BAGC Module ADG5002 Communication Design: Sustainable:ME ?
Sustainable Graphic Communication is not simply about being ‘Green’ What, therefore, are the characteristics of ‘Sustainable’ Graphic Communication?
Working in your allocated groups you will embark on a journey of new discoveries. You will begin with thought-provoking activities which will encourage creative approaches to design challenges, and which will result in design proposals which bring benefit to ‘People’, to ‘Planet’ and to ‘Profit’ (Society, Environment, Economy). It will be necessary for you to bring to this project the communication principles you have already learned during your first year – such as letterform personality, typographic characteristics, page-layout, narrative, sequence, imagery and symbolism. Yet, although building upon those principles, you are required to challenge (even when necessary to abandon) your pre-conceptions about design outcomes and to leap headlong into an unexplored world of creative, sustainable design…
Page 1 of 5
Sustainable:ME? – Project objectives 1. to demonstrate sound understanding of letterform personality, typographic characteristics, page-layout, narrative, sequence, imagery and symbolism; 2. to develop and sustain self-motivation, becoming personally responsible for acquiring pertinent information and knowledge; 3. to manage and schedule your time efficiently and productively, in order to complete the required tasks and to meet deadlines; 4. to form critical-analysis of existing graphic design components and characteristics, then to explore the unexplored, setting-aside unsustainable practice; 5. to communicate sustainable design proposals which bring benefit to ‘People’, to ‘Planet’ and to ‘Profit’, using well-chosen media which efficiently reach the intended audience/s.
Sustainable:ME? – Fulfilling the Objectives Fulfilling Objectives 1 and 3 Although you will be working together in your respective groups, each one of you will be required to produce a separate ‘Sustainable:JOURNAL’ which reflects your journey of discovery into sustainable graphic communication. This journal will itself be a welldesigned object, and can be of mixed-media which can include handcreated elements, but must demonstrate your sound understanding of letterform personality, typographic characteristics, page-layout, narrative, sequence, imagery and symbolism. Typography must have a sound hierarchy, fit optimum line-length criteria and specify point-sizes suitable for readability. For this reason, computer-generated pages designed for print-output must form part of the journal’s content. You are also encouraged to create as part of your ‘Sustainable:JOURNAL’ screen-based elements - e.g. animation, video and interactive objects. Give due consideration to how these screenbased elements may form a cohesive part of your print-based journal. The ‘Sustainable:JOURNAL’ will form part of the Sustainable:ME? body-of-work to be assessed at the end of this project.
BAGC Module ADG5002 Communication Design: Sustainable:ME ?
Page 2 of 5
Fulfilling Objectives 2 and 4 As a group, decide amongst yourselves how you will engage in the research process. Gather, record, categorise and plan what to do with the information you acquire. Gain understanding, explore ideas and develop concepts. Begin by accessing the following websites. Because the information given in each website has a direct effect and influence on this project, each one of you is required to take your time to explore their content (text, pictures and messages) until you become familiar with their design challenges. Become inspired by their thoughts, ideas, suggestions and objectives, then consider that from now on – throughout your education and your future career – you may approach graphic communication with sustainability in-mind. Websites to inspire creative engagement http://inhabitat.com/products-2/ http://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org Websites to inform about design and the environment http://www.designcanchange.org/#/home http://lovelyasatree.com/ http://www.re-nourish.com/?l=resources_sustainability http://greengaged.com/ Websites to introduce you to story-telling http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HtT_rBrlSw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCzvWbXS_IY As you continue your journey of discovery into sustainable graphic communication you will discover many more sustainability resources – online and elsewhere. Add these to your ‘Sustainable:JOURNAL’ and allow them to influence and inform your group project (see Fulfilling Objectives 3 and 5, over the page).
Websites to introduce you to a sense of ‘community’ http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/matt_ridley_when_ideas_have_ sex.html http://www.econlib.org/library/Essays/rdPncl1.html From their content, collect information for your ‘Sustainable:JOURNAL’ that interests you, fascinates you, inspires you, enthuses you, is useful to you as a designer and that makes you want to share it. You must credit each item you select, giving the website/author/copyright and the date you accessed the website page… (e.g http://inhabitat.com/golan-levins-info-graphic-stencils-are-for-the-graffitiloving-environmentalist. Author: Helen Morgan. © inhabitat.com 2011. Accessed 27-09-2011)
BAGC Module ADG5002 Communication Design: Sustainable:ME ?
Page 3 of 5
Fulfilling Objectives 3 and 5 – the first-stage of the BRIEF As a group, using information derived from http://lovelyasatree.com/ http://www.backgroundstories.com/ http://medea.mah.se/2010/11/medea-talks-arlene-birt/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HtT_rBrlSw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCzvWbXS_IY and from websites you will yourselves discover tell a story which raises the question,
“How sustainable is the world of graphic design ?” 1. The challenge is to research a given graphic-design-related subject, to identify its sustainable and unsustainable components, then to tell its story using print and screen-based media. Begin by identifying activities relating to People, Planet and Profit which are sustainable (cyclical) and unsustainable (linear):
Your task for your selected subject will be to identify as many issues as possible relating to that subject – from source, to delivery – then to present them as welldesigned graphic communication. To acquire information and to gain insight about the issues, you will need to actively explore the many sources of information available to you – don’t assume, don’t guess – find-out… then share your findings with each other, including those in other groups As each of you within your group gathers information, considers that information, processes that information and engages in the design process you are encouraged to add to the material which will form the content of your Sustainable:JOURNAL. But remember, your Sustainable:JOURNAL is itself a well-designed object demonstrating your sound understanding of letterform personality, typographic characteristics, page-layout, narrative, sequence, imagery and symbolism.
Sustainable (cyclical) practice PEOPLE (Equity) Employment, employee-welfare, contribution to local communities, to health-care and to education etc… PLANET (Ecology) Renewable resources, re-planting, maintaining biodiverse habitats, energy conservation, waste-recycling, etc… PROFIT (Economy) Ethical business growth, contribution to local, regional and national economies, transparency, benefit to local and regional communities, etc… Unsustainable (linear) practice PEOPLE (Equity) Exploitation, child-labour, long working hours, poor wages, disregard for traditions and culture, etc… PLANET (Ecology) Destruction of habitats, resource-stripping, waste, pollution, etc… PROFIT (Economy) Asset-stripping, community-disconnection, unfair competition, monopolisation, secret-practices, etc…
BAGC Module ADG5002 Communication Design: Sustainable:ME ?
Page 4 of 5
2. The story must be told using BOTH print-based and screen-based technologies, but as much sustainable practice as possible must be applied when engaging with these technologies (*see note).
‘Print’ may be defined as imprinted graphic communication on any surface, but must demonstrate your sound understanding of sustainable practice, letterform personality, typographic characteristics, page-layout, imagery and symbolism.
You are encouraged to research the full meaning of the phrase ‘Cradle-to-Cradle’ and as much as is reasonably possible, to apply its principles to your own design proposals. Listed below are some suggested research subjects. Each group may choose one from this list, but if preferred, could alternatively propose another graphic-design related subject. When a subject is selected by one group, another group cannot choose the same subject:
‘Screen’ may be defined as graphic communication displayed by any projection device, but must demonstrate your sound 1. Paper (e.g. FSC, recycled, virgin) understanding of sustainable practice, 2. Ink (e.g. vegetable, petroleum, digital-toner) letterform personality, typographic 3. Output (e.g. print, screen, projected) characteristics, layout, narrative, sequence, 4. Water (e.g. raw-materials production, print-processes, imagery and symbolism. manufacturing-processes) 5. Devices (e.g. laptop, tablet, printer) *NOTE: Should you develop a website, well6. Peripherals (e.g. mouse, screen, toner-cartridge) designed ‘navigation’ will be required. 7. Materials (e.g. fabrics, metals, plastics) Should you develop time-based video, 8. Resources (e.g. telecommunications, energy, waste-management) animation or Flash objects, well-designed 9. Profession (e.g. studio-space, client education, peer-to-peer) ‘story-boards’ will be required. Where print 10. Community (e.g. inter-disciplinarity, CSR, sponsorship) is used, consider how to minimise demand on material resources and how to build in Who will be your target-group, and what will be its ‘persona’? Cradle-to-Cradle principles You cannot select ‘university students’. When creating your story, here is a list of some questions to ask: 1. to whom are we sharing this message, to whom are we speaking? 2. how will we encounter and attract the attention of these people? 3. what are the sustainable/cradle-to-cradle and unsustainable/ cradle-to-grave components and materials in our selected subject? 4. how do we demonstrate a relationship between sustainable practice (cyclical) compared with unsustainable practice (linear)? 5. what effect does the extraction/ manufacture/ distribution of materials have on human and biodiverse lives? 6. what will be our story-line, our narrative? 7. how will we engage, enthuse and inform? 8. how will we tell the story in print AND on screen, and how will we link the story across these media? 9. what media will we use to communicate most effectively? 10. how will we distribute tasks amongst ourselves? 11. how will we organise our time, liaise, collate material and engage in the design process?
BAGC Module ADG5002 Communication Design: Sustainable:ME ?
As you engage with your client, you will come to understand the nature of the design problem and the personas of your target-group. This engagement will help you to negotiate and develop the details of the brief. Then create a print document of your own, on behalf of your client, which clearly communicates those details. Record every step of the design process. Do this as part of your own personal ‘Sustainable:JOURNAL’. Use words, drawings, photographs, animation, video- and audiorecordings to contribute to the details of your group’s sustainable-design story. At the end of the project, publish your group’s ‘Sustainable:ME?’ journey on-line – so the world can benefit from your story.
Page 5 of 5
Sustainable:ME? – Developing the Brief The information on the previous pages introduce you to the concept requested by the ‘Brief’, but as you engage in the research process, you will acquire insight into the question “How sustainable is the world of graphic design?” Relationship between people is an important feature of sustainability. For example, you would form a relationship with your client where you, as a design professional bring your specialist knowledge to work together with your client and his/her specialist knowledge. Together you discuss the objectives of the original brief – you ‘interpret’ the brief, perhaps ‘negotiating’ the details to form modified objectives. Your relationship with the target-group will also develop as you gain insight into the differing personalities which form that group – their hopes, aspirations, world-views, opinions, activities and behaviour. Call-upon your own and other people’s experiences of people to gain insight into those ‘personas’ and to help guide your design process.
Fulfilling Objectives 2 and 3 In order to equip yourselves for this project with suitable knowledge of software applications, it is essential that you access and put into practice these on-line and podcast video tutorials: On-line http://tv.adobe.com/product/indesign/ http://tv.adobe.com/product/flash/ http://tv.adobe.com/product/dreamweaver/ http://tv.adobe.com/product/illustrator/ http://tv.adobe.com/product/photoshop/ Quark XPress training resources are accessible from the following website http://www.quark.com/Products/QuarkXPress/Quark_Training/ Free partial (or ‘taster’) training videos are also viewable at lynda.com http://www.lynda.com/Adobe-training-tutorials/105-0.html Podcast (paste this URL directly into iTunes [Advanced > Subscribe to Podcast…] http://cspodcast.libsyn.com/rss