COLLABORATION
Feedback
MDM615 Week 1: Brand Messaging.
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Week one focused on the promised benefit of achievement, as well as age, demographic, and psychographic factors. It also addressed the STEM industry. A clear vision of the intended direction is needed.
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Peer (Norlis Spencer): How can small wooden toys contribute to STEM fields? Please provide a detailed explanation of how they relate to STEM and their specific features. The "why should they believe you" statement needs to be more specific.
Self Reflection
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The target demographic for this company is children and teens aged 8 to 14 and above. Some of the wooden toys and puzzles are intricate and may require parental assistance, encouraging family participation. The psychographic profile of the target audience is children and teens interested in learning basic Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) skills, particularly in areas such as building vehicles and other mechanical projects that involve gears. The primary need that aligns with the product and the psychographic is the desire for achievement. Joy (2024, May 9) explains how these puzzles spark creativity and critical thinking in children and teenagers.
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Feedback
MDM615 Week 1: Brand Messaging Revisions.
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The “why should they believe you” had the most changes. The benefit changed to understanding. For someone who wants/needs to learn then understanding is the benefit not achievement. The benefit lies in addressing the desire to learn. Moving forward, we should emphasize the benefit of understanding over mere achievement. Upon review, the promised benefit seems to lean more towards understanding rather than achievement.
Achievement can be likened to receiving blue ribbons. I have refined the messaging to ensure the right voice and tone based on the needs of the target audience and the features. ​
Feedback MDM615 Week 2: Voice and Tone.
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The theme of learning is too broad. Perhaps the theme could be focused on a science fair for a particular age group, like junior high students. Science fairs usually target the middle school range which fits the target audience. The idea of a laboratory theme could work well with some personality to it. Once a specific theme is in place, it will be easier to narrow down the choices and be more specific about what "is and isn't". It's much easier to plan when the theme is more specific. With such a broad theme, it wouldn't work well.
Self Reflection
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Joy (2024) highlighted the importance of 3D puzzles in education and how they can be a fun way to learn S.T.E.M. skills. WoodWi can connect like-minded individuals through an app and communicate with mentors for help completing the projects. Using creativity and imagination to complete the puzzle brings the individual's masterpiece to life. Science fair theme is a great match for children interested in showcasing their STEM skills.
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Feedback MDM615 Week 2: Voice and Tone Revised.
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By embracing the "science fair" theme, we gained valuable insights into the decision-making process through a more targeted approach. Our shift from a focus on opposites to a more nuanced perspective has led to a clearer understanding of affirmative and negative aspects. This adjustment has fostered a more intuitive grasp of the subject matter. Notably, the taglines have remained unchanged.
Feedback MDM615 Week 3: Look and Feel.
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The quality of the lines is indicative of the technology used. The third line is unnecessary and doesn't add anything new. The shapes are geometric, resembling gears, squares and circles. Patterns are formed through the repetition of these shapes. The imagery is excellent and depicts children working on science fair puzzles, which makes sense.
Self Reflection
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The brand "WoodWi" is themed around a science fair featuring 3D puzzles made of gears and wood pieces. This is designed to engage with the psychographic and help them understand the benefits. In graphic design, line is one of the four formal elements, so it's important that the choice of line reflects these benefits and features. According to Brown (2019), line elements are used to combine and differentiate designs. By using line elements across different platforms to separate text or add detail, it can also help with brand recognition. This design decision helps to establish consistency within the brand, creating a memorable experience for the audience.
Feedback MDM615 Week 3: Look and Feel Revised.
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Removed the third line. The line quality has technical feeling, rectilinear. Wood textures are the same, but different colors. Imagery is strong. The onlyness statement should cover all the points of your messaging, including the needs, benefits, and features, as well as the target audience. Basically, the only ___________ that provides __________ for __________, being the target audience, by way of or through _____________. Please refer to the video from month 5. An onlyness statement is quite simple, not promotional copy. It's strictly factual, just like the core of the messaging. No fluff.
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Feedback MDM615 Week 4: Vision Board Presentation
First, let's start by getting rid of the boxes. Lighten the background and put a filter on the wood so it still looks like wood. We want it to feel open and clean, not old and boxy. The keywords should be connected, either by stacking them or placing them in a row for quicker communication. Also, let's thicken the line quality. This needs a quick revisit, as the science fair was not noticeable. There's a lot to deal with in a rush. Excellent use of imagery as it matches the color, look, and feel.
Feedback MDM620 Week 1: Logo Concepts
Very nice work on the material this week. We were able to go over your designs in the live session. Please refer the live session if you have any questions. I do have a few notes on the rationale, but overall this is great work.
Start by keeping the tone academic and avoiding first person writing.
There is room to elaborate on some of the ideas. For example, The first thumbnail sketch circled was originally the idea when the look and feel was being created. Incorporating gear symbols for the o’s in WoodWi as well as the dot of the i tied the logo to the tagline and the product features. (how do these elements connect the tagline to the design?) Using gears to build a working wooden model helps with STEM learning and activities. (How is this connection done and why is it important to the brand?) This is a very simple concept and will work to stay consistent with the brand identity. How do you know it will stay consistent with the identity?
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Self Reflection
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The discussion by Airey (2009) on how Vanderbilt University's visual identity integrated symbols representing the university has significantly influenced my decision to incorporate elements from the vision board, aligning with the science fair theme.
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Feedback MDM620 Week 1: Logo Concepts
Live Session
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Where did the name come from? The name WoodWi is a play on words, the only wooden toy company from Wi.
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Peer Critique (Megan Wilcox) The concepts have many variations but are quite similar. 18 gives a sense of motion, while 26 looks like it represents weight. Out of the ones that are circled, number one is the most attractive, and 27 is the most eye-catching. Everything features a cog or gear, which is consistent with the theme of working with wood and gears.
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Instructor CritiqueThere are many good options and interesting ways to highlight the cogs and gears. I encourage the designer to keep the name with the icon. Using "28" is a great way to introduce something new, but using "27" causes too much separation, making it unreadable. Let's explore different ways to approach this.
Feedback MDM620 Week 4:Them's the Rules! Live Session.
Visually interesting. The best thing was using the gears, as suggested by the professor. The smiley face will gravitate towards the target audience. Consider using both options, using one as an icon. The slight arch and the curvature of the name feel like clipart. Consider going the Amazon route and adding a slash type of graphic element and combining them. Remove the blue dot as it doesn't match. This can be a lot of fun with animations. Overall, well done. Refine them together.
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Feedback MDM620 Week 4:Them's the Rules!
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The work here is excellent. You have captured the essence of your brand from the guide to the video presentation. You have also included the relevant information to showcase how the logo should be used. I would like to have seen a little information included on how and when to use the single color vs. the full color, but the work here is very good.
The other part that appears to be missing is the sizing element for the logo. I see your clear space, but Id o not see the sizing specs included.
Your new logo looks great and shows how you used feedback, research, and your own evaluations to evolve the design. Great work.
I look forward to seeing how you continue to evolve this brand as you move forward.
Self Reflection
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In the design process's exploratory stage, the designer can assess the best design by refining and self-evaluating. Bokhua (2022) explains that taking time for repetition in sketching and experimenting with various concepts is crucial. Developing the logo in vector format too early, only to find that it won’t work, is too time-consuming.
Feedback MDM650 WK4 MONDAY Live Discussion
The designer suggested slowing down the gears and adding a sound to the animated logo. The animated logo is effective and will appeal to children. It effectively conveys the primary message. It's important to choose sounds and music that align with the brand. We need both a short and a long version of the logo. The logo animation can be used as a bumper for video commercials, and a 5 or 7-second version can help with brand recall. A captivating landing page will hold the audience's attention and provide flexibility. However, choosing the right sounds and music is a challenge. We need to ensure that they make sense and fit the brand.
Self Reflection
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The development process for this week's media assets was based on the brand story and the message that needed to be conveyed. Every design decision was influenced by the core message to understand the target audience. The animated logo displayed turning gears, which is the main feature of the brand. WoodWi sells fully operational wooden 3D puzzles that do not require the use of electronics. The animated logo displayed turning gears, which speaks with the brand voice. Studying the principle of depth (Neumeier, 2008) helped develop the media assets and understand how to convey the brand message using the brand voice and tone.
Feedback MDM650 Week 3: Media Asset Production
Detailed, specific feedback considerations for this exciting, attractive and creative project were discussed in the Live Sessions: please review the Archives for detail. The animation looked great! So charming.
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Remember that examination and adjusting of the brand asset work and accompanying design thinking often occur as a natural part of the ongoing design Process. Keep making great progress and meaningful advances to consolidate your Brand and present coherent thinking even as you move on into the next course!
References:
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Airey, D. (2009). Logo design love: A guide to creating iconic brand identities. New Riders. https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/logo-design-love/9780321657251/ch3.html#ch3
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Bokhua, George. (2022). Principles of logo design. Rockport Publishers. https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/principles-of-logo/9780760376522/xhtml/08_Chapter04.xhtml#lev47
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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
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Joy, C. M. (2024, May 9). The application of 3D wooden puzzles in Education. Robotime Online. https://www.robotimeonline.com/blog/the-application-of-3d-wooden-puzzles-in-education
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Neumeier, M. (2008, December). The designful company. New Riders. https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/the-designful- company/9780321620682/ch03.html#ch03lev1sec3
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