OUGD406 STUDIO BRIEF 4 - INITIAL MINDMAP

To start off thinking about this brief, I thought the best way to start was to come up with a mind map to get down some of my ideas on paper.

I tried to think of things that I would want to know when I started university, living with people I had never met before until the day I moved in with them, and things I'd perhaps want other people to know how to do to make not only their life at university better but also the people around them as well.
I thought about how to be clean, perhaps tips and techniques I have learnt from experience this year that could be of use to people, or just the basics of being clean, as I know from hearing some people's experiences of living in halls that some people have no idea how to be clean, or don't even know they are being messy. This could be perhaps a small leaflet or even a series of posters to put up in living areas so that they are in clear view for everyone. Even in the studio as well, some people could be a little tidier such as putting paper scraps in the bin after using the guillotine for example.
 Another idea I thought of was how to be healthy and active as a student on a budget, as I know this is something that I am trying to achieve, and living in the city it is pretty hard. I could possibly suggest food shopping strategies or getting the most out of your gym membership, or even alternatives to the gym, like home workout routines or good places to run such as Hyde Park, even nearby facilities such as the swimming pool at The Edge.
A more course based idea could be the do's and don't's of graphic design, the simple things to doing well in this course, how to get the most out of the facilities or what design techniques generally work the best, even your attitude to working maybe.
I then thought about making a publication about all the facilities on offer at the University, such as the digital print resource, screen printing, book binding, mono printing, and photography studio's as well, as I know even now it's a bit daunting to use these facilities, just going to drop in's, it feels like everybody knows what they're doing and even nearly a year in I'm still not sure myself.
Another idea I thought about was how to live on a budget, as a lot of people I know their student loan doesn't eve cover their accommodation, and therefore are living off their parents money, so spending as little as possible is definitely in their best interests. I could think about how to make the most of the food you have and using up leftovers, combinations you may not think of. I could also think about including things to do with buying stock to print on, and how to manage your printer credits, only printing out in black and white until you really need to, saving money. I could also offer ideas to making delicious meals rather than buying ready made meals, such as noodles, as this works out a lot cheaper and you still get a pretty similar meal.
Another one of my ideas was to create a map showing people the key places in Leeds, both practical. social and artistic, to help get their bearings on where they are within the city, and which places are or aren't nearby. This will also let them know about places they didn't know existed, or didn't realise were key places to visit anyway.
My final idea was a publication to the basics of blogging, as blogging is such a major part of the course, which I don't think is made quite as clear as it could be, as this is basically how most of your work, research and development is marked, through your blog. I thought of producing a guide on the best blogging techniques, and tips on how to keep on top of blogging, as I know this is something people, including myself, tend to neglect.

I think I will brainstorm into more detail on some of these ideas that I think could work the best, and then come to a conclusion this way on which one to take further and produce some designs for.

Developed mind map:
I developed my top three ideas, thinking about all the possible areas I could cover or include, and the different outcomes I could produce and the styles these could be in.

The first idea I developed was the "how to be clean" idea, as this is the one which I found I could develop more on the previous mind map, and something that I feel is pretty important to me and the way I live. I thought about what I could include in it, such as tips and tactics, useful products to use for cleaning that actually work. I also considered what areas to cover, the kitchen area, bathroom and also the studio, such as the guillotine and desks, and how simple measures can keep these areas clean. I then thought about what my outcome could be, and posters was the initial thought. I thought about having powerful phrases on them, which were short, simple and to the point. When I see these posters, I think of them in pastel colours, with Helvetica or Futura, or another sans serif, minimalistic typeface as the main or only typeface on them. I also think geometric, simple illustrations could be used on these posters to either form a patterned background relevant to the statement, or to help illustrate the statement itself. I think these posters would definitely stand out, however I'm not sure they would teach much, I would have to think carefully about what to put on them, perhaps helpful hints, like "put the toilet seat down" or "scrape food scraps into the bin" although these statements don't sound very attractive. Another outcome I thought about producing was a how-to guide of step by step instructions, perhaps a leaflet or a book depending on how much content I have to include, and of course sticking to time restrictions. I considered whether this guide should be illustrative or purely typographical, and whether these illustrations would be hand drawn, file liner based or geometric.
The second idea I developed was The "finding your way around Leeds map" idea, as this is definitely something that I could of done with, knowing where all the major, important places were, so I could know whether to get a bus or if I can walk there, and which places are handy to go to in one go, or if some places are a long way from one another. I considered the style of map I could produce, whether it be more like The Hungry Sandwich Club map I produced as part of a team, which was a lot more hand rendered and illustrative, or if it could be more like the Subway map, which is a lot more geometric and colour co-ordinated, a map that is built around aesthetics rather than to scale. I also thought about combining these two, a style which is illustrative yet geometric, although I'm not sure if this would be too contrasting. Another style I thought of was more of a theme park map style, very chaotic but to scale and using colour to group different types of activities together, but to create a very playful, eye catching design that's easy to follow, yet not easy to spot places as such. The final style I thought of was more of a pin-board style map, where the different categories of places would be marked using certain coloured pins, the map would also be a lot more illustrative, however I don't think this is my design style, and is not the kind of work I want to be producing in the future. MY next consideration is again the kinds of places to include, artistic such as Colours May Vary and The Tetley, practical such as Morrison's or Aldi, and social such as The Everyman Cinema or Control.
My third and final idea I developed was the "healthy and active being a student on a budget" one, as this is the lifestyle I am trying hard to pursue, whist also enjoying myself and spending time with friends and still having time for completing my work. One idea I thought to include was how to make the most of your gym membership, which a large amount of students have, including myself, however it is very easy to not get your money's worth from it. I could include fitness routines to do at the gym, and also information on how to make the best use of the specialist facilities available at the gym as well. I could also include fitness alternatives to the gym, for those who don't have gym memberships, which many can't afford as they are expensive. I could include information about societies both at Leeds University and Leeds College of Art, for sports activities such as dance and even yoga as well. I could even suggest places where you can go to exercise where you don't have to be a member, such as swimming pools, like the one at The Edge, or Hyde Park, the main park in Leeds which is a popular place for runners and the occasional tightrope walker. Another aspect I considered was the food side. I could include recipes of healthy meals, or alternative snacks to crisps and chocolate. I could also include information about how to make your own healthy packed lunch, and the kind of things to put in it for a balanced lunch, as it is surprising how many people don't really know what to put in a packed lunch, especially if they never had one when they were at school. I also considered including cheap places to buy food, such as Aldi, Kirtgate market or if you go into Sainsbury's at the end of the day, they often have a lot of things reduced, especially in the bread and cake section. Alcohol preferences could also be shown, including information about the ones that are healthier for you, such as Tequila is apparently better for you than Vodka. Another aspect I considered was cycling around Leeds, as a lot of students, especially in their second year, either hire a bike for the year or bring their own to university, as it's a lot easier and quicker to get around Leeds and to and from university on a bike than it is walking, and arguably safer as well. I could include a cycle map on Leeds or information about bike rentals and where the best places to lock them up are. Finally, I considered what I could produce to hold this mass of information together, a book or perhaps a leaflet, although I will have to alter the amount of content I include, or the depth of content, depending on which outcome I would choose. 

The idea I am going to develop and eventually produce is the "Finding your way around Leeds Map" idea, as I think this is probably the most useful thing and will benefit students in many ways. I want to try and produce it in an artistic, maybe illustrative style similar to that of the Hungry Sandwich Club map, something they can pin up on their wall as a poster, but is also easily folded up and easy to read as well.