In my previous blog post, I started to look into possible themes and ideas I could focus on for the project. But as they are just possibilities, I wanted to take a deeper look into possible visual aspects that focus on the themes I have already mentioned – Hospitality, Space/NASA, Animals, Reading and Gluten Free eating/dining – and see if these found examples could help me in the idea generation stage of the project.
Hospitality
1. UK Hospitality Footfall Trends2. Help our friends in Hospitality3. UK Hospitality
Space/NASA
4. Journey to Mars5. Journey to Mars Posters6. Osiris-Rex
10. Literacy Foundation Poster11. Blind Date with a Book12. Penguin Random House Book Campaign
Gluten Free eating/dining
13. Gluten Free Infographic14. No Gluten Free Food at McDonalds : Poster15. Genius Bread Poster
By finding these examples, I have a greater understanding of the importance of each theme. The pieces above are not meant to conform me to an specfic theme, but they have open my mind up into what I could possibly focus on for my own project. Some of the found imagery, are very direct and offer a clear impact, very common for a campaign piece because they make you think about what you are seeing – I think this could be a very interesting design route to follow. But, in addition to this, some of the pieces are also more friendly and inviting, which reaches out to the audience in an engaging way. Every found imagery above represents a different campaign or raising awareness technique, which has given me more to think about in terms of my own project direction.
Penguin Random House and Anyways Creative Promote the Joy of Reading with New Holiday Campaign. 2021. Penguin Random House and Anyways Creative Promote the Joy of Reading with New Holiday Campaign. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.dexigner.com/news/32662. [Accessed 27 January 2021].
Before looking at the briefs available for Creative Conscience, I wanted to first see if I can come up with any generic ideas based on my own interests and passions. From here, I can then look into the briefs, and select the one that I think best captures my theme and possibly idea. This isn’t an idea generation post, I know that the research comes first, but I did want to narrow down my research field a little bit by focusing on potential ideas on a few themes that I find quite interesting. I have made a short list below, I didn’t want to spend too much time listing my passions and interests:
Hospitality
Space/NASA
Animals
Reading
Gluten Free eating/dining
From this short list, I then started to think of routes I could take for the research and hopefully generate a few ideas that I can either pass on or develop over time:
Hospitality
An idea was created from this interest when watching all groups present their journey maps during Project X. I remember quite a few groups looked into sterotypes that often surrounded their theme, and the view of stereotypes made me think of the bad reputation and stereotypes our pubs have received during this pandemic. Throughout Covid-19, pubs and restaurants have been the governments scape goats, they recieve all the abuse and blame for the spread of Covid, but now that the hospitatlity trades have been forced to shut – what is the real reason for the mass Covid spread?
My potential idea for this theme was to create an informational based piece that highights the safety procedures most hospitality trades have put in place and contrast this with the supposed safety procedures seen within the supermarkets (chaos down each aisle). This information could be expressed through floorplans, anecdotes, quotes from landlords, chefs, waiters and waitresses etc. to show that the hospitality trade is not the issue it is made out to be from he government.
Space/NASA
I decided to think of using this as a theme for Creative Conscience because it is a large inerest and passion of mine. I have always been fascinated by the work NASA does, but I am unsure if this will be an effective theme to focus on. Mainly because Creative Conscience asks us to raise awareness or solve an issue within society, and I think NASA is already well established, and I am unsure if there are any issues focused directly towards them. They are such a hige company, and issues is something that discover and resolve fairly quickly.
Animals
There are many different routes that I could take with this theme. Animals are such an important aspect in our life, and with everything that is currently happening in the world – climate change, global pandemic, abuse, abandonment, etc. – they are having a extremely tough time. Raising awareness for them in anyway is extremely important, and it is something that has been sitting on my mind for a few days now, the only issue is deciding which route I want to follow and how…
List of potential ideas
Raising awareness for animals in general
This could focus on all animals, or a specific area or type or animal.
Specific area?
Ocean, Jungle and Desert?
Local?
Type of animal?
Animals we keep as pets?
Wild animals?
Raising awareness for animal abuse
Raising awareness for animal testing
Raising awareness for dog stereotypes
This potential idea was inspired by own dog. I have a German Shepherd in the family, sweetest thing but I am constantly aware that other people judge, take a double look, cross the road/path, move their own dog away from mine and generally think of her as an evil breed.
Raising awareness for animals left in homes/abandoned
Raising awareness for animals confused due to Covid-19
Zoo animals?
Dogs and cats only adopted during the pandemic?
Raising awareness for the effects of climate change on animals
Reading
This theme has been inspired by the lack of reading I have actually done. Normally, I am a bookworm and can’t stop myself from reading book after book, but recently I have been picking up a book less and less, and struggling to find the time to actually read it. Reading is an important aspect in everyone life, and I think this theme should have more awareness about it – but how to do this I do not know. At the minute, school children are at home due to the pandemic, most poeple have more time on their hands due to being furloughed and the importance of reading is being overlooked.
Gluten Free eating/dining
Having an intolerance to gluten has made me notice the lack of information and awareness there is for the celiac disease, as well as how difficult it is to eat safely. I am not a celiac, but I do hold an intolerance to gluten which means that my symptoms to eating it are lot less severe than if a celiac consumes gluten. What I have noticed however, is the lack of understanding there is for this intolerance/disease.
My potential idea for this theme is to raise awareness for people who have either an intolerance, disease or just prefer to not eat gluten. While shopping, it is very difficult to determine if a product contains traces of gluten and it normally results in the buyer having to check every single food listing on the packaging to see whether or not it is safe for them to eat. To make this easier, many companys could have a symbol on the front of the packet that clearly states if the product is gluten free. This will save time and energy for the buyer, the company will be seen as a more inclusive company and the fear of eating something with gluten will decrease for many celiac’s.
I think from my thought process above, I have quite a passion for Animals, even though the ideas are all potential, I have created quite a large list of possible routes I could go down for the project. I do think raising awareness for animals is a good theme, and definitely allows me to focus on a fresh start for Creative Conscience. It is a theme that I feel inspired about, and there is a very high chance that this is the overall theme I take for the project but I do think that I need to look into the briefs first, and conduct some research before I barrel into the project with a hot head. I think it would also be an effective idea to talk through these themes with my tutors, and due to timing, we are all scheduled in for a 1-to-1 tutorial later this week.
For Project X, I worked with the theme of Abilty within the group, while this is an interesting and important topic to focus on for raising awareness for. I think I need a break. I think everyone can tell that I struggled with working in this years Project X, so I am sure that it comes to no surprise that I want to start fresh and look into a completely different theme and topic that I can raise awareness for. What theme and topic is a different question…
In last years Creative Conscience, I focused on a issue that I relate to and can effectively raise awareness for – White Coat Syndrome. It was a topic that I felt passionate towards because it not only affected myself, my father and a majority of the public but because it was something that I generally thought could help people – a folder to help people keep calm when visiting the Doctor’s Surgery. It is this type of effectiveness and passion that I want to channel for this years Creative Conscience.
Focusing on Abilty/Disabily, while an honourable and important topic to raise awareness for, I personally feel I have created a block for the theme due to the stress of Project X. Due to this, I feel that if I carry on working under the theme of Abilty/Disabilty, I will burn myself out while also design something that won’t be to the best of my standards. Because of this, I feel it is best to move away from Abilty, Project X and group work and instead focus on something that allows me to start fresh for the Creative Conscience Project.
As mentioned in my first brief analysis and evaluation I will now be analysing all of my briefs in great detail to ensure I have a great understanding of what is expected from me throughout this project. Like all briefs, I always read through them and highlight anything that I think will be important later in in the project, with the intention of referring back to the brief to help guide my thought process and idea generation – aiming to successfully meet the aims and objectives. My analysis can be seen below:
Lets cover the basics first. The due date for this project is a little different, the date mentioned on the brief is for the second part of this project – Creative Conscience and is set for Friday 12th February, the first part of this project is recorded a little differently. Project X is the first part of this project and as we are working through this part in a team, we have a schedule to follow put together by the tutors which works in a day-by-day system, which should hopefully announce the deadline date within their planned schedules. Like every project, all work must be my own and made for this project, if needed we should reference anything used to avoid accusations of plagerism. Any work delivered after the deadline (unless otherwise stated by the tutors) will be failed immediately. Finally, everything should be included within my blog and clearly labelled for the ease of finding my work. With that over, lets move on to the complicated stuff:
The Principal Objectives:
To explore visual communication in Design for Good (social design)
To develop skills of designing to communicate complex or contentious information
To engage others in interactive design
To create an entry for a design competition
Everything written in the principal objectives is quite clear and understandable. The first objective above states that we must explore and focus on visual communication within the topic of Design for Good – a concept for social design which allows the designer to create something that supports, engages and helps the audience. As for the second objective, it states that we must develop our design skills to ensure that the complex level of communication and information is seen, understood and valid. The third objective, focuses on the engagement level of our designs, which should hopefully be an aspect of interactive design that reaches the audience. Lastly, and this objective connects more to the second part of the project, we must create an entry for the Creative Conscience competition – this is something that we have free reign on, but as this is connected to Project X and Creative Conscience is a competition focused on Design for Good, we must make sure that our design entry supports and influences the audience in a positive manner.
The Assessment Criteria
The intended subject specific learning outcomes.
An increased awareness of the constraints and opportunities of a design brief.
Developed a deeper understanding of and ability to evaluate solutions to a design brief that encompass set criteria.
Increased awareness of professional practice in the current design industry
Demonstrated ability to work to professional practice standards
The intended generic learning outcomes.
Developed their ability to solve design problems within the structure of a design brief.
Developed awareness of the concepts and practice of graphic design needed to underpin the creative process.
Applied the practice of thorough and relevant research as an aid to the development of individual creativity.
Developed creative ability to solve design problems.
Developed awareness of and ability to build own professional practice
Everything written above within the section of ‘Assessment Criteria’ is what Tim and Sancha will be looking for in our work to assess us on. It is clear to me that everything listed above should be evident throughout my work. While everything above is daunting, it is also important that it is covered to ensure a high grade. Everything stated above is quite clear and links to the prevelent ideals of professional practice, as well as problem solving and creative abilty. In addition to this, the objectives above want us to develop on our previous learning, such as communication and design process. To ensure that I follow these objectives, I will be making references back to the brief when appropriate and needed.
The Brief
Preamble
As usual at the start of the New Year, all three year-groups of Graphic Design, will form teams to work together on a complex issue. This helps you to understand and take part in design that potentially can help society.
The format of Project X will be as usual: approx. 6 working days (and the days in between) working in teams to ideate and prepare provotypes on the topic of inclusivity. Then the rest of the term working individually on a topic of your own choice for a Creative Conscience brief. See the choice of briefs here. Please note you must follow the brief and instruction given in the competition as well as your own year group module learning outcomes https://1wf4qdlsxta3jgqm63wz83lx-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Creative-Conscience-Briefs-2020-21.pdf .
Please also see the advice notes at the end of the brief.
Assessment Task
The project falls into two sections or tasks. BOTH parts are graded and so will require full blog write-ups and evidence of final pieces.
Brief Part 1: Inclusivity charrette
You will be allocated a team and a team topic ( the latter drawn at random). The topics are sub-divisions of the wider subject of inclusivity – race, gender, ability and poverty. In your teams you will research these topics in detail, decide on an angle or approach to follow, ideate, plan, evaluate and design a design artefact that can be digitally disseminated (on social media and otherwise). The design will be a ‘conversation starter’ or ‘provotype’ (short for provocative prototype) that will engage the audience and give them an experience that relates to the idea of inclusivity or lack of inclusivity. As well as raising awareness the design should stimulate opinions and ideas amongst the public of how the issue could be addressed.
If you feel that the issues of inclusivity or exclusivity are made worse by lockdown etc you are free to draw in that angle too. The final team-made designs will be shared by you on social media platforms (you may start new accounts if you do not wish to include these on your current ones). The feedback you get will be shared amongst the groups on the appointed day and you will use this to target-set for your Creative Conscience designs as appropriate.
Part 1 Deliverables:
You must include on your blog commentaries and evidence of all work to meet the learning outcomes of your year-group’s module.
Your blog must also include the final groupwork piece or a link to it. You must present any ‘moving parts’ in a way that can be seen by staff assessors and the examiner.
You should discuss the group dynamics but only in a professional manner. If you have something to say that cannot be blogged email both tutors.
Any Inclusivity piece not delivered by uploading/posting by the due date in January at the end of the charrette will count as a late submission and will reduce the entire groups’ grade (esp those undertaking professional practice modules).
Brief Part 2: Creative Conscience
Select one of the briefs from the 2021 Creative Conscience competition (https://www.creative-conscience.org.uk/awards/ ) and create a design. You should follow the submission guidance in the CC briefs and submit printed copies to us. You do not have to submit to the competition, but you are encouraged to, as we have had shortlisted students in previous years. Check the deadline – it may be better to submit to the competition after the final submission to ensure the best quality.
Part 2 Deliverables:
Final printed pieces (or film etc in viewable format, as appropriate). Submit in hard copy portfolio, as well as including final digital images on the last blog post AND on your blog portfolio page. In addition, make use of mock-ups where possible.
All parts of the blog to be finished, including final evaluations, on the due date by 15.30.
This brief outlines the two parts that we must complete – Project X and Creative Conscience. For Project X, we must complete the Inclusivity Charratte within our groups we will research our given topic in detail, decide on an angle or approach to follow, ideate, plan, evaluate and design a design artefact that can be represented on social media. The design should be something that engages the audience and give them an experience that relates to the idea of inclusivity or lack of inclusivity. But overall, the design should be something that raises awareness for our given topic. Moving on to the second part of this project – Creative Conscience, we are expected to create a design that follows the guidelines of the one of the 5 briefs put forward by the competition itself. This design idea and process, will come at a later date, most likely when Project X is finished!
I have to be honest, I hate Project X… We did it last year when I was a HND1 student, and I struggled with understanding the purpose, reasoning and intentions behind it. And even know that I am in HND2, I feel exactly the same…actually, maybe a little worse because I know how we are meant to handle this project and I no longer have any optimism on enjoying Project X anymore. However, on a more positive note, the second part of this brief, Creative Conscience is far more enjoyable and I can’t wait to start this section of the brief. It is the only element that I actually enjoy of this entire project… Sorry to be so negative, but Project X is just unenjoyable, and it completely stresses me out to the point where I get pain headaches. I will never enjoy it…
HND2 Baxter's Designs 