Brief - Part 1
Based on your preparatory research and summer presentations explore a range of innovative responses to the graphic communication of your informed opinions of 'good'. Your concepts should focus on the development of effective use of industry standard print based media formats and production methods.
Lecture Notes
Form/function/production
Things to consider:
- Identify your problem and what you are trying to achieve. What tone of voice?
- What are you doing and why?
- Are you driven by audience, context or media, and what relation do these have?
- What is your motivational force?
- Which media is believable/suitable?
- What are you trying to say about something?
- Collect & gather
- Form & format
- Product & range
- Media & process
- Audience & interaction
- Scale & context (think big!)
Part 2
Design and produce a print based graphic response that effectively communicates an in-depth and factually substantiated understanding of 'good'. Your response should demonstrate an increasingly informed investigation of at least one of the following:
Branding and identity
Packaging and promotion
Publishing and editorial
Information and way finding
Your solution should explore the use of at least 2 or more print processes and finishing that are appropriate for, and clearly relate to your concept. Your response to this brief should consist of a product and its packaging as well as a strategy for its distribution or delivery through print based media. Where possible or appropriate include considerations of cost and manufacture as well as further development of sets, series or sequences of product ranges.
More Notes
- Different stock - not just paper - impacts design
- Guidelines of costing can be found on the internet - consider quantities, relevance of stock, price of stock, design and printing costs
- Define concept (primary objective) and rationale (how you're going to do it) for next week
- This brief is about finding out what style of graphic design you like
- You have to anticipate what people are going to find flaws in beforehand, there is nothing wrong with finding out what people don't like
- Need a specific definition of what your good is and why
- Make it specific, narrow it down
- What graphics can be - how it can fit into an environment. Ideas might not be feasible to print so photoshop in ideas
Initial Ideas
I began to think about some initial ideas after showing my presentation to some of the group. See the feedback here. Here are some things I have thought about after hearing peoples comments about my presentation.
- Lots of people have been in scouts and do remember having a good time, especially on camps as there were so many activities available to choose from. But most people didn't realise they could go on jamborees.
- Times have changed in scouting and its not all how it used to be, as some remember it being strict and all about religion and laws.
- A scout's law, promise and beliefs are important, but there is so much more to scouting.
- Being involved in scouting opens up many other opportunities. It looks good on C.Vs and to put on personal statements, you can go further in scouting, and you learn invaluable life skills.
One comment on my feedback sheet that really made me think was that my audience would very select, as there is no point trying to persuade those who aren't interested. I decided to think who my potential audience could be before thinking about what I would produce.
x General public, focusing on initial aims of educating, persuading and changing opinions
x Girl guides who could attend a jamboree
x Those that are not involved in guiding or scouting, but are at the age range of those that go on jamborees, to persuade them to join
x Adults involved in guiding and scouting to persuade them to give up their time and help as there can never be too many helping in some way
x General publicity - the hugeness and goodness of jamborees promotes guiding and scouts to the public. People are more likely to help/donate money if they understand
x Parents of guides and scouts so they can understand what jamboree's are, as they might be uncertain about their child living abroad for 2 weeks
The specific audience that I have decided to continue thinking of ideas for is girl guides, who are old enough to attend a jamboree. (14-18) Here are some reasons and ideas:
x This is an accessible audience, where I could actually make my idea 'live', as I am a guide leader
x There aren't as many guides involved in World Jamboree's as there are scouts, so it would be good to see more there
x At this age, girls drop out of guiding as they think it isn't cool, or that its boring, so knowing about the jamboree's might convince them to stay
x Include jamboree case studies, that show that jamboree's do good, and girls who have been on them go on to do great things
x Write about my own experience
x I asked my guides and they didn't know what a jamboree was, despite it being such a huge, important part of scouting and guiding. I didn't actually know what a jamboree was either until I got put forward to go on one
x The design would need to be girly, but also sophisticated enough to appeal to the leaders and parents as well as the guides
x Possible information pack
x Concept would be: Jamboree's are good experiences for Guides
x Themes - making it environmentally friendly, keeping it interesting, international friendships
x Guides like pretty things, activities, things they can personalise, modern things, cool things, collection things, things they can use again etc
x Want to show guides that there is so much more available than what they do at meetings, as many haven't actually been on camps yet
x This idea would come under the information and way finding category
Possible print formats
x Guide diary, (like a filofax), with stickers, posters, info, fancy finishing effects. One would be given to each girl over 14
x Jamboree information book/pack. One for each unit, with handouts for the parents, and something for each girl
x Use more unusual stock choices for promotional materials
x Mailshots sent out to guides, with special stamps or stamps included in pack so guides can send letters to their new friends
x Huge posters for use at guide stalls and carnivals
x Massive poster next to a field on a billboard showing how a field can become a tented city
x A book for each patrol box, with activities in. Could be linked to a current badge they are earning
x Guiding 'coins' - currency that they could earn for prizes and rewards which can only be used on jamborees
x Poster showing the opposites types of activities guides can do. E.g. Baking up a mountain. Theme - Guides are better than scouts as they get the best of both
x Competition to get guides involved in the jamboree
x Making scouting tools more girly, for example a new design for tents, neckers, or badges. 'glamping'
x A look book with half pages with stereotypes on top, reality on bottom
x Thinking big - something for on the walls of guide halls. Maybe a life-size scene from a jamboree?
x Lots of different ideas used at once for a UK campaign to promote guides attendance at jamborees
Things to consider
- How many guides are there in the UK?
- How many guides are 14+?
- How many guide groups are there in the UK?
- What would the budget be?
- Research guiding in UK
Favourite idea
My favourite idea so far is the guide diary, as this could be practical, attractive, and would still prove useful. Things included in the diary could be:
- note pages
- calendar
- stickers
- photographs
- information about jamborees
- pull out poster
- bit for mum and dad
- competition
- letter, stamp, and envelope for sending to new foreign friends
- fundraising activity ideas
- cards where you fill in your details to give to new foreign friends
- recipes and crafts from around the world, a taster of what is to come
The diary would be ring binder so it is more practical. I would use a variety of stocks of paper to keep it interesting and finishing touches so it is attractive.
Information about the jamboree that I would include:
- History (maybe an info graphics piece?)
- What is a jamboree?
- Dates of next one and how to apply
- Example activities
- Things such as in participant handbooks
- The aim is to get the girls excited about the jamboree
To continue, I'll need to research what is already out there. This will be on my design context blog.
