When I applied to the MS Strategic Advertising and Marketing program at Temple University, I remember reading the list of courses in the curriculum and being intrigued. Listed were a few marketing courses, a few advertising courses, a design theory course (which really excited me), a media planning course, a user experience design course (also very exciting), the marketing capstone and something that originally terrified me: a statistics course. My brain immediately placed the latter one in the math bucket and the first word out of my mouth was NOPE.
Read moreField Trip to The Viaduct
Before the semester even started, an email appeared in our TU inboxes from our Visual Communication and Branding professor: “I’m planning an in-person meeting.”
I was a bit (very) skeptical about meeting in person for class, especially since there was a very strong reason why our classes are online this semester. Originally, my response was "NO, NO WAY. NOT IN THIS PANDEMIC! WHAT IN THE WORLD." (See: “WHA THIT HEO?!”) After I heard it wasn't going to be 2.5 hours of ice breakers and awkwardness on the first day of class, but rather a chance to see each other (for the first time in, what, six months?) in a beautiful outdoor space with a chance to network with other designers from a local firm called Cohere, I was immediately in. The only thing that got in my way was my mode of transportation. (I decided to drive in…it was faster to do that anyway.)
I am so glad I decided to go. We met two of the nicest ladies who are designers by day and botanists by night (okay, maybe not botanists, but definitely urban gardeners!), who took time out of their busy schedules to tell us all about how The Viaduct came to be, a little bit about Cohere and what they do, and gave us some insight on a branding project they’re working on for a local hotel.
What made this trip even better was being able to meet our professor in person. I already know everyone else who showed up Thursday night (except for the one guy, Branden), so it was almost like a (much needed) reunion. We all masked up and took a “class photo” and throughout the night, Kathy (our prof) snapped shots that she later shared with us on our free-for-all discussion board (thank you!).
And even better - I expected to go back to my car to see a ticket from PPA on there, but was disappointed (in a positive way) to see that they showed me no love. ;P
The space is beautiful, and it’s open for other plein-air -type events they host. Plus! They have chickens running around! There are also harvests and flowers for sale, and it’s in an area where you can take a few short steps to grab a drink after whatever event you’re attending in the man-made space.
Thank you, Kathy, for arranging this for us and thank you to Dylan and Victoria for hosting a fun evening full of interesting discussions and an awesome networking opportunity. It was worth the trip!