Final Post: Blog Reflection

I enjoyed the time I spent working with my mentor and colleagues. For my physical project, I designed an Android game for smartphones, because my paper was on The Evolution of Handheld Gaming. The game itself was a solo project based on relation to my research paper, but my mentor provided me with constructive feedback and help when I needed it.

At the start of the Capstone Project, my colleagues and I were still confused about what we were actually doing. This was probably our main challenge for half the project. Our initial idea was to design and create smartphone applications, but with the development and time frame we had, we wouldn't be able to finish a professionally made one. Another challenge would be meeting up, since my colleagues and I had school, work and clubs/recreational activities; our mentor had to work his main job.

Our mentor Barry explained that we would help him with his work, and he would help us with ours. So we began our hours shadowing and seeing what he did. We sat in his conference meetings with his team to see how they were strategically planning a fall season release of a new upcoming clothing line. We watched him take photographs of his products to put on the internet as a stock image. Later, we moved on to assembling his product, one of them called the Prescription package. Barry taught us an import lesson in advertising and how it could be made cheap using something as simple as stickers. We helped him promote his brand Design Rehab using this method. He branded us his intern team shortly afterwards.

Personally, I feel that i've learned a lot of valuable business lessons. I learned how branding + design relate to business, how a small logo can make a large impact, and how business is ran in different ways. Barry taught me personally that "It's not always about the type of work you do, but who do you your work with." This taught me that networking and connections can get you really far in business, no matter what type of business it is.

In the future, I hope to stay with Design Rehab as an intern (for now) and work with my colleagues and Barry. It will be the foundation my colleagues and I can begin with and use to build our own businesses someday; but to build a business, you must be learn from and be apprenticed by one first.

Capstone Project Log #7

Today was fearsome indeed.

I completed my blueprints for my smartphone game project, Project: Capstone Pool.

I designed the game interface, leveled it, and made the graphics.

I created a video for my project to be used in my PowerPoint Presentation.

I finished my PowerPoint Presentation and Barry helped me revise and proofread it.

Hours Today  5.5

Hours Total  26.5

*Screenshot of my PowerPoint 

*Capstone pool

Capstone Project Log #6

Today I re-wrote some parts of my blog and included the "Hours Today" and "Hours Total." I also fixed grammatical errors and fragment sentences on my posts.

I did some work retouching my logo and finalizing blueprints for my game design. It required me to do a little more brainstorming, but I managed to draw out everything I needed to.

Hours Today  3

Hours Total  21

Capstone Project Log #5

Our session of branding and design was a little different today. We were each asked to give a presentation to each other. I came a bit unprepared, but managed alright in the end. I was able to speak in front of everyone else just fine, but my content was a little lacking.

Once again we were introduced to another one of Design Rehab's designs. A cigarette-shaped pencil was a very clever example of two ideas into one.

Barry had a conference meeting with other members of his company. As his interns, Charles, Brad and I participated in the conference about an upcoming clothing line. We talked about various products and milking ideas.

In this session, I learned the importance of theme and its use towards marketing.

To promote Design Rehab, we went sticker tagging downtown around the city. It taught me the importance of advertisement and how it allows a large audience of people to see it in an inexpensive way.


Hours Today  6

Hours Total  18

*"Drugs are expensive, inspiration is free." - Design Rehab

*An example of a DR sticker placed in San Francisco.

Capstone Project Log #4

I've been slow on updating, but this is actually for my progress from Wednesday on February 20th.

Charles, Brad, Barry and I had an open discussion on the topic of business and working your way up. We each shared an important object in our lives, how it represents us, and how we can incorporate it into our brands.

We watched Barry take photographs for his upcoming release on a pair of designer sunglasses. He showed us that stock photos are very simple to take, and can be taken using a big white piece of paper and any phone or digital camera with a decent quality.

Today we assisted Barry by helping him with his company, Design Rehab. We were asked to help him assemble an upcoming product called the "Prescription Package." The Prescription Package consists of a prescription drug bottle, a Healthy Hustle sticker and 3 pin buttons. They promote the idea that drugs are expensive but inspiration is free. Our job was to carefully place the label on the bottle, pack stickers and buttons into the prescription bottle, and place a lid on top. We did this for nearly one hundred bottles.


Hours Today  4

Hours Total  12

*Assembly of the Healthy Hustle.

Capstone Project Log #3

This session wasn't really a meet-up with our mentor, but a Skype conference call. Our mentor Barry was busy this week so we had to find an alternative method to communicate. Once again we discussed our progress on our concepts, and Barry guided us to design a brand. My initial idea was to create a brand for smartphone apps, so I branded "CHAPPS." The CH represents the first two letters of my name, and the APPS represents the word "applications."

With Barry's help, my initial logo was redesigned and revamped into a more appealing and simple design.

Barry showed us examples of a blueprint for a project he is currently working on, which unfortunately cannot be revealed.

Today I learned how to design a logo for my brand. Which took about an hour by itself.


Hours Today  3

Hours Total  8

*Most likely not my final brand or logo design, but a good start.

Capstone Project Log #2

After school, my colleagues and I took Bart public transportation to visit Barry once again for a discussion and meeting following up on our work progress since the last time we saw him.

Our ideas were mostly brainstormed outside of the meeting and our early concepts and ideas were introduced with one another. Much of our time was spent sharing our designs and finishing our sketches.

Our work will continue over the next few weeks, but we may be shadowing him soon in the works. In this session, our mentor officially named us his interns and we may be given some work to help him out with his own.

Hours Today  3

Hours Total  5

*Since we were downtown, why not?