Real World Communication Studio

1. Real World Communication Studio • Provide professional services for a client. You will research, design, problem-solving, teamwork, visual editing, and assessment abilities as well as utilizing a range of software and digital photography skills. • Students will individually pick one of the following: • Select a local institution/organization or a school department function or a campaign that needs to be communicated (ie the literacy group wants to promote ‘literacy is cool’)

2. They will brainstorm ideas, group some of these ideas, evaluate these ideas and present the problem and some solutions to the class on _________________. This is your ‘pitch’ and will be evaluated. • Group work to further identify the client’s need and target audience. • As a group you will further research (interview client if there is one) and brainstorm ideas (these will be handed in as part of your evaluation), evaluate, redevelop, and refine you ideas. • As a group, decide which ideas (or combinations of ideas) you wish to move forward with. Hand in this preliminary work.

3. You will be required to create: • Using Photoshop and Illustrator : • a logo ( I will give a presentation on logo design) • a poster , ad or/a trifold brochure (depending on the needs of the client. Note :bonus marksif the final presentation requires the uses some original photography. • Using Dreamweaver and Flash • A webpage will be developed to showcase your product, campaign or service. Utilize a bit of flash on this site (not overpowering) • Using Premiere • Film a commercial or promotion for your product, event, or service. • Divide and conquer the tasks . Remember to get each other’s phone numbers so you can keep in contact. If you would Iike I can give each of you a wiki page to help in the coordination. • Your final work will be presented to the class and possibly your client.

4. Grading • Individuals will be graded on their degree of completion of all stages of the design process. Each student is to submit their web maps, brainstorming ideas, rough sketches, notes and evaluations of group work as part of their final project. Each student will also be expected to be able to communicate the ideas behind each piece, how they meet the client need and target audience and how the group evaluated each idea to arrive at its decision for the final designs. • The design process and rough work is worth 40 % of your work . • You will be marked as a group as well as your individual contributions to the project.

5. DESIGN PROCESS People can become creative if they give “ a kind of permission to be ourselves, to fantasy, to let loose, and to be crazy, privately.(Every new idea looks crazy at first)…. A creative person has a fusion of primary and secondary processes; both conscious and unconscious; both of deeper self and of conscious . (De Bono 1970

6. Inventory- Preparation

7. Define the problem, be specific. Try to capture it in one question Identify the Problem • What's the purpose of the project? Information? Entertainment? Education? To attract attention? To create an image or identity? To make life easier? To beautify? To fix a problem? To provide a service? • What are the requirements or specifications? Size, colour, dimensions, budget, quantity, materials. • When it is required? Due dates? Cost restraints? Material constraints? • Who is the target audience? Students? General Public? Parents? Staff? Age? Male/Female? Income? Level? Where do they live? • Why is it necessary Innovation? Upgrade? Variety? For a mark in this course?

8. Gather Information • Talk to your client • Use information from researches that have gone before you. Do not copy but be inspired by other work done before you. • Gather reference material, models, samples and examples. • Keep a file of inspirational material. • Record information • Establish a plan of procedures, look into the "state of the art" by examining other solutions on the web.

9. Analysis and Synthesis IDEA GENERATING

10. Brainstorm • Create a list of lead questions (Use the 5 w’s + H again) • Lists of as many solutions as possible, quantity is desired • Be spontaneous, do not edit your self, record your ideas • Withhold criticism by suspending judgement, participants will feel free to generate unusual ideas • Let your ideas lead you to other areas focus on extending or adding ideas, build on your ideas • Welcome unusual ideas, the wilder idea the better • Combine and improve ideas- good ideas may be combined to form a single better good idea 1+1=3 • Use mind maps Sketch on paper • Group brainstorming generates a large number of ideas for a solution of a problem (developed in1930by Alex Osborn in Applied Imagination)

12. Mind maps (developed by Tony Buzan) Is another way of creating individual brainstorming • A mind map is a diagram used to represent words, ideas, tasks, or other items linked to and arranged radially around a central key word or idea. Mind maps are used to generate, visualize, structure, and classify ideas, and as an aid in study, organization, problem solving, decision making, and writing.

13. Structured graphic representation of words and ideas produced by brainstorming • A person starts in the middle of the page with the main idea, and works out in all directions, producing a growing and organized web like structure composed of key words and images • Each idea becomes a centre of a new web map. • The mapping allows you to write down your ideas quicker than expressing them in words or phrases. Once the words and ideas flow there is a need to cluster or group them

14. Find connections • Use of lines, colours, arrows, and branches can be used to indicate relationships between the ideas generated the mind map. • Mind maps help organize the information, once all the ideas and visual information are on the page you can start finding further connections and start creating new ideas or images.

15. There are some simple rules for mind mapping: • Use just key words, or wherever possible images. • Start from the center of the page and work out. • Draw quickly on unlined paper without pausing, judging or editing • Make the center a clear and strong visual image that depicts the general theme of the map. • Draw Primary Branches from the Central Image. • Create sub-centers for sub-themes. • Put key words on lines. This reinforces structure of notes. • Begin secondary branches, adding additional lines and words. • Print rather than write in script. It makes them more readable and memorable.

16. Use symbols, drawings, and colours to add life to your mind map. Use color to depict themes, associations and to make things stand out. Anything that standsout on the page will stand out in your mind. • Be bold in your use of colours. • Be bold in your thinking • Use arrows, icons or other visual aids to show links between different elements. • Don't get stuck in one area. If you dry up in one area go to another branch. • Put ideas down as they occur, wherever they fit. Don't judge or hold back. • Break boundaries. If you run out of space, don't start a new sheet; paste more paper onto the map. (Break the 8x11 mentality.) • Be creative. Creativity aids memory. • Get involved. Have fun.

18. Real life example • Basically, Bettencourt Green Building Supplies is a company based in Brooklyn , NY, specialized in providing quality green building materials to designers, architects, contractors and homeowners on the East Coast,USA. They have been there for quite a long time ( around 8 years) but haven’t gained a lot of attention from the public. Supposed that this year they want to change their image and attract more local customer, our team were asked to research and design their new logo. • Firstly after meeting with the client, researching about the company and brainstorming, we have home up with the theme of the company which consist of 3 things: • + Eco-friendly company • + Providing high quality supplies ( sustainable products) • +  Together with specialized service ( They are not only delivering the product, but also give customers aesthetic suggestion/ consultant from experienced professional staffs with strong knowledge about both the products and specialized fields - design/architect…) • These above are the most important aspects that the company want to promote itself publicly, in short , we can say in one sentence that Bettencourt Green Building Supplies is a company doing their business in 2 points : delivering high quality green building products and giving their customers valuable aesthetic suggestions. • Our chosen concept is “Bettencourt treasures the nature”.

19. Firstly we want to express the all the aspects in the logo plus the idea that Bettencourt will be a key (the solution) to the environment problems.

22. However, another meeting with the client (here is our lecturer) has taken us to a point that our designs have some problems: + If we want to put all the idea into one logo, the logo will not have any strong impact, because all the elements are equally important. +the Bettencourt word looks like have been divided in to 2, the B and the ettencourt. + Client however likes the idea of the first “B” only without the “ettencourt”, and they like how we put 2 leaves inside the B shape instead of using the counters as usual. And the leaves themselves have special meaning too.

23. After coming back home and refine our logo, we have this final one: We choose to present the pictorial typed logo next to the signiture, because Bettencourt company is a new thing to most of people, and if the B shape stand alone, they will not be able to know what is the company and what they are doing. We recommend the company to use this at the first time when they used the new logo, after a while when they have already gained popularity, they can drop the signature and keep the pictorial part.

24. The pictorial part only, have some hidden meanings: • the two leaves represent two aspects in the company business. • B shape is for Bettencourt (ofcourse!) • Round shape is for protecting and make the B stronger, more appealing, and plus circle will never goes out of style you can believe that the logo can live long. • +The only green leaf (which is also the only element in green in the whole logo) represent the nature and the specialized service of Bettencourt, which their competitors do not have. • +The brown leaf is for the product, brown is the color of wood, bamboo, coconut, .. which are the product materials. • Putting 2 leaves inside the B and the B inside the circle mean B company will be strong with their 2 concern aspects

27. Evaluation • Whittle down the ideas generated to 5 good ideas • Evaluate these ideas generated and compare each solution to the design criteria, • refining and modifying as required • Do your ideas satisfy the requirements • Try and choose one to three and develop it further, possibly present these to the client • The solution should not require resources or skills the members of the group do not have or cannot acquire • The steps to carry out the solution must be clear to all

28. PREPARATION OF ROUGH SKETCHES AND PROTOTYPES THUMBNAIL SKETCHES CONCEPT DRAWINGS MOCK UPS AND PROTOTYPES PRELIMINARY PLANS FOR CLIENT TO REVIEW

29. Evaluate The solutions (e.g., by testing, modelling, and documenting results), possible revisions, and then choosing the best one. Sometimes 3 ideas are presented to the client for their feedback which may result in further revisions

30. FINAL PRODUCTS The solution, using one or more of the following: final drawings, technical reports, electronic presentations, flow charts, storyboards, mockups, prototypes, and so on. Communicate these ideas to the client

31. Feedback on the final solution and repeat the design process if necessary to refine or improve the solution.

32. Possible projects • Promotion for Mr. Leeson’s summer soccer team • Mr. Shabel’s organization that is fundraising to build schools in Leesoto (maybe two groups) • Promotional material for Ridgemont to be used at the feeder schools to improve our image- Mrs. Makris (lead) ..and to improve the pride around the school • Library and Literacy- Run a program that makes reading cool and work on improving the library web- including Word of the Week(Mrs. McKeague) • Fundraising for Lesotho including promoting the talent show (developing an awareness about our sister school and the work we do for them)