As I look back on the past twelve months, I’m amazed at how much I’ve learned and grown as a designer. I started the Media Design MFA program at one of the lowest points of my life. Fire had destroyed my home and studio, and I was struggling to find consistent work. I was nervous about the cost of a Master’s degree, but my career needed a boost.
The past year has been busy, but my new degree was definitely worth the time, effort, and money. I’ve not only gained new skills; I’ve regained my confidence. This page is a look back at how each course in the MFA program contributed to my development as a media designer.
Month 1 – Mastery: Personal Development and Leadership
July 2019
Writing my first APA formatted research paper was an important personal achievement. Academic writing is different from editorial and creative writing, but my experience in those styles made the transition smoother than expected. The Mastery Journey Timeline presentation guided the rest of the program, and the writing techniques learned in this course contributed to my development as a student and media designer. These new skills made my thesis project stronger and more effective.
Month 2 – Defining Client Needs
August 2019
The city logos project not only improved my logo design skills, it showed new ways to research and brainstorm ideas. All too often, I would jump directly into Photoshop or Illustrator to start creating a design. Now every concept is researched and goes through many concept sketches before the most effective designs are developed further. All of the projects used in my thesis presentation utilized the concepts and techniques learned in this class.
Month 3 – Brand Development
September 2019
The city logos project was further developed this month with font and color selections. Before, my typography and color choices were often driven by what I thought looked good. During this class I learned how to utilize psychological responses to colors and fonts in order to make design choices that will best serve the purpose of the design rather than personal tastes. I also learned the importance of vision boards in communicating a brand’s characteristics. The brand development concepts and techniques learned in this class helped strengthen my thesis presentation.
Month 4 – Effective Copywriting
October 2019
Even though this class was primarily about copywriting, I also learned more than expected about design. Target audience profiles are useful for any design project, especially advertisements and branding. Creating a series of ads for the nonprofit Performing Animals Welfare Society also demonstrated how to establish voice and tone while writing copy that appeals to a user’s hierarchy of needs. I utilized these techniques extensively in subsequent projects, including the Boxpark Sushi branding project and final thesis presentation.
Month 5 – Design Research
November 2019
The neighborhood branding project demonstrated the importance of research in discovering brand equity and finding points of differentiation from the competition. I learned a great deal about the history of downtown Chico and ways to improve the public perception of local neighborhoods. However, I was disappointed that after all that research, we didn’t do any designing for the neighborhood branding project. Design research is an integral part of my workflow now, informing my thesis presentation and all future design projects.
Month 6 – Organizational Structures
December 2019
December was a busy month, both academically and personally. Fortunately, projects in Adobe After Effects and Premiere Pro were made easier by my prior experience with video editing and motion graphics. Three infographics projects expanded my Adobe Illustrator skills, and creating an annotated bibliography was especially helpful in the development of my thesis.
Month 7 – Design Strategies and Motivation
January 2020
The next four months were dedicated to developing the fictional Boxpark Sushi brand. At first, I felt limited by the client choice, but it proved useful when comparing my work to classmates who were designing for the same brand. Even though we conducted similar market research, each of us found a unique way to differentiate our take on the Boxpark Sushi brand. My approach was the creation of the Sushi Sensei, a friendly mascot designed to make sushi more accessible to the general public. The rationale behind the Sushi Sensei was a major part of my thesis presentation.
Month 8 – Design Integration
February 2020
My brand identity development skills grew further with the creation of the Boxpark Sushi voice & tone, a static vision board, and a dynamic vision board. We also developed a media delivery plan to strategize the best media outlets and assets to reach the brand’s target audience. Finally, we integrated all the previous research and strategies into a design brief for the brand identity. The fully developed brand identity for Boxpark Sushi was explained in my thesis presentation and guided the next steps of designing for the brand.
Month 9 – Multi-Platform Delivery
March 2020
Many conceptual and technical skills were gained while designing the Boxpark Sushi logo, media assets, and brand guide. However, the spreading Covid-19 pandemic lead to a great deal of stress in my personal life. Once I adjusted to the distractions of being locked down at home with my family, schoolwork became a little easier. The Boxpark Sushi logo was the foundation of my thesis presentation and is one of the highlights of my design portfolio.
Month 10 – Measuring Design Effectiveness
April 2020
The Boxpark Sushi design evaluation survey provided new perspectives on my design solution. The most enlightening responses revealed that the Sushi Sensei mascot could be considered culturally insensitive. I will continue to seek input from others to help me avoid unconscious bias and make my designs more accessible to everyone. Evaluating the effectiveness and value of my designs helped me choose which projects were included in the thesis presentation.
Month 11 – Thesis: Presentation of Design Solution
May 2020
After months of research papers, I was worried that my thesis presentation would be the longest paper yet. I was pleasantly surprised that the majority of the work was already done. All that was needed was a succinct summary of the learning outcomes I had acquired in the previous months, organized as a simple website. In addition, I learned new persuasive writing and layout concepts that can be applied to future professional projects.
Month 12 – Professional Practice
June 2020
Just when I thought there’d be no more writing, we wrapped things up with an essay paper on media ethics. The last design project for the Media Design MFA program was an experience map to illustrate our journey through the program. The design represents the end of a long but rewarding journey, watching the sun rise on the next stage of my life.
Joshua Siegel's Mastery Journal 