Brendan Oliverio Mastery Journal Full Sail University - Media Design MFA

Intention Statement

I enrolled in the Media Design MFA Program at Full Sail University in January 2023. I decided to become a graduate student at Full Sail University to grow professionally as a designer as I enter my new career. As a relatively new and young professional entering a career in design, the Media Design MFA program will provide me with more understanding of my role and with tools for success in the professional world.

While in my previous career as a Marine Corps Musician, I rekindled my passion for visual arts and design, and I went on to complete a bachelors in graphic design before exiting the service. I greatly value education and seized the opportunity of pursuing a graduate degree to be a stepping stone into the professional world. I utilized my bachelors program to help me explore different roads as a designer that would interest me most, and I discovered I wanted to be involved in both the creative process and the application strategies of visual design.

In the next twelve months, I’m excited to learn more about the following topics this program investigates: client needs, design research, strategies and motivation, and design integration. Furthermore, I’m interested in learning from one of the later courses, measuring design effectiveness, so I can continue to build my capabilities from one project to the next and propel myself up the professional ladder.

While studying this degree, I also hope to integrate my developing hard skills with all of the new strategies I am learning. Additionally, I anticipate gaining new connections with other professionals that can assist me in my growth. I’m excited to see how my personal view of myself will change from the start of the program compared to the end. By the end of this program, I hope to feel more than prepared for the professional world.

Inspirational Post

"You see a snow capped mountain, crossed skis, you see a sunset, you see a Native American symbol, and in reverse you see a snowflake." - Kay Stout Manovich, The Design that made Salt Lake City come to Life with Olympic Spirit: Design Focus (2018)

Whenever I find myself in a rut with my pursuit of a career in design, I can look back on the design that inspires me to persevere. Though every logo for the Olympic Games has various meanings and considerations into its design, the Salt Lake City Winter Games represent the peak of successful graphic design for a brand. The use of minimal colors while also visually presenting several different meanings and interpretations, as described by Kay Stout Manovich, is what makes the design so successful (Olympics, 2018). The ability to represent culture, environment, virtue, and style into one simple design that furthermore can be used with maximum versatility is what all graphic designers should pursue, and it certainly is the shining example of what kind of designer I strive to be.

Olympics. (2018, July 10). The Design that made Salt Lake City come to Life with Olympic Spirit: Design Focus [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzdYipLSUMs

LinkedIn

My Follows

Inspirational Post 2

"...Self-Efficacy: the sense that you can change the world, and that you can attain what you set out to do." - David Kelley

I'm often watching TED videos to give me new insights about problems I face or the world faces. In discovering this video, I realized that so many of us have faced fears and anxieties about our own abilities that we never are able to achieve the things we truly are meant to do. Much in line with concepts Robert Greene discusses in his book Mastery, we have to constantly be testing the waters of our fears to show ourselves that we are all creative at heart if we are willing to find out. This video resonated with me having much anxiety about judgments on my creative projects and overall expectations from society and family.

TED. (2012, May 16). How to build your creative confidence | David Kelley. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16p9YRF0l-g

MDM525 - Week 1

Vision

Over the last decade, I have learned the value of considering another’s perspective. The world is full of diverse perspectives, and while we are all so different, we are equally similar. I realized years ago when watching the Olympics that people of every creed, color, and culture can relate to the values represented by these global games. I consider my personal story to be a strange and unorthodox one, but it is what makes me the individual I am and I champion that. I want to create a sense of community for others through my art, create brands that can speak to different cultures and people, but also play as a reference to everyone’s important individuality. I love to connect with others and find a way to empathize with them and it often requires a sense of open-mindedness to get on their level and understand their perspectives. I hope to further create a sense of community and be known for being relatable for anyone, much like the Olympic Games does for the athletes of the world.

Values

Three inspirational designers and some of their values that speak to me:

1. Paul Rand – Boldness, Authenticity, Longevity
2. Chip Kidd – Originality, Diversity, Enthusiasm
3. Ben J. Crick – Creativity, Boldness, Freedom

My most important values: Authenticity, Open-Mindedness, Courage, Enthusiasm, Professionalism, Originality

Mission

Motivators – I want to become a more organized and proficient design professional

Timeline – By/before the end of this degree program

Pillars of mission:

• Personal – I want to be known for creating brands and designs that are known to diverse audiences, making content that has an inspiring effect.
• Family – I am not massively close to family, but I talk to them regularly and will always pick up where I left like it was yesterday. I am not one to make enemies of anyone, and I value everyone and their opinion.
• Professional – I always strive to be reliable and the best I can be, which usually means I also don’t like to mess up or fail. Once I become reliable, I like to try to expand and make some sort of difference at that point.
• Community – I like to teach others what I have learned, I want to go back at the back end of my career and teach what I have learned so others can accomplish beyond what I have.
• Spiritual – I am spiritually based in Catholicism. Though I am not currently in regular practice, a considerable amount of my values and actions are based in this faith.

Mission Statement

I want to become a proficient and confident professional over the course of the next year. During this program, I will be seeking new challenges by organizing my own time, involving myself in my community, sharpening my skills that I can apply professionally and with my community and interpersonal relationships, and seeking criticism like my life and career depend on it.

Design Challenge

MDM525 Week 2

The Necessity of Research in Design

Research Drives Innovation

Behind every great innovation is a mission of a determined mind. CEO Shou Chew of the mobile application TikTok says the mission of their app is “to inspire creativity and to bring joy” (TED, 2023).With this in mind, the app developers studied the strategies and uses of earlier app competitors to produce TikTok’s successful AI algorithms, design and format (Taulli, 2020). Having a live observation can spark questions about what makes a design success, and that’s exactly what happened for this app, a concept key to its success. Further research on any given subject or problem is critical to long term success of professional designers and their clients because it identifies the needs of an audience, research provides justification for design choices, and it determines what will be successful and why.

Know Your Audience

The point of researching a receptive audience in design is to make the strongest decisions instead of relying on intuition. Though every designer has their anecdotal life experience, they are still one opinion amongst billions, which does not always say much. For marketers, the mission is to “market” their product towards a target audience if not everyone. To successfully do so, they ask questions about the interests and problems of people in relation to what they are trying to produce for them (Dodson, 2016, p 342). Additionally, much of the daily activities of digital users is easily found through digital data mining means. In the perspective of evidence-based design, this concept of retrieving all the information one can about people is not new, and its recognizable value can now be retrieved online, like through Google Analytics (Brandt, 2010, ch 2). The information about people is available, and it can be valuable in shifting a design strategy.

Research From New Perspectives

Designers should rely on research because the rise of complex design problems require justification of their design decisions. Much can be discovered when crossing research of multiple professional perspectives, a reason that also invites collaboration, a powerful tool (Davis, 2018). Xerox thanks its case study research in saving them over 100 million dollars across more than a decade. By taking on a new perspective in its research, the discovery of collaboration amongst technicians led them to develop the knowledge sharing system named Eureka (Davis, 2018). The research not only caters an indirect solution to their target audience, but it opens up a new whole audience they can design for. Research for designers can provide an unexpected solution, an alternative to instinct.

Adapt and Overcome

Conducting research can help designers determine what will be a successful solution. By recognizing what the current market is, it prepares them for the future and/or provides a gateway to becoming the leading innovator. According to the 2021 AIGA Executive Summary, adaptability is critical in the profession of design, not just regarding individual skill level, but in the expectation of where media is going. Based upon their research on design professionals, they can conclude data driven content will be leading in design successes (AIGA, 2021). Many designers will be marketing towards the younger generation considering their life expectancy and that they grew up into living online this century (Plummer, 2023). To make successful design choices, designers and their research will have to follow their audience, be bold in experimentation, and treat their problem like a much bigger market. A designer’s audience can be somewhere they don’t expect, so it is important to treat the challenge like a touring circus to find out who they are marketing towards and how (Reeves, 2011). Research can also recognize what there is to learn from failure, or mediocre success for that matter. TikTok developers were able to demonstrate this by innovating an app that doesn’t let you see exactly what you expect like other apps Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. By adapting to the current stagnant social media environment, TikTok developers were able to become a leading figure among social apps with their new approach. Today the app sees its success in its own numbers, achieving hundreds of thousands of users in its short life-time (Taulli, 2020).

Conclusion

The information, or the means to get it, to solve complex design problems is available to every professional designer. While it is up to designers to determine what information is valuable to their respective challenges, involving research proves to be beneficial in making difficult design decisions. Even when those decisions result in unfortunate failure, that experience is now further useful data for the next project or second attempt. There is greater risk in relying solely on intuition as a designer, and providing research backed design solutions will maintain trust between clients, collaborators, and designers.

References

AIGA. (2021). Design POV: An in-depth look at the design industry now. AIGA: The Professional Association for Design. https://www.aiga.org/sites/default/files/2023-01/2021_DesignPOV_FinalReport_01302023.pdf

Brandt, R. M., Martin, W. M., & Chong, G. H. (2010). Design informed: Driving innovation with evidence-based design. John Wiley & Sons. February 18, 2024, https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/design-informed-driving/9780470395622/

Davis, M., & Littlejohn, D. (2018). Accountability for Anticipating Design Outcomes. AIGA Design Futures Trends. Retrieved February 17, 2024, from https://www.aiga.org/resources/design-futures-research

Dodson, I. (2016). The Art of Digital Marketing: The definitive guide to creating strategic, targeted, and measurable online campaigns. Wiley. February 18, 2024, https://search-ebscohost-com.oclc.fullsail.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=1217940&site=ehost-live

Plummer, M. (2023, December 14). Council post: How to market to younger generations. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2023/12/14/how-to-market-to-younger-generations/?sh=2462d8427576

Reeves, M., & Deimler, M. (2011). Adaptability: the new competitive advantage. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved February 17, 2024, from https://hbr.org/2011/07/adaptability-the-new-competitive-advantage.

Taulli, T. (2023, October 5). TikTok: Why the enormous success?. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomtaulli/2020/01/31/tiktok-why-the-enormous-success/?sh=4934b53a65d1

TED. (2023, April 21). TikTok CEO Shou Chew on its future - and what makes its algorithm different | live at TED2023. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zC8-06198g

Design Challenge

MDM525 Week 3

Designers and Clients: Fostering a Relationship

Graphic designer Paul Rand once answered his own question on why he was hired by a Japanese client, people he could not communicate with due to language barriers: “design is universal” (Miggsb, 2008, 5:52). However, in the 21st century, the progression, variety, and complexity of design might leave business leaders lost, left in a limited understanding of how to approach their problems as it relates to their brand identity. When clients approach designers with their goals and needs, designers must utilize a refined process as much as their professionalism to solve this design problem. The ability to investigate and define the client needs, maintain a dialog, and ultimately meeting or exceeding those needs are part of a successful professional design process. Utilizing these concepts to foster the relationship between the designer(s) and the client will ultimately prove beneficial in the design process and solution.

Fostering A Relationship

Defining Client Needs

In the first steps of the relationship with a designer, clients reveal their basic goals of the company design problem. Based on this information and its varying level of included details, designers must interpret the overarching goal of their client, explore their options and limitations, and conduct necessary research for their process (Perkins, 2014, ch 11). In other words, designers will discover the underlying problem the client is facing. The Chase Design Group utilized strategic research methods to define who they were really designing for, eventually creating a specific persona to narrow their approach towards developing their design solution (Chase & Lowery, 2008, 1:29-5:38). Through this they identified how a redesign of the brand and logo would align the client and consumer values and reap longevity in their business because their prior brand could not. PepsiCo faces its own challenges in their market, but also recognized that designers are needed in the changing world because they can find a way to appeal to the broader audience. By incorporating “meaningful experiences and authentic stories” into a design solution, they can gain international attention rather than resort to the shallow concept of merely selling a product (Porcini, 2019, 10:53). The client does not always know how to articulate their needs, nor do they necessarily recognize the impact of design in driving their business forward. Designers must master exploring the client problems at all angles to determine how to create a solution.

Client Communication

The needs of the client can reveal themselves through investigative measures throughout the design process. If the designers can maintain a healthy relationship with their client, their client can stay involved in the design process. While this sometimes can challenge both sides, leaving pride out of the room and maintaining communication as a pillar of the design process allows the project to remain the center of attention (Airey, 2014, ch 8). Chase Design Group sought to unify the brand of Chinese Laundry by asking questions about the values and imagery related to their desired identity which then resulted in the combination of the original typeface and hummingbird, a system applicable across their various brands (Chase & Lowery, 2008, 6:52). By maintaining conversation about the brand goals, they were able to take a step forward in achieving the needs of a successful brand design.

However, sometimes this process does not always come easy. The King Arthur Flour brand sought to redesign with Little & Company, and through many difficult conversations over a long period of time, both the business and the designers determined the unimportance of keeping the knight on a horse in their redesigned logo (Perkins & Schacherer, n.d. 18:15) Ruth Perkins, the Senior Creative Director of King Arthur Baking Company credits the difficult but necessary collaboration between their team and the designers at Little & Company for them to narrow down towards the eventual redesign resolution (Perkins & Schacherer, n.d. 20:11) If both the client and designer remember to consider the needs of the business versus their grounded preferences, their effective communication can assist the solution to develop and stand as a success for both parties.

Meeting Client Needs

After conducting research and building rapport with a client, the application of the design solution will determine the success of meeting a client’s needs. When the concepts presented by designers can feel transferrable to whatever avenue the client needs to use it, and do so successfully, there is a sense that the client has met their goal through the designer. Good designers will give their design process definition, helping to maintain that mutual trust (Monteiro, 2014, Ch 4). Margo Chase and her team led Chinese Laundry into their future by providing examples of how to utilize their new style across different mediums to successfully advertise their brand while keeping in touch with their budget and discussing how exactly it will be a powerful tool (Chase & Lowery, 2008, 8:10-9:57). The client may need to use their new projects in the future for changing times, and the versatility of the solution will suggest triumph in this aspect. Just as Chinese Laundry was able to splash their style guide in different forms, Ben J. Crick helped redesign the look of Spotify by providing a flexible look that had as much range visually as music does emotionally to ensure a long-lasting brand for his client (Nicework, 2021, 5:18). By providing a process behind the design thinking, clients not only trust the designers and their solution, but designers can now leave their work with the client to confidently use in the future.

Conclusion

Throughout the course of a relationship between a designer and their client, establishing trust and confidence in each other is key to the success of project outcome. By getting to know the client better and conducting research, designers can better understand the full needs of the client. During their creative process, inclusion of the client can help discover possible avenues for a solution while it also builds their confidence in the designer and their devoted process. While they maintain a trustworthy relationship, a full explanation and understanding of the project will help meet or exceed the client’s original expectations. If designers can invest themselves in the project development as much as their client relationship, designers can reap the rewards of successful design.

References

Airey, D. (2014, August). Chapter 8. The art of the conversation. In Logo Design Love, Annotated and Expanded Edition (2nd ed.). essay, Peachpit Press. Retrieved February 25, 2024, from https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/logo-design-love/9780133812589/.

Chase, M., & Lowery, C. (2008, September 4). Branding - creative inspirations: Margo Chase, graphic designer. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/learning/creative-inspirations-margo-chase-graphic-designer/branding?u=50813145

Miggsb. (2008, July 8). Interview with graphic designer, Paul Rand-Part 3 of 3. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bA1LdQknbk&t=15s

Monteiro, M. (2014, November). Chapter 4. Evaluating Work And Giving Feedback. In You’re My Favorite Client. essay, A Book Apart. Retrieved February 25, 2024, from https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/youre-my-favorite/9780134077994/.

Nicework. (2021, January 13). Ben Crick: Spotify - how to design for 286 million users. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yy6TJnh22RM

Perkins, R., & Schacherer, M. (n.d.). Rebranding king arthur. AIGA. https://www.aiga.org/inspiration/talks/ruth-perkins-mike-schacherer-rebranding-king-arthur

Perkins, S. (2014, August). Chapter 11. Proposals. In Talent Is Not Enough: Business Secrets For Designers (3rd ed.). essay, New Riders. Retrieved February 25, 2024, from https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/talent-is-not/9780133812213/.

Porcini, M. (2019, April 6). Why the (business) world needs design more than ever. AIGA. https://www.aiga.org/inspiration/talks/mauro-porcini-why-the-business-world-needs-design-more-than-ever

Design Challenge

MDM525 Week 4

Course Reflection

This video is a short reflection on concepts I learned in the graduate level course "Defining Clients Needs." Mentioned are 6 sources I discovered throughout the course that I can refer back to throughout my journey towards mastery.

Design Challenge Edits

Week 1 Optional Design Challenge 1

Week 2 Optional Design Challenge 1

Week 2 Optional Design Challenge 2

Week 3 Required Design Challenge

MDM530 Week 1

Brand Development: Purpose and Strategy

Symbols and images have been used since the beginning of human connections to communicate meaning in the most basic and primal way. The need for products to have some connection to maker’s identity was filled by the use of these small logos and images, fostering long term business relationships (Adams, 2021b). As time went on, a greater need for stronger distinctiveness developed as more products became available (Adams, 2021a). Though technology has changed today from centuries ago, the concepts of purpose and strategy behind branding remain the same. To create a successful brand, designers must generate an identity that can grab consumer attention (against competitors), foster a personal connection, and project a uniform set of values and personality.

Brand Identity

A brand identity serves as a way to differentiate a business from competitors and offers a signal of authenticity (Fisher & Vallaster, 2008). People will naturally notice differences in their environment, but the difficulty designers face is creating amid the sea of knock-offs and copycats. To stand out among competitors, brands should not only define what their business is, but more so why it matters to their audience (Neumeier, 2006). If the brand is fresh to the environment, it will have to communicate a few more concerns of their existing audience than just their basic provisions in order to establish a layer of trust, at least for initial engagement. Embracing a brand, old or new, and its differentiation from existing competitors will enhance the relationship between business and consumer (Fisher & Vallaster, 2008). The John Deere tractor brand knows what it sells, who it is for, and why it matters, incorporating that clearly into their trademarked logo (Fisher & Vallaster, 2008). Successful brands can stand out among others this way, and will continue to be successful if they can align that identity with their audience as times change.

Brands themselves are defined by their relationship with the people that experience them. While they can initially form public interest with a unique identity, audiences will always find brands that can communicate values that resonate with their own personality (Chaplin & John, 2005, pg 119). As brands develop their connections to people, and vice versa, it continues to be shaped by the individual expression whether or not it is intended to do so. In other words, the way the audience continues to utilize the brand themselves is inherently the identity of the brand, which may not necessarily be the way it was intended. The Lippincott creative Connie Birdsall identifies that people create the value of the brand when she observed two identical Louis Vuitton bags, one secretly being a knock-off, fooled most people (Birdsall, 2016, 13:43). The desire for connections, meaning and personality exists in the consumers, and it is where the brands live and function.

A brand is not only a way to unify the product of a business, but it represents the values of the business for which it stands. Much like humans gain their values from culture and social institutions, brands must also develop and embody authentic values to influence their consumers and their own decision-making (Lalaounis, 2021). In redesigning the identity to Southwest Airlines, Lippincott discovered the concepts of unity and care, which drove them to utilize the heart with passionate and authentic colors striped into its very DNA (Kelly & Vitt, 2021). Today, the Southwest identity is easily recognizable, unique, and reflective of the values of the company that cares about the flyer experience. In a similar fashion, beer giant Budweiser had to reidentify what values of their company could align with the American spirit, the country where their interest fell; by embracing an old concept of their brand, they could drive a better connection with their audience (Hall & Rodriguez, 2017, 7:30). By embodying a personality in entirety, a brand will be able to resonate with the people that see and experience it.

Conclusion

Brands do not exist without people because they are for people. They are created to communicate ideas and reflect an identity. Though the way in which brand identities change differs across all brands, the basic uses of brands remain the same. A whole personality exists in the products bought by consumers and is either redefined or embraced by that audience. For that is the reason for advanced brands, to create a relationship between the producer and the consumer, and foster a long-term and trustworthy partnership.

References

Adams, S. (2021a, December 2). Branding before 1950 - brand design foundations video tutorial: Linkedin learning. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/learning/branding-for-designers/branding-before-1950?autoSkip=true&resume=false&u=50813145

Adams, S. (2021b, December 2). The origin of branding - brand design foundations video tutorial: Linkedin learning, formerly Lynda.com. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/learning/branding-for-designers/the-origin-of-branding?resume=false&u=50813145

Birdsall, C. (2016, October 19). Brands like me. AIGA. https://www.aiga.org/inspiration/talks/connie-birdsall-brands-like-me

Chaplin, L. N., & Roedder John, D. (2005). The development of self‐brand connections in children and adolescents. Journal of Consumer Research, 32(1), 119–129. https://doi.org/10.1086/426622

Fisher, C., & Vallaster, C. (2008). Chapter 3: Brand Framework for Building Connective Brands. In Connective Branding: Building Brand Equity in a Demanding World. Wiley. Retrieved March 10, 2024, from https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/connective-branding-building/9780470512401/.

Hall, T., & Rodriguez, L. (2017). Branding with Clients: America, this Bud’s for you. AIGA. https://www.aiga.org/inspiration/talks/tosh-hall-lauren-rodriguez-branding-with-clients-america-this-buds-for-you

Kelly, G., & Vit, A. (2021, October 18). Southwest Airlines. Lippincott. https://lippincott.com/work/southwest-airlines/

Lalaounis, S. T. (2021). Strategic Brand Management and Development: Creating and Marketing Successful Brands. Routledge. March 10, 2024, https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/strategic-brand-management/9781000298185/

Neumeier, M. (2006). Chapter 1. Differentiate. In The Brand Gap: How to bridge the distance between business strategy and design (Revised). essay, New Riders. Retrieved March 10, 2024, from https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/the-brand-gap/0321348109/.

Required Design Challenge

MDM530 Week 2

Brand Development: Connecting to the Audience

Throughout history, symbols and images have been used to communicate and connect human beings (Adams, 2021). Brands rely on this fact to connect with and foster a long-term relationship with their customers. Marty Neumeier says that a brand is not what a business decides it will be, but rather what their audience decides it is (Neumeier, 2006). Designers must understand this key relationship between client and their audience to successfully develop and/or manage the brand of the client. A successful brand is not without determining what needs the audience seeks, defining the fundamentals of the brand, and connecting the audience through those values and needs.

Connecting to the Audience

Determining Audience Needs

A successful brand understands the needs of its audience by strategic study of their demographics and lifestyle choices. Evaluating the target audience and what they need is the basis of forming a brand identity and relationship with that audience (Budelmann & Kim, 2009). In Ralph Lauren’s success lies the defining of what lifestyle a demographic wants to live and how its brand could serve that desire; it provided a signal of status, quality, and style (Full Sail One, n.d.-a). Similarly, Gillette combined various factors from audience study to open a virtual discussion about men’s grooming habits and needs, racking up a score on engagement and sales. To successfully launch their new product, Gillette shaped their messaging after identifying the desire for a safer shaving experience, the strong opinions their audience had about the subject, and the need for connection on such a personal topic (YouTube Advertisers, 2015). By developing a brand that values the identity of the audience, their lifestyle, and needs, customers can rest assured a brand stands for them and return looking for that established relationship.

Defining Brand Core

A brand at its core is built by values, which further drives the personality and experience audiences will interpret. Design choices will inherently communicate a set of values and conduct that a brand represents (Rees, 2020). If a brand behaves within the standards an audience perceives they have, they likely will remain loyal to it. Campbell’s decisions that led to the Pepperidge Farms decline specifically attacked that trust and perception its consumer demographic had, this only discovered in retrospective study (Full Sail One, n.d.-b, 7:00). General Motors was able to identify the values its customers shared with their company, like quality and pride in the product. By considering these values, GM built a strategy to enhance employee experience and outlook on its own company, improving both the passion and quality of the product, and supplying the employees with anecdotal trust in the company, a perfect selling invitation to consumers (Fisher & Vallasters, 2008). Both brands discovered how empowering the values of their respective audience empowered the relationship they shared with each other, brand to consumer. By considering the values for which a brand stands, designers can drive a brand’s identity to connect with their audiences meaningfully.

Connecting with Audience Meaningfully

Designers must synthesize their understanding of the audience needs and brand core to apply strategic branding choices in order to connect to audiences meaningfully and create an emotional experience and community. While people do require certain basic things in their lives, brands themselves provide the emotional experience that build an attachment, a service emotional decision-makers are willing to pay (Lalaounis, 2021). Beauty retailer Sephora developed a community and emotional connection to the experiences of its beauty products, hosting an active forum with more than a million members; competitors sought to mimic Sephora’s actions and success once they realized there was a strong, established sense of enjoyment and community in the experience (Jones & Vogl, 2020). Unfortunately for Campbell’s brand, the emotional connection customers had with Pepperidge Farms was discovered only after the high-end and personal experience was virtually destroyed (Full Sail One, n.d.-b). In its repair, the understanding of where a product or experience lies in the hearts of consumers was placed back at the forefront of the brand strategy (Full Sail One, n.d.-b, 7:45-9:21). The brand exists for the people who experience it, so fostering an emotional connection will designate the way the brand is managed.

Conclusion

Though there are many elements that can affect the success of a business, the brand that represents it in every way is a key source to directly interact with the audience. The brand will reflect the values for those who seek its product which should be part of its core. If a brand can connect to an audience this way, it will increase its ability to promote an emotionally-bound experience and attachment for audiences, developing a long-term fanbase. While audiences will be looking for products they need, the brand behavior can attract or repel people depending on the understanding of audience. Designers must understand the value of audience study, brand core, and meaningful audience connection to successfully manage a brand.

References

Adams, S. (2021, December 2). The origin of branding - brand design foundations video tutorial: Linkedin learning, formerly Lynda.com. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/learning/branding-for-designers/the-origin-of-branding?resume=false&u=50813145

Budelmann, K., & Kim, Y. (2009). Chapter 2. 34. Understand your customer. In Brand Identity Essentials, Revised and Expanded. essay, Rockport. Retrieved March 17, 2024, from https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/brand-identity-essentials/9781631597091/xhtml/ch02.xhtml#lev688.

Fisher, C., & Vallaster, C. (2008). Chapter 3: Brand Framework for Building Connective Brands. essay, Wiley. Retrieved 17AD, from https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/connective-branding-building/9780470512401/10_chapter-03.html#ch03-42.

Full Sail One. (n.d.-a). 2.5 Case Study: Pepperidge Farm & Ralph Lauren. Full Sail Online. https://online.fullsail.edu/class_sections/194526/modules/698628/activities/4035887

Full Sail One. (n.d.-b). Brad Nix interview: what is a brand?. Full Sail Online. https://online.fullsail.edu/class_sections/194526/modules/698628/activities/4035885

Jones, C. M., & Vogl, C. (2020). Chapter 1. Recognizing community, brand community, and belonging. In Building Brand Communities. essay, Berrett-Koehler. Retrieved March 17, 2024, from https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/building-brand-communities/9781523086634/xhtml/ch01.xhtml#ch01.

Lalaounis, S. T. (2021). Chapter 5 holistic brand experiences and emotional branding. In Strategic Brand Management and Development. essay, Routledge. Retrieved March 17, 2024, from https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/strategic-brand-management/9781000298185/ch16.xhtml#sec2-043.

Neumeier, M. (2006). Introduction: What a brand isn’t. In The Brand Gap: How to bridge the distance between business strategy and design. essay, New Riders. Retrieved March 17, 2024, from https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/the-brand-gap/0321348109/pr03.html#pref02lev1sec1.

Rees, S. (2020). 1. Introduction: public relations, branding and authenticity. In Public Relations, Branding and Authenticity. essay, Routledge. Retrieved March 17, 2024, from https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/public-relations-branding/9780429663406/xhtml/07_Chapter01.xhtml.

YouTube Advertisers. (2015, June 10). Gillette wins with a digital-first approach for Gillette Body | YouTube advertisers. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNuVtJEQaAg

Required Design Challenge

This week's design challenge was to replicate a vision book for a brand, providing imagery, typography, and identity in a short visual story. I learned a bit more about managing documents and resources in InDesign as well as professional packaging. I found it to be tedious and detail oriented, but the output was rewarding, a theme I continuously find in doing these kinds of projects. I really enjoyed learning about this project and publishing program.

Flipbook version

https://issuu.com/bpoliverio/docs/oliveriob_mdm530_wk2_reqdc

MDM530 Week 3

Brand Development: Understanding Strategy

The Role of Strategy

Brand development is rooted in strategy, and a major part of that is information gathering. Insights about the client, business, its goals, and target audience are both part of the brand and what drives its development (Adams, 2021). The Red Bull brand developed a successful strategy in aligning its target audience with its product and goals; associating its on-edge young male audience with exciting live events while also providing innovative and reliable products is demonstration of understanding the brand goals, audience preferences and values, and executing a strategy that unifies the brand (Kong, 2020). They followed through an exceptional strategy Brad Nix only wishes Kinecta could have understood and employed when acquiring Nix Check Cashing; their shallow understanding of how to accomplish their goals was a reflection of a shallow strategy. Brad Nix was able to provide that structure for them to take and run with, and it began with understanding both the brand goals and audience experience (Full Sail Online, 2024). If designers, and their clients, can establish a strong strategy that considers the audience needs, business goals, and values of both, and seeks to align them, they will rarely fall short on results.

Collaboration in the Branding Process

Like the credits after movies share who built a top-notch film, brands of any kind require the same level of deep collaboration and connections. Brand building involves all kinds of people, all the way from the executives writing the plan and strategy, down to the employees doing the elbow-greased work (Neumeier, 2006). However, sometimes cross-collaboration will spawn interesting and new solutions. In developing the rebrand for King Arthur as a baking company and more than just flour, Little & Company identified that involving his client in the “sausage-making” led to critical conversations that broke the client free from holding onto the past and exposing new directions for the brand (Perkins & Schacherer, 2024, 41:23). Prototypes offer the collaborative space to explore the brand’s potential, employing the ideas of creators and function of consumers; early concepts and product prototypes in the King Arthur rebrand came back in the end when the rollout strategy had to be readjusted for the 2020 shutdown (Neumeier, 2006; Perkins & Schacherer, 2024, 33:20). While the cross-pollination of teams may not always be necessary or wanted, the machine only works when all parts are working; collaboration is critical to a brand’s rollout success.

Adjusting Strategy for Audiences

While following a strategy is crucial to getting towards a goal, designers and clients must consider the room for deviation in regards to audience response. Brand strategy and management is a continuous process because audiences are human, they are emotional beings that can change their mind; their perception and feelings must be taken into consideration for directing the brand strategy (Adobe Express, 2023). Brad Nix defends the fact that audiences drive the strategy of brands in Kinecta’s acquisition of Nix Check Cashing; reinventing this brand ignored taking a step to ensure the audience feelings aligned with the system Kinecta developed (Full Sail Online, 2024). Design Researcher Mathilde Leblond discovered with a food delivery company that the current data tracking was taking the business the wrong way; upon reevaluating all of the broader habits of the audience, they were able to discover four new avenues of approach to connect the brand with the audience (Lalaounis, 2021). It’s easy for designers to get wrapped in their own perception of what will work best for a brand, but the consumer decides its success, and they should be studied in order to play the ghost driving the carriage of a brand’s development strategy.

References

Adams, S. (2021, December 2). What to Know - Brand Design Foundations Video tutorial: Linkedin learning, formerly Lynda.com. LinkedIn. March 24, 2024, from https://www.linkedin.com/learning/branding-for-designers/what-to-know?resume=false&u=50813145

Adobe Express. (2024, January 16). The ultimate guide to brand strategy. March 24, 2024, from https://www.adobe.com/express/learn/blog/brand-strategy

Full Sail Online (2024). 3.3 Research: Directing creativity. In Brand Development. Full Sail University. Retrieved March 20, 2024, from https://online.fullsail.edu/class_sections/194526/modules/698629/activities/4035893

Kong, S. (2020, February 19). How red bull dominates the US energy drink market. Medium. Retrieved March 24, 2024, from https://bettermarketing.pub/how-red-bull-dominates-the-us-energy-drink-market-eb9543f1f659

Lalaounis, S. T. (2021). Chapter 8 brand performance and metrics. In Strategic Brand Management and Development: Creating and Marketing Successful Brands. Routledge. Retrieved March 24, 2024, from https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/strategic-brand-management/9781000298185/ch19.xhtml#sec1-071

Neumeier, M. (2006). 2. Collaborate. In The brand gap. New Riders. Retrieved March 24, 2024, https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/the-brand-gap/0321348109/ch02.html#ch02lev1sec4

Perkins, R., & Schacherer, M. (2024). Rebranding king arthur. AIGA. March 24, 2024, from https://www.aiga.org/inspiration/talks/ruth-perkins-mike-schacherer-rebranding-king-arthur

Required Design Challenge

The challenge this week was to explore Adobe Premiere Pro, and professionally piece some clips together with stylistic transitions. It was also encouraged to add audio to help complete the overall look and feel I as a media designer would want to communicate about this brand to its client. While I am familiar with Premiere Pro, I did learn a few new things about the program and managing clips. Also attempting to find the right audio was a harder part for me because being a former pro musician makes me a bit picky - it's been something I closely observe throughout my life. I think this serves as an opportunity to show that media designers, and their clients, really should take ever detail into consideration, because those details will stick out to people differently, or more than others.

MDM530 Week 4

Week 1 Optional Challenge

Week 1 Required Challenge Revision

MDM555 Week 1

Effective Copywriting: Communicating Features & Benefits

Benefits Versus Features

Brands must incorporate the audience’s needs and desires with their selling point to hook their attention. Though features for a brand can be any characteristic of a product, benefits convince why an audience would find that personally important and desired. Good copywriting communicates how certain attributes of the brand or product are valuable to its audience, the key-takeaway (Smith & Miller, 2013). For Volkswagen, the features that made its “Beetle” strangely different from typical cars on the American market were advertised to be effective benefits. Aimed at a specific audience that would care about such features, its accessibility, fuel-efficiency, and weather-durability were everything its customers could want and need with the sacrifice of the large finned style (Rogalle, 2022). Nordic brand IKEA branded itself to making quality furniture that is accessible for all, expanding across the world. By building its reputation for affordable DIY furniture, this feature became a benefit for those with limited budget, space, and delivery capabilities (O’Neill, 2023). By speaking to specific lifestyles, copywriting has the power to connect the audience to the brand like IKEA and Volkswagen.

Personas

Successful copy narrates brand goals when it can understand what kind of person it is speaking to. Creating a persona allows brands to comprehend audience perspective as well as their needs, thus affecting how to write an engaging brand story (McDougal, 2021, pp. 122-3). When Volkswagen faced the challenge to continue growing against the typical American car, it considered who exactly would buy their car; those seeking affordability and practicality through innovation were the low-income families, the same it was in Germany (Rogalle, 2022). Innovation itself can prevent large support, a fact both Volkswagen and Tesla had to battle through strategic study and brand voicing. However, Tesla’s approach to the market differs from Volkswagen: its earlier audience would be innovators and early-technology-adopters themselves, rooted in the understanding that today’s investment would mean an improved, greener vehicle tomorrow. While Volkswagen did not necessarily promise to be anything prettier than its competition on its exterior, Tesla faces the battles of providing luxury, class, high vehicle performance, and the promise of an innovative future all at the same time (Lobo, 2020). Though the two brands had their similarities, their differing audiences drove how to voice the advertisement of their brand and appeal to their needs.

Writing Ad Copy That Sells

Selling an advertisement is based in strong storytelling using features of imagery, language, emotion, and imagination. Though understanding the features, benefits, and audience personality are key for audience-brand connections, how content is delivered is nearly 5 times as important to make an impression (Post, 2012). In Volkswagen’s print ad headlined “Think Small,” they demonstrate capturing attention with a headline and photo pair, followed by a body of short storytelling, or an explanation of their point, ending with a call to action (Johnson, 2017). In a short, blunt style, the header successfully captures an audiences attention and curiosity, a common theme for headlines according to Eleazar Hernandez (2017). By following the narrative perceived of the “Beetle,” Volkswagen smoothly transitioned that thought in the body, accepted it, and converted it into benefits. Volkswagen owned its unique selling proposition here to engage the audience (Hernandez, 2017), selling that its differences were benefits and redefining small to be a good characteristic (Johnson, 2017). Every ad should end encouraging mental or physical action; Volkswagen here ends with a call for the audience to reconsider its preconceived notions about the car. This example is strict to the book of marketing strategy, combining a shocking headline and image, telling a factually based and convincing story, and ending with the conversation in the audience’s hands (Hernandez, 2017; Johnson, 2017). By following this historic example by Volkswagen, brands can effectively engage their respective audiences.

References

Hernandez, E. (2017). Chapter 9. The art of copywriting. In Leading Creative Teams: Management Career Paths for Designers, Developers, and Copywriters. Finding Talent. Retrieved April 12, 2024, from https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/leading-creative-teams/9781484220566/A417288_1_En_9_Chapter.html.

Johnson, J. (2017, October 18). The greatest print campaigns of all time: Volkswagen think small. Design Shack. https://designshack.net/articles/graphics/the-greatest-print-campaigns-of-all-time-volkswagen-think-small/

Lobo, A. (2020, March 25). A case study on Tesla: The world’s most exciting automobile company. Medium. https://medium.com/@ashleylobo98/a-case-study-on-tesla-the-worlds-most-exciting-automobile-company-535fe9dafd30

McDougal, E. R., Syrdal, H. A., Gravois, R., & Kemp, A. F. (2021). The Power of Story: Using Storytelling to Increase Students’ Confidence and Competence in Applying Marketing Concepts. Marketing Education Review, 31(2), 119–124. https://doi-org.oclc.fullsail.edu/10.1080/10528008.2020.1853573

O’Neill, M. (2023, November 1). Ikea marketing strategy: 7 tactics and takeaways (infographic). Brafton. https://www.brafton.com/blog/strategy/ikea-marketing-strategy/

Post, K. (2012). Chapter 4. Game changer 1: Take responsibility. In Brand Turnaround: How Brands Gone Bad Returned to Glory and the 7 Game Changers that Made the Difference. essay, McGraw-Hill Branding. Retrieved April 12, 2024, from https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/brand-turnaround-how/9780071775281/ch04lev1sec6.html#ch04lev1sec6.

Rogalle, E. (2022). 1.5 Case Study: Volkswagen. Full Sail Online. https://online.fullsail.edu/class_sections/163183/modules/658031/activities/309139

Smith, R., & Miller, K. (2013). Chapter 30. copywriting. In Shoot to Sell: Make Money Producing Special Interest Videos. Routledge. Retrieved April 12, 2024, from https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/shoot-to-sell/9780240823768/xhtml/ch0031.xhtml#sec0236.

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Hernandez, E. (2017). Chapter 9. The art of copywriting. In Leading Creative Teams: Management Career Paths for Designers, Developers, and Copywriters. Finding Talent. Retrieved April 12, 2024, from https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/leading-creative-teams/9781484220566/A417288_1_En_9_Chapter.html.

This source speaks about the frameworks of copywriting and the need or purpose of each piece, like the headline or body content. It touches on different mediums, strategies to capture attention, and the most effective type of language. This source comes from a trusted database, and it speaks in a place of experience as recommendations for the reader that is assumed to be in this kind of work. This content reinforced my understanding of how to write copy, though it did not particularly speak on the use of imagery in conjunction with the language for this specific chapter. It is primarily focused on tone of voice, so understanding the tone of voice that is approachable for your audience is a key factor they want you to consider. I used this source to support the strategy of Volkswagens example ad.

Johnson, J. (2017, October 18). The greatest print campaigns of all time: Volkswagen think small. Design Shack. https://designshack.net/articles/graphics/the-greatest-print-campaigns-of-all-time-volkswagen-think-small/

Using 3 examples in total, this argues how VW supplied the greatest print ad. The author put in perspective how big of a battle the company was fighting at the time of advertising, and it considered the difference of who would buy the car versus who would criticize it most. The need for affordability among other benefits directed them to speak to that audience while acknowledging what it wasn’t, and how that in itself suddenly was a benefit. The website seems like a reliable source for finding advertisement examples with moderately professional reviews by peers of the media fields. It connected the thematic voice across VW’s ads, but was primarily a source for me to reference the visual aid of the advertisement.

Lobo, A. (2020, March 25). A case study on Tesla: The world’s most exciting automobile company. Medium. https://medium.com/@ashleylobo98/a-case-study-on-tesla-the-worlds-most-exciting-automobile-company-535fe9dafd30

This article discusses Tesla’s history, the industry it is in, the start-up process, and competition. The goals and strategy of the brand was discussed, as well as the opportunities and risks. It is published on a designer’s article site that is contributed by professional peers of every level. This particular article is backed by a variety of referenced sources. This article was a great source on some history of the Tesla brand, who was supporting them in the beginning stages as well as who the audience is. The sense of direction of the company is truly based in a good understanding of the hurdles it will face, and the article gave me a good sense of who they are marketing to and how.

McDougal, E. R., Syrdal, H. A., Gravois, R., & Kemp, A. F. (2021). The Power of Story: Using Storytelling to Increase Students’ Confidence and Competence in Applying Marketing Concepts. Marketing Education Review, 31(2), 119–124. Retrieved from EBSCO host, https://doi-org.oclc.fullsail.edu/10.1080/10528008.2020.1853573

This source discussed a case of a learning activity on students learning how to successfully tell a story in marketing. It contains direct student feedback that generally aligns with the understanding of how audience study drives the messaging of copywriting. This was referenced from an online database, and written by multiple authors. I used this source to drive the argument of creating an audience persona that allows media designers to copywrite effectively.

O’Neill, M. (2023, November 1). Ikea marketing strategy: 7 tactics and takeaways (infographic). Brafton. https://www.brafton.com/blog/strategy/ikea-marketing-strategy/

This article discusses various marketing tactics employed by IKEA, including emphasis of furniture options, reusability, affordability, and space fitting. The author summarizes each with key takeaways, ending with a summary of their marketing strategy in 4 P’s: price, product, place, and promotion. This comes from a business marketing support website, containing blogs, articles, and solutions for professionals in this career. This article served for me as a comparison tool with VW, where I thought I could find similarities and differences between two business of different product markets.

Post, K. (2012). Chapter 4. Game Changer 1: Take responsibility. In Brand Turnaround: How Brands Gone Bad Returned to Glory and the 7 Game Changers that Made the Difference. essay, McGraw-Hill Branding. Retrieved April 12, 2024, from https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/brand-turnaround-how/9780071775281/ch04lev1sec6.html#ch04lev1sec6.

This book chapter summarized is choosing your words carefully. What you say and how you say it, who says it and where all have critical effects for the brands in which they represent; this chapter provides examples of good and bad voicing and delivery. This book was provided on a scholastic database. I used this as a driving point for how to sell an ad copy, mainly as argument that voicing is a strong factor for audience impression. I was surprised at how little the source determined content affected impressions compared to physical presence and tone.

Smith, R., & Miller, K. (2013). Chapter 30. copywriting. In Shoot to Sell: Make Money Producing Special Interest Videos. essay, Routledge. Retrieved April 12, 2024, from https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/shoot-to-sell/9780240823768/xhtml/ch0031.xhtml#sec0236.

This book discussed the structure of copywriting, correct voicing, and strategy on how to engage the audience. It briefly discusses the importance of selling the benefits that audiences would have in follow-through after reading this advertisement. It emphasizes personalization and showcasing. This source was provided from a trusted online database, and the whole book is targeted towards business involved designers like myself. I used this source to back the need to emphasize benefits by showcasing the right features to a studied audience.

Required Design Challenge

MDM555 Week 2

Effective Copywriting: Maintaining Brand Voice and Tone

Brand Voice

Every brand has qualities throughout its lifetime that give it character, narrated by the advertising and actions of its organization. While a brand’s identity and personality inherently become defined by the audiences that observe it due to various social establishing, the traits and values the brand hopes to emulate creates its voice (Vincent, 2012). Becoming a prime example of this objective, Volkswagen began to make choices following World War II to redefine its reputation and association. While using choice writing and design elements in their brand revamp advertising, VW’s corrective measures leaned public perception to consider them as an honest and trustworthy brand (Rogalle, 2022). Similarly, Ford automobiles has embodied honesty and innovation like Volkswagen from its start. The difference for Ford, and arguably favorable, is how they associate with the typical American hard-worker and northern continent itself, assuming the values of its audience because it says it is among them (Ford, 2023). Though both communicate similar values, their respective associations, characteristics, and intentions determine the voice of who they are, much as if they were a real, individual person.

Writing for Radio

Personification of a brand’s voice over radio means can be both an effective resource and a challenge. Audio advertising appears only in a short moment and there is no visual aid to convey a story like a print ad with its imagery (Luscombe, 2009, p 8). Because of its natural brevity, it forces brands to become a person, turn its presence into a conversation, and stimulate imaginative scenarios (Luscombe, 2009, pp 9-12). Volkswagen walked the punchline in its “Stalker, Funeral, PC” advertising line, creating various imagined, but very real, scenarios that all somehow could be answered by their brand. Without much music, VW could successfully complete the listener’s imagination with subtle sound effects, ending with an honest and reassuring voice to effectively personify the characteristics of their brand (Barkhuizen, 2017). As a competitor in a different market, Coca-Cola takes a different direction to make the moment feel longer than it is, jingling its message into a short song; joyfully rhyming the associations of a soda-pop filled moment, Coca-Cola successfully reflects the voice of its brand while completing its advertising goal(s) (Feaster, 2021). Though Volkswagen could have made a jingle and Coca-Cola could have made a scenario-based voiceover, those choices may not have reflected its brand voice as powerfully. With strategic creative choices, brands can advertise effectively without stepping outside of their brand personality.

Brand Tone

Choosing the correct tone and approach of an ad can be the difference between engaging an audience or existing as more radio noise. Particularly for radio writing, brands must approach the feelings and intuitions of their audiences while maintaining the personality of their brand (Sullivan 2012). How a brand delivers content, or tone, can change depending on medium, events, and specific audience, but it should engage the way people do in each of those in order to connect with them and relate back to its persona (Horberry, 2009, p 35). Volkswagen wanted its audience to feel awkward discomfort and a comical relief which aligns with their witty but reliable and trustworthy brand, so they created multiple radio scenarios embodying those feelings, enhanced by the inflection of the actors’ voices (Barkhuizen, 2017). Brands can explore what kinds of tones will engage their audience, but the illusion of its persona must remain consistent and the driving force of the advertisement of itself.

References

Barkhuizen, R. (2017, August). Volkswagen: Stalker, funeral, PC. Ads of the WorldTM. https://www.adsoftheworld.com/campaigns/stalker

Feaster, E. (2021, May 8). Coca-Cola classic radio commercial & jingle - “Pause for a Coke” ad campaign & jingle - 1954. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MSSmt-CAvU

Ford. (2023). Ford global tone of voice guidelines. Tone of Voice. https://wwwqa.brand.ford.com/guidelines/guidelines-tov

Horberry, R. (2009). Chapter 3. Brands and tone of voice. In Brilliant Copywriting: How to craft the most interesting and effective copy imaginable. essay, Pearson Business. Retrieved April 21, 2024, from https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/brilliant-copywriting/9780273727347/chapter-17.html.

Luscombe, A. (2009). Radio journalists and how they describe their written copy. Journal of Media Practice, 10(1), 5–15. https://doi-org.oclc.fullsail.edu/10.1386/jmpr.10.1.5_1

Rogalle, E. (2022). 2.5 Case Study: Brand Voice. Full Sail Online. https://online.fullsail.edu/class_sections/163183/modules/658032/activities/3809147

Sullivan, L. (2012). Chapter 9: radio is hell. but it’s a dry heat: some advice on working in a tough medium. In Hey Whipple Squeeze This! By Luke Sullivan: The Classic Guide to Creating Great Ads, Fourth Edition (4th ed.). Wiley. Retrieved April 21, 2024, from https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/hey-whipple-squeeze/9781118101339/xhtml/Chapter09.html#sec47.

Vincent, L. (2012). Chapter 7. Expressing the promise: Brand narrative, brand voice, and communications strategy. In Brand Real: How Smart Companies Live Their Brand Promise and Inspire Fierce Customer Loyalty. AMACOM. Retrieved April 21, 2024, from https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/brand-real-how/9780814416761/xhtml/ch07.html.

Annotated Bibliography

Feaster, E. (2021, May 8). Coca-Cola Classic Radio Commercial & Jingle - “Pause for a Coke” ad campaign & jingle - 1954. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MSSmt-CAvU

This is a reposted radio ad from the 1950s for Coca-Cola. The jingle conveys the voice of the brand, what they are selling, and why the listeners should buy it. The source may be questionable, but the audio for this sounds authentic from the time frame music style. I used this as a comparison tool with Volkswagen in how to effectively present a brand through strategic means in radio. This example elevates competition by creating a jingle that makes it more memorable in addition to enhancing the understanding of the brand personality.

Ford. (2023). Ford Global Tone of Voice Guidelines. Tone of Voice. https://wwwqa.brand.ford.com/guidelines/guidelines-tov

Pulled from the site included (it has to be downloaded), this resource is straight from the Ford brand. While it seems to blend the lines between the difference of a brand voice and tone, this specific brand guide mainly alludes to its basis values and traits in which it expects to refer back to in every medium where it represents itself. It does a good job of specifying how it wants people to perceive it and defining the persona it considers itself. This is a trusted source because it comes from the official Ford brand website. I used this as a comparison tool with fellow competitor Volkswagen to show the have similar values but different underlying attributes that affect their perceived voice. Though both are car companies, this source made it clearer to me that it really speaks to fellow honorable workers.

Horberry, R. (2009). Chapter 3. Brands and tone of voice. In Brilliant Copywriting: How to craft the most interesting and effective copy imaginable. Pearson Business. Retrieved April 21, 2024, from https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/brilliant-copywriting/9780273727347/chapter-17.html.

This resource talks about using tone of voice and how choice words and who its said to are just as important as how you are communicating it. It further provides some insight on clarity and simplicity in communicating, which are relevant and fundamental to the radio medium. This was sectioned from a book in a reliable database resource. I wanted to find a resource that could emphasize the importance of how things are said and connect them to other elements like audience, which this provided.

Luscombe, A. (2009). Radio journalists and how they describe their written copy. Journal of Media Practice, 10(1), 5–15. https://doi-org.oclc.fullsail.edu/10.1386/jmpr.10.1.5_1

This journal discusses the process of ad writing according to radio news writers. It primarily touches on approach of methodology of radio hosts, providing perspective that every ad is given thought to be remembered and communicated “normally.” This is from a peer reviewed journal and provided by a reliable database. I found this piece resourceful in discussing the approach of ad writing. The author puts into perspective the ‘why’ behind their differing approaches. Regardless of the differences, this helped me convey the need to creatively engage audiences in the radio medium.

Sullivan, L. (2012). Chapter 9: radio is hell. but it’s a dry heat: some advice on working in a tough medium. In Hey Whipple Squeeze This! By Luke Sullivan: The Classic Guide to Creating Great Ads, Fourth Edition (4th ed.). Wiley. Retrieved April 21, 2024, from https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/hey-whipple-squeeze/9781118101339/xhtml/Chapter09.html#sec47.

This chapter is specific to radio advertising, talking about the writing to the casting and production. Written in a very casual style, it communicates experience by the author well while subtly commenting on copy writing methods. It also provides various examples of good writing and why. This is resource comes from a trusted database and the author is an experienced artist. I used this source to reinforce the strategy of radio writing and representing the brand while also finding a way to connect with the audience. Using specific tones and perspectives to talk to the audience appears to be more effective than others, and the author explains through example and analysis.

Vincent, L. (2012). Chapter 7. Expressing the promise: Brand narrative, brand voice, and communications strategy. In Brand Real: How Smart Companies Live Their Brand Promise and Inspire Fierce Customer Loyalty. AMACOM. Retrieved April 21, 2024, from https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/brand-real-how/9780814416761/xhtml/ch07.html.

This book chapter explains the importance of voicing in a brand for the sense of narrative and personality perception. It dives into how several characteristics can be the basis of a brand and drives how it talks and to whom. This source was retrieved from a reliable database, and it is authored by an experienced professional marketer and researcher. I used this resource to reinforce the idea that the brand voice is rooted in the values of the brand compared to specifically how the brand may change its tone of voice depending when and where it is speaking.

Required Design Challenge

This week's challenge was to emulate a professional brand's radio ad. Made specifically for the Spotify podcast platform, the goal was to include the mission directed by the brand creative brief while emulating the brand voice. The choice of tone was decided on an individual basis giving the advertising strategy a creative direction. I chose to go neutral in character and spoke plainly to social media users that are also dog lovers, connecting the visual aid to the content spoken. The start of writing was a challenge for me because I wanted to include as much as I could about the brand and what they do without it being too informational and bland. My approach in recording was to be relative to a peer that would seek the benefit of having a dog but including options that did not make it seem so commanding in nature. Considering the organization is a non-profit, I felt the voice of the brand would do better without having a pleading or commanding nature but instead use a voice of someone that understands their lifestyle.

MDM555 Week 3

Effective Copywriting: Communicating a Brand’s Essence

Brand Trust

Brands exist to make connections to an audience based on its values and goals. People connect and remain loyal to these brands when they have those ideals aligned to the point where the brand makes them feel comfortable (Kingsley, 2023, Ch 8). However, occasions arise when brands do not follow-through on those defining features about them, which is a danger to them economically and causes their audience to live in a confused state for a varying period of time. Volkswagen discovered those consequences of deceiving their customers and fought to repair that reputation (Rogalle, 2022). Similarly, airline manufacturer Boeing continues to damage their public reputation, partnerships, and own economy with connections to airline crashes/damages, admitting to knowledge of its faulty engineering (Sucher, 2023). Both brands demonstrate admission to their mistakes, a starting point for a promise of better future. In order to build and/or repair brand-audience relations, transparency and communication must exist as a base value for brands (Parker, 2006). Loyalty to a brand is not without trust, and brand follow-through on promises can save itself from unnecessary hardship.

Taglines

Successful brands can linger in the minds of its audience long after they share an interaction. Organizations utilize small sayings called “taglines” that condense but effectively communicate the essence of a brand (Blaess, 2023). Furthermore, they can increase brand recognition and create an emotional connection and response (Horberry & Lingwood, 2014). There are many different approaches in a tagline, some being humorous, inspiring, or direct. While USPS and Citibank are professional organizations that follow-through on their commitment, they take different paths in sharing their purpose and brand identity in a tagline: USPS says “we deliver,” a double-meaning conveying what they do literally and figuratively, and Citibank dares to redefine a common phrase with its committing values through “the Citi never sleeps” (Blaess, 2023). Citibank and USPS demonstrate communicating the essence of a brand in a few words and show how a tagline can easily follow or fit in a person’s environment (Horberry & Lingwood, 2014). While the laundry list of values and associations of a brand can easily be forgotten, they can be felt and remembered through a few, strategic choice of words that remain associated with it for its lifetime.

Public Service Announcements

Because of the environment and style of television and radio, public service announcements are creative and effective ways to emotionally communicate a brand, its mission, and generate an audience response. The time frames typically are short to fill empty broadcasting space not bought out, a perfect space for non-profit organizations can fill to inform any and all viewers (Friedmann, 2010). Effective PSAs are generally based in conveying situations the organization solves with the help of its audience (Purdue Global, 2020). Some of the most wide-spread organizations, like Salvation Army and Habitat for Humanity, demonstrate mastery of this craft, hence their popularity. Because their mission is pretty obvious, Habitat for Humanity communicates their mission plainly, who its associated with, and tells its anxious viewers to call today, followed by the brand’s value-encapsulating tagline (Olelo Community Media, 2020). On the contrary, Salvation Army does not need audible words to communicate emotions; enabling the power of ambient noise that is practical silence, its visual trick induces an audience reaction that only leaves them to read its simple mission and call to donate (Alter Ego Inc, 2017). While both have a mission attempting to solve poverty crises, Salvation Army creates a shock connected to their mission that communicates everything about them and their need for audience involvement in less time than Habitat for Humanity can in its audible script, a strategy used to effectively compete with big-budget advertisers (Friedmann, 2010). Though there is no right or wrong way to create a PSA, using creative strategies can compel audiences to follow-through on a non-profit advertisement instead of their competitors.

References

Alter Ego Inc. (2017). Salvation army - PSA “stairs.” Vimeo. https://vimeo.com/199195367

Blaess, N. (2023, June 13). What is a tagline and how to write one that sticks (+50 examples). Medium. https://medium.com/@NineBlaess/what-is-a-tagline-and-how-to-write-one-that-sticks-50-examples-7b13790ba54f

Friedmann, A. (2010). Chapter 5. ads and PSAs: copywriting for visual media. In Writing for visual media. Focal Press. April 28, 2024, https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/writing-for-visual/9780240812359/11_Chapter5.html

Horberry, R., & Lingwood, G. (2014). Lesson three: making the magic happen. In Read Me. Laurence King. April 28, 2024, https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/read-me/9781780676807/09_chapter-title-3.html

Kingsley, M. (2023). Universal principles of branding: 100 key concepts for defining, building, and delivering brands. Rockport. April 28, 2024, https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/universal-principles-of/9780760378212/

Olelo Community Media. (2020, August 28). Habitat for humanity PSA. Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/Habitat_for_Humanity_PSA

Parker, R. C. (2006). Crafting messages that clients and prospects will want to read. In Design to Sell. Microsoft Press. Retrieved April 28, 2024, from https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/design-to-sell/0735622604/0735622604_ch04lev1sec1.html.

Purdue Global. (2020, November 4). Creating a public service announcement (PSA). Purdue University Global Academic Success Center. https://purdueglobalwriting.center/creating-a-public-service-announcement/

Rogalle, E. (2022). 3.5 Case study: brand trust. Full Sail Online. https://online.fullsail.edu/class_sections/194579/modules/702534/activities/4058054

Sucher, S. J., & Gupta, S. (2023). The trust crisis. Harvard Business Review, 92–101. Retrieved April 28, 2024, from https://search-ebscohost-com.oclc.fullsail.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=173874659&site=ehost-live

Annotated Bibliography

Alter Ego Inc. (2017). Salvation army - PSA “stairs.” Vimeo. https://vimeo.com/199195367

This PSA video by Salvation Army shows a man sitting on the stairs of a likely subway system. The video appears to buffer, only to fool the audience and ask why they are bothered by a buffer compared to a homeless/hungry man. The moral dilemma is quickly followed by the mission, organization logo, tagline, and call to action assisted by the distraught man and loud silence. The resource is from Vimeo but the video is properly cited with the contributors/creators of the advertisement. I used this as an example for comparing because I thought it was a powerful demonstration of a successful PSA. It contained both simple and advanced elements that combined made it effective for me as a viewer.

Blaess, N. (2023, June 13). What is a tagline and how to write one that sticks (+50 examples). Medium. https://medium.com/@NineBlaess/what-is-a-tagline-and-how-to-write-one-that-sticks-50-examples-7b13790ba54f

This article discusses the use of taglines, their purpose and structure, and different strategies to make them stick with provided examples. After a full discussion on strategy and its use, it finishes with how to create one and summarizes the big takeaways. This article was published on a website for media professional peers of every level. Its author is a professional in branding in New Zealand sharing her professional perspective on successful taglines. The source provides for me a reinforcement on my understanding of what taglines should be, showing why they work in its various forms. I used this resource as both a backing to tagline writing as well as a source for examples to compare.

Friedmann, A. (2010). Chapter 5. Ads and PSAs: copywriting for visual media. In Writing for visual media. Focal Press. April 28, 2024, https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/writing-for-visual/9780240812359/11_Chapter5.html

This book chapter discusses the strategies of creating effective ads and PSAs. It distinguishes the writing of copy and scriptwriting, and discusses using visual metaphors, how to capture attention, and connection between visuals and messaging. This comes from a book provided by a reputable digital database resource. The author discusses what kinds of devices and formats are often used which I found useful in providing to connect my two PSA examples.

Horberry, R., & Lingwood, G. (2014). Lesson three: making the magic happen. In Read Me. Laurence King. April 28, 2024, https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/read-me/9781780676807/09_chapter-title-3.html

This chapter discusses the whole idea of ensuring the ideas revolving a brand are able to stick in the minds of viewers. Provided with plenty of successful examples, it demonstrates different ways of writing copy with memorable lines, whether a long-term slogan or a one-time headline. This resource is provided by a trusted online database. The idea of creating "sticky lines" is spoken more general of a term than specifying/differentiating it between mediums. The concept is something the author applies to every kind of copy there is to write, including writing a tagline.

Kingsley, M. (2023). Universal principles of branding: 100 key concepts for defining, building, and delivering brands. Rockport. April 28, 2024, https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/universal-principles-of/9780760378212/

This book provides brief description and argument of relevant concepts in branding, many of which are relevant to maintaining brand trust. Some chapters reflect on the purpose of the brand and its connection to the customer, but overall, it covers all the essence of what makes a brand successful. It does not seem to discuss much about when brands fail because it is focused rather on what concepts can lead to its success. I retrieved this from the reputable O'Reilly Learning resource. This book actually gave me an interesting sense of how because a brand is an idea in the mind of a customer, it exists to redusce their anxiety. With this in mind, it creates perspective on how companies that conduct actions that oppose this concept create chaos for their customers and distrust.

Olelo Community Media. (2020, August 28). Habitat for humanity PSA. Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/Habitat_for_Humanity_PSA

This PSA by Habitat for Humanity has one of its leaders narrating the mission of the organization in an uplifting way, aided by visual examples of what they do. He plainly says people interested in partaking can follow the resources visually provided, ending on him reciting a tagline that reflects their mission. This was provided by an internet database that cites its creator, and appears legitimate. I used this as a plain example of a common style of a PSA by a non-profit for comparison against a different approach.

Parker, R. C. (2006). Crafting messages that clients and prospects will want to read. In Design to Sell. Microsoft Press. Retrieved April 28, 2024, from https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/design-to-sell/0735622604/0735622604_ch04lev1sec1.html.

This book chapter reflects on strategies to creating effective content for media designers. It has a section focused on effective marketing, focusing on audience targeting and trust building. This source is pulled from the O'Reilly library resource, which contains a wide variety of trusted sources. This source helped me gain perspective on the ways brands build trust and why that is a useful tool. It also is a basis of making a connection between building and repairing brand trust.

Purdue Global. (2020, November 4). Creating a public service announcement (PSA). Purdue University Global Academic Success Center. https://purdueglobalwriting.center/creating-a-public-service-announcement/

This website displays the basics behind the structure of creating a public service announcement, including the reason for the PSA, target audience, use of taglines, script, and visual aid. It is a general summary of typical PSA styles and provides examples to create general guidelines for those new to PSA writing. This article is published by a reputable academic writing resource as a basic guide. I used this resource as a general backup to formatting style and strategy in PSA writing.

Sucher, S. J., & Gupta, S. (2023). The trust crisis. Harvard Business Review, 92–101. Retrieved April 28, 2024, from https://search-ebscohost-com.oclc.fullsail.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=173874659&site=ehost-live

This article discussed more recent ongoing brand trust issues and the effects breaking trust has on its market vs building it in regards to examples of Facebook, Boeing, Uber, and more. It also offers advice on how to approach building/rebuilding trust with the example of success story Recruit Holdings, an example that seems mostly rooted in having a salvageable situation and community. This resource is from the Harvard Business Review which is a trusted academic, non-profit magazine, pulled from a reputable database. This resource helped me find the struggle for large corporations to manage trust not only in their audience but internally with stakeholders and employees. It provides sufficient comparisons and the article is an example of how to reestablish trust through education, promise, and transparency.

Required Design Challenge

This challenge was to create a 30-second video PSA for the same organization, Lucky Dog Rescue Orlando. With the combination of visuals, music, and script-writing, the goal was to create a compelling narrative that spoke to hopeful donors and supporters. I aimed to provide the amiable qualities of dogs that dog-owners could agree with, creating a rhyming pattern. Then I turned this into a directed message towards the audience as both a "thank you" but "we/they need your help." I modified the music to get to a chord change earlier that would land on this same message turnaround. Additionally, this video was a chance to communicate the brand message through a tagline; I ended with "They're Waiting for You" to pull the audience and rescue dogs together, close to guilt, but spoken more uplifting to create a closer emotional connection as if viewers already owned or rescued the dogs in need. It also communicates the message without strictly saying the organization needs your help and money, but rather is the connection between the viewer and rescue dogs.

MDM555 Week 4

Course Reflection

Week 1 Required Design Challenge - Revisions

I made slight modifications to this original so it felt less cramped. Additionally, I modified some of the wording so it flowed better, reducing the feeling of lengthiness of some sentences. I didn't want to much information said all at once.

Week 1 Optional Design Challenge 1

For the additional two print ads to go with my first one, I chose different approaches to address the benefits of associating with this organization. For the first option, I challenged myself by focusing on the benefits of the dog that is rescued but personified its character so it could be more convincing for the reader. The second option was an attempt to take a similar angle as my original, involving the emotional connection or bond the reader and the rescue would share. I also chose to use the photo to the side rather than centered to give it more movement, but also inflict a sense of distance to reflect on the idea of the time the organization may spend on the dog before it reaches the adoption stage.

Week 1 Optional Design Challenge 2

In this second challenge I took on this week, I selected a new photo that visually would take the reader a bit beyond just the local area idea. In this case, I wanted to focus on how adopting gives a dog a better and adventurous life, as well as being a sidekick and benefit for the reader and assumed adventurer. Besides this, I hoped this image would also inspire the reader not only to adopt but to adventure, assuming this beautiful photo is a moment anyone would want to experience in real life. I also added the tagline at the end that I used in my audio ads.

Week 2 Required Design Challenge - Revisions

For this Spotify ad, I actually went back and re-recorded myself to change a bit of the inflection in my voice, as well as some of the wording. Though I think I could have done other audio modifications here, I also made sure my voice was clearly sitting above the background music. I also added the tagline I developed in week 3 so all of my pieces felt tied together.

MDM565 Week 3

Design Research: Combining the Elements

Combining Text and Image

Design pieces strategically combine different elements to communicate an idea to an audience; where type or image seems to miss the mark when on its own, the combination of both can clearly convey the intended message. Text contains literal information that can be read and quickly understood, while imagery can be a bit more interpretive (Samara, 2020, Ch 6). Combining this literal information with imagery helps direct the audience’s understanding of their correlation. Samara believes that a further merge of the two enhances the overall meaning, such as modifying the angle of text to match, complement, or contrast the imagery (2020, Ch 6). Whatever choices the designer makes, there must be a coherent concept in mind that both the image and text are communicating, which will assist in how those two elements are manipulated (Samara, 2020, Ch 6). By focusing on a message, designers can manipulate the relationship between these two elements to express that idea.

Understanding how image and text can be manipulated will alter the way a designer’s message is conveyed. In addition, the combination of text and image means one can help define the other. Nancy Skolos argues that text can match or contradict the image, and vice versa (Skolos & Wedell, 2011, pg 13). Since the text also carries literally meaning, it also must have a certain level of visibility for the two to properly work together, but this does not mean the two can be stylized for enhanced message (Skolos & Wedell, 2011, pg 63). Skolos demonstrates that image and text can communicate together as standalone units, but some messages require their fusion, displacement, and role reversal to effectively reach a designer’s goal (Skolos & Wedell, 2011). Designers have many directions to choose from when communicating with text and image.

Figure 1

LSD Space | Spain

(Samara, 2020)

Both Timothy Samara and Skolos & Wedell could agree that the relationship between text and image is a conversation, where one defines and shapes the other. In this Spanish composition, the bars and butterfly alone would not necessarily communicate any type of specific meaning. Additionally, the text by itself would be questioned why it was styled in such a texturized and narrowed font. The fusion and placement of them combined show a clear color and length relationship between the two, where the lines extend from a strong base of information. Samara adds that the butterfly in its position also clarifies the prison it visually represents, a sign of innocence outside of the authoritative bars (Samara, 2020, Ch 2). Without the connection between all the elements, designers could consider how Argo’s case study of a successful concert print also uses lines with text; however, the choice of multiple colors, text placement and other features clearly identify the fun environment of the event (Argo, 2024). Samara’s example draped in one color, and a dirty texture clearly can help viewers identify an opposing environment even when they have similar image elements (Samara, 2020, Ch 2). Strategic combination of text and imagery can make a strong case for visual comprehension.

Elements of Visual Design

In design, projects are often referred to as a composition because they consist of several objects and stylizations that create meaning for the audience. The meaning of the piece comes from the choices of color, pattern, space, line, and more, otherwise known as design elements, that can come together in different combinations (Costello, 2017, Ch 4). Each of the design elements communicates something different, and designers must know what they mean to correctly apply them. All the design elements also have a cultural basis in meaning, so understanding the elements’ meaning in respect to a designer’s target audience will also drive those compositional decisions (Costello, 2017, Ch 4). Designers will inherently have their own understanding and interpretation of design elements, but understanding their other meanings and applications can broaden a designer’s creative choices.

While design elements can assign meaning to an overall piece, it also helps shift and control the attention of the viewer. In Design for Information, Isabel Meirelles applies design elements throughout a wide variety of visual structures and formats that assist every kind of business professional in their practical settings (Meirelles, 2013). In these kinds of settings, designers dealing with specific information delivery must use design elements to help readers identify and understand information efficiently. Using elements like color to connect data associations, layout patterns to assert a reading flow, and space/proximity to relate information together is key to achieving this goal (Merielles, 2013, Ch 1). Making the wrong kinds of choices can leave the readers scatter-brained and confused when the designer’s primary job is to communicate effectively.

Figure 2

Content and Form Example: The First Amendment

Courtesy of the Freedom Forum (Costello, 2017, Ch 4)

While Costello believes that graphic designers seldom use all design elements at once, some often are combined to help communicate a feeling and idea (2017, Ch 4). This practical reading of the first amendment demonstrates how color helps highlight the keywords of this historical phrase. Mereilles would believe this helps the reader easily identify a summarization of the graphic, allowing readers to quickly understand the image’s whole meaning without needing to read every single bit of text. This example also utilizes a good amount of space, perhaps to both relate to large margins in historical documents as well as helping the reader navigate and center their attention on the highlighted words in the text. Additionally, the diagonal curved lines help create a sense of movement, perspective, energy, and distance in the background with the flag (Costello, 2017, Ch 4). With combined design elements, this piece successfully assists the reader in controlling their attention while capturing the right patriotic mood.

Principles of Design

When composing a design piece with various elements, any viewer might instinctively feel an emotion based upon the element’s relationship with each other. Specifically, a project with a sense of balance can create internal ease while another lacking in this principle delivers a strange tension. Erik Messaki believes that even if a design asymmetrical or otherwise containing displaced elements, an overall sense of equilibrium must be achieved in strategic choice of element value, placement, and weight (Messaki, 2021). The slight maladjustments of any elements in a work can create an imbalance that does not enhance or fit in with the intended message, which is why Messaki believes balance is one of the most important principles to capture in design (2021). Because the design elements together form overarching principles that convey meaning, designers must take into consideration how to manage those elements together within a work.

The design elements have many different composition forms that have come together to create different design principles. Though the basic principles of design might be among balance, rhythm, and unity, Lidwell and other authors identified forms in which design elements form those basic principles effectively in many ways. For example, the golden ratio is defined as an aesthetically pleasing sense of proportion and balance found in many forms throughout nature (Lidwell et all, 2023, Ch 83). Other concepts like the rule of thirds and proportional density all tend to capture those basic principles that elements will make in compositions (Lidwell et all, 2023). Designers can create polished work if it embraces and captures these principles.

Figure 3

Symmetrical Design example

(Messaki, 2021)

This illustration of raised stones balanced over water creates a reflection completing a full circle. While it can be easily identified by designers that this is not a perfect circle, the image is easy on the eyes because it captures a sense of symmetry with the water and the same amount of colors on each side of the reflecting pool (Messaki, 2021). Additionally, it is a great demonstration of Lidwell’s rule of thirds, where the crossing pathways are covered by the subject and surrounded by a balance of space (Lidwell et all, 2023, Ch 160). The sense of equilibrium seems to be an important principle in this example as it should be for all designers.

References

Argo, B. (2024). 3.5 Case study. Full Sail Online. https://online.fullsail.edu/class_sections/194593/modules/722166/activities/4166807

Costello, V. (2017). Multimedia foundations: Core Concepts for Digital Design (2nd ed.). Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. May 22, 2024, https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/multimedia-foundations-2nd/9781317808909/

Lidwell, W., Holden, K., & Butler, J. (2023). Universal principles of design: 200 ways to increase appeal, enhance usability, influence perception, and make better design decisions (3rd ed.). Rockport Publishers. May 22, 2024, https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/universal-principles-of/9780760375174/

Meirelles, I. (2013). Design for information: an introduction to the histories, theories, and best practices behind effective information visualizations. Rockport. May 22, 2024, https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/design-for-information/9781592538065/

Messaki, E. (2021, January 5). Balance in composition: How to balance design?. Medium. https://medium.com/outcrowd/balance-in-composition-how-to-balance-design-185afda003d7

Samara, T. (2020). Design elements: A visual communication manual: Understanding the rules and knowing when to break them (3rd ed.). Rockport Publishers, an imprint of The Quarto Group. May 22, 2024, https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/design-elements-third/9781631598739/

Skolos, N., & Wedell, T. (2011). Type, image, message: A graphic design layout workshop. Rockport Publishers. May 22, 2024, https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/type-image-message/9781592531899/

Design Challenge

The challenge this week focused on combining type and imagery to communicate an event revolved around a holiday. Please see each for their respective design choices.

MDM565 Week 4

Reflection Video

Design Challenge Revisions

MDM570 - Week 1

Design Challenge

Design 1 - Dia de los Muertos

Design 2 - Juneteenth

Design 3 - Earth Day

Rationale

For each of my audio designs, I incorporated mostly diegetic sound to create an immersive experience for the listener, so they can feel themselves walking through the environment I created. For Dia de los Muertos, its introduction blends the conceptual difference between diegetic and non-diegetic; it feels soundtrack in nature, but it is manipulated to sound like the listener is walking past a musician. Overall, the sound effects in this piece were meant to give the atmosphere a quiet and solemn tone associated with the holiday. In the expression of Juneteenth, I transitioned between diegetic music to non-diegetic, allowing the new music to continue the emotion rather than (necessarily) be part of the actual environment. The parade music accompanying old school celebration sound effects transition into a modern and low-key atmosphere. Earth Day was made to be completely immersed in diegetic sound, so the audience could feel all the texture of the walking character in the woods. I connected the wet plastic with the crunch of the human steps in the wet, lively nature to capture the essence of the holiday. While I've been a musician for about 2 decades, this design challenge made me think a little harder because sound effects are often taken for granted. Capturing sound effects for already quiet environments is also difficult, but powerful if done right.

Organizational Structures: The Sonic Experience

Sonic Branding

The world contains thousands of brands competing for attention, using various strategies to enhance their image and memorability in the market. A rising strategy to increase connection with audiences is sonic branding, using a collective audio system as part of the whole brand identity (Taylor, 2023). While brand guidelines usually already contain a definition of their voice and tone, communicating these ideas through literal sound can make or break the identity system. Charles Taylor identifies that the sonic branding encompasses a wide variety of experiences with the brand, from the short moment a person sees the logo often accompanied by sound effects to the click of the buttons in that same brand’s app (Taylor, 2023). Furthermore, the incorporation of sonic branding proves to be worthwhile for brands, increasing their recognizability, memorability, sales and engagement (Taylor, 2023). The creation of a new set of sound effects, music, and audible experience differentiates the brand among others by connecting with the audience emotions.

Brands already have various methods to differentiate themselves against their competitors, but the need of sonic branding is needed because of the rise of audio-based media content, according to sound designer Joel Beckerman (2020, p. 5). There are certain environments where visual advertisement is not available or difficult to infiltrate that audible media can, like a person’s home or in their car. Beckerman also notes that sound responds to the human emotion much more quickly than visual media, and it is more difficult to escape sound than visual media: just close your eyes (Beckerman, 2020, pp. 6-7). That considered, media designers and businesses should consider the way people navigate the world using shorthand, easy to remember symbols, phrases, and sounds; humans will respond to sonic branding the same way if it communicates an impactful idea or feeling in a short moment that can stick on the subconscious level (Beckerman, 2020, p. 10). Through sonic branding, businesses can manipulate the feelings of their audience by associating emotion with user experience and brand identity.

Aside from the human voice, sound has been used for decades to communicate brand identity. With the rise of innovation, Taylor (2023) recognizes that sound has become the popular medium for people to connect in experiences, reinforcing that Beckerman’s (2020) explanation of its power is of utter importance for businesses to take note of. Every sound becomes a social cue, whether its to cause anxiety, ease, joy and energy, or simply to notify as demonstrated by WIRED (2016). In any and all of those cases, brands have the power to communicate those emotions to guide their audience while creating a brand atmosphere for all of the senses. Much like the hierarchy and consistent typography a brand uses across its various mediums, sonic branding can connect the audience with the brand identity system.

Figure 1

Example of feelings or ideas associated with pieces from various brands’ sonic DNA

(WIRED, 2016)

Three Categories of Sound

When brands intend to use sonic branding in their marketing strategy, they must consider the categories and types of sound in order to properly communicate their ideas. Human voice, music, and sound effects or ambient noise are the primary categories of sound which can each be used in a branding strategy as diegetic or non-diegetic type sound (Nick, 2016). The way each category is used can be used in either type situation to communicate a particular idea or provoke a reaction, like comedy or suspense, much like a tone of voice states an intended meaning of the spoken words (Nick, 2016). Music can manipulate the tone of the environment, whether for the character (diegetic) or for the audience (non-diegetic). Furthermore, sound effects add depth and texture to the experienced environment, whether for film or a human experience (Nick, 2016). With film as a primary example of how sounds can manipulate emotions, brands should take note of how each category of sound can strengthen the way its audience understands and connects with their brand.

While people live in a real world with a life of experiences, there exists an imagination that desires connection. Shaquilla Alexander (2015) recognizes that film and storytelling speak to those imaginations, particularly when paired with sound effects that create an experience never seen or heard before. Sound effects and soundtrack/music together communicate the possibilities and assist in immersing audiences into a film’s story and experience. Ambient noise, as opposed to individual, elemental sound effects, helps provide the tone and place of the audience or character experience, even without the aid of the visuals (Alexander, 2015). Through each of these sound categories, sound can temporarily transform the environment and atmosphere of a target audience.

By recognizing the effects each category of sound can have on people, brands can communicate their brand identity through the combination of each of these means. Innovative lightbulb brand Philips utilized sonic branding strategy by incorporating each element of sound in the advertisement of an MRI to change audience interpretation of a typical examination experience. Using dynamic music, calming and faint sound effects, and a warm, reassuring voiceover, Philips transforms the MRI experience into a pleasant one, which the audience can now associate with the brand (Baldowski, 2024). This case study demonstrates how the combination of each piece of the puzzle works together to communicate the whole emotion of ease and relaxation in a setting that many might associate with anxiety. If brands can communicate the ideas meaningful to both their brand and their audience with every category of sound demonstrated through Philips and Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums (Figure 2), they have a better ability to emotionally connect with their audience.

Figure 2

The Royal Tenenbaums: the three types of sound used as diegetic or non-diegetic in film

(Criterioncollection, 2012)

Audio Logo

A brand’s identity or personality can be presented in a short moment through its logo. However, when businesses cannot compete through its visual system, incorporation of sound effects or a jingle paired with the graphic logo can change the interpretation and establish a memory system. Such was demonstrated by the Ricola lozenge brand, where its yodeler and alphorn player sang in harmony over its visual graphic to transform its recognizability in the market (Dent, 2024). Provided with other successful examples, Mark Dent believes that the sounds associated with brands through their audio logos affects the emotionally-based decisions people have when approaching products; audiences tend to choose products based on emotional experiences with that brand identity (Dent, 2024). The audio logo is the simple answer to providing an easy-to-remember jingle and visual memory or experience.

Every audio logo must quickly identify the brand personality, and media designers must be strategic in making sound choices. Certain sound effects can be manipulated in ways that strengthen or weaken the connection between the feelings associated with the sound and logo (Melzner & Raghubir, 2023). Melzner & Raghubir discuss how the change of timbre or instrumentation can communicate different or even opposite emotions (2023, p. 945). According to their study, understanding the quality and delivery of sound is crucial to creating something that resonates with audiences and reinforces the brand personality already shown by its graphic logo (Melzner & Raghubir, 2023, pp. 946-7). Media designers and brands should consider what kind of emotions textural sound effects and instruments tend to communicate in order to properly create an effective audio logo.

While most brands tend to have upbeat jingles, their differences are able to shine through the implementation of different instrumentation and approach as emphasized by Melzner and Raghubir (2023). Furthermore, they are easy to remember and enhance the visual message it is paired with in the logo. Mark Dent provides a list of most recognized and least recognized audio logos to demonstrate that the recognizable brands have a jingle that correctly and effectively matches or elevates the energy of the brand personality and logo; those that fall short arguably do not have sounds that match audience’s aural associations with those brand experiences (Dent, 2024). If brands can gather the audible associations with the brand experience, they can use this knowledge to drive their sound communication in their audio logos and plant a seed in the audience subconscious.

Figure 3

The most and least recognizable sonic logos

References

Alexander, S. (2015, September 1). Diegetic and non-diegetic sound: Theory explained - so the theory goes. Film | So The Theory Goes. https://film.sothetheorygoes.com/diegetic-and-non-diegetic-sound

Baldowski, A. (2024). 1.5 Case study. Full Sail Online. https://online.fullsail.edu/class_sections/194607/modules/731670/activities/4219321

Beckerman, J. (2020). Scoring the world: A systems-thinking approach to sonic branding and design. Music & the Moving Image, 13(1), 3–20. https://search-ebscohost-com.oclc.fullsail.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f3h&AN=142318191&site=ehost-live

Criterioncollection. (2012, June 2). Introducing the tenenbaums. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYLpm7tEZiY

Dent, M. (2024, February 9). Why so many brands use sound to make you buy stuff. The Hustle. https://thehustle.co/why-so-many-brands-use-sound-to-make-you-buy-stuff

Melzner, J., & Raghubir, P. (2023). The sound of music: The effect of timbral sound quality in audio logos on brand personality perception. Journal of Marketing Research (JMR), 60(5), 932–949. https://doi-org.oclc.fullsail.edu/10.1177/00222437221135188

Nick. (2016, May 8). Importance of diegetic and non-diegetic sounds in film. The Artifice. https://the-artifice.com/importance-of-diegetic-and-non-diegetic-sounds-in-film/

Taylor, C. (2023, August 1). The need to be heard: Why sonic branding is growing in importance. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/charlesrtaylor/2023/07/31/the-need-to-be-heard-why-sonic-branding-is-growing-in-importance/

WIRED. (2016, November 10). Audio experts break down the most common tech sounds | wired. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_gBMJe9A6Q

MDM570 Week 2

Design Challenge

This week's design challenge was to take a mostly still video and convert it into a still cinemagraph with a single, or minimal, element moving. The challenge was actually quite difficult as most videos tend to have a lot of movement, but it allowed me to focus on how one element in an "image" can convey the energy or mood of a piece. This challenge reinforces how drawing attention to one element of a film is part of guiding the audience in your communication system within a brand or design work. Here, the single flame communicates peace and calmness, the sparkler insists celebration and energy, and the twitchy butterfly conveys nature and sensitivity.

Organizational Structures: Invisibility of Film Editing

Selective Attention

Film editors and media specialists alike can utilize the concept of selective attention to communicate with their respective audiences. This phenomenon is rooted in the scientific evidence that humans can only pay attention to one stimulating sense at a time. In most cases, people, and animals alike, tend to notice and react to a deviation in their environment (Zhang & Lin, 2013, Ch 1). Research suggests that features like movement and color lead to a focused attention against other elements of the setting (Zhang & Lin, 2013, Ch 1). Zhang & Lin reinforce this with the study of change blindness; because the human attention span is small and short, differences between two nearly identical scenes can easily remain undetected if they aren’t a focus feature of the scene (2013, Ch 1). Editors must refer to where and what they desire their audience to notice in order to keep them engaged with their visual story.

While audiences always learn to find the hidden details and inaccuracies of film edits, they typically will follow an expected pattern to gather information about the story. Ananian refers to film audiences’ selective attention as “eye trace,” a track of where the eyes tend to go in what order given a scene in front of them (2023). She suggests that audiences will notice brighter visual features first, followed by larger, in-focus, or moving objects, and the eyes and mouth of actors (Ananian, 2023). Filmmakers must value eye trace because it can guide the way the film is edited. In other words, the patterns of where audience expect to look based on the list of noticeable features helps create a seamless flow in the story in its visual aspect (Ananian, 2023). If media designers can follow the typical patterns of audience eye trace, they can reduce audience confusion and deliver a more cohesive, smoother visual story.

While the basic signals of color, intensity, and movement, each often paired with assisting audio cues, can direct the attention of an audience, storylines that use these highlights in each cut also create a visual pattern for people to follow. Ananian’s (2023) belief that storyline and scene editing/cuts maintain a sense of visual continuity for viewers is supported by Zhang & Lin’s (2013) research of the human attention focus. When filmmakers can focus the audience’s attention on characters or features crucial to the story, they will anticipate follow-up visual cues (Ananian, 2023). Volkswagen’s example in Figure 1 demonstrates how viewers will quickly follow the focused characters, color, and movement as well as look for characters or features that are indicated by audible cues (Evegaze, 2013). Other objects and features in the scenes are less in focus, contain less movement, or contain no other visual/audible indicator that it is necessary for the story besides providing an overall environmental feeling. The combination of strategic pattern and focus features assists in guiding the audience into a flowed commercial storyline.

Figure 1

Example of viewer eye-tracking, following editors intended objects of focus

(Eyegaze, 2013)

Rhythm

For video editors to properly cut scenes within a film, they must understand the intended sense of rhythm or the natural rhythm within the shots. The rhythm of a film or scene is often determined by the movement of its characters, a way to determine the energy of the moment (Pearlman, 2016, Ch 1). Pearlman (2016) suggests that strategic physical choreography within a shot can be key in guiding the editing process. With this, the editor can successfully create seamless transitions that fit both the narrative and energy (Pearlman, 2016, Ch 6). Making cuts that disrupt the sense of natural tempo, whether audibly or visually, can confuse the audience and hinder the narrative. Pearlman believes that the sense of rhythm comes intuitively, so editors should feel the similar tempos between shots in order to maintain the overall rhythm of a scene (2016, Ch 1). By taking the cues from the physical elements, editors can continue the sense of rhythm between the end and beginning of two cuts, or even purposefully disrupt it for a jarring effect.

While directors have a general sense of the energy in a film’s sequences, the editor can control how the audience senses the rhythm of those sequences. Deguzman (2024) believes elements like pauses, character breath, and the shot duration all can control the heartrate of its viewers. While the actors can also control their individual movements and internal rhythm, the editors must strategically fuse these shots together to establish its tempo (Deguzman, 2024). Slower cuts of a scene usually portray calm composure while fast cuts increase the inferred heartrate (Deguzman, 2024). In any choice made by editors, the rhythm creates a signal for its viewers to comprehend where the film and story is going.

The rhythm of a film can accelerate, slow down, or hold stead for a period of time. The intentions of a film sequence can guide the cut choices of an editor. The length of cuts paired with the visual tempos observed in the scenes can help convey to the audience what rhythm exists in the film’s world at that moment. The intensity of John Wick’s rhythm varies in his fighting sequence in Figure 2 to convey the character respite or the haste to conquer the enemy; the cut shifts also help guide the audience’s attention to different elements of the sequence while maintaining the energy of the moment (Boxoffice Movie Scenes, 2023). By utilizing the strategies of Pearlman and Deguzman like in John Wick, editors can drive the energy audiences can feel throughout an entire film.

Figure 2

Example of film editing to match scene rhythm in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019)

(Boxoffice Movie Scenes, 2023)

Pacing

Much like the rhythm within a film or commercial, the pace of scenes can determine where the story or moment is going as well as communicate the feelings the audience should sense. While the actors and directors of a video/film have individual paces in mind, the editor can push and pull the progression of the scene by making appropriate cuts (Reisz & Millar, 2010, p 77). Editor cuts should occur around the pace of the scene so they are long enough to convey the necessary information the audience needs for the direction of the story (Reisz & Millar, 2010, p 202). If, however, the storyline needs an accelerando or ritardando, the cuts of a scene can assist in driving the story into the next sequence.

Any film’s storyline contains tension and release, whether it happens many times or only a few. Winter (2024) considers pacing to be the main control of the character arc and overall story. By manipulating the scenes with short or fast cuts, or strategic combination of both, the editor adds to inflicting emotions in the audience as well as keeping them engaged in the story arc (Winter, 2024). The pacing creates a sense of urgency or a signal for pressure release, complemented by the natural rhythms in character or elemental movements in the scenes (Winter, 2024). By manipulating the sense of time through scene cut times, the editor will drive the emotional connection their directors want from their viewers.

While the pace can be determined before or after the completion of a filming process, editors have the power to manipulate footage to control the direction of the story. Though the speed and intensity of character movement can express a particular emotion, the choice perspectives and footage an editor uses will ultimately show just how necessary those emotions are for the audience and their interpretation of the story. The lack of cuts in Old Spice’s commercial suggests how a long shot can focus attention while its companion Dove – Onslaught commercial relies on fast changes to focus attention with a faster pace (Baldowski, 2024). Editors can similarly mix paces to drive the storyline; by showing several different paces across the levels of a dream, Christopher Nolan’s Inception in Figure 3 shows how an editor can show the length of the character’s intimate interaction yet urgency its climax initiates.

Figure 3

Example of multiple paces within one sequence in Inception (2010)

(Movieclips, 2021)

References

Ananian, A. (2023, September 11). Eye trace in filmmaking: he least understood and most important tool for improving your editing. EditMentor Blog. June 16, 2024, https://editmentor.com/blog/eye-trace-in-filmmaking-a-visual-journey/

Baldowski, A. (2024). 2.5 Case study. Full Sail Online. https://online.fullsail.edu/class_sections/194607/modules/731671/activities/4219329

Boxoffice Movie Scenes. (2023, March 22). John wick vs final boss | full final fight | john wick: chapter 3 - parabellum | clip. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQtxKdHv1c0

Deguzman, K. (2024, April 16). Set the pace with this guide to film rhythm editing. Backstage. Retrieved June 16, 2024, from https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/film-rhythm-editing-guide-77147/.

Eyegaze Inc. (2013, February 5). Eye tracking - volkswagen - 2013 super bowl commercial. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bITGPkPxbac

Movieclips. (2021, April 9). Inception (2010) - The final kick scene (9/10) | movieclips. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IA5YlOXJ_PQ&t=134s

Pearlman, K. (2016). Cutting rhythms, 2nd edition. Focal Press. June 16, 2024, https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/cutting-rhythms-2nd/9781317516422/

Reisz, K., & Millar, G. (2010). Technique of film editing, reissue of 2nd Edition, 2nd edition. Focal Press. June 16, 2024, https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/technique-of-film/9780240521855/

Winter, D. (2024, March 14). Rhythm and pace: crafting the tempo of film. Lightworks. June 16, 2024, https://lwks.com/blog/rhythm-and-pace-crafting-the-tempo-of-film

Zhang, L., & Lin, W. (2013). Selective visual attention: Computational models and applications. IEEE/Wiley. June 16, 2024, https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/selective-visual-attention/9781118060056/

MDM570 Week 4

Design Challenge - Week 3 Revisions

I decided to further incorporate the text with the logos. My Earth Day globe icon was difficult to incorporate as an actual letter, but it contains many other effective features that connect it with nature, so I rotated it upwards and used its overall shape as an "O" instead. Through experimentation, it was more apparent as an O than it was an E. Furthermore, I use accompanying font that was very stately and corporate to assert the serious tones about environmental activism. Overall, I think this communicates my intended messages much more than the previous design (and without a tagline!)

The Juneteenth logo was very static considering it was supposed to be a symbol of audio waves, so I used these lines in a more dynamic way to have connection to a waving flag. However, I primarily gave it an angle that resembles a turning, rising road that all can associate with the idea of journey. The accompanying font is clean but friendly to establish its reputable status but approachable personality.

The Dia de los Muertos logo needed a bit more character to its static design and integration with text as you said. I achieved both of these by using an alternative font that is styled perfectly to resemble paint features on the Calaveras. The letter "i" serves as the flame/torch base to clearly communicate the solemnity of the holiday. I also made the animation cleaner with the whole flame moving together and feeling more natural. I feel like I've made several other options for each of these holiday logos that also work, but I believe these are the strongest designs that connect to the essence I established last course.

MDM615 Week 1: Brand Messaging

Thesis Application

What benefit is being promised? Affiliation

To whom is it being promised? Newer parents who require an outlet from their employment but can still include their family.

Why should they believe you? The organization of the Las Vegas Dynamite offers family and group ticket packages, party rooms in its arena, and hosts team-community events beyond the game schedule.

Design Rationale

An ECHL expansion team in Las Vegas serves as a player prospect farm for higher hockey leagues while providing an arguably equivalent competitive and high energy experience for audiences through its younger generation of players (Strauss, 2023). Because Las Vegas has limited professional sports teams and is less known for the subject, development of an ECHL team would offer its citizens’ overall need of affiliation. Affiliation with the Las Vegas Dynamite team offers locals city pride and social interaction with others in their community (Felton, 2013). The city primarily is known for its tourism and casinos, but it hosts a significant and growing local population that does not necessarily partake in those activities.

In Las Vegas, young to mid adults are among the higher age demographics, followed closely by early retirement and children’s ages. The average size of household families is slightly above 3 and suburban neighborhoods continue to expand the outskirts of Las Vegas, suggesting generally newer families (World Population, 2024). Beyond the casino culture, Las Vegas is home to beautiful outdoor experiences and added its first few major pro sports teams within the last decade (McNamee, 2024). Considering the age-specific audiences for casinos, relatively new sports teams, and the domination of family age ranges, this data suggests the growing need for less active, working parents to have outlets that can involve their families. Nearly two-thirds of the workforce in Las Vegas also is rooted in service industry (McNamee, 2024), so the Las Vegas Dynamite team grants these local workers a break from the common entertainment they work in and affiliation with a family-friendly environment not typically associated with the Sin City.

Figure 1

Demographic of age ranges in Las Vegas in 2024.

(McNamee, 2024)

Figure 2

Visual description of the expansion of the Las Vegas area as represented by the lighter areas.

(McNamee, 2024)

Because parents are newer and the communities of Las Vegas are continuously growing, there is a natural incorporation of sports and club activities for kids. The involvement of this local pro sports team with families allows extra social encouragement for children and public support from their parents. Parents/families will also be able to bond during after-hours from work, and gain mutual affiliation with the team and each other. The Dynamite encourage expanding social circles, and offer multiple group options to invite all to their explosive performance on the ice. Parents can finally enjoy a professional sports environment, for themselves, their families, and their social groups while escaping the stigma of Vegas gamblers and tourists.

References

Felton, G. (2013). Advertising: Concept and copy. W.W. Norton & Company. https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/reader/books/9780393733921

Kurt, Dr. S. (2022, October 17). McClelland’s Three needs theory: Power, achievement, and affiliation. Education Library. https://educationlibrary.org/mcclellands-three-needs-theory-power-achievement-and-affiliation/

McNamee, G. L. (2024, July 7). Administration and Society. Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/place/Las-Vegas-Nevada/Administration-and-society

Morgan, K. (2020, May 26). Dynamite shaped the world — in both positive and negative ways. Popular Mechanics. https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a32447280/history-dynamite/

Nomads Unveiled. (2024, January 26). 25 things Las Vegas is famous and known for. https://nomadsunveiled.com/what-is-las-vegas-famous-for/

SeatGeek. (2024). Las Vegas sports teams, 2024 game tickets, matchups & schedules. https://seatgeek.com/cities/vegas/sports

Strauss, T. (2023, March 15). The ultimate guide to understanding ECHL Hockey: What does echl stand for?. Ice Hockey Central. https://icehockeycentral.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-understanding-echl-hockey-what-does-echl-stand-for/#How_does_the_ECHL_differ_from_other_professional_hockey_leagues

Vegas.com. (n.d.). https://www.vegas.com/las-vegas-events/sports-in-las-vegas/

World Population Review. (2024). Las Vegas, Nevada population 2024. https://worldpopulationreview.com/us-cities/las-vegas-nv-population

MDM615 Week 2: Voice and Tone

Thesis Application

Name of Product or service: Las Vegas Flying Aces

Core Message:

What benefit is being promised? Affiliation

To whom is it being promised? Parents who want to spend more time with and grow their families.

Why should they believe you? The Las Vegas Flying Aces provide a family-oriented environment with group ticket options and party rooms to their games, and hosts team-community events.

Theme / Style: Militaristic camaraderie

Brand Personality is / isn't:

IS - Confident, Brotherly, Masculine, Encouraging

IS NOT - Poised, Neighborly, Abrasive, Demanding

Potential Taglines:

Find Your Unit. Assemble the Squad. Who’s Your Wingman?

Positioning Statement (Narrative):

Trying to find your niche beyond the vast suburban neighborhoods of Las Vegas, you decide to explore local family events online. You find a family event hosted by the Las Vegas Flying Aces, although the name is not quite what you were expecting. It is a professional hockey team that is teaching people how to skate, kids and adults. You decide to sign your kids up, planning on just going to watch. The day of the event, you see many other families present; you are all greeted by several members of the hockey team while a few others seem to be waiting on the ice or by the shop full of skate rentals. Families are put into small groups, each hosted by one or two of the players. The hockey players get everyone in their groups to introduce each other, and convinces adults to join their kids on the ice to learn, too. Amongst the slipping on the ice and hanging onto the rink boards with your kid(s) and other families, the kids bond and you and other parents get talking. At the conclusion of the event, the Flying Aces mention large group ticket options and the party rooms, encouraging bringing your kids and other friends you’ve made there for cheaper options. After connecting with other parents, you discover you’ve found others to share family time with.

Design Rationale

Synthesize how the name you have chosen reflects the messaging and / or theme of the brand

Initial name options for a Las Vegas hockey team could be based in the state’s history as a mining giant or the city’s historical culture of neon, mobsters, and gambling (City of Las Vegas, 2024). Besides the fact that the NHL and AHL already have occupied metallic-based names for their Las Vegas area hockey teams, this ECHL team attempts to slightly break free from these common associations of Las Vegas and Nevada to showcase the underestimated family-oriented atmosphere of Las Vegas (Thompson, 2024). Additionally, the Las Vegas Flying Aces attempts to break down the pretentious atmosphere the higher hockey leagues can easily embody and make everyone feel accepted and relevant to the team.

The Las Vegas Flying Aces takes its title name from the term of achieved pilots. As one of the largest employers in Southern Nevada, outside the main city resides the Nellis Air Force Base, hosting tens of thousands of military family members and retirees in the area (Nellis AFB, 2023). For an ECHL team full of rookies reaching for the sky, the Las Vegas Flying Aces is named so to associate itself with some relatable and admirable values of the U.S. military: reaching for excellence through teamwork and collaboration (Air Force, 2024). Therefore, the name serves as a redefinition/reassociation of the word with honor rather than a gambling card in order to connect with families.

The overall theme of the brand is militaristic camaraderie, supported by defining personality traits of confident, brotherly, masculine, encouraging, and differentiated by its counters of poised, neighborly, abrasive, and demanding. This theme is to encompass a military audio-visual style while focusing on the community aspect. The term of “ace” among airmen/pilots was primarily an unofficial term of achievement and respect (Maskel, 2008). These terms help break down the uptight atmosphere associated with military life and allow squad members to bond. While “ace” is generally a term that refers to individual achievement, the way airmen achieved ace status has changed across wars and branches. For example, target strikes were sometimes divided among the teammates in the cockpit or squad as part of their count toward an ace status (Maskel, 2008). With the basis of this history and definition, the personality of the brand define the term “Ace” to be a moderate and approachable version of a military personality.

Synthesize how the TAGLINES are reflective of the messaging and / or theme of the brand

According to Swartz (2006), taglines should serve as a quick way to communicate the brand essence and selling benefits. The team of the Las Vegas Flying Aces aims to provide association for its audience, fostering kinship through their live games and community events. Each tagline is primarily based in two aspects of the brand messaging: the moderately martial voicing and the concept of community.

Two taglines are statements or orders, granting literal military voicing but with more encouraging choice words than demands, while the third acts more as an invitation in its question. The terms across, those being unit, squad, and wingman, each have direct ties to military terms for groups or teams, reinforcing the essence and importance of community throughout the experience of the brand, and connecting with the theme (Knight, 2018). Additionally, each tagline serves as a call to action that feels naturally inclusive of the reader, using Felton’s strategy to rally the troops (2013). By speaking directly to the audience about inclusive grouping they could join, the potential taglines each embrace and sell the benefit of affiliation through its promising martial voice.

The first potential tagline, “Find Your Unit,” particularly combines the idea of families finding and choosing their family beyond their nuclear unit. While parents will already have their spouses and children, the point of the Flying Aces and affiliation with their team is to build an extended family with their team and fellow fans and grant the benefit of spending more time with their family. The second potential tagline, “Assemble the Squad,” might assume existing association with the brand and other fans. It calls the reader to take action on uniting to achieve some type of goal, in this case to rally for enjoyment and watch the Flying Aces win. The question of “Who’s Your Wingman?” makes an assumption about the brand itself, suggesting the best way to answer it is the brand itself, the Las Vegas Flying Aces or fellow, close fans. Additionally, it slightly accuses the reader who may or may not have “backup” to associate with, a need which the brand can provide. Each of these taglines, though different in suggestion, all carry the same voice and essence of the brand while connecting with the audience.

Figure 1

CapitalOne tagline that is suggestive of benefits in association with the brand

(Uber Buttons, 2016)

Figure 2

U.S. Army inclusive tagline incorporating call to action.

(U.S. Army, 2023)

Synthesize how your narrative is written to reflect the messaging and / or theme of the brand.

The narrative for the Las Vegas Flying Aces serves as a representation of how the professional hockey team aims to connect with families and build affiliation that would be a mutual benefit. According to Thompson (2024), working parents are trying to spend more time with their families, and the Flying Aces intend to provide family friendly environments whether on or off the ice. The message of bringing families together through events will foster diverse bonds just like the diverse team. The initial experience new fans may have with the team will be through these kinds of events or impression of the overall idea of community that is important to the team.

The narrative reflects its brand messaging by immersing the reader in a journey of discovery and community engagement. The reader is expected to be a parent seeking meaningful family activities beyond the typical Las Vegas offerings, stumbling upon the Las Vegas Flying Aces' event. The initial surprise at discovering a professional hockey team engaged in teaching skating aligns with the brand's strategy to redefine expectations associated with Las Vegas. The term "Aces," also initially unexpected, begins to make more sense as the parent witnesses how the team fosters a welcoming environment for families and embodies a team(mate) environment.

The emphasis on group activities and community interaction echoes the brand's commitment to militaristic camaraderie and inclusivity. The players' proactive role in facilitating introductions and encouraging participation not only embraces the personality traits of confidence and encouragement but also establishes a sense of brotherly support among families. Overall, the narrative serves to authentically showcase how the Las Vegas Flying Aces embody their chosen theme and personality, positioning them not just as a sports team but as a vital community hub where families can bond and build lasting connections.

References

Air Force. (2024). It’s our promise to protect. Vision and Creed - U.S. Air Force. https://www.airforce.com/vision

Felton, G. (2013). Advertising: Concept and copy. W.W. Norton & Company. https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/reader/books/9780393733921

Knight, C. (2018). U.S. Army units explained: From squads to brigades to Corps. Thirteen. https://www.thirteen.org/blog-post/u-s-army-units-explained-from-squads-to-brigades-to-corps/

Nellis Air Force Base. (2023). Home. https://www.nellis.af.mil/About/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/284174/nellis-air-force-base/

Smithsonian. (2008, April 6). What does it take to become an “ace”? Smithsonianmag.com. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/air-space-magazine/what-does-it-take-to-become-an-ace-35385936/

Swartz, E. (2006). Tagline guru: Wag the Tagline. Tagline Guru | Wag the Tagline. https://www.taglineguru.com/wag_the_tagline.html

Thompson, E. (2024, June 16). “Fathers enjoy fatherhood”: Dads spending more time with their kids. Journal. https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/local-las-vegas/fathers-enjoy-fatherhood-dads-spending-more-time-with-their-kids-3069569/

U.S. Army. (2023, August 4). New Army brand redefines “be all you can be” for a new generation. www.army.mil. https://www.army.mil/article/264594/new_army_brand_redefines_be_all_you_can_be_for_a_new_generation

Uber Buttons. (2016). 50 of the best product slogans and taglines of all time. Uberbuttons®. https://uberbuttons.com/blog/50-best-slogans-taglines/

MDM615 Week 3: Look and Feel

Color

The color palette of the Flying Aces includes the primaries of red and blue as the foundation of the brand, symbolizing the patriotic themes of unity. Red, with its vibrant and passionate hue, conveys energy, enthusiasm, and the spirit that would be the Flying Aces community. It is a color that captures attention and evokes strong emotions, making it ideal for a team that emphasizes coming together and winning together. The blue, on the other hand, adds a sense of calm, stability, and trust. Its rich tone however adds some authority, giving it the strength that comes from teamwork (Adams, 2017). The combination of these two primary colors reflects the brand's core values of solidarity, collaboration, and patriotism.

Incorporating darker colors of battleship grey and jet into the color palette introduces an element of seriousness and maturity, aligning with the brand's connection to military themes in association with patriotism. Battleship grey, with its neutral and steadfast appearance, symbolizes strength, resilience, and reliability. It grounds the vibrant primary colors and adds a layer of sophistication to the overall brand image. Jet, a deep and intense black color, further emphasizes the significance and determination associated with camaraderie. Together, these colors convey a sense of discipline, respect, and dedication, reinforcing the brand's commitment to strong, unwavering bonds within the community. They also can become more metallic, adding a sense of elevated rank.

The use of golden orange as an accent color elevates the brand's status by adding a touch of warmth and inclusion. Orange, often associated with energy and creativity, brings a dynamic and uplifting quality to the color palette, helping calm the serious tones for the younger audience. However, it serves as a highlight or accent, suggesting a touch of elite-ness and distinction. This accent color creates a visual contrast that enhances the primary colors and adds depth to the overall design. By incorporating orange, the brand not only highlights its commitment to excellence but also connects with the audience on an emotional level, fostering a sense of communal pride and achievement.

Line

The line quality used in the branding of the Las Vegas Flying Aces powerfully reflects the themes of patriotic camaraderie and dynamic teamwork. The lines that trail off, much like jet trails in the sky, capture the essence of movement and direction, symbolizing the forward momentum and progress that the team strives for. These trailing lines evoke images of jets soaring through the sky, leaving a mark of their journey, just as the Flying Aces aim to leave a lasting impact in their games. This visual element reinforces the idea of high-speed action and the energetic spirit of the team, drawing a parallel between the swift maneuvers of jets and the fast-paced nature of hockey.

The wide curves in the lines, whether they move together or in different directions, reflect the unity and coordination that are essential to both aerial formations and successful hockey teams. When the curves move together, they symbolize the synchronized efforts and seamless collaboration among the players, highlighting the importance of working as a cohesive unit. Conversely, when the curves diverge, they represent individual skill and strategic maneuvers, illustrating how each player’s unique abilities contribute to the overall success of the team. This duality of togetherness and individual excellence mirrors the balance between camaraderie and personal achievement within the Las Vegas Flying Aces. It is a goal of the brand to communicate this idea to its audience to suggest inclusion of all to their arena.

The trailing nature of the lines embodies speed and energy, core attributes of both high-speed jets and hockey players. These lines give a sense of motion and excitement, capturing the thrill and intensity of a fast-paced hockey game. The fluidity and dynamic quality of the lines suggest agility and quick reflexes, characteristics that are crucial for success on the ice. By incorporating this line quality into the branding, the Las Vegas Flying Aces effectively convey their identity as a team that is both powerful and agile, capable of executing rapid plays and making swift decisions. This visual representation reinforces the team's commitment to excellence and their relentless drive to achieve victory.

Figure 1

The Thunderbirds flying in formation as demonstration of inspiration for line

(Tasdzilla, 2012)

Imagery

The imagery used by the Las Vegas Flying Aces effectively encapsulates the brand's theme of patriotic camaraderie and its unique focus on community connection and symbols of patriotism. Photos of fans banded together emphasize the commitment to fostering a family-friendly atmosphere and building strong connections among supporters. These visuals highlight the mutual entertainment experience the Flying Aces promise, where families can expand their social circles and form new bonds. The inclusion of red, white, and blue in these images underscores the patriotic elements of the brand, tying together the themes of pride and communal unity.

Imagery featuring hockey players lined up on the ice, complemented by symbols such as the Red Bull airplane, pilot wings, and the navy airplane star symbol, conveys a sense of discipline, teamwork, and excellence. Additionally, the jets, planes, and wings all connect to the common American symbol of the eagle and spread wings (Lee, 2024). These elements draw a parallel between the precision and collaboration required in both military aviation and professional hockey. By using such imagery, the Flying Aces align themselves with admirable military values while also distinguishing themselves from other Las Vegas teams with metallic or gambling-based themes. It is also reminiscent of Uncle Sam calling upon the average American to reach their local recruiting station. This approach not only reinforces the team's identity but also connects with the local community, particularly the military families and retirees in the area.

The visuals of Thunderbird jets flying in formation and a pilot helmet add a layer of excitement and elite performance to the brand imagery. These symbols represent the high-speed, high-energy nature of both military aviation and hockey, reinforcing the team's dynamic and thrilling identity. The formation flying of the jets again highlights the importance of teamwork and unity, mirroring the collaborative spirit the Flying Aces aim to instill in their players and fans. The pilot helmet, as a symbol of readiness and protection, aligns with the brand's message of building a supportive and inclusive community. Together, these images create a cohesive narrative that reflects the Flying Aces' dedication to excellence, community, and a uniquely patriotic brand identity, one everyone in the Las Vegas community can relate to.

References

Adams, S., & Helfand, J. (2017). The designer’s dictionary of color. Abrams.

Brown, E. (2019, May 4). How to create impact using lines in graphic design?. Design Mantic. https://www.designmantic.com/how-to/how-to-use-lines-to-create-an-impact-in-graphic-design

Kinnel, K. (2023, March 14). Lines in graphic design explained: A comprehensive guide (2024). Eksposure. https://www.eksposure.com/lines-in-graphic-design/

Lee, J. (2024, February 25). Full list of the official national symbols of the USA. KnowInsiders. https://knowinsiders.com/full-list-of-the-official-national-symbols-of-the-usa-39468.html

Micheal, S. (2024, March 5). Military themes in music and Art: How they shape public perceptions. War Insights. https://warinsights.com/military-themes-in-music-and-art-how-they-shape-public-perceptions/

Sathish. (2023, December 23). Military graphic design: Graphic designers and desktop publishers career. Graphically. https://graphically.io/blog/military-graphic-design-graphic-designers/

Taddzilla. (2012, November 11). Thunderbirds starting to break. Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/taddzilla/8176954094

U.S. Department of the Interior. (2020, April 7). National Symbols, Stories & Icons. National Parks Service. https://www.nps.gov/stsp/learn/historyculture/national-symbols-stories-icons.htm

MDM620 Week 1: Logo Concepts

Thesis Application

Design Rationale

Initial sketch ideas for the Flying Aces logomark are derived from common images associated with pilots and their flying machines. Helmets, patches, pins, and the jets and airplanes themselves are primary basis of the developed logos because they demonstrate a clear connection to aviation and the hockey team name. Versions of each plane drawn are aimed at finding a visual balance of the center point of the jet and accompanied wordmarks as well as finding engaging angles of the aircraft. Alternating aircraft are used to investigate the use of modern vs dated planes and their association with the team name and term; this also assists in relating their shape designs to typographic styles within the creative brief to decide how the imagery and typographic can work together. Several logos deviate from obvious aircraft images and utilize letters or symbols as the basis for its design to reach simplicity and versatility (Airey, 2014). Inspiration for narrowing nearly half of the designs down to a central weight and/or symmetrical logo comes from the observation that most professional American hockey teams contain this central weight in their marks in Figure 1. This allows the logo to gain more versatility in alignment with David Airey’s principle of thinking small (Airey, 2014). Many designs incorporate the use of angles, such as a triangle or the letter V for Vegas, to communicate the energy from the creative brief (McWade, 2015). Most or all designs assume the typography derived from the creative brief for consistency in the brand.

Figure 1

Screenshot from National Hockey League (NHL) team list with accompanied logos.

(NHL, 2024)

Because one of the leading factors to the logo design strategy was to communicate the essence of teamwork, family and pride, creating a visual that encompasses that idea narrows towards an emblem or patch that is representative of a group instead of an individual. Pilot wings can be representative of both individual achievement and part of an exclusive corps, and sufficiently communicates this idea. However, logos that are more representative of and weighted like a patch would relate to the prideful military notion towards a squadron or unit, a group of achievers that work together for a common goal (Alex, 2024). Many patches, unit names, and logos contain hysterical characters as part of the unit identity and base their camaraderie, but because Las Vegas does not have any particularly known character identities beyond historical gangsters and gamblers, the chosen iconography is more general in approach (McNamee, 2024). Most patches utilize a circle as a basis of its shape, but other choices are sometimes made through a diamond, shield, or triangle (Alex, 2024). Many of these designs take on the angled approach inspired both by the practical application of military units and some professional teams in Figure 2. These angles assist in centralizing the weight and direction of movement of its accompanied character while maintaining the energy behind it. Both a letter “V” and triangle help unify other shapes into a single unit.

Figure 2

Left: Military logos/patches. Right: NHL logos Pittsburgh Penguins and San Jose Sharks.

The final choices among the many each contain a similar element that makes them strong contenders for further development. Each logo utilizes a different angle and aircraft drawing that interacts with the angles of a triangle or “V” (representative of Vegas). The first, labeled 14, illustrates a modern jet likely found in the Las Vegas area flying towards the viewer with the direction of the Vegas “V” and under its team name in a banner. The angle of the plane in accordance with its background “V” helps demonstrate the speed and exciting energy that the team brings, and it helps reinforce the authenticity and excellence in its name, the Flying Aces (Luffarelli et al, 2019). Its use of a modern jet also aligns with the modernized versions of older typography established in the creative brief, and the position of its accompanying name helps establish the team name and destroy confusion with the popular name of “Jets.” The second logo of label 25 takes a more relaxed state and uses an older aircraft. The shape of a P-51 Mustang is utilized from a top-down view over a bold “V” to recall the acclaimed achievements of this WWII airplane and establish the excellence expected in a group with its mark (Smithsonian, 2015). Its shape and weight help centralize and counterbalance the letter behind it with the team name below to act as a squadron patch, removing doubt of where and who the team is. Using a same/similar aircraft, logo 31 uses the iconic shark-faced image of the P-40 and P-51 airplanes from an underside angle (Yenne, 2021). Using a curved triangle to centralize its weight, the face of this aircraft brings a menacing face of determination to the team, a more energetic and encouraging way of incorporating the reputation, pride, and expectation in the team. Its position and angle creates movement out of the triangular window and above its name in a banner, similar to the movement of the San Jose Sharks logo. This logo differs amongst the others because it contains more detail, an opportunity for more movement and excitement in its design. Each of these logos are strong because they are versatile, simple, distinct, and incorporate an idea of tradition, each among David Airey’s elements to effective logos.

References

Airey, D. (2014, August). Logo Design Love, annotated and expanded edition, Second edition. O’Reilly Online Learning. https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/logo-design-love/9780133812589/ch08.html#ch08lev1sec1

Alex, A. (2024, May 16). US army aviation patches: a guide to history and collectibles. News Military. https://newsmilitary.com/us-army-aviation-patches-a-guide-to-history-and-collectibles/

Luffarelli, J., Mukesh, M., & Mahmood, A. (2019, October 3). A study of 597 logos shows which kind is most effective. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2019/09/a-study-of-597-logos-shows-which-kind-is-most-effective

McNamee, G. L. (2024, July 7). Administration and Society. Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/place/Las-Vegas-Nevada/Administration-and-society

McWade, J. (2015, June 2). Angles - graphic design tips & tricks video tutorial: linkedIn learning, formerly lynda.com. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/learning/graphic-design-tips-tricks/angles?resume=false&u=50813145

NHL. (2024). Official site of the National Hockey League. Official Site of the National Hockey League. https://www.nhl.com/info/teams/

Smithsonian. (2015, February 11). All the way to Berlin with Mustangs. Smithsonian.com. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/air-space-magazine/best-us-airframe-meet-best-british-engine-180954071/

Yenne, B. (2021, June 10). The Flying Tigers - 12 facts about America’s legendary volunteer fighter squadron. MilitaryHistoryNow.com. https://militaryhistorynow.com/2017/09/14/the-flying-tigers-12-amazing-facts-about-americas-famous-volunteer-fighter-squadron/

MDM620 Week 2: Logo Refinements

Notated Sketches

Refined Sketches

Refinements Rationale

Logo Option 1

The first logo option developed as a result of an attempt to combine two sketches that shared similar shape and concepts. The delta symbol points up and a capital letter “V” points down, so the delta was rotated to observe the resemblance. It was further cut to clearly shape into the letter, using a remaining piece as a small “L” to possible represent both parts of “Las Vegas.” This attempt was ultimately dismissed and resulted in working more with the shape of the letter “V” as a basis to the pilot wings to its side. Each iteration explores a curved sharpness of the wings rather than the blocky, thick lines in the original thumbnails. This guided the design towards the use of the feather shadows to create a sharp knife curve in each while creating an invisible curved line. The letter “V” was encased in a shield to grant it more weight and serve as a basis for the wings.

It is easy to acknowledge that the basis of this particular design is a working symbol for the audience. Obtaining aviator wings historically signifies the skill and admirable qualities of the person earning and wearing them, adding them to a corps of elite members of the military (U.S. Army, n.d.). Because the target audience is family-oriented, the aviator wings take on a simpler style while maintaining the wing and shield elements from its original designs. The shield is made accessible to the Las Vegas locals by including a curved “V”, completing its aim to be a badge of membership not just as a hockey fan, but as a part of the Vegas community as well. The sharp curves also are now more in line with the established style set by the creative brief. The shape is less wide to ensure it can be properly applied in every necessary medium and maintain its legibility/quality. The symbol and the name placed below are one in the same in identifying the brand. While the name in its Komu font gives it a friendlier style of a familiar Top Gun, the wings make it clear that anyone could be part of the team and fanbase. The shield’s symbolism as a defensive tool reinforces the brand’s identity to appeal to growing families and connections; rather than using the offensive aspect of a weapon, the shield encourages and protects its wielder (Luke, 2023). The environment of the Flying Aces encourages teamwork and connections, a strong base for protection and individual growth. Therefore, the winged shield reinforced by the team name strongly represents the values of the Flying Aces hockey organization.

Logo Option 2

The wordmark thumbnail was a basis because its style is representative of the stylization of lettering in the mid-19th century. In particular, artwork on the nose of many different aircraft took on various forms popular at the time, often accompanied by a character (Warhawk Air, 2018). The following iterations investigate the use of weight within the cursive styles and the size of the capitals at the beginning of each word. While many straight and bold fonts were common within airplane nose art, the use of cursive is intentional to be reflective of the movement of wind and airplanes, suggesting skill and grace (Galambosova, 2024). Because the name is the centerpiece of this logo, small inclusions of an aircraft silhouette are added to incorporate a clearer but subtle connection to aviation. While investigating how to style the words, the different shape of the capital “A” allowed the words to stack and open width space. The direction of the cursive is forward propelling and to the right, so it was clear to incorporate a fighter jet on that side and in that direction as well. The essence of speed and skill is prominent in this design.

By observing the intended audience and the practical application of the logo, it made sense to investigate alternate cursive font styles (Furze, 2024). The cursive font grants a naturally friendly feeling which makes the brand approachable for its family [of all ages] audience. Furthermore, it is reminiscent of the past and highlights achievements and sacrifices parents have made to bring and raise their children into the world. The use of the cursive fonts helps distribute letter weight, allowing word stacking, and opening the door for incorporation of imagery. The younger audience also responds more to energetic and colorful imagery, so the cursive lettering and angled jet create a sense of movement and excitement while the letter weights maintain a slight sophistication for the parents (Ahluwalia, 2023). By understanding the need to appeal to a family environment yet grant an elevated status experience for participators, the balance of friendly curves and sharp movement zero in on the intended message and accurately represent the brand values. Families can feel privileged to be part of the fan base but know it is also accessible and appropriate.

Logo Option 3

The evolution of the third design explores the interaction of the letter V and the aircraft, as well as a purposeful position of the name. The first three iterations focus on the similar angles of the “V” and the jet tail fins, exploring how they can possibly integrate. After keeping the elements too close together, they were finally spaced out to create a triangle and overhead banner. This finally opened the idea for the speed of the jet to enter back in, turning the V into a wider angle to represent the entry into Mach speed and the letters of the name trailing behind, curved and within the sonic blast cone. Additionally, the whole piece remains central in weight, but engaging.

The original design had successful aspects to it that played with the span of the wings and direction of the angles. However, the use of the banner was observed to be an unnecessary or baseless way to integrate the name into the design. The curvature of the words did not change because they still were relevant to the direction and angles of the jet wings and “V” wings. By focusing on personality aspects of the brand, the design moved towards representing relevant and observable excellence. Breaking the sound barrier, though achieved in the mid-1900s, is now merely a baseline for aviation achievements. Additionally, thousands of engineers and pilots among others have all worked together towards achieving such goals in aviation history (Banke, 2023). This achieved phenomenon is representative of the unspoken teamwork that goes into aviation, a key value within the Flying Aces brand. This logo is also more relevant and appropriate for this audience because it utilizes a modern aircraft, which can be clearly observed daily by the Las Vegas residents (McNamee, 2024). The location is also within the large Mojave Desert in which the sound barrier was first broken, slightly relevant for the local population (History.com, 2020). The logo serves as an exciting image while being reflective of past, current, and future achievements.

Logo Option 4

The original sketch uses the initials for Las Vegas as a basis for the spreading wings. Like other designs, the wings are representative of the aviator wings badge pilots wear when they are qualified to be aviators. Because the use of the “L” and “V” are angular, they help fan out the wings but lose weight in the center. Each iteration focuses on the reduction of this center piece with the intention of keeping the full team name underneath in some larger form. When simplifying to a “V” only shape and using blocky wings, the identification of similarity to hockey sticks becomes clear. The Vegas initials are removed entirely and are replaced with upside down hockey sticks to create both the wings and an invisible “V” at once. The container below is intended to be a side view hockey puck while holding the team title. The final revision utilizes the hockey tape to make the double meaning clear, similar to the approach of the Washington Capitals “weagle” shoulder patch (NHL, 2024). This form incorporates both aspects of the team identity being a hockey organization and a brand reflective of aviation.

By reflecting on design theory concepts shared by Cousins (2016), it was clear to revise this design into a balanced or obviously symmetrical shape. Additionally, the team title needed to have relevance to its accompanied design. Identifying the similarities between the pilot wings and hockey sticks allowed the primary shape to become symmetrical, and furthermore granted a space for the name “Flying Aces” to sit that was obviously connected. The logo clearly targets hockey fans while subtly including the aspect of a winged badge. It becomes clear the brand is a hockey organization for Vegas residents. Additionally, it accurately represents the fundamental value of the brand: teamwork. The logo includes a total of 6 hockey sticks to create the winged “V”, reflecting on both the maximum amount of team players on the ice at any time and highlighting the importance of teamwork to create a team “V” for victory (Jones, n.d.). The sticks in the air behind the flying puck represent the team and family qualities of the brand, and should appeal to those who seek to be a part of it.

Logo Option 5

The fifth logo development stems from the identified need to integrate each visual element into each other. While the interaction of the Vegas “V” and airplane generally is appealing and symmetrical, it does not interact with or have relation to the title text below it. Each step changed the format of the text to investigate its connection through shape and weight. Additionally, the relationship between the plane and letter changes to open possible spaces for the name to move to. By including the text on the plane itself and returning to the original overlap of the plane on its large background letter, the text has a container and is directly relevant to the object. The size of the plane is enlarged to ensure the text is not lost while still balancing with the size of the letter behind it.

The static airplane is pointed upwards and kept in that direction to convey the message of achievement and direction. What quality it lacked, which is key to the brand identity, was overall cohesion; elements were not meshing with each other (Baldowski, 2024). In order to be reflective of the cohesion of a team, the used elements of an airplane, word mark, and large letter could not completely connect in its first form. Additionally, Cousins identifies that designers need to observe their work in the eyes of the audience (2016). The final sketch allows the design to feel versatile, taking the name and shapes with it in every medium without sacrificing quality. The letter forms from the creative brief serve as the balancing point between the sharp edges of the capital “V” and the curves of the dynamic airplane, which is poetically relatable to the speed of hockey skates on ice (Vigh-Larsen & Mohr, 2022). It contains balance, grace, and momentum into the sky, bringing an encouraging and exciting aspect to the team.

Logo Option 6

The design originally incorporated the commonly styled nose art of WWII, the shark face, blasting angrily out of a triangular window/plane, tagged underneath with the team name. The following iterations of the design explore how to mesh the title with the nose of the airplane as well as simplify the detailed design. While the simplified mouths appear cleaner, an attempt is made to remove the paint entirely to explore if the exciting nature comes across with the new angle of the airplane nose and flame fade with the title on its side, much like other nose art included on larger aircraft models (Galambosova, 2024). This led to the expansion of displaying the entire airplane with the simplified shark face. As the plane floats in the air, the team location and name also fly with it.

The original design was evaluated to be usable as it was, but was challenged to reduction in order to achieve peak versatility across possible and applicable mediums. With Cousins’ self-critique methods, it was identified that the proximity and placement of the words gave the final versions of the design room to breathe (2016). The shape outline is also clear enough to help viewers identify it without the words with it if needed. This logo accurately represents the brand because the typeface’s weight and curves grant it its authoritative feeling while the airplane image visually reflects the reputation it seeks to uphold and represent by use of a WWII aircraft (Yenne, 2017). The design is reminiscent of past American heroes and now serves as an achievable identity for its audience.

References

Ahluwalia, R. (2023, August 8). Kids logos: Fun and creative branding for children. GraphicSprings. https://graphicsprings.com/blog/view/kids-logos/

Baldowski, A. (2024) 2.2 Lecture. Full Sail University. https://online.fullsail.edu/class_sections/186409/modules/754279/activities/4345254

Banke, J. (2023, November 6). NASA’s Sonic Boom Research Takes “shape.” NASA. https://www.nasa.gov/aeronautics/nasas-sonic-boom-research-takes-shape/

Cousins, C. (2016, February 1). How to critique your own work as a freelance designer. Design Shack. https://designshack.net/articles/freelancing/how-to-critique-your-own-work-as-a-freelance-designer/

Furze, L. (2024, January 25). 5 useful questions for self-critiquing design work for your business. Lisa Furze. https://lisafurze.com/blog/self-critiquing-your-biz-designs/

Galambosova, C. (2024, January 15). Nose art – the most unique art by pilots during WWII. DailyArt Magazine. https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/nose-art-by-pilots/

History.com. (2020, December 8). Chuck Yeager breaks the sound barrier | October 14, 1947. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/yeager-breaks-sound-barrier

Jones, W. (n.d.). How many players in hockey are on a team?. Hockey Answered. https://hockeyanswered.com/how-many-players-are-on-the-ice-in-hockey-regulation-penalties-and-ot/

Luke. (2023, August 5). The spiritual meaning of a shield: Unveiling the deeper significance. Spirituality Shepherd. https://spiritualityshepherd.com/spiritual-meaning-of-a-shield/

McNamee, G. L. (2024, July 7). Administration and Society. Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/place/Las-Vegas-Nevada/Administration-and-society

NHL. (2024). Capitals jersey timeline: Washington Capitals. Official Site of the National Hockey League. https://www.nhl.com/capitals/history/jersey-timeline

U.S. Army. (n.d.). U.S. Army Badges Information. https://veteranmedals.army.mil/home/us-army-medals-award-badges-ribbon-and-attachments-information/us-army-badges-information

Vigh-Larsen, J., & Mohr, M. (2022, December). The Physiology of Ice Hockey Performance: An update. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/366294867_The_Physiology_of_Ice_Hockey_Performance_An_Update

Warhawk Air Museum. (2018, October 4). A visual history of aircraft nose art. https://warhawkairmuseum.org/blog/a-visual-history-of-aircraft-nose-art/

Yenne, B. (2017, September 14). The Flying Tigers - 12 facts about America’s legendary volunteer fighter squadron. MilitaryHistoryNow.com. https://militaryhistorynow.com/2017/09/14/the-flying-tigers-12-amazing-facts-about-americas-famous-volunteer-fighter-squadron/

MDM620 Week 3: Logo Vectors

Thesis Application

Design Rationale

The re-evaluation process of the refined sketches revealed the direction intended for visual style within the brand. Because the nature of the brand is a hockey team, the logo needs a dynamic quality to ensure it remains versatile across all mediums, including the player jerseys, screens, and various shapes and sizes of merchandise and commercial content (Strauss, 2023). This helped identify which of the several sketches contained minimal details and still had qualities that reflect the overall brand look and feel. Additionally, minimal design offers the challenge of including the brand identity while clearly identifying who/what the brand is for the audience, and this must be achieved with and without color. Each sketch was studied to find which visual objects could be reduced to simple shapes and retain their imagery and meaning, similar to McWade’s reduction to a silhouette (2019). To relate specifically to the newer families craving connections in Las Vegas, the use of a modern jet/airplane was chosen because of the proximate Nellis Air Force Base (McNamee, 2024). This allows the use of other airplane imagery for promotional events while the primary brand image focuses on excelling towards the future. The symbolism of spread wings has a historical meaning that remains today; this will help gain familiarity with the brand while initially making a clear association between the brand and meaning behind the pilot wings (Crawford, 2023; Lim, 2012). Reducing each logo down to its basic shape, and revealing its potential for differentiation as much as familiarity, launched them into further refinement as vectors and exploration with color.

The winged shield is directly derived from the shape and iconography of pilot wings in the U.S. military in Figure 1. The shield is representative of defense of something important or intimate, such as family (Luke, 2023). The shape of the wings and shield, however, were reduced to their most basic forms to simply get the idea across. While the wings were experimented to look less like sharp bat wings, the shield easily took the shape of the letter “V.” Its own slashed wing completes the shield shape while demonstrating an element of haste. The wings are reduced to three feather shadows on each side, gaining a slight curved to appeal more friendly without losing its essence of competitive nature. The puck/sticks icon was reduced initially to more square and blocky shapes, which represent strength, which is especially effective with the 6 sticks that are representative of each on-ice player (Baldowski, 2024). However, the curve and angles were manipulated to capture the essence of energy while trying to clearly show a winged “V” made of hockey sticks. This logo attempts to connect hockey and the symbolism of the pilot wings. The third developed logo uses the imagery of a jet, flying towards the viewer and engaging their attention. This angle is used to capture the element of speed, speed, and dominance, though unlike the other options, it does not specifically/obviously highlight the important brand quality of teamwork. The wide-angled V-shape was transformed into a curved triangle to add to its element of movement and energy (Baldowski, 2024; Christie & Carson, 2022). Because the original silhouette design appeared insufficient to communicate its shape, added dimension was included on its shape with curves and points in accordance with the desired effect. The title interacts with the jet as a stationary sign, iconic for the city of Las Vegas, with an angle to complement its energy.

Figure 1

Army pilot wings as vector symbols.

(U.S. Army, n.d.)

The two logos presented are the strongest options because they are the clearest in communication of what they represent. Both logos in color utilize the patriotic color palette in such a way that all Americans can resonate with and easily recognize. The winged icon, in addition to acting as a pilot’s emblem, subtly acts as two flag poles with the stripes flying in the wind. The top base of the triangular V-Shield with aligned wings serves as an imaginary mirror line for the brand name to rest. The V-Shield logo is a wearable icon much like its inspiration and is successful in both full-color and single-color. The Wingman icon is representative of the reputation of skill and honor that is achievable for anyone. It integrates familiar images/icons from the Las Vegas area (a welcoming billboard/sign and overhead fighter jets) while using the iconic American flag color palette. The curves and points grant it dimension and shape that is consistent across the logo. Though it is more detailed than its opposing logo, it combines the color with shape, unifying the brand look and feel, similar to the logo of the NHL’s San Jose Sharks or ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays.

References

Baldowski, A. (2024). 3.4 Lecture. Full Sail University. https://online.fullsail.edu/class_sections/186409/modules/754280/activities/4345260

Christie, M., & Carson, N. (2022, March 22). How to craft a powerful logo shape. Creative Bloq. https://www.creativebloq.com/logo-design/psychology-logo-shapes-8133918

Crawford, S. (2023, September 4). Symbolism in logos: Striking a balance for global appeal. Inkbot Design. https://inkbotdesign.com/symbolism-in-logos/

Lim, W. (2012, May 13). The role of semiotics in marketing. Cooler Insights. https://coolerinsights.com/2012/05/the-role-of-semiotics-in-marketing/

Luke. (2023, August 5). The spiritual meaning of a shield: Unveiling the deeper significance. Spirituality Shepherd. https://spiritualityshepherd.com/spiritual-meaning-of-a-shield/ McNamee, G. L. (2024, July 7). Administration and Society. Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/place/Las-Vegas-Nevada/Administration-and-society

McWade, J. (2019, November 1). The (very!) versatile art of the silhouette - graphic design tips & tricks video tutorial: Linkedin learning, formerly Lynda.com. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/learning/graphic-design-tips-tricks/the-very-versatile-art-of-the-silhouette?resume=false&u=50813145

Strauss, T. (2023, February 24). The power of marketing in professional hockey: Unlocking the secrets to Success. Ice Hockey Central. https://icehockeycentral.com/the-power-of-marketing-in-professional-hockey-unlocking-the-secrets-to-success/#Branding_Defining_the_Teams_Identity

U.S. Army. (n.d.). U.S. Army Badges Information. https://veteranmedals.army.mil/home/us-army-medals-award-badges-ribbon-and-attachments-information/us-army-badges-information

MDM620 Week 4: Style Guide

MDM650 Week 4: Brand Asset Completion

Video Commercial

Design Rationale Video

MDM640 Week 1

Research Component

Designers can recognize the value of their work in real world environments and how it can positively (or negatively) influence perspectives of a brand as well as profitable engagement. However, businesses require tangible evidence of their return on investment in their design and marketing teams because of the rising costs of marketing and the perception that if businesses aren’t growing, they are falling behind (Phillips et al, 2021). The question is not why designers need to prove value to their work, but how to communicate it in an understandable way for business leaders (Faljic, 2020). The various methods to effectively measure design and marketing value boils down to collecting qualitative and quantitative data.

It is necessary for designers to isolate the design implementations and recognize observable and valuable data (Phillips et al, 2021). Before media assets are put in the marketplace, designers may make cheap prototype options to test on a target audience. By utilizing strategies like A/B testing, designers can gain quantifiable data, like click rate or time spent on pages, between two (or more) media options to gain insight on design effectiveness and basis towards better solutions. This data is hard evidence of how effective design and marketing efforts reel in new customers and new revenue (Wendt, 2017). Alternatively, observing audience behavior through usability tests or receiving feedback through interviews and surveys provides the business qualitative insight of their audience’s experience with the brand (Nodder, 2013). This feedback shows how design assets could maintain or improve an audience’s relationship with a business and continue to bring them back with money in hand. It is plausible design has value to every business, but it’s a matter of ensuring those designs can be backed up with undeniable, convincing evidence for business leaders so they can employ design confidently.

References

Faljic, A. (2020, June 12). How to estimate the ROI of design work. Inside Design Blog. https://www.invisionapp.com/inside-design/estimate-roi-design-work/

Nodder, C. (2013, September 18). UX foundations: Making the case for usability testing video tutorial: Linkedin learning, formerly Lynda.com. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/learning/ux-foundations-making-the-case-for-usability-testing/benefits-of-usability-testing?autoSkip=true&resume=false&u=50813145

Phillips, J. J., Fu, F. Q., Phillips, P. P., & Yi, H. (2021). ROI in marketing: The design thinking approach to measure, prove, and improve the value of marketing. McGraw-Hill. https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/roi-in-marketing/9781260460438/

Wendt, E. (2017, May 3). Looking for roi? get your graphics game on point | brafton. Brafton. https://www.brafton.com/blog/creation/looking-for-roi-get-your-graphics-game-on-point/

Prior Feedback Component

615 – Design Strategies and Motivation

The target audience/psychographic is too narrowed towards a demographic, should focus more on family affiliation. The first team name was too contrary/opposite to the idea of providing affiliation, find alternative name. Slightly reword target of “why they should believe you” towards how the team provides that affiliation and family environment

Target audience is better focused. Theme/style combined with some traits is slightly out of focus, reconsider the traits and visual idea that better align with the brand focus of affiliation and family. Military / parents may not be particularly related. Potential tagline Who’s your wingman is too singularly focused, work with group focused taglines that better fit the brand focus.

Look and Feel board – imagery are more inspirational and unnecessary, new choices needed. Line qualities are good, represent speed, angle, distance and perspective. Line quality should work better with the shapes; find or make better shapes that utilize line quality. Font choices possibly more Soviet looking than American. Pattern is line qualities repeated, find other possible choices that work with the shapes if needed in future. Overall more consistency, show how the colors and shapes may work together.

Text need resizing for legibility purposes, may need to remove one person by themselves, taglines are reinforcing the brand idea, overall, pretty concise.

620 – Design Integration

The logos concepts fit with the militaristic feeling of the brand, especially the concept of military unit patches or pilot badges. All strong options, but think of the particular era you want to communicate in association with the brand affiliation and target audience.

Brand overall has a retro connotation, some one logo uses a good sense of unity in combination with symbolism, but it also looks like Whataburger. Express the idea of flying aces through modern designs and aircraft visuals. (This could align with the redefinition of ace for the las vegas community, away from gambling). Last iteration, though retro, has a great initial iteration though detailed and may be lost in final designs.

Gives feeling of Top Gun, very American. Airplane imagery aligns better with team name. Plane has enough detail that it comes out, but the small details when scaled down, even when lost, the logo still communicates well. It has a similar visual style of other sports brands. It resembles squadron/unit patches. First option is more corporate feeling, second logo maybe play with resizing. Can utilize the name in the second logo as its own secondary logo. Ensure to specify color use in brand style guide.

“You have included solid information about the designs and elaborated on each of the options you provide. The theme carries through every page well.”

650 – Multi-Platform Delivery

Vision board – retro military feeling, family and community oriented with military flair. Very red white and blue, subtle and effective texture. Angular patch ideas in possible business cards, good use of sketches to write out ideas and lead to your plan. Be careful that the logo and the brand communicates it is a hockey team because the logo alone does not communicate that idea.

Tagline is helpful in communicating hockey, both with the words and the accompanying image of a hockey stick. Wing expression comes through well across all the other pieces. The backside of business card is unusually cut in half, work with different layouts to make it more visually interesting and relates to brand expression. The graphic is effective across each medium. Third/alt jersey not as effective as other two, rework slightly to be more consistent but it still is effective. Tagline is very helpful again across each media asset.

The logo animation is a little too fast, the spinning V may not be the best choice for relation to the brand idea. ---- Reworked – striking with the music and inclusive hockey sound effects are straight to the point and relate it to the idea it is a hockey brand.

The swag pieces are most effective when they include the tagline that make it obvious it’s a hockey team. The patches may be better if the tagline is somehow included with the patches, this can go away in the future. Otherwise, they visually are effective. Stickers could also use the tagline and logo in combination for the brand rollout and disappear in the future.

Commercial is very effective, solves issues of association with hockey, incorporate more logo animation/sonic branding to take it a step further.

**Pending more feedback from final submission**

MDM640 Week 2

Research Component

Designers and business leaders alike have their minds set on success, but both require a source of evidence to back up design decisions. Visual design testing provides basic data about real user experiences and preferences that can support or oppose the effectiveness of designs, helping designers to narrow their approach; more importantly, however, testing methods are a way to keep the biases/egos of designers (and business leaders) in check so that choices aren’t made in vain. In addition to creating a good return on investment for the business, it is always the goal of designers to ensure users reach the best perceived experience through their media designs (Dugonjic, 2021). Therefore, designers must utilize various methods to ensure the designs are both aesthetically appealing and ensure the audience can efficiently experience and use the piece(s) of media.

There are many different test methods to measure the experience of users, from first impressions to overall media use. User first impressions can be measured by short timed tests, either to observe their immediate thoughts on the visual aesthetics, or to ensure the user can quickly figure out the interface with integrated designs. These tests help reduce designer’s bias as they demonstrate the actual instinctive reactions of users (Whitenton, 2018). If designers conduct interviews or usability tests, they can follow up with open-ended questions on their participants to obtain unbiased opinions, rather than through provided answer options. Matching the data between these tests and questions reliably answers the question of slow, thought-out opinions of the media experience (Dugonjic, 2021). By removing room for possible bias on the production’s point of view, the real hard evidence by observing and asking users to evaluate products can reveal the true effectiveness/relevance of media design decisions.

References

Dugonjic, M. (2021, July 22). Validating aesthetics in a web design project. Medium. https://medium.com/symsoft/validating-aesthetics-in-a-web-design-project-907527026d8c

Whitenton, K. (2018, November 9). How to test visual design. Nielsen Norman Group. https://www.nngroup.com/articles/testing-visual-design/

MDM640 Week 3

Research Component

The purpose of testing design and the user experience is more than just ensuring audiences have clear connections in their head about a brand. Users will also connect the way the brand communicates with how they can navigate through it. If they struggle to do so, the experience they have with the brand is no longer cohesive or attractive. Preconceived notions about how users will prefer to navigate a brand has the potential to confuse the audience or even drive them away. Therefore, methods like A/B tests, usability tests, card sorts and interviews can make real evidence drive design decisions (Demers, 2020). Each type of method provides different kind of data while also achievable at minimal expense to the business or designer.

A/B testing can narrow the design choices with quantitative data, like how often users click certain buttons when trying to achieve a certain task. By combining the quantitative data with the actual opinions and feelings of the users from follow-up interviews, or qualitative data, designers can pair the data to figure out what design choices should be made (Stockwell, 2021). Follow-up testing after research-based redesign should confirm or further narrow the choices of designers and fulfill the needs and desires of the audience (Ng, 2017). The evidence from design testing not only helps to achieve the goals of the intended designs, but it brings more value, weight, and confidence in the business leaders for an official integration or release of prototypes (Demers, 2020). Testing is a powerful tool for designers to convince and build trust with their clients.

References

Demers, E. (2020, September 5). The art of “frankenstein-ing”: when and how to combine designs through rapid A/B testing. Medium. https://uxdesign.cc/the-art-of-frankenstein-ing-when-and-how-to-combine-designs-through-rapid-a-b-testing-7ac97cedad05

Ng, W. (2017, March 3). Zara: A usability case study. Medium. https://uxdesign.cc/zara-a-usability-case-study-981b7ca93db8

Stockwell, A. (2021, August 31). UX foundations: research online class: linkedin learning, formerly lynda.com. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/learning/ux-foundations-research/welcome-14217812?u=50813145

MDM640 Week 4

Framework for Measuring Design Effectiveness

Designers utilize several different methods to measure the design effectiveness, and each way can depend on the service or brand it represents. Each falls within a certain metric that wants to be achieved and measured by the brand, whether that is continuous growth of brand membership, elevated perception of brand experience, or a measurement of how well a brand resonates with its target audience: business, experience, and social impacts (Huang, 2019). The Las Vegas Flying Aces ECHL team is a multimedia experience that aims to provide affiliation for its audience and growth in relationships. The team provides a live entertainment experience, social events, and virtual personality on social media in addition to selling tangible products. Therefore, the brand would likely utilize a Customer Experience (CX) Index as a way to measure the combination of customer experiences and their projection of affiliation with the brand. The CX Index measures elements that fall under both customer experience and their loyalty to the brand (Forrester, 2021). For the Flying Aces, the experience would be their interactions at live events as well as the online brand personality and their loyalty measured by attendance frequencies and inferred by merchandise purchases. On the brand rollout, any business-focused framework may be helpful in measuring its effectiveness because customer acquisition and retention is a primary goal of the brand.

The Cafedirect brand aimed for similar goals with different intentions. Utilizing study of the social aspects that affected their brand design effectiveness were they able to understand how to approach a redesign that aligned customer and brand values. Cafedirect likely used a “Below the Iceberg” approach so they could understand what values in society and the market were affecting customer choices and causing the brand to deflect them. Their study revealed a more educated and growing audience for coffee in the UK, social buying over home-brewing, and a value of quality and taste over the ethical practices in addition to many other things (Family, 2020). This strategic approach guided the design choices to reflect the desires of their audience while still subtly supporting the ethical goals of the brand.

References

Family (and friends). (2020, November). Café Direct: A Ridiculously Good Business.

Forrester Research, Inc. (2021, May 19). CX index methodology. Forrester. https://www.forrester.com/policies/cx-index/

Huang, K. (2019, January 13). 10 frameworks to help you measure success in design. Medium. https://uxdesign.cc/how-to-measure-success-in-design-f63f96a0c541

MDM640 Measuring Design Effectiveness Reflection

The self-evaluations made me realize I was a lot closer to the product than I thought, which revealed the high bar I constantly set for myself. This actually ended up helping once I places all of the ideas on paper, allowing for plenty of time to make layout and voicing adjustments and ensure all elements within the evaluations matched each other. The “rubric” for self-evaluation communicated to me that some elements can be achievable while others may be lacking, and small adjustments go a long way in marking something as effective. While reaching the end stage, I knew there were many changes I wanted to make, possible directions I could have gone or still could go. Once I received my outside feedback, I was able to resonate with some commentary and appreciate the different perspective that can be difficult to see while in the midst of designing. The evaluation template effectively helps to observe the project objectively whether as a peer review or self-evaluation.

MDM690 Week 1

Thinking

In the beginning of the week I thought this would be a ton of more work than it ended up being. Once I began the work, it came to mind how the gathering would be easy, and the delivery of the actual work up to standard will be the challenge. I believe I tend to write ideas very drawn out, so I think having the research as a basis for discussion and presentation helped narrow what could have been.

Feeling

A lot more stress came in the beginning of the week and quickly diminished once I got myself into the “doing” stage. I generally get anxiety because I genuinely care about the kind of product I put into the world, whether if it is work or leisure. While I think all of my work can definitely get better, I feel excited to get more feedback and incorporate it into a polished thesis.

Doing

I dedicated each day to spend some time on the work. The moment I felt like my mind was drifting away from the project too much or grew tired of the work, I stopped and continued the next day. This also ensured that when I returned to the work, I could refine the completed content so far with a new headspace and perspective. At the pace I went, I actually felt comfortable about completing the work on time and having a quality product.

MDM690 Week 2

Thinking

This week I was thinking about how to organize the vast amount of work that I would be demonstrating in this particular page. After viewing some example pages, which were helpful, I found most of the work ended up being chronological as the classes went, besides certain revisions on pieces. It made me truly understand again in retrospect what elements of a project absolutely need to exist before moving to the next step, which is why I thought I was confusing myself during this mastery, because I was.

Feeling

This week I definitely felt more anxiety just because of knowing how much content and writing specifically would be needed. Though I feel there will be major adjustments or additions to this page later, I also feel like I accomplished a lot. I also believe I have to fight the anxiety to get start, which is the hardest step. Overall, I still feel like this week ended up being more difficult than the first.

Doing

Going through the work and reinforcing some decisions with resources was a key element I focused on this week, though I think I can use more. I also did as much referring decisions back to the client problem as possible to show its connection. Though some content highlights resources as merely inspiration and supporting context, I felt it was necessary to the explanation of solving the client problem. I also focused on creating a greater sense of hierarchy through the page which I will incorporate on my Research page later; this is in response to feedback from the last week.

MDM690 Week 3

Thinking

This week I was thinking the work would be pretty achievable and easy considering I already gathered most of the important feedback and self assessment materials since the brand's inception. However, I think further work and modifications will make this more professional, as this content so far was pretty brief. I also have been thinking how to make the style/organization uniform across all pages, and this one was difficult to approach to match the previous week's content.

Feeling

Because I started a new job during this week, my feelings about doing the work have gone up and down because of how tired I have been following a day's work at retail. I would feel confident to finish the work early, and reverse to anxiety about getting it done at all if the week kept up this way (which it did). However, I made sure to set the time off I had dedicated to working on schoolwork to ensure I gave it my best and felt good about it by submission time (which I do!).

Doing

I ended up completing the work faster than expected, and have the confidence to complete refinements quickly as well. In doing the work, I first outlined all the feedback and what I wanted to say about it, for each piece, and then I went back and rewrote it all in professional style. This process helped me get all my thoughts out first and then reorganize the content, supported with relevant sources and visuals as well. I discovered that the placing and styling of content on the Wix site takes more effort, patience, and time than the writing of the content itself this week.

MDM690 Week 4

Thinking

The work for this week had me thinking about how it was more than it appeared because of the necessary revisions I will have to incorporate for the other pages. Luckily, the content for this week is much more reflective, so I think it was easier to get my thoughts down on the page and revise it after. I did however think it was not as easy to display some points through imagery, particularly if it was something more subjective like conducting research, but I found ways to do so.

Feeling

This week actually made me feel unusually less anxious in the beginning and more so at the end because of some revisions I felt I needed to make. Furthermore, I am very self critical of my work, I see all its flaws, and know whatever I submit could use more work and changes. But I also feel more confident in my work from the degree program because of all I have achieved in completing the work for this thesis development course. I certainly feel more confident taking my abilities into the professional world.

Doing

This week is actually sad to say I started on the work later than I would've liked to, and I also had to work in an outside job (retail), which knocks the energy out of me. So it was a little difficult to complete the work this week compared to others. I do think I am completing work much faster thanks to my grown familiarity with Wix: placing and editing my content on the website page was the most time consuming throughout the process, including for this last easy page.

MDM691 Week 1

Job Description

The Rocket City Trash Pandas are the proud Double-A Affiliate of the LA Angels and are looking to build on a successful reputation of delivering an unrivaled fan experience from state-of-the-art Toyota Field in Madison, Alabama! The club is in search of an enthusiastic and energetic Seasonal Graphic Design Associate to join our team!

The Club is searching for a Seasonal Graphic Design Associate who will be given the opportunity to work as part of a team to enhance the Trash Pandas brand and atmosphere at Toyota Field as well as special events including SEC Baseball, and the Rocket City Softball Showcase featuring 11 Division 1 College Softball teams. This position is a seasonal non-exempt position with full-time hours from January through September 2025. The successful Associate will complete the term with valuable, hands-on experience to advance their career in their sports and entertainment industries.

Job Responsibilities Include:

• Assisting with the creation of team’s external marketing materials (Print, Outdoor, Digital and/or TV)

• Produce content for team's social media channels and stadium videoboards

• Work with sales and marketing team to create promotional materials (flyers, digital/social graphics)

• Assist in the coordination of photo and/or video shoots with the Trash Pandas Players and Staff

• Photograph team's retail merchandise, giveaway items, etc.

• Work the team’s 69 Home Games, select non-baseball Special Events on the Trash Pandas Production Crew; Game Responsibilities include operating graphics systems for videoboards or game broadcasts

• Assist with the preparation of Control Room on Gamedays

• Non-departmental responsibilities include assisting full staff with covering and uncovering the field in response to inclement conditions (tarp pulls)

• Other Duties as assigned

Job Requirements

• Demonstrated experience with industry standard graphic design applications, preferably Adobe Creative Suite's Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign

• Ability to take direction, communicate feedback in fast-paced environment

• Some Experience in Live Production Atmosphere Preferred

• Passion for Sports & Entertainment

• Attention to Detail

• Ability to prioritize, multi-task, and work on short notice

• Ability to work irregular hours including nights, weekends, and holidays

• Excellent Interpersonal Skills – Must work well with others at all levels of organization

• Proven ability to take initiative

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, gender identity, marital or veteran status, or any other protected class.

Job Questions:

1. Please describe your experience, if any, with specific applications in the Adobe Creative Suite.

2. Do you have an online demo reel or work samples? If so, please include a link here.

3. If necessary, can you submit custom graphic design materials as part of the application process?

4. Are you able to work on-site from January 2025 to September 2025? (If not, [please explain.)

Cover Letter Example

Personal Brand Statement

"I'm a versatile professional and lifelong musician who wants to bring feeling to media design."

MDMFA691 Week 2

For media design professionals, practicing ethics may not be at the forefront of their minds besides ensuring they follow copyright law. However, using ethical reasoning as a backbone piece in all media development is crucial for maintaining individual and business credibility as it fosters trust with audiences and maintains the brand growth trajectory. If not considered, their work has potential to harm both the consumers and the business (Snyder, 2011). Berry (2013) emphasizes that media professionals have a moral responsibility to represent truth, fairness, and respect in their practices. When ethical standards are ignored, the consequences can ripple beyond the immediate stakeholders, impacting society at large.

Snyder (2011) particularly discusses the necessity of enhanced advertising ethics, highlighting how misleading campaigns not only erode consumer trust but also jeopardize industry integrity. One notable case that demonstrates these points involves the controversial Groupon Super Bowl advertisement featuring Tibetan culture. Snyder (2011) references how this ad trivialized a serious political and cultural issue for the sake of humor, causing widespread public backlash. The insensitivity of the ad not only harmed Groupon’s reputation but also represent the risks of using arguably provocative content without considering its broader implications. Such cases align with Snyder’s call for stronger ethical frameworks in advertising and media design to ensure accountability and sustainability.

Social media has become a powerful tool for marketing and mass communications, but its misuse can lead to significant ethical dilemmas. Hamdi (2018) highlights several instances of social media marketing failures that offer valuable lessons. One such case is the ill-fated campaign by Dove, where an advertisement featured a black woman transforming into a white woman after using Dove soap. This ad was widely attacked for perpetuating racial stereotypes, resulting in public backlash and damage to Dove’s reputation. The questionable nature of this campaign lies in its failure to anticipate how the imagery might be perceived by diverse audiences. Hamdi (2018) explains that the lack of cultural sensitivity and inadequate ethical oversight can lead to unintended consequences, undermining the intended message of inclusivity. This example highlights the critical need for thorough review processes and diverse perspectives in the development of social media content to prevent similar blunders. Furthermore, it highlights how social media’s accessibility makes all content subject to more criticism besides intended audiences.

Ethical practices in media design are fundamental to the development and sustainability of a brand. Perebinossoff (2008) argues that adherence to ethical principles fosters long-term relationships with consumers and establishes a foundation of trust. Brands sometimes align their marketing strategies with ethical and environmental values which can differentiate them in the marketplace while ensuring loyalty among socially conscious consumers. Berry (2013) further underscores that moral reasoning in media design is not merely about avoiding controversy but about actively contributing to a positive societal impact. Ethical storytelling, responsible advertising, and transparent communication build credibility, which is essential for enduring brand success. By integrating ethics into their core strategies, media professionals can ensure that their work resonates authentically with audiences while upholding the integrity of their brand.

Media design professionals must prioritize ethics and moral reasoning to navigate the complex and influential role it plays in society. Case studies such as the Groupon Tibetan advertisement and Dove’s social media campaign underscore the consequences of neglecting these principles. By fostering ethical practices, media professionals can safeguard their brand’s reputation, build sustainable relationships with audiences, and contribute positively to the broader media landscape.

References

Berry, D. (2013). Ethics and media culture: Practices and representations. Focal Press. 2024, https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/ethics-and-media/9780240516035/

Hamdi, K. (2018, May 29). 6 social media marketing failures & what you can learn from them. IMPACT. https://www.impactplus.com/blog/social-media-marketing-failures

Perebinossoff, P. (2008). Real-World Media Ethics: Inside the broadcast and Entertainment Industries. Focal Press. 2024, https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/real-world-media-ethics/9780240809212/

Snyder, W. (2011). Making the case for enhanced advertising ethics. Journal of Advertising Research, 51(3), 477–483. https://doi.org/10.2501/jar-51-3-477-483

MDMFA691 Week 3

Design Ethics and Copyright

Design and Legality

Media designers have an ethical responsibility to uphold their integrity and that of the broad design profession because of the many misconceptions and disregard for the design profession, thus the need for AIGA’s guide to “Design Business + Ethics.” Almost all design work and content created is protected by law; if clients have desires to achieve designs that resemble an existing work, the mere suggestion is considered unethical. “Without first securing permission and establishing a basis for use rights is illegal” and is the most typical mistake clients historically make, likely through their own ignorance of the design profession (Grefé et al, 2009). Therefore, the media designers must educate their clients on proper usage of material, and carefully inspect terms of use for existing works, whether for inspirational use or pure implementation. This problem is often found through typographic use as well, in which media designers must inspect a typeface or font’s origin and licensing terms; questions regarding the terms can also be sent directly to its creator to help clients fully understand if their intentions are viable. It is good practice to maintain records of licensing and usage terms for all maintained media pieces to ensure that any works media designers intend to use for their clients are used within their specified parameters. These good practices help prevent the designer and the clients from facing unnecessary accusations and legal battles, and ensure they already have a defense mechanism if such an event occurs.

Infringement Protections

Just as media designers must research and follow the usage terms of typefaces, software, and imagery, every designer has the ability to protect their original work by establishing a terms for use. Much of the time, designers are hired by clients to create a final work and handing over that piece for them to use, no royalties or ownership left to the designer. However, that work was developed by a designer with a certain style, in which Weaver (2016) states that clients “never get the rights to the process or have ownership of a particular style.” The main key for media designers to consider is establishing a clear agreement of proper use of their work by the client. Furthermore, designers should consider having a legal advisor to ensure it properly protects them while still serving to clients’ needs. The day a client or other designer does infringe on the intended or legal terms of use, the simplest solution can be sending a “cease & desist” letter. For more serious occurrences, like making legitimate profit from your work outside of proper usage, its suggested to pursue legal action (Weaver, 2016). In any case, the basis remains the same for media designers to ensure there is an established agreement for using work so a legal defense is made easily.

Copyright for RFP

Because of the wide variety of media and situations in which pieces can be used, there are many different legal considerations under copyright law. When media designers respond to a client’s Request for Proposal (RFP), it’s important to consider the materials one might need and if the requesting client can obtain and is willing to obtain a transfer of rights. It is also assumed the designer maintains proper rights and usage of the necessary materials to achieve the intended design by the client. Among the complicated considerations is when a designer’s response might include terms regarding joint contributions to the project. It should also be known to designers that copyright law does not protect “ideas, procedures, processes, systems, concepts” and more, but rather established works that were put to print or some form of record (Butler, 2007). Any need of inspirational materials and pure use in the work again needs permissions for use for both the designer and client. Furthermore, designers must establish whether work is completed under a “work-for-hire” agreement, which either grants copyright ownership to the client or provides the client limited rights to use the work. A clear and detailed understanding of ownership and licensing terms not only protects the designer’s intellectual property but also prevents disputes, ensuring the client can lawfully use the final product as intended.

References

Butler, J. R. (2007). The permission Seeker’s guide through the legal jungle: Clearing copyrights, trademarks and other rights for entertainment and Media Productions. Sashay Communications, LLC. 2024, https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/the-permission-seekers/9780967294018/

Grefé , R., Rigsby, L., & Stone, J. (2009). Design business + ethics. AIGA. https://www.aiga.org/sites/default/files/2021-03/Design-Business-and-Ethics.pdf

Weaver, B. (2016). Creative truth: Start and build a profitable design business. CRC Press. 2024, https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/creative-truth/9781317541554/