Design with Purpose!

Over the past two weeks, the biggest milestone is that the card deck finally arrived and I now have the physical cards in hand. Seeing the deck in its printed form has been a huge moment for the project, and it has helped confirm that the design system and content work together a way I envisioned.

The next two weeks will be focused on polishing the website and guidebook so they fully match the tone, visual system, and clarity of the card deck. I also want to start doing more test play sessions with the physical cards to confirm usability and refine anything that needs adjustment.

The main hurdle was simply not knowing if the cards would arrive in time. That uncertainty made it hard to plan the final stretch, but now that the deck is here, I can confidently move into refinement and testing.

Yes. The physical card deck is now complete and printed, and it is the main deliverable draft to share at this stage. I will also be sharing updated drafts of the website and guidebook as I polish them over the next two weeks

Over the past two weeks, I’ve been fully focused on finishing the card design—this is the final major piece before everything can move into the printing and delivery phase. I finalized the layout decisions, cleaned up typography and spacing, and made sure the content reads clearly and consistently across the deck.

A big milestone is that the deck is now in production through MakePlayingCards.com. At this point, I’m waiting for the order to be processed and shipped so I can review the physical proofs and make any last adjustments if needed.

While I wait for the deck to arrive, my next priority is to polish the rest of the deliverables:

Touch up the website (tighten copy, refine layout, and make sure everything is clear and easy to navigate).

Revisit the guidebook for final edits and formatting clean-up so it matches the tone and visual system of the cards.Once the deck is delivered, I’ll do a full quality check and note any changes needed for a final print-ready version.

The main challenge right now is the waiting period. It’s exciting to finally send the deck off, but it also means I cannot fully confirm print quality, color, and handling until the shipment arrives. AHA moment: Finishing the deck design made it really clear how much the project has shifted from being a “design thinking” tool to being a culturally grounded framework with its own rhythm. Now that the cards are essentially locked, it feels like the rest of the project can be refined around them.

Right now, the main draft to share is the completed card deck files submitted to MakePlayingCards.com. I’ll be able to share more once the physical deck arrives and I can document the final print results.

I've shifted focus to the cards—the project's core. Layout, design, and content are coming together aligned with the ʻŌiwi Design Mindset framework. I've been iterating on structures, refining visual hierarchy, and ensuring each card communicates clearly while rooted in Hawaiian cultural values.

The next two weeks focus on finalizing the deck and preparing for print. Cards should be ready for printing next week. I'll coordinate with the printer and conduct final quality checks on content, design, and usability.

My biggest AHA moment: realizing how much the cards have evolved. What started simple has become a layered tool balancing education, cultural grounding, and engagement. The hurdle has been managing numerous design decisions—typography, colors, information organization. Working through these details strengthened the final product. No major hiccups, just balancing quality with timeline.

Yes! I have working drafts of the card layouts and designs. I'm not sharing the full deck yet (waiting until everything is polished), but I've been documenting the process on my YouTube channel @JackOfAllTre (https://www.youtube.com/@jackofalltre). Stay tuned for updates as we approach the print-ready version!

Over the past two weeks, I've completed the guidebook layout and finalized the website at https://www.trezalohacreative.com/odt-deck. I'm on track to finish the guidebook by week's end. I'm also documenting everything on my YouTube channel @JackOfAllTre (https://www.youtube.com/@jackofalltre).

The next two weeks will focus on exploring card layout solutions for the ʻŌiwi Design Thinking Deck. This is the most critical phase, as the cards must balance educational content with engaging, culturally grounded design. I'll be considering visual hierarchy, readability, cultural symbolism, and user interaction.

No major hiccups or hurdles—just time moving fast and having to learn an entirely new design platform, a new dawn of design software (FREE ONES lol). I realized that while illustrations would be ideal, they're not part of my core deliverable. They'll come after I finalize the card content, structure, and layout. This clarity helped me focus on the foundational card design first.

After completing the planning stage, I was able to jump right into production and get the majority of the copywriting done. The first major task I tackled was building out the website—I laid out all the sections and content for the page. A key decision I made was to use my business's branding (Trezaloha Creative) as the main branding for the website, which helped create a cohesive visual identity.

In the coming weeks, I plan to shift my focus to the guidebook and work on its layout. I'm strategically choosing to complete the guidebook next so I can spend the rest of the semester concentrating on the card content and design, which will require the most iterative work.

Yes! I've completed a near final draft of the website for my capstone project. You can view it here: https://www.trezalohacreative.com/kahua-deck. It's not 100% finalized yet, but it's in good enough shape that I can come back to refine it later once I make progress on other aspects of my project.

I'm actually ahead of my timeline! Since web design is something I do regularly in my professional work, I had no issues getting the website drafted quickly. This puts me in a strong position to focus on the guidebook and card design in the weeks ahead.

Hiccups & Hurdles: I'm still working through the Card Design and Visual Direction—determining the right approach that balances educational content with engaging design.

Over the past few weeks, I have completed an in depth planning of my projects timeline and have thoroughly outlined all of the deliverables that will be part of my project. During this planning stage, I have been working on all three deliverables simultaneously—the card deck, the guidebook, and the website—while strategically focusing on similar types of tasks across all three components, including copywriting, layout design, and visual design elements.

Looking ahead to the next two weeks, my primary focus will be on drafting and finalizing copywriting for my deliverables. Additionally, I will be working on drafting out various card design layouts and exploring different visual approaches to ensure that the cards effectively communicate the concepts of the 'Ōiwi Design Mindset framework.

Hiccups: Card Design and Visual Direction

Hurdles: Planning out the card mechanics, determining how users will interact with the deck, and ensuring that the cards are both educational and engaging in terms of playability

AHA moment: I am considering moving away from traditional rectangular card dimensions and exploring the possibility of using a non-traditional card format like a square instead of the standard rectangle form. This alternative format could provide a more distinctive visual identity and potentially enhance the user experience with the card deck.

I am excited and looking forward to sharing an initial draft of the card layout and design concepts with everyone soon!