What I Learned from Thesis

Created by Mark Gage

What I Learned

from

Thesis

What is a Thesis?A Thesis project at MIAD is unlike any Thesis at any other school. As opposed to documenting your rationale as to why you deserve a degree from your school through writing, you are expected to create an enormous project that outlines everything that you have learned as a designer or artist at MIAD. For instance, my project was a series of Public Service Announcement commercials geared towards raising awareness about the declining availability of engaging art programs within the Milwaukee Public School System. Backed behind ample research and geared towards a specific demographic of politicians, parents, and MPS board members, my project is an excellent example of a cohesive and cleverly designed representation of my education at MIAD.

CHAPTER ONE | 4Greetings!

CHAPTER TWO | 6Rely on a Few / Trust No One

CHAPTER THREE | 10A Pot of Coffee a Day Keeps You in Close Contact with Your Doctor

CHAPTER FOUR | 20Discovering the Vast Wonders of Ramen Noodles

CHAPTER FIVE | 24Technology is a creation of the Devil

CHAPTER SIX | 28Nobody Will Hate Your Project as Much as You Do

CHAPTER SEVEN | 30Are They an Employer or Are They a Homeless Person?

CHAPTER EIGHT | 32Let the Chips Fall Where They May

Table OfContents

CHAPTER ONE

Greetings!

Hello everyone and welcome to What I

Learned from Thesis. If you are reading this then you are most likely entering into one of the most emotionally upsetting - caffeine buzz - call your mom crying, “I just can’t do it” - publicly intoxicated semesters of your life. Yes, I am talking about the last semester of your senior year, but more specifically, the looming fear of the Senior Thesis Show. Luckily for you, in your hands is the key to 100% completely removing a fraction of the stresses of Thesis. Throughout this book, I will be providing you with some real life experiences of past students, including myself, who have gone through Thesis and our tips on how to master your workflow. I have gathered the best how-tos and created an 8-step program designed for a successful Senior Thesis project.

Now, if Thesis sounds a bit daunting that’s because it is. You are expected to spend the better part of your senior year creating a complex project that will later be installed in an exhibit where you will then need to present your project to thousands of strangers. Some of these strangers may be big movers and shakers of your industry, some may be your classmate’s parents, and some very well may be homeless people trying to get out of the rain (but more on that later). But don’t fret, if you follow my simple 8-step program I am 65% sure that you might possibly overcome the “terrible emotional torture, as if your heart was just ripped out of your chest” doom we call the Senior Thesis Show. Now I know what you’re thinking, “Eight steps? Geewilligers, that sounds like too much work.” But, what if I told you that you have already completed Step One: Admitting You Have to Thesis.

What I Learned from Thesis | 5

“ Before I came to MIAD, I knew very little about the design world; Now I know too much,”

said Riley Erickson who has been watching manyTwo and a Half Men marathons to clear his mind.

“ It all happened so fast, yet dragged on forever,”

said Paul Altott, who designed a 100+ page book

CHAPTER TWO

Rely on a Few;Trust No One

Whew! Well, we got Step One out of the way. Don’t you feel better already? On to Step Two: Learn Who to Trust. As mentioned before, creating a successful Thesis project is a fairly large task for one person to take on alone. Plus, let’s face it, you aren’t that talented. No, I mean like really talented. What I’m saying is that because you are so bad at life and design you will at some point need help. Whether it is bouncing ideas off someone else, setting up photo shoots, ordering prints, installing your exhibit, or having someone hold your hair back as you vomit the five cups of coffee you just drank, you are going to need at least one or two friends of whom you can rely on for assistance. Shoot, I forgot to put that on the cover, “One or two friends are NOT included.” But you’re not worried, “I have tons of classmates who would be willing to help!” Wrong. Thesis is war, man, it’s war.

You have to understand that everyone in your class will be going through this exact same situation. The irony is that everybody needs help, but nobody gets it. Why, you may ask? No one wants to bother their busy classmates with petty Thesis concerns. There is, however, one solution to gathering your trusted team of a few. Start by putting yourself out there as somebody willing to help right out of the gate. Once you help a few individuals, you will obtain the power of guilt. Guilt because now they “owe you one.” Shamelessly use this power to linger over the heads of those you have trapped. Sure, it may be bordering on the questionable side of “is this ethical” but it’s there problem, not yours.

Also, be sure you can rely on your outside help as well (ie. printers, delivery services, web hosting, etc.). They don’t really care about you to begin with. You need to be absolutely certain that you have established your demands to them, and that they can commit to those demands. If you need business cards do not use www.4colorprints.com.

So, there is step two for ya. However, just because you have conjured up a crew doesn’t mean that you will somehow avoid hard work and long hours... which brings me to my next step.


“ Nearly anyone that you ask to help you will turn in work late, unfinished, and done wrong,”

said Alex Groh who was late giving me a quote.

12

7 86

4

My Business Cards’ Trip Around the World

35

1 (on time)I placed my order for 500 business cards with www.4colorprints.com.2 (on time) 4 Color Prints in Nevada received my order and immediately sent out my file for production in China.3 (2 days late)The production office in China printed my business cards and sent them out to the United States.4 (6 days late)Customs in New York denied the shipment for an unknown reason and were forced to “Return to Sender.”

5 (15 days late)The shipment was sent back to China where they fixed the issue and resent.6 (19 days late)Customs in New York finally accepted the shipment and the business cards were sent to Nevada.7 (21 days late)4 Color Prints in Nevada received the shipment and then sent the cards to me in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.8 (26 days late)I recieved the business cards.

CHAPTER THREE

A Pot of Coffee a Day Keeps You in Close Contact With Your Doctor

Believe it or not, Thesis is not the only thing going on in the lives of MIAD seniors. At times it will even be put on the back burner to things such as your liberal studies, family obligations, and paying rent. In an attempt to successfully complete all of your responsibilities and create a satisfactory Thesis project, you may think the only solution is to eliminate sleep from your schedule. Coffee, Red Bull, Mountain Dew and other caffeine-heavy drinks may become necessary addictions to supplement your lack of rest. However, if checking yourself into the ER at four in the morning for fear that you may be having a heart attack doesn’t sound appealing to you then there is really only one way around your caffeine binge drinking: Step Three: Create a Schedule.

No, I’m not your mother, but believe me, this schedule thing works wonders. The issue with avoiding a schedule isn’t that you won’t finish your project on time, although that is a pretty big concern, but that you will put your body through a roller coaster ride of labor-intensive work one week followed by an unproductive use of time the next week. If you are anything like me, you will fall into a viscous cycle of working yourself to the bone for three days straight, without sleep and then feel as though you have earned the right to take a break. As a Milwaukee artist, taking a break usually means getting totally black out - hammered - “I can’t find my keys” drunk. Yeah, we are trying to avoid that. For the sake of your liver, which undoubtedly thanks me, I will kindly show you the well formulated schedule I kept to when working on my Thesis.


“ Dude, I haven’t slept in over 48 hours and I can hear my heart beating. I really think this coffee is going to kill me,”

said Mark Gage during one of his anxiety attacks.

RESEARCH | 1 weekGathered information on the current condition of arts in MPS. Also, I researched design techniques and the how-tos of shooting video.

CONCEPTS | 1.5 weeksJotted down ideas for over 50 different concepts, all of which were based upon my research and mood boards.

12 | What I Learned from Thesis

SKETCHES/STORYBOARDING | 2.5 weeksI spent the majority of my time on this step. I created multiple versions of every one of the concepts I came up with. I went through an entire 100 page, 5.5x8.5 notebook with only concept ideas and storyboard sketches.


FILMING | 1.5 weeksAfter storyboarding, I found my actors, scouted locations, and arranged shoots. The most time consuming of which was driving back and forth from Mequon to shoot the “lake bluff” scene.

EDITING | 1 weekThis step was pretty easy because I stuck very closely to my storyboards. I had to sift through almost an hour of footage and arrange the clips into meaningful sequences.


EXHIBIT | 1 weekDesigned and installed my project into my exhibit space. Most of this time was spent trying to get my ancient TV to work properly, and eventually replacing it with a new TV.

DESIGN | 1.5 weeksI designed the Help Save The Arts print banner, the website, and also all of the typography treatments that were used throughout the commercials.


Now, there is a general overview of the amount of time I had spent on each of the elements of my project. Of course, each individual project required a different level of care from one commerical to the next. Here is a quick example of one of my project’s journey from conception to filming and then into a final creation.

For this example, I have chosen to examine the “Keep the Process Alive” commercial, because it was the most complicated and I spent the most time on it. The first step was creating the concept. I wanted to show that a piece of artwork takes a long time to come to existence, and that this process begins with an introduction to art. I decided to show an

PLAY BY PLAYestablished piece of art during all of it’s different stages of creation. I chose the Milwaukee Art Museum, mainly for it’s iconic nature in the city of Milwaukee. For an increased level of impact, I thought that the story would best be told in reverse chronological order, where the take away message would be displayed last.

After I came up with the concept, I started to create rough sketches with many different versions of the concept and various stylistic approaches.

Upon finishing the rough sketches, I had chosen a direction that I was the


most satisfied with. I spent another couple of days creating tight sketches of every scene, primarily focusing on the composition and the flow of the scenes.

When the tight sketches were finished I was then prepared to start shooting. I started to scout locations and then organized all of the talent, which took a great deal of time. Once that was all situated I started to film, and followed my storyboards to the smallest of details.

Finally, I went through all of the footage and created a rough cut. After discussing the pros and cons of the commercial with classmates, I refined my edits and created the final commercial.

“ For every hour of sleep that I lost, I made up for it in 1000 calories of Starbucks purchases,” said Jeni Brendemuehl, who was more concerned about her figure than her Thesis project.


Once you know approximately how much time you want to spend on any given portion of your Thesis, it helps to narrow down your schedule. A weekly schedule does just that. Creating a weekly schedule helps to visualize exactly what needs to be done and by when. When you create a weekly schedule, you will be able to find little gaps in your schedule that you can use for free time to relax or start ahead on the next big project. Be sure to leave enough time to clean your apartment, after you experience the Thesis Hurricane.

NARROWING IT DOWN


mon

8am

9am

10am

11am

12pm

1pm

2pm

3pm

4pm

5pm

6pm

7pm

8pm

9pm

10pm

11pm

12am

tues fri sat sun

Art History

Sketchcomm 1

WritingClass

FinishSketches

watch“The Office”




Get totallybombed

Start WebDesign Work Work HW free-

for-all

ScoutLocations

Finish TightSketches

Start TightSketches

Finish WebDesign

Shoot ArtMuseum Scene

Edit MAMfootage

Shoot Guitarscene

Finish WebDesign

Finish Writingassignment

Finish LogoBoard/Portfolioclean apt.

relax

wed thurs

CHAPTER FOUR

Discovering the Vast Wonders ofRamen Noodles

So you have put together your attack plan for Thesis, but now you realize that your Thesis is going to cost a ton of money to create. For me, it was buying an HD video camera, for others it was buying an iPad or multiple copies of 100+ page books. There are a few things you can do to collect enough money for Thesis. One solution is to sell your body. Now hold on, let me rephrase. What I mean is that you will be so broke, that you may resort to selling things that you never thought you would. For instance: blood, bone marrow, plasma, your plasma TV, and possibly sex. If you are personally attached to those items or grossed out by selling your TV then you may want to try panhandling. As a designer, you should be able to create a far more appealing cardboard sign than the homeless guy next to you. Spending a few hours outside of the Walgreens on Brady Street for a semester could turn out to be quite profitable.

Understandably, I’ll bet that probably neither of those options sound like the right fit for you. This is why I created a Step Four: Make a Budget. Hopefully, you are reading this booklet with at least a few months before the Thesis show opens. Use this time to find a job / take out loans,

create a savings account, and find a way to eliminate unnecessary purchases. One of the easiest places to start thinning your expenses is with food. For instance, anything that you have to cook is probably to expensive. Think about it, you have to buy the ingredients, gas/electric, and use some of your precious time making the dish. Try buying non-perishable food in bulk. Believe me, you and your microwave will become very close during Thesis. The rest of your budget will come naturally. For example, you will no longer have enough time to go out as often as you have been, which will eliminate most of your entertainment costs.


“ I thought my loan would be enough, but I guess I drink too much,”

said Jeni Brendemuehl at the Thesis Show after party.


1

2

3

4

5

6


1 Print ($100)I printed my Thesis logo and multiple scanned storyboards from DigiCopy.2 Business Cards ($200) I had business cards printed from www.4colorprint.com and at DigiCopy.3 Props and Supplies ($200)I purchased multiple props, clothing, and related equipment for the shoots.

4 Traveling and Scouting ($300)I drove all over Eastern Wisconsin scouting locations and picking picking up supplies.5 Entertainment ($550)You need to have fun still.6 Technology ($1,100)I purchased a Canon 550D for all of my filming, and other camera accessories.

CHAPTER FIVE

Technology is a Creation of the Devil

This next step is both the easiest to follow and also one of the most important: Step Five: Understand Your Media. As you should know by now, what you see on your computer screen does not always translate exactingly to your final output. If it’s print, your colors may be wrong or there could be goofy issues with the printer. If it’s web, you may have it working perfectly in Firefox but not in Safari. Also, with web you are depending on a server to work flawlessly during your Thesis Show. If your media is video, then you have just opened Pandora’s Box that he has been especially saving for you in his attic for just this occasion. Let me breakdown what had happened to me...


“ Technology is a whore,” said Brad Hollander, in a text message, after he lost service during our phone interview.

After purchasing a $1,000 camera which I used to shoot all of my commercials with, I realized that there was a microscopic piece of dust on the camera’s inside sensor. This resulted in all of my commercials having a one pixel white dot in the upper left corner of the screen. This little imperfection was so small that I could not see it on my computer, but when it was on my 50” TV that I exhibited the project on, it was very noticeable. Okay, not a big deal, right? I came to terms with the fact that the white dot would be there, but the devil spawn called “technology” was just getting warmed up. My 50” TV that MIAD gave me for Thesis was ten years old; the first plasma TV ever commercially sold, actually. Needless to say, the school did not have an HD player that would connect to the outdated HD inputs of the TV. After tracking down the rare cables necessary to play HD on the ancient TV, another issue happened. Two days before the exhibit opened, my TV started to flatline. It would not play for more than 30 minutes before the majority of the pixels on the screen started to change color creating a “glittering” effect. This “glittering” effect is the swan song of a TV’s nearing death.


“ Relying on technology for Thesis is like taking the hottest cheerleader to prom. At first you think you’re really cool, then the big night comes and she screws you. Not in a good way. I mean like she ends up under the influence, under the bleachers... then under your best friend.”Brad Hollander had many server issues which oftenprevented his iPad and iPhone apps from working.

Essentially, what happened is that I had to convince the school to purchase a new 46” HDTV the day of the exhibit’s opening. As a result, I had to redesign my exhibit, instal my TV and all of the connections just a few hours before the start of the show. It was nerve racking to say the least. The moral of this story is that issues will happen. It’s just unavoidable. Experiment with your media before the show, and allow yourself enough time to hurdle all of the potential obstacles.

CHAPTER SIX

Nobody Will Hate Your Project as Much as You Do

The reality of spending months on one project is that you will grow to hate it. Every flaw screams at you with a never ending desire to be fixed. You wear a special set of optics when you observe your own project. Nobody else will see these mistakes, but to you there is an index of things you wish you would have done differently. You need to learn that no project is ever completed, and there comes a time when you need to forgive your imperfect human nature. For many, their thesis project is still the best project they have created while at MIAD. Just for those feeling a little blue, I have created Step Six: Realize That You Don’t Suck.

To be totally honest, this is probably a psychological issue of which I am far from an expert in but would love to take a stab at. You better believe that I have some tips on how to appreciate your project. It’s pretty ground-breaking stuff so I’m certain that psychologists everywhere will be integrating this step into their practices. First, reflect on the amount

of work that you have just put into your project. Retrace every step you took. You will realize that your project has come light years from its conception. Second, consider the vast amount that you have learned during your process. Maybe it’s technical stuff, design tricks, workflow improvements, how many beers you can drink before you can no longer work in Photoshop (7 for me), and the list goes on. If nothing else, you should notice that you have learned a great deal of handy tips and tricks. Thirdly, go check out the project of the worst designer in your class. Just stand in front of their project for a half hour and mentally point out every flaw you see. By the end of all this, you should feel much better. Oh, and count back from ten or something.

1 This is how you feel now. 2 Rotate your hand 180o. 3 Now you feel great.


“ I eventually became allergic to my thesis,”said Jeni Brendemuehl who for thesis not onlydesigned a cafe but thousands of cookies as well.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Are They an Employer or Are They a Homeless Person?


So your project is completed, installed, and ready for viewership. You have already hurdled all of the stresses and trials of Thesis and have created a stellar project. The last thing left is to present your project to a herd of morons and uneducated-in-the-arts individuals. Now, that probably seems bitter, but the truth is that unless you personally know a potential employer, you have no idea what the profession of your viewer is. Someone looking at your project could be your future boss, a mailman, or some homeless guy trying to stay out of the rain. To be realistic, for every 100 people that views

your project, only one or two may be interested in hiring you. This brings us to Step Seven: Get to Know Your Audience.

You need to approach every viewer of your project dually as a potential employer and as an average Joe. The harm of approaching as either one or the other is that you will come off as overzealous to the “Average Joe” or be offended when the “Art Director” spends little time with your project. Here is my number one piece of advice for telling the difference: Stereotype. There are certain tells that will show the true intentions of a viewer. First, allow the viewer to fully observe your project and then follow with small talk; “Hey, how are we doing today?,” “Do you have any questions about my project?,” etc. Based on their response, you should be able to analyze/overanalyze what they say. If they tell you their first and last name, then they are a potential employer. If they are carrying 100 business cards, they are an employer. If you can smell alcohol on their breath, they are an employer. If they seem uncomfortable talking to you, then you should get the hell out of there.

“ MIAD really puts the Thesis show up on an outrageous pedestal,”said Lydia Jarvis, when reflecting on the show.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Let the Chips Fall Where They May


Congratulations! By this point you have finally finished your Senior Thesis project, tactically maneuvered through a gauntlet of emotionally trying issues, and collected a few business cards during the show. We have come to the final step of the program. As much as this is the final step for our purposes, it will influence every project you begin in the future. Now, get ready for Step Eight: Learn to Let Go.

This is a difficult step for many. You have essentially carried this project in your head during its conception, pushed and pushed and pushed the project out of your brain onto paper, carefully constructed the path you wished your project to go, blamed yourself for all of your project’s imperfections, and watched it mature into a handsome exhibitable portfolio piece. You have just had a Thesis baby, and now it’s time for it to move out. You may not think that there is purpose to your life after Thesis, but the reality is that you still have so much more to do. Just as your Thesis moves out, you are expected to finish your portfolio, start on your final papers/tests, graduate, and find a job. It can be hard getting back into the swing of

being a full-time student after your Thesis pregnancy, but try to remember what your Thesis taught you. Every design baby you raise from here on out will be a breeze compared to your guinea pig Thesis baby. And just like all guinea pig children, your Thesis baby will probably get pregnant before they marry and start smoking crack... or at least it will seem that way years from now.

So, folks, there it is. Can you believe that you have just successfully completed (or at least read) my 8-step program to a better Thesis? If you are now chronically depressed about the slightest thought of Thesis then I have done my job by bringing it to your attention. Your welcome.Now send me a check!

“ Keep your cool during Thesis, otherwise your Thesis won’t be cool,”said Paul Altott who’s been kool since preskool.


INSTRUCTORSDanielle Gagliano for keeping me focused and calm throughout my many meltdowns during Thesis.Jason Czarnik for helping me to manage my thoughts and simplify my over-ambitious ideas.Judith Harway for patiently sifting through my rants with an open mind, during my writing assignments.

CLASSMATESPaul Altott, Jeni Brendemuehl, Kezra Cornell, Riley Erickson, Alex Groh, Brad Hollander, and Lydia Jarvis for taking the time to provide me with a surplus of quotes and personal Thesis experiences, which was the foundation of this writing.

A Special Thanks

..................................................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................................................

How You Can HelpIt’s simple; Pass on this book.As a transfer student into MIAD, I had no idea what Thesis was all about and had even less knowledge about the stresses of Thesis. Sure, I saw grown men breakdown into hysterical outbursts of crying, but I never knew why. Do your predecessors a favor and show them all that you have Learned from Thesis.

NAME DATE

At the time of this writing, Mark Gage was a senior of the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design’s Communication Design program. After many, many long nights of openly weeping about his Thesis, he strived to find a way to prevent similar embarrassment for all future students. Gage is recognized as a national hero for his book titled What I Learned from

Thesis which documents the emotional and theatrical tale of one man’s journey through the trying times of Senior Thesis. Gage was later awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for ceasing war in Central Africa, largely due to his book What I Learned

from Hating War in Central Africa. Gage is currently trying to fight the issue of mortality with his next self-help book What

I Learned from Being Totally Bummed About

Not Living Forever, which will be hitting the shelves exactly twenty minutes and 36 seconds after you die.

About the Author

What I Learned from Thesis

Documents

Transcript of What I Learned from Thesis