Looking Forward to Thesis 3

This semester has been a lot of work, but it is satisfying to look back and see the fruits of my labor. I accomplished quite a bit and the work I have completed this semester has me excited to continue this project and and see the whole thing finished, the result of year of work and research. I can't believe that I started this semester with just a logo, some colors and a typeface and I am ending it with several deliverable completed and an entire brand guidelines book.

As stated in my contract: I set out to develop my app, create 5 posters, 10 web ads, a career fair booth, a brochure, a flyer and brand guidelines.

I pretty much completed that exactly. I developed my app, I created 5 posters, I created a brochure, I created my brand guidelines. The flyer morphed into a set of cards and while I did create 10 web ads, after I completed them, we decided to focus on get the content down and potentially changing course on where they would appear (which would require some updates) in order to make them most useful( and seen) to my audience.

The work was mostly more and different, but also a little less than I expected (but I think that goes in the "different" category).

Less because I thought that what I would need to create for my app was far beyond what was required. While it was a relief to see that I had completed more than I realized in regard to the app, I was a little disappointed that I would not be making it "real", however, it makes me excited for what could come after my project concludes. Who knows what the future holds!

More becuase I originally thought I would just be working on my app this semester (it is slotted at 4 points, so i thought that would take care of the half). My professor encouraged me to take on the marketing campaign as well and I am very glad that I did. As he said it would, working on this piece helped me set the stage for the other deliverables and create the brand guidelines. I don't think I would have a strong brand or a strong marketing campaign if I worked on it after the app was completed, and for that matter, the app design probably would not be as cohesive as it could be. I am glad and thankful for the guidance I received.

Different because the pieces that I said I would do on my contract morphed into slightly different formats as I developed my brand and conducted user testing. Based on what would be best for my audience and what they would respond to/find most useful, I changed my flyer into a set of promotional cards that could be collected or stand alone. These will work well as a booth piece and the content adds to the message well. The brochure I made is different thank I envisioned and it turned out much more interesting than I envisioned.

I want to work on my app screens more over the summer and really learn the capabilities of Invision (and maybe even try out Adobe XD). Even though my app will not be coded or functional at all (which I had thought needed to be accomplished) I want to get the prototype to a place where it really show the functionality that I have thought through and planned. I would also like to evaluate the photographs on my posters and possibly re-shoot some of them to make them a little more aligned and better quality, maybe I will enlist the help of a photographer, we'll see.

I also want to work on my process book and prime myself best for the work that needs to be done next semester. I will plan to add some more background and work from Thesis 1 so I can focus on completing and refining my deliverables.

I am excited about the work I completed this semester and I am very thankful to my professor for pushing me forward and encouraging me to create to my best.