Capstone Blog— What is Capstone?

Hello, my name is Dawson Cordia, and I am a senior interactive design student at Maryville University. This blog will document my process of completing my large and complex capstone project.

The first question must be coming to mind before I even start. What is capstone exactly? The heart of the Capstone experience is defining and solving design problems within a more extensive scope or degree of complexity. It doesn’t mean that the subject matter and concepts have to be complicated or groundbreaking. It means that the products that make up the project should collectively have depth (fewer products with complexity within) or breadth (a comprehensive system applied to several products). That means capstone is supposed to be an experience that drives students to solve design problems by either doing a complex project with several challenges or doing a project with many extensions to add to a knowledge that may lack in complexity but is still strong conceptually. Both approaches exist to be a guide in taking ideas and applying them to multiple different levels of complexity and extensions to see if they can hold water. Capstone also requires a topic researched wholesomely to ensure it’s not a copycat design, solving a problem that doesn’t exist, or creating a project that is way too broad and complex where the idea can not accomplish it in the timeframe of the school semester.

As I enter into my final year of college, I want to make a personal impact in the world of art. Capstone is this mighty project that can be the difference between success, but it’s not the case. I see capstone as an opportunity to make a mark and dive into areas that I have not explored with my coursework thus far. I want to pursue a project based on a passion project I started to work on last year. Through brainstorming and research, I will be considering several ideas next week and either confirm or alter my project idea.