Good Design #8

Author: Tom

  • In Progress Infographics Image

    In Progress Infographics Image

    Link to Project Management Report: Infographics and Data Visualization Management Report & Projects – Good Design #8

    Physical & Systemic Wellness: A Foundation for Thriving

    Physical wellness:

    • Exercise
    • Nutrition
    • Sleep
    • Recovery

    Systemic wellness:

    • Routines
    • Environments
    • Institutional support systems

    Physical activity has many benefits including reducing stress, boosting academic performance, and keeping your mind and body healthy. Studies show that taking short breaks to get up and move around helps to keep your focus sharp. Students who engage in regular activity show stronger planning skills and lead more healthy and productive lifestyles.

    Time Management:

    • Balanced scheduling reduces anxiety: Students who plan out their schedules for study, exercise, and rest have lower stress levels.
    • Imperfect plans are powerful: The art of trial and error strengthens adaptation skills while also becoming more confident and skilled in their projects. Tools that can help create plans are pie charts, graphs, tables, bullet point lists, and digital calendars.
    • Physical movement improves time awareness: Exercise routines help students internalize rhythms of effort and rest which leads to habitual time management in their daily lives.

    Time management is not just about scheduling productivity; it is a mental health tool.

    Power of Play

    • Play boosts creativity and problem solving: Engaging in games, improvisation, and artistic expression help students approach their academic work with fresh perspectives.
    • Play fosters social connections: Group activities, team sports, and collaborative storytelling build trust and reduce isolation which inspires growth.
    • Play restores focus: Intentional breaks that include play or humor can reset attention spans and reduce burnout.

    Play is a cognitive and emotional powerhouse.

    How this information can be used:

    • 25 minute study blocks plus 5 minute movement breaks to enhance focus and reduces stress
    • Weekly playful ritual such as photography group sessions builds joy and connection.
    • Structured physical activity such as riding bike 3 days each week will improve time management and self-efficiency .
    • Modular schedule with flexibility such as creating a pie chart for each day of the week can support mental health and academic success.
  • Welcome Visitor

    Welcome Visitor

    Welcome to your first step of the Hero’s Journey. Although the journey seems long and intimidating, I assure you that if you stay focused and invest in yourself you will find countless treasures along the way. Each week there is something new and incredible to learn. These things may seem small for some of you, but they add up to monumental skills that will guide you along your journey. By the time you cross the threshold you will be prepared and ready to tackle any challenge along the way. Backed by your mentor and countless good-hearted individuals at Peninsula College you will have all the support you need to tackle all obstacles.

    My Mission Badge reflects this journey and is my map into the future. I have included tree roots to honor the amazing people here at the college who have helped me along the way. These roots support my photography career solid like a cedar tree. I have included a Stellar J rising above the waves to reflect collaboration and forward movement. A scroll to illustrate the power of storytelling. The badge is encompassed by a circle symbolizing wholeness and unity.

    May my Mission Badge help to inspire your creative journey.

  • Prototyping as Play

    Prototyping as Play

    Prototyping is where imagination meets inspiration and ideas are formed. Due to the low risk of experimentation with new ideas, there is little to no pressure on what is being created. I find this to be fun, especially when it involves artistic photography editing. Because I find this to be fun, it is also my form of play. When I am feeling overwhelmed or stressed out, I take a break and edit photography. It is during these “play” sessions that my greatest inspirations come to life.

    When I am playing, I am not trying to be perfect. It is unbelievable how crucial this is to success. Playing resets the mind and opens pathways to thought processes that would otherwise be blocked due to stress or pressure to succeed. This often leads to the creation of several new versions of the same photograph that I can compare and determine which one that I like better.

    Playing when prototyping provides a space a emotional safety, learning, and failing forward without consequences. It invites community collaboration and feedback that I can use to grow my work and enhance impact.

    Ultimately, prototyping is how I turn my inspirations into reality. I do this with every creative project that I work on. From photography to web design, I always play around with prototypes before releasing it out into the world.

  • The Power of Storytelling

    The Power of Storytelling

    Storytelling is the doorway to connection. Adding storytelling elements to my social media posts has had a powerful impact in meaningful ways. I have found more community engagements with my posts when they tell a story.

    Originally, I always just posted photography and some of my photos would get over 200+ likes. My photography skills grew, and my editing techniques have become advanced. Even as my skills grew, my social media presence had not. I have heard feedback from people about wanting stories with the photographs – eventually, I listened.

    I one day had a burst of inspiration after photographing a scene that was so impactful it was like a lightbulb went off in my mind. I left the image up on my screen and pulled up Microsoft word on the other screen. I started to write a story and form elements that held deeper meaning and put it all together. The result was true engagement and community growth.

    I have no restrictions on what stories I will tell, and I do not believe that anyone should. To restrict yourself is to place yourself into a mental prison cell. Do not restrict yourself. Instead, I allow my photograph to inspire the story that I want to tell. For me, the image is the key to inspiration.

     Free yourself from boundaries and let your words flow and the story will form.

  • The Princess Bride Data Essay

    The Princess Bride Data Essay

    Numbers were strategically used in this book to further describe the scene, characters, and events. By doing this, the author was able to add structure to the chaos, effectively creating another level of understanding to the narrative. This was effectively noticed in the height of the Cliffs of Insanity making the climb feel more dangerous. The dual talked about the weight of the sword and steps taken which gave the scene more depth. The timeline of the wedding gave a sense of urgency to be rescued. And the battle of wits numbers implied a gamble of logic.

    This concept of using numbers in the narrative was an eye opener for storytelling. By doing this the author was almost able to create a third dimension to the two-dimensional words on the page. The use of numbers gave this story space to breathe and a realm of existence. With each step in the dual, it sets the size of the scene. By adding a timeline, the sense of urgency was held onto throughout the book. This also encouraged us to keep reading with less breaks to try to beat the timeline.

    Overall, the lesson here is that the use of numbers in storytelling is a powerful tool that can be used to further engage readers and hold their interests.

  • Brand Book Examples

    Brand Book Examples

    Good Design #8 Brand book

    Class Team Project Brand Book Pages

  • Media 195 Infographic Data Visualization

    Media 195 Infographic Data Visualization

    Infographics and Data Visualization Management Report & Projects – Good Design #8

    Check out my mid-term report for Media 195 Infographics Data Visualization class at Peninsula College.

  • Occupation Flowchart

    Occupation Flowchart

    Cedar & Shore studio is not just a solo act; it is a team working system. Each character has their role in creating legacy connections and meaningful art that will last for generations.

    The Wizard-Ranger: Visionary Leadership in Motion

    As the founder and lead creative of Cedar & Shore Studio I am equal parts strategist and hands-on creative. I create modular pricing systems, brand architecture, and delivery systems. I use my photography and computer skills to create visual interactive legacy.

    The Paladin-Cleric: Guardian of Client Experience

    The Client Experience Director is a brand integrity steward and onboarding ritual designer. This role ensures every client feels seen, heard, and honored. Their advocacy for accessibility and inclusive design transforms onboarding into systems that show care.

    The Bard-Druid: Keeper of Voice and Rhythm

    The Brand Voice Designer spreads the studios voice across platforms. With titles such as poetic messaging specialist and legacy language curator, this role ensures emotional clarity and rhythm. Their seasonal strategies align content with nature’s cycles.

    The Artificer-Monk: Architect of Digital Infrastructure

    The Web Systems Architect translates creative vision into technical precision. As a modular template engineer and workflow optimization strategist, this role ensures that every layout supports both function and clarity. They allow the studio’s digital space to be user friendly and welcoming.

    The Sorcerer-Emissary: The Client as Co-Creator

    The Seeker is Cedar & Shore Studios Legacy Client and included in the process through creative collaboration. They bring vision and trust. Their stories activate the studios’ inspiration. In this system, the client is not just served, they are empowered.

    These roles not only work together, but they also depend on each other. Each character supports the others to create and work in a system that best serves the client’s needs.

    All work was created using Adobe Photoshop. These cards have many layers that can be modified to produce more characters as needed. AI images were used to create characters only.

    Adobe Firefly 11/15/2025

    prompt used “Create a dungeons and dragons character with a multimedia twist”. Prompt was modified to fit each character and location.

  • Ageless Icons

    Ageless Icons

    From the dawn of mankind symbols have served as a form of communication. We can see evidence of this in Egyptian art and even further back to Neanderthals cave paintings and engravings. These icons sparked innovation and conveyed ideas without the need for words.

    The most iconic icon of all time is the cross. For over 2000 years this symbol has been used around the globe. The cross originated in early Christianity and has spread through faith and missionary work. This symbol holds a thousand stories of love, hate, persecution, and triumph.

    Although we see the cross as a common symbol found in every town, there was a time when this was not the case. Early Christians we hunted and tortured in gruesome ways. They had to gather in secrecy and would often draw the cross in the sand to recognize each other, like a codeword. It was because of these horrific fates mixed with unwavering devotion to their faith that the cross has become such a powerful symbol and why over 2.6 billion people worldwide believe in Jesus.

    My takeaway from this history lesson is that even the simplest icons can be powerful enough to make the king bend a knee. The real question is “How to create an icon just as powerful as the cross without horrific deaths?” After all, there is another symbol almost just as recognizable and it to bears the weight of millions of horrific deaths…

  • Invest in Yourself

    Invest in Yourself

    As a student that has remained on the presidents list, I have worked hard to get to where I am at. Along the way I learned many new skills and my world has been opened to the possibilities that lay before me. Thanks to my college classes, I now produce professional photography. Many people ask me how I produce such quality work. My answer is always the same – “If I have seen further than others, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants” – Isaac Newton.

    I find that to encourage other people to take the hero’s journey in college is to first show them why. When we produce quality work people will become inspired and curious. People will ask questions and try to learn. When this happens, we will have 3 choices: 1. We can give them free advice, 2. We can charge them for lessons, or 3. We can direct them to Peninsula College.

    While I may charge them for lessons, I will always first recommend Peninsula College for all of the amazing people who truly care about the students. I will always praise my mentors for the valuable insight, instruction, and support that I received along the way. While I can teach people some things, Peninsula College has the capability to not only teach a wide range of subjects, they are also equipped with resources to help students reach their goals.

  • The Magic of Seven – Millers Law vs Choice Overload Hicks Law

    The Magic of Seven – Millers Law vs Choice Overload Hicks Law

    George A. Miller introduced Miller’s Law in 1956. This law states that the average person can hold about 7 items in their working memory at once, plus or minus two. This law has shaped everything from phone number formatting to UX design. Millers law calls for simplicity without sacrificing depth of information. This can be done by organizing information into meaningful chunks of text and limiting the number of menus, parent pages, child pages and grandchild pages that a user must go through to select.

    William Edmund Hick and Ray Hyman developed Hick’s Law which states that the time it takes to decide increases logarithmically with the number of choices. This means that more presented options will result in slower decisions. Fewer choices result in faster action which is helpful for creating call to actions. Fewer choices isn’t the only thing to consider, hierarchy and design clarity are crucial to present information that matters and guide the user.

    Both laws really work well together when creating webpages and call to actions. When applied correctly the user will be more likely to continue navigating through the website, retain important information, and ultimately make a purchase. I look forward to using this information in my current and future work.

  • My Mission Badge – “Rooted to Rise”

    My Mission Badge – “Rooted to Rise”

    My mission badge is a visual declaration of purpose. I create art that empowers, connects, and remembers. As founder of Cedar & Shore Studio, my work blends soulful photography, poetic design, and emotionally attuned storytelling. This badge will symbolize the values I live by. These values are gratitude, legacy, and creative leadership. This badge will also serve as a compass for every project that I work on.

    The badge will convey three core ideas:

    •            Rootedness: I honor mentors, collaborators, and place. My badge will include cedar roots and tide lines to represent deep connection and memory.

    •            Creative elevation: I rise through collaboration, not competition. A rising Stellar J will symbolize movement, vision, and emotional flight.

    •            Legacy through story: Every image, every design, every word is part of a larger tale. A subtle scroll motif will nod to the stories I’m building – both visual and written.

    Rough Sketch Concept for the badge:

    •            Shape: A circular badge, symbolizing wholeness and continuity.

    •            Centerpiece: A cedar tree with exposed roots, its trunk forming a camera on a tripod.

    •            Upper arc: A Stellar J in flight, wings echoing the shape of a rising tide.

    •            Lower arc: Gentle wave lines, with a scroll tucked among them.

    •            Text ribbon: “Rooted to Rise” wrapping the base