[COLLAB1] IDEAS + FIRST BRAINSTORM WITH SONJA

INITIAL IDEAS 

- branding: bring together young creatives 

- train windows 

During the Christmas holiday, Sonja and I were both in Hong Kong and we talked about how I wanted to collaborate with her and this has been what we have been longing for to do since we where in high school. We thought that this would be a really good opportunity to start out our plan and work on something that we both are interested in, something personal. We briefly talked about what we wanted to do on the train journey from Leeds to Manchester when we were hading back to Hong Kong. Both of us were interested in the reflections on the window and how it could actually be portrayed as the double exposure function on film cameras. 

Train windows, double exposure as starting point. 

TRAIN WINDOWS 

common characteristics of train windows pictures: 

- 2 layered images 

- usually one still, one moving 

- two different locations, usually one indoor, one outdoor 

- one dark, one bright 

ideas that always come with train windows:

- homesick 

- loneliness

- me-time 

- unstable, unsettled 

TRAIN JOURNEYS

- long and boring 

- relaxing 

- isolating 

- suffocating 

However, due to location and time constraints, we have to communicate through WhatsApp. Both of us are really busy these days, therefore, we kept on sending exchanging mindmaps and adding notes onto each others' in order to brainstorm what was in our minds.

Both of us thought that the idea of having two different locations is a really good point to be pushed further. And how train windows reflects shadows can be interpreted as "home is where the heart is". It can also be interpreted as never being able to settle, always floating around and looking for a place where we can call "home". 

Both of us can relate to the ideas really strongly as we are  studying abroad, in a place which is half the globe away from home.  

BEST KEPT SECRETS

Han and I have chosen (left out/ isolation) as the theme of the brief. 

FEELING LEFT OUT 
http://socialpsychonline.com/2015/11/psychology-ostracism-feeling-excluded/  

• ostracized
• being excluded 
• a reduced sense of general belongingness after experiencing rejection
• achieving a sense of social belonging is a fundamental psychological need
• reduce self-esteem, a sense of control, and a sense of having a meaningful existence 

KEY WORDS

• ådead 
• fragile 
• harsh 
• glass-heart 玻璃心

MONTY KAPLAN

• subjective anthropological exploration of the world
• eclectic nature
• harsh flash 

• eclectic and prolific and unfocused

1ST ATTEMPT
I suggested to use typography and shapes to convey the idea of isolation. I feel like the diversity of shapes and typography would be both abstract and the most straight forward way to communicate the idea.

Han then added images on the background to make the designs less dull. 

OUGD503 BRIEFING

• 20 credit 
• collaboration with someone not from second year graphic design 
• collaboration of research and ideas which allows us to reach final outcome, not necessarily working tgt int he final outcome 
• work together 
• well developed and effective response 
• 3 week-long collaborative projects (with someone in class)
• dun have to be a consistent collaboration 
• have to work with someone throughout the brief (anyone) 

• is it smth that you want to do? can you see yourself doing in the future? 
• how to make it interesting to you?
• what I want to do? as a leading role 

BRIEFS

Elmwood (coming in next Monday) 

• branding future technologies 

Next Monday 

• collaboration with BA Photography 
• themes and format of fact/ fiction 

D&AD (branding)

• BBC
• nikeplus 
• penguin 
• Connect4climate 
• the Case for Her 
• Hoffmitz Milken 

ISTD (typography)

YCN (rebrand) 

• HMV
• the guardian 
• Camden Town 

Insert here__

SUBMISSION 

• sketchbooks, blogs, notebooks 
• physical outcomes  
• portfolio (digital/ printed)

--> presenting your outcomes 

--> my book (how are you gonna improve it) 

--> screen based design 

--> responses to brief of the week 

--> your main responsive projects 

• written evaluation (500 words) 

LEARNING OUTCOMES 

• research into and understanding of relevant issues and designers 
• lots of research methods (talking to ppl, visiting somewhere, watching smth)
• how you're researching? what's the most appropriate methods of research 
• ambitious, appropriate and interesting responses 
• professionalism 
• understand key problems and consider the implications of the work (analysing the briefs), generate smth that is relevant to your brief 
• understand the project's context, show good time management, self-motivation
• interpersonal skills, make a network, find people to collaborate with 

TASK
BEST KEPT SECRET 

• being left out in flat/ Leeds (cultural difference) 
• sleep paralysed 
• how UK people wash dishes are weird (dip dishes into soap water and wipe soap off with a towel = cleaned) 

HOW DO WE COMMUNICATE THE IDEA?

• colours --> red, blue
• (person being left out) --> purple (flatmates) 
• typesetting 
• photography (a person standing in front of the house with all lights on) 

--> images with background noises (partying noise) 
--> make it really creepy, horrifying = the scary feeling of being left out