not become so exasperating for the reader, it was also a way to capture the attention and make the reader stop to pay closer attention to these words.
According to Ambrose & Harris (2011), “Vertical orientation is often used to contrast against this. It is particularly useful for heading and large format information. Arguably, it is harder to read, but it does a strong graphic statement” (p.132).
Vertical orientation was one of my layout choices because I wanted to show the words that describe Marrakech in a much more impactful, less monotonous, and more creative way. Also, by using uppercase letters and a type of color for each word, I think they could be more noticeable and stand out more in the perspective of the viewer. I used  Ambrose & Harris (2011) example:
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Below I present the way in which the descriptive (and not adequate) words were placed vertically for my Marrakesh brand in the vision board:
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I think that by placing the words vertically I am encouraging the reader to pay close attention here, although it makes you try harder, it also makes you stop in that section and contemplate those words. In this case, there were few words that were placed in this position and not a whole sentence, this makes this section does not become so overwhelming for the reader.
Acquiring Competencies
Undoubtedly two very important techniques that will serve me as a designer regarding text handling will be Kerning and letterspacing
Ambrose & Harris (2011) claim, “Kerning is the removal of space and letterspacing is the addition of space between letters to improve the visual look of type”.
It’s also mentioned that “the addition or subtraction of space may be necessary to achieve an optimum result” (p.104).
Kerning and letterspacing can be applied in typographies if necessary, so the words are perceived with more breathing and so that they can be appreciated in a better way. For a better understanding of both concepts I used the following examples:
For a better understanding of both concepts I used the following examples:
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As a designer, I will be able to apply these concepts to make the texts more readable, titles, sections, and body of the text, etc.
Below I show the before and after having used this technique in Timed typography since initially the letters were extremely tight.
BEFORE
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AFTER
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Hierarchy
According to Ambrose & Harris (2011), “The text hierarchy is a logical, organized and visual guide for the headings that accompany body text. It denotes varying levels of importance through point size and/or style” (p.84).
The visual hierarchy will allow me as designers to organize elements and information so that the main message reaches its the audience without problems.
I will organize elements based on a certain order of importance, and thus create a hierarchy. To create visual hierarchy and differentiate elements I will be based on how they look, their appearance is an indicator of their order of importance and their relationship with other elements.
For this same reason, I learned that hierarchy is an important foundation of design. If more weight is given to certain elements, they become more important. In this way, you can communicate more easily with your audience as the hierarchy helps the information presented to be processed more easily.
The different techniques I used in my vision board to create visual hierarchy were size, color, alignment, and orientation.
FINAL VISION BOARD
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FINAL INFOGRAPHIC
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References
Ambrose, G. & Harrys, P. (2011). Basic Design 02: Layout. Rue des Fontenailles, Switzerland: AVA Publishing. Available from https://ce.safaribooksonline.com/book/graphic-design/9782940447169
Ambrose, G. & Harrys, P. (2011). The Fundamentals of Typography. Rue des Fontenailles, Switzerland: AVA Publishing. Available fromhttps://ce.safaribooksonline.com/book/graphic-design/9782940447244
Manternach, L. (2017). Discovering your brand voice. Corridor Business Journal, 14(19), 13. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.oclc.fullsail.edu:81/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bwh&AN=126431937&site=ehost-live
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ileanacarvajal · 5 years
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3 takeaways from what I learned in Effective Copywriting that I will apply as a media designer.
1) A copywriter uses words with a very specific purpose, in such a way that makes the brand different from its competitors.
For that reason, I intend that with a message (related to the personality of the brand), the client will take an action since he/she will feel identified with that specific brand.
2) I know that copywriting is the communication bridge between the company and the client and that is how when writing texts I will create a relationship with the audience and interact with them.
3) If I create a “persona” to have an idea of my target audience, my texts will be much more successful.
And when creating the profile of my ideal client, I will always answer questions, such as:
Is it a man or a woman? How old is she/he? Civil status? Does he/she have children? What is its economic and cultural level? I will give it a name, this will help to create a brief story with its problems and needs. what are its pains (needs)? in this way, I will associate it with the product or service. What necessities does she/he have? What and how is its environment? What are her/his concerns, What are its expectations, dreams, ​and aspirations?​
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ileanacarvajal · 5 years
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How I think I  created a unique solution that exceeds the project expectations (innovation)?  How I created an improved design solution to create a cohesively branded ad campaign for Child Find of America?
Through these three campaigns, I wanted to show the support that people can find in a non-profit organization such as Child Find of America and how it is the best option for families in crisis.
The three campaign proposals reflected three major services provided by Child Find of America: Parental Assistance, Location Services, Child Abduction Prevention, and Support Services. Programs that I want the reader to identify and recognize through these campaigns, to know that there is an entity that can help in crisis situations, that they can find support if they needed and that only in Child Find of America can offer.
In all three cases, the personality of the organization was shown, because, through the different color schemes, image options, font options I added in the designs, an impact could be achieved on the target audience.
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ileanacarvajal · 5 years
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How did I develop three strongest concepts and wrote copy that connects with the target audience? How did I write the headlines and  body copy?
As Felton (2013) mentions “ Keep rewriting until it sounds right until it works. That’s the method. No tricks, no shortcuts” (p.128).
I think it was many times that I had to transcribe the content of my ads, I really wanted to help the audience, to leave a clear and interesting message.
Campaign A: THIS COULD BE THE LAST TIME YOU SEE YOUR CHILD.
As Felton (2013) mentions “Start in the middle. Don’t start at the beginning of the brand conversation; intersect it deeper in” (p. 210).
It could be said that in this headline I decided to show a strong phrase, and bluntly, I went straight to the point. This headline may affect the reader, but what is sought, is for them to be alert, that they take conscience, to pay adequate attention to their children.
Campaing B: Choose the right words.
Felton (2013) claims, “make the consumer do some of the work. Don’t discuss the product; discuss what happens after the consumer uses it or what precedes or necessitates” (p.209).
In this case, I wanted to give the reader a piece of advice, the action that should be taken so as not to affect their children, and later I express the options that exist to be able to communicate in a better way with their children (with the programs offered by the organization).
Campaign  C: I can’t find my way home. Felton (2013) “Imitate speech rather than writing. People speak in fragments. So make your ads sound the way people talk (p. 209).
In this case, I wanted to use a testimonial quote as a headline, since I try to approach the target audience, tell them that they are not alone, that maybe they are not the only ones that may be suffering from this situation. By using a headline in this way, I wanted to create a connection with the reader, a bond, to build trust.
Felton (2013) mentions a checklist for body copy. Misma lista que el body de mis ad cumplieron:
1.     The lead: Pull hard enough, make a quick enough and strong enough transition out of the headline/visual. In this case, I wanted to use strong figures: One in seven young people between the ages of 10 and 18 will run away from home”, This is for the purpose of creating an impact and to encourage the reader to continue reading or take an action.
2. The middle: Say something new. Advance the story. Give details. Complete the argument.
“Parent Help program offers Parenting and Fatherhood Education, Conflict Services, Crisis Intervention, and Relationship Coaching. Child Find of America helping fragile families since 1980”, with these data I show the services offered of this program in a summarized way, directly to the point, besides adding the date of the founding of the organization, this with the objective that they see that it is a reliable organization that has been present since many time ago.
“CHILD FIND of AMERICA investigates each case of a missing, run-away or abducted child using computer technology, the Internet and a massive national network of partners, including local law enforcement agencies, the FBI, state missing children clearinghouses, schools, and other non-profit organizations”, With this part I wanted to expose much more detailed information, show a professional organization, which uses innovative technology and research quality methods. The objective is to create trust in the viewer to know that they would deal with an organization that, despite being non-profit, is professional and innovative
3. The close: Does the copy end rather than just stop? Does it provide a call to action? should readers do now that they’ve read your copy? Tell them.In the three ads it was very important to create a call to action, since the purpose is to get the target audience in touch with the organization through its main telephones and website. For example:
For more information, visit the PARENT HELP website: www.parenthelp-ny.org, in this case I gave the topics covered by the program, however I did not put such detailed information since a lot of data could recharge the ad, in addition to the enter the web page the interested could see this information and make the decision  if it was right program for their family.
FOR HELP CALL: 1-800-I-AM-LOST, Here was a call for action to a target audience, that is, a line focused on helping those who are lost or even those who suspect and were abducted.
 Parents searching for their runaway children or Parents afraid their child is about to run away CALL: 1-800 A WAY OUT, again there was a call to action to the target audience, to those parents who are looking for their children or those who want to avoid their children fleeing home.
4. Structure: Does the copy have a structure? Is the argument or story, however long or short, unified, and complete?
I wanted to design ads with relevant content, that would tell a story both with their images and with words. In my opinion, I think that the way they are designed is organized, clean, they are not overloaded with elements, they have what is essential for them to be successful.
5. Is the voice of the copy working? Does it match the headline/visual? How convincing and motivating is it?
As well mentioned, the voice must then reflect the personality of the brand, in this case, I wanted to compare the organization as if it were an unconditional friend, then the tone had to be precisely friendly, but at the same time it was strict, as if it wanted to give a life lesson to his best friend.
6. Clichés: Have you broken past clichés, both of English and of advertising?
Parents are tired of always hearing the same from their acquaintances, instead, these campaigns are trying to tell them that there are a solution and an answer, it's not giving a sermon, on the contrary, it is trying to tell parents that here they could find the help they were looking for.
7. Persuasiveness: Does the copy persuade or just describe? (Felton, 2013, p.128)
I believe that all the information that was chosen and the images could captivate the audience,  it will impact in a way that they would like to know even more about the services offered by this organization.
References: 
Felton, G. (2013). Advertising: Concept and Copy(3rd ed.). New York: Norton & Company.
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ileanacarvajal · 5 years
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I also want to share my sketches/ comps made before the final compositions were designed. 
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ileanacarvajal · 5 years
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Target Audience Profiles
Hawlk (2017) found the following:
The best way to create a marketing campaign that resonates with the right people is to understand the following about your audience: Demographics (age, gender, ethnicity, and location), Psychographics (It gives insight to their perspectives and viewpoints), Pain points and challenges (What do they struggle with? What do they see as a problem in their life? What causes pain or prevents them from living the way they want?), Needs, desires, and goals (What do they desperately want to achieve more than anything else? What do they need in their lives?), Preferences and habits (What magazines do they read? What websites do they browse? How do they interact with media? How do they prefer to learn new information?) Objections. (What stops them from taking action? What causes resistance or friction when they make purchasing decisions? ). (Hawlk, 2017, p.28)
Considering what has been described by Hawlk, the target audience for the ads designed to Child Find of America focuses on, and the organization demographics are men and women between 19-55 years old living in the United States and internationally, with different ethnicities.
Psychographics: They are parents, caretakers who yearn to offer a better home for their children or those who want them back home; young adults who fear to be in the wrong family.
Pain points and Challenge: Parents searching for their runaway children or parents afraid their child is about to run away; young adults who feel out of place since they suspect they have been abducted.
Needs, desires, and goals: parents, caretakers, young adults who need professional help to face a family crisis.
Preferences and habits: The target audience receives information digital and in the traditional way (printed).
Objections: The target audience, are people who fear not being able to find other professional support (apart from the police) or they think it is over cost. Since the help that Child Find of America offers is completely free and with the last technology and investigative methods, parents, caretakers and young adults can feel supported by this entity.
Settle, R. & Alreck, P. established a catalog of needs:
1. Achievement: the need to perform difficult tasks exercise one’s skills.
2. Independence: the need to be autonomous, have options, be different.
3. Exhibition: the need to gain public attention, show off, be noticed.
4. Recognition: the need to be highly regarded by others, to be held up as a good example.
5. Dominance: the need to exercise power over others, direct and supervise, have influence.
6. Affiliation: the need to be closely associated with others, the need for relationships.
7. Nurturance: the need to provide care for others, to have and protect.
8. Succorance: the need to receive help from others, be comforted, be encouraged and supported.
9. Sexuality: the need to establish and develop one’s sexual identity, be sexually attractive, give and receive sexual satisfaction.
10. Stimulation: the need to stimulate the senses, pursue vigorous activity, engage the mind and body, stimulate the palate, be active.
11. Diversion: the need to relax, have fun, escape.
12. Novelty: the need to alter routine, be surprised, acquire new skills, have new and different experiences.
13. Understanding: the need to comprehend, teach and learn, discover patterns, make connections.
14. Consistency: the need for order and cleanliness, to control uncertainty and avoid ambiguity, make accurate predictions.
15. Security: the need to be free from fear, feel safe and protected, avoid accidents, acquire assets. (as cited in Felton, 2013, p. 26-31)
I want to identify the needs from this list that can be seen through my ads:
Campaign A (This could be the last time you see your child: make them feel safe). The needs of the list that can be seen are Nurturance, since Child Find of America is an entity that cares about the well-being of children. Security, since it wants all parents to make their children feel safe. Succorance, through an action call, offers help to parents who are looking for their children and those who want to keep them safe at home. Recognition, by showing the slogan "bringing kids home, keeping them safe" speaks of an organization that wants to be recognized by society as an entity that protects all children.
Campaign B (Choose the right words: Children are very susceptible, you could hurt their feelings too easily). Understanding, as parents are invited to learn more about the parenting and coaching programs offered. Novelty, by giving parents through their programs the option of improving communication with their children. Succorance, because since 1980 this organization has helped fragile families. Security, since it is wanted to avoid that through the words the mental health of the children is damaged. Diversion, in a certain way it is seen when showing a toy, that in spite of being sad, even so it reflects the innocence of the children and their way of having fun.
Campaign C: I can not find my way home: Many young adults suspect they were parentally abducted as a child). Recognition, to be recognized as a professional organization that uses research methods and innovative technology. Affiliation, by showing a testimony that seeks to find its true family and create a bond with them. Succorance, by providing a contact number where you can get help in this type of case. Security, it wants to make the target public free and protected.
How does understanding the target audience help me direct the campaigns messaging?
From these patterns of behavior (demographics, Psychographics, Pain points and Challenge, Needs, desires, and goals, Preferences, and habits, Objections) that I created for my personas, I was able to design campaigns that could attract real and potential readers. These personas helped me to better understand my target audience, since through their "way of life" I was able to create a real and honest copywriting that could attract real people.
References:
Felton, G. (2013). Advertising: Concept and Copy(3rd ed.). New York: Norton & Company.
Hawlk, K. (2017). Need Marketing Ideas? Ask Your Target Audience. Journal of Financial Planning, 30(11), 28–29. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.oclc.fullsail.edu:81/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=126078328&site=ehost-live
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ileanacarvajal · 5 years
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Creating concepts and writing copy for testimonial ads.
As Felton mentions (2013), “Testimonials from real people, unbought and unscripted, have become part of all brands that choose to involve their customers” (p. 246).
In this case, I wanted to show through my ads real people, based on real cases from the main web page of Child find of America. If I want my target audience to believe in the ad and really feel identified, the best way is to create an ad that reflects reality and speaks a truth. As it explains well, as a brand it is preferable to use common people since the reader could feel better identified with them.
To create the composition of the words it was necessary to create a voice for the organization. Felton (2013) affirms, “voice is the brand’s personality as expressed in language. Every ad and corporate communication should be true to that personality” (p. 103).
Through the campaigns, the personality of Child Find of America was reflected. This organization could be considered a friend, who will be in good times and in bad, that friend who gives words of encouragement if you are in a vulnerable moment, is an enthusiastic person. He is that friend who is honest with you and tells you what he thinks straight ahead, without taboos because the only thing it wants is the best for you, and it wants you to be the best father in the world and to be happy.
Felton (2013) sustains, “the tone is important. Above all, the tone of the conversation has to be authentic and honest. Be conversational. Be yourself. Show respect. Expect respect. The goal is to help. If you don’t know the answer tell them, you’ll find out. Then find out and let them know” (p. 133).
Since the personality of the brand is as if it were a friend, someone who will be respectful, honest and gives unconditional support, the tones for the campaigns used were the followings: strict, practical, friendly, educational, trustworthy, energetic, optimistic. They are all those characteristics that demonstrate a best friend, that although sometimes you will not like its tone, it is because it's telling you the truth and wants to help you find the answer.
Smallish (2014) find, while it's important for a print ad designer to create a concept, in a composition that grabs the reader's attention, it must also be organized in a way that the message can be delivered quickly, and clearly, and reach its intended audience. There should be a balance between the attention-grabbing part, and the message part (Smallish, 2014, chapter 1).
As for my final comps, they all presented a clear and concise message, with data figures and information that aim to awaken the interest of the reader and to help him/her make the decision to seek help through this non-profit organization.
Lurie (2014) claims, “Images should dominate. If you're using images in your print work, give them the lead. In print, readers look at the images first, then the headline, then the rest of the page. The text is important. It's what keeps people on the page, but the imagery is what sells it” (chapter 2).
In this case, images that could capture the attention of the reader were added:
Campaign A/Make them feel safe: An image of a child (10-12 years old), drinking milk and in front of him is a milk carton with the alert of a lost child, the same child can be appreciated with the same descriptions, and with the words "future missing child". The mission of the image was to create a wake-up call to parents that this could be the last time they could see their child if they don't pay the right attention to them.
Campaign B/Choose the right words: This campaign showed an object related to childhood: a toy, in this case, a rag doll. I wanted to add a metaphoric image, I compared the doll as if it were a real child.
Campaign C/ I can't find my way home: The idea of this campaign was to show the figure of a young adult lost in the middle of a labyrinth with no way out. The intention was to give the idea that this young person suspects not being on the right path in his life, since he may not belong to the correct family.
He also found the following:
You need to have a very clear, immediate call to action. Unless you are a top ten brand, you are going to need to provide some way for folks to contact you. They need to be able to call, email or otherwise take the next step right there. Once they throw the magazine or direct mail piece in the trash, you are forgotten. Do everything you can to have a clear call to action and all of the necessary components to answer that call. (Lurie, 2014, chapter 2)
Taking Lurie’s advice, all the ads made a call to action, they called the target audience to make an action (parents who believe that their son can flee from home to those who believe they need help with the education of their children and those who suspect, may be abducted by a family), in this case to contact the organization through their main numbers or through their web page.
References:
Felton, G. (2013). Advertising: Concept and Copy(3rd ed.). New York: Norton & Company.
Lurie, I. (2014, May, 30). Learning to Write Marketing Copy. Available from https://www.lynda.com/Business-Online-Marketing-tutorials/Welcome/149250/175041-4.html?srchtrk=index%3a3%0alinktypeid%3a2%0aq%3aIan+Lurie%0apage%3a1%0as%3arelevance%0asa%3atrue%0aproducttypeid%3a2
Smallish, C. (2014, May, 27). Designing a Print Ad[Lynda.com online course]. Available from https://www.lynda.com/Design-Page-Layout-tutorials/Welcome/155264/174679-4.html?org=fullsailold.edu
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ileanacarvajal · 5 years
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These are campaign proposals (for Child Find of America) that I made for the Effective Copywriting class, and that I want to share with you. Also, I want to share the process that came from these designs that I am proud of.
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ileanacarvajal · 5 years
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3.4.3 Mastery: Final Project 
To update my toolboxes, I took into account several constructive criticisms from my colleagues.
Geography: I changed the typography for something that really reflects the majesty and magic of Marrakesh.
History: I elevated the background tones so that it didn't look very opaque and I also updated the typography.
Modern culture: I replaced the background with something much more artistic and colorful and attached to the modern culture of Marrakesh.
References
Quast, L. (2013, April 15). How To Conduct A Personal SWOT Analysis. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/lisaquast/2013/04/15/how-to-conduct-a-personal-s-w-o-t-analysis/#7f876f0c28d8
Vecteezy.com  (2018). Geometric Beige Background Pattern. Retrieved from  https://www.vecteezy.com/vector-art/108011-geometric-beige-background-patternb
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