BA (Hons.) GRAPHIC DESIGN LEVEL 06 PREPARATION & PROPOSAL – Part 1

Module Code Module Title

OUGD303 Final Major Project

Name Sophie Wilson

Date 20 - 02 - 13

REVISED POSITION STATEMENT AND RATIONALE Throughout the OUGD303 Final Major Project module, I hope to produce a substantial and considered body of work that is reflective of my ambitions to work, primarily, within branding and brand development with a strong focus on conceptual and innovative design solutions that demonstrate a professionalism and creativity with design production through print. Through the discipline of brand development, I hope to balance skills in both image and typographic design to work with a wide variety of clients, predominantly working with the arts and culture sector. With a combination of both self initiated, collaborative and live client briefs, I hope to emulate the typical experience of working within a professional branding studio to ensure the best preparation for submission of the final module and progression upon graduation into working within the design industry.

THEMES / SUBJECTS What Themes/Subjects will form the basis of your work for the final major project? This should include Theoretical and non design based content and concerns.

GENERAL THEMES Throughout the Final Major Project module, I intend to focus on specific areas of industry and fields that I aspire to work with, and within upon graduation, with this last real opportunity for a focus of study, particularly in regards to dedicating a wealth of time to research-based briefs, whereupon budget restrictions, as may occur within a professional studio environments, aren’t a major concern, therefore, can spend a great deal of time developing my knowledge and background information to hopefully provide the best preparation for each of the executed briefs. The subject matter and clients I hope to collaborate with largely work within include:

- Culture, Design & The Arts Industry/Sector - Retail Sector - Neurological & Sociological Sciences

SPECIFIC SUBJECTS Subject matters and areas of focus throughout my briefs for the Final Major Project module include (many of which are the industries of clients I will be collaborating with from a branding perspective):

- Architecture and Architectural Design - Wedding Planning - Printed textiles and surface pattern design/Marketing and promotion - Horticulture, flora and fauna - Photography - Jung Myers-Briggs Typology, Psychoanalysis and Sociology

DESIGN CONTEXT Identify areas of professional/ creative practices that will inform the contextualization of the work that you produce. This should include specific designer’s, studios, practitioner’s and products as well as broader creative disciplines and methods of Production / Distribution.

DESIGNERS/STUDIOS

- Praline (London/Paris), Influence for print-based design and inspiration, with a focus on photographic and editorial design deliverables and development.

- Glad Creative (Gateshead) Influenced from time spent working with design studio for conceptual generation of brand design, specifically logo design development, personality and professionalism in working client relationships.

- Passport Design Bureau (Leeds) Taking influence from photographic and editorial design portfolio throughout various projects, including the use of up-cycled materials in the brand outcomes for the Shrewsbury Flower Show 2013 proposed rebrand design(s).

- Founded (Newcastle-upon-Tyne), Influenced by Founded’s clean, crisp, and minimal approach to branding I hope to develop print and digital collateral for brands whilst strengthening brand identity through the analysis of brand values and philosophies in a creative and concept-driven range of design deliverables.

AUDIENCE/CONTEXTS

- Prospective employees/industry/clients (in regards to branding for freelance designers and students such as Jessie Leong [Photographer], Alex Warren [Architectural Designer], and Hannah Crowson [Wedding Planner]).

- Homemakers, specifically targeting women aged 25-40 (Laura Ashley S/S 2013 Home Interiors Collection)

- Tourists and Visitors of Shrewsbury Flower Show (primarily focused at unisex audiences aged 18-30, promoting the show to a contemporary, younger generation).

- Young, working professionals, aged 18-35 (Jung Myers- Briggs: Typology, providing a self psychoanalysis and investigation into working and personal relationships for self improvement).

PRODUCTION /DISTRIBUTION METHODS

- Packaging design - Brand design/development - Bookbinding and Editorial design - Print production - Web & digital design development - Promotion & advertising

DESIGN DISCIPLINES What areas of graphic design practice do you intend to investigate in relation to the practical and conceptual production / distribution of work in response to selected briefs

Throughout the Final Major Project module I intend to focus on print and professional print production and manufacturing, an area of design which I hope to develop and specialise within upon graduation in my professional practice, building up a body of networks and contacts within the print industry and organizing print visits to learn more about the industry and hopefully benefit financially as a result of close connections and building up working relationships over a period of time.

DESIGN SKILLS What practical design skills do you intend to further develop and apply during your final major project. What do you intend to use the skills for. Consider extending the use of skills that you already have in order to deliver work of a professional standard as well as identifying new skills that you will need to develop.

Throughout the end of the second year of the degree programme and through the third year, to date, I have found a real affinity and strength within branding and brand development. With a love of engaging and working with others, cross-collaboration of industries and the knowledge and information learnt from others has been a real privilege, and something I undoubtedly want to continue you with upon graduation into my professional practice in later working life. A real focus for my briefs throughout the Final Major Project is upon editorial design, something which I have found more confidence with in the past year in terms of understanding typographic design and layout, but now feel I need to experiment far more with in regards to combining this design skill with others, such as branding and brand identity along with considered, well-made print finishes (something of which I’ve had the pleasure to work with more as my portfolio becomes more professional and considered in regards to the presentation and production of both print and web based design collateral). I am also happy to have the opportunity, once more, to have an opportunity to work with web-based and digital design. Despite this being a skill set and area of focus I don’t necessarily have as much passion or desire to work within in a professional context, the importance of the knowledge of web based design is undoubted. With a more diverse skills set, particularly in the future-lead design market, I will make myself far more employable upon graduation, as well as gaining personal experience and more diversity within my personal and professional design portfolio.

PROPOSED BRIEFS List any briefs that you have already identified as possible starting points for your Final Major Project. You should include possible competition and Live briefs as well as identifying briefs that will allow you to develop a significant body of research and development in relation to your stated Themes/subjects, Design disciplines and production / distribution methods

SIGNIFICANT BRIEFS Brief 1 | BA (Hons) Printed Textiles & Surface Pattern Design Yearbook 2013 Brief 2 | Hannah Crowson Wedding Planner Brief 3 | Jung Myers- Briggs: Typology Brief 4 | Laura Ashley S/S 2013 Home Interiors Collection Brief 5 | Paul Danks Property Development Brief 6 | Shrewsbury Flower Show ADDITIONAL BRIEFS (Time permitting) Brief 7 | Alex Warren Architecture Brief 8 | Geek Table Collective Brief 9 | Jessie Leong Photography Website Brief 10 | Leeds College of Art End of Year Degree Show Brief 11 | Ross Neil Video Editor Please see my Final Major Project blog for more details and fully written, initial briefs.

KEY TEXTS. List a selected number of books, articles and texts that are central o your proposed area of practice. These should include a combination of design and non-design based books, theoretical texts as well as visual publications.

BRANDING Designing Brand Identity: An Essential Guide for the Whole Branding Team By Aliana Wheeler Fundamentals of Branding By Melissa Davis Love Logo Design: A Guide to Creating Iconic Brand Identities Voices That Matter By David Airey PRINT GUIDES

The Print Handbook The Production Manual: A Graphic Design Handbook By Gavin Ambrose & Paul Harris TYPOGRAPHY How to design a typeface By Design Museum YEARBOOKS Archive of Leeds College of Art Yearbooks (various courses and years) JUNG MYERS-BRIGGS TYPOLOGY Personality Type: An Owner’s Manual Jung on the Hudson Books By Lenore Thomson I’m Not Crazy, I’m Just Not You: The Real Meaning of the 16 Personality Types By Roger R. Pearman & Sarah C. Albritton Myers-Briggs Essentials of Psychological Assessment by Naomi L. Quenk Jung’s Personality Theory Quantified By Douglass J. Wilde Jungian 16 Types Personality Test: Find Your 4 Letter Archetype to Guide Your Work, Relationships & Success By Richard N. Stephenson

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS Please see further written details on my Final Major Project blog at www.s-wilson1013fmp.blogspot.com The formally written Statement of Intent for submission and consideration for the Final Major Project module shall be submitted a.s.a.p.