For this new poster project, each of you plays two roles: you are a client for one project and a designer for another project.
1. As a client, you come up with a project:
- Choose an event by a specific organization that you are part of or familiar with. It could also be a lecture or any type of call to action or PSA. Pick a subject matter or a cause that you actually care about.
- You can use an existing event, or come up with a new one. The organization itself could be imaginary if you can’t think of one. It could just be your college/department too.
- Come up with the content for the event. Write up a project brief for your designer that includes all the copies (not to mention the title of the event), as well as the event/organization’s context, purpose, and audience — all the information that your designer should know about. The copy should be coherent, clear, and grammatically correct so ideally the designer can just copy and paste them into the design (which doesn’t always happen in the real world, but I’m teaching you to be better clients too!).
- Deliver all the content and communicate with your designer what you would like to achieve in the design. Conveying your thoughts clearly to your designer is the challenge here, which is why having a project brief is important.
- How specifically you want to describe your vision for the poster is up to you. You could give your designer some kind of visual ideas that you may have, but it is not necessary. What you should clearly define is the purpose and goal of the project, not how to get there, which is your designer’s job.
2. As a designer, you receive the assignment, do your research, and make design sketches:
- First of all, make sure you fully understand the message/intention of your client. If not clear, ask them.
- Think critically through your client’s input. See if there’s any information your client didn’t provide that you think should be included. You could suggest editing the text/image if you think it is necessary.
- Do your own research too. You are not mere hands to actualize your clients’ vision. As a designer, you are the creative mind who can introduce a new vision or take your client’s vision to the next level. Also, it’s not only about making your client happy, but also making work that you think is successful! Even if your client has a very specific visual idea, you can still suggest something else that you think works better. You just need to convince your client with your design proposal & presentation 🙂
- Come up with visual strategies to best convey the message intended. Make at least two different directions to show your client. Of course, to get two presentable directions, you will need many more sketches, right?
- The poster is 11″x17″, you can use any tools you need but the final posters should be made in InDesign.
- The design doesn’t need to be final for the first presentation but your design idea & thought process should be clear within each direction. Think about how to present it to your client and persuade them.
Task 1 as a client should be done by Sunday, March 5 and you should email your project brief to your designer by Monday, March 6. During our class on Tuesday, March 7, you will be able to ask questions about the briefs, among other things.
Task 2 as a designer is due Thursday, March 9. You will present two design sketches to your clients during the class. And we’ll be all like this.
Here are the pairings, made in alphabetical order of your last names:
- Zawar is Marshall’s client
- Marshall is Rosa’s client
- Rosa is Corey’s client
- Corey is Bernardo’s client
- Bernardo is Jacob’s client
- Jacob is Anna K’s client
- Anna K is James’s client
- James is Leo’s client
- Leo is Avery’s client
- Avery is Tilman’s client
- Tilman is Lourdes’ client
- Lourdes is Emma’s client
- Emma is Lauren’s client
- Lauren is Melissa’s client
- Melissa is Annie’s client
- Annie is Anna Z’s client
- Anna Z is Zawar’s client
Comment if you have any questions!