This semester in my Digital Design course, I had the opportunity of exploring and being part of a during exploring the world of brand identity. Within this new semester, our primary objective and project for the rest of the year was to create a new banking brand which allowed me to explore every essential part of branding including typography, colour schemes, logo and word marks as well as brand values. For my project, I focused on building a new bank brand myself called Square, which was aimed towards a target audience of 16 to 25 year olds. Throughout this process, I was able to gain a variety of new skills and a deeper understanding of what it truly takes to develop a brand from the group up, and the many different design choices I would have to make to shape my brand’s personality. This project alone not only helped me improve my digital skills on the likes of Figma, but also opened my eyes to the meaning of branding.
Throughout this year, there have been many different aspects of the course which I have thoroughly enjoyed and felt were beneficial, with one of the main points I enjoyed being the creative side of designing my own brand. Previously, I had always imagined myself working in branding or creating identities but until now, I had never really had the opportunity to explore it properly, whether in school or in my own time. Being able to bring my ideas to life and make real decisions about colour, typography, and visual style was incredibly satisfying. It felt empowering to build something completely new from scratch and see how all the pieces from the logo to the tone of voice came together to form a coherent, professional-looking brand. I also really enjoyed the social side of the course, particularly sharing my work with others and getting feedback during peer reviews. Hearing different perspectives helped me see my brand from new angles and pushed me to think more deeply about my design choices. It was motivating to be part of a creative community where ideas could be exchanged so openly.
This semester wasn’t without its challenges. One of the main things I struggled with was prototyping, especially when it came to using Figma for my designs. At the beginning, I didn’t have much experience with Figma, and I found it quite difficult to bring my ideas to life on the screen in the way I imagined them. To overcome this, I spent a lot of time watching YouTube tutorials and learning by seeing things visually. Little by little, I began to feel more comfortable with the software, and I am proud of how much progress I made in a relatively short amount of time. Another challenge I faced was time management. I underestimated just how much time this course would demand, and at first, I found myself struggling to keep up with deadlines and balance my workload. However, as the semester progressed, I developed better organisational skills and got into a steady rhythm that helped me manage my time much more effectively.
Overall, this semester has been a very enjoyable and rewarding experience. It was something completely new for me, but I’m so happy with how everything turned out. I feel like I have built a strong foundation of design skills that I can carry forward into my future career. Creating Square not only allowed me to practise design but also gave me a real taste of what it feels like to create a brand that could exist in the real world. I am excited to continue building on these skills and can’t wait to see where they take me next.