Digital Storytelling and Strategic Content Creation
My Emerging Expertise
Throughout the pursuit of my communication studies degree, I have developed an emerging expertise in digital storytelling and strategic content creation. Digital communication requires complex ideas, data, and messages to be transformed into clear, engaging, and meaningful digital content for varying online audiences. Between coursework, my honors projects, and my own creative work, I have developed skills in web design, digital blogging, and data visualization that demonstrate my ability to communicate effectively across differing platforms.
Artifact 1:
Financial Framework Partners Website Project (WordPress)
Digital Content Strategy and Creation for Web and Media
As a project in my Digital Content Strategy and Creation for Web and Media course, we were instructed to create a web page through interaction with real people, and real project management in real systems outside of Canvas. I created a webpage for Financial Framework Partners using WordPress.
Skills Developed:
This project required me to apply several digital communication skills, including:
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Content Strategy: structuring and organizing overwhelming financial information so that it was more accessible and engaging for younger audiences.
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Web design/usability: This was my first time using WordPress, and I had to apply class concepts of hierarchy, layout, and readability.
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Audience Analysis: The client wanted to encourage early investments, requiring me to frame financial planning in a way that reduced the intimidation surrounding investing
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Client-centered communication: Creating content that accurately reflects the brands service and goals.
Throughout this project, I focused on clear, approachable content that transformed complex financial information into a compelling and clear digital message for younger audiences, a critical skill in digital media communication and content creation/strategy.
Artifact 2:
Storytelling with Data Honors Infographic
A Student's Guide to the IUPUI Institutional Split
In my Storytelling with Data course, I created an honors project aimed to demonstrate my understanding of the course material while also addressing a topic that would be beneficial to an audience. I developed an infographic by researching, analyzing, and interpreting data revolving around the institutional split between Indiana University and Purdue University at IUPUI.
Skills Developed:
This project demonstrates my abilities in: ​
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Digital storytelling: I used icons, visual hierarchy, and concise text to guide the viewer's experience of understanding the topic.
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Data visualization: Presented complex information about the institutions in an accessible and clear way.
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Research+ synthesis: Interpreting timelines, policy changes, and university statements/documents to create a coherent whole inforgraphic of gathered information.
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Audience-centered communication: Designing the infographic in a way that is practical for students from both institutions. ​
​This honors project allowed me to strengthen my skills in translating research and data into a clear visual that communicates a practical message, a skill that is important within the digital media and communication fields. ​
Artifact 3:
Digital Text Blogging Project - The Cozy Cat Corner
The Cozy Cat Corner Blog in Finding your E-Voice
In my "Finding Your E-Voice" course, one of our main projects was to create a blog with a specific purpose to experiment with the meaning-making potential of digital texts. We were to follow a content strategy that we had developed for our intended audience. This was one of my favorite and most creative assignments yet, and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to craft the entire blog with the purpose of building a space that encourages community around the celebration of cats as companions, respected icons, and a source of joy.
Skills Developed:
This project allowed me to grow my skills in:
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Content strategy: I created posts with a specific timeline, designed to engage a community of cat lovers.
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Digital storytelling: I combined written stories/content, images, and a blog structure to enhance and engage the reader.
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Digital voice: Provided a consistent tone and identity for the blog.
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Community-centered communication: Built a digital space for a community of cat lovers and shared interests.
This project allowed me to be creative and explore digital storytelling while still applying content strategy, content creation, and communication principles that produced an effective example of my abilities to produce digital media.
Reflecting on my Emerging Expertise
Each of these artifacts reflects the experience and skills I have developed in content strategy, digital storytelling, data visualization, and web design. All of my work requires me to translate larger and more complex information into a format that is accessible, engaging, and successfully communicates a tailored message to a specific audience. My Financial Framework Partners Web Page demonstrated my skills in client-focused web design and content creation, while the Cozy Cat Corner blog gave me the ability to be creative and craft a digital voice, brand, and community. The honors infographic helped me in transforming data into visuals and researching topics to be able to condense them in a coherent way that is still meaningful to an audience. ​
Overall, these experiences showcase my focus on communicating effectively, no matter the platform. Moving forward towards my professional goals, these skills will allow me to contribute meaningful work in the fields of digital communication, content strategy, and user-centered design, where I can provide clear and strategic storytelling for any audience.