Thesis Project
MDMFA Thesis
Video Synopsis
Synopsis Summary
Understanding a clients needs and finding a solution that will solve the dilemma takes developing a story that can be effectively communicated across multiple platforms. Through research and brand strategy a cohesive brand identity can emerge that aligns with the clients solution and the intended audiences needs.
Problem Solving
Client Problem
The Mandy Madison Southern Soul Tour needs to be memorable to engage the intended audience. By driving in revenue through a strong and cohesive marketing strategy, the Mandy Madison Southern Soul Tour can benefit the client and intended audiences need for profit and diversion.
The Solution
1. Onlyness Statement
Mandy Madison’s “We Outside” Tour creates an environment that is fun, relaxing, and entertaining for hardworking adults who seek diversion. After being stuck with the same routine during the work week, people seek to break the cycle by attending an outdoor concert that offers an escape from the confinement of a building. Fans can move around the grounds by visiting the various tents that are set up. Take a break from cooking, food will be sold on site along with a free drink ticket for a two-drink minimum per person.
Before
Multiple Solutions
The onliness statement is used to build brand trust and is a method that is used to create a connection between a business and its consumers to maintain loyalty. Brand trust requires that a company uses honesty and facts about its company when developing a brand strategy that the intended audience will perceive. By addressing what the event is offering, the intended audience will know what to expect and determine if the event is what they are seeking: diversion from a tedious work week.
Refinement
The onlyness statement was updated to speak directly to the intended audience's needs. When creating the voice of the brand, the proper words were chosen to deliver the message of the brand and to develop a consistent brand identity. The onlyness statement was shortened to quickly speak the intention of the brand in a clearer and concise message.
The South is about keeping Southern traditions alive. Mandy Madison’s “Southern Soul” Tour creates an environment that is fun and entertaining for hardworking adults who seek diversion. After being stuck with the same weekly work routine, people seek to break the cycle by attending an outdoor concert that offers an escape from the confines of a building. Fans can move around the grounds by visiting the various tents.
After
Evidence of Success
The benefit of using brand voice to develop the brand tone creates the narrative of a brand that can be followed to keep brand consistency. By maintaining a consistent tone, it is easy for a business to build trust and a relationship with its intended audience. The need of the intended audience and emphasis was placed on the tone and voice of the event.
Final Solution
Writing the onlyness statement was about developing a strategy that would lead to the success of the brand's identity. A good statement is a story being told that customers can relate to and connect with emotionally. In addition to strategy, copywriting should make the intended audience the primary focus by asserting the benefits a product or service is offering.
2. Voice & Tone
Before
After
Multiple Solutions
The first potential tagline, Escape…step outside, is simple and speaks directly to the intended audience’s need for diversion. Solve the need by expressing what is most needed (Felton, 2013). In as few as three words, the purpose is stated. Another possible tagline that speaks to the demographic of the audience would be “Find me in the South, where things are done bigger”.
Felton (2013) states that one terrific way to create a slogan is to lean it up against something else. The South is known for its big hair, big accents, and big personalities. The tagline “Dance. Drink. Delegate.” uses the power of threes to provide insight into what the evening event will entail. The word delegate was chosen because it represents the people taking responsibility and charge of their day of excitement and fun
Refinement
Through the collaborations of critiques and gathering of research it was decided to use the power of threes: Excitement, Entertainment, Enjoyment.The core of a brand is what the brand stands for, the heart of the company, which includes the history and values a business wants to identify as. The traditional method of building a brand based on the notion of what a company believes consumers want has been modernized to what the customer needs.
Evidence of Success
Determining the needs of an audience is about understanding who the audience is and their aspirations. The needs of an audience can be based on social and demographic factors. For instance, where a person lives, their personality, and their culture. For a brand, companies need to relate to their targeted audience.
After a post was shared on the online platform TikTok of a Stanley Cup being the only object to survive a car fire (Forbes, 2024), the brand became perceived as trustworthy and honest for keeping their promise of selling a product that is sturdy and dependable. A business is accountable for maintaining a brand identity that is honest and stands behind the brand persona that is portrayed.
Final Solution
When developing the narrative for Mandy Madison’s “We Outside” Tour (WOT), the story of hard-working mature adults who need a diversion from the normal tedious work week had to be told in a way that created a visual for the upcoming outdoor event. Anticipation is developed that removes the intended audience from enclosed workspaces and directly into the environment where the excitement will be held. The voice and tone of the brand are being set that create an emotional connection with the audience that is relatable and inviting.
3. Look & Feel
COLOR
When creating the color palette for the Mandy Madison “Southern Soul” Tour, color psychology and the atmosphere of the event were used. People respond to color differently, so it is up to the designer to effectively utilize the colors that send the intended message (Gremillion & Stanton, 2019). Therefore, it was decided to represent the emotions of the brand by choosing the color red for excitement, blue for peace, and orange for energy.​
TYPE
This decision correlates with the use of a rounded sans-serif font, Souvenir, for the body copy and the heading of the text that is used. The signature font, Southern Demo, is used for the sub-heading text to elaborate on this idea and create a relaxed yet energetic flow throughout the design.
IMAGERY
The chosen imagery is meant to visually communicate with the intended audience (Antonia, 2024). The main imagery that is used for this design is the image of an African American woman who represents Mandy Madison. This creative decision allows the audience to emotionally connect with the event by showing who the artist is and by putting a face to the brand.​
SHAPE
The trapezoid shape is abstract and will help communicate the idea of motion and space, which communicates the brand's intended message of movement and creates hierarchy throughout the layout.
LINE
For the lines on the top and bottom of the design, a mask was created by using the 3D materials effect, Smoothed Laced Trowel Stucco, to mimic an earthy effect since the event is being held outside. The development of the diagonal lines was created to signify motion and energy.
Before
TEXTURE
The purpose of the design is intended for an audience that needs a change in environment that is open and less confined physically and emotionally, which is presented in the coarse texture of the line shapes. The texture is meant to create an emotional and visual connection to the outdoor event for the intended audience.
After
Multiple Solutions
Before developing a successful design project, a Media Designer should understand qualitative and quantitative methods that are key factors for developing static, dynamic, interactive, and immersive platforms. The responsibility of a designer is to create efficient designs for clients that are visually and financially aesthetic for a client’s needs, which is why it is important to measure ROI in brand communications design. The use of a guide is the best method to use when creating a balanced and unified composition.
Refinement
As the project progressed, most of the design elements were removed to make a cohesive brand statement that is more adequate with the brand's message. By keeping the design elements minimalistic, greater focus can be placed on the core values and branding identity.
Evidence of Success
When a company defines the core of its brand successfully, it can create a customer persona that will allow it to know the audience's needs. Once the consumer's needs are met, an emotional connection will develop between the company and the customer. This is evident in the use of color, typography, texture, shape, and imagery.
Final Solution
While the advancement of technology has made the internet a valuable resource for designers to gather information, the best practices are using direct and interactive conversations to gather qualitative data (Branthwaite & Patterson, 2011). To obtain information that will better benefit the company or the product's success, it was essential as a designer to conduct interviews and build focus groups to gather the appropriate data to succeed competitors.
4. Vision Board
Before
After
Multiple Solutions
Design decision is the foundation of conducted research laid out by the designer to create a perception of a meaning or form of communication. Design decision is adductive, a necessary reasoning method or logic of design; Emergence, the merge of features to develop a solution and problematic concepts; Representation, the sketching, drawing, or modeling created by the designer to engage and explore with the design solution and design problem (Cross, 2023). Creating a Vision Board is meant to be an effective method that lays out the foundation of the brand.
Refinement
​One way for a designer to create a successful layout is by using the rule of thirds or the golden ratio. Compositions divided by lines that are proportionate to the golden ratio are One way for a designer to create a successful layout is by using the rule of thirds or the golden ratio. Compositions divided by lines that are proportional to the golden ratio are considered to be aesthetically pleasing (Beaird et al, 2020). When the principles of design are applied, a design will effectively convey the intended message that resonates with the audienc that are considered to be aesthetically pleasing (Beaird et al, 2020). When the principles of design are formed, a design will appropriately tell the story of intended message that resonates with an audience.
The rule of thirds…should be considered when composing elements of design (Lidwell et al, 2010). While the principles of design varies among designers, the idea remains the same. The use of a guide is the best method to use when creating a balanced and unified composition.
Evidence of Success
Through research, it was concluded that when developing packages and imagery for a concert tour, most products are informal and straight to the point. There is minimal space and time that can be utilized to effectively communicate the message and identity of the brand, so the designs need to incorporate the appropriate color, typography, imagery, and language that are cohesive with who and what the brand is.
Final Solution
The updated brand visual board is more focused and communicates the look and feel of the brand because of the new color palette, removal of certain images, and layout of the design. Also, the logo was added, and the onlyness statement was updated to speak directly to the intended audiences needs.
5. Logo Development
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Multiple Solutions
Most of the sketches play with various typefaces that that are intended to create a connection between the title of the concert, We Outside Tour, and the headliner, Mandy Madison. Ina Saltz (2024) discusses how typography is used by designers to express an idea that can be meaningful and impactful (Full Sail Online, 2024). Sketching the designs out on white paper using pencil to begin the process clearly defined the logos.
Refinement
Three out of thirty logo designs were chosen to become vectorized in the second step of the design decisioning.The goal was to focus on Bill Gardner’s, creator of Logo Lounge, “sweet line”, (Full Sail University, 2025), to refine the lines in Illustrator for the creation of the silhouette. By taking the time to perfect subtle flaws the design are more appealing to the viewer’s eye.
Evidence of Success
A designer’s role is to first conduct the appropriate research that will aid in the retrieval of data that is beneficial to a company or client. One method that worked for a design team is The Art of Frankensteining, which is about using accelerated A/B testing to combine multiple designs to better understand a client’s needs and a product’s features (Demers, 2022). A/B testing played a vital role in the design process to develop a strong and cohesive brand.
Final Solution
The chosen design was analyzed and critiqued based on symmetry, potential typographic choices, point sizes, color options, effectiveness in speaking the brands message, and ability to create hierarchy between the different elements that were applied. Rounded shapes communicate femininity (Johnson, 2012), which coincides with Mandy Madison being the featured artist of the concert tour.
6. Brand Media Assets
Letterhead Package
Before
After
Ticket Package
Before
After
Social Media Package
Before
After
Swag
Before
After
Logo Animation
Before
After
Website Link
Multiple Solutions
Six assets were chosen for Mandy Madison’s concert tour, letterhead, ticket, and social media packages, animated logo, swag, and a website. In a Full Sail Online Case Study (2025) it was mentioned that it is important to have brand consistency and find the appropriate mediums to communicate the brands message.
Refinement
Simple revisions were made to aid with the delivery of a cohesive brand message that will effectively reach the targeted audience through various forms of media, such as static, dynamic, interactive, and immersive (Full Sail Online, 2025). Each form of media has its own identity and are composed of specific elements that are used successfully to convey a message or tell a story.
Evidence of Success
According to David Airey (2025) it is important to learn about the client and the brand’s identity. Researching competitors designs and communication methods was a vital step in choosing the preferred platforms that would create a connection with the intended audience.
Final Solution
A method that was helpful was utilizing Graham Wallas’s creative process, Preparation, Incubation, Illumination/Ideation, and finally Verification (Muller-Roterberg, n.d.). By understanding the technique of each process, it was easier to decide how each element from the design visual board would come together cohesively.
References
Airey, D. (n.d.). Logo Design Love, Annotated and Expanded Edition, Second Edition. O’Reilly Online Learning. https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/logo-design-love/9780133812589/ch04.html#ch04lev1sec1
Antonia. (2024, January 24). How to select the perfect brand imagery for your business | Vistaprint Ideas and Advice US. Vistaprint Ideas and Advice US. https://www.vistaprint.com/hub/brand-imagery
Beaird, J., Walker, A., & George, J. (2020). The Principles of Beautiful Web Design, 4th Edition. O’Reilly Online Learning; SitePoint. https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/the-principles-of/9781098124717/Text/design4-frontmatter.html
Branthwaite, A., & Patterson, S. (2011). The power of qualitative research in the era of social media. Qualitative Market Research an International Journal, https://doi.org/10.1108/13522751111163245
Cross, N. (2023, June 15). Design thinking: Understanding how designers think and work; Bloomsbury Publishing.
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Design_Thinking/Yr-3EAAAQBAJ hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=how+do+designers+think&pg=PR1&printsec=frontcover
Demers, E. (2022, March 30). The Art of “Frankenstein-ing”: when and how to combine designs through rapid A/B testing. Medium. https://uxdesign.cc/the-art-of-frankenstein-ing-when-and-how-to-combine-designs-through-rapid-a-b-testing-7ac97cedad05
Felton, G. (2013). Advertising: Concept and Copy (3rd ed.). W. W. Norton. https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9780393733921
Forbes. (2024, March 6). Why all brands should study stanley cup CEO Terence Reilly’s marketing masterclass [Video]. YouTube. www.youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sb9IF7wBnus
Full Sail Online (2024). 1.3 Research: Typography – Ina Saltz [Video]. In Text. Full Sail University. Retrieved October 6, 2024 from https://online.fullsail.edu/class_sections/194598/modules/771578/activities/4441780
Full Sail Online (2025). 1.2 Evaluate and refine. In Design Intergration. Full Sail University. Retrieved March 13, 2025, from https://online.fullsail.edu/class_sections/222719/modules/833893/activities/4786244
Full Sail Online (2025). 1.2 Lecture: 4 Types of media assets. In Multi-Platform Delivery. Full Sail University. Retrieved April 20, 2025, from https://online.fullsail.edu/class_sections/222733/modules/845072/activities/4848552
Full Sail Online (2025). 1.4 Case Study: Finalize brand and plan media. In Multi-platform and delivery. Full Sail University. Retrieved April 13, 2025, from https://online.fullsail.edu/class_sections/222733/modules/845072/activities/4848554
Gremillion, A. S., & Stanton, K. (2019, August 30). Colors and emotions: How colors make you feel. 99designs; 99designs. https://99designs.com/blog/tips/how-color-impacts-emotions-and-behaviors/
Johnson, J. (2012, June 11). Twitter’s New Logo: The Geometry and Evolution of Our Favorite Bird. Design Shack. https://designshack.net/articles/graphics/twitters-new-logo-the-geometry-and-evolution-of-our-favorite-bird/
Lidwell, W., Holden, K., & Butler, J. (2010). Universal Principles of Design. Google.com; Rockport Publishers. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Universal_Principles_of_Design_Revised_a/3RFyaF7jCZsC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=principles+of+design&pg=PA3&printsec=frontcover
Muller-Roterberg. (n.d.). Design thinking for dummies. O’Reilly Online Learning. https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/design-thinking-for/9781119593928/c10.xhtml#h2-2