"The reflection of you" — Self promotion chocolate leave-behind that showcases the authentic "YOU".

Designer: Maria Tamayo, Colombia

  I have developed countless projects across many levels of classes and across disciplines through my academic career. Project development is exciting for me because I labor over it until the construct is just right. A strong project offers a student in a given timeframe the opportunity to develop a deliverable that not only aligns with the class objectives and curriculum but also gives them a sense of achievement and purpose.Over time I have realized that giving students projects that either intrigue them, expose them to a new environment or technology or allow them to introspect themselves or their belief systems or mental models almost always brings about a high level of learning. 

Designer: Ava Kassel, Mexico

Designer: Meiqi Yuan, China

Like a good fusion dish, a good project maintains loyalty to the original premise while providing flexibility for students to add themselves to it. With the right guidance and true passionate talent, this may also result in globally accepted award winning work. 

Such has been the case of my chocolate packaging leave behind project. I asked students to develop a leave behind in the form of chocolates for prospective employers. And evidence of their skill and passions, their life experiences and their motivations.

Designer: Makumbi Muleba, Zambia

The results have been overwhelming and as varied as the students I have taught. Graduate and undergraduate students have developed chocolate packaging as evidence of their knowledge in 3D packaging, concepts of printing, color modes, software knowledge for creation and understanding of die lines and foil stamping. The other more complex layer of their project has been the cultural representation by various students across, languages, music, colors, textiles, geographies and popular trends.  The chocolate flavors have also been a deliberate choice in reflecting their personality. This project has been a success in more ways than one. 

Designer: Zaynah Smith, United States

Benefits of a Social impact project

Social impact projects have been a part of my curriculum for a long time now. I have had students work with non-profit organizations and help with various social issues over the years. The true proof of creative power is evidenced by students when the playing field is real and the issues are affecting folks like all of us. They get a glimpse of what they writing, strategy and art direction skills can ALSO be put to use for. The access to so many free media outlets has made it a lot easier for students to develop and put their ideas to test.

I first made a graduate Graphic Design class create a curriculum to teach senior citizens how to navigate the web, in the early 2000's. Students ended up learning about user interfaces and accessibility issues first hand as they tested this on the Senior Citizens Inc. in Chatham County, GA. This experience made the class truly become conscious designers.
The projects when they affect real lives, automatically get the level of passion and student involvement beyond make-believe scenarios. When you are creating an awareness campaign for Opioid overdose, you end up researching symptoms and causes and try to find an answer beyond a creative execution. With this particular project, students recognized family members that may be affected. Or friends who might need help. It was a heartening project.

Some of the student work can be viewed here.

The opioid awareness campaign in my mind as an educator achieved its purpose when students began and concluded the research. The eventual deliverables they developed based on their strategy and understanding of the market was icing on top of the cake.
Based on this and many such projects before, listed below are some of my observations as an educator and designer.

Social impact project benefits for students:

• It makes them aware of a need beyond their space.
• Students become aware, conscious and responsible world citizens.
• Their ability to look at any problem objectively, increases.
• The level of passion and student involvement is extremely high.
• It humanizes the process of creative development: design, writing, strategy, art direction etc. 
• Students play roles beyond their expertise. 
• Research and information gathering become very important skills.
• Innovation takes place as funds are often limited or non-existent.
• Often a discussion of financial stability to support ideals comes to the table.
• Awareness of social issues increases and leads many students to the path of volunteering.
• Class discussions and team work often result in life-long friends when their ideals match.

Social impact projects don't have to be done for a particular organization. They could just direct creative minds in the direction of an existing need.

Clean slates

Clean slates. White canvasses. New friendships. These can be tough or intimidating. But they can also be easy. You can direct them and form them into what your fancy is at the moment.

As a parent, I am in-charge of my children. Their physical and emotional well-being. My husband and me define the direction of their moral rudder. Everything from using less water while brushing their teeth to picking up after themselves when a job is done, is a push in a particular direction. Be it lego blocks or a class project. All these little moments and tiny decisions come from a routine that is set by a parent or from emulating an adult that is around a child in their formative years. I imagine bringing up older children who may already have set ideas would be a lot more challenging. 

As a creative who has worked in various industries from afashion magazine to design houses to e-commerce businesses, I have found it to be more exciting to get to develop something completely new and fresh. I got to create a template that was used for over 300 offices worldwide for an international consulting firm. I got to create a new feature as a newbie at Elle India. This opportunity allowed me to create, design, art direct and share packaging ideas and see it from concept to completion. I have created countless logos/ brands for products or services that didn’t exist before. It is challenging but so gratifying. Going into a physical or digital space and seeing the poster or packaging you created in its full glory is definitely a high. 

Working with a new brand is always exciting. As a creative, I can give it a direction that I think works best. Historically I just have other brands to compare and then look as competitors. But I am free to chart new creative territory. To work with older brands (which I have in plenty as well), I need to follow brand guidelines. I have to generate ideas that best further the original thought. I can share ideas but only those that align with the existing brand will see the light of day. I come into an existing setup and play my part in furthering the story. It is often challenging and makes you question your creative freedom. Especially when you are a young creative. But it is also the best way to train yourself into understanding the brand fully. It is always a creative challenge to take on an older brand that has too much baggage, use its existing equity and present it successfully so it conveys the same message in a new way.

As an educator, I enjoy working with students and learning from them. I have taught entry level courses to graduate level thesis classes. I have taught some to turn on the computer and some to safely use an x-acto blade for presentation boards. It is definitely easier working with those that haven't formed any bad habits or work ethics — be it "idea exploration lethargy" or "fall in love with your ideas" syndrome. My job is more effective when the student comes ready to work hard, is passionate and open to learn and push boundaries. A student that has no preconceived notions of creative concepts is much more fun to mould into an “idea machine”. You get to enjoy those light bulb moments as they take place in front of you. The satisfaction of teaching courses that have unexplored concepts give that joy. In the rigorous quarter system that I have always taught in, getting through to some is a challenge. Especially when they are set in their thought processes, work ethics and communication rhythm.

Much of what we see around in the workforce and the people we deal with in life aren't new or fresh or white as a blank canvas. We can be successful at communication, at our jobs and at friendships only when we take the time to work around a personality type or a work ethic that someone already has in place. We tap into their intelligence and resourcefulness despite their quirks. We are able to learn from what exists and build upon that. But acceptance is key. If we accept and respect differences, it becomes easier to function, communicate and be a successful team player.

This is no easy task.

Which makes me wonder if this instinct needs to be nurtured a lot more. Our sometimes excessive need to have the next new version of gadgets, devices or relationships could be a sign of a generation that is always to ready to move on. One that isn't giving importance to the knowledge base gathered from experience.  

In a city like Atlanta, acres of land are cleared out to build the next shopping complex and townhome units. Hundreds of years old trees have been wiped out and in place of those, new ones are planted. The ones that look oh-so-perfect on that architectural rendering of the new space. Ones that go with the design of the building structure. Developing a design that might include them is not easy and most times not cost effective. Hence, it is ignored and never accounted for. Land cleared out, animal life lost, fertile soil trucked away to a new location. This gives you a new easier beginning for sure. But you don’t get the compounded benefit of the past — ecologically, historically or culturally. 

Buying the next new Halloween outfit rather than recycling what you have to make it close to what you want is not an attitude that comes naturally to many of us. It needs nurturing. It needs to be given importance. A lot of issues of overconsumption require a shift in attitude. We all have an uncle, younger cousin or childhood friend that has a specific trait or quirk that we would rather avoid. Our grown-up life does not have the mental space to navigate it. It is too much of a bother. So we spend more time with new friends instead. They fit our current life and we enjoy that for the moment. It won’t be long before they become old news too. Do we just continue to re-configure our social settings all through life? Or do we work with what we have, look on the brighter side, take in the positives and keep investing into those people/ things whose history is closely tied with ours?

As is the case with old brands, older relationships or an existing site for a new development — being able to transition it and create a new chapter in its existence is the true test of a creative mind. New friends are wonderful but polishing those old friendships can result in so much joy. Creating a solution that is original and workable despite quirks, history, personality or an awkwardly placed 200 year old oak tree is the kind of thinking that is the only thing that can extend the existence of our planet. As a mother, an educator and a designer, I sincerely hope each of us can instill that in ourselves.

Elevator pitch...IN AN ELEVATOR

Brand Innovation class, Spring 2018

At the risk of self-shaming, I write this incident. My son had just begun to hold onto the table and stand by the large flat screen TV in our home. His first instinct was to swipe it with his fingers as he had watched his older sibling do that with the iPad which also made sound and showed pictures. How we learn from watching is fascinating. These skills aren't always hereditary. Sometimes, we aren't able to talk with a stranger as easily as our parents can. Even if it is about something as inane at the weather. Sometimes we aren't able to grow physical conversations or interactions with as much ease as we do though hashtags and acronyms on Twitter, Snapchat or Instagram.

How do we hope to have classroom discussions, arguments and visual self-defense if we aren't equipped with that skill? How can we then have students transition to the work force and present their ideas and convince a room.

I have found it extremely useful to play games in the classroom as mentioned in my previous blogpost. The weekly readings and research are a constant in my classrooms. But not all students choose to participate and discuss their findings. Personality, upbringing, cultural norms or political beliefs often block them from having their voices heard. I taught a class in "Creative concepting". We looked at examples of ad campaigns and discussed the idea of a single thought holding various elements together. The "idea with legs". We discussed the core idea of a book or film too. I shared with them the concept of the "sutradhaar" in Indian theater. (Puppeteer who holds the strings).

We discussed presenting these ideas when in a classroom or a boardroom. And came upon the Elevator pitch. Students were comfortable with a Keynote or Powerpoint presentation and presenting their concepts verbally. However, the time restraint threw many of them off. Once their elevator pitches were ready and practiced, they were ready to present it to their class.

"Surprise! — let's do the elevator pitch in the elevator. Pretend that I am the "golden swan"/ decision maker and we happen to take the same elevator. This is an unexpected meeting that you must make the most of. Begin on Floor 1 and be done by the time we reach Floor 5. As soon as the doors open and my next meeting calls, you have lost the opportunity. If you know your project in and out and all the way around, this should be easy. Right?"

Wrong.

We began the elevator pitches. They began presenting their ideas on Level 1 and as we reached the 5th floor, I stepped out of the elevator. If unable to convey the concept, they had missed their chance to make an impression on the pretend "golden swan".

There was a large group of students that had met every deadline through the concept and creative development process. Those that had done all their due diligence, crossed every 't' and dotted every i''. Surprisingly, they were not the ones that managed the opportunity well. The time constraint and the pressure to perform in the small space impromptu made them lose their bearings. They either got nervous, kept focussing on the 5th floor number to light up or took too long in pleasantries. The time for the pitch was lost.
And then there was the other group who was just very personable. They could handle the pressure, make eye contact and be quick and persuasive to get the gist of the idea into the conversation leading to a phone call or a meeting.

This experiment was sprung upon the students unexpectedly. Just before their final presentation. It gave them a reality check of how well they really knew their project. Or how prepared they were to be able to articulate at any given time under any circumstance. It also had them realize the difference between being equipped with knowledge vs. being able to read the situation and improvise. Adapting to your environment and conducting yourself successfully is a skill we all have to master.

Teaching with such techniques/ experiments gets the point across like no lecture could.