Bam BaBaBam BaBaBam BaBaBammmmmmmmm

(Week 1&2)

I know i said no more high school musical references but song references are another story...

So it's week one, and to claim the project brief that we want, we have to finish building a 3D paper animal the fastest. Mine turned out to be a tiger (hence the lyrical reference). I ended up finishing third, and received the brief i was hoping for.

The structure of this project runs in two phases, phase one is research and phase two is design development. Phase one had us designers learning about what Human Centred design actually is in theory lectures, and then operating in our new found knowledge to research into our briefs.

My first point of contact was Tamara Francis, my client, and the administration representative for the University of Johannesburg's Faculty of Art, Design, and Architecture (FADA), who is my client by extension. I received a written brief but after interviewing my client i realised that the written brief didn't match her expectations or needs, and i therefore took her requests as my revised brief.

In summary, UJ wants to increase the number of students applying to study at FADA through the use of a direct mailer (promotional material) that would be sent to schools around Johannesburg. This design needs to be useful for design teachers and needs to provide students with information they need in order to apply to FADA.

I have been blessed to receive such an amazing client, and after our interview, we were both excited about the problem we were about to tackle. Here's a look into our brainstorm and discussion:

- Two main themes: VERSATILITY and USEFULNESS

- The design needs to be fun, exciting and worthwhile

- Why choose design as a career

- Think about sustainability, ability to recycle

- Ask teachers what they actually want, don't assume to know

After attending lectures about Human Centred design (HCD), and meeting with my client, i put the HCD principles into practice and went forwards and backwards to make sure that the research was constantly being updated to accommodate new knowledge and insights.

Until next week