Google Maps and Its Benefits

Google Maps can be used to create a large audience. At my internship I was required to make a Tumblr site for one of our clients. The site was required to have an embedded Google Map into it, at first I was curious as to why an address wouldn't suffice, but after embedding it I understood why it is so beneficial; it creates demand.

When looking up places to stay for a weekend, guests aren't just interested in the hotel they are staying at. Google Maps can allow companies to showcase an entire town, pinpoint their hotel and add in other attractions near by. Users can put in local restaurants, bars, clubs, shopping centers and much more. It allows companies, especially places like hotels, to sell their location and allows guests to experience more during their stay. Overall, Google Maps is the best way to generate a large audience and extremely beneficial when it comes down to entertainment purposes. 

JaxParks Public Pools

Jacksonville's Hidden Gems

New Media

This semester I have been given the opportunity to intern at DiscoverTec – a Jacksonville-based web design and SEO firm. As their social media intern for the Fall 2015 semester, I have been in charge of not only making substantial posts on all of their social media platforms but I have also been researching new media sites to utilize for our company and clients.

To me, new media research has been the most beneficial. I have found amazing media sites that not only help DiscoverTec, but these sites are valuable for all communication students – one in particular is Shocase. As an advertising student, I am extremely interested in the design aspect. I love creating and coming up with new ideas, learning from others and being able to create awesome graphics using Adobe Creative Cloud. Because of that, I decided to utilize Shocase for my own work.  It is a site that is fostered on creativity and community involvement – you upload your work to your profile, can tag companies and add contributors and the site also allows you to leave feedback on other users work. Sites like Shocase are pertinent in getting work seen and having a large online platform with an audience of hundreds-of-thousands of people is something that all creative designers should look into.

Everyday Findings

It is amazing to see all the places we can pull inspiration from – driving to work, being on campus, grabbing dinner with friends. We constantly see media content all around us – it is thrown at us. Although exhausting at times, other times it can give us dozens of ideas we never thought we had. I have seen images, both printed and created from visuals, and it surprises me when weeks later I use them as a basis for my next project.

The image below is an exact example of finding inspiration from your surroundings. It is the mural on the patio of the local Taco Lu in Jacksonville, Florida. Not only is this mural impressive, but also the rest of the space is encompassed with intricate and unique art. Hand panted, one side is a sugar skull portrait and the other a mural of roses – complimentary to one-another.