OUGD406 (Studio Brief 4) Content research

Now that I have decided on the format of my response (a handy booklet) I need to finalise the content. I have already decided that my booklet needs to cover the main issues first year students have when joining Leeds College of Art.

Because many students struggle to get used to cooking for themselves for the first time, I have decided it will be useful to include simple recipes and how to cook them within my useful guide for first year students. I will cover a recipe for both none vegetarian and vegetarian. I have decided to include a recipe for home made burgers, and vegetarian curry. 

Burger recipe:

• 500g mince
• small onion
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp hp sauce
• 1 tsp mixed herbs
• 4 bread buns
• salad
• cheese
• ketchup

How to cook:

1. finely chop the onion then put the mince into a large bowl and mix the onion and egg. Add the sauce.
2. pre-heat the girl for 5 minutes. When heated shape the mixture into 4 blobs (try to compress tightly) then place under the grill
3. grill for 3 minutes on this side, then turn over and cook for a further 2 minutes
4. check the burgers are cooked by seeing if the inside is still pink, if so cook for a further minute
5. slice buns in half and the burgers are now ready to serve once chosen filling has been added.

Vegetarian pasta recipe:

Ingredients:

• olive oil
• cumin seeds
• 1 onion
• sweetcorn
• pasta
• pasta sauce
• salt
• pepper
• grated cheese

How to cook:

1. boil the pasta in the pan, add spoon of salt and olive oil
2. in another pan reheat some oil and add a level spoon of cumin seeds and the onions
3. when the onions go brown add the sweetcorn, then the pasta sauce not long after the sweetcorn
4. add spoon of salt and pepper, stir on a low heat 
5. now add the pasta to sauce once drained
6. stir the pasta and sauce together and leave on a low heat so excess water evaporates
7. add cheese, the pasta is now ready to serve

Source: www.studentrecipes.com 

I also want to include a spread on healthy foods, it is important for students to eat healthily. I will do this by listing a few of the super foods available that will not cost too much when on a student budget. 

Broccoli - broccoli is one of the main super foods, it contains antioxidants and vitamin C but it its also a good source of folate

Bananas - they are slightly higher in energy than other fruits

Cranberries - High in vitamin C 

Oranges - are a great source of vitamin C, citrus fruits can protect against heart disease and strokes.

One of the other main issues raised by students was finding their way to college. Most students live at liberty park, therefore I have made this section specifically for the students travelling from liberty park to the college. 

Finding your way:

1. turn left out of liberty park and walk to the top of the road
2. next cross the road and head towards woodhouse house
3. follow the road and stick to the left and continue
4. next take a right turn through the university of leeds, turn right and follow the main pathway in the centre
5. head towards the sets of stairs visible and continue to walk under the tunnels
6. now turn right at blenheim terrace
7. you've now reached the college

These simple directions will help first year students find their way to college during the first week until they get used to the walk. I will accompany these directions with a small map on the opposing page of the booklet.

Time management was another key element when conducting my primary research. I will include a timetable for the student to try and manage their time more effectively.

OUGD406 (Studio brief 4) Grid Layout research

After thorough research, I have decided that my final graphic response will be small handy published booklet. However the brief requires me to make my response available to first year students on eStudio, therefore I will export the file as a PDF so it is available to print at home or use online. In order to produce a booklet, it is necessary to research different types of grid systems and which would be the most effective. Grids can also be used across an entire project so that the structure is consistent throughout. The gird will not be noticed once the finished product has been printed, but before print, it enables a consistent design to be produced. When starting a project, using a grid system will help position the elements of your design on a page.

I looked at existing publications to see what types of grid systems they have used. 

These existing magazine spreads below show the use of various vertical column grid layouts. They work well as a spread, however I wish to keep my booklet consistent throughout therefore I need to decide  on the appropriate format. 

 Shows a three column vertical grid.

 Two column vertical grid.

 Two column vertical grid.

In graphic design, a grid is a structure which is usually two-dimensional, and it is made up of a series of intersecting straight (vertical, horizontal, and angular) or curved guide lines used to structure a content. A grid system is a framework that is supposed to help the graphic designers in the logical and consistent organisation of information on a page. Graphic designers have started to build a rigid and coherent system for page layout. Grid systems are an established tool that is often used by print and web designers to create well structured and balanced designs.

Here are examples i have found on grid systems. The chosen layout will depend on the content that I will include, I will need to find out my exact content before I chose a definite grid system. It would be possible to vary my layouts on different pages, however I want my booklet to remain simple and consistent throughout. 

One column vertical grid

Two column vertical grid

Three column vertical grid

COP Proposal for publication ideas

OUGD406 (Studio Brief 4) Publication research

To decide on the definite content for my graphic response, I started to research existing publications on behance as the booklet idea interests me. I wanted to find existing publications illustrating a simple yet effective layout and format, with the right balance of information and image.

This shows a three column grid. If I was to produce a booklet or small publication, a three column vertical grid would be an effective format to use. I will research further into the grid layout system. 

This document layout below shows the use of a three column grid. I think the clean layout enables this publication to display the content clearly without overloading the pages with information. 

I really like this publication below, as the simplistic modernist design is very effective. The front cover is simply type, no image, and it works well as the text is perfectly aligned and clean cut.

 These pages show very simple layouts, there is no image just type. The format of this a5 booklet is the perfect size, its not too big but it is big enough to contain a sufficient amount of content without overloading each spread with too much information. 

OUGD406 (Studio Brief 4) Research

With the idea of producing something physical, I collect various catalogues and booklets with interesting layouts. Below show some images of small publications such as booklets, and zines, with an effective use of a grid system. I like the idea of producing something like this, such a small booklet, as I think if it was made student friendly and fun, then first years would be interested by this. The booklet would need to be aesthetically pleasing, simple, and have an informal tone to it. 

These pages show clearly that a 2 column vertical grid has been used, the layout works well and the body copy fits within the columns well as it is both readable and legible. The use of white space on these spreads gives the design a good balance as the pages are not too text heavy. The style of this publication is informal but provides a good amount of informative content, and the images break up the text well. The use of simple colours is effective, the plain off white stock with mostly black body copy is simple yet bold. Colour is only needed to highlight headings and subheadings, and of course on the images. This keeps the publication clean cut and consistent throughout. 

The two column grid is present throughout this whole publication, unless an image is used. This works well as it keeps the consistency throughout the publication.

This smaller booklet below is also another good example of a publication, it is a more handy size. This is an element I could consider when producing my own publication. 

OUGD406 (Studio Brief 4) Initial research

Now I have decided that I want to produce a graphic response that will be useful to the first years to overcome any experiences that they are not used to, I started to brainstorm a few ideas. I came up with a list of things that I didn't know at the beginning of the year myself to try and find out the main issues when moving away from home. 

5 things I didn't know:

• cheapest places for food
• didn't know different routes to college
• was unaware the print room in rossington street was available for use
• did not know where hyde park was
• was unaware of the expected workload for each studio brief

key issues:

• budgeting
• time management

Here are some other issues raised by other students when starting as a first year in Leeds. 

New students will struggle in a new city/area, how can they be helped when finding their way around Leeds?

Most students may be unaware of the workload expected during the first year, how can they be acknowledged about this?

A problem for students in a new city/area is finding their way around, this could have an effect on day to day management.

From this initial thought process, I have started to develop my ideas further. With the brief, I want to create a response that will cover these main issues and problems raised by fellow students, and produce something that can hopefully help avoid these problems and educate new first years on how to manage their new way of living effectively.

First of all, I did a small survey within a group of my peers and raised a few of these issues in order to find out what needs to be resolved and how this can be done. I found that most of my peers found certain things difficult when moving away from home to a new city, and felt like there was not enough student friendly advice when we first joined. The main issues that were agreed to be the most troublesome when we started as first years include:

• budgeting
• time management 
• not knowing the quickest route to college
• not knowing how to cook for themselves very well
• not knowing what healthy foods are available to buy without costing a lot of money

From this information, I think that it would be a good idea to produce something very simple and student friendly but also covering these key elements as I agree with my peers, these main issues were what I struggled with the most.

General organisational skills seem to be the most raised issue, whether it covers time management or managing themselves in their new home. I could make a statement by produced a small organisational tool, maybe something both physical and digital. As it needs to be available for students to collect off eStudio. It could be in the format of items such as poster, booklet, organiser or notebook.

OUGD406 (Studio Brief 4) Speaking from experience

Speaking From Experience

Brief

Produce a graphic response/ graphic product /piece of work that makes a statement, comment, observation or gives advice about your experience on your first year of this course. Work with any appropriate media or format and develop and identify the content will be entertaining, advisory or informative.

Background / Considerations

Think about the new experiences that you have had, the difficulties that you have overcome and the new people you have met and the life skills you have acquired this year. Remember what it was like starting your first week, how did you feel and what emotions did you experience? Excitement, trepidation, fear or did you feel overwhelmed. You might have benefited from some advice, opinions and insight from others that have experienced the same transition. What might you say, do or give to next years graphic design students to make the transition into the student experience, particularly this course more welcoming?

In this brief we have been asked to produce a graphic response that makes a statement, or advice about our own experiences. We have been asked to rewrite the brief for our own personal use. I wanted to direct my response at Leeds College of Art students specifically, as I feel I will be able to provide something very useful, as I was in this position myself. 

Brief:

When becoming a first year student at Leeds College of Art, it is important that you are able to manage your new way of living effectively. Time management within your degree course is not the only thing you need to be aware of, but also how to find your way in a new city, how to keep yourself healthy, and just generally getting used to your new lifestyle.

Create a graphic response that demonstrates to a first year student at Leeds College of Art how to manage these issues while keeping it informal and student friendly. This can be produced in any format, but it also must be available to download from eStudio so that students can access this at any time. 

Background and Considerations:

Think about the effects of being a first year has had on you, and if you could specify any errors made how can they be avoided. It would be useful to get your current peers opinions on any experiences that they have overcame during first year. 

Mandatory Requirements:

Ongoing documentation on your blog.

Visual design development, such as sketches, digital mock ups and test prints.

Deliverables:

Design sheets, any sketchbooks and notebooks.

Resolved design ideas in a suitable format.