Background:
The important thing to develop in this project is a clear and defined way of looking at the world, filtering it and editing what you find to fit your interests and working practice. Most successful designers have finely honed methodologies and this is your chance to really explore your own.
Brief:
Develop a research methodology and find a way to communicate that. It could take the form of a meta-project, or it could be more pragmatic and grounded in reality. Apply a range of research methods in the investigation of issues, practices, practitioners and companies relating to the particular area of study.
Target Audience/Tone of Voice:
The design publication is required to give an insight into a design strategy and the research methodologies undertaken, therefore it should be informative with attention to detail.
Potential Employers
Other Creatives
Deliverables:
This should culminate in the design and production of a Case Study in the form of a book (or print based delivery), interactive DVD or web site.
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When approaching this brief, I first had to think about my methodology and the ways in which I approach briefs. I instantly thought of Pinterest and the way in which I create a visual database for every project I undertake. However, although I collect images via the internet my practice is strongly based around print. Therefore, I wanted to find a way to combine the two.
I decided from this that I wanted to basically create a printed Pinterest. In other words, I want to create a reference book of design, as well as other things, that I feel have influenced me and my practice the most over the past three years.
However, in order for it to have the same qualities as Pinterest, it needs to be bound in a way that allows for pages to be easily added, removed or moved. This allows me to create a database that can be used for every single brief that I approach. This would mean that the publication would need to work as single sheets, so that way pages could be removed without disrupting the flow of the book. It would also need to be broken up into categories, in the same way that Pinterest is, to ensure the content is easily located and that the book works effectively as a reference book. Therefore tabs would also be a vital part of the design. I decided to write a list of categories that I feel cover everything that could possibly go into the book:
- Studios
- People
- Place/Buildings
- Film/Television/Video
- Events
- Articles/Essays/Books
- Photography
- Audio/Sounds/Music
- News/Current Affairs
- Conversations
- Websites
- Stock/Suppliers/Printers
- Design
- Trends/Movements
- Colour/Pattern
- Typography
- Fashion
- Notes/Thoughts/Ideas
All entries would be documented exactly how it was found i.e. if i found an image on Pinterest that I really liked, I would document it in a way that made it clear I got it from Pinterest. This means that I could easily find the image again, as well as reinforcing that idea of something digital being made printed.
As this is a project based around my interests, it was easy to gather imagery and content. Once I had gathered enough content (which could've gone on forever) I took each different type of source and simplified it drastically. This meant that I had a set of simple templates that I could simply insert imagery into, making my design much more aesthetically pleasing whilst also maintaining consistency throughout the publication.
I was worried that what I had done so far, although it successfully showed my varied interests as well as my methodology, wasn't an in-depth body of research. This was something the brief specifically asked for and I felt that I needed to address this now before it was too late.
'investigation of issues, practices, practitioners and companies relating to your own particular area of study...'
With this in mind, I decided to focus my research down to graphic design by basing my research around what has influenced me the most, 'The Modern Aesthetic'.
After having completed my context of practice I was fascinated by the idea of subjectivity and trends, and felt that this has been the thing that has influenced my practice the most over the past three years. Therefore I formed five categories that I felt covered everything I needed to:
- Studios & People
- Photography
- Design
- Websites
- Trends
I used the same format as I had been previously working with as this still effectively represented my methodology, but was now a more focused and in-depth body of research into an area of graphic design specific to my design practice.
Title Page:
Crapisgood:
Pinterest:
Village Bookstore:
Trendlist:
Title Page Revised:
Photographs of the final publication:
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