PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOME:
Acquiring Competencies
NAFSHI INC.
Introduction
Acquiring competency is the last PLO for the media design MFA degree program which is built on goals that consist of four learning outcomes. That way we can increase the ability to effectively conduct the research required; this will aid the design ideas. In its turn this affords the Media Designer the knowledge to decipher the client's problems and needs, applying them to the design process to come to a resolution. By using constructive collaboration to meet a goal and supply the designer with proper competences that will boost the ability of the media designer to grow the client’s business to be successful and make money on their returns.
Solving Problems
The PLO is to focus on the client's problem and having the ability to identify the problem. The problem is always with the client when it comes to design concepts for refreshing a brand or making a brand a hierarchy. The purpose of refreshing the brand or creating a brand hierarchy is to increase revenue and influence the target audience into action and increase awareness. This identifies with the client's needs to see a return on their investment through assets/marketing effectiveness brought about by the proper design solutions. To properly convey your solutions and rationale behind these decisions for the client’s needs or problems they are facing for the brand. There is a way that you can undertake the project by utilizing the four program learning outcomes. Don't forget that the program learning outcome calls for exploration of potentially multiple solutions. Here is the solution to solving difficult design problems.
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Define the problem, research data involved and figure out what the problem the client is faced with.
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Conceptualize multiple solutions which are options for solving the problems effectively
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Iterate and refine Continue changing and rearranging and reefing configuring and different variations will give you more ideas drawings sketches until you come to a proper solution.
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Finalization of the solution by creating the best one-of-a-kind work.
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Show proof of the winning ideas that are successful.
Fine Arts
However, while in fine arts, it included taking digital art class. Sitting in digital art class one day, populating the back of my mind was this profound need to master digital art. So, came this great idea which appeared in my head, it said, “wouldn’t it be great if you could be proficient in both fine arts and media design?” In this way, I could draw my own characters and/or designs, photoshop it, or vector it into adobe illustrator and learn how to conduct vectoring my own design. To think, I will finally know how to use these design software applications in some way and create my first vision board. Working with these tools and different forms of media design will require hard work and dedication.
Becoming a Designer
This is how a great solution for taking media design stemmed into this great idea which in return fashioned into a vision that is sublime and completed. Yeah, when I start something, it must be finished, like painting a vision with the desire of the finality in bringing it all together. Everything that I've learned from the age of 22 in the industry working with Patricia Field, being an influencer to this moment, being well rounded by learning the business already an artist/influencer and putting this all together would make a complete package for media designing. Circling back to the idea instilled by Professor Kratz, Professor Larson informed me of a free design image sight that creates “swag”. In so doing I decided to see what my artwork would look like as fashion. To my surprise Professor Kratz exclaimed “I would wear this, however you must make this into a separate entity that is decidedly yours.”
Mastering Media Design
Learning how to write APA style was at the top of the list in this program. The Bachelor program was all about painting, going into the program advanced already as an artist they put me in all advanced painting classes as they were expecting monumental amounts of work from me. As I was still developing my artistry it was highly demanding on me, but I pushed through, and I got all the fundamentals of how to write in that program. However, being in fine arts also required taking digital art class. One day I was sitting in digital art class, in the back of my mind I had this profound need to always temper my digital art capabilities.
At this time, a possibly amazing idea stirred in my conscience: “wouldn’t it be great if you could be proficient in both fine arts and media design?” Then I could draw my own character(s) and then Photoshop it, or vector it into adobe illustrator and learn how to vector my own design. To think, I will finally know how to use Adobe tools in some way and create my first vision board. Working with all the tools and different forms of media design will require hard work and dedication. This is how the great idea came to me in a vision, to bring it all together, everything that I've been learning from the age of 22 in the industry working with Patricia Field. Especially being an influencer to this moment and to be well rounded, by learning the business being already in the industry as an artist /influencer and putting this all together would make a complete package for this industry and media designing with my knowledge of the people connected in the industry and experience.
Apart from this the masters from media design consisted of a list of courses that we had to take. Here is a list of all that was learned in the media design program: defining client’s needs, brand development, effective copywriting, design research, organizational structure, design strategies and motivation, design integration, multiplatform delivery, measuring design effectiveness, and presentation of design solutions.
The Next Challenge to Face
The next hurdle was the first design challenge homework that had to be completed. Being Due every Wednesday and requiring refinement by Sunday. The design challenges created by one of my favorite art directors Paul Rand, I was very impressed, but this was to test us on the tools in adobe illustrator, or in design. The most important thing for me at this point, was not to fall behind, because at times it causes you to get desperate and you never catch up. Although I was given accommodations by my therapist, I never use them. I challenged myself, and if I see where I’m going to fall behind, I apply my accommodations, utilizing them to stay on top of things. I never got the opportunity to refine and do the extra challenges because of the possibility of falling behind. I wanted to stay in the game. Not only with the media design game in particular, but also the future challenge(s) that needed to be carried out.
Challenge
This was the design challenge that had to be completed. These were pertinent visuals because they taught us how to use the tools in Adobe illustrator. Which was essential for the use to aid in learning and creating the logo, the vision board and brand vision play book for Greener Day Toys. All the drawings were made in Adobe illustrator with the pen tool. Everything else was made through in design, so, for instance copywriting for lucky dog rescue, the flyers for Earth Day by using Photoshop, and utilizing Adobe Premiere and After effects which is used to animate, then for the voice overs Adobe Premier was used. To add sound effects to the other projects, Earth Day the Margaret mead quote voiceover and the voiceover for Earth Day there were two or three Earth Day flyers that we used Adobe Premier for to add the voiceover and editing.
Moreover, the challenges became more difficult, so I had to find additional help. I was on the FSO site for the Media Design class page, believed to be one of the discussion boards where knowledge can be shared amongst the students. I noticed everyone posted their thoughts, phone numbers and emails so I posted mine and included that I needed help.
I noticed there were a lot of students reaching out to each other, so I reached out to a few of them. They contacted me and said that they would help in anyway they can. In my estimation, helping me in no way means doing my work for me. My deduction of helping means, to learn to use adobe in design proficiently, as well as, adobe illustrator, and in addition Photoshop. At this junction the next challenge was due and as I said before you must turn them in on Wednesday and refine them for Sunday; so, I quickly learned the usage of the pen tool and utilized it in the next challenges and while it wasn’t my best, it wasn’t bad for never having used the tool indesign or illustrator before i quickly learned.
Conclusion
Little did I know this was a Pandora's box to all of the design challenges. These are the concepts I favored the most in acquiring competency in media design. Research, problem solving, collaboration, understanding client’s needs, brand voice and tone, typography, visual hierarchy, visual elements, and the meaning behind them, the look and feel, understanding the target audience. Acquiring competency for selection for typography is done through the target audience; choosing the correct typography choice which is generally two to three different types of typography for an ad copy or any kind of ad layout. Depending on the choices for your target audience. The choices will be for elderly people Eldwin script Helvetica for headlines and Conifurious for the logo and the brand playbook, these were the scripts that were used for the target audience.
To conclude, acquiring competency in this program allowed me to master the MFA masters program and produce video ads, video logos, flyers, reflection videos, and scripts to read for videos and ads, for copyrighting and for ads such as Lucky Dog Rescue. Once all the core principles associated with the aforementioned PLOs are mastered, you will be several steps ahead of other designers competing for jobs in this field.
Collaboration
This PLO focuses on your capabilities to successfully identify your potency, areas of vulnerability, and the outlook and proficiency of yourself and the co-workers you work with. Collaboration in every inventive field is a staggering consequentiality, principally because you cannot be sagacious in everything pertaining to the design industry. We each have our own distinct capabilities, experiences, and mindset to take a creative project in any number of valuable directions. It is only through efficient collaboration and all-encompassing developments that we can produce the most and the best one-of-a-kind design solutions possible. Critiquing from the professors and students, which informs your own reasoning and insights, which will work well together advancing your media design career.
Acquiring Competency
This program learning outcome(s) is all about your competencies which you have gained during your time in the course for your MFA degree program. This will be about the discussions and the experiences you have had while using your tools the principles are based upon, effecting the design processes and strategies that were learned throughout this program. The decision was made to take the Media design master’s program, it was a smidge daunting in the beginning.
The main things that presented difficulty in my mind was firstly fear, then next came the media design process itself because I was not confidently proficient in adobe illustrator, design, and photoshop. So, the first thing I decided was to face my fears and learn to gain proficiency in media design although I had other struggles to face. Such as being mentally handicap, it can be challenging at times trying to communicate with people knowing how far you have come. So, deciding to take this program may very well be difficult and it was an accelerated program which heightened the challenge. Subsequently taking the MDM program by way of Professor Kratz to brand Nafshi inc... These tools and everything learned to this point will be used to create a design team, I was assuredly scouting out students to see if I can acquire the best of the best and inquire of their proficiencies.
Experience
With my knowledge and through the connections in the industry and experience form creating ads in Elle, vogue, being in the center ad for Detail magazine and styling the cover of vanity Fair in the 80’s. I had no idea that this was going to be a 360º for my career in media design. Apart from this the master’s in media design consisted of a list of courses that we had to take. Here is a list of all that was learned in the media design program: defining client’s needs, brand development, effective copywriting, design research, organizational structure, design strategies and motivation, design integration, multi-platform delivery, measuring design effectiveness, and presentation of design solutions.
Ruminating
Having all these courses to take on unearthed a whole lot of mental issues I had to face; what was later learned about being mentally handicapped was, when you suffer from depression, you are ruminating about the past, when you are anxious you are worried about the future, and when you are at peace you are living in the present. I chose to live in the present moment and face all the fears of media design as I went along on this journey. This is what therapy is all about, to rationalize and find solutions to be able to function without depression and anxiety. So, facing media design in estimation of my mind seems to be the best thing for me to do because of this anxiety, caused by facing digital art, going into Adobe illustrator, or Adobe in design, and photoshop, and having only scratched the surface of the Media design software there is to learn. What was always in the back of my mind was wondering who the media design teacher would be and how they would work, this being for someone that’s not as proficient as other students that took media design in the bachelor program.
What was gathered through experience gained in this current endeavor was you’re thrown into the arena of media design, and you must take a survey in this program to see how proficient you are. But most of all it’s a master’s program and the whole concept behind a master’s program is to see how the student will master, and cleverly get through the program whether you are proficient. In other words, the student must figure it out for themselves; Meaning, how can you get through media design gaining perspective, and experience, while becoming proficient to master the program. My decision for the current situation at this junction was to not worry about every nuance I discovered, and to reside only in the present moment. The first portion of the program was all about writing, followed by a litmus list of duties that consisted of all the media design courses that would get us through the next six months of this program. Another weakness of mine was writing APA style for this program as I was only proficient in MLA writing; so, as I said before, I am handicapped, a portion of my handicap issues is being dyslexic among other things. So, writing was going to be another challenge for me.
Facing my Fears
The video logo used after effects to animate the panda using the puppet tool, then it was exported and put into premiere where the sound was added voice and the music to it. Along with facing my fears, here are some of the concepts that I can remember off the top of my head. Critical thinking, research, problem solving, collaboration, learning and understanding the client’s needs, copywriting, brand voice and tone, taglines, brand trust, typography, design reasoning, imagery, understanding the target audience, the meanings behind visual elements, visual hierarchy, Sonic branding, rhythm and pacing, motion graphics, design strategy, the brand look and feel, the brand personality, the brand identity, and the brand's logo.
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Along with not using my accommodations, the best course of action would be to have the paper completed and work on the challenges with one of my classmates, this was the advice that was given to me by one of the professors. To trade off and work with other students that were proficient in media design and get guidance on how to use the tools. So, I went around asking all the students if they had time to lend a hand and assist me in completing the design challenges. The first challenge was to complete and filled in this design challenge by Paul Rand. I asked one of the students to show me what the challenge was and how to use the pen tool. He showed me what tools to use to complete the challenge. I completed the challenge, and it was an exhilarating sense of accomplishment leaving me feeling very confident.
