The Finale

It's the end of my internship, almost the end of all senior research project stuff. And yet, it feels that there is still so much to do. A power point and a presentation. With my presenting skills and a horrible lack of numerical or scientific research, the entire presentation will go like so:
"Hi, my name is Gabby - I mean, Gabrielle McNamara - and I advertised. Here's a small summary of what I did *(points)*, and here are some pretty pictures I made on my computer *(points)*. Here's a slide with numbers on how useful I was as an advertiser *(points)*. Thank you."
Ok, so it probably won't be THAT bad, but you get the idea.
Also, I got the survey back today from Terra Java. 30 people took it. Out of 30, 100% said that they found Terra Java through community outreach. But I think the results are skewed because I am assuming that community oriented people are more likely to answer a survey like that without an outside incentive (like a free cup of coffee). Also, social networking probably reaches a lot more people who just can't go to Terra Java because they aren't in the community.
Besides this, Terra Java is trying to win a local business contest through Intuit. I've been advertising it through social networking because I wasn't really sure how to advertise that through community outreach...

So I guess this is the end...Some things that I have learned from this experience:
1. blogging is NOT my thing
2. don't jump into something that you have no idea how to do. Just no.
3. don't waste time on things that will definitely be of little benefit (I learned that with ray eyewear...they never paid me and I helped them so much!)
4. have fun with what you are doing. if you like what you do, you will do it well.
5. get enough sleep. trust me. coffee makes it worse...
I have no other advice. I hope you guys liked what I have done! I'm so glad I found so many opportunities to work with. I think this was a good learning experience and I hope I can learn more as I go.

~Time to Find Another Adventure

The Survey of Social Understanding

I'm back in Arizona for some of the week. Yay, hot weather! At least it's not extremely hot yet; still nice enough to go outside....kinda...
Anyways, for my final week, besides working on the power point, I have been working on a survey for Terra Java. I finally made it and printed 100 copies. It wasn't too bad since I was able to fit 10 surveys per page. Its a really short survey, only one question: How did you find out about Terra Java? And I have a few options, like facebook/social networking sites, event websites (like yelp), restaurant reviews (i.e. urbanspoon), food blogs, friends/family/coworkers/word of mouth, invited to an event at terra java, and then I have an "other" option. I realize now that I should have put down "newspaper" as an option, but it's too late now. Also, I feel like that will be very few people. Most people that I've talked to have said that they found out through facebook or word of mouth (or a confusing mix of both that I don't know how to differentiate...for example, a friend will invite a friend through facebook to an event a Terra Java....still not sure how to categorize that). I advertised the survey on the facebook page and I hope that it will be a success. If not, I would still have an estimate of the success of community outreach vs. social networking. So far for this project, it seems that community outreach is more successful. But I might be wrong, we will see.
Since I forgot to take a picture of the the cute survey boxes that I got for the small surveys because I'm a horrible blogger :P, I have this artsy picture and a coffee comic to try to make up for it! Enjoy:

~ Until My Next Adventure

The Last of the Logos

I did it. The last of my logo projects are complete, satisfaction guaranteed by the adviser Tina and her co-owners. I am very excited about the final products! For The Noah Spencer Foundation, I fixed the uneven lettering and changed the blue, so it's officially complete. Also, for Trenz, I put a nice border around it and only put a little bit of color on the eye and lips (requested by Tina). Here's a look at the two...

I think I'm literally in love with the Trenz logo! (I don't mean to sound narcissistic, I just think that it's my best work yet and it looks like a REAL DEAL logo)

Right now, I am waiting for complete approval by all the co-owners of Trenz and the members of the Noah Spencer Foundation, but so far everyone who has seen them has liked them.

Besides logos, I have talked to Chef O about the survey for Terra Java, and it was approved. I already started it on the facebook page, and it seems that most people know about it by community outreach (aka, word of mouth, invited to an event, newspaper article, etc). Although I did a survey online, I am still going to do a survey inside the coffee shop to see if the results follow up with the results from online. I am going to do a paper survey and put a drop box next to it so that people ordering coffee and stuff might take it while they check out or wait for their coffee. Hopefully, I will get a lot of responses! Also, I got permission from Chef O to see some of her records, so I will have more evidence to work with.

~Until My Next Adventure

Trenz and The Great Wait

So, I finished some prototype logos for Trenz Academy. I emailed Tina about them and I am still waiting for feedback on the Noah Spencer Foundation. I am still iffy on the color schemes...I am thinking of adding swirlies (not childish, but rather classy calligraphy looking stuff...i just don't know the name of it) on the border and corners. Here's the three prototypes:

black and white (i think i want to make the hair curlers more circular...but i'm waiting for feedback from tina)

this one has all the colors, but i think it might actually be too colorful...

this one is...ok...i think if i am going to do a plain one like this, there needs to be less details on the eyes and maybe more black...

Anyway, on to Terra Java! I am trying to get a survey started at Terra Java. They have an Ipad at their cash register, so I am hoping we can use that for the poll instead of using paper. I just need to find an app for it...or a website...still a work in progress, as you can see. Which makes me sad because it's such a simple poll!

So, I emailed Chef O, but I am still waiting for a reply. I also need her financial information...like her profit margin for the last four months (not that I know how to calculate a profit margin...I guess I'm getting some accounting skills out of this, too). Then I probably need to make a fancy chart and get percentages for increases or decreases in profit...I am really just hoping that her profit margin increased while I helped out. Otherwise, my project is a big fail. It will be like chemistry all over again....doing a lab, getting the wrong results after doing it right, barely passing...anyways, I can't lose hope! :D

~Until My Next Adventure

Logo Revamp

Sorry for only doing one blog last week. I got caught up visiting a college for a whole weekend. I went to Lehigh and let's just say my experience was...interesting...

So, to update, I've been working on the logos for Tina. So far, looking pretty good. The noah spencer foundation is almost done. We decided to go with a different color scheme because the blue was too hard to read. Here's the new logo:

ok, the more i look at it, the more the blue looks indigo. So i am going to change that to a dark/navy blue so the red will pop more. And then, once that's done, I will fix the letters (because they're crooked) and then fix the outline of the letters and stars if Tina wants that to be changed.

For Trenz, I haven't had much time to work on it. I tried fixing it up today, but it refused to look any better. That's what I get for trying to use circles for it. Circles suck! They're 360 degrees of pure evil!!! Here's the Trenz logo drawn in pen:

Things I should have thought of (and might do now) when I was making this: 1) clean sheet of paper, 2) less inky of a pen, and 3) go slow on the circles.

Besides this, I noticed that Terra Java had a meet and greet with Kyrsten Sinema. How did I find out? Their facebook page! Because nobody tells their advertiser anything. (insert thumbs up here along with really exaggerated and sarcastic smile)

~Until My Next Adventure

Excitement: Swell, Burst, Fizzle, Repeat

Earlier this week, Bobby Keller from Terra Java actually responded back to me within a couple days after his first email that said he would get back to me that night. 

My reaction?

O.O    "what?"

*o*     "WOAH"

I hope the emotion-cons helped you to understand my awe and excitement. This kind of thing hardly ever happens. Then my excitement quickly faded when I realized how much more work there was...

Anyways, I quickly finished the press release and have finished sending it off to all the local news channels/papers/radio stations, etc...(well, for the radio stations, I had to submit an event instead, so I just submitted the Perky Hour event). I guess the next steps will be to advertise perky hour a little more on sites like yelp. Then, I need to somehow get back to Arizona in time to get people at Terra Java to fill out a survey asking how they found out about Terra Java. I guess I will just spend a day there...that means I will have to get up extra early on a week day and see if anyone will be nice enough to answer my question. I don't know if I should approach them directly or if I should leave a paper out somewhere where someone might notice and answer it instead of being up in their face....but then less people will answer....hmm....maybe the survey could be like a raffle and someone will be lucky enough to win a free cup of coffee, or something like that. 

I'm gonna need help on this one...

Anyways, I have been working with Tina, co-owner of Trenz, on the logo for Trenz. I finally got it! It's pure artistic genius that could never be replicated by my hand again (seriously, though, I don't think I can draw it again...). I was so excited when I made it, I just knew it was the one!

sorry that you got the sideways version, but this is the logo (just tilt your head a little to the right)

All i need to do is touch it up and put some color on it, then TADA, it's magnifico!

For the noah spencer foundation, she said that it was hard to see the letters, and I agree with her. So, I tried to make the colors brighter. Does this look any better?

new one:

old one:

The colors are still a little hard to see on the new one, but so much better. I sent it to her for a second opinion. Also, the more I look at it, the more annoyed I am about the uneveness of the words....I think I can fix that on photo shop, though it will take a while...here's hoping it looks good!

~Until My Next Adventure

The Noah Spencer Foundation Prototypes

So, shocker, still waiting on Bobby Keller to get back to me on the questions I asked him to answer for the press release. This is only the second time I have emailed him questions (and this time I made them very specific so it would be easier to answer) and still nothing. The funniest part was that he sent me an email in reply saying that he'd get back to me that night....still nothing.

I really want to vent some more, but that might turn nasty, so I will try to stay nice and just talk about the logos I've been working on for The Noah Spencer Foundation. I have three different logos, all of them prototypes. I sent them to Tina to see what she thinks and now I am just waiting for a response. Here's a look:

black and white (I'm not sure why it got cut off....I hope that's not how it looks when Tina opens it)

color with white background (I want to do something different with the stars, but I'm not sure yet what to do)

color with black background (I like this one best in some aspects, but not others...the stars look brighter, but you can barely read the lettering....maybe if I outline that in white?)

Besides that, there are no more updates. I never received a response from Suzy Lippmann at Terra Java, to whom I suggested an Art Show of some sorts. She either never got my email, thought of it as unimportant, or didn't want to upset me by saying that it's a bad idea. I am mature enough to handle criticism, so I won't be upset. What really upsets me is people not responding at all. I'd much rather get a rejection than silence.

Next Plan? Work on Trenz and hope in vain for a response from Bobby Keller or Suzy Lippmann.

~Until My Next Adventure