IMAEYEN EFFIONG Process Notebook ART 499 Capstone – Spring 2020

Acknowledgments 4 Part 1: Defining America 5 – 18 Preparation Project Brief 6 – 7 Design Statement 8 Research Methods 9 Style 10 – 13 Implementation Interviews 14 – 18 Part 2: ZSpeaks 19 – 39 Preparation Design Statement 20 Consumer Personas 21 Brainstorming 22 Inspiration 23 – 24 Brand 25 – 26 Implementation Cover Art 27 – 33 Website 34 – 37 Podcast 38 – 39 Bibliography 41 Images Cited 42 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Effiong Process Notebook [4] Part 1: Defining America ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. I want to sincerely thank those who allowed me to share a small part of their stories publically. The topic I chose isn’t an easy one, and I wouldn’t have been able to speak about it on my own. My professors, Crissy Singer and Lisa Willard. Thank you for being there for me during the high’s, low’s and inbetweens of my process. Class of ART 499. You constantly inspire me to do better. Thank you for lending me feedback, support, and friendship. I know I wouldn’t have been able to finish this project without you. Lastly, my family. You have never doubted my ability to create something good. The tenacity I design with comes from you, and for that, I am most grateful.

Effiong Process Notebook [6] Effiong Process Notebook [7] Defining America – Preparation Defining America – Preparation Imaeyen Effiong Capston Proposal || Page 1 generation. Russell Sage Foundation, 2002. Provides a collection of data about the children of immigrants in different contexts. Levitt, Peggy, and B. Nadya Jaworsky. Transnational migration studies: Past developments and future trends. Annu. Rev. Sociol. 33 (2007): 129-156. Summarizes the information (economic, political, cultural, social, and religious) they have gathered about migrant transnationalism. Rumbaut, Rubén G. Ages, life stages, and generational cohorts: decomposing the immigrant first and second generations in the United States 1. International migration review 38.3 (2004): 1160-1205. Discusses the issue with the generalization and grouping of the terms ‘first’ and ‘second’ generations in the US. Kasinitz, Philip, et al. Inheriting the city: The children of immigrants come of age. Russell Sage Foundation, 2009. Research about the risk of downward assimilation and isolation that occurs as immigrants become Americans and how their children experience more success. Word Map: Imaeyen Effiong Capston Proposal || Page 2 For my capstone project, I want to create a conversation around what it means to be a child (or grandchild) of immigrants while living in America. Both of my parents are Nigerian, and I have had the opportunity to be raised in countries such a Nigeria, Kenya, and Ghana. As grateful as I am to have lived in these countries, I’ve spent the majority of my years in the United States. I have always had a conflicted view of what my identity was in a cultural context. It often feels like I am a watered-down version of all of the locations I’ve lived in which puts me under a sort of pressure where I feel that I can’t wholeheartedly say I belong to any one place. I plan on creating a documentary that focuses on four individuals who fall under the category of first, second, or third-generation immigrants to see if similarities arise across the board. Questions I will draft to ask during the interview would pertain to ideas about the loss of culture, conformity, and romanticizing a culture they may or may not know much about. Besides the documentary, some of my deliverables may include film posters that convey the idea of combined cultures through mixed media, and overall typographic and graphic elements within the documentary that would create its cohesive feeling. Thumbnail Images There aren’t a lot of images representing my topic, however, here are some images I believe reflect (aesthetically) what I would like my deliverables to look like. Digital collage works by the Guatemalan artist Astrid Torres Illustration by Paige Hall Cover of The Good Immigrant By Banksy Mixed media works by Marina Guiu By Tristan Eaton By Ilias Walchshofer PROJECT BRIEF. For my capstone project, I want to create a conversation around what it means to be a child (or grandchild) of immigrants while living in America. Both of my parents are Nigerian, and I have had the opportunity to be raised in countries such a Nigeria, Kenya, and Ghana. As grateful as I am to have lived in these countries, I’ve spent the majority of my years in the United States. I have always had a conflicted view of what my identity was in a cultural context. It often feels like I am a watered-down version of all of the locations I’ve lived in which puts me under a sort of pressure where I feel that I can’t wholeheartedly say I belong to any one place. I plan on creating a documentary that focuses on four individuals who fall under the category of first, second, or third-generation immigrants to see if similarities arise across the board. Questions I will draft to ask during the interview would pertain to ideas about the loss of culture, conformity, and romanticizing a culture they may or may not know much about. Besides the documentary, some of my deliverables may include film posters that convey the idea of combined cultures through mixed media, and overall typographic and graphic elements within the documentary that would create its cohesive feeling. Topic: One direction: The merging and dilution of ancestral origins with American values from the perspective of first, second, and third-generation immigrants. Another direction: American romanticization of their ancestral origins. Keywords: Immigrants, Conforming, Identity, Cultural Dilution Word Map. Refrence Thumbnail Images.

Effiong Process Notebook [8] Effiong Process Notebook [9] Defining America – Preparation Defining America – Preparation DESIGN STATEMENT. RESEARCH METHODS. Cultural identity and nationality can be classified as two separate things. This piece centers around the overlap and duality of these topics and aims to discover similarities between people whose external backgrounds and origins have been weaved into western customs and values. Executed in an alternative approach to the documentary format, the goal of this project is to create a conversation around themes of cultural dilution, ancestral romanticization, and overall identity in the United States. Original design statement. My research focused on watching documentaries that were abstracted in some way and documenting elements I like and wanted to try implementing into my project. Examples of what I focused on included animation, camera movements, and sounds that all worked towards telling a story. Figure 1. Watchers of the Sky

Effiong – Process Notebook [10] Effiong – Process Notebook [11] Defining America – Preparation | Style Defining America – Preparation | Style STYLE. I wanted my documentary to utilize a mixture of patterns and colors that, at first glance, one may not think to go together. They would ultimately work harmoniously as I hoped the core message of my video would convey combinations of cultures. I was heavily inspired by the works of Tyler Spangler and Adam Hale. Mood Board. Figure 2. Pintrest Board I took patterns from photos I requested of my interviewees; clothes from their culture of origin, to use as potential backgrounds for animated text.

Effiong – Process Notebook [12] Effiong – Process Notebook [13] Defining America – Preparation | Style Defining America – Preparation | Style Lorem ipsum dolor sit am et, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonum m y nibh euism od tincidunt ut laoreet dolore m agna aliquam erat volutpat. Ut w isi enim ad m inim veniam , quis nostrud exerci tation ullam corper suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea com m odo consequat. Duis autem vel eum iriure dolor in hendrerit in vulputate velit esse m olestie consequat, vel illum dolore eu feugiat nulla facilisis at vero eros et accum san et iusto odio dignis sim qui blandit praesent luptatum zzril delenit augue Title | Logo Exploration. At an early stage, I began thinking about the title of my project. I knew that I wanted to pay homage to the idea of a “before“ and acknowledge heritage so I started with the word Origins. This title, however, changed after I began interviewing people and realized the notion of romanticizing origins that I started with didn’t apply to many people. Just because I experienced people romanticizing my heritage didn’t mean everyone else did. Gallery Layout.

Effiong – Process Notebook [14] Effiong – Process Notebook [15] Defining America – Implementation | Interviews Defining America – Implementation | Interviews Date Due Notes 1/24 Welcome/proposals 1/31 Space 2/4 - 2/7 Have interviewees 2/7 Designs 2/11 - 2/14 Create format for video (concepts, animation exploration) 2/14 Statement due 2/21 Show work/feedback Make test video with Natasha 2/26 Interview Alondra 2/28 Interviews started 2/28 Show work/feedback postcard and banner designs due to gallery! 3/6 Show work/feedback press release due to Gallery 3/10 Organize footage, continue shooting 3/13 Spring Break (work!) 3/17 Cut footage 3/20 Show work/feedback 3/27 Defense deets 3/31 Add effects and animations 4/3 Show work/feedback 4/7 Posters 4/10 Photography 4/17 De-install/repair+ Labels & Artist Statements due to Gallery (Artist Name, Title, media) 4/24 Exhibition opens! 5/1 Defense presentations During spring break I was meant to interview more people and collect B-Roll footage, but this is when the shift to virtual classes and social distancing began, rendering any more in-person meetings impossible. This being said, I continued interviews via zoom and altered my focus to being student-based. Forming Interview Questions. INTERVIEWS.

Effiong – Process Notebook [16] Effiong – Process Notebook [17] Defining America – Implementation | Interviews Defining America – Implementation | Interviews I approached my storyboards intending to shock the viewer. I wanted every section to be relevant and powerful. I planned to collect interviews, cut them into a consecutive narrative, then go back to my interviewees, and gather footage (B-Roll) to match some of the key points they mentioned in their interviews. Storyboarding. When looking for interviewees, I searched for people who had connections to a culture outside of America. My initial vision included humans of various races, ages, and backgrounds. Alondra Leonoro Natasha Lewicki Rebecca (requested to withhold last name) Simon Yang Ebuka Okoro Mike Acampora Interview notes.

Effiong – Process Notebook [18] Defining America – Implementation | Interviews With each interview, I received varying perspectives about whether immigrant families moving to America had a positive or negative impact on the richness of their cultures. I did my best to have conversations without any biases on my end, however, my connection to the topic made it slightly challenging. I found myself trying to Mid-point reflection. steer answers towards the idea that America did indeed dilute cultures. Even with this effort, I received mostly unanimous acceptance of the fact that nations are constantly adopting from one another. One quote that stuck with me was from Alondra. She said, very strongly, “When you think American, you don’t think of...,” and proceeded to list races that she believed people don’t identify with the US. I found this fascinating because I didn’t agree. When I think of an American it’s difficult for me to picture just one thing. This is where my title was decided, “Defining America.“ Part 2: ZSpeaks My external hard drive malfunctioned due to its excessive use rendering my original project impossible to continue. My project quickly shifted to being a brand-focused podcast.

Effiong Process Notebook [20] Effiong Process Notebook [21] ZSpeaks – Preparation ZSpeaks – Preparation DESIGN STATEMENT. With each new generation comes change and disdainful looks from their predecessors. We see this in today’s cultural climate as Generation Z, Millenials, and Baby Boomers each have different perspectives in most conversations on the varying social identities. The American Dream doesn’t look like white picket fences, nuclear family homes, and gender norms to the average, young American anymore. This piece centers around the shared ideologies of Generation Z and aims to discover similarities around the topic of the optics of America’s future. Executed in a conversational, interview-based podcast, the goal of this project is to create a conversation around themes of the everchanging United States from the perspective of an emerging generation. College student focused design statement to justify the limited age group of people I was able to interview for the documentary. CONSUMER PERSONAS. Name: Arlo Age: 19 Status: Student Location: Hawaii Archetype: Rights Activist Name: Cam Age: 21 Status: Student Location: North Dakota Archetype: Computer Nerd Figure 3. Person 1 Profile Figure 4. Person 2 Profile

Effiong Process Notebook [23] ZSpeaks – Preparation | Inspiration Effiong Process Notebook [22] ZSpeaks – Preparation I had to make quick decisions to create my new project in time for its deadline. Each episode includes the host, myself, and at least one guest. We discuss a topic with the ultimate goal being to compare the way it stands in the US today, versus how our generation approaches/ will approach it in the future. The first episode would utilize the interviews I collected for my original project. INSPIRATION. Collected for me by professor, Lisa Willard Figure 5. Various Podcast Covers Brainstorming.

Effiong Process Notebook [25] ZSpeaks – Preparation | Brand Effiong Process Notebook [24] ZSpeaks – Preparation | Inspiration Figure 6. Pintrest Board 2 #5ca68c #006da2 #a30420 #feae4b #ffe15b #ffaeb7 Colors. Typography. Luna Logotype font. Also used for host and guest speaker names. Georgia Bold Used for all titles and headings. Georgia Regular Used for all other text related to, or on the podcast website. BRAND.

Effiong Process Notebook [27] ZSpeaks – Implementation | Cover Art Effiong Process Notebook [26] ZSpeaks – Preparation | Brand These are the patterns associated with the podcast and should always accompany it when possible. I created them by using altered pieces of the logotype. It doesn’t belong anywhere on the actual logo. COVER ART. Sketches.

Effiong Process Notebook [28] Effiong Process Notebook [29] ZSpeaks – Implementation | Cover Art ZSpeaks – Implementation | Cover Art Iterations. Flustered by the sudden change, I attempted to create a logo and cover art that held the serious tone of my original project. This led my first couple of iterations to feel boring. They didn’t capture the young, upbeat feeling that would be required of a podcast. So, I went back to my sketchbook and took photos of my frustration. “Our America” was too on-the- nose and didn’t come across as a title that would draw in anyone, let alone my target audience. So I took the suggestion of my professor, Lisa Willard, and incorporated “Z“ in the title to make it more appealing and obvious. Potential Titles included: Think American All American Inclusive America America Z Z’s America Z Speaks The latter option fits so perfectly with the images I took, the notion of opinion-based conversation, and focus on Generation Z. Images used for my final logo.

Effiong Process Notebook [30] Effiong Process Notebook [31] ZSpeaks – Implementation | Cover Art ZSpeaks – Implementation | Cover Art More Iterations. Official Symbol.

Effiong Process Notebook [32] Effiong Process Notebook [33] ZSpeaks – Implementation | Cover Art ZSpeaks – Implementation | Cover Art Final Cover. Potential Episode Covers.

Effiong Process Notebook [34] Effiong Process Notebook [35] ZSpeaks – Implementation | Website ZSpeaks – Implementation | Website When I began implementing my brand to my website I also tried to incorporate the style of my first project into it. The tiled pattern didn’t quite work so I reverted to focusing on flat vectors. The white background also presented itself as too sharp for the experience of podcast-listening. This led to my decision to make the background dark. WEBSITE. Prototyping sketch. Web elements.

Effiong Process Notebook [36] Effiong Process Notebook [37] ZSpeaks – Implementation | Website ZSpeaks – Implementation | Website Website demo can be viewed here: ZSpeaks Web Demo Prototyping on Adobe XD.

Effiong Process Notebook [38] Effiong Process Notebook [39] ZSpeaks – Implementation | Podcast ZSpeaks – Implementation | Podcast PODCAST. Podcast, ep. 1 Script Hello friends, welcome to the first-ever episode of ZSpeaks! I’m your host Imaeyen and I’m joined here with Alondra, Simon, Natasha, Rebecca, and Ebuka. The audio will sound a little different because we are together on a zoom call today, but social distancing isn’t going to stop us from talking about what we find important. So, ZSpeaks is all about getting my fellow Gen Z members to talk about what OUR America is going to look like. Which is why I wanted to start the first episode by discussing what it means to be American. These lovely individuals are all students in America with roots in other locations. So my first question to you all is what does identity mean to you? Alo Nat ​(laugh) And you Rebecca? Rebecca So with this definition of identity in mind, how would you describe your cultural identity? And now that you’re in the US, do you feel connected to the country and considered yourself in some way to be American? Nat Ebuka No, yeah and that makes complete sense. Does anyone have a similar experience? Alo I completely agree and experienced something very similar after moving back to the US from Ghana. It’s funny cause I moved to Kenya at 12 for 3 years then Ghana for 1 year and throughout that time I really romanticized the US and couldn’t wait to go back. Then when I finally did, all I wanted to do was go back to Africa. So the grass is definitely greener on the other side type mentality at work here. It often makes me question where I’m at. Like, I don’t even know if I really classify myself as American. But what does it even mean to be American? End-- On that lovely note I think we’ve come to the end of our podcast. Thank you guys for joining me. I had a great time and learned a lot. I think Gen Z’s America already feels a lot more open than the one we’re currently in. Haha! Join me next week for a new topic and some new guests. Since I was using the remaining audio from saved videos, I had to sit with the material I had and add my responses to make the first episode sound like a real conversation. The final cut of the first episode can be listened to here: ZSpeaks Ep. 1 – Defining America For fun, I ask my sister to sit down with me and record a short conversation about American leadership as a preview to the second episode: ZSpeaks Ep. 2 – Leading America After cutting the audio together I asked my sister to help me come up with a quick jingle, which we accomplished using a piano and ukulele: ZSpeaks Intro

Effiong Process Notebook [41] BIBLIOGRAPHY. Espinosa, Kristin E. “The Changing Face of Home: The Transnational Lives of the Second Generation.” Contemporary Sociology: A Journal of Reviews, vol. 33, no. 3, 2004, pp. 338–339., doi:10.1177/009430610403300345. GoshDamnDuo, director. Vimeo. Vimeo, 3 May 2020, vimeo.com/326539249. Levitt, Peggy, and B. Nadya Jaworsky. “Transnational Migration Studies: Past Developments and Future Trends.” Annual Review of Sociology, vol. 33, no. 1, 2007, pp. 129–156., doi:10.1146/annurev.soc.33.040406.131816. Murphy, Mekado. “Coloring Real Life With Animation.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 12 Nov. 2014, www.nytimes.com/2014/11/16 movies/documentaries-tap-an-unlikely-storytelling-tool.html. Ramsey, Alex, director. Vimeo. Vimeo, 3 May 2020, vimeo.com/382045214. Renshon, Stanley. “Multiculturalism in the U.S.: Cultural Narcissism and the Politics of Recognition.” CIS.org, 8 Feb. 2011, cis.org/Renshon Multiculturalism-US-Cultural-Narcissism-and-Politics-Recognition.

Effiong Process Notebook [42] IMAGES CITED. **All images not cited, or stated previously in process book are my own Figure 1. Watchers of the Sky by Raphael Lemkin www.nytimes.com/2014/11/16/movies/documentaries-tap-an-unlikely-storytelling-tool.html Figure 2. Pintrest Board www.pinterest.com/meffiong/capstone/ Figure 3. Person 1 Profile www.pexels.com Figure 4. Person 2 Profile www.pexels.com Figure 5. Various Podcast Covers All images belong to respected podcasts listed Figure 6. Pintrest Board 2 www.pinterest.com/meffiong/capstone/