Real thing starts from Step THREE or Creating Design Context

Here is the deal, guys, last term I failed course of Visual Communication Building therefore this blog is still alive and it is going to be filled with more proper content in more proper way. I want you to think about this post as new introduction to the blog.

It’s going to be way darker this time. First, because I need to follow course reader and following the rules never was my thing, I need to be honest with you here. Second, it’s going to be filled with stereotypes, some ‘interesting’ cultural symbols and I cannot forget about all theory which received during the lectures, all this I need to discuss and explain to you.

About stereotypes: look, I am more than half Russian and our culture is one of the most stereotyped cultures in the entire World, so I think, I am allowed to make fun of others like they are making fun of me. PLEASE, don’t take any joke too seriously and personally, that is why joke is a joke. I just want to make my studies more fun and after all I want educate you in entertaining way, people!

Today I want to start with how to create design context. Below you can see the model which our lecturer provided us during one of his classes. But he showed modified version of it; I found the original by Hakkarainen, 1999 and after I am going to explain each step to you.

Now I am going to open a little secret to you. This model is perfect example of Collaborative Learning Design. The main source of human learning is social interactions. This model is useful not only to create design context but also useful in creating context in general. This model contains eight steps. Each step is going to be discussed in brief.

Before I start explaining it, I need you to learn few new definitions first is definition of Creating Designing Artifacts – it is a process which involves students (people) actively communicating and working together to create a shared view of their design ideas, make joint design decisions, construct and modify their design solutions as well as evaluate their outcomes through discourse (Hennessy & Murphy, 1999). But a lot of time we do our designing not in groups but individually. So, I want to make a remark imagine that you have a group of students in your head or better to imagine group of super-dope professionals in your head to understand this model correctly.

Another word which may confuse you is what is Artifact - artefact, artifact [ˈɑːtɪˌfækt] noun something made or given shape by man, such as a tool or a work of art, especially an object of archaeological interest. Or simply for example a beautiful flower vase. Now, we can proceed with our model.

Creating Design Context

Step one Defining tasks and design constraints:

Get your stuff together and ask lecturer/mentor/tutor/yourself what is your task and what you can do and what cannot.  For me I needed to do theory blog on Visual Communication with connection of what makes me unique in Europe. ß This is my task. Constrains: I need to follow a reader, here is a problem our university course doesn’t have a reader, we have power point slides, so I need to follow them?!

Step two Creating Conceptual and Visual Design Ideas

In one of me previous posts I published mind map of my blogging system, it is a good way to visualize your concept. To remind you here it is. 

Basically when you write your ideas on paper you start to understand your idea better. So, my idea here is to make university project in entertaining way. I have central blog which you are reading right now (introtovct.blogspot.nl), then I made YouTube channel which is for… which is about nothing, exact what YouTube is about – NOTHING and WASTE OF TIME and where some people trying to enter showbiz and make money.

Then I also made twitter account (4_romans) where basically I twitted and re-twitted everything which I considered to be funny or smart, and I made this name ironically showing how many projects I had going on last term.

Also I have used Instagram and Facebook, because we got ACTUAL assignment of making self-portraits, so I needed them. Last two social networks were used as promotional tool of my blog, however none of my friends hadn’t liked or started following my blog (poor me and I love them too).  As I mentioned before I wanted to make not only university course done but also I want to make it so others can read it and have some education out of it and make some fun too.

So, actually during this re-take I am going to follow the same path but in a bit different way.

Step Three Evaluating Design Ideas and Constrains

Well, as I mentioned before I failed this university course. Why? I have no clue!! I did not receive any feedback from my lecturers. I so I am doing this evaluation now! My first biggest mistake is that I have chosen too much social networks; my second mistake is that I tried too much to promote through Facebook, so my friends started to unfollow me. Third thing I guess is that lecturers don’t like my system because it’s too casual and I barely followed what they have assigned.

Actually this is first and last post where I am going to complain about INHOLLAND HOGESCHOOL and where I am going to complain that lecturers just couldn’t gave me passing grade and forget about me. From now on my first constrain is going to be is to use proper, grown up language in my ‘articles’ (maybe). Second constraint – I cannot complain!!! And last constrain is that I need to follow certain plan – Action Plan.

It’s good that I had so many social applications which I used for the project but from now I need to focus only on one platform which is INTROTOVCT.BLOGSPOT.NL. Also I need certain plan of what I am going to publish here. Since it is my NEW introduction I am going to give you little spoiler of what to expect from me in the future. (sequence may vary)

• ·         Architecture in Riga
• ·         Gestalt
• ·         Visual Knowledge Building
• ·         Semiotics
• ·         Stereotypes Edition
• ·         Individualism vs. Connectivism
• ·         Cave paintings
• ·         Some off topic articles which are somehow connected with Visual Knowledge Building
• ·         Moments in Marseile

If I am going to follow this plan, I should pass this course successful and even more I will try to educate some of you, if you are open to education.

Step Four Connection to expert culture and data collection

In step four of the model we should collect theoretical and practical data as much as we can. Look for some good articles which explain your topic explicitly, read them through, skip unimportant things, pick what is useful, discuss it with your mates, parents or tutor if you have one. If not just do what you think is best and time is going to show who is worth something.

Step Five experimenting and testing design ideas (sketching & prototyping)

In this step we need to forget about what other are thinking about us and about who we are. Just try to wear Kanye West shoes and be him a few hours. Work your ass off to come up with some crazy things workable things, write them down!! Write all of them even the baddest, boldest and creepiest of them because after this ‘thinking’ session at least you could have something to laugh about, in case if even all of them are going to be useless. But I am sure one or two are going to be pretty good and workable one.

After take a good rest, sleep, go out and drink to the coma and with hangover head read them one more time; pick what is best and good. Start sketching and prototyping them. WOW, another difficult word, what does ‘prototyping’ mean?

Prototype – is an early sample.

Prototyping means an activity of making samples, so it is actually same as sketching but with different letters!

Sketch your idea(s) on paper or in paint, or in word document whatever, do it outside of your head, make it real.

Step Six Evaluating Function of Prototype

After you made your fabulous sketch, you need to evaluate how fabulous is it! First thing is that you cannot show it to your parents, because they are going to say that it is fabulous despite a fact that you showed them your creepiest sketch from step five.  

So, we need to find some workable way how to evaluate function of it, if you don’t have mentor. My advice to you is to compare your ‘thingy’ to the ‘thingies’ of professionals, if your sketch doesn’t look much uglier than theirs, then it should be pretty good. If you feel that something is missing go for a party with your friends and get some inspiration and start with a refreshed head next day!

Step Seven Elaboration of design ideas and re-design

How was the party?! Good?! Did you tell your friends that you cannot make perfect finish touch of your design idea?  If no, than you should go for one more party and tell them. If yes, I hope that they told you not to bother yourself much about it and gave you a confidence push of creativity! Anyways, now you SHOULD be able to re-design it and give it to a production company.

Step eight Distributed expertise

Now, your product is finished and executed. You can receive feedback from your clients or mentor. Do be honest I am not sure how this step should work. When you have a mentor than it should work, but this does not applies to my case… So, go and figure it out by yourself in practice.

Press follow button if you smiled at at least once!