Summer Project Brief

Introduction/Background

In our day-to-day lives we are constantly bombarded by visual stimuli and as designers we have to take advantage of these opportunities in order to develop our awareness towards everything that can stimulate our imagination. Designers feed their creativity from knowledge and understanding of current issues, trends and culture. As a result they often express their creativity by applying personal experiences and knowledge to their work to overcome many design challenges. Inspiration can be fuelled by anything within society ie; films, television, internet, architecture, consumers experiences, and most of all general living. Imagine a world where everyone walks around with blinkers on and only sees things that are under their noses. Now imagine yourself and your limited stimuli, inspiration and experience. Limited knowledge produces repetitive and clichéd designs and most of all constrains the imagination to the extent that all the solutions become similar and predictable. It is a positive way of learning and generating original work.

The Brief

As part of your ongoing creative and cultural development you are required to analyse and critically review any inspirational material that falls in the following categories: books, films, architecture/places, museums, artist, websites/online, designs. Your challenge is to respond critically to at least 35 different things (at least five for each category) that you find interesting and stimulating. Your response must be coherent and logged online into your personal Blog, moreover you’ll have to comment on and discuss other students findings in order to critically start an online crit in which all of you will take part. The approach to this brief has to be professional and your Blog must not to become a collection of summer holiday snaps and a record of your social life/events.