The Brief

In Class

Building on the topics covered in the contextual foundation in week one, you will research design and designers in order to develop a suitable theme for your conference. To communicate this theme, you will develop a transmedia strategy that uses a rhetorical approach, semiotic theory, and macro/micro design. In addition to exploring the allocation of information, a key challenge will be to explore the transformation of content into knowledge (Mareis, 2006). Your iterative process should therefore investigate various modes of concept generation that aim to transform mundane information so as to attract and inform.
 

At the macro level (the explicit and obvious), the primary components of a design, its size, space, form, composition, structure and colour, can be gleaned through a single look. In contrast, the micro level (more subtle, sophisticated and often subconscious) demands a second, longer look. Reading and decoding this level requires understanding how these same components operate to stimulate as well as inform.

Project brief

Your task is to design a ‘provocation’ for a Designers Institute of New Zealand (dinz) one-day conference on the topic of authenticity and communication design. The conference will be held at Massey University Wellington Campus and is aimed at attracting national and international speakers as well as design students, teachers and practitioners. The programme information will be rolled out via transmedia (poster, brochure, banner, open format) and needs to be designed so as to be provocative and compelling.

Homework

Possible topics

- Minimalism - how much is too much? How little is too little?
- When do you know when you have finished? - abstract art, designing, logos etc
- How much do you sell your art for? - Designing or Painting/drawing etc
- How to choose subject matter for artworks?
- Black and white Vs Colour? design, photography, art

Possible 4th item

Clothing?

Ornament?

App?

Stationary?

Something artists/designers use? wear? do?

Designer Issues/Inside Jokes etc

- Not getting paid/not getting paid much

- Not a real job

- "it must be so nice not having to do a real job"

- "you just draw all day"

- "you designers don't know what hard work is"

- My kid could have done/drawn/designed that"

- selling your soul to the devil

- design for love/ design for money

- where is the line between art and "art"

- Who decides whats art and whats not.

- All designers are hipsters

- Design isnt a real degree

- Fine Arts isnt a real degree

- "can you make it in a file i can edit?"

- "ive made this logo in Paint.exe..."

- Can you do it for free?

- can you just quickly make me a logo and brand?