Creative Media
Practice
Katie Rogers Level 6 Photographic Journalism
Contents Contents.............................................................................................3 What is your online presence?.......................................................4 Potential Clients - Rude Studios......................................................6 Potential Clients - Katie & May.......................................................8 Potential Clients - Growlers Beer Shop........................................10 First Chosen Client........................................................................ 12 Review Business Branding - After Inked.................................... 13 Week 4 Pitch....................................................................................14 Final Client Decision......................................................................16 Pitch Reflection...............................................................................16 Creative Brief..................................................................................17 Mind Map........................................................................................ 18 Potential Fonts............................................................................... 19 Colour Schemes.............................................................................. 19 Business Competitors - Tall Boys Beer Market.......................... 20 Business Competitors - Little Leeds Beerhouse......................... 22 Flat Plan.......................................................................................... 24 Contact Sheets............................................................................... 26 Assessment of Client Project........................................................ 31 Edited Images................................................................................. 32 Business Graphics......................................................................... 44 Brochure Design............................................................................ 46 Brochure Inspiration.................................................................... 48 Potential Essay Questions............................................................ 50 Essay Plan.......................................................................................51 Select two methods for creative thinking. Critically analyse how they have shaped your project.................................................... 52
What is your online presence?
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hen working as a freelance photographer, journalist or in digital marketing, having an online presence is essential in order to gain important customers and clients. Also, it creates a platform where curriculum vitae information can be displayed, as well as examples of previous work. My professional online presence has not been very present in the past, as I do not want to go directly into the photography industry I did not think it would be very necessary for me to have a Facebook page or an Instagram account dedicated to my work. As I would like to pursue a career in digital marketing and branding, I thought that it would be more appropriate to start my online presence with a LinkedIn profile to display my skills and previous work experience in the industry. I will set up a website, and potentially some social media accounts to accompany my LinkedIn profile as I believe that it will make me stand out and be more employable in the long run.
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Potential Clients - Rude Studios
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ude studios are situated at two locations - a studio in Headingley and a studio in Leeds city centre. They specialise in tattoos, piercing, scarification, semipermanent make-up and tattoo removal. The business has a huge following across social media, and the business is blossoming across both locations. After speaking with the manager, Sam, and one of the tattoo artists, Donna, they both explained to me that although they have a lot of followers on Instagram, they struggle with what type of content would suit them better and what they should be promoting. Additionally, they spoke about how they would benefit from a countertop publication that customers can read and get information about what goes on in the studios and what they have to offer including their new merchandise range and tattoo balm. I feel like this client would be ideal as I could provide a publication for them that would include artist profiles and interviews, product features and information on piercing and tattoo aftercare. There could also be the potential for an Instagram feed to support the business.
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Potential Clients - Katie & May
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atie and May is a fashion boutique located in Far Headingley. It has recently opened in the past year, and stocks high end and independent branded clothing, including the brands Katie Loxton, Abbott Lyon and Vero Moda. This independent clothing boutique is succeeding with the social media content on their Facebook and Instagram pages, which includes images of outfit set-ups and new stock. They have gained a reasonable amount of followers for a new business, and they will grow as the business gets older. If I were to create a product for Katie & May, I would produce a set of advertorials showcasing the products that they stock. I would take a few models on a fashion shoot in Headingley, to show the roots of the business and how it connects with the local community and culture of Headingley. Additionally, I think that this boutique would benefit from this content being put in and individual publication that a customer could take away and read, almost like a fashion brochure that you would get from a high-street store like Topshop, New Look or Next.
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Potential Clients - Growlers Beer Shop
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rowlers beer shop is an off-licence in Headingley, located on Otley Road. They specialise in craft beers, and stock a range of independent and quirky branded ales and ciders. Growlers also offer a delivery service in the evening, so that a customer doesn’t have to go through the hassle of leaving the house to get their favourite beers. After speaking to the business, they spoke about how they have successful social media channels, and that marketing over social media has created a lot of custom in their opening weeks. The manager said that an independent brochure to the store would be a great feature to them, and even a set of postcards that advertise the different products that they sell would benefit them. After speaking with the business, I agree with what they said would benefit them. A product brochure with features on the individual products, including price ranges and general information on ABV and taste notes.
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First Chosen Client
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fter my tutorial with Jenny, we discussed that working with Rude Studios would most likely be my best option as I have had previous connections with them, plus they have a lot of potential to work with. I went to have another meeting with the manager of the shop, Sam, and after a chat we decided to work with the brand that she has been working on with a close friend, instead of creating an overall product for the studios. We came to this conclusion because the brand, Skin Aftercare, is brand new and has close to zero marketing and branding - this is ideal for me to work with as I can really help the business with their product and brand identity by creating them a stable product. The only social media presence Skin has had was an appearance on the Rude Studios instagram page with the image below, and the caption “The best product on the market, SKIN aftercare is all you need for healing tattoo & piercings�. This has made me feel confident in providing Skin with a strong set of work.
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Review Business Branding - After Inked
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fter Inked is an British independent premium company that specialises in tattoo and piercing aftercare. They pride their products in being cruelty free, vegan, paraben free and non-petroleum based. Their website is well designed, and they have a substantial social media following. Their social media accounts feature a lot of tattoo work, plus some product photography by the business and other studios that stock the brand. I think that After Inked is significantly similar to Skin, in the way that they both produce vegan products, and the brand owners are people who work in the body modification industry. Additionally, I think that Skin should follow a similar approach with their business branding, by featuring work of the tattooists that use their product and by having individual product photos with information about it. For Skin to break new ground, they would need to set up multiple social media accounts and be extremely active on them to gain a mass following and client base. I also think that it would be worthwhile for them to have a fully functioning website where customers can access key information about the brand, can buy products and where studios can get information about becoming a stockist.
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Week 4 Pitch
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Pitch Reflection
his week, we presented our pitch to the group over the course of the two sessions. I pitched to work with the business, Skin Aftercare, and I proposed that I would create them an advertorial and press pack. I would also repurpose some of the content for Instagram if it was appropriate. The positives of working with this business is that I could help broaden their client base by creating them a substantial advertising campaign, and the business owner is able to source some heavily tattooed models for the campaign photos The problems with the business that I chose, are they have no branding or online presence at all because they are brand new. This would leave me in a difficult situation - the business has great potential, but I would not be able to be overly creative with the content that I create for them. After a chat with my tutors, they recommend that I have a think about what I want to do for the long-term, and have a look at my potential clients to see if I could do a better job working with one of those instead of Skin Aftercare. I feel like this wasn’t my strongest piece of work, and I am disappointed with myself for how the pitch came across - I am determined to work harder to have a solid idea for my client.
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Final Client Decision
fter some time of thinking, I decided to work with another one of my potential clients, Growlers Beer Shop. I feel like this would be a stronger business to work with, as they have a significant social media presence on Instagram and a web-store that is currently in process. I spoke to the store owner, Harry, earlier today and he was very interested in having a brochure produced for inside his shop and for potential distribution in the sister companies, Dare Cafe and The Cats Pyjamas. The brochure would feature events that they put on, the different breweries that they stock, a “meet the team� section and a section about the store. My next plan would to be to research similar businesses to this in Leeds, and to create a flatplan for the brochure.
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Creative Brief
Client: Growlers Beer Shop Project Name: Beer Shop Brochure Project Owner: Katie Rogers Due Date: 14 January 2018
Creative Lead: Katie Rogers
1. BACKGROUND: Growlers beer shop is an off-licence in Headingley, located on Otley Road. They specialise in craft beers, and stock a range of independent and quirky branded ales and ciders. Growlers also offer a delivery service, so that a customer doesn’t have to go through the hassle of leaving the house to get their favourite beers. The strengths of this business is that they are the only off-licence in Headingley that deliver, although a weakness would be that they are a very new business and are not that well known. 2. OVERVIEW: The project is to create an information brochure about the store. It will include key information including; about the business (meet the team and sister businesses), regular breweries that are stocked and about their gins and wines. This brochure is being created so that customers have a physical product that they can read at their leisure, and find out more information about their local craft beer shop. 3. DRIVERS: The goal of the project is to create a high quality brochure and set of images that the business owner can have for professional use and distribution. The brochure will be well designed to work well with the aesthetic of the business - grungey, punk-like and a scrapbook type theme. The set of images created will work well to be used on the business website, and on social media (such as Facebook, Instagram & Twitter). 4. AUDIENCE: The audience of the project are regular and new customers to the shop, and also their sister companies. The brochure would be printed so that it could be distributed at all stores which would boost customer base. The project would be more appealing to this audience if it included key information about what the shop has to offer and if it had a personal feel to it. 5. COMPETITORS: Business competitors would be Little Leeds Beerhouse, and Tall Boys Beer Market, which are both located in Leeds City Centre. Tall Boys Beer Market serve food, and Little Leeds Beerhouse work more as a bar than a shop. Growlers differentiates to those two competitors because they offer a delivery service and they are located in a different area of Leeds. 6.TONE: How should we be communicating? What adjectives best describe the feeling we want? The tone of the brochure will be friendly, yet informative. 7. MESSAGE: With this project, the client wants a brochure that speaks for the business and provides essential information about the business. 8. VISUALS: This project will use new photography and existing business graphics and logos. Existing material is being used so that the brochure will flow with the design and colour schemes of the business and shop. The new photography that will take place will be still photos of the shop products, environmental photos of the shop and portraits of the staff that work there. 9. DETAILS: The project will have to be completed by 14 January, 2018. All new photography will have to be completed by 15 December, 2017. 10. PEOPLE: Shop manager: Harry Reynolds, Mob: 07932072836.
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Mind Map independent
beer tasting
craft beer
BREWERIES
EVENTS
LOTTIE THE DOG
i am doner 18
c o h r B
STORE ASSISTANTS
n te nt
C e o r u
MANAGER
TEAM SISTER COMPANIES the cat’s pyjamas
open as a bar on weekends
free service
DELIVERY how it works tobacco & alcohol
products gift packs White’s CAFE
growlers
C=60 M=0 Y=5 K=0 C=84 M=58 Y=0 K=0 C=92 M=76 Y=0 K=0 C=84 M=44 Y=48 K=39 C=79 M=23 Y=51 K=6 C=69 M=0 Y=100 K=0 C=0 M=29 Y=100 K=0 C=0 M=40 Y=92 K=7 C=0 M=59 Y=94 K=0 C=14 M=100 Y=89 K=5 C=19 M=99 Y=0 K=0 C=73 M=84 Y=0 K=0
Potential Fonts
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’ve selected a range of fonts that I think will be suitable to go into this brochure. Because the brand is quirky, I think that either a bold font, or a handwritten marker pen would work well. I think this as the design is also purposely “messy”. I have also attached some body copy font ideas for my client to choose, as it will be personal preference to the business.
Colour Schemes
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he colour sceme in the Growlers branding on their social media pages and on their website is extremely colourful. I would like to reflect this in their brochure whether it be with the font colours or incorporated into the background of the pages.
TITLE - Cardenio Modern TITLE - LUNA
title - bebas neue TITLE - Golden Ratio Demo
TITLE - CHOKOSHTROKO Body Copy - Arial Body Copy - Athelas Body Copy - Candara Body Copy - Consolas Body Copy - Helvetica 19
Business Competitors Tall Boys Beer Market
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all Boys Beer Market is a bottle shop, beer cafe and coffee shope all in one, which is located in Thornton’s Arcade in Leeds City Centre. Throughout the day, they have an upstairs space called The Noonshine Cafe, where they have food, coffee, draught beer and freshly baked bread, which is a collaboration between Grub & Grog, Leeds Bread Co-op and Tall Boys. I think that this establishment works well as it caters for everyone, such as families who want to go for lunch and couples who want to go for an afternoon beer with some snacks.
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Business Competitors Little Leeds Beerhouse
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ittle Leeds Beerhouse is located in the Corn Exchange in Leeds City Centre. They pride their business in being able to stock and showcase some of the best beers and wines, from small batch producers that create quality products. They stock local, national and international breweries, vineyards and distilleries. I feel like this business is a strong competitor to Growlers Beer Shop, because they do a very similar thing with their business - but they have
5953 more followers on Instagram and are a lot more established. I think that Growlers Beer Shop could potentially grow to have a similar following and customer base, but because they are still a fresh and new business it will take a while to get established in the Headingley area.
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Flat Plan
COVER PAGE
MAGIC ROCK
SIREN
STORE PHOTO W/ TEXT
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GIFT PACKS
CONTENTS PAGE
RIDGESIDE
BUXTON
GINS
EVENTS
ABOUT THE COMPANY
MEET THE TEAM
NORTH BREWING
NORTHERN MONK BREW CO
THORNBRIDGE
WILD BEER
BEAVERTOWN
WYLAM
DELIVEROO
REAR COVER PAGE
WINES
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Contact Sheets
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Assessment of Client Project
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or my client project, I have completed the majority of the photography that was needed for the brochure that I am creating. I have a list of the breweries that are going to be featured in the brochure, and I will write an accompanying ‘bio’ to go with the images in each brewery section. I have also taken images of the various gins and wines that the store stock, and will feature them in the brochure - whether it be as an advert page or as a feature. I still have to take the portraits of the staff members to incorporate onto the ‘Meet the Team’ page, but apart from that all of the photography is done. I have created a flat-plan of where the content of the brochure is going to go, but I need to pull the whole brochure together now with the design, images and copy. I am planning on getting a copy of this brochure printed, so I will hopefully get everything ready for print by the beginning of January, to allow some time for printing to take place.
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Edited Images
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Business Graphics
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fter a few conversations with the manager of Growlers, we have decided to use the business graphics that he has used for the branding of the shop, in my project. We came to this decision as the product as a whole would flow better with the business if the graphics were included, because it creates a more professional and sleek output.
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Brochure Design
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hen it came to designing the page layouts and theme, I was stuggling to decide between three options. The first page design had a green heading, a main image, page folio and body copy - I like this design because it has a lot of negative space, but it doesn’t quite match the aesthetic and house style of the business because it is very plain. The second page design that I made was where I used the business graphics for the page background, had the heading in a white box in a green font, and the body copy in the same white box. I liked how this worked, as it gave it a grungy and scrapbook theme, but it is too busy to have on every page. After consulting with my client, he likes the design for on an advert page. The final page design that I came up with was having the company green as the page background, with the main folio on the page, with the heading and body copy in white boxes to give a scrapbook aesthetic. I think that the final layout and design works best for the general brochure content, and the second design works great for advert and feature pages.
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Brochure Inspiration
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or inspiration for my project, I looked towards NME Magazine, because I like the style in which they lay out their content. For instance, I like how their covers have a ‘scrapbook’ feel to them, and I feel like this style would suit my client well because of how they have branded their company - it is very similar. I also like the colours in the North Brewing and Beavertown branding, which Growlers stock in their shop. I think that including these similar themes will benefit how the brochure will flow.
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Potential Essay Questions
Creative
Select three methods used for creative thinking. Critically analyse how they have shaped your project. I think that this essay title will assist in being more knowledgable about creative thinking methods, which will help in the long run when it comes to creating more project ideas. Also, I think that it would be beneficial to identify why creative thinking has an impact on a project.
Entrepeneural
Market analysis of the impact your project may have on the business of your client. I think that this essay title will be the most relevant to the project that I am completing, because after speaking to my client, they suggested that the brochure that I will be creating will benefit their business. Analysing the impact that the project may have will be a useful and interesting exercise to complete.
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Essay Plan Select two methods for creative thinking. Critically analyse how they have shaped your project. Introduction (200 Words) • Short discussion about mind maps and De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats Mind Mapping (400 Words) • What is a mind map? • How have they influenced this project? Six Thinking Hats (400 Words) • What are the six thinking hats? How do they work? • How have they influenced this project? Conclusion (200 Words) • Summary of how these methods have influenced the project Reading Material Books Buzan, T. Griffiths, C. (2014) Mind Maps for Business. 2nd Ed. Harlow: Pearson. Leonard, N. Ambrose, G. (2013) Idea Generation. AVA Publishing. Mann, S. (2011) Study Skills for Art, Design and Media Students. Harlow: Pearson. Websites Carnegie Mellon University (n.d.) Using Concept Maps [Online]. Carnegie Mellon University. Available from: <https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/assessment/assesslearning/conceptmaps.html> [Accessed 14/12/2017]. Mind Tools (n.d.) Mind Maps [Online]. Mind Tools. Available from: <https://www.mindtools.com/ pages/article/newISS_01.htm> [Accessed 14/12/2017]. Mind Tools (2000) Six Thinking Hats [Online]. Mind Tools. Available from: <https://www.mindtools. com/pages/article/newTED_07.htm> [Accessed 14/12/2017]. The De Bono Group (n.d.) Six Thinking Hats [Online]. Pennsylvania: The De Bono Group. Available from: <http://www.debonogroup.com/six_thinking_hats.php> [Accessed 14/12/2017].
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Select two methods for creative thinking. Critically analyse how they have shaped your project. Whether somebody is working in business or creatively, thinking methods are a critical part of creating a new concept or product. They assist in expanding the mind, and allowing new ideas to be released and discussed for important decision making. From spider diagrams, to Buzan’s mind map, to Edward Du Bono’s theory of The Six Thinking Hats, there are various thinking methods that are available to suit different people. This short essay will discuss Tony Buzan’s Mind Map concept and Edward Du Bono’s Six Thinking Hats, and why they have implemented the project taking place for the Creative Media Practice module. Mind mapping is a useful technique that improves and enhances creative problem solving and the way that information is recorded (Mind Tools, n.d.). The mind map can be hand-drawn or computer-generated, and it can be applied to many forms of thought processes (Buzan and Griffiths, 2014). Buzan & Griffiths (2014) suggest that the mind map can be used to solve any unexciting or extraordinary task, and the process has been described as ‘the Swiss Army knife for the brain’.
The mind map was developed by author and educator Tony Buzan, and the idea of the spider diagram was built upon to create a more structured and visual process which finds links, contrasting to the spider diagram which makes quick assumptions (Leonard and Ambrose, 2013). Leonard & Ambrose (2013) expand on this by explaining that mind maps may be solidly text based, or can incorporate drawings, clippings and photographs; interactive technologies have now made it possible to incorporate video and sound in a mind map. Buzan & Griffiths (2014) discuss the detail about how to create a mind map, and how it should always start with an image at the centre that represents the idea and concept that is being researched. From the central image, branches that flow out in curves from the image will include key concepts, and should be labelled with key words or images – the first-level branches are called the basic ordering ideas (Buzan and Griffiths, 2014). From the basic ordering ideas (BOI) branches, the second level branches will grow out in a similar organic shape, and from the second level branches the third level will subsequently extend the original concept (Buzan and Griffiths (2014). The mind map has shaped the creative project that has been completed in the Creative Media Practice module because it is a generative idea process. This process has expanded the original ideas that were created, by allowing the brain to delve into the basic ordering ideas. The spider diagram is the starting point of the mind map, but overall the mind map is a more extensive and in
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depth thinking method which is more appropriate for higher education and industry work. An alternative thinking method would be the concept by Edward De Bono which he created in the 1980’s, called the ‘Six Thinking Hats’ (Mind Tools, 2000). The Six Thinking Hats is a simple and effective thinking process that helps narrow people’s minds to be more productive and focused (The De Bono Group, n.d.). Mann (2011) explains that De Bono argues that critical thinking requires approaching issues from different points of view, which lead to the concept of six metaphorical thinking hats. Each of the thinking hats adopt a different style of thinking, for instance the ‘White Hat’ focuses on available information and facts and analyses what can be learned from the information (Mind Tools, 2000). The ‘Red Hat’ signifies feeling and emotion, which leads to expressing opinions and feelings whilst the hat is in use (The De Bono Group, n.d.). The ‘Black Hat’ focuses on negative thinking and what could possibly go wrong in a task, and how objective decisions need to be made (Mann, 2011). The ‘Black Hat’ assists in making plans more solid and resilient, and prepares the project for difficulties (Mind Tools, 2000). Alternatively, the ‘Yellow Hat’ looks at the good points and takes a positive approach to a project (Mann, 2011) – it assists in seeing the benefits of a decision (Mind Tools, 2000). The most necessary hat to the project being carried out is the ‘Green Hat’ because it focuses on creativity, and is available to help express new concepts and perceptions (The De Bono Group, n.d.). The sixth and final hat is the ‘Blue Hat’ which represents process control and looks at all factors in a project (Mann, 2011). The Blue Hat also looks at an overview of the Six Thinking Hats, and ensures that they are observed (The De Bono Group, n.d.). De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats ensured that clarity of the thinking process took place throughout the duration of the project. All the hats were essential with the workings of the project, because it allows varied points of view to be enabled when the mind becomes narrowed to a particular concept. In relation to the project completed for the Creative Media Practice module, the Tony Buzan’s mind map concept has worked very well with creating new ideas and developing them to eventually become individual pages in the brochure. This concept will work well in further work, such as in the Production Project module, and in Promoting Your Work. Additionally, this works extremely well in industry work and for brainstorming. Edward De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats provided clear thinking throughout the project and allowed various perspectives to take place. Having different points of view enables an open mind-set so having new ideas and approaches will not always be turned down. To conclude, the mind map concept and the Six Thinking Hats provided clarity when creative thinking was taking place, and enabled clear development of new ideas.
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Bibliography Books Buzan, T. Griffiths, C. (2014) Mind Maps for Business. 2nd Ed. Harlow: Pearson. Leonard, N. Ambrose, G. (2013) Idea Generation. AVA Publishing. Mann, S. (2011) Study Skills for Art, Design and Media Students. Harlow: Pearson. Websites Mind Tools (n.d.) Mind Maps [Online]. Mind Tools. Available from: <https://www.mindtools.com/ pages/article/newISS_01.htm> [Accessed 14/12/2017]. Mind Tools (2000) Six Thinking Hats [Online]. Mind Tools. Available from: <https://www.mindtools. com/pages/article/newTED_07.htm> [Accessed 14/12/2017]. The De Bono Group (n.d.) Six Thinking Hats [Online]. Pennsylvania: The De Bono Group. Available from: <http://www.debonogroup.com/six_thinking_hats.php> [Accessed 14/12/2017].
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