Problems at University
We began this group brief by discussing problems we had faced during our freshers week at University. These were:
Waking up very early everyday, walking to college, the effort of washing up, thin walls meaning you can never get quiet, money managing, planning nights out and getting home, wallets stolen, paying to wash clothes and getting around to doing it, student loans, remembering things the next day after a night out, burning food - poor ability to cook, being tired all the time, food shopping, trying not to imitate and pick up others accents, long days at college, no sofas, food going mouldy, not enough space in the fridge, changing bed sheets, emptying bins and recycling, long walk to shops, expensive alcohol, dying livers, boring inductions - healthy and safety, freshers flu, millions of handouts, no kettle or toaster when we arrived, having to carry keys and lock door, bad lighting in rooms, spending money on fast food after nights out, not getting run over by people not looking where they are going, getting into debt already, getting lost, having to pay for a tv licence, messy rooms already!
We then chose the five problems that we felt had effected our group the most.
- No kettle or toaster in accommodation when arrived
- Paying to replace lost/stolen cards
- Trying not to get run over while crossing the busy roads
- The noise outside the halls when trying to sleep
- The size of the bathrooms
Each group presented their problems to the rest of the students. The problems were put into a hat and we picked out 'making friends'.
Considerations
Audience: People who have just started at University (Freshers)
What do they need to know?: How to make friends at University
Why do they need to know?: So that they are not alone, for their happiness and well being
How will you tell them?: Through media
Making Friends
We then went in to detail when thinking about this problem, discussing issues such as how to make friends, where to make friends, problems some may have with making friends, as well as looking at the positive sides of making friends.
The problem we decided to solve was how to engage with flatmates. It may be difficult to engage if you are shy, have low self- esteem, have nothing in common with the other flat mates, and dont make the effort.
We came up with three ideas to how we could solve this, which were again presented to the rest of the students.
Stickers of positive symbols
These would motivate the flatmates to engange in activities which would help them to make friends, and provide slogans to keep up their optimism. Also, stickers are a very popular media with students.
Examples of symbols: smiley face; conversation bubbles & knife fork and plate
Examples of slogans: be adventerous; be open minded & make the most of it
Jigsaw
When moving into the flat each of the housemates will be given a section of a coupon for a free entry or drink which is only redeemble if presented with completed coupon and all flatmates
Group Cook
We intend to get the flatmates to engage with each other by partaking in a week of cooking for each other. We intend to create a poster/ leaflet to encourage the flatmates to join in. This task would provide a talking amusement points, and will guarantee that the flatmates spend time together so no one is lonely, as all will sit and eat together.
Design Ideas Drawings
'Meet, Greet and Eat'
We all put our individual design ideas together, and then began to work digitally, deciding on the theme of 'Meet, Greet and Eat'.
Final Poster Designs
Developed from the initial digital design idea, we created two final poster designs, containing stand out typography, our 'Meet, Greet & Eat' logo, as well as text explaining what the idea behind the group cook was all about.
Posters in Context
For a better understanding of how our final posters could actually work, we photographed them in context alongside existing posters aimed at the same audience.
Recipe Card Fridge Magnets
To go with our final poster designs, we decided to create four recipe idea fridge magents, which would be a good starting point for students who had never cooked before. We created a starter, a dessert, a main and a vegetarian option recipe card.
