‘Wordplay’ - Final Project of 3rd Year.

For our final project of third year we had the chance to write our own brief and design whatever we liked…within reason. Our only constraints came from our module title, ‘Partnerships Networks and Connections’. We therefore had to ensure that whatever we were designing we had to design with people/potential clients in mind. We were encouraged to reach out and talk to people in industry, people who would potentially use the space we were designing and anyone else that could influence our design process. I’m glad this module encouraged us to do this as it pushed me out of my comfort zone, helped build confidence and also got me to design with the public, something students are not often used to but will have to do once they are professional designers.

I decided to design a reading space for children as I found through research that it is greatly needed. I discovered that 6 million adults in the U.K. can’t read properly which means they can’t carry out the simplest of tasks, this stems from their childhood. At the moment 1 in 5 teenagers leave school without basic literacy skills.Getting children to engage with books and read early in their life, in ways that they enjoy will ensure they continue to read associating it with pleasurable experiences. Spaces can be used to generate excitement about reading and an environment that is flexible for the individual will give each child the opportunity to learn. I proposed to design a fun interactive space within St. Mary’s Primary School, Lochee, where children will be able to read, play and learn. If the reading space is a success it could be later implemented into other schools.

I began looking at other designers work for inspiration, finding out about, the best way to display a book, the areas where children like to read and how they might travel through the space. A couple of my favourite examples were, ‘The Library of Picture Books’ by Tado Ando and ‘Kids Republic’ bookstore by SKSK Architects. In the ‘Library of Picture Books’ the books are all shelved with their covers on display to attract the children’s attention. ‘Kids Republic’ is an example of a fun environment that encourages children to read as well as acting like a playground.

To carry out more research I went to St. Mary’s Primary School in Lochee to ask the children I was designing for what they wanted. I hoped this would generate a lot of exciting ideas. The primary four class were very helpful and I asked them to complete two tasks for me. Firstly I handed them a piece of paper with the outline of a book and wanted them to draw me their favourite book. I then gave them another piece of paper and asked them to draw me a place where they would like to go to read their book.

 This exercise proved that kids have so much imagination and they are all very different from each other. A fun, flexible space that feeds their imagination must be designed.

 Taking inspiration from stories, storytelling techniques and patterns a reading experience has been created. The space is divided into 3 sections; the beginning, middle and the end. A continuous path that flows through each section represents the storyline showing the ups and downs (this is also shown physically) until it reaches its climax that leads the children to the calm in the final section.

Section one of the space is where the children will find a book they want to read. Children can enter this magical space by crawling through a little red door. Once inside they make their way through the forest of books selecting one they’d like to read.

Zone 2 is fun and colourful. Children can read their chosen book wherever they feel comfortable. Climb up and read in the pod or swing next to their friends in the cocoons. Head phones and iPads are also provided for those who want to listen to a story privately or they can gather round the storyteller for group reading and participation.

After children slide into the final space they will be encouraged to reflect on the book they’ve just read. They can discuss, draw, write or even put on a performance, ensuring they leave having gained something from the whole experience. Snapshots of their experiences are recorded. Before they drop off their books they can check out other children’s adventures on the “Golden Book”.

“You cannot predict the outcome of human development. All you can do like a farmer, is create conditions under which they will begin to flourish.”  - Ken Robinson.

I felt that quote by Ken Robinson summed up my project. You can’t force a child to read but you can give them the right materials and environment and hopefully they will want to continue. I hope my design will get kids reading and enjoying it.

If you want to see more information about this project you can check out my project blog here.

Design & the Market Intro.

Wednesday morning I had an introductory lecture to a new module I’m taking this semester ‘Design and the Market’. It was a motivational start which will hopefully continue.

In the lecture Mike Press mentioned a few young entrepreneurs that are graduates of DJCAD some of which I had heard of in other classes (Vanilla Ink and Little Riot). It’s comforting to know that there is hope outside uni. Someone who I had not heard of before however was Johanna Basford. I have noticed her work before in passing on the Edinburgh Fringe catalogue and liked it but never thought to find out who the designer was. Last night I was doing a little internet stalking to see more of her work. YouTube has some videos of her showing her drawing and how she works. I like drawing with pens and it’s lovely to see how her work turns out from beginning to end. It made me push myself a little harder to draw more in my sketchbook today. So if I’m ever feeling like I don’t want to or can’t draw I think I’ll watch one of her videos as a pick me up to remind me how fun drawing can be! Mike also mentioned that she is also very good at branding herself. I really like branding but find it difficult to think of how to brand myself hopefully this module will give me some ideas for that.

Tomorrow I will get together with my group to discuss our first assignment and identify which business we will research. I’ll keep my blog updated with the goings on. 

Partnerships Networks & Connections 2: Cultural Kiosk.

Following on from PNC1 this project again has us interacting with people out side our comfort zone, making us more aware of world issues and becoming more skilled at sourcing important information that will guide our design.

A successful designer is one who can adapt and work in unknown areas. This semester we will be put to the test.

For our project ‘Cultural Kiosk’, Duncan of Jordanstone will be teamed up with Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar. Interior design students in Dundee will be designing a retail/information kiosk that represents Qatar and its culture while interior design students from VCU Qatar will design a kiosk that is representative of Scotland.  The 3m x 3m kiosk must be mobile and reflect the image, identity and character of the country it represents. What it says about the country is an important factor.

Throughout the 5 week duration of this project we will act as designers of our own kiosk and consultants to the students of VCU to enable them to design their kiosk. We will contact each other regularly via skype to trade as much information as possible about our countries.

My teammate Danielle Carnegie and I have a blog that is tracking our research and development and will be used as another basis for sharing information with the students at VCU. If you’re interested in finding out more about our project please take a look: http://djcadteam3.wordpress.com/

Tomorrow we will be meeting the students for the first time using skype. I’m a little nervous but hopefully over the weeks we will become more comfortable with each other. We’ve prepared some questions to try and keep away from any awkward silences. It’s really exciting working with students in another country and learning about a culture I previously knew so little about. I’m really pleased DJCAD have given us the opportunity to carry out a project like this.

The Zig Zag Chair.

Throughout my first semester of third year at DJCAD I was working in the workshop every Friday afternoon with two other girls in my class. We were to produce the ‘Zig Zag’ chair by Gerrit Reitveld whilst also contributing some of our personality to the design where we saw fit. This exercise was simply to get us back in the work shop and become comfortable using the tools once again.

Here are some images of our work.

GIDE: Creativity for Local Enterprise

At the end of last semester my work for GIDE was completed and handed in however it’s not over yet. In February this year all universities involved in GIDE will be coming to DJCAD to take part in a one week workshop. I’m not sure exactly what this will involve yet but the week kick starts with a party at Dundee Universities Students Union to welcome the other students and staff.

This is just a quick blog to update you on my work for GIDE as I realise I have not posted about it yet.

The brief was to create a design response to the theme Creativity for Local Enterprises. Looking at the different enterprises in Dundee I was interested in the facilities available to new parents. I wanted to create a centre that offered help, guidance and education to parents whatever their age.

To research this topic further I met up with a Health Care assistant from Ninewells hospital to find out what services were available. I then went to visit a local family centre in Lochee. I found this very helpful as it gave me deeper insights into the topic and helped identify areas where I could improve upon the service.

Looking at other designers work of existing nursery’s and schools enabled me to develop my own design ideas. As it would be a place for children I wanted it to have a playful aesthetic. To make parents feel at home I wanted to ensure it had a welcoming atmosphere that was not at all clinical or uncomfortable. Below is a description on my family centre that has been named ‘Grow’.

‘Grow’ has been designed with parents in mind. It’s hard enough becoming a parent especially with out any support or guidance, this centre will be a home away from home where parents from all back­grounds will learn how to care for their baby and themselves.

It has been designed to be a wel­coming and relaxed environment where a community can be built between the parents and staff. A fun playful design has been cre­ated through splashes of colour and a zig-zag book shelf which is a main feature in the interior space.

New School Year New DJCAD.

I’ve been back at uni for 2 weeks now and 3^rd year has started off as it probably will continue being, busy, busy, busy! Before the summer holidays we were told that there were going to be a lot of changes. A few people weren’t too keen on these but so far I think it’s all been for the best.

My course has moved studios from level 5 up to level 8 of the Matthew building. We’ve got new desks, comfy chairs and a lot more light which creates a better environment for working.

The course has been structured a little more than previous years so we have less time to ourselves and a ‘Google Calendar’ to map out every hour of each day. So far this has not been a problem, as I know what’s going on throughout the week it helps me use my time wisely…well I hope I’m using it wisely! I+ED have set up life drawing classes with Reinhard Behrens every week to keep our drawing skills strong. As computers are being used more and more these days’ basic drawing skills can be lost or forgotten about. We have also been allocated workshop time! Last year we had a furniture project and got the chance to build something as a group, this year we will get the chance to do this again. The department have put on classes for us which start in a couple of weeks which will see us making a chair by the end of the semester. I think this is amazing! I wasn’t that comfortable in the workshop during the project last year but really enjoyed the final outcome I’m hoping that getting the chance to be back there making something will increase my confidence and skills.

 Rocking Chair -designed & built last year.

Our main project in the studio this semester is part of an international competition called GIDE (Group for International Design Education). The students from the universities involved all design something according to the brief then a select few are asked to present their work at the workshop which will be held at DJCAD this year. The universities involved are from Dundee, Leeds, Magdeburg, Ljubljana, Milan, Mechelen and Switzerland. I’m looking forward to the workshop and meeting the students although I’m a little disappointed that this is the year we’re not visiting another city and university. At the moment the workshop seems far away and I’m currently stressed trying to think up the perfect idea for the project… more on this work in another post.

This year for the first time students were given the chance to select the module they wanted to study. This is a better idea as students won’t feel forced to study something they have no interest in.  I chose the 'Cultures and Practices of Advertising and Branding'. I’ve always been interested in advertising and at one point thought of it as a possible career. The lectures have been interesting so far and I’ve had the chance to get to know people from other courses. Hopefully by the end of the semester I’ll have the mind of Don Draper!