I've been trying to work out a gameplan for my FMP, and have alot of different issues to reconcile, mainly in defining the parameters, approach and content. As a result, i need to ramble a bit to help organise my thoughts on paper (or online in this case)
As mentioned, the intent of my book is to help and inform graphic students to become better graphic designers, through the comments made to successful outcomes to projects. I want the outcome to work towards bridging the gap between studentship and professional practice, and comment on the inherent issues involved.
I need to think about the best way to achieve this. Firstly, i intend to approach Frank (and perhaps Nigel) regarding design education, to familarise myself with the concerns on this issue, which would definately help me decide on the questions/content.
However, before doing that, i need to refine my project a bit more.
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Im trying to imagine what 'I' would want out of the book, being part of the target audience im aiming to help. I need to start making decisions on certain things to narrow down my options. Any comments on any of these points would be greatly appreciated:
1. I want to showcase successful outcomes to various graphic design briefs covered in Chelsea. I am deciding whether to base this on:
-The highest grade awarded for different briefs in level 3
-The highest grade awarded to first class honours students and their FMP.
The first one would provide a selection of work with different scales i.e. 1 week projects as well as 16 week FMPs giving a variety of briefs and accurately reflecting this range in the professional industry.
On the other hand, the latter would have more emphasis on large-scale projects, but perhaps more importantly, it increases the likelihood that the graduate is successful and in the industry, thus potentially making their comments more valid (compared to a one-off fluke success from a student who is no longer in the design industry)
This concern leads me to considering whos comments actually matter, and would too many 'cooks' make the project more about the individual and less about the nature of the work.
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2. On a large level, i believe that a students comments on their own work is useful/interesting in determining how they went about the project. It would provide a personal perspective that a professional wouldnt be able to give. However, having said that, i think that hearing the comments from more experienced designers would be more beneficial. Im thinking about perhaps including both aspects?
However, this issue then raises another set of concerns: I feel that people will be more willing to talk about their own work rather than others (with the generalisation that all good designers are a bit narcissistic). I can imagine that there is very little incentive for a professional designer to make time to give constructive feedback on an ex-students project. At least less of an incentive than a student talking about their own work, or alternatively a professional talking about their own work.
Which then, leads me to another concern:
In considering maybe to include the degree work of the professionals i contact, although there is no guarantee that their work back then is first class material, and it also drifts away from the element of studentship and Chelsea-ness that i want to include.
Another idea is to use the comments made by tutors during assessments, which are probably filed away somewhere containing all the notes and justification of grades. However, i dont imagine these to be very verbose, and i feel it might be too much of a dominant theme (assuming that most of the comments are made by Geoff, and although im sure entirely true and valid, becomes a little too much about him)
Having said that, i dont want to dismiss his comments entirely, considering that as a tutor and with a PHD, i imagine him to be more articulate in describing what exactly makes a project successful, perhaps more so than many professionals in the industry. I need to think about this point more.
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3. I feel that for the book to have a wow factor and provoke interest, it would have to largely promote the concept of 'success' and in some sense, elitism. In that respect i think it would be largely beneficial to have comments from professional designers (at any level of involvement) - big potatoes in the industry, whose comments would be highly prized in the eyes of a design student.
However, i have not entirely decided as to the relationship/ connection of these professionals and the work... They would ofcourse have to have alot of industry experience related to the field of the particular project, however id ideally want them to have a stronger tie and reasoning for choosing them.
For example, if i were to showcase a D&AD book winning project, then the comments from Andy Stevens would have more impact, in being a judge.
As Geoff kindly offered to give me appropriate contacts, i will need to see who they are before deciding on this issue.
4. I also need to think about the scale of the content, which then also affects the title and general approach. I need the book to be quite substantial and not look too thin, while also not making it too difficult or ambitious, as the biggest factor outside of my control is the participation and response of the people i contact (which is what the whole project rests on).
Im deciding between:
-Top 20 projects
-Top 20 FMPs
-Top 20 graduates
Im not sure if 20 is enough, but any less and it wouldnt sound that impressive, although i suppose i could always omit mentioning it. I will need to see my response rate first - If it goes smoothly i could always do more.
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5. I want to include a range of work that falls under the category of graphic design (which covers quite a bit). However, im not too keen on labelling a project so concretely in saying for example that its purely illustration, or purely typography. I suppose i can deal with this and how to organise/select the projects, once i find out what i have to work with.
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6. I think it would be interesting to include the marks given to each project (assuming the people i contact are ok with this). I find it interesting in the sense that it appeals to grade-hungry students who care alot about their marks, but also it comments on the (funny) idea of quantifying a largely subjective and qualitative topic. It could also work as a reference point in discussing successful features and their bearing on the mark.
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7. I need to think about how to approach the people i contact to maximise their willingness to help. It would also be wise to have a few contingency plans considering the reliance on others.
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8. Im thinking about getting comments from the people i contact, that dont necessarily relate directly to the brief in question but still relates to the industry.
i.e. it might be interesting to know the designer's favourite piece of design, or the typeface they most like to use. Perhaps more substantially, ask them them about their approach to their current work, the role of their current position or advice to graphic design students on certain matters.
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