I have been asked to write a self-assessment of my progress so far on my capstone project. I will respond below to six requirements for capstone projects in the Master of Arts in Graphic and Web Design (MAGWD) program at Minneapolis College of Art & Design (MCAD).
Topic, resources, means of creation, and proposed components for messaging will be discussed and examined at a level of rigor appropriate for completion of the master's degree.
If one of the marks of “rigor” in an academic context is “academically, intellectually, and personally challenging” (source: “The Glossary of Education Reform,” www.edglossary.org/rigor/), my experience of this capstone project fits that description very well. During this capstone project I have been challenged—I think we all have been challenged—academically, intellectually, and personally.
“The Glossary of Education Reform” further states that “rigorous” assignments “encourage students to think critically, creatively, and more flexibly.” In completing the Jetsonville font I have used critical thinking and creativity, and I have certainly gotten some good practice at being flexible in my thinking!
One final point: “The Glossary of Educational Reform” describes a rigorous learning environment as one that is “stimulating, engaging, and supportive.” I think all three of these qualities apply very well to the capstone process as currently constituted—I have felt stimulated, engaged and supported throughout this process.
The project will be program-encompassing and representative of the Master of Arts in Graphic and Web Design.
I chose the completion of the Jetsonville font as my capstone project because it was the best example I could find of a project that would encapsulate what I have learned throughout both the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate program and the Master of Arts in Graphic and Web Design program.
In this project I am using concrete skills taught in various courses in this program including motion design, programming for the Web and, of course, typography. But beyond these concrete skills, I am using skills picked up in this program that are harder to pin down, such as a more finely developed sense of good design. This design sense, for example, not only lets me judge which of two letterforms will work better in the Jetsonville font, but also lets me analyze and understand why one letterform works and one doesn’t.
Research and collected data must be accurate and verifiable, with sources listed and accessible.
The Google Documents Research Archive Listing has been a fantastic tool for keeping track of my research. I have collected 27 research links so far, and the document is accessible anywhere in the world by anyone with the link from my progress platform.
Consistent documentation of process to further articulate intentions of what you’re making.
As a writer, I thought that a blogging setup would be the best solution for this project’s progress platform. Now that I am more than halfway through this project, I think I made the right choice here. So far in six weeks I have made thirteen posts (this post will be the fourteenth), so that’s more than two posts a week.
But, having said that, there is still a lot more that I could write about this project, and that I want to write about this project.
In addition to other exhibition offerings and presentations, the final project, along with its process, will be accessible and discoverable for viewing as an online gallery.
A week ago I posted a website plan in my progress platform. It had forty-one pages. I have started figuring out some coding methods I want to use in constructing it, but I have not yet actually started construction. That will be one of my tasks for the next few weeks.
The project should allow for community engagement and partnership.
Community engagement: I have received good feedback from three use testers, all of whom are accomplished members of the Twin Cities design community.
Partnership/Mentor/Subject Matter Expert: I have been in contact several times with Chank Diesel, a noted and distinguished Twin Cities typeface designer. I have submitted a version of the Jetsonville font to him, along with a list of questions about font distribution and marketing, and am awaiting his feedback on the Jetsonville font and his answers to my questions.
