An Investigation...

The workshop today in response to the module briefing certainly helped clarify what was both expected of us and how we should go about un-earthing what it is we want ourselves.

The workshop, which I have labeled 'An Investigation' was a useful template to help us all put into a coherent sentence a starting point for individual briefs, as well as a grounding for our Design Context brief.

I have struggled recently with developing initial ideas for briefs, in fact I would go as far as to say that was my main concern. I have ways of getting around this, such as by collaborating with someone or picking out a competition brief. This is how I was planning to begin the designing for the FMP. However after todays workshop I feel fairly confident that I could formulate up a number of brief that I would potentially be interesting in undertaking.

The structure of the workshop was ver simple, it was based around the template sentance.

'A .......... investigation of ............. with a focus on .............'

Simple but effective. I managed to rattle off 9 of these sentences in under 5 mins, so given more thought and time this I can clearly see will be an invaluable tool for my brief selection.

To fill in the blanks I wrote out a list the themes and subjects that interest / intrigue / provoke me, and another list of the design disciplines I aim to use / improve / exploit.

Themes / Subjects consisted of:

Film, action, westerns, passion, innovative, typefaces, specific characteristics, theory, ideology, postmodern, modernism, reactionary design, empathy, the message, clarity, legibility, language, words, lost knowledge, disused, intellect, foreign language, sound, meaning, definitive, form, shape, simplicity, semiotics.

Design Disciplines included:

Typography, type design, layout, negotiated layout of elements, print process, sustainability, knowledge of typefaces, understanding of design history 1910 >, Format, hands on skills, language, how it works, proactive contextualisation.

(in no particular order, simply a train of thought, more to come)

From these I put together these following solutions:

1) A format based investigation of sound with a focus on foreign language.

2) A type driven investigation of postmodernism with a focus on legibility.

3) An ideology based investigation of shapes and form with a focus on modernism.

4) A typography based investigation of Western Films with a focus on layout.

5) A type based investigation of interesting words with a focus on meaning, understanding and clarity.

6) A typographic investigation of postmodernism ideology with a focus on personality.

7) A layout based investigation of legibility with a focus on shape.

8) A print based investigation of legibility with a focus on the modernist design principles.

9) A type based investigation of corporate identity with a focus on form.

These sentences will be selected and developed and used as potential titles for the Design Context brief. This was todays understanding of the workshop and application. Tomorrow I will need to re-adress this system in conjunction with my contextual research.