ISTD - chosen briefs

1. The train station at platform two

2. Not just fleurons

3. 10 things you should know about...

4. 78rpm - mp3...

Breaking down the 'the train station at platform two' brief

Key words and phrases:

- 'eventually everything connects - people, ideas, objects. The quality of the connections is the key to quality per se' Charles Eames

- dramatic contrasts

- changing landscape

- inter-connection

- destination

- metaphorical journey on the theme of connections

- people, events, philosophies, theories, objects, movements, inventions, history, literature

- journey

- surprise us

- juxtaposition of your selected themes

- 'connectedness'

- linear

- diverse route

- logic of connections

- your connections should not be so obvious that they fail to engage the viewer; equally the shuld not be so obscure that they cause confusion

- communicate your journey through a visually stimulating piece of work

- considered typographic experimentation and craft

- define your market

Five problems I want to solve and why:

1. Themes need to be juxtaposed but how will you make sure to communicate to the viewer the 'connectedness' of thinking in your design? If not communicated effectively, it won't make sense/display a visual journey that is interconnected

2. You need to surprise them. How will you do this when you don't know what it is they want? Connections shouldn't be obvious because they will fail to engage viewer

3. Your connections shouldn't be obvious but shouldn't be too obscure and 'out there'. Obvious connections equals failure to engage. Obscurity equals confusion and failure to excite

4. You need to define your own market and how you will target it. IF you don't have an audience then what's it's purpose? Consideration of audience can lead to changes in aesthetics, language and context, which determines research needed and outcomes

5. You must communicate your journey through a visually stimulating piece of work. How will you do this? Through what media and methods? Needs to be appropriate and relevant but still engaging and exciting

Five facts about your subject/content:

1. Charles Eames - major contributions to modern architecture and furniture. Won most influential designer of 20th century award
2. You have to reach a destination
3. Need to know how you're going to get there. What mode of transport will you be using (if any)? How will you visually display this?
4. Journey is only limited by your own imagination
5. Journeys must be planned. Organisation is key

Five things you don't know about your subject/content:

1. My own destination/themes. Where am I going to go? Why am I going to go there? Who with? Where will we stop on the way?
2. Charles Eames specific connection to rail journeys or trains in general
3. How exactly I will surprise when I am unsure what it is they want
4. How not to be obvious whilst not being obscure
5. Target audience
6. The main problem I am trying to solve. There is no real problem being set, nothing to answer

Five things/facts about your audience:

1. Determined by subject/themes of journey
2. No specific target market given
3. To be defined

Five things you want/need to communicate:

1. Eventually everything connects - people, ideas, objects
2. The quality of the above connections is the key to overall quality
3. Witness - dramatic contrasts or changing landscape, interconnections, embarkment and dis-embarkment of individuals, changing dynamics
4. You must eventually reach a destination - an end-point
5. Logic of connections through narrative flow

Five end products/deliverables:

1. A website to both entertain and educate on each stop of your journey
2. An app that maps out your journey, allowing you to interact with each separate destination/theme
3. A poster on a large scale/map of your journey with a key for each individual topic
4. A publication that explores themes in an interactive manner more than being about the content - linking journey through format
5. A set of tickets/passport/little gimmicks needed in order to begin journey - may have connection to accessing web page or app (codes, pin, barcode etc)

Five points of distribution:

1. Train station - handed to them on relevant journeys or as reading material
2. Gallery/exhibition
3. Airports
4. Mobile
5. E-mail
6. Tourist information

After completing the analysis of this particular brief, it made me realise how much I was going to struggle with this brief. There was no real content, ending point or problem that needed solving. Everything was pretty vague, to the point where it didn't even seem like those behind the brief really knew what they were expecting to get as an outcome. The main reason behind me picking the brief originally was due to the opportunity to explore a range of possible themes with a narrative. However, after looking at it more in-depth, it became clear that it was way too open to a point where it would have to be changed completely in order for it to work for me.
After going away and having another look at the briefs, I finally settled on '10 things you should know about...', which was much more clear and concise. This brief would give me the opportunity to look at a particular subject quite in-depth, allowing me to build on categorisation and research skills. It would also allow me to focus on and explore a subject area that really interested me, whilst having more of a purpose.

Breaking down the '10 things you should know about...' brief

Key words and phrases:

- classification of subjects into division and sub divisions

- consider the publication (through print and/or online) of a source of information on a series of subjects

- 10 things you should know about

- science, hobbies/crafts, famous battles, travel, artists, sport, gardening, games, plays, authors

- design a publication containing 10 things people should know about it

- size and format

- concise

- relevant

- hierarchy of information

- design tow other covers in the category, plus a folder or container for point of sale and/or mailing

- web-based approach

- illustrative

- increase visual interest 

- make aspects of the facts easier to understand

Five problems I want to solve and why:

1. The target market is very broad and states that it is for 'teens onwards'. Although this rules out the outcome being aimed at children, it doesn't pin down any particular audience and therefore this needs to be defined depending on the chosen subject area.

2. Although the chosen subject area may be one of interest, additional research will have to be carried out in order to create an in-depth collection of information so that all work produced is well informed. 

3. The categories given cover a wide ranging selection of further sub divisions and therefore a main subject needs to be pinned down in order for the brief to be focused. 

4. Size and format is at your discretion, making possible outcomes very open. Exact formats etc will be determined by content and relevance.

5. Why do people need to know about your chosen subject area? Has it been chosen due to personal tastes and interests or will others care to know? Why? This links to audience, tone, language and overall purpose.

Five facts about your subject/content:

1. Categorising and classifying subjects into divisions and sub divisions can be used effectively for organisation purposes, making things much more manageable.
2. Your chosen category must have ten different subject areas. For example, if authors is chosen, you may decide to look at authors of a particular era or genre
3. The target market must be for teens onwards
4. The final outcome must both inform and enthuse
5. It must be concise and relevant to the understanding of the subject and must express the hierarchy of information

Five things you don't know about your subject/content:

1. Who is the target audience?
2. What is the chosen category?
3. How will the category be split down into a further ten sections?
4. What will be the format/size of the outcome?
5. What form will the information take when it becomes web-based? Wiki, etc

Five things you want/need to communicate:

1. Ten separate categories within one chosen subject. How these are relevant to the main theme. Consider hierarchy - which is most important area etc
2. Want to make information concise and easy to understand, whilst being visually interesting
3. Content should be there to inform but also to enthuse. How can you make people interested in a subject they previously wouldn't be interested in? Consider format as a way of achieving this
4. Why this subject area is important. Why should people care?
5. How the design is influenced by content and vice versa

Five end products/deliverables:

1. Web-based approach, could use its inherent hierarchical structure to develop a reseouce that could even adopt a wiki approach for development
2. Ten different cards, content of each separate area within main subject to break information up
3. Ten separate publications that all fit into one series - consider packaging
4. Promotional material
5. Two linking additional covers

Five points of distribution:

1. Exhibitions or galleries
2. Mobile
3. E-mail
4. Web
5. Universities