Initial Statement of Intent/Rationale (to be reviewed)

During the last module of the second year it became apparent to me that my design practice was taking influence from the desire to help people. As a designer I don’t feel particularly comfortable with trying to persuade people to do things, to change, to buy into things. But rather, use my skills to help people do something that they already have an interest in.

This module is a chance for me to explore information design, for a range of audiences and contexts. I want to investigate further into designing for specific places, as well as design which can be used in a variety of different contexts without losing its meaning.

In the attempt to learn more about type and layout I have neglected image more than I would have liked to. I want to look more at image and how image can be used to inform.

As well as wanting to help people learn, I want to learn new things too. Portfolio feedback I received suggested that I use this year to show what my own interests are, and so subject wise I want to base briefs around my own interests or things that I want to know about.

I am also interested in developing my skills in design for digital/screen. I want to investigate the possibilities that technology allows in design, with considerations into movement, sound, interactivity and timing.

The briefs I intend on designing for should be diverse in how information is communicated. Rather than be specific to one area of information design, it’s important to me that they span across different formats and are used by different audiences.

At least one of the briefs will be based on way finding and environmental graphics, looking at signs and mapping for a specific place and thinking about how people move around an area and interact with the information within the place.

As well as environmental I want to produce work across both print and screen, and examine how each can be used in the delivery of information. Image in particular is important for me to investigate and so the briefs I do should consider how image is used as both still image and as moving image.

I want to become confident in web design, and so where suitable web should be considered for deliverables. I intend to use the workshops available to develop these skills, as I feel it will make me more employable.

At the moment I think the four briefs I will continue with are; Scuba Guide, EES, Film Info graphics and Chance. Each of these briefs offers a chance to improve on particular skills, which will prepare me for my FMP. The scuba diving brief is a chance for me to try putting a guide together and touch on mapping information, EES will help me develop my web skills and encourage me to look at layouts and how to increase usability. Film infographics and the Chance brief will both be good opportunities to experiment visually. The main purpose of all these briefs is to improve my production skills, which is my weaker area within design. If I can use these briefs to try and improve those skills I will feel more prepared for the bigger briefs (BSL, Tropical World and YSP) that I currently intend on looking at for my FMP

Umbrella Statement/Questions

To help define my design practice this year my umbrella statement stands as:

Information design, research driven, to a range of audiences across print screen and within an environment.

Talking through the groups wants and whys and our umbrella statements the following questions were raised which I need to address;

- [in relation to wanting to base work around my own interests] What am I interested in?

- Why not type and layout, what is it that I don't like?

- Do you want to collaborate with people who do type and layout? - learn skills from them?

- What aspects of screen are you interested in? web/motion? - do it yourself or propose?

- What environments/where are they? museums, factories etc?

Wants/Not wants and why

This year I would like to:

- collaborate with an interior design/architecture student so that I can explore more the relationship between graphic design and space

- develop my image skills in the context of delivering information to improve in clarity of communication

- use the briefs as an opportunity to learn about things I am interested in so that my portfolio is a reflection of my interests and also ties in things i want to learn anyway. This will help to make sure I am enjoying the work I'm doing.

- Base my design practice around informing people because I want to use my design skills in a way that helps others

- Design for a range of audiences within one brief so I can see how much this affects design

- Be more confident with type and layout so I don't feel restricted in what I can produce

- Look more at contextual references, within design and within the culture sector, as this will inform my design and make it more suitable for industry

- Identify studios that I'm interested in and visit them so I have some useful contacts when looking for employment

I don't want to:

- Produce work that aims to persuade people or change their opinion, as I don't feel comfortable in doing this

- Focus on layout/typography for publishing

- Do a branding/logo design brief

- Go into depth with investigating print methods

- Do overly commercial work

- Do ethically driven work