Pitch #1: Re-envisioning of Former COM Class Project: Cause-Based Instagram Account
Revamp and re-brand the “SJUspeaks” Instagram/Campaign that I created in Visual Design, making it more well-known, collaborative & inclusive.
The purpose of SJUspeaks was to create an Instagram account that served as a public outlet for SJU students to voice their opinions, concerns, tips, tricks, and ideas to help make campus a better place. Since started in Fall 2021, this account gained the attention of many students, student senate, and even faculty that individually reached out to me about working towards change at SJU. At the end of the fall ‘21 semester, I had every intention of keeping up the Instagram, but I did not have sufficient time to devote to SJUspeaks. However, I feel like this would be the perfect opportunity to bring it back. This project would challenge me to become more connected and aware of common concerns and opinions from a wide range of students on campus, as well as the level of planning and commitment it takes to run such an involved social media account.
My goal for SJUspeaks is to potentially rebrand the account, complete with a new brand book/design persona, especially focusing on improved accessibility and inclusivity with the account. I aim to include 3-4 posts per week – scheduled & pre-planned with captions, tags, etc. via google sheets. I would be responsible for writing, photographing, recording, and editing all content. I aim to incorporate forms, polls, and QR codes around campus where students can submit their opinions, tips, and what they would like to see changed at SJU. I want to make an even greater effort to include videos and interviews as part of regularly scheduled posts, as well as a bi-weekly Instagram live where students can address issues publicly firsthand.
To complete this project, I intend to utilize the Adobe Suite, especially Illustrator, Photoshop, Lightroom, Audition & Premiere Pro. I also plan to use Canva for some graphics. I will also use equipment from the COM gear room such as a DSLR camera (photography), zoom recorder, SD cards, and LAV mics for videography. I will post on the social media platforms of primarily Instagram and Facebook (group). Other software includes but is not limited to UNUM, my iPhone, Google Sheets and Google Forms.
Pitch #2: Building Skills Towards my Future Career: Adobe Tutorials & Projects
Lack of formal Adobe instruction at SJU: taking initiative to learn new key skills/shortcuts via video tutorials on my own for my future career.
After taking every graphic design class SJU has to offer as a graphic design minor, I still feel as though I am somewhat of a “beginner” in the Adobe suite. I want to work in graphic design and feel more confident about my abilities in Adobe, especially when it comes to portfolio works and questions in interviews. I know that there are various skills and shortcuts that I have yet to learn, but have not been able to commit the necessary time to learn them properly. This project would give me the opportunity to really challenge myself into gaining proficiency in the Adobe suite through the use of instructional videos to help me create new and more advanced portfolio works with various learned techniques, while also sharing my skills with others.
My goal for this project is to take time each week to complete a few hours of youtube Adobe instructional videos on various software and apply these skills to create 4-5 accessible projects/works for my portfolio. Upon completion of these projects, I would upload these to my personal portfolio website: www.pereiranatalia.com. I would also like to host 2-3 virtual Adobe seminars/skill-building sessions over zoom or in person with the SJU Creative Collective to share my newfound knowledge and open a discussion with others who are interested in furthering their Adobe skills.
To complete this project, I intend to utilize the Adobe Suite, especially Illustrator, Photoshop, Lightroom, Audition, Premiere Pro, and InDesign. I will use YouTube and other video-streaming platforms for free tutorials, as well as potentially TikTok and Instagram for shorter “tips”. I will use Brackets, Filezilla and Firefox to update and upload portfolio projects to my website, and will also potentially use Zoom to host the Adobe seminars.
Example of Free YouTube Illustrator Tutorial:
Pitch #3: Getting Back to Writing and Recording my Music, but with a Purpose!
Creating purposeful songs and sharing them through social media & music platforms.
I used to write, record and perform my own music all the time back in Middle and High School when I actually had the time and resources to. In College, I still work on my own personal music occasionally, but not as much as I used to. Singing and writing music along with playing the piano, guitar and ukulele have always been some of my greatest passions. With this, I would not only get back into doing what I love, but also do it with the intention of writing each song from a different perspective or as serving a different purpose for the public to hear (topics such as social justice, COVID, civil rights, relationships, friendships, growing up, etc.). This project would challenge me to expand my skills in audio/sound recording, editing, songwriting, content creation, and social media management, all while sharing publicly a creative expression of my outlook on popular current events, issues or struggles in society.
My goal for this project is to write, rehearse, record, and post 4-5 songs, each with a completely different purpose/meaning that reveal common issues, events, milestones, or struggles in society. I intend to start an Instagram and Tiktok where I publicly share small portions of these songs & their meanings to spark conversation and promote different viewpoints on difficult topics. However, this social media presence also comes with the key goal of promoting/marketing my work: this ‘release’ of an EP (collection of my 4-5 recorded songs). Upon completion, I would share my music publicly on Spotify, Soundcloud, and Apple Music with a personally designed EP cover.
To complete this project, I intend to utilize Adobe Audition, GarageBand, LogicPro X, Spire mini music recording software, Yeti mic, along with other technology from the COM gear room such as a Shure SM58 or other solo mic, and a zoom recorder/SD cards for recording and editing. I also plan to use the platforms of Instagram and Tiktok to promote and share my work, as well as SoundCloud, Apple Music, and Spotify. I intend to use my own electronic keyboard, ukulele and guitar. The style of music will be largely acoustic and contemporary with layering of background vocals and sounds made by the keyboard or me. The EP cover will be designed and created through a combination of Canva and Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, and Illustrator.
Example of a song with a purpose: bringing up key ideas/concerns about politics & policy
January 20, 2023 at 2:13 pm
Thanks for sharing these, Natalia.
Of the three that you have presented, the first seems the most like a potential Capstone project, though I do worry that the upgrades to this project won’t be significant enough. I’d need to know more about the scope of the changes that you’d be making. I’m also concerned about how the goals (not the form, the goals) of this project differentiates itself from Start Talking SJU (https://www.instagram.com/starttalkingsju/), which was started by COM students in 2018 and ran through 2021 (the last time an associated class took it on). I see the websites for the various Start Talking SJU campaigns need to be addressed, as there are some errors taking place, but still the question about goals remains.
In a reply to this, can you address those concerns, and also add another potential project you might have in mind?
Thanks,
Bill
January 20, 2023 at 3:52 pm
My main goal in creating SJUspeaks was for it to be an outlet where SJU students could have the option to anonymously share tips, advice, opinions and concerns to be posted publicly- all with the hope of these reaching the respected audiences necessary to facilitate change. For example, when students came to me about public safety’s reliability and I posted about it, both sjusenate and the senior associate director of social media, Nicole Glueckert reached out to me about collabs and working to make changes because these concerns had been brought to their attention through the account. I feel like SJUspeaks is different from Start Talking SJU because it covers a variety of topics, spanning from advice to suggestions to opinions to concerns. From what I can tell, Start Talking SJU focuses mainly on opinions surrounding specific topics such as change through COVID, and in 2019 sharing stories confronting intolerance, racism, sexism, and other forms of hate on campus. While Start Talking SJU covers many heavy and personal topics and experiences, I think SJUspeaks is a more lighthearted and casual platform to share. I’m not sure if these are enough differences to distinguish between the two… Does this make sense though?
As for the upgrades, I am planning on completely changing the appearance, branding, etc – with a different logo, color scheme, fonts, filters, images, and more. I will complete 3-4+ weekly posts that will be carefully planned to fit a unified aesthetic and scheduled according to popular posting times via insights. I will work to grow my following by at least 15%. I also aim to incorporate forms, polls, and QR codes around campus where students can submit their opinions, tips, and what they would like to see changed at SJU anonymously. I want to make an even greater effort to include short videos and interviews as part of regularly scheduled posts – but in a category (ex: “Tuesday Tips”). My vision for the Instagram live is to go on live and read the comments that come in and then add the person into the live to have a conversation with me about it. I would also like to schedule photoshoots for content.
Basically, I would be keeping the same Instagram account with the same purpose/ideas, just changing its appearance, structuring it, growing it, and incorporating different elements to make it even more successful.
If this still may not be enough, I will think of other ideas! I already have a couple in mind.