Capstone: Persona
Who is this project made for?
Welcome back, reader! In this post, I am going to present to you guys the personas I have developed for my capstone. If this is your first time reading my blog, please read my first post What is Capstone, to get caught up.
My capstone idea
I am creating 5 illustrated cover designs. Each cover will be illustrated in different illustration styles copied from famous illustrators. A masthead using custom letterforms will be designed for each cover, matching the illustration style as well.
What is a persona?
Personas are fabricated archetypes, or models, of end users. Personas identify user motivations, expectations and goals (A Designer’s Research Manual 90).
Here are the Three different personas that I have chosen. Each persona will inform the decisions that I have to make about my project.
#1 This Illustrator
Who is this project for primarily? After thinking about this question a while I realized that the answer was a no-brainer; this project is for me. This is my illustration/lettering project intended to help me improve my abilities, and teach me new life skills. In my lifetime I want to have a strong career, get married, start a family, and make an impact doing what I do best. This project is for nobody but me. The process will help me better understand myself in a deeper way because for this project to work, I will need to test the limits of my own abilities.
In an article called Positive Benefits of Creating Art, Beth Unite writes “Creativity is all about exploring, imagining and discovering, which makes art a perfect catalyst for increasing creative thinking and expression.” Creating art simply makes you more creative. Since I want to be more creative, I have chosen my capstone project to be an art project.
#2 The Bigwigs
As an intern at Cartel, I witnessed my boss hire a 2021 graduate based on his capstone project. This showed me that a capstone project has value beyond the addition of personal creativity; it can get you hired. The people that I am targeting with this project are my future employers. This persona would include clients and creative directors. These are people searching for creatives who are willing to align with their mission and move their company toward a brighter future. They are looking for the best, most affordable person to hire.
In an article from Adobe called How to Become an Illustrator as a Profession, the author pointed out that “focusing on a type of work will tell potential employers what you specialize in. If you choose to showcase a broader set of work, make sure it’s work you’d like to potentially get hired to do. A portfolio is like a menu — only list what you want someone to order.” During my internship, I realized that I love to illustrate for publications because of the amount of creative freedom the creative directors gave me, so I will be doing illustrated magazine covers—and other media covers—for my capstone in order to increase my chances of getting hired for that kind of work.
#3 The Admissions Officer
One thing that I have seriously considered is getting my masters in illustration. I began to entertain that idea after being invited to view the Washington University students present their illustration-based thesis projects. Therefore, my third persona would be the admissions officer at any University that has a masters program for illustration. It is difficult to determine exactly how they admit students because each graduate program is unique, but what I do know is that admission is partially based on the skill of the student, their background, and their potential for success. If I can create an impressive portfolio piece, then my chances of getting into a solid program increase because I present myself as someone who is driven and has potential.
In the article How Difficult is it to Get into Graduate School I read that it is very challenging to get into a graduate program because of how selective schools can be. The best thing that a person can have is the professional experience to prove that they have the gumption to make it through the degree program. My internship has given me lots of professional experience, but a successful capstone project would help me out a lot also.
