Module 05 · Running a Design Practice
Capstone: Design a Full Brand Kit End to End
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On this lesson
Course outline
Module 1 · The Modern AI Design Stack
Module 2 · Creative Ideation
Module 3 · Brand Asset Production
Module 4 · Client-Ready Deliverables
The capstone combines the course into one reviewable identity system. You will move from an approved brief through visual territories, vector refinement, color and type rules, social templates, a client decision deck, and a tested delivery archive.
Use a real project only with permission. Otherwise create a clearly labelled hypothetical business and use sample data throughout. Completion means the evidence chain is intact—not that a client, sale, or income result is guaranteed.
// concept
Define the Capstone Contract
Choose a compact problem with real constraints. Your one-page brief must name:
- project status: real authorized, redacted, or hypothetical;
- business category, audience, positioning, and three attributes;
- required English, Roman-Urdu, or Urdu support;
- primary channels and production uses;
- mandatory content and prohibited claims;
- competitor/similarity screening boundary;
- deliverables, decision owner, review rounds, and deadline;
- rights, privacy, and AI-use conditions.
Recommended capstone scope:
3 visual territories → 2 presented concepts → 1 refined identity
primary + secondary lockup + small-use symbol
role-based palette + typography specification
announcement + carousel + proof social templates
8–12 slide concept decision deck
screen, office, and one print-use export set
README + rights/provenance + approvals + checksumDo not add naming, a full website, packaging range, video, and campaign strategy merely to make the capstone seem larger. Depth and verification matter more than surface area.
// concept
Work Through Five Approval Gates
Gate 1 — Brief
The problem, audience, uses, scripts, scope, and decision owner are approved. No images are generated before this gate.
Gate 2 — Direction
Three distinct territories are documented; similarity screening and rejection notes exist. Two directions enter a fair decision deck with the same types of evidence.
Gate 3 — Identity
One direction is rebuilt with editable vector geometry and licensed type. Flat, one-color, reversed, small-size, multilingual, and relevant production proofs pass.
Gate 4 — Applications
Three template jobs use shared tokens and defined editable slots. Long copy, no image, mobile crop, Urdu/English, and another editor stress-test the system.
Gate 5 — Delivery
Accepted revisions trace to feedback IDs. The final archive separates masters, exports, licenses, approvals, proof, and archive. Representative files open outside your account, and the checksum identifies the delivered ZIP.
At each gate, retain the input, output, reviewer, decision, date, and open risks. A screenshot of a chat is not enough when the relevant decision cannot be identified.
// concept
Use AI With a Provenance Log
Record every material AI-assisted step:
| Field | Example entry |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Black-and-white thumbnail exploration |
| Tool/version | Tool and current model shown in account |
| Inputs | Redacted brief; no client identifiers |
| Prompt | Exact prompt stored in project notes |
| Selection | Thumbnails 03 and 08 informed sketches |
| Human changes | Redrawn geometry, original type, spacing, testing |
| Rights check | Current provider terms reviewed; client use confirmed |
| Approval | Direction decision ID and date |
The log does not transfer rights by itself. Check current provider terms, asset licenses, client contract, and any required legal advice. Do not use artists’ names, competitor marks, private customer data, or unlicensed reference images as shortcuts.
// worked_example
Worked Example
Gate 1 rejects the phrase “maximum energy guaranteed” because it is unsupported. The approved attributes are careful, clear, and dependable. Three territories explore clean surface, scheduled care, and restored flow. Similarity screening eliminates a sun-and-check symbol that resembles common category marks.
The decision deck compares two directions. “Scheduled Care” wins because its simple interval motif reads at avatar size and does not require a fragile gradient. The designer rebuilds it in vectors, creates English and Urdu lockups with licensed type, and records extra Urdu line-height rules. Accent yellow fails as small text on white, so it becomes a highlight only.
The announcement template breaks with a long Roman-Urdu headline; the designer creates a long-copy variant rather than shrinking type. A second editor accidentally replaces the logo, so the master’s structural elements are locked or protected through a documented duplication workflow. The print vendor asks for a different sticker bleed than assumed, and the proof is updated before final export.
The final case study says exactly what was tested and clearly labels the project hypothetical. It claims no customers, sales, energy improvement, or client approval.
// failure_cases
Failure Cases to Diagnose
7 cases to diagnose
The brief changes during concepting
return to Gate 1 and record the scope/decision change.
AI thumbnails become final art
rebuild selected ideas, correct type, and perform rights and similarity review.
Concepts are judged only on mockups
require flat, small, one-color, and production evidence.
The bilingual system is an afterthought
test script, direction, font rights, line height, and export before approval.
Templates work only with placeholder copy
run long, short, image-free, and second-editor tests.
Revision history cannot explain the final
link every accepted change to a numbered request and gate.
The archive contains secrets or unrelated work
perform a privacy and access review before packaging.
// pakistan_angle
Pakistan Angle
Choose uses that reflect the project rather than stereotypes. For many Pakistani service businesses that may mean WhatsApp, invoices, Daraz, a shop or flex sign, delivery stickers, or bilingual handouts. Test on a real low-cost Android device and obtain the relevant vendor’s print specifications. Keep a lightweight proof package for unreliable mobile data and a separate production archive.
Your capstone must not expose a CNIC, private phone list, customer chat, home address, medical record, student result, or banking screenshot. Use PKR and local payment/production context only when relevant and current. If the project might become paid work, define the package, revision boundary, rights, invoice, and payment evidence as carefully as the visuals.
// hands_on
Hands-On Exercise
10 steps
Create the project folder and one-page capstone contract.
Complete Gate 1 and freeze a versioned approved brief.
Produce three territories, screen similarities, and record rejections.
Present two directions fairly; record the decision and tradeoff.
Rebuild and test the selected identity in every required script and use.
Build and stress-test three social templates with a second editor.
Process one simulated revision round through a numbered register.
Obtain real or simulated vendor specifications and produce one print proof.
Package masters, exports, licenses, provenance, approvals, README, and checksum.
Publish a permission-safe case study that states project status and known limits.
// completion_rubric
Completion Rubric
6 checks — tick as you verify
// sources
Sources
// check_yourself
Check yourself
4 questions · answers and options are taken word-for-word from this course
1 / 4 · diagnose
Your work shows this failure mode: “The brief changes during concepting.” What does the lesson tell you to do about it?