Markets, Innovation & Design - Spring 2020

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  • ASSIGNMENTS
    • Individual Assignments
      • Breaking Norms
      • Mind Map – Marketing
      • Individual Presentation – Innovation
      • Mind Map – Innovation
      • Individual Presentation – Design
      • Mind Map – Design
      • Draft Mind Map – M+I+D
      • Room Creation
      • Tea Light
      • Unstructured Inspiration
      • Directed Inspiration
    • Team Assignments
      • Marketing Strategy Analysis
      • Marketing Strategy Analysis – Client
      • Post-It Challenge
      • Constraint Map
      • Converged Concept Board
      • Converged Site Prototype
      • Final Site
      • Final Site – Client Manual
      • TEAM 1
      • TEAM 2
      • TEAM 3
      • TEAM 4
      • TEAM 5
      • TEAM 6
      • TEAM 7
      • TEAM 8
  • Design Challenge
    • Constraint Map
    • Concept Board
    • Brainstorm
    • 3 Concepts
    • Prototype
    • Test & Iterate
    • Habits Reflection

Habits Reflection

April 27, 2020 by Olivia DeNicola Leave a Comment

I believe MIDE 300 has completely changed my perspective with a number of habits we looked at. More specifically, I believe as a result of this semester I am embracing child’s eye and creative confidence more. Within most of my classes I used to simply focus on the work that had to get done rather than the possibilities and opportunities to explore different perspectives and topics within it. Now, however, through opening my eyes to looking at assignments and problems to tackle with a child’s eye, I believe it is really helping me. Applying what we learned about being hyper focused not only on my surroundings (which has been a perspective shifter for me as well, especially in quarantine) but also take a look at things / assignments with fresh eyes as an opportunity to learn as much as I can. I also believe this semester in MIDE 300 has made me realize I need to work on my creative confidence — and helped me do this. I consider myself a creative person for sure, but I have always compared myself to others in that and not necessarily had the confidence to embrace it in comparison to other creative people. I also struggle with class participation – which I have always thought is kind of odd because socially I’m a very outgoing friendly person. But in class, I typically lack the confidence to take the initiative and share my perspective and what I have to say. This class has really pushed me to have the confidence to speak up in class. Everyone has a different perspective and I need to be confident in my creative and my perspective. At the beginning of the MIDE 300 class I barely participated voluntarily – but right before spring break I was constantly raising my hand, wanting to share my though process of developing the creative objects we did and learn how that differed from others. I truly believe that MIDE 300 helped me tackle this habit, and I will definitely take these new habits of being confident onto my other classes.

Naturally, I believe I am someone that already embraces ambiguity and this comes naturally to me. I have always been a risk-taker, and I like the feeling of not knowing what’s going to come next or what the direct path should be for the desired outcome. In fact, I prefer not knowing what the outcome is going to be and enjoy the possibility that it could be unexpected. Learning about this in the semester made me realize how this habit comes naturally to me, and further enforces that I should continue to embrace ambiguity and uncertainty because the best results can come when there aren’t necessarily pre-set expectations.

As a whole I believe I really learned a great deal in MIDE 300 and not only am I excited to take what I have learned and the habits I’ve worked through to have a more innovative character to the next MIDE classes, but also I’m excited to apply it to the other aspects of my life — especially with all of the free time in quarantine. I definitely need to continue to work on all of these habits but this semester I believe I’ve grown a lot through everything we learned and focused on.

Project Update

April 23, 2020 by Olivia DeNicola Leave a Comment

In the past two weeks I’ve actually been doing pretty well on my design project. As I mentioned in my last post I adjusted my schedule to focus more on the beading end and simply producing more jewelry which has been just what I’ve been doing. I also successfully made it into the Instagram so I have begun posting in order to update those who might be interested in what I’m making. I even sent some sorority themed bracelets to some of my close friends to cheer up their quarantine and they loved it!

Another direction I have decided to go in with this design project is inspired by the girl I actually own the beading company with in the summer. She began making these bracelets that she’s going to sell, and donate the money to Coronavirus healthcare workers in order to help out in any way she can. I found this idea to be an amazing way to give back and do it with something I love which is beading, so I think in the next few weeks were going to do a second round and we will both make bracelets for it. I am excited to give back and take this design project even further so that I can help people as a result of the current conditions today.

Test & Iterate Reflection

April 9, 2020 by Olivia DeNicola Leave a Comment

I have made a few changes to my first prototype development, which was my schedule for making bracelets and necklaces. After about a week of execution and practice with this schedule I realized I didn’t have everything together in order to execute everything on it, as there was an issue with accessing the Instagram account I planned to post on which I’m still trying to figure out. Therefore, I decided to change my schedule for the current moment to just making / beading, as well as taking photos. I will say have the schedule to remind me to stay productive and actually make at least one piece of jewelry everyday has been very helpful – as you can see in the photos I’ve included.

I think I had a good design plan prototype but I could’ve taken it a few steps further and created like a mood board for the kind of jewelry I wanted to make. I found myself researching to get inspired anyway, and I realize after the fact that I should have from the start put together inspiration in order to speed up the process – so that’s something I want to do as I continue with this project. However making a plan definitely changed my experience for the better, because it held me accountable rather than like, let me just make something while I’m bored because I enjoy it. It helped me stay focused and productive, and I’m definitely going to keep this going for the future of the business.

I think next I need to develop the idea further to come up with the end goal for myself. Do I want to push selling jewelry right now? Or just send to my friends to cheer them up during this time? Or just make a ton to prepare for the summer so that when we get into pop-up shops and having to make a lot I’m prepared? Over the next fews I think I need to narrow down my focus for the future goal – and it could even be multiple of those things !

In terms of adding a wow factor I think this goes back to my point on making an inspiration board. How can I make something that no one has seen before and isn’t similar to other designs I’ve made – with the same beads? Is there anything online that can really make a difference in the inspiration process? I need to explore this further in order to develop the best jewelry I can make!

In terms of the design process overall – I found it really useful. I have never developed anything this way, and found it tough to come up with 50 whole ideas. However on the flip side of that I also found it inspiring that there were so many opportunities to spend the amount of time I currently have – whether I narrowly focused in on them or not it really reminded me how many directions it was possible to go in. I also enjoyed developing a prototype with the idea in mind that there was always room to grow and expand the original idea – as I have personally realized I have to do. I have included some photos as well of product I made and I can’t wait to see where the iteration process takes me even further during this semester at home.

Prototype

April 2, 2020 by Olivia DeNicola Leave a Comment

Screen-Shot-2020-04-02-at-6.48.59-PMDownload

I decided to follow up further with my concept of beading. As I have described this is always something I’ve really loved to do, I just don’t necessarily have time at school to make what I want to and therefore I think this is the perfect time to be productive and execute as much as possible. I also think I can build the business up more, such as sending my friends bracelets and necklaces for free as long as they tag me on Instagram! Something like this could also brighten up some people’s days as well. The prototype I’ve made is a schedule I hope to stick to, to be able to get product done and posted. I think what’s going to be challenging is taking photos of what I’m making, because this requires either myself as a model or a pretty backdrop to photograph the jewelry against – which is tough considering I’m stuck in my house! But this is one of the challenges I’m going to have to work through as I execute my design plan, as well as staying motivated!

3 Concepts

March 31, 2020 by Olivia DeNicola Leave a Comment

The first concept I sketched out was self-care. In my sketches, I developed how I personally believe I can take care of myself during quarantine – something I pretty much never have time to do. From exercising, hydrating, and cooking for myself, to building time in each day to relax through meditation, watching Netflix, sleeping, or a few other activities. I combined a few brainstorming ideas in this concept I developed, even bringing in journaling to self-care. I typically never even have a moment to relax or exercise at school, let alone to sit down and write about what I’m thinking or feeling. During this time, through self-care, I believe it can improve my mental health and overall well-being. The functionality of this concept is relatively self-explanatory and easy to acquire. In terms of reliability and usability the same goes – the ability to accomplish these things is straightforward and simple, especially with the amount of time on our hands right now. The entire idea is focused on bettering myself, through creative ways I typically don’t have time to explore.

The second concept I sketched and developed was connection. I have so much time now to build stronger connections with my family – who I don’t get to see that often while being at school – as well as my pets. I have depicted this through family game nights with our favorite family game of scrabble, as well as taking my dogs on walks. This concept also encompasses connecting online with friends, to keep somewhat of a normal feeling during social distancing. I was thinking of this through FaceTime or Zoom, which is what I sketched out. This activity requires I think a little bit more effort, in terms of bringing my family together as well as bringing my friends together. I have organized friend-group get togethers such as happy hours on Zoom, and you’d be surprised how many people claim to be busy but are simply in their home. Therefore, it is all about not only my organization of people but also the cooperation on their end too (reliability), in order to further develop the concept of connecting.

The final concept I developed was productivity, but more specifically beading. I mentioned this idea in my brainstorming concepts, as well as concept board. I have always loved making jewelry with beads, and I even have my own company which I typically only operate in the summer. In my sketching, however, I have developed a plan as to how I can restart with the time I have on my hands. It begins with making necklaces or bracelets , or taking custom orders from individuals, photographing them, then posting on Instagram in order to sell, and finally mailing to customers. I think I can really use this time to improve the business and put focus on it in order to better it. The functionality is simple as I have so many beads already. Reliability and Usability require motivation on my end. I hope I can get this accomplished to better myself, maybe make a little profit and be productive in a seemingly overwhelming amount of time I have on my hands, and do something I love and enjoy too!

Brainstorming

March 26, 2020 by Olivia DeNicola Leave a Comment

I really enjoyed the activity of brainstorming, and attempting to come up with 50 ideas just made me have a more positive outlook overall that there were even 50 things I could possibly do. A lot of my ideas and brainstorming were focused on concrete activities or goals I could accomplish, such as getting outside everyday, spending time with family, getting dressed and up/out of bed, FaceTiming and staying connected to friends and family, and watch new shows. However the ones I highlighted were more overall activities, and they include setting and keeping a daily routine, stay positive, carve out time for self-care, get back into beading and selling jewelry, and reflect on the positives of the situation and radiate this to others. The last one I think I am already doing by coming up with 50 ideas for coronavirus season, I just have to go forth and explain the positivity of the situation to others.

The one concrete one I highlighted was getting back into beading and selling my jewelry. This is something I literally always want to do, but I typically only really have time for in the summer because it’s such a meticulous activity and I tend to be an incredibly busy person. I think not just for making a profit would this be a great activity to begin right now, but also because I actually love doing it.

As I have mentioned, I am always someone so busy or on-the-go, so I rarely ever have time for self-care or self reflection. Having this unbothered time by really anything to do other than school assignments is incredible, and I really believe that this could be an extremely beneficial activity for myself as we continue social distancing. I am always so social and hate being alone, and therefore I think this goal is a good one to push me out of my comfort zone a little bit, and get comfortable with the idea of being alone more / be more self – dependent. Going along with this, I think setting a daily routine for myself will be really good for the positive mentality I want to keep.

Concept Board

March 26, 2020 by Olivia DeNicola Leave a Comment

Within my Concept Board I tried to focus on the overall themes I wanted it to portray or represent first before gathering images. I made the color scheme bright colors to symbolize positivity and productivity, because I hope both of those things to be my mindset during this uncertain time. I tried to stick to a yellow-ish overall theme, with hints of blues, pinks, and oranges as well.

Starting in the right corner of my board, I began with this idea of positivity and how that could lead to self-care. Having so much free time to ourselves is something that is so rare in our typically incredibly busy lives, so throughout quarantine I want to recognize this and practice self-care and reflection. Self- care doesn’t just include photos such as the face mask, candle, and Netflix watching – it also includes working out everyday both in the outdoors and inside as I’ve represented. This also ties in the cooking photo- that I want to eat healthier and learn a new skill such as cooking things / recipes that I haven’t before.

Moving into the middle column of my concept board, this area focuses on productivity. I think this goes hand-in-hand with positivity because in order to stay sane and even be able to be positive, I need to feel like I’m accomplishing things and using my time wisely. I included a photo of jewelry-making because I actually have my own jewelry business, so I want to use this time to get back into making as much as I can and selling it online. This then moves into the photo of the girl working, because I want to stay on top of my work and assignments even if I have a long time-frame to complete them in.

The left-hand column of the concept board is focused on spending time with people to keep both myself and them happy, whether that’s through utilizing technology to do that or just my family / dogs in my own house. I typically don’t spend a lot of time with my family, so being locked down in a house with them for who knows how long is the perfect time to do so. I also have been using FaceTime to stay connected with my friends, which is crucial for the mental state I think. I included the photo of the zoom logo as well as a representation of a virtual happy hour because I believe there are so many ways to keep somewhat of a normal routine just online with friendships and friend groups, and I hope to continue this. I really enjoyed making this concept board and visualizing all of the things I hope to do, and coming up with picture representations of larger- picture concepts I want to keep in mind throughout this time, including positivity, self-care, community, and productivity.

Constraint Map

March 24, 2020 by Olivia DeNicola Leave a Comment

After making my constraint map, I actually had a better perspective on the situation we’re in through exploring how some of the constraints could be spun and looked at in a positive light, as room for opportunity. It was easy to identify the constraints that are affecting me personally, and through research online I found a lot of information (it’s the only thing anyone is talking about) on an abundance of constraints for our society as a whole. As I developed in my map, with the amount of time and lack of routine both myself and my classmates are feeling, it is easy to lose motivation to really do anything. Making this map inspired me that this should be looked at an as opportunity, and that there is never going to be another period where I might actually have this much time, so I should take advantage and think positively.

Something I highlighted within my map that really stood out to me positively is adaptation. Literally everyone has to adapt to the new environment and climate, and I have seen so many positive examples of this. The education systems adjusting to online everywhere, is incredibly remarkable. It opens new doors for the future of education, and the increased abilities to do different activities we didn’t even know were available online. Gyms in my area have had to close — but that’s not stopping them. They are adapting to online classes, and producing this content as a way to adjust to the climate right now. Although their businesses are suffering, they are still willing to produce this content just to help people try to keep somewhat of a normal routine, and this also plays into the increased sense of community online- which I also highlighted. Restaurants can’t have diners actually come in and eat, but many are adapting to this and offering online ordering and delivery. Individuals have to adapt their routines – or lack thereof right now – to what’s going on, and I’ve never heard of more of my friends out going on runs or walks to stay active. People are adjusting to the current constraints in place with the Coronavirus and although there are definitely many negatives, there are so many positives and it just goes to show how even through this crisis people are coming together more and working to find solutions.

Something else I explored a lot in my map is the media and information being provided right now. Throughout my research online, I have found almost nothing on positive reportings in the US on corona. This can have an incredibly affect mentally for many people, inducing panic and panic buying. Not only the amount of constant negative information, but also the uncertainty of how long this crisis is actually going to last. No one likes uncertainty, especially in a crisis. It is an extremely tough situation though, because the media is causing all this panic but if they weren’t taking it as seriously as they are, the public wouldn’t either. What is the happy medium here – is there one? I personally have seen that there are still teenagers acting as if they’re invincible and going about their regular lives of partying, even with the amount of constant negative and serious information. This is where I believe the government needs to step in and regulate things nationally, because some states have extreme rules and regulations right now that should be helping, and then some don’t at all and it’s worsening the issue. It’s frustrating for those of us who are practicing social distancing and self-quarantining that there are many who aren’t taking it seriously, and it’s only worsening the problem.

Inspiration Week 4

March 5, 2020 by Olivia DeNicola Leave a Comment

For this week, I really struggled as to what activity I wanted to do to get inspired. However it came to me on Monday, when I was doing work for another one of my classes. I am taking a Hip hop and blackness class and we were assigned a reading for homework, and then had to connect that reading to a rap song and write a short paper on it. I was immediately worried for that assignment because I don’t really listen to a lot of rap – and this is when I got inspired.

I’ve always loved music and I feel like it’s something that can mean so many different things to different people. Therefore, I decided through listening to types of music I typically don’t I could be inspired to feel different things through these new genre types. I began with rap, as I had had to start listening to rap for my assignment, however then it turned into listening to and learning about older music. My friend constantly makes fun of me for not knowing literally any old music, so I referred to her and I actually really enjoyed it.

I typically only stick to listening to current pop music and artists I am a big fan of, but this weeks inspiration activity made me realize it’s okay to explore other music – and you never know what it will do for you! Honestly my friend and I have now been listening to old songs all week, which couldn’t have happened if I didn’t decide to be open to these new songs which do give you different feelings and perspectives.

Creation

February 27, 2020 by Olivia DeNicola Leave a Comment

Inspiration Week 3

February 27, 2020 by Olivia DeNicola Leave a Comment

This week, to get inspired, I decided to do homework outside. I was struggling to come up with something to do this week, and honestly it just kind of came to me once it was nice outside. On Sunday, which is always a very busy day for me with meetings and such, I realized I wanted to sit outside and do work.

Although warm weather for some is a distraction, for me it’s not. Honestly, it inspires me to do my work better. I feel so much more at peace than stressed about what I have to do, because how could you be stressed when it’s almost 60 degrees outside?

Although this experience couldn’t necessarily inspire me to sit outside and do work more, because I can’t control the weather, it definitely just made me have a more positive outlook. It is so calming and comforting when the weather is warm outside, and it just reminded me that warm weather is coming and I just have to grind on my work right now in order to get there.

Marketing Strategy – Tamkus Art & Design

February 25, 2020 by Olivia DeNicola Leave a Comment

MIDE-Marketing-Presentation-1Download

Inspiration – Week 2

February 20, 2020 by Olivia DeNicola Leave a Comment

This week, in order to get inspired, I decided to go for a run. All of high school I was a runner and actually had to run every single day for practice. Running was a way of freeing my mind, and I rarely would go for runs with music on so it provided me a time to just think but also push myself. Although hard at times, I loved the feeling it provided me with of breaking my own records, as well as the discipline required to stick with it and show up everyday.

Once coming to college, I tried to stick with running as much as I could. Soon after my arrival, however, my schedule was taken up by classes, homework and exams, clubs, and friends. I tried going to the gym as much as I could — but it wasn’t the same. The treadmill isn’t my favorite place to run because it’s so monotonous.

During class on Tuesday, when we had to go around and say what our plan was for this week’s inspiration post, I quickly on the spot decided I’d go for a run. And on Wednesday, when it was pretty nice out, I actually went for a run in the middle of the day! It was honestly so inspiring and such a great feeling to get back into something I used to love, and was an outlet for anything I was feeling in my life. Having that time to just think about whatever is going on for me right now was amazing — because I never get time to just disconnect and be present with myself. It really inspired me to not forget about the things I used to love, no matter how busy my schedule gets. Hopefully as the weather gets nicer I can get back into running outside and around campus — and continue on an activity that has always been super important to me in the past.

M-I-D Mind Map Draft

February 13, 2020 by Olivia DeNicola Leave a Comment

Inspiration – Week 1

February 11, 2020 by Olivia DeNicola Leave a Comment

This past Thursday, I actually made myself dinner for the first time in a while. I live in Larrison, so I therefore don’t have my own kitchen and probably haven’t made myself a dinner meal since the summer. My friend recently moved into a gateway, though, so I had the opportunity to cook dinner.

I decided to cook as a result of this exercise. After brainstorming for a while, I remembered how much I love cooking and how it really has the potential to inspire you. My friend and I decided to make curry – as her family loves to eat this regularly. This was somewhat out of my comfort zone in terms of ability, as I had planned to make something like grilled chicken and vegetables.

Not only was the curry so insanely good, but it inspired me in more ways than I could’ve predicted. It reminded me how I want to travel, and study abroad in somewhere unique. I want to learn about new cultures and foods — and try new things along with that. Previous to Thursday I hadn’t had curry in a long time I couldn’t even remember if I liked it or not, but now I’m asking my friend if we can make it again every night.

The Modern Laptop

February 6, 2020 by Olivia DeNicola Leave a Comment

Design Mindmap

February 4, 2020 by Olivia DeNicola Leave a Comment

Innovation – Artificial Sweetener

January 30, 2020 by Olivia DeNicola Leave a Comment

OD-Mide-300-1Download

Innovation Mind-Map

January 27, 2020 by Olivia DeNicola Leave a Comment

Marketing Mind Map

January 21, 2020 by Olivia DeNicola Leave a Comment

Participation Pressure

January 15, 2020 by Olivia DeNicola Leave a Comment

I have always been the student that feels pressure and nervous to participate in class. In my personal life, I love talking to people and am actually pretty outgoing. However in the classroom setting, I’ve always been one to sit back and let everyone else answer the question, even if I have something I know I want to say. I get nervous to participate in the fear of seeming dumb, as well as the pressure of having an entire room of my peers and professors listening to me. So my personal goal for the semester and norm I want to break out of is this fear of participation. If I have something to say, I hope to gain the confidence to just raise my hand and say it. I feel like the space and atmosphere in MIDE 300 is the perfect place to start and encourage more participation, because it’s based on a different learning styles than the typical lecture style classroom.

Project Calendar

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MIDE 300 HUMANS

Abby Harris (21), Abby Hislop (21), Alana Bortman (21), Alexander Smith (20), Allie Kotowitz (21), Amisha Chhetri (22), Caitlin Tucker (21), Carly Binday (22), Claudia Glasgow (21), Collin Smith (28), Elana Smith (21), Emily Chopoorian (22), Emily Goldman (23), Erin Mooney (21), Faith Reilly (22), Hannah Moriarty (22), Jabril Mohamed (19), Jane Meng (22), Liam Moriarty (22), Lindsey Knutzen (20), Liza Heyl (21), Lucia Singer (20), Madz Cabico (4), Matt Cervon (19), Meg Coyle (18), Natalie Notz (21), Natalie Ring (23), Nikki Bott (23), Olivia DeNicola (21), Prof. Allen (1), Renne Venico (19), Rowan Beiter (23), Tarrin Earle (20), Zack Yoelson-Angeline (14)

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