FMP- Applying Research & Developing my Ideas

My idea so far is an awareness campaign, specifically focussing on cyber awareness and how children should be safe and aware online. Going into more depth with my research, the focus groups I am going to conduct are going to be with a small group of 10-11 years olds, as well as a group of adults who are parents as well (not necessarily related to first group of children). I am going to contact my local primary after school club, to arrange a meeting with a small group of children, asking a variety of questions that could help me with the development of my idea. For example, if the children say that they don't take any notice the posters around school, I may need to adjust my final adverts and do just one print ad and two digital ones instead.

As with the adult focus group, this could give me an indication to how much they know about internet safety and if they know how easy it is to create an account underage. Not only this, but how anyone can easily have an account that is not who they say they are, as demonstrated on the popular American TV show, Catfish.

From the proposed research, I have developed my idea further by understanding exactly what focus groups I am going to carry out. As well as how I am going to plan and arrange this with my former primary school. I now have a clear grasp of what is to be done next.

SWOT Analysis- Research Project

I created a Piktochart to go along with this blog post to present a SWOT analysis of some of the work I have completed throughout the year, showcasing what I am proud of. It includes strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of each of the final projects. Going into detail with design, purpose, audience and also includes screenshots of each of the final products.

The first project I wanted to showcase was my high end fashion magazine. I am really proud of this because I created this completely from scratch, including all elements of design, photography, written articles, all content and layout. It was a full 16 page magazine that turned out exactly how I wanted and looked really professional and high end.

Strengths:

Overall looks professional
Lots of vibrant and good quality images
Fits with the high end theme

Weaknesses:

Include more detailed articles- more variety
Only a 16 page magazine

Opportunities:

Also can read magazine on a digital format
Target audience interested in new trends
Can present in end of year show

Threats:

Competitors have a series of issues already
Could have problems with the printing process due to expenses

The second piece of work that I am proud of is my digital website design for both computer and mobile platforms. This includes a homepage and a product page each designed for desktop and mobile viewing. It took a lot of work but overall I am pleased with the finished project, especially the desktop product page as I think this looks clean and modern.

Strengths:

Overall looks professional
Has both desktop and mobile version
Includes hover states for good user experience

Weaknesses:

Mobile version is a little bit small
Product page looks better than homepage
Top panel too simple

Opportunities:

Can be used on two platforms
Can present in end of year show

Threats:

Competitors have a more interactive website with videos etc
Technical issues could occur

The above is just a screenshot, however I have included a link below to to my finished Piktochart, analysing each area on SWOT in detail:
https://magic.piktochart.com/output/19042851-swot-analysis

FMP- Types of Research

The types of research I can do to support my product development will be a variety of both primary and secondary. For primary research, I am going to organise two small focus group asking questions to my potential target audience for my FMP idea. This will provide more detailed answers which can then be explained in depth, as in compared to a questionnaire which is much more vague and focusses on quantity not quality. In terms of secondary research, a lot of this will be online because there are many articles on social issue awareness campaigns and why they are the most powerful and effective. For example here is a link to a really good online source that I found: http://www.boredpanda.com/powerful-social-advertisements/

I will also have to research and look into other successful campaigns that have really made a difference and remembered by members of the public, and how these adverts effected them emotionally.

As mentioned above, most of my sources will be online as this is mainly where these types of ads are promoted. Although, quite a few of them are also published and are used as posters and presented on billboards, so I will be designing two print adverts and 1 digital advert as my campaign. However this may change according to the feedback I get from the focus groups.

FMP-My Course Development

Throughout the Creative Media course I have developed a variety of skills. These include fairly basic skills like my growing of confidence and having a larger media related vocabulary. However as well as this, I have also developed very specific techniques on the Adobe softwares such as Photoshop, Illustrator and Indesign. These will help me a lot in the 'real world' when it comes to getting and having a job in the media industry, it will show that I am aware and know how to use the required softwares and potentially progress further into learn more.

As mentioned above I think that from presenting pitches and presentations in front of an audience, it has really helped me with gaining confidence and professionalism in a business-like environment. Overall my main strengths on the course would definitely include the design element of creating promotional items like posters, adverts and magazines. I can really tell what looks good and have a great eye for detail when it comes to making something professional, both print and digital.

My weaknesses on the course would probably be the initial coming up with ideas and templates to get started on a new project. For example, the brainstorming element of the process that allows me to make a final decision on what I am going to do/design.

I have really developed on my knowledge when it comes to working with real clients, as I have had the opportunity this year to do so. This was completely new to me and was the first time interacting with a real client that's not part of the college. I have learnt how to pitch my ideas and artwork to my advantage, as well as taking constructive criticism on my work and correcting them.

My FMP Idea (Year 2)

For my FMP this year, I have decided to stick with the same topic I did my research project on, 'Awareness campaigns and their effectiveness.' However, I will be designing and creating my own awareness campaign, instead of just analysing and researching the statement above as I did in my theory work.

With this, I am going to come up with an interesting and creative way to raise awareness on a social issue, as well as making the audience feel in a certain way. For example, sadness, guilt, shock, etc.

Here I have put together a range of some of the most powerful social issue campaigns that really shocked the audience. I have created a mood board below in Adobe Illustrator, presenting these advertisements.

I want to be able to come up with a really unique, interesting way to raise awareness through imagery. The adverts above have a very meaningful message behind the visual aspect, which is something I want to include in my own ad campaign.

Accessibility in my Handmade Book

I will show consideration for accessibility in my handmade book, for those who struggle with a disability like dyslexia, colour blindness or people who have limited vocabulary. These can all affect someone's ability to interpret information.

The first thing is that my book is a pop up book, which immediately is more interesting and visually pleasing in comparison to a normal story book. This already makes the story narrative a lot easier to understand and is a lot more clear for people who struggle with language and text. As well as this, I will be making sure that the colours I use are complimentary and do not clash making it hard to read for colour blind audiences. For example no red and green, text and background combos!

Although there will be text in my book, it will be very limited as most of the attention is going to be on the pop ups and imagery. Making it very easy to follow for those who usually find this difficult.

My product will be tuned for my target audience, as it will mainly be targeted to handmade book collectors. I am making my book very delicate and intricate, as collectors will appreciate complex artistry and detailed designs. Although it is a children's narrative it will still be aimed towards adults, purely because of the handmade element of the book.

Building Prototypes

I decided to practice making a pop up for my handmade book brief. This resulted in two attempts of the same design, as the first trial didn't quite work. I have included some images in this blog post to show the difference between the two pop ups that I made.

This was the first attempt at making a pop up and as you can see in the picture below, the cuts and measurements didn't quite match up, making it very difficult to fold.

I gave this a second try and here is the finished result:

This worked out a lot better and I am very pleased with this prototype.

Reflection on MOBAW Leaflet

My leaflet was not picked by the client for a final draft viewing and the reason being was the overall darkness of the design. As mentioned in the previous blog, this was mostly because of the printing quality and I think this was the main thing let me down.

On the whole, the project for me was quite challenging. I think this is because I like very modern, unique designs, which didn't quite fit in with this particular brief or museum. Looking back, I probably would of gone with my original template, instead of something I thought the client might like. Another thing I would of done differently, would to use less text throughout the leaflet and enlarged some of the images instead. Along with this, I could add in actual type and write my own information on the museum, making it look more individual and realistic.

I would of liked the opportunity to produce another design for the client after I have heard the feedback. As a lot of this were fairly simple changes and would of only taken a couple of minutes to correct. Unfortunately my design wasn't good enough for the client to want to see more and I believe this is mostly because of the printer issue at the beginning of the production process, which put off the client from the get go.

Overall, I am happy with my final draft design and can at least use this for my end of year show.

MOBAW Feedback

The feedback from my first leaflet draft was overall okay, however there were a few things that needed to be changed. For example, the client on the whole didn't like the colour scheme and said it looked very dark and dull. I understood this comment, however this was mostly because of the printer quality and because of this, it did not help with the presentation of my design.

One element of my leaflet that the client really liked, was the map and how it was shown in a circle. This linked in with the majority of the maps around Bath, which makes it very recognisable to local residents and possible customers of the museum.

For my second draft, I am going to change the colours slightly, as well as brightening the cover image of my leaflet. I am also changing the transparent coloured blocks, as this looks a bit messy and unprofessional. Instead I will use flat colours, which will stand out a lot more and overall improve the dull colouring.

Here a small example below of the changes that have been made so far on my leaflet:

The original is on the left and the updated version is on the right. This design looks a lot more bold and eye catching, making the leaflet look more attractive to the target audience.

Response Mechanism

A response mechanism is a method that companies use for consumers to get in touch, as a response without any pressure. For example most of the letters you get in the post have a reply mechanism, just like if you are due an eye examination appointment. The letter will give you many options to get back in touch throughout and to encourage the consumer to book with them again. Often these are personalised, also making consumers more likely to respond. This method also allows consideration and time for the consumer and does not use sales pressure like other methods would.

A response mechanism I can use for my leaflet, is to use my final draft and put it on display amongst other MOBAW leaflets. This way the audience are under no pressure at which leaflet to pick up, but instead takes the one that stands out and sparks their attention. Eventually you can then determine which design was the most popular, from the amount that is left. On the other hand, this would be quite difficult to record and may come across set backs with this system. However, to extend this even further, the museum could record the amount of people who come in with the leaflet and specifically, which one was chosen. This way you can conclude that the audience have liked the leaflet and museum enough to actually come and visit, making it a response to the leaflet.