Project Details
Guiding and transforming student projects into impactful, real-world creative solutions through a capstone experience that emphasizes collaboration, innovation, and strategic creative direction.
Client:
BYU-Idaho Visual Emphasis Capstone Students & Real-World Partners
Challenges:
To evolve a traditional curriculum of printed projects into a modernized, industry-relevant approach where students collaborate on large-scale initiatives. The goal was to equip students with the skills and experience necessary to succeed professionally by creating meaningful, market-driven projects.
Deliverables:
Comprehensive advertising campaigns, Brand identity systems, Mobile app designs, Short animations and product designs, Game and publication designs, Client-ready presentations and case studies
Skills:
Creative Direction, Team Leadership, Design Thinking & Human-Centered Design, Project Management, Client Communication, User Research, Competitor Analysis, Prototyping, Ideation, Graphic Design, Branding, Advertising, & Digital Media Design
Transforming emerging talent into market-ready creatives through strategic mentorship.
Background Info
The Educational Experience
At BYUI, I lead capstone classes for the Visual and Social Media Emphases. These courses help students develop compelling portfolio pieces to stand out professionally. Five years ago, I redesigned the curriculum from a series of printed projects to a focus on three large-scale initiatives, reflecting evolving industry needs in areas like animation, branding, and marketing. This new approach empowers students to conceptualize, plan, execute, and refine projects.
One of these capstone projects is a group collaboration where students work in teams of 5-10. They choose projects ranging from personal endeavors to real-world client partnerships, showcasing creative growth, teamwork, and practical application of their skills.
Types of Projects
- Advertising Campaigns
- Brand Identity Design
- App Design
- Short Animations
- Product Design
- Game Design
- Children’s Books
- Publication Design
- Video Game Design
Preparing Students
To help students have long-term success, we teach students to use a designing thinking and a human centered approach, a creative process the starts with understanding and ends with creativity.
Phase 1: Gain an Understanding
We teach students that we must first immerse ourselves in the lives of the people we are designing for in order to understand their needs. By the end of this phase we can empathize and make better, and more importantly informed, decisions. We use different methods to reach that understanding and identify pain points and what the true problem is.
Customer Research
- User Interviews
- Surveys and Questionnaires
- Focus Groups
- Usability Testing
- Customer Journey Mapping
- Field Studies/Ethnography
- Feedback Analysis
Competitor Research
- Competitive Analysis Matrix
- SWOT Analysis
- Market Positioning Analysis
- Feature Comparison
- Website and Content Audit
- Social Media Monitoring
- Customer Reviews and Testimonials Analysis
Phase 2: Ideation
After identifying the problem we need to resolve, we explore the possible solutions. We start with simple activities to generate as many ideas as possible and go through a refinement process until we have a prototype.
Brainstorming Activities
- Mind Mapping
- Word Lists
- Rapid Ideation
- Round Robin Brainstorming
Visual Brainstorming
- Sketching
- Mood boards
- Storyboarding
- Wireframing
Customer Research
- Low-Fidelity Prototyping
- Clickable Wireframes
- Interactive Mockups
- Stylescapes
Phase 3: Production
Executing the planned creative. I wait this long because I have found, after sufficient planning, the production goes much faster and we have less revisions.
The Final Steps
- Drafting
- Feedback & Refinement
- Delivery
Phase 4: Analysis
Conducting postmortems and developing case studies for reflection and improvement. Although the students projects typically do not require constant updates, they go through an analysis process with me.
Lets see it in action
The Projects and the Student’s Role
Let’s use three different projects to show how these students utilized this process for success.
These projects come from the visual emphasis capstone course. The students pick a project and execute it as a team throughout the semester. These projects tend to be more about team building, functionality and learning collaboration rather than about creating a large quantity of work.
After teaching the students and preparing them to use this process, students would run their teams with an art director and project manager. They would make decisions, do research and run the first rounds of feedback within the team.
My Involvement
I would act as an executive creative director. My responsibilities would largely focus on:
- Budget Management
- Discussing Visuals with clients
- Managing teams
- Oversee project executions
- Provide feedback
- Mentor team members
- Set Goals
- Define Creative Vision
- Oversee Branding
Project Examples
The Feeling is Mutual
Advertising Campaign
Mutual app, which is a dating for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, came to us asking for help. The goal was to develop an advertising campaign focused on connection and relatability. It aims to enhance potential users’ perceptions of dating apps and themselves.
Phase 1: Understanding
Customer Research
With research and demographics provided by the client, the team found Mutual’s users are found in over 100 countries all around the world, and a majority of the target audience lives in Utah, Idaho, and Hawaii attending one of the Brigham Young Universities.
In addition to the research, the team conducted audience polls and interviews.
Competitor Research
Although the team did not put this into their case study, they looked at other dating apps to see how they communicate with their audience and used some reverse engineering to influence their strategy and plan.
Phase 2: Ideation
Brainstorming Activities
The team held rounds of brainstorming. They would come prepared and review concepts to make decisions quick.
Visual Concepts
Mood boards were used to develop out the visual concepts.
Prototyping
We meet with Mutual’s marketing leadership to pitch the campaign concept and a few different conceptual visual prototypes.
Phase 3: Production
Drafting
This is where the students heavily relied upon my experience and expertise. On a weekly basis, students would bring in drafts for critique. I did my best to keep the project theirs by avoiding personal opinions and focusing on design and marketing principles, and asking lots of questions. I have personally found this to be an effective way to run teams.
Twisted Taterz
Brand Identity Design
We took on a client who wanted to start a soda pop and potatoes restaurant. They came to us asking for help crafting a brand identity system.
Phase 1: Understanding
Customer Research
By using research through Spark Turo and observations, the team put together personas and empathy maps.
Competitor Research
We also looked at competitors but this time the team built positioning graphs to find any open gaps within the competitor landscape. We also put together a few mood boards of current competitors to know what not to mimic.
Phase 2: Ideation
Brainstorming Activities
Part of the brainstorming was looking through different illustration styles.
Visual Concepts
This team built out stylescapes, a step up from mood boards, where designers might change some of the elements.
Prototyping
Each team member tried their hand at illustration style and received feedback.
Phase 3: Production
Drafting
This is where the students heavily relied upon my experience and expertise. On a weekly basis, students would bring in drafts for critique. I did my best to keep the project theirs by avoiding personal opinions and focusing on design and marketing principles, and asking lots of questions. I have personally found this to be an effective way to run teams.
More Projects
Veggie Might
Video Game Design
A satirical side-scrolling action platformer video game. In Veggie Might, the main character, Bear, is an animal-loving, kombucha-drinking vegan on a journey to an animal-rights rally. Throughout his trip, he can’t help but save any animal he sees.
Download the full Case Study
Sushi, Pickle, Llama, Pasta Stash
Card Game Design
The students wanted to do a retake on the popular game, Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza and create an advertising campaign to promote it.
Download the full Case Study
Creative Cook Book
Activity Book Production
A book that provides opportunities for children and parents alike to learn something new. It is an activity book designed to help children to step away from the distractions of the world and help channel their creativity.
The full Case Study
JJ McRebs Excellent Mystery
Video Game Design
A video game of a blue-skinned Pajama Superhero trying to fix the weather. A talking car and his dog traveling to the moon. Guybrush Threepwood. Point and Click adventure games of the ‘80s and ‘90s were wild – and also some of our first childhood interactions with computers.
Download the full Case Study
The Apex Method
Branding & Content Creation
A progress focused resource that fitness beginners can utilize to aid in their journey to understanding their potential and reaching their highest point through cardio, resistance, and strength training. The project created video resources that include workouts and inspirational interviews, a full brand identity that includes a logo and design rules, social media posts, advertisements, fitness infographics, and an active website.
Download the full Case Study
Rhea Sphere
Brand Identity & Content Creation
Our team of designers combined photography, website design, app design, social media, and video to create an array of wellness content. Video courses on Yoga and Meditation were created for use on a website or mobile app. Social media content was crafted to provide our community with inspiration and tips to help them further their wellness journey. All aspects of our content reflect our brand’s mission of providing rhythms of connection, grounding, and flow to the Rhea Sphere community.
Download the full Case Study
Costume For Agnes
Children's Book Design
Rebekah won a story-writing competition in her school when she wrote “A Costume for Agnes.” Since then, she has wanted to have her book published. The team set the goal to illustrate Rebekah’s book and then create a complete promotional campaign for her and her family to use when they self-publish the book.
The full Case Study
Deadly Island
Brand Identity & Game Design
Description: A board game where players try to survive the deadly island. The team took on a client who came up with the game and helped with game design, iconography, branding, and packaging.
Download the full Case Study
Tend App
Brand Identity & App Design
Description: Is an app built to help it’s users set goals. The app would be ease to use, provide value, and be visually appealing. The team would embark on a full brand identity, app design, content creation, and illustration.
Download the full Case Study
Potato Hotel
Advertising Campaign
Kristie Wolfe, a tiny home builder, went on tour with the “Famous Idaho Potato.” It was gifted to Kristie after its seven years of traveling the United States on the back of a semi. Kristie remodeled the potato into a beautiful hotel space that can be rented out to guests in Boise, Idaho and needed some help promoting the opportunity. The team would create a website, merchandise, social media content, photography, and a tour video.
Download the full Case Study
High School Sports Promo
Awareness Campaign and Photography
The project set out to provide recognition through a promotional campaign for the hard-working athletic students of the Sugar-Salem High School. Coaches were asked to select students as the team representatives who were not only good athletes or performers but also good examples to their peers.
The full Case Study
