Part 2
Complete General Communications Model (using illustrator/electronic media) -- make sure the communications model is useful and can be reused as a template for future BDS/DCOM assignments to diagnose communications effectiveness. Write up what you understand about effective communications that you've learned over term 1 (200 + Words).
Personal Brand DNA + personal logo tryouts (from value combinations). Reflect on your attempts to match your Brand DNA with your values, and incorporating them in the logo - revisit your CAAS projects and pull out the most important learning points from that assignment. In terms of the branding process, what do you think are the similarities and differences between personal and corporate brands? (200 + words).
3. Brand Archetype and Metaphor reflection. After working on the week 8 homework (part 1 above), comparing the Brand Archetypes with the Zaltman Marketing Metaphors -- think of how these ideas
could be used in branding communications (200+ words)
2 Visual Experiments (choose from 1st 2 presentations). 500 word writeup on what you've learned so far from these graphic design history presentations (follow the instructions in the week 6-7 folder).
Overall reflections on what you learned in DCMD (all modules, esp BDS and DCOM) + 200+ words
(Include) Other weekly reflections and homeworks



The Loyalist: (Certainty) Class 95 FM
The Hero: (Trust/ Reliability) DBS Bank
The Wise Old Man: (Continuity/ Heritage) Levi’s
The Creator: (Invention/Newness) Apple
Mother of Goodness: (Care/ Nurturing) Dove Shampoo
The Little Trickster: (Humor/ Spontaneity) Coca Cola
The Enigma: (Uncertainty) GP Batteries
The Anti-Hero: (Danger/ Unrepentance) MOTOROLA
The Change Master: (Change/ Newness) Donut Factory
The Ultimate Strength: (Testing/ Proving) Energizer
The Siren: (Seduction/ Destruction)MAYBELLINE
The Powerbroker: (Domination/ Control) ZARA

I decided to use Class 95 FM for the character, “The Loyalist,” as Radio channel class 95 FM has been around for many years and still standing strong, representing how loyal they are to the listener and how loyal the listen are to the channel, as It takes both ways to work.

And for “The Hero”, I decided on using DBS Bank as an example, because trust is needed to convey in order for others to trust their money with the bank, representing how reliability the bank is. Levi’s is as loyal as class 95 FM but a better work is Heritage. And the same goes for the other examples.





Part 1
1. Choose several (12) brands to analyse as you work on the Brand Archetype Worksheet.
Read the notes, and extract the Brand Archetypes you think is embodied by the brand.

2. Also, analyse the brands with the Zaltman Marketing Metaphors.

3. For the 12 brands, compare and contrast the Brand Archetypes and the Zaltman Marketing Metaphors and see how they can be effective in getting to the essence of the brands.
Write a 200+ word reflection on how you can apply these ideas, specifically writing in more detail on applying the metaphors and archetypes with (3) chosen brands (do more research on these 3 brands as case studies).



Activities Part C
Do these activities either as class activity or homework.
Reflect on the lessons of Art History -- and do a little bit of research on some of the art movements that were presented thus far. Choose two of the Art Movements from two different weeks, and collect enough information so that you are familiar with the visual style AND the ideas that particular visual style embodies. Write up (at least 500 words) and reflect on what you know about these styles.
Answer:
Topic: Late Modern

The international typographic style became Dominant throughout the world during the late 1970s. Visual characteristic of this style includes a unity of design by asymmetrical organization of the elements on a mathematically constructed grid along with aids of photography and copy that presents visual and verbal information on a clear and factual manner. More important than the visual appearance of this work is the attitude developed by its early pioneers about their profession. These trailblazers defined design as a socially useful and important activity.
And the evolution of the modern grid was after World War II where a number of graphic designers which includes Max Bill, Emil Ruder, and Josef Müller-Brockmann were influenced by the modernist ideas of Jan Tschichold's Die neue Typographie. The New Typography began to question the relevance of the conventional page layout of the time. They began to devise a flexible system able to help designers achieve coherency in organizing the page. The result was the modern typographic grid that became associated with the International Typographic Style. The seminal work on the subject, Grid systems in graphic design by Müller-Brockmann, helped propagate the use of the grid, first in Europe, and later in North America.
In the early 1980s, a reaction against the entrenchment of the grid, particularly its dogmatic use, and association with corporate culture, resulted in some designers rejecting its use in favour of more organic structure. The typographic grid even continues to be taught today, but more as a useful tool for some projects, not as a requirement or starting point for all page design.
Web developers have only recently started to show a real interest in grid systems. It is hard to say why it has taken so many years for web developers to become interested in something that has been essential to the written medium in general since the 30s. The necessary technology (HTML and CSS) has been around for a while, but has only recently been applied to the implementation of grid-based layout systems for web pages.
I think that it was amazing how humans could create grids from nothing to something, although it is just using lines from both horizontal and vertical, but it takes a creative and intelligent person to find out such simple things in life. Grids are considered the basic steps of design, like alignments. But I was surprise when i knew that grid wasn’t used but jus recently. And in my opinion, I think that it is kind of a waste of time, as since grid has already been invented and found but it was only been put to good use just not long ago. If those time, they had used those grids to design for web pages earlier, life would be so much easier and neater in a way and who knows, maybe better designs would have been out sooner. But if it was the opposite, the world of art and design would have perhaps turn out so much differently. Maybe Ads design would be aligned and design to see after turning a 180 degree or maybe Ads wouldn’t have survive till now and so we are quite fortune to have talents people like them to found out grids and many more in the past, helping us to improve life as it is now.

2. Do some visual experiments yourself on these two chosen visual styles. Try your best to embody the styles, or to derive your own interpretation based on these inspirations. Find an application for these styles. You may also try out these visual experiments on your ongoing self-branding logo revisions too. Bring your reflections and experiments to your next DCOM class.
Answer:





Part B: Your Personal Brand DNA Workout
From the examples above choose the value/s that best embody the “ideal” professional you. Try to fit those into the following Brand DNA components (modified below for your reference for personal branding):

The Brand Category – What exactly are you all about? What category do you fit into (i.e. What kind of graphic
designer are you? What speciality?) ?
The Brand Difference – What makes you stand out against your competitors (list out distinctive
strengths/values)?
The Brand Character – What do you “look and feel like?” graphically (impactful sensory aspects)
The Brand Benefit – What's the Primary Overt Benefit you bring to others (again, relate to values)?
The Brand Credibility – What allows people to believe the claims made about your brand?

On a separate sheet, put down these items, and fill these up:
MY BRAND DNA:
The Brand Category – Graphic, Flash, 3D, Dreamweaver, Creative Designer.

The Brand difference – Unique, Weird, Creative, Fresh and me!

The Brand Character – Michelle Rachel’s own special personal style; Playful, Unique, Creative.

The Brand Benefit – Allowing others to feel special, unique, fresh, shock, surprise and feel like they are one of a kind.

The Brand Credibility – Introducing design in a different light, Transforming the impossible to possible.

Draw out your new Brand mark/Logo Drafts. Choose your favourite one, and in a rationale explain how the different graphic elements come together to create a representation of your brand (USP/value proposition: icon/symbol/index; metaphor, metonym, etc)

Rational
For my personal logo, I decided to use the combination of my initial “M” which stands for “Michelle” and
my own style of “&” to design my logo. A hidden “R” can be found, if the logo is overturn representing for “Rachel”.
For the style of my logo, I wanted a unique, one of a kind look and feel and so I decided to experiment on
Different elements with many different style. And finally, I decided to use the shape of a pen to represent my logo,
As everyone know, a pen is stiff and hard but in my world, everything is possible which the pen in my logo
Represents me best. Like my personality, I am a person filled with many different kinds of “drama” and so my design
Reflects me. I am a pen that creates the impossible, bending into places that nobody can and that is my style of
Designing and my road of life.





Part A: Quick Draw Brandmarks
On a blank A4/notebook sheet – write down your 10-15 personal keywords.
Put down another 5 more professional values.
Create a simple matrix to combine these professional-personal combo-keywords
Quick-sketch (30s-1min) fast and abstract skeletal representations of these combo-ideas. Generate at least 3 quick sketches for each idea. Speed is the essence. Don’t think too much – just leave a mark on paper quickly. Use stick figures. Put the essence of that idea down fast. If you get stuck on one, move on to the next, and strategise your next move.

Once you have done the quick sketches – evaluate your sketches and pick out the ones that are the most interesting, or have the most potential. Develop those and flesh out to more representative brand-marks/logos.
Develop at least 3 that you like into more understandable forms (Don’t need too refined yet).

PART A
Personal Keyworks: (10-15)
Straightforward
Happy
Funny
Faithful
Unique/ Weird
Chatterbox
Easy-going
Entertaining/ Energetic
Ambitious
Playful
Listener
Mischievous

Professional Values: (5)
Calm
Refresh
Serious
Attentive
Listener




Part 3:
Choose two of these brands. Do some research and find some ads and marketing collaterals of these brands. See if the values are consistently depicted throughout these collaterals. Does it have a “unified” feel? Explain the effect of this in more detail, in either case (if its unified or not). Write your concluding reflections on what you learned through this exercise.

Adidas.
I think that the brand Adidas gives
Consumers a energetic feeling,
Refresh, dare to play and power.





Part 3:
Choose two of these brands. Do some research and find some ads and marketing collaterals of these brands. See if the values are consistently depicted throughout these collaterals. Does it have a “unified” feel? Explain the effect of this in more detail, in either case (if its unified or not). Write your concluding reflections on what you learned through this exercise.

Nike.
For the brand Nike, the aim is almost
The same as “Adidas”. Coming with a
Slogan “Just do it” explains it all,
It given the consumers the strength to
Dare, to dream and to have fun.





Part 2
Now examine the logo – how does it represent these values/qualities? Is it able to represent all of it?
Analyse the logo semiotically: What elements are Icons, Symbols or Indexes. What graphical elements does it use to denote its values? What sorts of connotations are shown graphically and how?
What metonyms (realistic representations) and metaphors (fantasy-based representations) are used to show these values?

Part 2: BDS Aviation Logo

(Look in JPEG)

Rational
The Logo is shaped in an outline of a paper plane that represents Aviation, while the many lines shading the paper plane represents the many staff of different departments and Companies. A hidden “100th” is born with the help of both the outline of the plane and the many lines which represents not only the celebration
of a 100th Years of Singapore Aviation but to an understanding that without the help and contribution of every staff this might not be made possible. The colours chosen are Red, Blue and Grey which are use to represent Singapore, Aviation and Connectivity as Red gives a elegant, passion and a strong look to Singapore, Blue
for freedom and to reach great heights which fits well with Aviation and Grey for Professionalism and seriousness for Connectivity. Lastly, another reason why I chose a shape of a paper plane design as it signifies two arrows, a big arrow that is pointing up into the Great Future ahead and a smaller arrow which is the tail of
the paper plane, pointing down to Aviation’s goriest Past, a reminder of everyone’s hard work are not forgotten and that they have made it this far.




Affordable Solutions for better living
Old Taglines:
Any space can be beautiful
Love your home

Simple, Plain and Easy to remember

Values of the Brand:
“The greenest furniture ever!”

Brand Category:
- Home furnitures
Decorations
Toys

Brand Difference:
Cheap/ Affordable
Green/ Environmental Friendly
Simple
Homey
Clean

Brand Character:
It looks simple and easy, and not forgetting very environmental friendly. It is easy to the eye and allowing buyers to feel good and getting closer to nature.

Brand Benefit:
To feel good and better about ourselves.
Like the products, upgrade or better enhance our personality and even self esteem.

Brand Credibility
Making life a better living with such affordable price.


---

Life’s Good

Unique, Simple and Easy to remember

Values of the Brand:
“The most Stylish phone!”

Brand Category:
Phones
Home Appliances (Washing machine, DVD player/recorder, TV, Fridge)

Brand Difference:
Stylish
Cool
Light
Classy
User friendly
Unique
Advance

Brand Character:
It looks Cool, allowing any buyer to feel cool and good when using the products.
LG is famous for their great advance digital effects making it cool, stylish and irresistible to all viewers.

Brand Benefit:
To feel good and better about ourselves.
Like the products, upgrade or better enhance our personality and even self esteem.

Brand Credibility
That life would be so much better and easier.




Revisit 5 Brands you have an affinity for and analyse them

Part 1
On a notebook page - list the Brands and draw out their logos. Analyse the brands and the logo – dissect the design elements and the “essence” that make up the logo ...
First try to list out the brand values of the brand (the propositions it says it stands for – “the coolest phone; the best value for money; quickest relief for headache ...”.
Then see if you can fit the values into the following areas:
The Brand Category -- What exactly is it? What category does it fit into (apparel, perfumery, computing, etc)?
The Brand Difference -- What makes it stand out against the competitors?
The Brand Character -- What it looks and feels like? (sensory aspects)
The Brand Benefit -- What's the Primary Overt Benefit to you?
The Brand Credibility -- What allows you to believe the claims made about the brand?

(Next Page...)




Consider how these different views of motivation affect communications. See where these motivational factors can fit into your communications model. Reflect on the reasons you communicate. Draw up a chart summarising your thoughts on the connections between human motivation and communications in your ongoing DCOM journal/blog--update your personal communications model to incorporate human motivation. d. Write a 500 word reflection on this topic. Submit these individual reflections to your DCOM lecturer at the start of your Week 4 session.

I think that all the different views of motivations affect the communication in life for all people, because if people with desire do not have any personal motivation, there wouldn’t be a target to aim for or even a target to begin with. A life without motivation is like a life living in a another dimension where only hollow reflection exist, as any types of motivation is a kind of strength or power for people to move on, to dare to achieve, to have the will to fulfill something they wouldn’t dare to but want to give it a try but need a friend push in the back. For example: I dream of becoming a singer but I don’t dare to give it a try as there is no one to consult and motivate me and the question of “should I give it a try? I think I better not, I don’t think I would make it” would always be echoing and repeatedly floating around in the human mind, bouncing from wall to wall with no answer in return. (A human black hole)
And so, I think that “motivation” has already been a part of our lives. It is a stepping stone, a sequence everybody has when face with obstacles or fear. In another word, motivation is a power source for us to move on.
People communicate to understand something better and so, Communication is a must for everyone, as without communication a person’s design would lost its purpose of existence and art would never be the same again. Art would be like a soulless product that is just nicely decorated with no purpose of reason or background story at all. I think that everything exists for a reason, and they serve a purpose to help another element as well, like the cycle of motivation. First in order to have motivation people must have the desires to dream and after motivation comes either success achievements or failure experiences which goes back to motivation again but with gained experience. And so in my opinion, Human motivation and communication are inter-connected.
Motivations can come in many different types, like personal motivation, family motivation and even friends/lecturers motivations. It works the same as Art, as art comes in many different forms and spaces, likewise motivations doesn’t restrict to just one. Unknown motivations do exist, like some people believe in signs from god, or fate and even weather changes and even some other unknown functions of motivations may even exist, just that maybe it has not been discovered yet.
I believe that if I was supposed to define all of the connections between human motivation and communications, it would last forever. As many different types of scenario create a different kind of situations and a different person thinks differently as well. It’s like metaphor, there is no final say in this, as everybody have their own opinion on a certain subject. Or maybe I may think this way now but as time pass; my thinking would change or evolve higher in range of education and knowledge.




Exercise/Homework Reflections on human creativity, motivation and communications.
Please read through the lecture notes on creativity/motivation as well as the Virginia Postrel article on Aesthetics/Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Do a group discussion and reflect on the following questions (below):

In small groups, discuss, compare and contrast the different views of human motivation - the Psychoanalytical (Freudian, Jungian), Behavioural, Cognitive and the Humanistic. How would these different views affect human (and consumer) behaviour? Are these theories all equally valid? Do additional research if you have to, to consider these points.

Answer a:
I think that it is in human natural for people to normally choose function over form, but because as time has evolve, people tend to upgrade themselves and so many types of choices of range are available. It wouldn’t have been a problem until some people choose form over function, even when function isn’t up to standard or even low in standard. It is a mistake almost all consumers failed to realize, until when product is bought and tried, then that is the point where some consumers will regret their decision making.


b. Draw out Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs diagram. Fit your top 10 personal values onto the diagram, and reflect on your own chain-of-values. Where do most of your values lie? How do these affect your daily activities, shape your motivations and activities, and your consumption patterns?




Task 4: Values Chains and Prioritisation
Do this in a blank worksheet: Group these values/ needs into “strings”.
Example: Gratitude/ Collaboration/ Teamwork/ Originality…Consider whether the order you have put them in reflects the priority you put into these activities.

-Answer these questions: Do these values guide or conflict with your actions? What are some of your unstated values?
Answer: Definitely yes, It is common that our values sometimes doesn’t really equally back to our actions. And I think that it is something everyone would face or has to face eventually in the future. My unstated values, would be angry, embarrassment, empty and more deep depressing emotional values. I consider them to be unstated, it’s not because I don't have them but because I seldom face them or I overcome them and that are no problem or obstacle now at all. It would be normal for people to throw them away as they are not meant to be kept but a reminder of how happy we are now.

Do you detect any inconsistent/ conflicting value chains? Considering reprioritizing some of these values. What happens?
Answer: I think this is kind of a trick questions, but to say honestly everyone does. Every values are somehow connected to one another, it likes having a manual book, you don’t understand step 5, go back to step 3.
Every time the problem occur again, the same routine is repeatedly replayed.

-What would happen if you changed the order of these values? How would these changes affect your life’s purpose, vision and goals, and your brand expression?
Answer: The process maybe some sort different but the outcome would always be the same. It’s like having a different childhood process with more ups and downs inserted. Take this as an example, if a man was born in a rich family in his “last life” and was very talent but with a lazy attitude and had no future then, and now he was reincarnated into a average income family, still talented but remain lazy, the outcome will still be the same,

List your three most important values or strings, and use these to guide the creation of your personal brand..
Answer: Family Happiness, Faith and Excitement.

Introduce a Deep Metaphor/ Brand Archetype or cluster of these Metaphors/ Archetypes to your personal brand, along with your other brand DNA attributes you have. Refer to the previous Brand Archetype worksheets and notes on Deep Metaphors for this.
Answer: A element of a pen is used to represent my logo in my own personal brand. This is when Metaphor comes in place, a pen which was once unbendable, now in my design and imagination has transform into a bendable creative element to shape into any kind of style .

Brainstorm, shape, and articulate your personal positioning statement: (What are the values that best represent your personal brand? Think of this as a rational). Use the positioning statement and sketch out your personal brand concepts based on the combinations of these values chains and metaphors/ archetypes, and your Brand DNA attributes. Show your lecturer your brand concepts sketches before proceeding to finalize your personal brand logos.
Answer: My personal brand logo was first drawn into many different style and soon decision needed to be made, with the help of lecturers assistance, a final logo was decided and focus on, and soon upgrading was made.


Task 1: Identity your needs and values

Personal; Kinship

Professional; Education, Career, Money and Future

Task 2: Values Ranking
Adventure
Bravery
Caring
Change
Creativity
Curiosity
Directness
Excitement
Faith
Family Happiness
Hope
Humor
Open-Mindedness
Perseverance
Responsibility

What other values and needs are important to you that are not on the list.
Add your own: Positive, Talkative.

Task 3:



Activities
1. Form groups of 4.
2. DEFINE communications in your own words. What is your understanding of COMMUNICATIONS? What are the elements of communication. Create a mind map/process flow-map of this term NOW.

3. Think of 3 communications situations, and map out Communications scenarios, showing its process clearly. .

4. Present your group's findings about the communications process, in relation to how you think communications can be strengthened and made more creative..



Re-Introduce yourself to your instructor - as if you have not met before. Relook the goals you set last year, and reflect on your life/progress so far.

2. Answer these questions as you Re-introduce yourself: 

 What did I do well last year?
During year 1, 1st semester I manage to score a GPA of 3.5 and scored most modules with an A
.
 What did I do badly last year?
In module it would be VDS. If it’s about attitude, it would be too overly anxious.

 Did I achieve my goals last year? How much of it did I achieve?
It’s a yes and no. I did manage to achieve my dream GPA in my 1st semester in year 1 but soon, fall slightly lower in 2nd semester. From a GPA of 3 to 3.5, and drop to 3.2.

 What stopped me from achieving those goals?
Distractions of desires. Like example books, TV and especially the internet.

 What are my goals this year?
To score a higher than normal GPA of 3.2. Getting my feet back to 3.5 and strive to GPA 4.

 What do I promise to do if I encounter difficulties and am unclear about anything related to the class?
I would be more aware and clear of what I should and should not do, avoiding distractions and to focus on each particular module as suppose to. And if I was unable to understand the module clearly, I would take the initiative to ask the lectures available.

 What am I committed to achieve in this class?
To better understand and communicate designs in a whole new way.

 Who I am (name), and some brief, distinctive things about myself.
I am Michelle Rachel Chng, and like most people in this class/course, I love drawing and designing. If I was to introduce myself, I would say I am a person whom can’t stop drawing and am a animal person. When I’m focus on something, I would do my best to complete it, even if time is running out.

 What am I committed to achieve in this class
To better understand and communicate designs in a whole new way, trying to learn what’s going on not only in the outside but what’s going on inside as well, it’s like learning everything from the basic as everything is improve, to better understand what I’m doing and not just doing for the sake of doing.

 What is my (Unique Selling Proposition)? List a few possibilities.
Flexible
Family Happiness
Open-minded
Excitement
curiosity

 What bad habits of mine do I intend to do something about over the semester?
To stop being lazy and do some time management and organising.

 What is my promise to the class this year... (What I can contribute to make it a better learning environment for everyone, etc)
To be more social able and widen my range of exploration.

 What I would like to achieve in my three years in the DCMD course?

3. Write-up this Personal Promise Declaration, and submit to your lecturer by end of the week.
I would like to gain many experiences and knowledge so that I can put it to good use when I’m in the society and it would be so much easier to find a job.

I am not quite done with this week assignment.

As i am still alittle unsure about this topic.

Still in the process..