NUA Norwegian Christmas Market

This year the Student Union is holding a stall on the Norwegian Christmas Market outside the Forum in Norwich. We were given the opportunity to make Christmas decorations and cards to sell. All profits would come back to the students and 10% to the SU.

I went to the first meeting to discuss what we could sell and what the stall would look like. I think I am going to make some cards and some baubles. I will have to go have a look around hobbycraft!

Storehouse Meeting

I decided to join the team that create the university's magazine, Storehouse. This is a student lead and SU funded magazine that is printed and distributed around NUA. It includes interviews from local companies and from creatives working in industry.

Twice a year we ask students to send in submissions to be included in the magazine. I was featured in Storehouse in my foundation year.

This issue is called 13 as it is the 13th copy of Storehouse and will be released around October time. The theme is spooky and Halloween.

I have found it hard to participate on his issue as the team has been spread about the country over the summer holidays. Then the week everything came together I was on holiday and unable to give my full attention.

I am looking forward to the next issue where hopefully we will have proper meetings and it will be more organised.

Visual Connections - Intermediate Crit

In my first crit for this project I was told to stop being so neat with my work. I need to do more sketches and layout designs. I need to go away and look at illustrative techniques and styles to help me with my final poster.

I was also told to look at existing graphic posters from places such as D&AD and design books.

The idea is key, not how busy the poster looks, I need to remember this.

Contextual Research Brief

Norwich University of the Arts

Graphic Communication, Graphic Design, Design for Publishing, Year 2

Term 1: BA2a
Project: 3,000 Report
Dates: Hand in: Friday February 17, 2017

Project title
3,000-word Report (made up of a 2,000-word essay and a 1,000-word annotated bibliography)

The brief in a sentence
The 3,000-word report will analyse a specific aspect of graphic design history in relation to key design issues. (The report will be in two parts: a 2,000-word essay and a 1,000-word annotated bibliography)

Background/context
Your research for your 3,000-word report will give you an opportunity to thoroughly investigate relevant ideas, designers, movements, issues and debates (both historical and contemporary), including those relating to ethical matters, while developing lines of inquiry and critical thought.

The challenge
With the support of your tutors you will independently devise a thesis question that will guide your research. The report should relate to your studio practice. The research should provide a foundation for your studio projects. The report must have a coherent theme and the sections need to relate to each other.

Audience
The report is aimed at a person who has no prior knowledge of your topic, but expects clear and logically structured information that is effectively communicated.

Things to consider
The report should make use of the most recent and most authoritative research on the subject. This research must be evaluated, analysed and communicated in a clear and concise manner. Academic writing skills will be developed and supported through the composition of your 3,000-word written text for which you will independently research, analyse and present your findings.

Assessment requirements
The 3,000-word report must be professionally presented. It must include all the standard requirements of an academic essay, including your name, title, referencing and a bibliography. Images must be numbered, captioned and be discussed in the text. Harvard referencing must be used in the body of the report (e.g. after quotes or other research) and in the bibliography. 

Visual Connections - Brief

BA (Hons) Graphic Design

Year 2

BA2a. Experimentation & Application

Briefing: 26.09.16

Final Crit: 11.10.16

Unit submission: 17.02.17

VISUAL CONNECTIONS

The brief in a sentence

Design a poster that visually connects 2 relevant themes.

Background/context

Graphic Designers often solve problems by lateral thinking, using references to and associations with subjects, in order to communicate the subject in a less obvious, more sophisticated way. References can be clever, witty, subtle, sly, unpredictable and therefore memorable when used alongside the subject. There are obvious examples (a clapper board to say film) but these tend to end up as graphic clichés.

Collecting associations/references can help with understanding a subject in depth and allow an element of selectivity in working towards a solution. Equally a collection of associations can be the answer to a problem.

There are two main aims of this assignment, which both relate to laying the foundations of a good design process:

·       Understanding what researching a subject really entails.

·       Understanding an approach, which can help you come up with innovative ideas.

The challenge

Design an imaginative poster for a given event/exhibition.

Each event comprises two themes that combine or adapt to give an entertaining subject to publicise e.g. Jazz by Candlelight, Horror Film Festival, Rural England, etc.

Research your themes separately, making full use of the libraries, magazines, book shop browsing, other more specialist environments related to your subject e.g. Norwich City Football Club for football, Travel Agents for tourism, Museums, shops and malls for Shopping, charity websites.

Your early visuals must include/be based on collecting as many VISUAL ASSOCIATIONS as possible – your subject will need to be thoroughly researched to ensure this happens.

You will be expected to show this research at the first interim crit.

Audience

The audience will depend on the nature of event and it is for you to decide whom this is most appropriate to. You may decide you should aim your message to everyone, or it may be quite specific whom you’re targeting.

Things to consider

You should find this way of working liberating. It helps avoid formulaic approaches to problems.  Final solutions will be less obvious, more imaginative, surprising, humorous or make the viewer think.

It’s important that you don’t get too fixed on a final outcome, too early. You should enjoy the journey of researching and generating ideas. You need to fully immerse yourself in your subject(s).

“I start by going out there and observing the subject of the brief, wrapping myself in the environment for example with the beer brief we sat in the pub (perks of the job). It helps you learn more about what you’re designing for and the people, mood, sound, shapes etc all these can spring ideas, then narrow the idea’s down to what fits the product most naturally.”

Interview for Gola with NUA graduate Jason Drake.

http://www.gola.co.uk/borninbritain/jason-drake-artwork/#.UjLbtA56WjQ.twitter

Your final poster must be at least A2 in size. It can be colour or black and white. For the final crit it you can be tiled from A4 or A3 printouts, to the appropriate size.

It must include the following information:

         Title

         Subtitle/explanation of event (if necessary)

         Venue

         Dates

         Times

         Prices (if relevant)

         Contact phone number (if relevant)

         Website address

Reference material

Bergström, B., (2008) Essentials of Visual Communication, London, Laurence King

Stoklossa, U., (2007) Advertising – New Techniques for Visual Seduction, London, Thames & Hudson

Ambrose, G., Harris, P., (2010) Basic Design 08 Design Thinking, London, AVA Academia                     

Ingledew, J., (2011) The A-Z of Visual Ideas, London, Laurence King

Being a PAL Mentor

This year I helped with Welcome Week as a PAL Mentor for Graphic Design.

I applied to be a PAL mentor this year as I felt my knowledge of the university from first year and foundation year would be helpful to the new intake of students. We had a training day about how to be a mentor and what things we might get asked and how to access support for any students who needed it.

One of the first things we needed to do was to create a welcome booklet to be sent out before the new students started. It was to include some posters from the 'I Wish I Had...' brief that we all worked on last year. I volunteered to collect the posters from people in my year.

I also helped to create the main booklet, along with my fellow PAL which included information such as best food, pubs, bars etc.

These are some Spreads from the PaL's booklet that we all worked on. 

We also held a meeting for the year ones in Welcome week were we all stood up and did a presentation about what to expect during the year and some tips we had found along the way. We made a powerpoint display for this which included some key facts.

PAL Mentor

A new year at uni and a new challenge!

I have put myself forward to be a PAL Mentor for the new freshers starting this year. This means helping the new students to settle in and putting on Welcome Week.

There are about 15 PAL's for graphics as it is the biggest course in the uni. We have to plan activities for welcome week and be there for any questions or queries. So far we have produced a Welcome Guide for the new students as well as the 'I Wish I Had...' Poster booklet that I put together.

We also run a Facebook page for the graphics freshers to chat to each other and us.

So far I have enjoyed the process, I looking forward to really getting stuck in on welcome week.
I will update you about how it goes!