Arriving at our current project plan took time. At first our group had multiple ideas and we were not sure which direction felt right. The one thing that always kept resurfacing was the moodboard concept. It kept showing up because it blended both marketing and psychology in a way that felt natural. After talking more deeply about psychology, marketing and student identity we realized we wanted our project to explore the connection between emotion and visual expression. That was when things finally started to click. This process itself showed the Habit of Mind called integrative perspective because we were combining fields that normally do not meet in one project. Our readings talk about how objects or visuals can carry emotional meaning and I kept thinking about that while we were brainstorming. Clothing or a symbol or even color can hold mood memory and identity. That idea guided us toward our new direction.
We recently shifted from the Ladders clothing drive to a concept that feels more original to us. Now, we plan to design our own flyers and photos, using these visuals to guide students into a digital mood journal experience. Students will reflect on their emotions through images and prompts, then see how these reflections connect to their daily emotional patterns. This approach still bridges psychology and design, but gives us more creative control. We get to build a visual language that uses genuine emotional reflection, rather than focusing solely on clothing donation. This shift reminded us that good ideas evolve when you step back and let the project grow into what it really wants to be.
Our next step is to develop the overall look and feel. We want to research mood journaling and understand how reflecting on our feelings actually helps mental wellbeing. Then we will create a system that lets students reflect on their mood and connect that feeling to our visual symbol. The Blog Post Style Guide reminds us that communication should be purposeful and centered on an audience. So our design choices need to actually match the emotional message we want to communicate. This means doing research and being thoughtful instead of just designing what looks cute.
In our group each member brings something different. I bring the marketing and visual branding perspective. I know how to create a consistent look and message and how to translate an idea into a campaign concept. The other two members are studying psychology. They understand how mood and self reflection work and how visuals influence how people think and feel. Together we combine art design and behavior science. At the same time we still have some gaps. We are not sure how we will measure impact yet. We need to learn more about how to track emotional change or engagement. This is where we want to do more research and possibly ask for guidance so we can make the project meaningful and not just something aesthetically interesting.
This project is pushing me and that is good. It is making me think beyond design. I have to bring in research and strategy and decision making. This is the Habit of self regulated learning because I am not waiting to be told exactly what to do. I am learning through doing and adjusting along the way. If this project works, the visuals won’t just be pretty pictures. They’ll help students notice and reflect on their emotions, recognize patterns in their daily lives, and feel more in touch with themselves. That kind of creative work, where design actually supports real personal reflection, is what matters most to me.
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