Degree Show Project Briefing Meeting:

Here are the notes I promised,

We talked about the difficulties/challenges that the project presents:

Being the designer and client at the same time.
How to design everything for the show (exhibition, publication, website, promotion etc) ensuring that it’s all cohesive and good.
How to ensure every student gets some input.
How to create something so big that’s flexible.
How to create something that allows for lots of different styles of work.

Some questions that arose were:

Do you all have to work in a large group?
Can you specialise in one element for the exhibition (exhibition, publication, website, promotion etc)?
Who do we want to come to the exhibition?
What do we want the exhibition to be – a celebration/social event or a promotion of the work and a chance to find employment?

We then talked about the pluses and minuses for the different elements that you could design:

Printed Item
Pluses:
Can be taken away
Can be held in your hand
Memorable/lasting memento
Holds contact details
Can be a 'precious' object

Minuses:
Expensive to produce
Limited amount
Bulky to store
Wastage - people who 'don't' matter can take them
Organising 80+ people to hand in artwork on time is very difficult
Shorter deadline to have ready in time
Limited space for work

Website
Pluses:
Can be seen easier
Versatile and adaptable
Cheap to produce
Shorter deadline
Unlimited space for students work
Virtual experience of the exhibition could be interesting

Minuses:
Coding and tech stuff difficult
Difficult to get just right
Getting people to notice it/look in a 'sea' of design sites is difficult
Less of a 'luxury' memento
Difficult to get people to submit work and organise them

Exhibition
Pluses:
Can experience the actual quality of the work - touch stuff
Social event with real people in real time.
Opportunity to meet with potential employers.
Opportunity for dialogue and debate.
Can create an atmosphere.
Can be a social celebration

Minuses:
Cleaning the studio
Organising the space and the work
Curating the work so it makes sense
Getting people in the room
Looking after/Security of the work

We finished by suggesting that you spend the time between now and Thursday 30th April researching:

The opinions of your classmates – what would they like to see and what are their ideas etc?
Other exhibitions and degree shows that have been successful.
The opinions of ex-FdA students who are now 3rd year GMD students
The opinions of any industry people you may have contact with – what would they expect or like to see?
Look at and analyse portfolio websites and promotional campaigns for degree courses and designers.

We also suggested after you have collected a large enough body of research that you start generating a large body of ideas – on the 30th April we want to see lots of ideas that we can choose from – not 1 idea quickly mocked up to look finished.

The next all group meeting will be on Monday 27th April at 2pm in the FdA studio – bring all your rough research and we’ll do some ideas generation techniques. You’ll then be in a good position to produce your 8-12 page PDF for the following Thursdays part 01 assessment.

So to sum up

What we want to see on Thursday 30th April

Research into other degree shows, other designer’s portfolio sites, how design groups show their work, exhibition design, show publications, websites and promotion.

Multiple possible ideas to choose from – visualised quickly and efficiently.

Cheerio,

drn