Final Major Project | Module Briefing

Final Major Project Briefing
Notes from the module for the OUGD303 module

-

Part I

* Write questions for next part of the brief in regards to the FMP module.
* Highest possible level of development and theoretical design at this stage.
* 50 credit module- nearly 50% of the final module/year.
* Level of quality and quantity needs to be at it's highest level.
* Manage time and resources to develop work effectively throughout the module.
* Be ambitious and demonstrate your skills to a high level... this is for your portfolio. We will reap rewards for our efforts.
* Write our statement of intent ready for group and individual tutorials- exploring initial ideas and getting things DONE. Statement of Intent (as completed forms) to be submitted on 1st Fed after being negotiated and developed through research and investigation.
* Who am I? What subjects and themes do I want to deal with?
* The statement of Intent is a starting point and will be the initial stage of our briefs- it will get re-written several times throughout the module.
* Research and development is the focus after dissertation week (mid- February), also putting together Design Strategy presentation for PPD week after Easter, formal assessment.
* By Easter Design Context and Dissertation completed with portfolio being well developed.
* Last six weeks for FMP are solely based on design production and refining work/branding for End of Year Show.
* End of Year show preparation, start June. PRESENT ourselves PROFESSIONALLY.
* We need to plan and account for every single hour throughout this module.
* TAG ALL DISS WORK AS OUCS301.
* This module is about independence and professionalism.
* Investigate and produce work that demonstrates our knowledge and how work would exist in the "real world".
* 100 hours work on research and planning for 10 credits within the module.
* Planning, negotiating and analysis are all ongoing and documented throughout our blogs.
* Look at how brands can be perceived through brand identity. Develop an identity as much as through design development. What makes the company/individual different- what makes them stand out?
* If budgets don't allow for a professional finish and delivery you can propose these ideas for submission.
* Our body of work has to be coherent and reflect who we want to be as a designer.
* Paper-based documentation and project journal is ongoing. Should include all developmental work and planning for written briefs, statement of intent, etc.
* Also can be used for disclosure/confidentiality agreements, etc. Plan, negotiate and organise your Final Major Project.
* We need to provide our own bibliography through researching throughout the Final Major Project of texts, articles, references, etc. Keep recorded consistently. Any un-referenced sources will be treated as plagiarism. ALWAYS reference work.
* Submission evidence: Project journal, design context blog, research file and publication, design development and solutions, ongoing and summative evaluation (BLOG).
* 66.6% of degree comes from Level 06.

Part II

* Minimum of 5 Design Practice significant briefs... demonstrate practical, contextual and theoretical practice + Design Context brief.
* Design Context...
* Identify, explore and present the contexts and areas of discipline that we want our design practice to reflect and be comparable to.
* Political, ethical, sustainability concerns, print production, etc.
* What are my concerns as a designer/interests- what do I want to be compared against and assessed to... research according to the context of my practice and what I'm about as a designer.
* Pt I... Undertake sustained contextual research. Professional concerns, production technologies, processes, etc. Practical, theoretical and contextual elements of my practice.
* Go and talk to people within the industries of interest... talk to shop owners, museum curators, events organisers, etc... dissertation and design process become this synthesised outcome.
* Ask studios about clients they work with, areas of specialism and advice... go with interview questions in preparation then add portfolio review element to PPD blog.
* Pt II... Take this research and publish it. Demonstrates understanding of connections from Design Context and production in the bibliography of your research and documentation throughout the Final Major Project module.
* Publication that leads to a website with a disk, etc. 
* FORGET what it will be as a product for now... focus on research and it will be inspired (the context) by the content and researched areas of interest developed.
* Have to start gathering information now. Present your context as appropriate but ALWAYS document your information on your blog.
* Your Design Context research will inform everything you do throughout your Final Major Project.
* Present our progress on Design Context in the Easter Presentation- 90% of visits/research, etc. complete. From that point onwards, it is about production and design developments.
* Organise my my publication into "chapters" of disciplines.
* Design Practice...
* Make sure our information is organised from the start on our blogs... Brief 1, Brief 2, Brief 3, etc.
* OUGD303 DC, OUGD303 DP for Design Context and Design Practice tags.
* EVERYTHING has to be explored throughout this module, through a minimum of 5 significant briefs. They have to give the work that we want in portfolio and understanding of our own practice in society.
* ALWAYS consider design, range, production and distribution with every single brief.
* Eg...Books... 5 books in range....paperback, hardback, duplex paperback, inshore display, point of sale, e-Book, etc... propose other editions/content, etc across range-promotional material, point of sale, etc.
* ALL BRIEFS NEED TO BE ONGOING AND DEVELOPING AT THE SAME TIME... By Easter I'll identify briefs that I want to expand even further or want to continue developing more briefs.
* 50 credits- min. 500 study hours to complete module at pass level.
* EVERYTHING has to be contextualised and contextually driven.